Although he already had a countermeasure in mind, Li Qin did not mention it in the carriage.
In short, the carriage was not a place to discuss matters.
The carriage carried the few of them to Li Qin's residence.
Du Ruhui smiled and said that he wanted to eat the best food and drink the best wine.
Li Qin gladly accepted the order. He took out 120% of his craftsmanship and buried his head in the kitchen.
Fang Yaoyi was chased to the kitchen to help, but Li Qin declined her kindness.
Not long after, the dishes were all served. Li Qin smiled and walked over with a jar of Qian Jinzui.
He refilled their glasses.
Li Qin's butt had just touched the chair when he saw that the wine bowls of the two lords were already empty.
He smiled helplessly and was about to get up to fill it up when Du Ruhui waved his hand and said,"Young Master Li doesn't need to be polite, we can do it ourselves.”
As he spoke, Du Ruhui grabbed the wine jar and poured the wine.
With his daughter by his side, Fang Xuanling wasn't as anxious as Lord Du. He smiled and said,""Young Master Li, it's time to tell me about your plan.”
Du Ruhui put down the wine bowl in his hand. He had seen Young Master Li's strategy before.
He could not help but feel curious.
Li Qin scratched his head.”
"However, it shouldn't be a problem to skin the Duke of Lu.”
Du Ruhui and the others gasped.
Good heavens, peeling off a layer of skin is not a problem, but you are not ruthless. Do you want the life of the Duke of Lu?
"Young Master Li, don't keep me in suspense." Fang Xuanling said.”
"Lord Du, Lord Fang, what is the thing that Duke Lu fears the most?" Li Qin sneered.”
"Reputation?" Fang Yaoyi said thoughtfully.”
Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were extremely confused.
It was true that the officials in the imperial court placed the most importance on reputation, but if Young Master Li wanted to ruin the reputation of Duke Lu, it would be a fool's dream.
Not to mention the fact that the Duke of Lu had great power and it was difficult to catch him.
Where did Young Master Li get the connections to mobilize the people and ruin the reputation of Duke Lu?
Unexpectedly, Li Qin shook his head slightly and said,""No, no."
"Reputation is important, but that is what scholars value the most.”
"The Duke of Lu was a military officer and was a general. Reputation is something that he doesn't need.”
There was some truth in this statement. The Duke of Lu was arrogant and boastful. He was happy to see the prey and would often swallow it for himself.
If the superior liked something, the subordinate would do the same, and Hou Junji's soldiers would also have a taste of being arrogant and domineering.
His reputation was already bad.
"If it's not reputation, then what is it?" Fang Xuanling asked in confusion.”
Li Qin hesitated again and again, even though he knew that the two of them were on his side.
However, he was not sure if these two lords would still stand on his side after he said this.
Du Ruhui was very shrewd. He saw through Li Qin's concerns at a glance and lightly said,"Young Master Li doesn't need to worry.”
"The Duke of Lu and I aren't on good terms.”
"We're still very happy to see it.”
Li Qin took a deep breath and smiled." Since Milord said so, then that kid has nothing else to worry about."”
"What officials in the court fear most is not losing their reputation, but the trust of His Majesty.”
"As far as I know, the Lu Public House has done many shameful things in recent years.”
"May I ask if the evil deeds of the Lu Public House spread throughout Chang 'an overnight?”
"Then what will His Majesty think?”
Du Ruhui smiled." If it causes public anger, I'm sure His Majesty will also be furious. However, at most, he will be fined some salary."”
"Young Master Li's method can only cause trouble for Duke Lu.”
"Just as Young Master Li said, it's just reputation, Duke Lu doesn't care.”
Li Qin nodded and said frankly,"Of course, this small matter is of no concern to the Duke of Lu."”
"However, if the news of me arguing with Hou Yulan and being taken to court today spreads, I will not be able to escape.”
"Even if there is no evidence directly pointing to the Duke of Lu, the current Emperor will still have some suspicions.”
"In addition to the accumulated resentment of the people, I want to see how the Duke of Lu will deal with it.”
"Moreover, what I want to do is not to overthrow the Duke of Lu in one go. I just need to plant a seed in the Emperor's heart.”
"This is enough."
In truth, Li Qin really wanted to bring down Hou Junji and his daughter, but this was clearly impossible.
In the novels of his previous life, the protagonist could easily trap his opponent with a little strategy.
But reality was very different. Hou Junji was a powerful figure and had contributed greatly to the Black Tortoise Sect rebellion, so he held a very important position in Li Shimin's heart.
This was known from historical records. In the 17th year of Zhenguan, Hou Junji's rebellion was exposed.
This was a crime that could kill nine families, but Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin, only sentenced him to death and exiled his family to Lingnan.
He even listed Hou Junji as one of the twenty-four meritorious officials of the Lingyan Pavilion.
As a result, he could only take things slowly when dealing with Hou Junji.
Meanwhile, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui broke out in cold sweat as they listened.
Du Ruhui suddenly thought of the matter of raising food and couldn't help but swallow.
This kid really liked to use fishing boats and people's hearts to manipulate people.
The current Emperor loved fame and could not tolerate sand in his eyes. If this was not on the surface, then forget it. After all, the Duke of Lu had worked hard and made great contributions.
However, once they were dragged out and thrown into the open, it would cause a commotion among the people.
If the Emperor continued to pretend to be deaf and dumb, the image of the imperial court in the hearts of the people would collapse.
Young Master Li wanted to use the fishing boat and the people's hearts to force His Majesty to make a move against Duke Lu.
Du Ruhui felt a chill run down his spine. This kid was really something.
He was so young, yet he had such vicious methods.
If he was allowed to return to the palace, it wouldn't be long before the position of Crown Prince would be given up.
Du Ruhui couldn't help but sigh. His Majesty was still worried that the infighting in the Palace would hurt him if he recognized Li Qin.
From the looks of it, His Majesty was worrying too much.
This wasn't a sheep entering the tiger's den, this was a wolf entering the house!
"It's a good plan." Fang Yaoyi's brows furrowed, her eyes were glowing," But what is Young Master Li planning to do?”
"If word of mouth were to spread, it would probably be sealed by the Duke of Lu before it even gets out of the alley.”
Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were stunned. That's right, you're right, but wouldn't you be blind if you couldn't spread the news?
The two of them looked at each other and saw the helplessness in each other's eyes.
The excitement that he had just mentioned was completely based on the foundation that he had started to imagine after spreading it.
He had forgotten about this.
"Of course I thought of that," Li Qin said unhurriedly.”
"It is precisely because of this that I wish to discuss a business deal with the two sirs.”
"A business deal that benefits the Great Tang without any harm.”
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