Chapter 564: Combining Force and Softness (Part 2)

By this point, Cui Huan had fully understood Li Qing’an’s intentions. He indeed wanted to deal with the Pei family—to curb their arrogance—but he didn’t want to offend them for fear of losing their support. Thus, he sought help from the Cui family, yet felt he couldn’t control them. That’s why Cui Ping was reassigned as a vice minister; clearly, it was to prepare him for entry into the government. Li Qing’an aimed to have Cui Ping completely replace him, not only in the court but also within the family, so that the Cui family could become a powerful tool against the Peis.
Cui Huan suddenly felt extremely tired. Li Qing’an’s imperial tactics made him feel powerless, as if he were just a puppet with strings pulled by Li Qing’an. He wanted to struggle but had no strength left.
“What do you think I should do?” Cui Huan sighed helplessly.
“I think your second brother needs to make a decision.”
“What decision?”
Cui Yu pondered for a while before slowly saying, “It’s a choice between status and integrity. If we choose status, your brother might as well follow Li Qing’an’s plan and hand over family power to Cui Ping. Then the Cui family’s influence will surely surpass that of the Peis. But if we choose integrity, we must ignore Li Qing’an—though the Cui family will surely pay a heavy price. By then, the Wei family will rise to replace the Cui family in containing the Peis’ growth.”
Cui Huan remained silent for a long time. This was a critical matter, and he needed time to think.
……
Pei Zunqing had been an official for decades, but he had never felt so confident as he did these past months. Under his efforts, the Pei family’s influence in the central court grew day by day. Pei Ju, the governor of Jingzhou, became the right vice minister; Pei Xu, the governor of Puzhou, became the head of the Guanglu Temple; Pei Ji, the governor of Mingzhou, became the deputy head of the Taichang Bureau—causing a stir throughout the court.
Pei Zunqing wasn’t aware that he had pushed the Pei family into a dangerous situation. He continued to ambitiously plan further expansion. This year, he intended to assign fourteen Pei family members studying at the imperial academy to local positions as officials. Additionally, according to the alliance agreement he had with the Lu family, he planned to promote Lu Xun, the current head of the Imperial Academy, to vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel, preparing him to take over from the aging Lu Huan in the government.
These days, Pei Zunqing was extremely excited. He had received secret orders from Li Qing’an to overthrow Cui Ning, the governor of Qizhou, on charges of colluding with Southern Tang. Cui Ning was a key pillar of the Cui family. If he could be removed, it would deal a severe blow to the Cui family and greatly weaken their biggest rival, the Peis.

But his plan did not go smoothly. The order to hold a grand trial of Cui Ning was met with resistance in the Ministry of State Affairs, and without a trial outcome, the Council of State could not directly remove Cui Ning, meaning his plan failed.
Today is a day of rest for the court, and Pei Zunqing is also resting at home. He plans to initiate an impeachment against Cui Ning by the Censorate tomorrow, bypassing the grand trial and having the censors conduct an investigation directly. If the evidence is solid, the Council of State will hold a special meeting to remove Cui Ning directly, without relying on orders from the Ministry of State Affairs, thus circumventing the Ministry of State Affairs.
Pei Zunqing changed into loose Buddhist robes today and stayed in his study, planning his strategy for tomorrow. As many people have noted, he is not good at handling various government affairs but is highly enthusiastic about power struggles and family interests, which contrasts sharply with his nephew Pei Min.
Sitting at the table in deep thought, Pei Zunqing felt that the charge of colluding with Southern Tang was not strong enough. According to reports from Cui Ning’s subordinates, the Treasury Bureau of Southern Tang had sent people to contact Cui Ning several times. Although the evidence was solid, the Treasury Bureau seemed not very convincing. Since it was responsible for trade and financial management, it was likely that Southern Tang wanted to trade with Guanzhong and Longyou, and Qizhou was key to this. This was merely a discussion about trade and had little to do with secret collusion with Southern Tang—this was the main reason the Ministry of State Affairs deemed the evidence insufficient and rejected the grand trial.
Pei Zunqing also felt uncertain. If it involved communication with the Ministry of War, it would be different. His brows furrowed; using this charge would likely not work, and he needed to find another, more convincing one.
At that moment, a family member came in to report, “Master!”
“What is it?”
“Second Master Min has arrived and requests to see you.”
‘Pei Min?’ Pei Zunqing was slightly surprised. What could he want from him?
“Ask him to wait in the guest room. I’ll be there soon.”
Although Pei Min had been removed from his position as Right Prime Minister, he still held the honorary title of Grand Master of Golden Light. Additionally, he served as Tutor to the Crown Prince, remaining a high-ranking official in the court, though removed from the center of power. He merely observed the various events in the court from the sidelines. However, the rapid expansion of the Pei family in recent months made it impossible for Pei Min to remain silent. Given the fate of his family, he had to say something.
Pei Min waited in the guest room for a while before hearing footsteps outside. Pei Zunqing entered. In terms of seniority, Pei Min was Pei Zunqing’s nephew, but since both held high positions, this familial relationship seemed less important between them.
“Nephew, what brings you here? Hehe!”

Pei Zunqing was in high spirits and walked in with a smile. Pei Min quickly got up to greet him, saying, “I came here especially to see you today, Second Uncle.”
“Hmm! My health has indeed been poor lately. As one ages, death approaches.”
Pei Zunqing sighed and waved his hand, saying, “Nephew, please sit down!”
The two sat on the couch, and a maid brought them tea. Pei Min said with a smile, “Politics must be quite troublesome, right?”
“The politics are okay, but it’s the personnel issues that are really troublesome!”
Pei Zunqing took a sip of tea and then asked, “Having held the position of prime minister for so long, what do you think of Cui Ning?”
At that moment, Pei Zunqing was constantly thinking about how to bring down Cui Ning. Since Li Qingan had already given his approval, he needed to seize this opportunity; otherwise, it would be even harder to target the Cui family once things settled down. Pei Min had always been the right-hand prime minister, so he should know more about Cui Ning. Perhaps he could provide some clues.
Pei Min had come to see him precisely for this reason. He hadn’t known how to bring it up, but since Pei Zunqing brought it up himself, Pei Min replied seriously, “This man is extremely capable, has an excellent reputation as an official, and is honest and upright. He is deeply loved by the people—truly a prime minister’s talent.”
Pei Min’s praise for Cui Ning displeased Pei Zunqing. His expression darkened, and after a long silence, he said coldly, “I think you’re exaggerating, nephew! As far as I know, this man is secretly colluding with Southern Tang and betraying the interests of the court. How can such a person be a prime minister?”
Pei Min smiled slightly and said, “You’re referring to his connections with the Treasury Bureau of Southern Tang, right? I’m aware of that. There was a decision made in the council meetings last year allowing trade between various provinces and Southern Tang. Second Uncle, you might want to check the records from last June’s council meetings. I remember it was passed then. Second Uncle, this isn’t really a crime. Using this as evidence against him might not be convincing.”
Pei Zunqing was stunned. He had no idea that such a decision had been made in June of the previous year. If that was indeed the case, wouldn’t all their efforts be in vain?
“This… Cui Ning’s crimes can’t be that simple, can they?”
Seeing that Pei Zunqing was stubborn and determined to convict Cui Ning, Pei Min also grew dissatisfied. He said, “Second Uncle, please forgive my bluntness, but lately there’s a lot of talk about the Pei family in the court and among the people. They say the Pei family wields immense power—nine-tenths of the Li Tang realm is in the Pei family’s hands. Second Uncle, this is a dangerous sign!”
“Dangerous?”

Pei Zunqing sneered and said, “Do you really believe such slanderous words? It’s nothing but jealousy because the Pei family has risen to power. Our Pei family has produced many talented people, so naturally we appear strong. What does that have to do with the realm? Now Li Qing’an needs the support of the Pei family. The stronger the Pei family, the more advantageous it is for him. Even he is tacitly allowing the Pei family to expand its influence. Why should we worry? If we don’t seize this opportunity, it will be hard to gain power in the future. Young nephew, I think you’re being too cautious. After being prime minister for so many years, you’re still not as good as me after just two months. The Pei family is very disappointed in you!”
“Those who climb too high will fall hard—haven’t you learned your lesson yet? The lessons from the purges of the Changsun, Wang, and Wei families—why don’t you take any of that to heart? Today, Li Qing’an does need the Pei family, but once he becomes emperor, I dare say the first person he’ll deal with is the Pei family. Uncle, those who don’t plan for the future will surely face troubles soon!”
Pei Min’s earnest words sounded extremely harsh in Pei Zunqing’s ears. His face turned dark, and he stood up, saying coldly, “I think you’re too idle and want to take control again, isn’t that it? You’re making all sorts of excuses, just to say I’m not as good as you. Hmph! It’s a pity you have no role left now. Keep your mouth shut!”
With that, Pei Zunqing strode away. Pei Min watched his angry back and couldn’t help but sigh. This man had gone mad.
……
While the Pei family uncle and nephew were at odds, Pei Wan’er entered the Li family. Ever since Li Qing’an and the Pei family reached a marriage agreement last year, Pei Wan’er had been waiting to get married in her chamber. However, her marriage wasn’t going smoothly. The ups and downs in the relationship between Li Qing’an and the Pei family delayed her marriage. But this time, despite the Pei family’s strong influence in the court, Li Qing’an still married Pei Wan’er as per the agreement.
Strictly speaking, Pei Wan’er was considered Li Qing’an’s concubine. The ceremony for taking a concubine in the Tang dynasty was very simple—there was no formal marriage ceremony, and the man didn’t have the final say. It was the chief wife who decided whether to marry her and when. The ceremony was also simple: a soft sedan chair entered the mansion quietly through a side door, and the bride offered a cup of tea to the chief wife. If she accepted it, the marriage was considered complete.
Although Pei Wan’er was the legitimate daughter of the Pei family, marrying Li Qing’an didn’t equate her to an ordinary concubine. According to the prior agreement between the two families, she was supposed to receive the title of “Liangdi.” But due to Dougu Mingyue’s insistence, the Li family still failed to meet the Pei family’s demand for a grand wedding ceremony.

The reason was simple: Li Qing’an’s other wives and concubines had all entered the family quietly. If a special ceremony were held for Pei Wan’er alone, it would cause dissatisfaction among the other wives and concubines and make Pei Wan’er’s future life difficult. Moreover, Pei Wan’er herself did not want to draw too much attention. Of course, more importantly, was Li Qing’an’s silence—a silent pressure that ultimately forced the Pei family to yield. Pei Wan’er had been engaged for nearly a year; if she did not enter the family soon, the marriage might fall through.
At night, a small sedan chair, escorted by over a dozen Pei family attendants, entered the side gate of the Zhao royal palace.