e no skeletons in my closet. The only accusation against me is that of exorbitant taxes. However, the money I collect is used to develop Weihaiwei and strengthen its defenses. The wealthy landowners w...Chapter 269: Imposing Presence

Zhao Qinglan did not refuse Li Chen's request for a private conversation, but instead acquiesced to Li Chen dismissing everyone around them.

Soon, only Li Chen and Zhao Qinglan were left in Xizheng Hall.

"Let's cut to the chase."

Li Chen's eyes looked at Zhao Qinglan neither coldly nor warmly, and without any pretense, he said: "Regarding the matter of sending troops to Xian Chao, no matter what, I am going to carry it out."

"And hindering this matter wouldn't benefit you in any way."

This was one of the rare times when Zhao Qinglan had the upper hand against Li Chen.

Looking at Li Chen's expressionless face, Zhao Qinglan felt a sense of exhilaration.

Finally, this damned scoundrel has run out of luck

"As the empress of Qin, I cannot stand by and watch you recklessly squander the already fragile foundation of our nation!"

Zhao Qinglan's words made Li Chen laugh, he said lazily: "That's not a nice thing to say. The national foundation is the Li family's national foundation, not your Zhao family's."

Zhao Qinglan raised her eyebrows and said with a cold smile, “Your Highness, your words are considered treasonous.”

"I've said rebellious things, and I've done rebellious acts."

Li Chen's words seemed to have triggered something in Zhao Qinglan. Her face flushed with shame and anger as she retorted, "You're talking nonsense!"

Li Chen was taken aback for a moment, then said with a smile that wasn't quite a smile: "Your Majesty thinking of something My meaning is that Your Majesty came to the East Palace and I didn't go out to greet you, it was disrespectful. Unless Your Majesty is thinking differently from me"

This time, Zhao Qinglan was even more humiliated.

She gasped for breath, struggling to calm herself. Gritting her teeth, she said, “No matter how cunning you are, like a fox, there will always be times when you make mistakes. You calculated everyone's reactions perfectly, but you overlooked this palace. Without my approval, you won't get your way with the military campaign.”

"Sending troops is definitely possible, it's just a matter of the cost."

Li Chen, after all, was the Crown Prince regent. As for Da Qin, it was extremely sensitive about imperial consorts interfering in government affairs. If the Empress forcefully intervened, even with the Imperial Edict from Emperor Daxing, this matter would remain a mystery unless Emperor Daxing woke up and personally acknowledged or denied it.

Even if Zhao Xuanji supported her in the previous dynasty, the royal family still has relatives.

No relative would tolerate a concubine interfering in government, let alone one involving powerful relatives.

This will directly shake the foundation of imperial power, which means touching the bottom line of those royal clans and relatives. They won't go all out to stop it.

So Zhao Qinglan wanted to stop it, it wasn't impossible, but the cost would be enormous.

Li Chen wanting to forcefully deploy troops is not impossible, but the cost would be considerable.

"So, what is the Queen planning to exchange this for with me"

Li Chen's words laid everything bare.

Zhao Qinglan pondered for a moment, then said: "Appoint the Eighth Prince Li Yinhu as King Wu."

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhao Qinglan felt the atmosphere in the Xizheng Hall instantly thicken.

It was as if the air itself were about to solidify.

Within the main hall, a gust of strong wind seemed to suddenly swirl around Zhao Qinglan, pressing down on him so hard that he could barely breathe.

And all of this stemmed from Li Chen, who stood expressionless on the steps.

Zhao Qinglan was extremely shocked.

She hadn't expected that, in just a few days' absence, Li Chen's aura would be even more powerful than before.

Such an imposing presence, now rivaling that of a great emperor.

If Li Chen's crimson panlong robe were replaced with a bright yellow dragon robe, she would almost be unable to resist kneeling down.

The more so, the deeper Zhao Qinglan's resentment and vigilance towards Li Chen became in her heart.

This child's growth rate is so alarming, it has reached a point where it must be removed.ery reason to punish himself according to what was said before. Let alone anything else, the insult to meritorious service alone is enough for him to suffer greatly.And the prince, who had caught hol...