First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 494 Poor Feng Deyi

...

East Palace, in the study room of Cheng En Hall.

Li Shimin's face was gloomy.

After Xue, who was on the opposite side, read the letter in his hand, Li Shimin asked in a deep voice, "Is this really the case?"

Xue Shou nodded slightly, and said bluntly: "I didn't believe you when you came to me, but now it seems that there should be no mistakes. In that turmoil, there were indeed people who were contributing to the flames."

"Then why didn't you tell me earlier?" Li Shimin frowned, very upset.

The inexplicable addition of an enemy hidden in the dark in the city of Chang'an made Li Shimin a little uneasy.

After the words fell, Li Shimin waved his hands in response and said: "I was anxious, and you didn't have any evidence at the time, so it's really hard to say."

Xue Shou nodded, "Since Youzhi approached me, Weifengwei has been investigating secretly, and now I only found out that the rumors came from a wine shop called Zuiyunlou in the west of the city, but it took too long. The turnover of people in the restaurant is too large, and it is really difficult to trace the source."

"We will try our best to get him out," Li Shimin said through gritted teeth.

That person actually helped Li Jiancheng secretly, and he has not come out of the water so far, which made Li Shimin very upset. He didn't like the feeling of being calculated by others.

At this time, Xue Shou said with some hesitation: "In fact, Youzhi already has a suspect, and asked me to investigate secretly, but no definite evidence has been found so far."

"Who?" A stern look flashed in Li Shimin's eyes.

"This person is very powerful, we have no evidence, so we have to investigate secretly," Xue Shou said bluntly: "It was the right servant of the Shangshu who shot Feng Deyi, and Zuiyunlou was also the property of the Feng family."

"Feng Lun?" Li Shimin's eyes narrowed, "How could Youzhi doubt him?"

"This person has always had a bad reputation and is good at flattering and speculating. Everyone knows it. It's just that Youzhi felt that his attitude before and after the Changlin Gate Change was too different. Of course, this is just a personal suspicion and there is no evidence."Xue Shou continued.

Li Shimin was silent for a while. At this moment, there were urgent footsteps at the door, and a personal guard came to report: Gao Chong's second letter has arrived.

Li Shimin's heart moved, he opened the letter and read it, then handed it directly to Xue Shou, "You just said, who is the owner of Zuiyun Tower?"

"Feng, Feng's family", Xue Shou was slightly taken aback, and replied truthfully.

Li Shimin took a deep breath, "Don't make it public."

Xue Shou glanced at ten lines and read the letter, and suddenly understood in his heart.

At the beginning, Li Jiancheng also wanted to know the person behind the scenes, so he ordered the guards of the East Palace to investigate carefully, and found out all the way to Zuiyunlou, a wine shop in the west of the city. The person who sent the letter was a steward of Zuiyunlou. son.

"Don't worry, Your Highness, I'll investigate Zuiyunlou in detail. The man with the mottled face on the left side is the key witness." Xue Shou coughed and said solemnly.

Li Shimin nodded slightly, "It's important that you take care of your health, don't say anything about this."

Xue accepted and resigned.

Li Shimin's face gradually turned gloomy, and he tapped his fingers on the desk, lost in thought.

With the news from Gao Chong and the source of the rumor traced by Wei Fengwei, it is basically certain that the person behind the scenes has something to do with Feng Deyi.

After all, Feng Deyi's reputation is indeed flattering and disloyal, and these four words are Li Yuan's comment when he dismissed him.

After Xue returned to the mansion, he acted quickly.

That night, he ordered people to tie the steward with the beard on the left face of Zuiyun Tower to Weifengwei's resident without anyone noticing.

In the temporary execution hall, Xue Shou forced himself to interrogate his sick body.

"Who are you?" The man was quite courageous, even though his eyes were blindfolded, but he was still very stubborn, "In broad daylight, at the foot of the imperial city, you dare to kidnap, aren't you afraid of death?"

"Yang Aqiang, the servant of Mrs. Miguo's dowry."

Xue Shou said slowly: "Since you are here, you should know that we must have the evidence. Let's talk about sending a letter to the abandoned prince Jiancheng, and how to spread the rumors in Zuiyun Tower."

"I am Yang Aqiang, and my wife is the lady of Miguo." Yang Aqiang trembled slightly, then raised his head vigorously, and said forcefully: "I don't know what sending letters or rumors. Be sensible and let me go."

Lord Feng Deyi, Lord Fengmi, his wife was born in the Hongnong Yang family. She was the cousin of Yang Su, the former Duke of Chu in the Sui Dynasty. When she married Feng Deyi, she married many followers, and Yang Aqiang was one of them.

As a servant of the Yang family, and then being favored by Feng Deyi to do so many secret things, Yang Aqiang is naturally loyal, but Xue Shou's physical fitness is not good, but his psychological quality is so strong, he immediately said lightly: "Add an official to the post." .

Yang Aqiang suddenly trembled, struggled and shouted: "You are so courageous, you dare to use lynching, my family Alang will not spare you."

"Woo, woo woo".

Soon Yang Aqiang realized that life was worse than death, and this terror that was infinitely close to death completely conquered him.

"Just nod when you think about it...".Xue Shou was expressionless, as if the person in front of him was not alone.

After the words fell, Yang Aqiang nodded frantically.

After tearing off the wet hemp paper, Yang Aqiang panted frantically with a look of horror, "You, you are so vicious."

No matter how loyal he is, he is just a servant after all, how can he stand up to this kind of oppression, Dang even said tremblingly: "If I say so, I will definitely not live".

"If you don't say it, you will die now. If you say it, someone big will protect your life, send you to a remote place, and give you some land to keep you rich."

Xue Shou may be due to physical reasons, or because he has been in charge of Weifengwei who has been hiding underground for a long time. He always speaks slowly, without a trace of fireworks, which gives people a great sense of oppression.

"Big man?" Yang Aqiang's heart moved, "Is it bigger than my Alang?"

From his narrow perspective, this may be the work of his family's Alang's political enemies.

"Feng Lun?" Xue Shou sneered, "It's not worth mentioning."

Yang Aqiang was shocked, "Then you mean what you say?"

"I don't have much patience," Xue Shou said flatly.

Yang Aqiang's expression changed immediately, and he said hastily: "I said, it's the prince, oh no, now he is the king of Qianzhong. When he was in Fangzhou, my family Alang asked me to spread rumors in the city to promote the benevolence of the king of Qianzhong. Let me send a letter to the East Palace, drop it and leave..."

Yang Aqiang talked a lot, and the clerk at the side quickly wrote it down, and finally Yang Aqiang signed it.

"When necessary, you are required to testify in court," Xue Shou put away his confession, "You must not refuse."

Yang Aqiang responded bitterly, knowing that he couldn't go back, he hurriedly shouted: "You must protect me well."

Xue Shou has already left.

When Li Shimin saw the confession, he was furious, "Old man, I will spare you."

Xue Shou bowed his head and remained silent.

"Be sure to keep an eye on Yang Aqiang," Li Shimin said through gritted teeth.

Xue accepted, suddenly raised his head, with strange eyes, he said: "Your Highness, I am afraid that time is running out, I only wish to see Your Highness Yuji sooner."

Li Shimin restrained his anger, and said directly: "Bo Bao, don't be impatient, this matter needs to be taken slowly.

Sun Lao Shenxian has agreed to go out of the mountain, and your illness will definitely be cured when the time comes."

It's just that Xue Shou didn't move at all, he just looked at Li Shimin fixedly, and said calmly: "Feng Lun was drawn up by the sage himself...".

Li Shimin's face suddenly changed when he heard the words, he couldn't sit still anymore, he got up and paced, his thoughts changed sharply.

From the clenched hands, it is enough to see how confused Li Shimin's mind is now.

"You mean to expand this matter?" Li Shimin turned and stared at Xue Shou.

Xue Shou felt that his fate was not long, and he said without hesitation: "The sage is in his prime in spring and autumn, and he can still open a hard bow and eat buckets of rice. Your Highness has waited for a year or two. Would you like to wait another ten or twenty years?"

Li Yuan is only 60 years old now, and his body is still very strong. A few days ago, he heard that he had hunted in Qishan, and he had a good harvest, so he held a banquet all night to celebrate it. Looking at this posture, it is no problem to live another ten years.

On the original trajectory, Li Shimin launched the Xuanwumen Mutiny, directly murdered his brothers and brothers, and forced Li Yuan to abdicate. Li Yuan was deeply hit, disheartened and indulged in sensuality. In this way, he lived to Zhenguan for ten years and gave birth to more than a dozen children.

Now that the trajectory has changed, Li Yuan has not suffered a heavy blow. Although Li Jiancheng was deposed, he is still living comfortably in the Palace of Renzhi. Under such circumstances, Li Yuan must have lived longer.

Hearing this, Li Shimin suddenly felt panicked.

Yes, if Li Yuan lives another ten years, it is entirely possible to live to be 70 years old. Will he be the prince for ten years then?

Even though he is in power now, his name is not justified after all, and the emperor's jade seal is still kept in the Ganlu Palace, which makes him feel constrained all the time.

"What are you going to do?" Li Shimin asked Xue Shou with sharp eyes.

Knowing that Li Shimin's heart was moved, Xue Shou took out Gao Chong's letter from his arms, "This is Youzhi's previous plan."

"This fellow is not in Chang'an..." Li Shimin was quite surprised, muttering to himself that he had taken the letter, and was very annoyed when he saw it.

"'If there is evidence, maybe Feng Lun can be forgiven...', that's impossible. The old thief has two ends, and he is not a son of man. How can I go around him if he deceives me like this," Li Shimin slapped the desk and shouted angrily.

Because Li Shimin felt that he was played by Feng Deyi, and he wanted to kill Feng Deyi in his heart. He could accept the failure of the political struggle and the defeat of the war, but it was difficult for others to deceive him face to face and treat him as a Like a fool.

He helped Li Jiancheng openly and secretly, but now he bowed his knees in front of him to show his allegiance. Li Shimin said that he was disgusted.

"Your Highness, calm down," Xue Shou shook his head and said with a smile, "Now Your Highness holds Feng Lun's deadly handle. With his temperament, isn't he obedient to orders? Although he is a villain, he has been in politics for many years and is quite prestigious. He is the most suitable candidate if he connects with veteran ministers to speak.

According to Gao Youzhi's words, Feng Deyi has a history of flattery and disloyalty, so he has abandoned his old lord and devoted himself to flattering His Highness for glory, not His Highness's eagerness to be superior."

Li Shimin immediately understood, but hesitantly said: "But in this way, wouldn't the old thief be allowed to gain a foothold in the court.

If he joins hands to help me ascend to the throne, and if I depose him later, won't the world say that I am a dead dog? "

"Your Highness is confused in the game, I just need you to give me a little hint later, the Fengdeyi people are old and smart, and they must understand His Highness's wishes, so I will ask for the bones." Xue Shou smiled lightly.

Li Shimin understood, then suddenly paused, and said with a half-smile: "After the old man is deposed, the censor will expose the thief's face and take the opportunity to deprive him of his title and demote him. I can also show such anger. Yes or no?"

Xue Shou was stunned, and trembled unconsciously, his heart was dark enough, Feng Deyi was too miserable.

"Don't look at me like that," Li Shimin said, curling his lips. "Look at the letter. Gao Youzhi said that if there is evidence, let him arrange it, and I know he will definitely do this."

"Your Highness... wise", Xue Shou didn't know what to say, so he flattered him dryly.

At this time, Gao Chong had already set foot on the border of Hebei.

In Hebei, his task is to really appease, patrol hunting on behalf of the sky, and inspect the states. Check the prisons in your local state and county.

From this point of view, after five days, Gao Chong and his party came to Yingzhou.

This used to be the main activity area of ​​Liu Heita. Liu Heita was stationed in Yingzhou twice when he raised troops. As a result, most of the young and strong in Yingzhou died in the war. Now Yingzhou is mostly old, weak, women and children.

Yingzhou is the former Hejian County, where the government is located. When Liu Heitai rebelled for the second time, he killed Ma Kuangwu, the governor of Yingzhou. , I heard that this man has read poetry and books and advocates integrity.

Zheng Sui, governor of Yingzhou, felt ashamed after hearing the arrival of Gao Chong, the deposed ambassador of Eastern Shaanxi Province.

"Your envoy, Gao Chong, the envoy of the great power to dethrone him, has gone ten miles outside the city. I heard that the governors of the states in front are all coming out of the city to meet him. Does the envoy also come out of the city to meet him?" Sima Zhao Feng respectfully asked.

Hearing this, Zheng Sui closed his eyes, slumped on the couch, and waved his hands weakly, "You can go and meet yourself, my officer...wait here for disposal."

Zhao Feng was startled when he heard the words, and asked in astonishment: "Disposition? After the envoy took office, he has a good government and has no merits. Why should he dispose of you?"

Zheng Sui laughed miserably, "Just because my surname is Zheng, that's enough."

"No, not so much".

Zhao Feng said sternly: "Gao Chong is well-known, rumors are that he will be the choice of the first assistant in the future, so don't be so foolish, so don't make such an idea, and lead me out of the city to meet him, and then see that Gao Chong has such a plan." .

Zheng Sui was still unmoved, waved his hands and said, "Go and go."

Zhao Feng stomped his feet and turned to leave.

He is a native of Yingzhou, and seeing his hometown so desolate, he felt very sad. Fortunately, the chief official sent by the imperial court was upright and honest.

This person is Zheng Sui. After Zheng Sui took office, he built water conservancy, encouraged farming and mulberry, and rested with the people. He even adopted a series of measures such as clearing the land and sharing farm tools to attract young adults from other prefectures to settle in Yingzhou.

Now among the people in Yingzhou, who doesn't praise Zheng Shijun as a good official, if Gao Chong wants to deal with Zheng Sui regardless of indiscriminately, Zhao Feng has made up his mind, he will go to Renshou Palace to sue the imperial court.

Thinking of this, Zhao Feng's thoughts changed sharply: Mr. Zheng is very popular in this state, so let this deposed ambassador see the public opinion of Yingzhou.

Hejian City, outside the west gate.

Seeing that the gates of the city were closed and no one came out to greet him, Kaohsiung muttered in dissatisfaction, "The governor of Yingzhou is so majestic that he didn't come out to greet him."

Gao Chong smiled indifferently, "Even if he came out to greet him, it may not be a sincere respect. According to the news, this governor of Yingzhou is an upright official. If he doesn't come to greet him, I can go to visit myself."

Gao Chong sincerely admires good officials who are upright and honest. This kind of person has a very pure personality and a public heart, so his name will last forever.

(End of this chapter)