First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 613: King Changle is under house arrest

...

Arriving at the city gate, the car finally stopped.

A low voice came from the car, "Why don't you leave?"

The guard general looked up at Li Youliang who was standing in front of him with his hands behind his hands. He was a little embarrassed and bowed and replied: "Captain, the Prince of Changle County is waiting in front."

After a period of silence in the car, the curtain was lifted, and a scribe with a stern face leaned out, it was Yuwen Shiji.

Glancing at the expressionless Li Youliang, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, "Why do you dare to trouble your Majesty to greet me? How about we enter the city together?"

Seeing that Yuwen Shiji had no intention of getting out of the car, Li Youliang's face turned pale. He took a deep look at Yuwen Shiji, snorted coldly, then turned around and left.

Yuwen Shiji's expression was as usual, and he did not take Li Youliang seriously at all. Yuwen Shiji was the only sensible person among the three Yuwen brothers. For many years, he traveled to various places. No matter where he went, Yuwen Shiji was always a guest. This is Yuwenshi and excellent political sense.

In Yu Wenshiji's view, Li Youliang is now a withered bone in the grave. As a member of the royal family, he has committed illicit affairs with foreigners and smuggled contraband, which is a huge taboo. Ordinary people have liaisons with foreigners. Perhaps the saint is not so angry. As a The emperor's cousin, greedy for some personal gain, actually did such a thing, which is intolerable under any circumstances.

Li Youliang had a gloomy face all the way back to the Governor's Mansion. All the officials could guess from Yuwen Shiji's attitude that the perverse and violent prince would probably not end well in the end, even if it was done intentionally or unintentionally. To distance themselves from Li Youliang.

Arriving at the Dudu's Mansion, Yu Wenshi came to the main seat first, coughed, and took out the imperial edict from the treasure box held by the attendant.

"Imperial decree," Yuwen Shiji said in a deep voice.

Li Youliang reluctantly bowed to listen.

After the imperial edict was read out, Li Youliang's face was ashen.

"Ren Yuwen," Li Youliang asked in a deep voice, "What does this mean? Do you regard me as a prisoner?"

The imperial edict stated that Yu Wenshiji took over as the governor of Liangzhou and did not thoroughly investigate the smuggling case. During this period, Li Youliang was not allowed to leave the governor's house without authorization, let alone contact with outsiders. In fact, it was simple: Li Youliang was placed under house arrest.

"Your Majesty, please accept the order." Yu Wenshiji looked at him lightly.

"It's just a frame-up made by some unscrupulous people. I don't accept it." Li Youliang glared at him fiercely and said with his head raised.

"Come here, escort the king to the back office to have a rest." Yu Wenshiji didn't say much, and he didn't get used to it. He directly ordered.

Seeing that Li Youliang had a ferocious look on his face and was about to go crazy, Master Yuwen held up the imperial edict with both hands and said in a deep voice: "This is the imperial edict, and those who resist will be treated as treason."

Li Youliang's anger was extinguished with one sentence. This time, the guards who followed Yu Wenshi and the newly appointed guards were the left and right military guards of the Suwei Palace. They were also commonly known as the Forbidden Army. They were ordered by the emperor to obey Yu Wenshi and Li Youliang. identity of.

Li Youliang nodded fiercely, "Okay, Yu Wenren, please remember your words and deeds today."

Yu Wenshi twitched the corner of his mouth and didn't take it seriously.

Then he slowly sat down and looked at the prefecture and county officials, "I was ordered to take over Liangzhou. I believe you all know where I came from. It is limited to three days. If you take the initiative to explain the situation within three days, you may be able to get away with it. Three days From now on, severe punishment will not be given.”

All the subordinate officials were restless after hearing this, and they all bowed to accept the promise.

Yu Wenshiji continued: "I advise you not to take chances."

After he finished speaking, he took out a pamphlet from his arms.

"Where is the Prime Minister of Guzang County?" Yuwenshi asked in a deep voice while scanning the crowd.

"Your Majesty, your Majesty, I have met the Governor," a middle-aged man with a short beard came out to pay his respects.

"Ma Ji, whose courtesy name is Zhaozhi, is the surname of Guzang. He lives in Tong'anli. He was born in the winter of the ninth year of Emperor Kaihuang's reign in the former Sui Dynasty. At the end of Daye's reign in the former Sui Dynasty, he became an official. The prince of Changle County came to Xinliangzhou. You present three beauties to bet. He was promoted to county magistrate. In the spring of the seventh year of Wude, he collaborated with the governor's gang, Wu Sanlang, to kill Sun's father and son in Cuiliu Lane in the west of the city, and buried them in the backyard of the gambling house..."

"Ma Xian Cheng, is what I said wrong?" Yu Wenshiji's face was expressionless, staring straight at Ma Ji.

"No, no, that's not the case. The Commander-in-Chief has investigated clearly and the subordinates have always abided by the law." Ma Ji's face turned pale, his lips were trembling, and he almost broke his guard. After reacting, he lay on the ground and shouted.

"Abide by the law? You really insult these four words." Yu Wenshiji snorted coldly, "Here comes the Prime Minister of Guzang County, Ma Ji, who cares about human life. The evidence is conclusive, and he will be thrown into death row. He will report it to the supervisor some day. Deal with it strictly."

Two Imperial Guards came in from the door and dragged away Ma Ji who collapsed on the ground. Ma Ji Wu argued and complained, but everyone knew that there was no flaw in what Yu Wenshi said, as well as the time, place and accomplices. The truth is, the evidence is conclusive.

Some other officials trembled even more when they saw this. Looking at Yuwenshi and the book in his hand, it was as terrifying as King Yama's book of life and death.

"Go down, remember, it's only for three days," Yuwenshi said after taking a look at the people with different expressions.

All the subordinate officials resigned one after another.

Yu Wenshiji chuckled softly, looked down at the booklet in his hand, turned it over, and found only the first page, with all the rest blank. With a smile on his lips, he threw the booklet into the brazier and turned it into ashes.

Li Youliang was imprisoned in Houya, and no one was strictly allowed to visit him. No matter how loud Li Youliang was, no one paid attention to him. Li Youliang was already extremely frightened.

However, Yuwen Shiji in the side courtyard was in an equally heavy mood, staring solemnly at the middle-aged man in front of him.

"Do you mean what you said?" Yu Wenshi asked in a deep voice.

"I don't dare to lie to you. It happened last night. Hou Da and others are still in the state prison. Governor, this matter is very important. I have reported it to the capital overnight. I hope you can make plans early." The middle-aged man handed over his hand. road.

"Have you already reported it?" Yu Wenshiji was surprised, and then he could only nod his head, "I understand. Colonel Guo will go down first and continue to collect relevant evidence. If there is anything unusual, please inform us immediately."

Captain Guo bowed and agreed.

This man is the captain of Wei Feng Guard in Liangzhou.

The Wei Feng Guards were directly under the jurisdiction of the emperor, and even the local officials had no right to dispatch them. If there were important matters, the Wei Feng Guards could immediately report them to the capital without having to report them to the local officials. This was also a means for the emperor to control the local officials.

The lights flickered, reflecting Yuwen Shiji's uncertain expression.

"Defecting the Turks...how should the saint deal with it?" Yuwen Shiji murmured to himself, with a stern look in his eyes.

On the other side, Zhang's house, as one of the most wealthy businessmen in Guzang, covers a large area. There are two servants standing on the left and right of the gate, chatting for a long time.

Suddenly, on the dark street, more than ten black shadows walked slowly.

"You, look?" A servant pointed forward with sharp eyes and trembling.

"They are not patrolling the streets." Another servant saw it and said, "No, they are coming."

"Stop, stop, who are you?" The two men gathered their courage and asked, picking up sticks.

Finally approaching, "Wei Fengwei is handling the case and asked Zhang Fa to come with us." The leader took out the iron token from his arms.

When the servant saw that it was the rumored Wei Feng Guard, he immediately did not dare to delay and hurriedly nodded and bowed to respectfully invite him in. Another person quickly informed the master of the house.Zhang Fa is Zhang Dalang. After waking up from his sleep, he looked confused.

Nowadays, even ordinary people have heard of the reputation of the Wei Feng Guards. They were the personal soldiers directly under the emperor, with terrifying power. When they heard that the Wei Feng Guards were going to take away Zhang Fa, the Zhang family were horrified.

No matter how he begged for mercy and even brought out a box of gold and silver, Wei Fengwei remained indifferent and forcibly took Zhang Fa away.

In a private house, Zhang Fa reacted and immediately shouted: "Generals, I did not participate. I reported on them with merit. I did not participate in them."

Once Wei Fengwei takes action, even a tough guy has to surrender, let alone Zhang Fa, an idle playboy, who immediately tells the story of the cause and effect, and also tells all Li Youliang's many scandalous things.

Wei Fengwei then made a surprise overnight interrogation of Hou Da and others, and then searched the house. Without much effort, they found all the witnesses and material evidence.

Li Youliang was arrogant and domineering and acted without scruples. He never imagined that he would be where he is today. As for those gangsters who helped him, they had no foresight. Even Ma Si kept some of Tuyuhun's letters.

After dawn, Colonel Guo looked at the pile of testimonies and key evidence in front of him and just shrugged and smiled. There was no challenge at all.

When he saw these evidences, Yu Wenshiji smiled knowingly and asked Colonel Guo to send the evidences to the Governor's Mansion in an open and honest manner.

Liangzhou was in ruins for a long time, and when the officials learned the news, they had trouble sleeping and eating.

On the other hand, Yu Wenshi and the commander of the Guzang Military Prefecture quickly summoned the military power to stabilize the military power. Although Li Youliang was misbehaving in Liangzhou, in the final analysis, Li Youliang had no intention of rebellion. Even his smuggling of contraband was just for profit. He had no idea of ​​taking control of the military, let alone separatism and self-reliance.

Seeing that the generals of the Guzang Military Mansion accepted orders and obeyed orders, this also further boosted Yu Wenshiji's confidence. It was imperative to purge Liangzhou's officialdom. As long as the military power was stable, there would be no fear of some officials jumping over the wall.

Yu Wenshiji immediately ordered the whole city to be under martial law and prepared to investigate.

Most of the previous criminal evidence came from Hou Da and others, and they were just scandals committed by local gangsters. Some of them also involved officialdom, but they were not fatal.

If those officials are determined, it will not be easy for Yu Wenshiji to break the situation.

It's just that you are now under the double pressure of Yuwen Shiji. Some officials really can't hold on and take the initiative to confess. They are worried that the evidence collected by Wei Feng Wei will implicate them. They also see the whole city under martial law and are under great psychological pressure. But Just imagine.

When Yu Wenshiji saw more and more evidence on the desk, his face became more and more serious.

"Captain", the guard at the back office came to Yuwenshi and reported, "The prince of Changle County seems to be...".

"How does it seem?" Yuwen Shiji scolded with a frown.

"He seems crazy," the guard dared to reply.

Yu Wenshiji was shocked when he heard this and hurriedly asked, "What's wrong with him?"

After all, Li Youliang was a king. If something went wrong before the execution was carried out by the saint, it would be his fault, and he might even offend the royal family and nobles.

"He, he said, he spoke rudely and disrespected the saint." The guard did not dare to repeat it, so he could only say hesitantly.

When Yu Wenshiji heard this, he sat up in confusion and walked quickly to the back office.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he heard Li Youliang yelling like crazy in the room.

"Li Shimin, you are so vicious, I am your uncle, I am the grandson of Taizu, I am the Prince of Changle County...".

"What is my crime?"

"I will never plead guilty. Do you think that by imprisoning your nephew, you will be able to secure your position as emperor?"

"You think you can deal with me by killing Li Xiaochang and imprisoning Li Yuan...I am different...".

Yu Wenshiji's face suddenly changed when he heard this, and he turned to look at the guard who lowered his head and frowned, "Get out, shut your mouths, I didn't hear anything."

The guard breathed a sigh of relief, thanked him and left.

Yu Wenshiji kicked open the door aggressively and saw Li Youliang with disheveled hair and red eyes. The tables and chairs in the room were scattered all over the floor. The leftovers on the floor, as well as the wine pot and teacups, were all broken into pieces.

"King Changle, you are looking for death!" Yu Wenshiji reprimanded in a deep voice, "The matter has been found out. Not only did you disregard human life and bully the people, but you also colluded with Tuyuhun and sold ordnance, salt and iron. What else can you say?"

Li Youliang was stunned when he heard this, and then smiled ferociously, "Yuwen Shiji, you are right, but what can you do to me? I am Li Shimin's uncle, you dare to kill me?"

"How dare you kill me without Zongzhengji coming forward?"

"How dare you kill me without the Emperor's consent?"

After saying that, Li Youliang laughed wildly, then glared at Yuwen Shiji fiercely, gritting his teeth every word.

"I tell you, I am the younger brother of the Supreme Emperor. He will never agree to Li Shimin killing me. When I get out of trouble, the first one I will kill will be you, Yu Wenshiji!"

Yu Wenshi's eyes flashed, he took a deep look at the crazy Li Youliang, then turned and left.

"Wait, Yuwen Shiji, I will kill you." Li Youliang's cruel shout came from behind.

"No one is allowed to approach the Hou Yamen. Anyone who disobeys the order will be killed." At the door of the Hou Yamen, Yu Wenshiji ordered in a deep voice: "In addition, a notice has been issued that the Prince of Changle County has been exposed for his crimes and is now insane. The Governor's Office is doing its best to treat him."

The attendants around him were frightened when they heard this, so they had no choice but to agree.

In Chang'an City, when Xue Yuanjing received the urgent report from Liangzhou, he was shocked when he opened it. A member of the royal family of the Tang Dynasty almost defected to the Turks... The significance of this was not trivial. Xue Yuanjing did not dare to delay at all. Entering the palace overnight.

In the Manlu Palace, Li Shimin's face was full of exhaustion. Since he ascended the throne, Li Shimin has not dared to slack off. He eats and sleeps every day. Now that he is almost a child, Li Shimin is still dealing with government affairs.

"Your Majesty, this is the soup sent by the queen." Zhang Ananda saw that Li Shimin finally put the pen aside, then picked up the food box and stepped forward.

Li Shimin nodded and smiled, "Bring it here." He took the soup handed over by Zhang Ananda. Li Shimin drank it sweetly and asked, "What has the queen been busy with these days? She hasn't seen anyone all day." .

Zhang Ananda smiled and said: "Princess Wanchun is about to give birth, and the queen is visiting the Duke of Zhao with her imperial doctor."

Li Shimin was stunned when he heard this, "Liu Niang is going to give birth?"

"It's coming soon, it's expected to be at the end of this month." Zhang Anan, as the chamberlain supervisor, is also commonly known as the "big chamberlain supervisor". He is also the emperor's eyes and ears. All matters inside and outside the palace cannot be hidden from him.

Li Shimin glared at him, "Why didn't you tell me, remember to remind me to prepare more supplements in the past few days, and be sure to go out of the palace to have a look."

"Gao Youzhi was fighting crocodiles in Lingnan. If he knew that I didn't care about Liu Niang, he would blame me when he came back."

Zhang Anan bowed and responded, feeling filled with emotion in his heart. The emperor was still as close to Gao Youzhi as ever. Listen to this tone, but he had never said it to anyone else.

(End of this chapter)