Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 218 Obedient and pure minister

Dust was flying on the official road, and more than ten riders rushed to the official residence outside Huaqing Palace.

Wang Quan got off his horse and strode into his official residence in Lishan. He saw the servants already waiting in the lobby, but after scanning around, he didn't see Wang Zhun.

"What about people?"

"Go back to Alang. Dalang has been invited by Yang Zhongcheng for questioning. He has been gone for a few days."

"How dare he?!" Wang Zhi immediately became furious and cursed: "This is a spitting pot."

Since the Imperial Guard intended to block information from Chang'an, he did not know much about the Qixi Festival assassination case, so he quickly arranged for someone to go and request an audience.

After asking about the recent events in Lishan in the hall, I spent an uneasy quarter of an hour and saw Wang Zhun back.

"Grandma!"

With Wang's Qi-nurturing skills, he couldn't help but be overjoyed at this time. He hurriedly pulled his son over and said, "Let's talk in the study."

When he arrived in the study, the first thing Wang Zhi did was to take off his outer robe and wipe his body with a cloth, because he had broken out in a cold sweat just now.

"Have you been tortured?"

"He dares?!" Wang Zhun said, "How many years have I accompanied the saint in cockfights? How dare they torture me?"

"what happened?"

"Unfortunately, I recommended Fahai. My second uncle was responsible for supervising the expenses for the expansion of Huaqing Palace, so he was suspected. My second uncle has no brain, what can he do? I have accompanied the saint in cockfights for many years. If I want to assassinate... How could I?"

"I know." Wang Xie knew that this matter was definitely not Wang Zhun's plan, and said: "You can see it at a glance. A small homemade crossbow dared to assassinate the holy driver. Who else could be involved?"

"Grandpa, do you think so?"

Wang Zhun stared, spread out his arms and waved twice, saying: "I was killed in front of the saint! I was scared to death that night!"

"I mean, calm down and think..."

"Calm down? The crossbow arrows are quenched with poison. Grandpa can only calm down if he is not present."

Wang Fei said: "What has the saint not seen? He will understand. It is just what the unruly people did."

"No, Li Xi and Da Xifu are dead."

"What? How did you die?"

"Either the mastermind behind the scenes silenced them; or Yang Guozhong saw that they were too involved and was so frightened that he killed them."

"Who is Yang Guozhong?"

"Yang Guozhong is the spitting pot, Yang Zhao."

"He changed his name?" Wang Zhi asked in surprise, "Just because of the prophecy of the golden sword? Does the saint care about this now?"

"How can you not be taboo?" Wang Zhun jumped anxiously, "The saint has long tabooed the presence of a palace official named Liu. This time, a poisonous arrow hit him. I still don't understand the seriousness..."

Wang Fei stretched out his hand and pushed, signaling his son to stop making noise.

He frowned and pondered, murmuring to himself: "What on earth did the saint think?"

Not long after, someone came to report outside the study.

"Alang, the saint summoned me."

~~

Wang Fei was still thinking a lot.

He had heard many stories about the saint's bravery and bravery in his life. Li Linfu's uncle Jiang Jiao was a close friend of the saint when he was hiding in his residence. He often talked about how the saint walked through pools of blood and washed away evil winds during the cruel Wu Zhou Dynasty.

A saint is never as greedy for life and afraid of death as Li Linfu. His prowess and martial arts are similar to those of Taizong. He is a saint who has no fear when facing thousands of enemies.

It was just an outrageous assassination. He originally thought that the saint would point to the crossbow arrow on the ground and ask cheerfully, "I will stand here and tell me, why do you want to kill me?"

The Jinyang Gate was slowly opened in front of him. Wang Zhi raised his head and looked at the beautiful Lishan Mountain, and suddenly found that Huaqing Palace was different from the last time he came.

Yes, it's different.

In the blink of an eye, he has been an official for thirty years, and things have changed, but he is still indulged in the deep impressions of his youth on many things.

"I'll see you here, Doctor Wang."

"it is good."

Wang Fei stood still in front of the palace, turned around and saw a young man standing there, Xue Bai.

He then briefly chatted for a few words.

"Is this case related to the Number One Scholar?"

"Doctor Wang is polite." Xue Bai said: "With the saint approaching, naturally he will participate more in everything."

"It makes sense. The more you want, the more you do." Wang Fei's eyes flashed and he said, "There are also many mistakes."

Xue Bai responded: "Stay in your position and do your own thing, that's all."

It seemed that both of them had understood the Sacred Heart. Wang Zhi wanted to find out which of his ministers had done something wrong, while Xue Bai thought that he was in charge of his position.

It seemed like just small talk.

~~

At this time, the minister who was bowing in the palace to report was Yang Guozhong.

"I have neglected my duty. I will investigate this case strictly and find out who dared to kill people under the eyes of the imperial guards."

"There is no need to panic the ministers and workers." Li Longji regained some of his usual open-mindedness, waved his hands calmly, and said: "Since the person is dead, the case will be closed with Li Xi and Da Xifu."

Yang Guozhong was stunned and said: "But there must be someone behind this case. The saint was praying for rain in the Dragon Hall, and this case happened less than half a month later. It can be seen that there must be someone who wants to defy the power of heaven."

After these words, Li Longji made an imperceptible nod.

Because he failed to pray for rain, those stupid demons who were bewitched by the prophecy of the golden sword thought they had an opportunity to take advantage of it. And the failure of praying for rain in Longtang has been ordered to be kept secret and not known to the people. Then someone must have asked the demon thieves disclose.

Yang Guozhong added: "At the beginning of the sixth year of Tianbao, Li Xi recruited hundreds of laborers from Henan County, Luoyang County, and Yanshi County, and all the monsters and thieves came from this. I believe that there are important figures in this case hidden in Dongdu. Also, Liu Hua’s adoptive father has not been found yet…”

"Secret investigation, I will give you the right to do things conveniently." Li Longji still said: "But the case should be closed first."

Yang Guozhong lowered his body and speculated on the holy meaning.

The assassination occurred in Lishan Mountain, and the imperial guards have been blocking the news. The saint does not want the assassination to spread, and must close the case as soon as possible. An explanation must also be given to those who know the situation.

"According to the order. I believe that Li Xi was born in the Li family of Longxi, a descendant of King Bohai, and a distant relative of the clan. He is rebellious and colludes with demons..."

Yang Guozhong spoke very slowly, feeling the aura of the saint, and gradually became sure that he had guessed the holy meaning.

"Li Xi got the handle of Da Xifu's concealment of mourning and forced him to become an accomplice. The two bribed the monster thieves and planned a rebellion. However, a clown can't take away the power of the saint... Will I close the case with this?"

"allow."

"I will conduct a secret investigation to find out who secretly helped Liu Hua and Li Sui to enter Jifang and Yulin Army, and then killed and silenced them."

Li Longji waved his hand, and Gao Lishi held out a sacred message.

"He was appointed as Doctor Yang Guozhong Guanglu, concurrently as the Shaoqing of Dali and the Shaojian of the palace."

"My lord, thank you for your grace!"

Yang Guozhong was overjoyed and burst into tears of gratitude.

Doctor Guanglu is a court title from the fourth rank, Dali Shaoqing is responsible for investigating cases, and the young eunuch in the palace is in charge of the emperor's immediate affairs, making it easier to report to the palace. The saint's intention was obvious, asking him to keep an eye on the courtiers and find out who was harboring evil intentions.

"I will do my best until I die!"

"Go back."

"My minister retire."

Yang Guozhong leaned forward and walked out of the hall, wiping the tears on his face.

At this moment, he recalled the cold days in Sichuan and Sichuan... At that time, he never thought that one day he would be so prosperous?

Continuing to walk out, he saw Wang Fei.

Just two years ago, he had to look up to Wang Xian, but today, he is just mediocre. It's a pity that the robes are not the same, and there is still a gap between the red robe and the purple robe.

From this point of view, the assassination case must have been handled by Wang Xian.

"Wang Fei, you are so clever. You killed Li Xi and Da Xifu as soon as they arrived at Lishan Mountain."

Yang Guozhong said this in his heart, a smile appeared on his face, and he saluted: "I have met Tai Fu."

Wang Fei nodded, and as Yang Guozhong's officer, he said in a polite tone: "Thank you for your hard work. I will tell you after I meet the emperor."

"Yes, Taifu."

Yang Guozhong glanced at Xue Bai again and left the palace.

The sky was high and the clouds were vast, but there was only one thought in his mind.

"You changed the name to the right one, Taoist priest is really amazing!"

~~

An eunuch came out of the hall. He was a subordinate of Gao Lishi and an old man who had been with the saint when he was hiding in his residence. His name was Feng Shenwei.

From the names "Hercules" and "Shenwei", we may be able to recall the saint's ambition to eliminate the evil spirits of Wu Zhou when he was young.

Wang Fei stepped forward and asked: "Who will the saint summon first?"

"Doctor Wang, please." Feng Shenwei raised his hand to invite you. He did not forget to look at Xue Bai, nodded and said, "Mr. Xue, please stay a little longer."

"Feng Neiguan is polite." Xue Bai bowed and said: "It should be, I can wait."

Wang Fei walked toward the main hall with his back to Xue Bai. Hearing this calm tone, his face couldn't help but become more solemn.

Meeting the Holy Spirit today was like a test, and he was much more nervous than Xue Bai.

As soon as he entered the palace, Wang Fei fell down.

"Your Majesty, I was heartbroken when I heard that there was such a rebellious thing... Your Majesty is fine, I wish I could take my place!"

"Okay, okay, do you think I've never seen the world?"

Li Longji, who was sitting on the imperial couch, actually smiled, patted his knees and said, "It's just a small scene, it can't compare to the past."

Also, how can a demon thief with a hunting dog and small crossbow, a demon thief from the Yulin Army, and more than 20 ordinary people be worthy of comparison with Empress Wu and Princess Taiping? By July 15th, comparing those two women, these rebellions were really as dusty as dust.

Wang Fei finally breathed a sigh of relief and bowed to the ground.

"My rebellious son is really an evil beast, and he recommended a monster monk; my brother is really a fool, and he oversaw the work of the Huaqing Palace and made such negligence. My crime deserves to be punished by death. I am going to ask the Holy Judgment."

"How should I punish you?"

"Please..."

Wang He hesitated, thinking about the deaths of Li Xi and Da Xifu, he was really scared. His heartstrings that had just been relaxed tightened again, and he felt an inexplicable coldness on his back.

He simply didn't say anything false, but actually said something that was feasible.

"I ask that you be dismissed from office."

"Hahaha." Li Longji returned to his former grand demeanor, "Shiro said that Wei Jian, Huangfu Weiming, Li Shizhi and others wanted to rebel, but I was only demoted. What does this mean to you? Get up, Yang Guozhong's case has been concluded, Li Xi was ashamed of the divine grace and committed suicide."

"Li...Li Xi?"

"His Highness, he is crying like hell, what's the use?" Li Longji didn't want to say more, and he rarely hesitated, and asked: "What does Wang Qing think of the disaster in Henan Road?"

Wang Fei was stunned for a moment, a little confused, and tried to keep up with the sage's thoughts, and responded: "The world is so big, it is common for states and counties to be affected by disasters. There are 29 states in Henan Province, and this summer drought has spread to Xu, Chen, and Ru states. Fortunately, all states and counties have warehouses and charity warehouses to provide disaster relief, so there is nothing to worry about."

"What about previous years?"

"There is nothing wrong with the world."

"Re-revise the free warehouse law, regardless of the acres of land, millet will be distributed on a per-household basis...will this force the common people who have no acres of land?"

Wang Fei replied: "Your Majesty is overly concerned. The purpose of your right minister's move is to make officials and merchants produce millet. As for the so-called 'common people without acres of land', I don't know who they are referring to. All households in the Tang Dynasty have equal fields. There are no acres of land." They are nothing more than runaways and private slaves, so how can the court ask them to produce millet?"

The palace became quiet.

Gao Lishi pouted and wanted to say something, but he didn't know where to start.

If we start from the sentence "Every household in the Tang Dynasty has equal land"... the saint is already over sixty years old, do we want to persuade the saint to use the word "equal land"? This is the fundamental system of the founding of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Longji seemed not to hear anything wrong in Wang Fei's words, and said calmly: "Liu Hua's confession said that his adoptive father was a commoner and was killed by Yicangfa."

"It's nonsense." Wang Zhi immediately retorted, "Yang Zhao... The loyal people of the country don't know the mu tax, so they are deceived by such ridiculous words. When harvesting millet in a warehouse, it is only two liters per mu. It is harvested in a good year and produced in a famine year. It’s the people! The Prime Minister’s re-establishment of the free warehouse law will allow wealthy merchants to pay money, which will reduce the burden on the people, and in disaster years there will be more food to help the victims."

After saying that, he solemnly performed the ceremony and said: "I don't know about other things. Only the matter of money and food, your majesty has nothing to do with trusting me."

"Really?" Li Longji seemed to be talking to himself.

"In recent years, there have been more disaster years. Since the beginning of spring, many prefectures and counties in Guanzhong have not had rain for six months. However, Your Majesty, you can see that some victims have come to Chang'an, or gathered people to become thieves? This is because Taicang has enough food to provide relief."

"Yes."

"Your Majesty has not left Guanzhong for ten years, and the world has been fine. The people of Guanzhong do not have to eat from other states even in the years of disaster. This is the effectiveness of governance and the beginning of great events in the past and present. I don't know who was harmed for personal gain and spread the evil words. If you want to wipe out your Majesty's achievements, I only believe in one thing: the world is getting better and better."

The more he talked, the more calm and confident Wang Fei became. Finally, he gave an example.

"If a minister waits to eat the emperor's salary, he will not believe what the saint says. But the words of the people will not be false. The people of Huazhou have written several times to praise the saint's achievements and ask the saint to enshrine Xiyue. How can it be false? 'Today's Holy Lord His merits are higher than those of the Xuanyuan clan, and his work has been compiled by the Seventy Lords. Wherever the wind and rain touch him, and where the sun and moon shine, he will forge ahead. Huashan Mountain is so close, how can it be sealed? 'This is the wish of all the people, Your Majesty."

Outside the palace, the sun shines out from the clouds, and the sky suddenly becomes brighter, as if even God agrees with Wang Fei's words.

The shadow brought about by a stabbing case seems to have been swept away.

Wang Fei was no longer afraid, he took a step forward, lowered his voice slightly, and said: "Your Majesty, the monsters and thieves are causing trouble and misleading the public with their evil words. There is something fishy. Please investigate secretly..."

~~

Xue Bai looked up at the sky, suddenly feeling a premonition in his heart.

He had an inexplicable premonition that Yang Guozhong was executing those rebels. Liu Hua, who plays Fa Hai, Liu Sheng, who is insensitive... will soon die like those shadows.

The meaning of assassination will also disappear little by little.

Xue Bai then raised his hand and placed it in the sun, thinking that someone would think that the light was shining all over the sky again.

When Wang Fei came out of the palace, he saw Xue Bai observing the light and shadow, just like his silly brother when he was a child.

"The number one scholar is still young."

"Yes." Xue Baizhen showed a clean smile.

Wang Fei also smiled, smiling more relaxedly.

He has regained His Majesty's trust because he is a capable minister and assists the saint in handling state affairs. The assassination case will definitely cause the accompanying officials like Xue Bai and Jia Chang to lose more trust.

However, Xue Bai felt that this method of comparing others with ease was boring, so he nodded and followed Feng Shenwei into the hall.

When he arrived in front of the emperor, he greeted him calmly, as usual.

"My minister Tai Lecheng and school secretary Xue Bai have met the saint."

"Excuse me. You saved Taizhen on the Chinese Valentine's Day. You have done such a great job. I should reward you well, but I have been busy with state affairs recently and forgot for a while. What reward do you want?"

Faintly, Xue Bai felt that Li Longji's attitude was a little cold and his tone was reluctant.

He realized that he might have accidentally made the emperor unhappy. He didn't know the reason yet, but it must have been a trivial matter that Li Longji couldn't even mention.

"I should not be rewarded. As Tai Lecheng, I led the musicians to perform something wrong in front of the emperor. What I did afterwards was just to make up for my negligence. No matter how great my achievements are, it is difficult to cover up my fault. I should be punished. This is the law of the country. "

Li Longji did not plan to reward him heavily immediately, and the reward could not be based on the excuse of saving the driver, lest it appear that he took the assassination too seriously.

He was indeed not as comfortable as he was in the past when getting along with Xue Bai.

If Xue Bai is like a cat, he used to be teased and happy, but Li Longji was just bitten by a dog recently, and he was subconsciously worried that cats can also scratch people. This is the difference between capable ministers and adept ministers.

"I heard that you have a quick mind and are you looking for an official position recently?"

"My lord...yes."

"Which problem do you want to seek?"

Having said this, Xue Bai did not hide anything and responded: "I am bold and have been seeking the position of Lieutenant Zhao Ying."

Li Longji acted like he knew everything, and asked: "You founded the newspaper institute, and you know it best. Who do you think is qualified?"

This way of asking questions made the ministers wonder how many facts the saint had mastered, and they had to be more careful when answering.

Xue Bai pondered for a moment, looked at Feng Shenwei behind Gao Lishi, and said: "I believe that General Feng, the lieutenant general, is qualified to be the director of the hospital, and his official rank is at the fourth rank."

Feng Shenwei was standing there in a red robe and was distracted. He didn't react at first. It wasn't until Li Longji turned to look at him that he was extremely surprised.

"Sage, old slave... I have never thought about this."

Li Longji did not answer, but looked at Xue Bai again and continued to ask: "Where is the person who will do practical things?"

"It is possible to set up two more Chancellors, the sixth rank; four chief editors, the seventh rank; and other editors and reviewers."

"The official positions such as Yuanzhi and Yuancheng you are talking about." Li Longji smiled playfully and said, "It is the same as the content in You Xiangzou's book."

"It was exactly what the right prime minister planned." Xue Bai said bluntly, "The right prime minister ordered his ministers to recommend the officials he was interested in, so I learned about it. However, I thought that the right minister's intention was inappropriate, so I reported it to the court and appointed officials accordingly. A pure minister with a Jinshi background and outstanding talents and learning was appointed, and the minister recommended Li Mi, Wang Wei, Xiao Yingshi, Li Hua, Wang Changling..."

"June Chen."

Li Longji pondered these two words and asked, "Among these people, who do you think can be the Chancellor?"

"Li Bi and Wang Wei are high-ranking officials and have the same aloof family background as Xiao Yingshi. As for Li Hua and Wang Changling, if Your Majesty uses these two people, they will burst into tears."

"What about you? Are you also a pure minister?"

"I am."

Li Longji's attitude toward Xue Bai finally improved, and he said: "The man behind the demon thief's rebellion has been found out. Li Xi, the magistrate of Zhaoying County, follow Yang Guozhong to search his mansion in Chang'an."

He didn't say whether he would reward him with an official position, but simply gave him an errand, which seemed to give Xue Bai another chance to test himself.

"The minister obeys the order."

After receiving the order, Xue Bai left the Huaqing Palace and arrived at the Jiangwu Palace. He saw the guards pulling the corpses out and killing all the demon thieves who had been captured alive.

Yang Guozhong wiped his hands with a handkerchief and came out of the martial arts hall with a relaxed expression.

He didn't know where he got the news from, so he said with a smile: "Abai is here, haha, you and I can search the house together again. Once this errand is done, your promotion will be decided."

Xue Bai understood as soon as he heard this, what kind of obedient ministers could be promoted in Tianbao Court.

　There are still one or two hours left for Chapter 2. Let’s read it tomorrow~~

　　

　

(End of this chapter)