Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 613 Wave after wave

With the sound of "ding ding dang dang", the jailer Miao Dazhuang shook the key in his hand and pushed the middle-aged man into the cell.

"Just be patient!"

Miao Dazhuang locked the door, turned around and was about to leave, but he heard an order from behind.

"Wait a minute."

The sound is not loud, but it can make people stop involuntarily.

Miao Dazhuang turned around and asked impatiently, "What's the matter?"

"Do you know who I am?"

"You son of a bitch, you're my son." Miao Dazhuang spat, "I don't care who your mother is."

"I am Yan Zhuang."

"It doesn't matter if you put salt or sugar in it, it's useless to me."

Miao Dazhuang cursed and kicked the wooden fence again, but saw that the middle-aged man was sitting upright on the thatched straw with a calm attitude, which he had never seen in previous prisoners.

He rubbed his eyes, took a closer look, and thought to himself that this was official arrogance.

Yan Zhuang continued calmly, "You might as well go and ask around. I rebelled twice and helped two emperors to be enthroned, including the current emperor. Now that we are destined to meet, I can give you wealth and honor."

"Wealthy?" Miao Dazhuang said nonchalantly, "No one would believe you."

"Your luck has arrived, and great wealth and honor are just around the corner."

Miao Dazhuang was too lazy to pay any more attention to the prisoner and just walked away.

There was a hint of worry in Yan Zhuang's eyes, but he still sat there pretending to be asleep, maintaining the demeanor of a high-ranking official.

I don't know how much time had passed, but light finally came through the small vent on the cell ceiling, and finally the jailer arrived with the sound of jingling keys.

"It's really Mr. Yan."

Miao Dazhuang's tone was a little more respectful, but still contained a hint of arrogance, and he said, "What a pity, Lord Yan, you have become a prisoner. What wealth can you bring to me?"

Yan Zhuang seemed to have expected him to come again, and said calmly: "You come to find your wealth, I will show you a way."

"what?"

"Go to Dingwang Casino in the north of the city and find the shopkeeper Zhang. Ask him if he wants to know what Yan Zhuang said. After that, for every question he asks, you will charge him ten strings of cash."

Miao Dazhuang's eyes lit up immediately, and he couldn't wait to ask, "Really?"

Yan Zhuang glanced at him indifferently, meaning, is there any need to ask?

Miao Dazhuang rubbed his hands unconsciously, revealing that he was very tempted by the money.

But he also had the shrewdness of a small man, and said, "No, you want to harm me. It is against the law of the Tang Dynasty to deliver a message for you."

Yan Zhuang closed his eyes and did not answer, looking very determined.

Miao Dazhuang rolled his eyes, thought for a while, said "I won't be fooled by you" and walked away.

Yan Zhuang opened his eyes and watched the footsteps getting faster and faster, knowing that Miao Dazhuang would definitely convey a message for him.

The Dingwang gambling house was opened by Zhang Zhongzhi, a surrendered general of the Yan army. After Zhang Zhongzhi surrendered, he sent his three sons to Fanyang Prefecture as hostages, but he took in concubines in Pinglu and had many children. He even named the gambling house he secretly opened "Dingwang", which vaguely revealed that he might have the intention to turn against the court.

Yan Zhuang has a lot of leverage over Zhang Zhongzhi. Now that he is in prison, Zhang Zhongzhi will definitely pay attention to the development of the situation and will definitely be willing to spend a little money.

Sure enough, that night, Miao Dazhuang came back again. His expression was completely different and he couldn't suppress his excitement.

"Well, Mr. Yan, you are really capable. Manager Zhang asked me to ask you a few questions."

Yan Zhuang said: "This is just a small amount of money. I told you that you will be very rich."

"I just like to make a little money, not seek great wealth." Miao Dazhuang said: "Just answer whatever I ask, don't say anything irrelevant."

"it is good."

Yan Zhuang smiled in his heart and answered honestly. Within a day or two, he helped Miao Dazhuang make a lot of money.

But then, when Miao Dazhuang was feeling proud and satisfied, Yan Zhuang asked him a question.

"Do you dare to spend that money?"

Miao Dazhuang was stunned and asked, "What do you mean?"

"If you dare to spend that money, others will know that you have suddenly become rich and you have been accepting bribes in prison, which will be fatal to you. I advise you to throw away that money as soon as possible."

"fart!"

Miao Dazhuang certainly couldn't throw away the money he had earned, thinking that he would be able to use it sooner or later. But gradually, he began to feel uneasy.

Only then did he realize that he had already boarded Yan Zhuang's pirate ship by taking the money and delivering the message.

If Yan Zhuang opened his mouth, the whole matter would be exposed. He would either lose his job or even be beheaded.

When Miao Dazhuang thought of this, he couldn't help feeling guilty. He immediately showed his timidity and his eyes began to wander.

Yan Zhuang then said, "Don't worry, you are destined to be rich and noble, and no one can take it away. I am here to help you."

He was a man who could even instigate An Lushan to rebel, so it would be even easier for him to capture a minor figure. So he used both coaxing and deception to get Miao Dazhuang to contact more surrendered generals for him.

During this process, Miao Dazhuang received a lot of money and became more and more uneasy. He suddenly received too much money beyond his ability, which made him completely captured by the money and became a slave to it.

As a result, Yan Zhuang could manipulate Miao Dazhuang more easily, so he found an opportunity and asked in a mysterious tone.

"Do you know where your wealth lies?"

"If you want me to let you go, that's impossible. I can't do it." Miao Dazhuang was very vigilant.

Yan Zhuang sneered and said, "I don't need you to let me go. I just need you to find some paper and pen so I can write a letter and you can send it out for me."

"No, then I would be your accomplice."

"Oh." Yan Zhuang said, "Do you know who has been in contact with you recently? They control almost all the troops in Fanyang. You have seen their attitude towards me. It is your great fortune that they can conspire with me."

"You talk so loudly, but you're still in jail."

"Is it the prison I am in?" Yan Zhuang said, "It's the opportunity."

Miao Dazhuang had never seen someone with such a strong aura and was frightened again.

Seeing this, Yan Zhuang finally revealed something to him and said slowly: "Fanyang is the world of Fanyang soldiers after all. Now the emperor has come to abuse his power, and the generals are all dissatisfied. Especially since I have been thrown into prison, it will cause a big rebellion."

Miao Dazhuang believed this.

When An Lushan and Shi Siming rebelled, he was already a teenager and had experienced the turmoil of that time.

"I have written this letter. If you can stop the rebels, you will be a hero. If not, you will still be a hero when the situation changes. Do you understand?"

Miao Dazhuang was stunned, nodded, and then shook his head.

Yan Zhuang was too lazy to explain and said, "Bring me some paper and pen."

Miao Dazhuang was confused at this point, so he went out of the prison to find paper and pen. Yan Zhuang wrote quickly, wrote two pages, folded them, and carefully instructed Miao Dazhuang how to send it out.

"Remember, don't let anyone know. After this, you will be rich and powerful..."

After this incident, Yan Zhuang had no more options and sat in jail waiting patiently for two days.

He calculated the time with his fingers and found that it was almost time, so he asked Miao Dazhuang to come closer when delivering the meal.

"I believe that there will be turmoil in Fanyang City within the next two days. If you come here first, open the door and let me out, I will guarantee you a prosperous life."

"I've already told you, I can't let you go. The jailer can kill me..."

"The emperor will die by then, so why should we be afraid of a jailer?"

Yan Zhuang sneered, revealing his wildness and no longer having any scruples.

He stood up, waved his arms twice, and pointed at the country with great excitement.

"This will be my third rebellion. I will lead the Fanyang soldiers to kill the emperor. This emperor is too hasty. He will surely die with his new laws. When the young ruler of Chang'an ascends the throne, the generals in Hebei will each carve up their own territory and no longer be subject to the jurisdiction of the court. I will also be a local lord."

Miao Dazhuang was stunned and could not understand what was said afterwards. He only remembered that Yan Zhuang promised him something at the end.

"Then your wealth will come."

~~
As time went by, Miao Dazhuang gradually went from being afraid to looking forward to it.

More and more corrupt officials were thrown into prison. Yan Zhuang would discuss the pros and cons of the new laws with them in prison and believed that it was impossible for him to become emperor.

Miao Dazhuang occasionally heard one or two conclusions and realized that the current emperor was intensifying conflicts and the situation was about to be shaken.

He then thought that everyone else in the world was stupid, and he was the only one who saw the future from Yan Zhuang's analysis. So the first thing he thought about every day when he opened his eyes was whether something would change today, and from then on he would be able to become a superior person.

That day, he fell asleep in the cell and vaguely heard the prison boss chatting with someone.

“What a big noise.”

"It's Tian Chengsi, Zhang Zhongzhi and others who are entering the city..." When Miao Dazhuang heard this, he was suddenly startled, wiped his saliva and ran out, stood there staring at the jailer, his eyes fell on the bunch of keys hanging on the jailer's waist.

The chaos has begun, and he is about to soar into the sky.

"Da Zhuang, why are you glaring at me?!" The jailer was still sucking a chicken claw. He looked up and scolded, "You idiot, you are always so stupid."

Miao Dazhuang said: "Tian Chengsi and Zhang Zhongzhi rebelled."

"What?" The jailer showed a surprised expression and asked, "Where did you hear that?"

Miao Dazhuang thought that he just needed to wait for a big chaos in the city, and then he would ask the jailer to leave the key so that he could release Yan Zhuang and others.

Because of these thoughts, he couldn't help but show some madness, and was no longer as respectful to the jailer as before.

"Damn it, you're still looking at me." The prison boss became annoyed, "You're itching for a beating, right?"

Miao Dazhuang thought to himself, "Who do you think you are? When I become successful, I will make you kneel on the ground and eat dog intestines."

At this time, an official came over with big strides and said, "Pass the message. Three days later, Yan Zhuang will be taken to the South City Gate and beheaded in public..."

For a moment Miao Dazhuang thought that the emperor was watching the rebellion and wanted to get rid of Yan Zhuang, but he quickly realized that the time was three days later, which might mean that there was no rebellion.

"Get lost, you idiot."

He was still in a daze when he was knocked to the side by the prison boss, which woke him up from his sweet dream.

Three days later, the area near the South City Gate was filled with people.

Miao Dazhuang followed behind the two jailers, looking at Yan Zhuang's back, and felt that every step he took was soft.

He was terrified, knowing that if Yan Zhuang implicated him, he would be dead and his family would be implicated. And Yan Zhuang only needed to yell to kill him.

Therefore, he was completely distraught until he heard the word "behead". He was suddenly startled, looked down, and found that he was scared to death.

"Miao Dazhuang, you are such a fool. You can piss yourself just by watching someone being beheaded. Get lost."

"Eh."

Miao Dazhuang responded quickly, ran back home quickly, picked up the money he had received recently and ran out. He ran all the way to a dead-end alley. After looking around, he saw that there was nowhere to go. He threw the cloth bag containing the money in his hand to the ground and ran away as if he had seen a ghost.

He knew he might regret it.

When he finally escaped back home, he stood in the yard, gasping for breath, looking up at the sky, listening to the crowing of chickens and barking of dogs in the next yard, and the fighting of children. He suddenly felt that he had been possessed for a while. Now he only hoped that there would be no disturbances and that he could live a peaceful and stable life.

~~
"cut!"

Xue Bai watched Yan Zhuang's head fall to the ground, and glanced at Tian Chengsi, Zhang Zhongzhi, Hou Xiyi, Liu Kenu and other Fanyang generals, and saw that everyone seemed more or less relieved.

In fact, Yan Zhuang only bribed Pei Xi to deal with Yan Gaoqing, and as far as what had happened was concerned, his crime was not punishable by death. Apart from other things, in the political struggles during the Tianbao period, there were countless people who used worse means than Yan Zhuang.

But Xue Bai still executed Yan Zhuang, because he knew that these Fanyang generals had colluded with Yan Zhuang privately and had interests in him. Killing them to silence them was to reassure them and show that he would not hold them accountable for the past.

This does not mean that the court was weak or compromised. On the contrary, in the past few days, when the generals were most likely to rebel, Xue Bai did not appease them at all. He sat in Fan Yang and watched their reactions coldly. He did not forgive them until they came to Fan Yang one after another to apologize.

So, a head was hung on the city gate.

"I thought Yan Zhuang would rebel again."

Tian Chengsi was looking up when he heard someone whispering behind him. He turned around and saw it was Zhang Zhongzhi.

He shook his head and said, "It's difficult. I won't follow him in rebelling again."

"Because your nephews are also hostages in Fan Yang?" Zhang Zhongzhi asked in a low voice.

"It has nothing to do with this." Tian Chengsi said, "If it was before the saint ascended the throne, there might still be a chance. But the imperial army has been stationed for so long, and every soldier has his own land and the harvest is coming soon. After the wheat is harvested, most of it is theirs. Who would want to rebel?"

"It seems you have made a plan?" Zhang Zhongzhi said, "Otherwise, how would you know that the soldiers would not follow you?"

"Don't try to trick me. I was defeated by the saint in Guanzhong, so how dare I rebel against him?"

Zhang Zhongzhi sighed and thought that what Yan Zhuang said was right. The court originally controlled the world by controlling the wealthy and powerful families, and controlled the soldiers by controlling the generals in various places. The essence of the reform was to weaken this middle relationship and directly strengthen the court's control over the common people and soldiers.

If we don't rebel this time, it will become even more difficult in the future as more and more new policies are promoted and implemented. We will just have to be a minister of the Tang Dynasty peacefully.

The reason why Zhang Zhongzhi did not rebel this time was different from that of Tian Chengsi. He was persuaded by a letter written by his youngest son.

Zhang Weijian studied with Du Fu at Fanyang Prefecture School. Now that he had achieved academic success, he wrote a letter to Zhang Zhongzhi, explaining the situation to him with both reason and emotion. He made various analyses and said that obeying the emperor was the long-term plan for the Zhang family.

Zhang Zhongzhi didn't quite understand the letter, and he didn't care.

He just felt that one of his sons was finally a man who was both talented in literature and martial arts and had extraordinary insights. Sooner or later, he would become a man of talent and carry on his family line, making it more prosperous and well-developed like a noble family. Therefore, he could not bear to ruin his son's future.

It's funny to say that Xue Bai was bent on reforming the law to weaken the aristocratic families, while Yan Zhuang wanted to become one of the aristocratic families. The reason why Zhang Zhongzhi did not rebel was that he wanted to become one of the aristocratic families.

From this perspective, Xue Bai seems like a loner, going against people's wishes and pursuing a ridiculous ideal.

But he firmly believed in his heart that he was the one who went with the flow.

With the continuous development, the Tang Dynasty has reached a time when the nobles are destined to weaken and the common people are gradually rising. The gap between classes is constantly narrowing, which is an unchanging law.

Those who are silent and cannot make a sound are the supporters of the new policy. They are a solid and huge force that will eventually be demonstrated.

~~
As the generals of Fanyang did not revolt, Xue Bai's actions in Hebei went smoothly. But at this time, he received an urgent document from Luoyang.

After unfolding it, Xue Bai put it aside calmly and continued chatting and laughing with the officials from Hebei.

Only after all the officials had left did he unfold the letter again and read it again word by word while sitting there alone.

The content can be summed up in one sentence - Liu Zhan, the newly appointed Pacifier of the East Road of Jiangnan, was plotting a rebellion.

Xue Bai had met Liu Zhan several times. It was during the campaign against Shi Siming that Liu Zhan was seconded. He was quite capable and had made some contributions.

But what impressed Xue Bai the most was that Liu Zhan was of humble origin, shrewd, and serious, but very considerate to his soldiers. It was for this reason that Xue Bai transferred him to Jiangnan East Road, a tax-heavy area, after the implementation of the new law, so that he could use force to ensure the implementation of the new law.

In this situation, someone accused Liu Zhan of treason, and Xue Bai's first reaction was to make a false accusation in order to obstruct the new policy.

However, the secret report he received pointed out that Liu Zhan was the adopted son of Liu Puhui, who rebelled in the Eastern Capital during the 23rd year of Kaiyuan, and was even involved in the assassination of Emperor Xuanzong at Huaqing Pool during the Tianbao period.

The secret report also listed some incriminating evidence.

Xue Bai tapped his fingers lightly, closed his eyes and thought, thinking that this matter was not a trivial matter.

If Liu Zhan really rebelled, the consequences would be very serious; even if he did not really intend to rebel, someone might be able to force him to rebel by fabricating such detailed charges against him.

The memorial was submitted in the name of Du Youlin, but the one who found out the details of Liu Zhan's past was Li Zangyong, the transport envoy who was now in charge of political reforms in the East Road of Jiangnan.

This incident is very similar to Pei Xie's impeachment of Yan Gaoqing. It is conceivable that there will be more and more similar incidents in the future.

Xue Bai might be able to rush from Hebei to Jiangnan to deal with the situation, but it is impossible for him to rush from Jiangnan to Shannan or Lingnan. This is not what the emperor should do.

It was foreseeable that the resistance to the court's reform was gradually increasing. After much deliberation, Xue Bai decided to go south along the canal as originally planned.

Liu Zhan was in Suzhou. If he really wanted to rebel, once the emperor crossed the Yangtze River and the Huai River, he could go up the canal and kidnap the emperor.

But no one has stopped Xue Bai yet, as this matter is a secret and only a few people know about it.

A few days later, Xue Bai set out from Fan Yang and continued his inspection of Hebei.

Before leaving, he ordered the release of Yan Jiming, but also demoted Yan Jiming's official position to punish him for trespassing into the forbidden area of ​​the imperial court. This was dealt with in accordance with the Tang law. After all, Yan Jiming's contact with Shi Chaoying was not a serious crime.

"Your grandfather said that you are not doing your job all day long and wants to send you to Chang'an. What do you think?"

"Your Majesty, I am not doing my job unemployed." Yan Jiming said, "I want to stay in Hebei and one day help the Tang Dynasty to clear out the foreign invaders and pacify the frontier!"

"You have been dismissed from office."

"Didn't His Majesty say that as long as Shi Chaoying makes contributions, he can prove my innocence." Yan Jiming said, "I will go to the Huihe tribe to persuade her subordinates again."

Xue Bai shook his head and said, "Then you should just follow me."

"Is this your Majesty's will, or is it a private advice to the minister?"

"It's an imperial decree. After all, you are the emperor's uncle."

"How can it be considered as such?" Yan Jiming said, "A man of the Tang Dynasty should travel the world and make the world a better place. I don't want to go back to Chang'an and become the emperor's uncle, which would make me look like Yang Guozhong."

Xue Bai looked at his high spirits and felt a surge of vitality, so he nodded and indulged him.

~~
The imperial carriage continued to move south, and a month later crossed the Yellow River and arrived in Songzhou. Xue Bai received a memorial from Yan Zhenqing, requesting that he end his inspection and return to the Eastern Capital.

The reason is that Yan Zhenqing believed that Liu Zhan's rebellion was true, and he had actually seen evidence to prove that Liu Zhan was involved in the assassination of the emperor in Huaqing Palace that year.

Previously, Xue Bai had always believed that Liu Zhan, like Yan Gaoqing, was wrongly accused because of the new law. He went on a southern tour according to the original plan, in fact, he also wanted to express his trust in Liu Zhan... Because he trusted Liu Zhan, he dared to go to the dangerous place without too many troops.

But Yan Zhenqing's memorial broke Xue Bai's idea.

If he continues to move south, he will most likely be in danger.

After thinking for a long time, Xue Bai wrote a reply to Yan Zhenqing. He thought that even if Liu Zhan really wanted to rebel, he had just arrived in Suzhou and could not be fully prepared, not to mention that he had not yet raised the flag. If the emperor was afraid and did not move forward, it would not only damage the prestige of the court, but Liu Zhan would also notice that the matter was exposed. It would be better for him to continue to go south and suppress Liu Zhan before he launched a rebellion...

After writing the letter, Xue Bai blew away the ink and suddenly thought of another possibility.

Liu Zhan had just arrived in Suzhou, so even if he rebelled, it would not cause much trouble. However, Yan Zhenqing's words revealed a deep concern, and he wanted him to return to the Eastern Capital. Was he really worried about Liu Zhan? Or were there other changes that were inconvenient to talk about?

(End of this chapter)