Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 620 I can’t help myself

Chapter 620 I can’t help myself
There was steam in the wooden barrel. Xue Bai washed off the dust on his body, closed his eyes for a while, and seemed to be falling asleep.

A pair of soft hands pressed on his shoulders, squeezing gently.

"Did Your Majesty really meet Wulang first?" Du Jin asked, standing behind him.

"Yes."

Xue Bai took Du Jin's hand and said, "Compared to you, Wu Lang is easier to find and won't attract attention."

Having said that, he might have privately felt that Du Jin was more ambitious, so he trusted Du Wulang more.

Du Jin said, "I'm afraid someone has noticed it. I guess someone followed Wu Lang and guessed that you went to Du's house with Wu Lang, and took my carriage to the imperial city the next day, so they arranged this assassination."

Xue Bai asked: "Who?"

Du Jin did not answer immediately. She washed Xue Bai's hair and said, "If I said it was someone you trust very much, would you be angry?"

"will not."

After hearing this answer, Du Jin was about to start her analysis when Xue Bai added another sentence.

“But I don’t necessarily believe it.”

"What if there is conclusive evidence?" Du Jin asked.

"Then let's wait until we see the evidence." Xue Bai said.

Du Jin said, "Some people don't want you to return to the palace right now. Even if you go back, it's not safe. You've been on tour for so long, and I don't know how many palace servants and guards have been bribed."

"I know, so I came to find you." Xue Bai said, "I plan to send letters to Wang Nandi, Li Sheng, Yan Wu, Xue Zhan and others. In addition, I plan to summon Lao Liang and Jiang Hai to the Eastern Capital."

"Raising troops?"

Du Jin was a little surprised, knowing that this would be a blatant break with the conservatives who opposed the reform.

This was the situation that Yan Zhenqing had been trying his best to avoid, and Xue Bai made this decision without hesitation as soon as he returned.

"What's wrong with raising an army? The worst-case scenario is that I will just start a new business."

"Starting a business again? That's a new term." Du Jin said, "You are already the supreme emperor, what else do you want to start?"

"The emperor is just a position, and there will be various constraints. If I cannot achieve my ambitions in this position, I should continue to make progress. I have to be myself, and I am more important than the emperor."

Even Du Jin couldn't fully empathize with these words. She could only understand the man's ever-advancing and insatiable ambition.

It is precisely because of this ambition that he always has a surging vitality, which keeps her fascinated.

Before she knew it, she was pulled into the bathtub by him.

The two of them became a little anxious, and her clothes were completely soaked, making them even more difficult to take off.

Thus, the water in the bucket swayed for a long time, and the two of them rubbed their ears together until they were out of breath, but they still hadn't finished putting on their clothes.

"Xue Bai."

Du Jin urged anxiously, and unconsciously called Xue Bai's original name.

"Do you believe me?" she asked.

She was an extremely perceptive person and seemed to have noticed that Xue Bai did not trust her as much as Du Wulang.

Even if it's just a little difference, she still wants to fight for it.

~~
Everyone knows that the emperor has an organization that can gather intelligence for him. It is controlled by Du Erniang and collects information from all over the world through money houses, post stations, wine shops, teahouses, and newspapers.

Therefore, when Xue Bai arrived at Du Jin's place, he was able to understand the basic situation of the moment.

The riots in Zhengzhou became even more serious. The rioters blocked the canal transportation and also blocked the way for the "imperial carriage" to return.

In Luoyang, just two days after Du Jin was assassinated, the prince's entourage and all the officials left the west gate of Luoyang and began to return west.

Xue Bai did not rush back to Ziwei Palace to stop it immediately, but waited patiently.

"Your Majesty, you still don't believe it?"

Du Jin rushed to see Xue Bai immediately. This time, she said bluntly, "Yan Zhenqing took the crown prince back to the west. This is tantamount to treason."

Xue Bai said: "I will ask him in person."

"If he didn't know you had returned to Luoyang, he should have called in troops to attack the rebels in Zhengzhou. If he knew you had returned to Luoyang, but didn't send anyone to pick you up, and instead took the prince away immediately, his evil intentions would be even more obvious."

"What was Guo Ziyi's reaction?"

"That's a good question." Du Jin said, "Guo Ziyi has led his troops from Longyou back to Chang'an. He must be going to provide military support for Li Zuo's ascension to the throne."

Even though she was trying to restrain herself, this kind of news still strengthened her judgment of the situation.

"I am 80% sure that Yan Zhenqing and Guo Ziyi have conspired to support Li Zuo."

Xue Bai said: "These two people have always been committed to maintaining stability in the world."

Du Jin said: "But they betrayed you."

"Don't rush to draw conclusions." Xue Bai said, "How is the investigation into the assassination going?"

Du Jin shook her head, her expression looking somewhat helpless. It wasn't like she couldn't find any clues, but she was helpless because even if she told Xue Bai the truth, Xue Bai would not believe it.

Who else except Yan Zhenqing had the ability to arrange this assassination?

~~
Xin'an Posthouse.

Yan Zhenqing looked up and saw the flags fluttering in front of him, and sighed slightly. Soon, a general arrived in front of him, dismounted, and saluted with his hands crossed.

"Meet Mr. Yan."

"Why is General Liang here?"

"I am here on the orders of His Majesty to escort the Crown Prince back to the Eastern Capital." Lao Liang was a calm man with a relaxed smile on his face. He said, "Let Lord Yan know that His Majesty has safely returned to the Eastern Capital. Lord Yan does not need to escort the Crown Prince back to Chang'an to avoid the chaos."

Yan Zhenqing said: "We are escorting the prince back to the capital not to avoid chaos, but to ensure the stability of the country."

"Yes, but now that His Majesty has issued an order, why don't you obey the order and return to the Eastern Capital?"

"The Crown Prince and his officials are on their way, so it's not appropriate for them to go back and forth," Yan Zhenqing said. "Let me write a memorial to Your Majesty to explain the whole story. Perhaps Your Majesty will issue a new decree to allow the Crown Prince to return to the capital?"

Lao Liang sighed and said, "Could it be that Mr. Yan wanted to get rid of me?"

"I will never lie to the general."

"No."

Lao Liang looked old to begin with, and when he was in trouble, deep wrinkles appeared on his forehead.

He walked a few steps closer and whispered in Yan Zhenqing's ear: "Tell the truth to Mr. Yan. His Majesty asked me to intercept Mr. Yan and return to Chang'an because someone accused Mr. Yan of betraying His Majesty. Go back and explain a few words. Otherwise, if His Majesty asks, I will have to say that Mr. Yan is unwilling to return."

Yan Zhenqing said, "How about this? Let the Crown Prince and all the officials stay at Xin'an Posthouse, and I will go back with the general to report to His Majesty."

"Why is Mr. Yan so stubborn?"

"I really don't want to waste manpower and material resources."

"Okay." Lao Liang said, "Please ask Mr. Yan to arrange it."

Yan Zhenqing then called Yan Quanming over.

The uncle and nephew avoided Lao Liang and walked aside.

"I will return to the Eastern Capital to meet His Majesty," Yan Zhenqing said, "You can leave all the officials behind and escort the Crown Prince back to Chang'an overnight."

After that, he handed over a letter.

"Give this letter to Guo Ziyi and tell him to put the stability of the country first."

"uncle."

"Go ahead and don't worry." Yan Zhenqing said, "I will convince your majesty."

Yan Quanming had no choice but to accept the letter and stayed at Xin'an Posthouse with all the officials following the prince's carriage.

Lao Liang left behind most of his soldiers and guards, and he personally followed Yan Zhenqing eastward.

After Lao Liang left, Yan Quanming summoned his trusted guards and asked Li Zuo to change his clothes, and the group quietly moved westward.

However, after walking only ten miles or so, they saw flags waving and soldiers lined up ahead. It was Jiang Hai and his men who had blocked the official road and had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing that Yan Quanming had indeed come, Jiang Hai did not look proud, but instead let out a long sigh.

He knew that His Majesty was unwilling to believe that the Yan family was also involved in the rebellion, but this time, he really caught them red-handed.

~~
Two days later, Luoyang.

There was also snow on the Luo River, and the broken bridge had not yet been repaired. To get to the north bank, one could only take the farther Xinzhong Bridge for the time being.

The Ziwei Palace still stood majestically on the north bank, but it seemed a little deserted due to the departure of all the officials.

The guards guarding the palace gate were standing there feeling a little drowsy when they suddenly saw a group of people riding horses towards them. The ones riding side by side in front were Guo Qianli and Zhang Xiaojing. They immediately perked up.

"You haven't been bribed recently, have you?" Guo Qianli suddenly asked.

Zhang Xiaojing was stunned for a moment, then asked, "Who bribed him?"

"I can't say." Guo Qianli seemed a little troubled, hesitant, and said: "You also know that I was born in the Guo family of Taiyuan, and my ancestors were also prominent."

"The general is indeed extraordinary."

"Don't flatter me." Guo Qianli said, "What I'm saying is that there are many people in my clan who have hidden fields and households, and they must have exceeded the quota set by the court. In the words of those reformists, my clan members also contributed to the destruction of the Tang Dynasty's equal-field system."

"It's inevitable." Zhang Xiaojing comforted, "Just hand over Yintian, it won't affect the general's future."

"That's what I said."

Guo Qianli glanced around, pulled Zhang Xiaojing's reins mysteriously, moved closer, and wanted to climb onto Zhang Xiaojing's saddle.

"You know what they told me?"

"what?"

"The new law provoked a popular uprising. His Majesty was assassinated in Zhengzhou and died. Lord Yan kept the news a secret and could not wait to bring the crown prince back to Chang'an."

Zhang Xiaojing immediately frowned and shook his head, "I don't believe it."

"I don't believe it either, but someone told me that His Majesty is definitely not among the guards."

"Why are you sure?"

"Need I say this?" Guo Qianli said, "But this news is not simple. I'm afraid they are testing me."

"Testing?"

"Yeah." Guo Qianli seemed to be in a state of confusion, and said, "I suspect that many people in the Imperial Guards have been bribed and are preparing to make this a reality."

Zhang Xiaojing asked, "General, are you talking about...assassinating the emperor?"

Guo Qianli then looked at Zhang Xiaojing suspiciously and said, "You haven't heard anything about it? I don't believe that no one has tested you."

Zhang Xiaojing had no choice but to say, "Indeed not."

Guo Qianli touched his chin with his hand, becoming more suspicious of Zhang Xiaojing, and murmured, "Pretending not to know is a cover-up."

Zhang Xiaojing had no choice but to give up explaining. He just asked in confusion, "If it is as the general said, why didn't Lord Yan take us back to Chang'an?"

"Leave us here to greet His Majesty."

"But you just said that His Majesty is in Zhengzhou..." At this time, several figures in the distance attracted Zhang Xiaojing's attention.

There were five people who walked down from a merchant ship beside the Luo River. The leader was a tall man with four guards behind him, and they were walking towards them.

"Your Majesty?" Zhang Xiaojing murmured.

Guo Qianli followed his gaze and was surprised for a moment, then said, "They do look a bit alike."

The two men immediately drove their horses to meet them.

At this moment, a sudden change occurred.

A group of Huihe merchants were driven out of Chengfufang. They were so numerous that there were probably more than twenty of them.

He rushed directly towards the five people, shouting loudly.

"Eat dog intestines, pay your debts!"

The Uighur merchant rushed over, raised the shining knife in his hand, and swung it at the five men mercilessly.

"Stop them!" Guo Qianli ordered hurriedly.

Zhang Xiaojing also quickly drew his bow and arrow, and rode forward on his horse to rescue.

It was too late. The Uighur merchants were very agile and quickly chopped the five men down in a pool of blood, and the five men fled in all directions.

"Go away!"

Zhang Xiaojing was furious and shot several arrows in succession, knocking down three people.

He rushed to the crime scene, dismounted, and examined the body lying in a pool of blood.

He turned the man over nervously and saw a strange face. To be honest, Zhang Xiaojing breathed a sigh of relief, glad that it was not His Majesty who was assassinated.

He stood up, walked over and kicked down a Huihe merchant who had been shot in the thigh by him and fell to the ground, and asked, "Who told you to kill people?!"

"He owes us money and won't pay us back. He has to pay with his life!"

This matter seems to be an ordinary business dispute.

But Zhang Xiaojing had a hunch that things were not that simple.

From his perspective, it seemed more like someone was lying in ambush around the palace, trying to assassinate the emperor.

Thinking about what Guo Qianli had just said, he turned to look at the imperial guards behind him and realized that he could not trust even all of the soldiers under his command.

On the way to the palace, Zhang Xiaojing asked worriedly, "Do you think His Majesty has quietly returned to the Eastern Capital?"

"I don't know either." Guo Qianli said, "But the assassination case at Tianjin Bridge must be no simple matter."

The palace gate was in sight. The two men looked up, but were stunned for a moment.

They saw rows of soldiers entering the Ziwei Palace, but these people were not the imperial guards, but the troops of Lao Liang and Jiang Hai who were previously stationed in Tongguan and Huazhou.

"what happened?"

"Your Majesty has returned to the palace!"

"..."

Guo Qianli and Zhang Xiaojing were greatly surprised and hurried to the Mingtang to meet the emperor.

Every time they passed through a palace gate, they found that the guards had all been replaced by soldiers with fiercer expressions and more murderous intent.

When the two men saw the emperor sitting in the hall with a face as hard as iron, they became even more terrified.

"When I entered the palace just now, I heard that a murder had occurred outside Chengfufang?"

"Yes, he was killed in front of us!" Guo Qianli said, "It's simply lawless."

Zhang Xiaojing said quickly: "I cannot stop you. Your Majesty, please punish me."

"Investigate." Xue Bai said, "The truth must be revealed within three days."

"According to the order!"

The emperor did not say what would happen if nothing was found, but both of them felt tremendous pressure and immediately mobilized the imperial guards to search Chengfufang, demanding that no Uighur merchant be allowed to escape.

However, after searching for a while, the escaped murderers were not found.

They must be hiding in a private house.

Chengfufang is adjacent to the imperial palace, where many dignitaries live. Guo Qianli wanted to report to the emperor first, but Zhang Xiaojing gritted his teeth and said, "Just search one by one!"

"What if I offend someone?"

“Don’t be afraid of offending people!”

Since Zhang Xiaojing was so determined, Guo Qianli had no choice but to accompany him.

But after searching a few houses, they encountered something unexpected.

That was the ancestral home of a man named Zheng Xian. Zheng Xian was from the Zheng family of Xingyang and served as the governor of Chizhou. He was not at home. His house in Luoyang was taken care of by his brothers, who refused to let the imperial guards search it and spoke quite arrogantly.

It was said that the current emperor's teacher, Zheng Qian, was Zheng Xian's cousin, and this was used to intimidate Zhang Xiaojing.

Zhang Xiaojing resisted the pressure and ordered a search, but he found dozens of crossbows in the house. He immediately ordered everyone in the house to be detained.

As a result, more than ten servants attempted to escape and even dared to fight with the imperial guards with knives. Zhang Xiaojing then ordered them to be shot to death.

As a result, this matter involved the crime of treason, and the imperial guards had no choice but to arrest more than 200 people in Zheng's house...

On the other side, Guo Qianli was originally on duty at the gate, but a soldier reported something to him, which made him feel overwhelmed.

"General, there is a large house inside. Its owner calls himself Liu Jiatai. I want you to go meet him in person."

"General Liu?!"

Guo Qianli stood up with a bitter look on his face.

His followers were surprised and asked, "Who is this Liu Jiatai? His name is not famous at all. How can he make the general so embarrassed?"

"His name isn't very famous, but he is also from the Hedong Liu clan." Guo Qianli sighed, "His great-grandfather Liu Shi was once the prime minister and was the uncle of Emperor Gaozong's Queen Wang. Liu Shi's sister is the grandmother of the current prime minister, Mr. Yan. Liu Jiatai has an aunt who is the concubine of Emperor Ruizong and gave birth to Prince Shen. In other words, Prince Shen is his cousin. During the Kaiyuan period, Prince Shen died of illness, and Emperor Xuanzong bestowed the title of Prince Huizhuang on Prince Shen. He has a younger brother who is now the governor of Tanzhou. As for Liu Jiatai himself, he used to be the general of the Right Guard, and I was under his command."

In this court, there are only a few people who have made achievements, done amazing things, and can be remembered, but there are many people whose names are not dazzling but have great influence due to the accumulation of their ancestors.

There are countless people like Zheng Xian and Liu Jiatai.

Although Guo Qianli is now in a high position, he still takes off his armor and goes to meet him out of consideration for his old boss.

Liu Jiatai was already old, but his voice was still as loud as a bell. As soon as he saw Guo Qianli, he started scolding him, saying that his family had been married into the royal family for generations, so how could they possibly harbor a fugitive.

"Old General, a murder occurred outside the palace today. This is a big deal. I am not saying that you are harboring a fugitive. I am worried that those vicious criminals will hide in and hurt you."

"If you dare to search today, you will have to step over my dead body!"

Guo Qianli was in a dilemma when a soldier rushed in from outside and whispered in his ear, "General, General Zhang found a crossbow, which may be related to a major treason case. Please be ruthless and impartial."

"Search!"

Guo Qianli knew the seriousness of the situation, gritted his teeth, and immediately waved his hand to give orders.

He actually hoped that he would find nothing, so that he could apologize to Liu Jiatai and say it was just a misunderstanding.

However, not long after the imperial guards entered, the sound of fighting was heard in the backyard.

"The murderer is here!"

"Kill out!"

The ferocity of those Uighur merchants far exceeded Guo Qianli's expectations. After being discovered, they even dared to confront the imperial guards.

Guo Qianli was shocked and angry, and immediately went over to direct the roundup.

After finally capturing the criminals, he returned to the lobby, only to see that Liu Jiatai had been controlled by a group of people.

"who are you?"

"Investigating the case by order."

The other party casually showed a token, ignored Guo Qianli, and took Liu Jiatai directly to the study. Half a day later, he took out a large stack of letters from the secret compartment in the study and delivered them to the palace.

On that day, the air in Chengfufang, Luoyang was filled with the smell of blood. As many as seven or eight hundred people were killed or captured for conspiracy to rebel.

~~
Ziwei Palace, Mingtang.

There were piles of files on the imperial desk, including confessions and letters.

Yan Zhenqing, who was standing in front of the imperial desk, looked very tired. Xue Bai, who was sitting behind the desk, put down the letter in his hand and asked, "Why don't you explain, father-in-law?"

"There is not much to explain." Yan Zhenqing said, "These evidences are almost all true."

What Xue Bai had just put down was a letter from Yan Zhenqing to Liu Jiatai. Although there was only one letter, the content was very crucial. It explained the reasons why Crown Prince Li Zuo should inherit the throne in case of an accident. For example, the name was given by Emperor Xuanzong himself, which was sufficient to prove his orthodox bloodline of the Tang Dynasty; and Li Zuo could get the support of the emperor's loyal ministers and balance the interests of all parties.

Yan Zhenqing could have discussed these with Liu Jiatai in person.

The significance of writing this letter is not in the content, but in the letter of surrender. In other words, Yan Zhenqing handed over a handle to betray the emperor in order to win the support of Liu family in Hedong.

What do they support? Naturally, they support the establishment of a young ruler.

In addition, several tokens were found in Liu Jiatai's study, which could be used to enter and exit the imperial city and the Council of State Affairs. They were obviously also given by Yan Zhenqing.

Today's murder was most likely caused by Liu Jiatai ordering the Uighur merchants to stop Xue Bai from returning to the palace.

According to this calculation, the crime of treason has basically been confirmed.

But Xue Bai said: "Although the evidence is true, even so, I still believe in my father-in-law."

Yan Zhenqing sighed wearily and shook his head.

Xue Bai said: "I don't believe my father-in-law wants to kill me. When I went back to Luoyang privately, my father-in-law was already preparing to return to Chang'an. When Liu Jiatai sent out the assassin, my father-in-law was on his way from Luoyang to Chang'an. It is unlikely that he knew about this and was involved in it."

"I can't escape responsibility." Yan Zhenqing said, "Liu Jiatai retired long ago and had no motive to kill the king. He is related to my family by marriage, and his only motive was to help me establish the crown prince."

This was also a possibility that Xue Bai had considered, and when Yan Zhenqing said it himself, Xue Bai was speechless.

The two were silent for a long time.

Xue Bai opened his mouth and asked, "Is it because the forces opposing our reform are too strong that my father-in-law backed down?"

"Yes."

Yan Zhenqing nodded after all.

He had already thought about how to explain it to Xue Bai, but he didn't know where to start. In the end, he started with the Yin family's visit.

"Although the Yan family is not one of the seven surnames and ten families, it is also a famous family. It has intermarriages with the Taiyuan Wang family, the Hedong Liu family, the Longxi Li family, and the Chenjun Yin family. I didn't realize it in the past, but since I have been reviewing it, I found myself deeply involved in it..."

Xue Bai couldn't empathize with him. As people of this era, they were bound by so many fetters and entanglements that were impossible to break free of due to family ties.

But Yan Zhenqing did not back down because of the persuasion of his clansmen and in-laws. He realized that the power of the aristocratic families was extremely strong, but he still stood firm like a weed in a storm.

It was not until the Liu Zhan Rebellion that he received the news of Xue Bai's death.

Because he knew how powerful the other party was, he knew that Xue Bai might die.

So, when Xue Bai died, putting aside all other thoughts, what must he do?
——Support the crown prince to ascend the throne and maintain the stability of the country.

Once you take this step, everything that follows will be out of your control.

(End of this chapter)

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