The Flourishing Tang Dynasty: Beginning with Marrying Yang Yuhuan

Chapter 242 Taking advantage of the situation
After Yang Guozhong returned, he secretly found some boy's urine.

Looking at the liquid in front of him, Yang Guozhong felt nauseous and his face looked very ugly.

Tibetan secret agents attacked the Lanzhou post station. Yang Guozhong felt that the probability of this happening was very low and it was very likely that the Lanzhou officials were targeting him.

However, he has no clues for the time being. No matter who is targeting him, he cannot gamble with his life.

"Once I find out the truth, I will definitely settle the score with you."

Yang Guozhong cursed, pinched his nose, picked up the boy's urine in the bowl and drank it all.

……

On the other hand, Zhang Guangsheng reported Yang Guozhong's affairs to Li Ying.

Zhang Guangsheng said: "Your Highness, Yang Zhao has suffered a lot, so he will probably be more restrained in his actions."

"That may not be the case." Li Heng shook his head. "He went to Qixi this time for two reasons. The first was to supervise me, and the second was to transport all the grain in Qixi to Chang'an."

Zhang Guangsheng said: "Qixi is so far away from Chang'an. If we transport the grain to Chang'an, I'm afraid only one-third of it will remain."

Li Heng said: "As long as he wants to do it, there are many ways to do it, such as exchanging food for luxury goods, or finding a few big businessmen to exchange for flying money."

Zhang Guangsheng said: "If he really takes away all the grain in Qixi, especially the grain in the charity granary and the Changping granary, Qixi will no longer be able to provide disaster relief and balance prices."

"Not only that." Li Heng thought, "If he exchanges the grain for luxury goods, it will push up the price of luxury goods. It is hard to say whether these luxury goods are still worth the price when they arrive in Chang'an. If he exchanges it for flying money, then the local big families and merchants will collect the grain and hoard it, which will be a disaster for Qixi."

Zhang Guangsheng said: "Your Highness must not let him succeed."

Li Heng nodded.

Yang Guozhong represented the will of the imperial court, so he had to deal with the imperial court, not Yang Guozhong.

This matter needs to be planned carefully.

As Li Heng pondered, Zhang Guangsheng stepped forward and whispered, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince has indeed sent people to contact Du Liangdi and bribed several relatives of the Du family. These people are ungrateful and repay kindness with hatred. Do you want me to send someone to deal with them?"

Li Heng thought for a moment and said, "Not for the time being. They can't cause any real harm to us right now. It's better to keep them. Maybe they can be of some use."

"Okay." Zhang Guangsheng listened to Li Ying out of habit and didn't say much.

The group stayed in Lanzhou for two days and then continued on their journey.

……

Hexi, Liangzhou, the governor's mansion.

"Prince Shou is also the envoy of Hexi's promotion and demotion. He will arrive in Liangzhou soon. General Qibi should think of a solution." Wang Daqing, Wang Ju's younger brother and the governor of Liangzhou, said anxiously.

Qibi Zhong, the military envoy of the Chishui Army, said: "There is no need to worry, Governor Wang. Right now Hexi is mainly dealing with the war with Tubo. Prince Shou will not be so anxious to investigate us."

Wang Daqing said: "Wang Zhongsi will be the leader of the war. Given Prince Shou's temperament, he will bring order to the people wherever he goes."

Qibi Zhong said: "If His Royal Highness Prince Shou wants to investigate corruption, at least half of the officials in Hexi will be killed. How can this be dealt with?"

Wang Daqing glanced at Qibi Zhong and said, "He can't kill so many people, but he can still kill a chicken to scare the monkeys. With the mess your Chishui Army has made over the years, can he forgive you?"

Qibi Zhong was startled and said, "It's not so easy to check the military accounts. Governor Wang should worry about himself. The accounts in Liang Province cannot be settled, and you haven't dealt with the issue of the empty population. The court has long been dissatisfied with you."

"I'm not mocking the general." Wang Daqing sighed, "I actually hope that Tubo will come and plunder soon, so that we can settle many things."

Qibi Zhong said: "Wang Zhishi would think that if Tubo can plunder Liangzhou, the court would remove me first without Shou Wang investigating me. Even if the court does not remove me, as a general of the Tang Dynasty, I will not tolerate Tubo plundering the land of the Tang Dynasty!"

Wang Daqing looked at Qibi Zhong and whispered, "Excuse me, the best way is to send Prince Shou..."

"How dare you!" Qibi Zhong suddenly stood up and interrupted Wang Daqing, "I am only seeking wealth, I will never rebel against the Tang Dynasty! Besides, His Highness Prince Shou is both civil and military, serving the country and the people. Even if he kills me, I will never rebel!"

"You..." Wang Daqing looked at Qibi Zhong's determined look and shook his head helplessly.

"Also," Qibi Zhong glared at Wang Daqing, "A large number of Zoroastrians have recently gathered in Hexi. Are they coming here for Prince Shou's palace? I know that Governor Wang has contact with them. I would like to ask Governor Wang to tell them to leave if they should, and to follow the rules if they should. If they have any ill intentions, don't blame me for being rude!"

After Qibi Zhong finished speaking, he turned around and prepared to leave.

Wang Daqing stopped Qibi Zhong and said, "We are all in the same boat now. It would be fine if General Qibi didn't try to fix the hole himself, but why did he try to stop others? If Prince Shou really wants to kill you, what will you do?"

"At worst, I can tie myself up and ask for forgiveness!" Qibi Zhong walked out the door without even turning his head.

Wang Daqing looked at Qibi Zhong's back and sighed heavily.

Wang Daqing knew that Qibi Zhong was not just talking. Qibi Zhong was greedy for money, but he was loyal to the Tang Dynasty and had great respect for Li Heng. If someone really wanted to harm Li Heng, he would do what he said.

After Qibi Zhong walked away, seven or eight people came out from the inner room and sat down.

Wang Daqing glanced at these people and said, "You have all heard that Qibi Zhong does not want to harm Prince Shou and wants to stop you. Go back to where you came from."

"Then let's kill him too!"

The person who was speaking was called Kang Yi, a Zoroastrian priest in Hexi and also a wealthy businessman in Hexi, who had close ties with An Lushan.

Wang Daqing squinted at Kang Yi and sneered, "Qibi Zhong is now the commander of the Chishui Army. What can you use to kill him? He just knew you were here, so he said that on purpose. If you had made any unusual movements just now, his guards would have rushed in and killed you all."

Kang Yi did not comment and complained: "How can these be called soldiers? They are just a bunch of bandits!"

"You are wrong." Wang Daqing looked outside the door and replied faintly, "They are worse than robbers."

"Are we just going to sit and wait for death?" Kang Yi was unwilling. "My family was poor when I was young. I followed the caravan and wandered around when I was ten years old. It has been thirty years until today. It took me thirty years to become rich and powerful like today. How can I just sit and wait for death?"

Mi Qian, who was standing next to him, didn't want to listen to Kang Yi's nonsense, so he completely ignored Kang Yi and said directly to Wang Daqing: "Provincial Governor Wang, your brother is in a high position and has some connections with His Royal Highness Prince Shou. Why don't you ask him to mediate?"

Wang Daqing said, "Brother won't take care of these things."

Mi Qian thought for a moment and said, "I brought a lot of beauties from the Western Regions this time, some of whom are extremely beautiful. Can I use the beauty trap on Prince Shou?"

"How beautiful can she be? Can she compare to the wives and concubines of the Shou prince? Besides, the Shou prince never indulges in pleasures of pleasure." Wang Daqing replied casually, and suddenly an idea flashed in his mind, saying, "Although the Shou prince doesn't like beauty, it doesn't mean that the people around him are bad. I remember that his bodyguard Zhang Guangsheng is a young man, full of vigor and vitality, and he is still unmarried."

Mi Qian asked, "Does Governor Wang intend to incite Zhang Guangsheng to rebel?"

"Based on my understanding of Zhang Guangsheng, it is impossible for him to defect." Wang Daqing shook his head, "It would be best if we could find trouble for him."

"I understand now." Mi Qian suddenly realized.

"I will prepare for this." Wang Daqing thought for a moment, waved his hand and said, "Okay, I have a headache, you guys go back first."

"Yes." Several people stood up, bowed to Wang Daqing, and left.

When they got to the door, Mi Qian said, "I'm afraid this is not a perfect plan."

Kang Yi nodded, pulled Mi Qian and quickly distanced himself from the others, saying, "Why don't we try to drive the tiger away and let it devour the wolf?"

"How to drive the tiger to devour the wolf?" Mi Qian asked. Kang Yi said: "Let the Tubo kill it, and we will assist it."

Mi Qian was a little hesitant.

Kang Yi continued, "We Sogdians, it doesn't matter who we do business with. Besides, as long as we act carefully, the Tang court won't be able to find any evidence against us."

"Okay." Mi Qian agreed.

……

In mid-September, Li Ying and his entourage arrived in Liangzhou.

Just like when he came to Lanzhou, officials of all ranks in Liangzhou came to welcome Li Heng, led by Liangzhou Governor Wang Daqing and Chishui Army Commander Qibi Zhong.

As usual, a group of people hosted a banquet for Li Heng.

During the banquet, Wang Daqing seized the opportunity to say to Zhang Guangsheng: "General Zhang is really a young and promising man. At such a young age, he has made great achievements under the guidance of His Royal Highness Prince Shou. I have always liked young heroes. Let me toast to you."

"You are too kind, Governor Wang." Zhang Guangsheng replied politely, "My duty is to protect Your Highness. Your Highness is still on the road, so I cannot drink. Please forgive me, Governor Wang."

Li Heng, who was standing by, felt that Wang Daqing was holding back when he heard what he said, but he was also curious about what Wang Daqing was trying to do, so he said to Zhang Guangsheng, "General Zhang has worked hard all the way and hasn't had a drop of wine for a long time. Since Governor Wang has invited you so kindly today, I will allow General Zhang to drink to his heart's content."

Zhang Guangsheng was a little confused when he heard this, but he always trusted Li Ying. When Li Ying asked him to drink, he didn't say much. He took the wine handed to him by Wang Daqing and drank it all in one gulp.

Then a bunch of people from Hexi came up to toast Zhang Guangsheng. Zhang Guangsheng hadn't drunk for a long time, so he took all the toasts and drank happily.

The more Li Heng looked, the more he felt something was wrong. He used the excuse of going to the bathroom and took the opportunity to find Shi Shouyi.

Shi Shouyi was downstairs at this time, gnawing on a leg of lamb and looking at the beautiful women who came to perform with a smile.

"Which one do you like?" Li Ying asked behind Shi Shouyi.

When Shi Shouyi heard Li Ying's voice, he bowed quickly and said with a smile, "I am only taking a look at it. I dare not take it home."

"Why is that?" Li Ying asked.

Shi Shouyi said: "My wife has a bad temper and gets angry easily. If I argue with her, she will ask the princess to judge. I asked her not to bother the princess all the time, but she would not listen."

"That depends on you." Li Heng smiled slightly, "But I do have something to trouble you with."

Hearing what Li Heng wanted to say, Shi Shouyi threw away the lamb leg and said seriously, "Please give your orders, Your Highness."

Li Heng said, "I think these officials from Hexi seem to be trying to get Zhang Guangsheng drunk. I want to see what they are going to do. Go up and tell them that I am not feeling well and will go back to rest. Then send someone to keep an eye on him. Tell me if anything happens. I am at the inn next to the restaurant."

"Yes." Shi Shouyi took the order and ran upstairs.

Li Heng asked his guards to leave first.

After returning to the inn, Li Heng and the guards changed their clothes, slipped out through the back door, and came to the inn next to the banquet restaurant.

As soon as Li Heng arrived at the inn next door, a woman wearing a bamboo hat called him and said with a smile, "Your Highness, why didn't you call me if you had something fun?"

When Li Ying heard the unique accent, he knew it was Aqisi.

Li Heng asked, "Where's Li Ling?"

Aqisi said, "She is playing with He Jin in the inn. She is very safe. Your Highness, don't worry."

"Yeah." Li Ying nodded without saying anything more.

After a while, Shi Shouyi came hurriedly and said, "Your Highness, Governor Wang treated General Zhang warmly. After getting General Zhang drunk, he sent a very beautiful woman to General Zhang's room."

"It's a trap!" Li Ying blurted out, and quickly asked, "Where does General Zhang live?"

Shi Shouyi said: "It's in the guest room of the tavern."

"What about Yang Zhao?" Li Ying asked again.

Zhang Guangsheng said: "Yang Zhao fell in love with a dancer and also stayed in the guest room of the tavern."

"Interesting." Li Heng pondered for a moment and said, "I can't let General Zhang enjoy this blessing. I'll go and attract his attention. You take people to knock Yang Zhao unconscious and bring him to General Zhang's room. We have to be quick and secretive."

"Yes." Shi Shouyi took the order and left.

After Shi Shouyi left, Li Ying and Aqisi went downstairs immediately, and ran into Qibi Zhong downstairs.

Qibi Zhong quickly saluted Li Heng and said, "Your Highness, why are you here? Didn't you go back to the inn to rest? I was just wondering whether I should go and pay a visit to Your Highness."

Li Heng said casually: "I lost something and came out to look for it."

"What is so important that Your Highness needs to come and find it in person?" Qibi Zhong asked puzzledly.

Li Heng hesitated for a moment and said, "To be honest with you, General Qibi, this is an imperial decree."

"This..." Qibi Zhong was surprised, "That is indeed important."

As the two were talking, they had already arrived at the restaurant where they had just eaten.

Li Ying asked, "Could it have been picked up by someone in the tavern?"

Qibi Zhong said: "I will take people to search immediately."

"No." Li Heng stopped Qibi Zhong, "Losing the imperial edict is a serious crime, this matter should not be made public."

Qibi Zhong said: "This is easy. I will just use the name of searching for Tibetan secret agents."

"Okay." Li Heng didn't expect Qibi Zhong to take such good care of him, so he agreed.

After receiving permission, Qibi Zhong immediately led his men into the restaurant, shouting, "There are Tibetan spies sneaking into the area, search!"

At Qibi Zhong's command, the soldiers immediately took action.

This restaurant can be used as a reception place, and the person behind the business is none other than Wang Daqing.

Wang Daqing was resting in the restaurant. When he heard someone searching, he hurried out.

Then he saw Qibi Zhong who was commanding the army in the center.

Wang Daqing was furious and asked, "General Qibi, you were searching for Tibetan spies, but how did you end up here?"

Qibi Zhong said: "Please forgive me, Governor Wang. The Tibetan bandits are cunning and treacherous, and they like to go to unexpected places."

"Great! General Qibi is clearly trying to make things difficult for me!" Wang Daqing laughed in anger.

Qibi Zhong said: "I act according to the rules and have no grievances with anyone."

(End of this chapter)