Prime Minister dare not be

Chapter 51

The fact that the stele was just released earlier had made the emperor very unhappy, but now that there was another witchcraft, his suspicion could no longer be contained.At first he transferred Wei Yizhi back to contain Xie Shu, but now the two are getting closer and closer, and there are many indecent rumors, which makes him more suspicious.Since Wei Yizhi is capable of obedience and disobedience, it is not impossible for him to do other things.

The emperor couldn't help thinking to himself, maybe he saw that he and the prince had eased the relationship, and he was afraid that Jiu'er would not have a chance, so he had other thoughts?

Wei Yizhi put down the confession letter: "Your Majesty has shown great favor to me, and I will always keep it in mind, and I will never dare to offend you. Please be aware of your majesty."

Yang Qiao hurriedly spoke for him: "Your Majesty knows clearly that someone must have secretly framed Da Sima. Your Majesty thinks about the unjust case of Prince Liu Ju during the Han Dynasty, and don't blame good people by mistake."

It was fine if he didn't say that, but the emperor was even angrier when he said that.Liu Ju is the prince of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, what is Wei Yizhi?Just his nephew!Originally talking about treason, this sentence again is simply adding fuel to the fire.

"I also want to investigate carefully, but now that the evidence is solid, what else is there to investigate!" The emperor became angry: "King Wuling, do you have anything to say?"

Wei Yizhi lowered his eyes: "I have nothing to say."

Yang Qiao was really anxious to death. At this time, he turned to see Xie Shu as if he was in a hurry. He thought that she would really be as kind to Wei Yizhi as the rumors said, and would definitely help him.

However, Xie Shu just stood there calmly without saying a word.

"Come here, put King Wuling under house arrest and thoroughly investigate this case." The emperor flung his sleeves and left.

The incident happened suddenly, most of the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty were still in shock, and no one left for a while, only Xie Shu turned around and walked out of the palace gate, as if he had nothing to do with Wei Yizhi.

Xie Ran stared at her back, then at Wei Yizhi, and for some reason, he felt a little joy in his heart.

This night is destined to be unsettled, and all the major families must hold candles to discuss countermeasures.

Wang Jingzhi stood by the window with his hands behind his back. Dr. Guanglu Wang Mu had been persuading him for a long time.

"Why hesitate? Such a good opportunity, if we don't attack King Wuling, when will our royal family have a chance to stand out?"

Wang Jingzhi's usual carefree and lazy expression was replaced by awe. After a long while, he just laughed: "I'm afraid it's not that simple. Don't forget that there is still a prime minister. He didn't make any moves. How dare we act rashly. If we accidentally go wrong Chess, I'm afraid he and the King of Wuling will take it away."

Wang Mu snorted: "The prime minister is well-known for his masculinity. He has coveted the King of Wuling for a long time, so naturally he won't make trouble. Why should you be afraid of him?"

Wang Jingzhi shook his head: "Prime Minister, it's better not to just look at the surface."

Not only him, but other aristocratic families also stayed on the sidelines because Xie Shu didn't make a statement, and they were all in a wait-and-see state.

Da Sima's mansion seemed to be a sealed iron barrel, and the servants didn't know what happened, and it was gloomy.Mrs. Xiang was so angry that she smashed a lot of things and scolded the wet nurse for eating inside and outside.

Wei Shizhi sat in the hall with his robes gathered, his brows frowned: "It shouldn't be, how could an old man frame Yizhi for so many years, most likely someone instigated him. Yizhi should find a way to meet her and say You may not know what news."

Wei Yizhi stood by the door with his back to him: "I'll arrange it right away, the wet nurse has committed suicide."

Wei Shizhi frowned even tighter: "Then...do you want to ask the prime minister for help? Aren't you on good terms?"

Wei Yizhi shook his head. At this time, he is Da Sima and she is the prime minister, so there is no personal relationship to talk about.

Mrs. Xiang sat down dazedly, looking at Wei Yizhi's back, thinking about the gate that was so hard to prop up, and thinking about the indifferent royal family, her heart felt cold.

That day will come, sooner or later.

It is a felony to harm someone with witchcraft, let alone His Majesty, the emperor put Wei Yizhi under house arrest in the mansion to wait for the results of a thorough investigation, which is considered merciful.

Wei Yizhi stayed quietly in the mansion, secretly sent Fu Xuan to lead people to investigate, and followed the nurse's line to find out that her hometown is in Badong County.He also knew this, it was not a secret, but he just found out that her hometown was in trouble, and her three sons and two grandsons were all taken away. As for where and by whom, she didn't know anything.

This is what happened last winter, and if you look further down, the clues will be broken.

He seemed to understand a little bit, and ordered no further investigation, ordered his party members to restrain their edge, not to mention pleading for him, so as not to be stabbed.

The case was handed over to Yushitai in spring, and there was no progress in early summer.The case was handled by Yushi Zhongcheng Xie Ziyuanjing, not because he intentionally dealt with Wei Yizhi, but with all the witnesses and evidences. It just so happened that the wet nurse who committed suicide was of barbarian blood in Badong County and knew how to make Gu, which made matters worse.

Of course, it is not without flaws.The emperor's health has been getting worse and worse since the Changsha King's Rebellion, and the occurrence of the witchcraft happened to be on the spot. Coupled with the matter of the stone tablet, it was almost arranged to go to the King of Wuling.

But the Da Sima Mansion couldn't come up with any solid evidence to reverse the case, so I could only think about it in my heart.If it wasn't for Xie Shu's pressure, Xie Ziyuan had already reported the results.

There was no great Sima in the court, Wei's party quickly retreated, and the Xie family seemed to be the only one, and the limelight was not comparable to that when Xie Mingguang was alive.

I don't know if it was due to psychological reasons, but after the witchcraft incident was "revealed", the emperor felt that his health was much better, and he even stayed in the court for half an hour longer than usual this morning.

The monarch and his ministers discussed some political affairs in a neutral manner, and were about to leave the court, the guest Cao Shangshu suddenly reported that an envoy from the State of Qin had rushed to the State of Jin and asked to see His Majesty.

Xie Shu felt something was wrong when he heard it. The envoys of the Qin State came and asked to see the emperor directly. It was still in the early court, and they didn't go through her at all. It must have been arranged long ago, and maybe it was not a good thing.

The emperor declared, and soon someone led the envoys to arrive.

Xie Shu had seen this person in the team of envoys last time. He was an ordinary-looking middle-aged man, taciturn, and he didn't look like a shrewd and cunning person.

The envoy first respectfully paid homage to the emperor, then handed over the letter of credence, and said: "By order of our Majesty, I am here to propose marriage to your country."

As soon as this remark came out, there was a buzzing sound from the court hall, and everyone thought it was too inconceivable.

The emperor was also very surprised. He thought it was a big event, but he didn't expect it to be about marriage.However, the two countries have concluded a contract, and it is normal for them to marry.While thinking about which prince is suitable for marriage, he said: "It seems that our two countries can continue the good story of Qin and Jin, but I don't know how the emperor of Qin intends to marry?"

The envoy said: "My Majesty is willing to marry the eldest princess to King Wuling of Jin, and to marry the five counties as a dowry."

In the court hall, the sound of needles dropping can be heard from a pot of hot porridge to a moment of silence.Xie Shu glanced over coldly, and the emperor also looked surprised.

"Who?"

The envoy repeated what he said just now, and added: "Now that Qin and Jin are on good terms, His Majesty of our country has decided to marry and form an alliance. It was only because our Eldest Princess had the honor of meeting King Wuling once, and she had been in love with him for a long time, that His Majesty made the decision for her. over this."

How could Wei Yizhi, a general who fought in battle, meet the princess in Qin State's deep palace?Xie Shu guessed with his toes and knew that this was nonsense. It was nothing more than to give the emperor a little face, telling him that it was not that the emperor of Qin didn't like his son, but that his daughter had long been in love with King Wuling, so there was no way.

The expression on the emperor's face fluctuated, and he looked at Xie Shu after a long time: "What do you think, Prime Minister Xie?"

Xie Shu said coldly: "I think this matter should be discussed in a long-term way. After all, the dowry of the five counties is not a trivial matter. Whether the emperor of Qin is sincere remains to be verified."

The envoy blushed all of a sudden: "Why did Prime Minister Xie say that? It was clearly written in the national book, and it was stamped with the jade seal of His Majesty. How could it be that it wasn't true?"

Xie Shu glanced at him: "That still needs to be considered in the long run. You can't agree to it on the spot, right? The King of Wuling himself doesn't know about it yet."

The envoy closed his mouth with a grim expression.

The emperor also felt that he had to think about it carefully and asked the envoys to temporarily stay in the government office to wait for orders.None of the civil and military men in the Manchu Dynasty talked much, and they had different thoughts.

On the way back to the residence, Xie Shu told Mubai: "Send someone to check if anything happened to Qin recently."

Mubai looked at her expression, and asked in doubt: "Wuling King has an accident, why do you still have the heart to investigate Qin's affairs?"

"Don't ask too much, just do as I tell you."

Mubai quickly responded.

Sitting in the car, Xie Shu thought of An Heng, and the first thing that came to mind was his sharp eyes. Now that he thought about it, it was full of ambition.

The back and forth attacks were flawless, the timing was accurate, and the people's hearts were well thought out. It was really not in vain for his trip to the Kingdom of Jin.

Now that Wei Yizhi is in a difficult situation, if he wants to get rid of the influence of the witchcraft case, he has to agree to a marriage.And once married, he will become Qin's son-in-law. In the future, the two countries will inevitably be restricted when they fight.

But it is not up to him to agree or not. The temptation of the five cities is not small. If the emperor can't bear the temptation and wants to accept it, given his current situation, there is no way to refuse it.Princess Qin is not Mu Miaorong with no background, and An Heng is not a talkative queen mother either.

Unless Wei Yi's true rebellion.But at that time, the state of Jin will be in chaos, which will give Qin the opportunity to take advantage of it.

Even if the emperor refused because he didn't want the five counties, the witchcraft case had already made him suspicious, and the guard Yizhi would gradually be contained, and eventually the great families would inevitably vie for his military power.And once Wei Yizhi's barrier fell, Qin's cavalry would also arrive.

Anheng's net is like a dead end.

Xie Shu also guessed that he would make some moves, but he never thought that he would do it so soon.It must have been because of something happening in the country that forced him to speed up the process.

She lifted the curtain, and the spring was just right outside. The women cheered when they saw her, but she couldn't laugh.

The words that Changsha King said when he was dying are still in his ears.The unification of the world, the conquest of the country, these are not what she should see. Her vision can only touch the future of Xie's family in the long run, not the whole world.But now, it seems inevitable.

Da Sima's Mansion seems to have fallen into a quagmire, but Mrs. Xiang is a person who has experienced storms after all, and she has pulled herself together to face the crisis.

It has just rained, the weather is very hot, and the cicadas are annoying.She took the maid to bring medicine to Wei Shizhi, and saw him standing by the courtyard wall in a daze from a distance.

"What's wrong? Worried about your brother?"

Wei Shizhi turned around and reached out to support her arm: "I was looking at the wall. The boy said that Yizhi hung the target here to practice arrows. Now that the target is removed, there are cracks on the wall."

Mrs. Xiang turned her head to look over, and it really is, winding from the middle point to the surroundings, this is the result of being hit hard by the arrow for a long time.

She sighed: "You also know that your brother is not born with good muscles and bones, he has been trained little by little. Even if he is now commanding thousands of troops, he will not dare to slack off, and someday he will not get up early to practice martial arts."

Wei Shizhi recalled Wei Yizhi's appearance as weak as a little girl back then, with a perplexed expression: "It would be great if we didn't fight any more."

"Yes, it's a pity that the world is torn apart, how could there be no wars." Mrs. Xiang patted the back of his hand: "Okay, let's drink the medicine."

As soon as the medicine bowl was brought over, a maidservant came to report that the housekeeper had led Mr. Xiang from the palace to Wei Yizhi's study.

Mrs. Xiang suddenly looked worried: "Your Majesty won't really want to deal with Yizhi?"

Wei Shizhi reassured: "Mother, don't worry, Yizhi holds a heavy army in his hands, and His Majesty will not easily move him."

Mrs. Xiang was still worried, so she asked her maid to check the situation.

Not long after, the maid came back and said that Eunuch Xiang had left and there was no movement from the county king.Mrs. Xiang hesitated for a moment, afraid of disturbing Wei Yizhi, she didn't bother him after all.

Wei Yizhi stood by the window of the study and looked at the green pool outside. This year's lotus actually bloomed a twin lotus. It has just been rained, and it is pink and wet, as delicate as twin babies.This should have been a good omen, but now it looks like irony.

After Qin unified the north, it naturally wanted to unify the world.The emperor of Qin wanted to betroth the eldest princess to him, and the purpose behind it was clear.He gave up the pursuit of witchcraft because he saw that the state of Qin was obstructing it.

Now the emperor's meaning is ambiguous, and asking Eunuch Xiang to inform him is to give him his own choice, but the fact is that no matter what he does, he cannot escape the word "loss".

The door was gently pushed open, and Fu Xuan came in and whispered behind him: "Your Majesty, the prime minister sent someone to deliver a letter."

Wei Yizhi turned around immediately: "Take it here."

The letter paper is scented paper, which is popular among lovers in Jiankang for correspondence. When he held it in his hand, he felt a little uncomfortable, but the comfort was quickly diluted by the content. He lowered his hand and recalled turn around.

Seeing this, Fu Xuan knew that the content of the letter would not be very good, but he didn't dare to ask, so he could only back out silently.

Early in the morning of the second day, an unexpected visitor suddenly came to the house.Wei Yizhi had just finished practicing martial arts and was going to the study, when he met Sima Ting who was being led by Fu Xuan in the corridor.

"Why is Your Highness the Ninth Prince here?"

Sima Ting took two steps forward, pulled him to the side, suppressed the voice that had just finished changing, and said, "Brother Zhongqing, I won't play tricks with you anymore, my father sent me to be a lobbyist, to persuade you Take the initiative to surrender military power."

"What?" The emperor suddenly changed his attitude, and Wei Yizhi was inevitably surprised.

Sima Ting looked around, and said in a low voice: "Last night, someone read your book, saying that Qin Guo took the initiative to propose marriage at this time, which proved that you were secretly colluding with Qin Guo, and the conspiracy was confirmed. Then the major families Everyone ran to propose to the emperor to withdraw your military power, but the emperor had no choice but to persuade you to surrender the military power first."

Wei Yizhi went through his mind again and asked, "Who is the person participating in this king?"

"Who else?" Sima Ting became excited, "Of course it's that treacherous minister!"

"Thank you?" Wei Yizhi twitched the corner of his mouth: "Impossible."

"How is it impossible? It is indeed him! If he doesn't move, who would dare to move?" Seeing that he didn't believe it, Sima Ting couldn't help but think of the rumor, and became more angry. He always regarded Wei Yizhi as a role model, but he didn't expect He was actually bewitched like this by that traitor.

He breathed a sigh of relief, and said again: "Brother Zhongqing, father is not unreasonable, he said that if the Wei family has a suitable candidate to take over your military power, he will be able to return to Xie's family. , that can only be..."

Wei Yi's heart is like a bright mirror, the emperor is not unreasonable, but he dare not be unreasonable.His military talismans are just a formality, and his direct subordinates are all loyal, so unless he surrenders military power himself, the army's morale will be unstable and no one can control it.

But now what we are talking about is to let the Wei family find suitable candidates to keep the military power. This is the emperor's brilliance. Besides him, where else can the Wei family lead the army?

"Hey, isn't this His Highness the Ninth Prince?" Mrs. Xiang came from the direction behind Wei Yizhi, followed by Wei Shizhi. The two were about to talk to Wei Yizhi, but unexpectedly they ran into each other here.

Sima Ting was very close to Mrs. Xiang, so he immediately stepped forward to talk to her, caught a glimpse of Wei Shizhi behind her, and asked curiously, "This is..."

Mrs. Xiang and Wei Yi discussed the news of Wei Shizhi's return to the public, and they have a close relationship with Sima Ting, so they naturally didn't hide it from him: "This is your brother Boqing, you were not born when he left home. "

Sima Ting naturally knew who Wei Boqing was, and turned to look at Wei Yizhi, both surprised and delighted: "Brother Boqing can also fight, so if that's the case, Brother Zhongqing can let him take over the military power."

Wei Yizhi said: "Brother is not in good health and needs to be recuperated. I plan to ask His Majesty to give him the title of King of Wuling instead. Commanding the military power is too exhausting, so forget it."

Wei Shizhi was about to ask the reason of the matter, and sighed after hearing this: "Why are you here again? If the title of Wuling King is inherited from the ancestors, then it can be said that the seniority is orderly, but this is because you were born and died relying on military exploits. Come here, I haven't built an inch of merit, how can I accept it?"

Mrs. Lian Xiang also said: "Yes, Yizhi, this is really not suitable."

Sima Ting wanted to help the Wei family retain military power, and felt that Wei Shizhi was a good candidate, so he came over to discuss with Wei Yizhi in a low voice.Wei Yizhi looked at his eldest brother, and remembered his words that he wanted to go to the battlefield again. After thinking about it for a long time, he nodded: "Then please ask His Highness Ninth Prince to bring eldest brother into the palace to see His Majesty, and say that I will hand over half of the military power He's in charge."

"What, only half?"

(End of this chapter)