The Prodigal Son of Zhenguan

Pei Ji laughed sarcastically when he heard this.

"King Jingyang, don't you know? Your Majesty has long been eyeing the Pei family. After all, I am the representative of the old ministers of Wude in the court of the Zhenguan Dynasty. In the court, they all seem to follow my lead. Can the current emperor tolerate such a Pei Ji?

Even if the lawyer is abandoned, what can it do? The Pei family will still be affected. Your Majesty will not miss this opportunity. As you said, this matter is just an opening. Once this opening is opened, it cannot be closed. Your Majesty must take this opportunity to overthrow the Pei family, suppress the Pei family, and suppress the power of the old ministers of Wude like the Pei family."

"This is also a way to kill the chicken to scare the monkey. No matter what happens in the middle No matter what happens, no matter how many twists and turns there are, the final result is difficult to change. "

"Although I am not a good person to govern the country, I have been in the court for so many years, and I can see the situation clearly.

Constantly struggling and surviving, in the end, even if it is not Guangzhou, it will be somewhere else, Lingnan, Jiangzhou, Jingzhou, it is possible, all of them have to leave Chang'an and be exiled to other places to suffer. "

"As for the rest of the Pei family, you can go and see, those officials of the Pei family in the court, how many can enter the Taiji Hall? It doesn't matter. "

Pei Ji knew that if he fell, the other officials of the Pei family would not be able to achieve anything.

Except for himself, no one will sincerely help them.

Even if someone says a few good words for them, it is just a superficial effort for others to see.

The Pei family is a chess piece that charges forward. If they add insult to injury to the Pei family, who will charge forward for them in the court in the future?

Therefore, the surface work must be done well and make people feel comfortable.

In this way, there will still be people who work and speak for them in the future.

"The affairs of the court are complicated. It is actually good for you not to get involved in it." Pei Ji smiled and said, "If you don't fight, you have already won. Why bother to waste your efforts? I have never heard of a prince's tutor of this age. If you become a prince's tutor, you will be honored by three generations of emperors. It is enough."

"Yes, it is enough. It is good to continue like this, at least in the eyes of others. It is good." Li Fu smiled and said, "But you also said that people are fighting to live. They always have to fight. Otherwise, it is so boring.

The difference between me and you is that I don't fight for power or money."

"Oh? What are you fighting for?" Pei Ji asked.

"To fight for a way to live for the people, to fight for a good life, and to make a trivial contribution to the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty." Li Fu said.

"Hahahahaha." Pei Ji laughed like crazy.

He seemed to be laughing at Li Fu's simplicity and his overly idealistic nature.

"King Jingyang, you are still young. Maybe I think you are too complicated." Pei Ji said with a smile: "You are still a simple boy who has not experienced much in the world."

Li Fu raised his eyebrows.

"Maybe."

"I hope you can keep this heart longer, not like me." Pei Ji smiled and said, "I really want to see how long you can keep this heart and this ideal, but unfortunately, I can't see it."

"You are just exiled, not beheaded."

Pei Ji shook his head: "After this, I am afraid that I will never have the chance to return to Chang'an City in this life. Maybe the next time you hear about me, it will be the news that I died in Guangzhou. Is the road of exile so easy?"

"Go and see Lawyer Pei. Before the execution, he will be locked up in Zongzheng Temple." Li Fu said, "The result cannot be changed. At least, see him for the last time."

"Thank you." Pei Ji said.

Li Fu stood up, patted the dust on himself, and strode away.

He didn't expect that the day of the Pei family's collapse would come so soon.

What happened in the Taiji Hall in Da'an Palace was also reported here. After hearing the result, Li Yuan sat on the steps and did not move for a long time.

"Your Majesty." The eunuch said softly: "Prince Jingyang informed Prime Minister Pei that Lawyer Pei was imprisoned in the Zongzheng Temple, saying that they wanted to let the father and son see each other for the last time."

Li Yuan sighed and waved his hand.

"I know."

"Send someone to Princess Linhai's mansion to send a message, and let the couple see each other." Li Yuan said: "At least, Linhai has to be a widow, and she must understand why her husband was beheaded."

"You go with me and bring a divorce letter. If Lawyer Pei is willing to sign it, then sign it. If he is not willing, there is no need to force it. It's all the same. This is fate." Li Yuan whispered: "Go and do it."

"Yes."The eunuch left in response.

In the Zongzheng Temple, Lawyer Pei kept wailing in the cell, wanting to see his father, wanting to see Princess Linhai, wanting to ask His Majesty to spare his life, even if he would not be an official in the future, just live an ordinary life in Chang'an City.

When he was tired of shouting, he sat on the ground, crying and regretting.

Why, why didn't anyone come to help him at this time, the Pei family had so many connections, why didn't they say anything.

The emperor had taken over his own farm, why didn't he say a word for him.

And Linhai Princess, after returning to Chang'an City, she was confined to the Princess's Mansion. Didn't anyone tell her what happened to her?

Why didn't she go to see the Emperor, His Majesty, and plead for herself?

She is a princess, the daughter of the Emperor, and the sister of His Majesty.

I am His Majesty's brother-in-law, how can I be executed just like that?

It's impossible.

Lawyer Pei still can't believe that the verdict on him in the Taiji Hall was so straightforward that even his father couldn't do anything about it.

Just thinking about it, footsteps were heard outside.

"Father!" Lawyer Pei's eyes lit up.

He recognized his father's footsteps.

There is no mistake. He has been with his father since he was a child, and his father's footsteps are already engraved in his bones.

"He is inside, you can meet him alone." The Baiqisi who was guarding outside said: "However, time is limited, if you have anything to say, say it quickly. "

Anyway, after three days, one will be beheaded and the other will be exiled.

This meeting today is the last one.

They can't make any trouble, and they can't make any waves.

Even when entering the dungeon, the people of the Baiqi Division searched Pei Ji's body to make sure he didn't carry any poison.

If Lawyer Pei is going to die, he must be beheaded in front of everyone. Before that, he must not die in the cell.

Pei Ji staggered to the door of the cell and stumbled on the wooden door of the cell.

"My son." Pei Ji called.

"Father." Lawyer Pei also rushed over, and the father and son met across the railing.

Lawyer Pei saw his father's gray hair and old face, and for a moment, he couldn't help it and knelt on the ground.

"Father, I'm wrong. I'm unfilial and have implicated my father and the Pei family. "Lawyer Pei cried bitterly.

The resentment in his heart disappeared after he saw his old father.

Father, he was implicated by himself...

He lost his position as Shangshu Zuo Pushe, and was exiled to Guangzhou at an old age.

That was a place farther away than Jingzhou where he was going to take up his post.

"I told you to be patient, wait a little longer, why didn't you listen?" Pei Ji held his son's hand: "Even if you go to Jingzhou, what can you do? At least you are still alive, and there is room for everything, but if you die, everything will be in vain."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Father, I have no future, and I am worried that something will happen after I go to Jingzhou." Lawyer Pei said truthfully: "Jingzhou is not a good place, with high mountains and dense forests, and bandits are rampant. I think, I think... As long as I can stay in Chang'an, I will accept it no matter what. "But, but I didn't expect that the emperor and His Majesty would be so cruel to the Pei family this time, and even didn't care about Princess Linhai's face, and directly wanted to execute me." "Alas." Pei Ji sighed heavily. "You were demoted to Jingzhou as an official, which was the result of His Majesty's leniency. It was the result of my father asking many people to speak for you." Pei Ji said: "The rumors of locust plague directly pointed to His Majesty. His Majesty's Hundred Cavalry Division was almost overturning the entire Chang'an City. Why do you think His Majesty directly ordered you to go to Jingzhou without even checking the evidence? This is the room left for both parties, a decent thing, for the sake of the emperor's face, and for the sake of those people who said good things to our Pei family in the past, so this is a small punishment and a big warning. ”

“Otherwise, with your crude methods of doing things…”

Last time, when there was a rumor about the locust plague, Lawyer Pei did not do a clean job. The Hundred Cavalry Division found clues after a quick investigation. Although the person involved died in the end, it did not hinder the Hundred Cavalry Division from investigating the case.

Investigating such things is nothing more than following the clues.

Last time, there was not much noise, but this time it was much simpler. The Hundred Cavalry Division, Chang'an Prefecture, and the Bad People were all mobilized. Whoever spread the rumor would be arrested.

Catch him and interrogate him. Where did you hear these words from?

Find outUpstream, check one by one.

Even if it is said that he was working outside and heard it from passers-by.

That is easy to say, where did he work, what did the passer-by look like, and where did the two meet.

Then go there, continue to arrest people and interrogate according to the description.

While making a big fuss and arresting people, it also scared the rumormongers. Later, no one dared to spread such rumors again.

The rumors stopped.

"I thought..." Lawyer Pei had tears on his face: "I was too self-righteous, father, I regret it."

Lawyer Pei knelt on the ground and cried bitterly.

"It's over, it's over." Pei Ji wiped his tears: "You and me, father and son, this is the last time we meet."

The father and son held each other's hands and cried across the railing.

After a long time, the people from the Baiqi Division came in.

"It's time, please."

The people from the Baiqi Division invited Pei Ji out of the dungeon.

"There are still three days left. Can I come to see him tomorrow?" Pei Ji asked cautiously.

"Originally, you can't come in without an imperial decree." The man from the Hundred Riders Division said, "This is just one time. It's already a favor. You should pack up and prepare to go to Guangzhou."

Pei Ji responded hesitantly and left in despair.

After Pei Ji left the dungeon, two people from the Hundred Riders Division sat together and chatted.

"Don't tell me, looking at the father and son, they look quite pitiful now, but how can they not think that the people they harmed were more pitiful than them at that time."

"Who said it wasn't? Damn, Lawyer Pei is crying now, I know he is scared. When the locust plague and rumors spread, he killed people to silence them, but he didn't take human lives seriously.

So the lives of their Pei family are human lives, and the lives of others are cheap."

"I heard that other brothers checked the Pei family. Tsk, there are so many things. Guess what, some families in Chang'an City even wrote IOUs to the Pei family. It's really interesting."

......

The Pei family will also be searched. The emperor's decree ordered the search of the Pei family and the confiscation of property.

Before the evidence of the culprit was found, Li Shimin had discussed this matter in the morning court in advance and finalized it in advance. When the evidence was found and the culprit was caught, the matter would be decided according to the previously discussed charges and punishments. Then, no one could have any objections.

We had asked for your opinions before, and we all discussed it together in the Taiji Hall.

We can't treat them differently just because of who the culprit is. Otherwise, the law will become empty talk, and the laws and decrees of the Tang Dynasty will become a joke.

Therefore, when someone wanted to stand up and speak for the Pei family in the court, Li Shimin also rebuked them decisively.

What's wrong with standing up and opposing it when it's already been decided? Are you hitting yourself in the face, or do you have to expose the private things between you and the Pei family in the court?

Is your relationship so good that you want to sink together?

Li Shimin had already remembered those who stood up in the court or were ready to speak.

This time it was the Pei family. Next time, if they were not honest, they would be dealt with one by one.

It was better to be clean in the court. Cleaner is more comfortable.

This time, Li Shimin made a plan in advance to make Pei Ji leave the court.

Lawyer Pei was asking for death, and Li Shimin was happy to see it. He couldn't think of any good way to make Pei Ji give up his position. Now it's good. He had never seen such a straightforward person who took the initiative to kill himself.

Pei Ji returned to the Pei family mansion. At this time, people from Chang'an Prefecture and Baiqi Division were waiting outside the mansion.

After seeing Pei Ji, the people from Chang'an Prefecture stepped forward and clasped their hands.

"Prime Minister Pei, according to the court's intention, all the items in the mansion must be sealed. You can go and pack some things first, so that you can take them to Guangzhou together."