Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 733 The Shape of Political Animals

In Bianzhou, in front of the study of Kaifeng Prefecture, Lu Mai was holding a stack of files in his hand, hesitating whether to push the door and go in.

Fang Chongyong, his "lord", always made him feel invisible pressure.

"Mr. Lu, the government said you can just go in directly. There's no need to be so formal."

Da Congming walked out of the study and made a "please" gesture to Lu Mai.

Lu Mai quickly returned the greeting to Da Congming with his arms crossed, and then followed him into the study. As expected, Fang Chongyong was reviewing the files.

In fact, as the person in charge of private intelligence in the Privy Council, Lu Mai really wanted to hear about Fang Zhongyong's "dirty things", such as bullying men and women, excessive debauchery, and indulgence in pleasure.

People like this make their subordinates feel close to them because they have a low taste.

For example, core aides like Lu Mai would think: Oh, it turns out that the lord is also a beast in human clothing, that’s easy to explain.

Everyone will inevitably think that they don't need to be so serious, and the moral burden on their shoulders will be much lighter.

But Fang Chongyong is not like that. He is almost a "hexagonal warrior" in this regard. He is very restrained in his daily life and there is nothing worth talking about.

There are far fewer gossips about him than the current puppet emperor Li Qi.

No matter how absurd Fang Qing was in the past, at least he was like this after he took over Bianzhou, and he was very strict with himself.

Such a self-disciplined "official" makes core circle members like Lu Mai often feel under great pressure and dare not act rashly.

If the lord does not visit prostitutes, but his subordinates often do, what if they are punished for this in the future?
Many truths are clearly stated.

If the people above are unwilling to do it, the people below will feel a lot of pressure if they want to do it!
"Is there anything happening in Hebei recently?"

After Lu Mai sat down, Fang Chongyong put the brush on the pen holder, stretched and asked.

Looks very easy-going.

"To the government, Hebei has exempted land tax for three years, and there is also a policy of equal distribution of land. Refugees are returning to their hometowns in large numbers and re-registering their household registration. There is nothing special going on."

Lu Mai reported softly.

Shi Siming's "Great Yan Kingdom" has been doing evil things in recent years, and few people miss it at all, so naturally it has not caused any waves.

"However, there seem to be rumors in Bianzhou recently..."

Lu Mai hesitated to speak.

"The Three Sovereigns are officials, and the Five Emperors are families. The so-called official family means to surpass the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors and be the emperor among emperors. Isn't this what you want to say?"

Fang Zhongyong couldn't help but sneer.

Lu Mai looked embarrassed, then nodded and said, "It is just as the emperor said."

Rumors have been spreading in Bianzhou recently, especially among scholars, and many people are talking about what Fang Chongyong just said.

In short, Fang Qing's ambition is extremely great. Even though he is not claiming to be an emperor now, just looking at the name "Guan Jia", you can tell that he wants to be a big boss like the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

Even more outrageous than rebellion!
"Since they all say so, how about I say hello to Li Wei and ask him to abdicate?"

Fang Chongyong asked with a half-smile.

Lu Mai smiled and saluted, but did not respond. There was no way to respond to this.

"Let the boring people talk."

Fang Zhongyong shook his head, too lazy to pay attention to such trivial matters.

"Sir, you can actually indulge yourself a little. If you go to the people and snatch some beautiful women back to your house from time to time, these rumors will be broken by themselves."

Lu Mai suggested in a low voice, and what he actually said was quite true.

Not to mention that Fang Zhongyong had been planning to usurp the throne, even if he was a figure like Zhuge Wuhou, to be a minister, he had to "defile himself". It was absolutely unacceptable to act like this now.

You don't smoke, drink, play cards or online games. You work overtime until nine o'clock every night and study when you get home. And you still say that you don't want to make progress?

A leader like Fang Qing who likes to show favors to the army and is deeply loved by the grassroots soldiers. Even if he says that he will not usurp the throne in the future, no one will believe him.

If you don't want to usurp the throne, why do you want to win the support of the army?
"Forget it, let's not talk about this. How is Jingxiang doing recently?"

Fang Zhongyong put away the playfulness on his face and asked in a deep voice.

"Returning to the emperor, Yan Gaoqing has arrived in Xiangyang safely. I think Li Lu will have some opinions about Yan Zhenqing."

Lu Mai took out a scroll and handed it to Fang Chongyong, which recorded in detail a series of deployments around Yan Zhenqing. Three people make a tiger, and Fang Chongyong is very good at killing people with a soft knife.

The strategy of alienating Yan Zhenqing has been continuously intensified.

Although Fang Chongyong has good personal ethics, he is extremely ruthless in all kinds of struggles. He will take advantage of any loophole and will not show mercy if there is an opportunity to kill.

"We should continue to increase the stakes and send a secret letter to Li Guangbi to withdraw the troops in the water stronghold of Diaoji Mountain (Duchang County, Jiangxi Province) to Poyang County, and expose the flaw to Yu Qi and Liang Chongyi, so that they can capture the water stronghold of Diaoji Mountain.

As for the order from the Privy Council, it said that the court was preparing to attack Hedong and was planning to transfer Li Guangbi's troops to Hebei to participate in the war. Anyway, it just said that the troops should be withdrawn. "

Fang Chongyong chuckled, and Lu Mai at the side took out a brush and wrote quickly. He had finished writing when Fang Chongyong finished speaking.

Lu Mai didn't understand military affairs, but he understood intelligence. Fang Chongyong asked him to spread the news deliberately to cooperate with Li Guangbi's military operations.

Yu Qi and others have just taken office, so they must be cautious. They must be allowed to win a few small victories before they can "have the advantage".

"Yuan Zai said that he had persuaded Lu Jing to surrender and is now waiting in Xunyang. Is this true?"

Fang Chongyong asked again.

As an "emperor" without the title of emperor, he now has to cover almost everything, and all information has to be summarized and screened.

Lu Mai pulled out another scroll, which recorded everything about Yuan Zai's mission to the western part of Jiangnan.

He reported calmly:

"When Yuan Zai went to the water stronghold of the Jingxiang Army, Lu Jing had already been transferred, and Yuan Zai's letter of persuasion to surrender was also intercepted by Yu Qi.

Our insider in Xiangyang has already found out about this matter and they can corroborate each other.

But Yuan Zai was luckier. When Lu Jing sailed to the mouth of Ganjiang River, his will wavered and he actually took his personal soldiers to Xunyang to surrender to us, where he happened to meet Yuan Zai who had returned in a panic.

When the two of them met, they hit it off immediately, and then there was a secret report that Yuan Zai persuaded Lu Jing to surrender.

It seems that Lu Jing wanted to find his old subordinates and join the mutiny in the camp, so he was willing to cooperate with Yuan Zai. "

Lu Mai explained patiently.

Yuan Zai was a man with a strong desire for power, so how could he be willing to fail in his mission? I'm afraid he was so happy to see Lu Jing in Xunyang that he forgot everything.

Although the process was not ideal, the result was what he wanted. Yuan Zai was a little smart and thought Fang Chongyong didn't know these things, but he didn't know that everything was under the other party's close surveillance.

"Just record this matter in the book. You don't need to tell Yuan Zai, and you don't need to ask him for punishment. Now I just want the result. We can talk about the future later."

Fang Chongyong waved his hands. He knew what Lu Mai was going to say, but there was no need to criticize Yuan Zai now.

Lu Mai nodded and wrote it all down. Then he looked embarrassed, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know whether he should say it or not.

"Tell me what's going on."

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly, indicating that Lu Mai could speak freely.

"Official, Yunzhou Juye Lake has many ferry crossings, scattered market towns, and a complex terrain. This year, it seems that a group of people have gathered here, using boatmen as a cover to connect with each other.

I had some suspicions and sent spies to lurk among them. I discovered that someone was sending them money, food and weapons on a regular basis. That person turned out to be Huo Xianming, the eunuch beside Li Wei!
I feel that these people might... do something improper to you, but I don't know when and where they will do it.

Bianzhou has a dense network of waterways, so it’s hard to say whether these people will not seize the opportunity to take action.”

Lu Mai spoke slowly. Seeing Fang Chongyong's expression remained unchanged, he continued, "I think the emperor wants to kill you. The plan is already in full swing. The emperor recently ordered that the titles of the Li clan be demoted by one level. Perhaps Li Wei has a lot of helpers."

Recently, the court of Bianzhou issued a decree. Of course, it was nominally issued by Li Qi.

It says: Chang'an is in chaos and the people are living in poverty. The court welcomes the Li clan to take refuge in Bianzhou. However, the title of king must be downgraded and cannot be inherited from generation to generation. It must be downgraded by one generation.

This is actually easy to understand. The princes that Brother Ji conferred upon them all had great backgrounds. After so many years, many of these people's family members have died, and there are some who are left with only one child.

It would be unreasonable for the imperial court not to accept these people who came to Bianzhou for refuge. If they were accepted, would they still allow these small fry to bear the title of "King of Bohai"?
That's not appropriate either. So you can come, but you have to downgrade directly!

Lu Mai believed that this imperial edict seemed to give Li Qi a reason to unite some of the Li clan members.

"I understand."

Fang Zhongyong sighed softly.

He knew that there was no way to ease the deep-seated conflict between himself and the Li clan.

This is a big issue of who has the final say in the world. It is a matter of right and wrong and there is no room for compromise.

"Sir, there is no such thing as guarding against thieves for a thousand days. This matter must be dealt with."

This time, Lu Mai did not give in and insisted on getting a positive answer.

"Find some retired veterans and have He Changqi take them to Yunzhou for training and reorganization, using them as river patrol soldiers as a cover.

He Lao Hu's wife was pregnant and about to give birth, so it was a good opportunity for him to take a vacation. It was announced to the public that He Lao Hu had returned home to accompany his wife to give birth and would not meet guests.

When the time is right, I will go to Daye Lake to check the ferry and granary there and lure the snake out of its hole. You can take care of the rest."

Fang Zhongyong waved his hand tiredly.

These puppet emperors of the Li family did not inherit Taizong's great talent and strategy, but they were full of petty and sinister conspiracies.

They knew that Bianzhou had been run like an iron barrel by Fang Chongyong, and even if the emperor kept an extra dog in the palace, Fang Chongyong would know it at the first moment.

No matter what these people want to do, as long as they are in Bianzhou, the possibility of success is very slim, or to put it bluntly, there is no possibility at all.

Therefore, these people chose to leave Bianzhou, but trained death squads in Yunzhou, which was very close by water, in case of emergency.

With the financial resources of the Li clan, it should not be a problem to support these assassins.

Hearing the affirmative answer, Lu Mai saluted Fang Zhongyong and said, "Please rest assured, I will do it well."

"correct."

Just as Lu Mai stood up and prepared to leave, Fang Zhongyong's cold voice came from behind him: "Li Wei's second son accidentally fell from the top of the city wall and died while he was playing on the palace wall tomorrow. It is a great pity. I am so sad that I can't help myself. Please write a couplet for me and send it to him."

Hearing this, Lu Mai's pupils suddenly shrank.

"I will write the elegiac couplet now."

Lu Mai crossed his arms and bowed, then walked out of the government office. After he came out, he realized that his back was already wet with cold sweat.

How could his task be just to write elegiac couplets?

Lu Mai smiled bitterly. This official's methods were really straightforward.

Fang Qing was like this. Although he always paid in full and never bargained when buying things on the streets of Bianzhou, no one had ever heard of him bullying anyone.

However, once he knew someone was going to kill him, he would strike back with a knife, often before the other person did, and he never showed any mercy.

Li Wei only sent people to Yunzhou to train assassins, but Fang Qing sent one of his sons on the road as interest. His method was extremely cruel.

In this regard, Fang Chongyong can be completely described as a great villain who is judged by his heart rather than his actions.

……

In Xiangyang City, in the emperor's bedroom behind the Purple Palace, Li Lu was listening to Lu Qi's report.

Lu Qi was reporting a public matter and a private matter.

The so-called private matter was that Yan Zhenqing's cousin Yan Gaoqing was released from Bianzhou. Moreover, many people said that he did not look like he had been tortured, at least not from his appearance.

He still looks tall, fair and clean, and can run and jump.

Of course, the torture of finding a hundred beauties and having sex with them every night cannot be seen from the outside. Who knows about such things?
In short, after hearing Lu Qi's description, Li Lu felt that Yan Gaoqing's treatment in "imprisonment" in Bianzhou did not seem to be much different.

In other words, Fang Qing seemed to be quite courteous to the Yan family.

"Your Majesty, Fang Qing is an extremely vicious person.

Li Heng's daughter was so beautiful that he abducted her and kept her as a concubine.

I heard that when he was playing with this girl, he liked to bring her into the yard, strip her clothes off, tie her to a tree, and then do those despicable things.

I have heard that the scene was obscene and disgraceful, and that Fang Qing used it to humiliate the royal family.

Every time this woman screamed, the sound could be heard by outsiders through the courtyard wall, and everyone in Bianzhou knew about it.

But he treated his wives and concubines with great courtesy and love, and the difference in their treatment was like heaven and earth.”

Lu Qi told exaggerated and obscene jokes about Fang Zhongyong in a vivid manner, saying that Fang Zhongyong was very violent and violent towards Li Yi, played very wildly, and even abused and beat her during play.

On the other hand, he said that Fang Chongyong was actually very self-disciplined and a completely normal person. He would never go crazy at home. He and his wives and concubines lived happily together and had never done anything crazy.

The implication is that Fang Zhongyong played with the princesses of the royal family only to show off to outsiders.

To take revenge on the Li clan, to shit on the head of the imperial power, and to satisfy his abnormal desire for power is what he really thinks.

The characters, events, and results are all real, but it is hard to say whether the process is real.

Lu Qi was well versed in the "nine truths and one lie" method of slander. He was true where necessary and exaggerated where necessary.

It is true that Li Yi gave Fang Qing two children, and it is true that they often slept together. You can't say that nothing happened between them, right?

But with Lu Qi's vivid description, what was clearly a consensual relationship with a harmonious union of love and affection becomes absurd, even more violent than the old events of the Northern Qi Dynasty.

The same thing, expressed differently, can give people completely different impressions.

"Tie it to a tree and do it... is that interesting?"

Li Lu asked curiously, as if his focus was not on what Lu Qi emphasized.

Hearing this, Lu Qi smiled awkwardly and said, "I don't know about this either. I just want to say that Fang Qing is a man of great sanity. He will not let go of anyone he wants to humiliate, no matter if it's a beautiful girl or an old man. Yan Gaoqing was treated with courtesy by Fang Qing, which only means that Fang Qing didn't want to humiliate him. If Fang Qing wanted to humiliate Yan Gaoqing, he would have many ways to make him live a life worse than death. Sending him back to Xiangyang with a broken leg was a mercy from Fang Qing."

Hearing this, Li Lu nodded slightly in agreement.

Although Lu Qi likes to talk nonsense, one thing is true: Fang Qing really treats Yan differently and is very courteous to her.

This cannot be faked.

Li Yu was annoyed. He whispered, "Li Yi is a daughter of the royal family after all. Although she was humiliated, don't mention such things again in the future, so as not to damage the reputation of the royal family. I don't want to hear such things in the future!"

"The minister obeys the order."

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Lu Qi quickly confessed his crime.

It was none of his business how Fang Qing played with women in bed. Lu Qi's goal was only to defeat Yan Zhenqing!

Lu Qi then handed Li Lu a memorial with his own "method of financial management" in it. This was the "main course" of today's meeting with the emperor.

"Five million strings of cash?"

Li Lu stood up from the cushion in an instant and exclaimed.

"My dear, can you raise five million strings of cash this year?"

Li Lu looked at Lu Qi in disbelief and asked.

"If you can't do it, I will come to you with my head.

But Your Majesty wants to give me the power to make my own decisions. If there are any obstacles, it will not be accomplished. "

Lu Qi saluted with his arms crossed in a righteous manner.

"Okay, okay, I will write the imperial edict now!"

Li Yu only read the first page and immediately made the decision! He didn't even look closely at what Lu Qi's plan was.

Anyway, as long as he can raise 5 million strings of cash, he would not hesitate to sell official positions and titles!
(End of this chapter)