Jiuxi

Chapter 746 [The Sorrow in the Story]

When Wu Yanshu decided to launch a general attack on the main force of the Jingzhou Army, an atmosphere of unrest permeated the capital of Da Qi.

The great victory at Yaoshan Pass did not dampen the determination of Jingjun, and the situation facing Jingzhou remained precarious.

The Jinwu Camp under Chen Lanyu's command has begun preparations for moving north. In case Lu Chen fails to make a breakthrough in Heluo and the main force of the Jing Army breaks through the Jingzhou defense line, someone must guard the south bank of the Heng River.

When another surprise force of the Jing army captured Feiniao Pass in Shazhou and then threatened Jingzhou Pingyang and Shahe to the east, the news reached the capital, and all the emperor and his ministers in the court were terrified.

Coupled with the fact that the border troops required massive logistical supplies, the government and the country were busy and chaotic.

In comparison, Jinlin County, which is only a hundred miles away from the capital, seems peaceful and tranquil.

This county town has a long history. Especially after the Li family became the leader of the Jiangnan clans, it has become more and more famous. The city has been expanded several times and is now more prosperous than the provincial capital.

There is an exquisite and quiet mansion in Dongcheng, which is the property of the Li family. Now it is occupied by the family of Qin Zheng, the former director of the Weaving Bureau.

In the study room where countless classics were stored, Qin Zheng sat in front of a large desk, listening to the forty-year-old man in front of him reporting in a low voice.

Just as Li Zongben worried, Qin Zheng had been in the position of Director of the Weaving Bureau for fifteen years. Although the previous emperor had taken measures to check and supervise him, his control over the Weaving Bureau was far deeper than people imagined.

Qin Zheng's loyalty to the Great Qi and the late emperor is impeccable, but if he wants to do his job wholeheartedly, he must cultivate enough capable confidants.

Over the years, a huge potential force gradually formed, and even Qin Zheng himself could not change this situation.

If those changes had not happened, Qin Zheng originally wanted to gradually and proactively separate himself from these confidants without affecting the overall situation, and gradually return power to the new emperor, so as to fulfill the relationship between him and the late emperor as monarch and subject.

But Li Zongben couldn't wait to force him to leave and even had a hidden intention to kill him, so Qin Zheng could only let the people under his control investigate the matter.

"Sir, these are the clues I have found in the past six months."

The man in his forties looked respectful and calm, but there was a hint of resentment in his expression.

Qin Zheng closed his eyes slightly and fell into long contemplation.

The man waited quietly.

"No need to check further."

Qin Zheng's tone was very calm, and he continued, "Don't make any more moves. Su Yunqing is not an ordinary person. If you continue to dig deeper, he may find out. By the way, have you found out the reason why Gao Huan was dismissed from office?"

The man replied, "Your Excellency, this is a bit strange. The evidence of Minister Gao's crimes is indeed genuine, but to be honest, which senior official in the court doesn't have a few similar dirty deeds? That was just a means for Your Majesty to investigate and prosecute Minister Gao, not the real reason. As for why Your Majesty suddenly took action against Minister Gao, I have not yet found out."

Qin Zheng nodded and said slowly: "Okay, you can go back."

He did not give any additional reminders because this person was his most trusted confidant and was always cautious. Naturally, he knew how to hide his tracks from others.

After the man left, Qin Zheng sat alone for half an hour, then asked someone to prepare a carriage and headed for another mansion not too far away.

This house takes up most of the street, and the central door is only opened a few times a year. Even someone of Qin Zheng's status can only enter through the side door.

Of course, Qin Zheng would not care about these details. Led by a middle-aged man, he came to the flower hall in the back house and met the old and frail former left prime minister Li Daoyan and Li Gongxu who was serving beside him.

After the greetings, Li Daoyan looked at the young man next to him with his dim eyes and said kindly, "Zhi Yu'er, go back and study."

Li Gongxu said respectfully, "Yes, grandfather."

He bowed to Qin Zheng and took his leave.

Looking at the boy's increasingly tall figure, Qin Zheng said with emotion: "If this boy had been born twenty years earlier, perhaps the old prime minister wouldn't have to worry so much."

The old man smiled and said with a bit of boredom: "Twenty years ago, Shizhi was also a talented person worthy of trust in my eyes. If not, how could I gradually hand over power to him?"

From this brief conversation, we can know that Li Daoyan and Qin Zheng have been in close contact in the past six months, and are no longer just nodding acquaintances like they were in the beginning in the court.

Qin Zheng couldn't help but sigh when he heard this: "That's right, people's hearts have always been changeable."

Li Daoyan leaned back in the recliner. Although it was already June, he was still wearing a coat and his physical condition was obviously not as good as before.

For an old man of his age, things are getting worse with each passing day.

He put his hands in front of his stomach and said slowly: "What about you? Have you changed?"

This question seemed to be incomprehensible, but Qin Zheng obviously understood it and shook his head, "I don't know."

Li Daoyan did not comment, and continued to ask: "In fact, I have always been curious about one thing. If I had not sent people to wait near the city gate that day, how would you have dealt with the cold murderous intent from the emperor?" Qin Zheng smiled calmly and said calmly: "Old Prime Minister, I always have some ways to save my life."

"Fortunately you didn't blame me for meddling in your affairs, ahem—"

Li Daoyan raised his hand to his chest, and when his body calmed down, he said, "You last came to visit me six days ago. You came in such a hurry today. I guess your disciples have already discovered something?"

"I can't hide it from the old prime minister, who has a keen eye."

Qin Zheng did not deny it, and immediately threw out the first piece of news: "Lü Shizhou is dead."

Li Daoyan narrowed his eyes slightly and said slowly: "Finally died."

During the fifteen years of the previous emperor's reign, Lu Shizhou was a name that could not be avoided in any way.

The eunuchs in the Great Qi Palace had basically no power, but Lu Shizhou was one of the only few loyal servants around the late emperor when he moved south. Later, he naturally became the Junior Eunuch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He could be said to have experienced all the ups and downs of those fifteen years and had always been loyal to the late emperor.

After Li Zongben ascended the throne, Lu Shizhou took the initiative to request to go to the imperial mausoleum to guard the tomb of the previous emperor. Li Zongben naturally had no reason to refuse.

Upon hearing the news of the death of such a loyal servant, the four words Li Daoyan uttered seemed a bit harsh.

Qin Zheng did not react in any unusual way, as if he was telling an ordinary story: "In the less than two years that Lü Shizhou has been in the imperial mausoleum, he has become increasingly taciturn. Except when necessary, he never communicates with others, but just guards the mausoleum with all his heart and soul. Nine days ago, perhaps because he missed the late emperor too much, he drank a jar of wine for the first time in his life. He went out half drunk and half awake, and accidentally fell from a height. His body was not found until the next morning."

"It's a good thing that you didn't suffer when you left."

Li Daoyan sighed softly, and then said, "A few days ago, the steward of the family reported that he had found a confidant of a general who was involved in the rebellion in the capital. This person took advantage of the chaos to escape from the capital that night and ran all the way to Luzhou. According to this person's oral account, one day before the rebellion broke out, his general met with Han Zhongjie's second son in private. On the night of the rebellion, this general was responsible for guarding the eldest prince."

Qin Zheng's eyes turned slightly cold, he also found some clues here.

In the gentle breeze, the two of them talked to each other, gradually outlining the full picture of the rebellion.

On one hand, the late emperor wanted to trap the enemy, on the other hand, Wang Yan, Guo Congyi and others were planning to take the risk, and there were also many people trying to fish in troubled waters, and Han Zhongjie was one of them.

In other words, if Han Zhongjie had not interfered, the eldest prince might not have fallen into such a deadly situation.

Qin Zheng took a sip of the fragrant tea and said slowly, "Your Highness was tricked out of the palace by the princess's brother Yan Xuejin that night and was ambushed. Yan Xuejin is dead, but one of his close followers escaped. My people tried their best to find him and pry open his mouth. According to his confession, Yan Xuejin was a gambler and had long been controlled by Yuan Yuji, so he cooperated with Wang Yan to put Your Highness to death."

The two looked at each other.

Li Daoyan shook his head and said softly, "Why would he do this?"

Qin Zhengdao: "Although Li Zongjian had completely lost hope of competing for the throne, the eldest prince was still alive. After all, he was the eldest son of the royal family. If the eldest prince had been alive, it would have always been a huge threat to the emperor. Wang Yan and others just happened to need a shield, so the emperor certainly would not miss this opportunity. Looking back, the death of the eldest prince was too much of a blow to the late emperor, and it aggravated the late emperor's illness. This is an indisputable fact."

Li Daoyan was silent for a moment, then said word by word: "Can you really convince yourself that this is all?"

At this moment, Qin Zheng's eyes were as sharp as a knife, but gradually turned into nothingness. He said sadly, "What else can I do?"

Their conversation, which seemed like a charade, pointed directly to a bloody truth.

It is known that the death of the eldest prince was closely related to Li Zongben. He did this for the purpose of consolidating his position as crown prince and indirectly accelerating the death of the previous emperor, but was this really the only thing he did?

Is the late emperor’s illness related to him?

Li Daoyan wanted to figure out this problem.

However, Qin Zheng's counter-question was also very straightforward. If this matter is really verified, where will Da Qi go?
Should Li Zongjian, who was cruel by nature and had killed countless people, be transformed from a prisoner into the emperor of the Great Qi, or should the four-year-old Prince of Yanning Li Daoming be allowed to ascend the throne?

Not to mention whether they have the ability to depose and enthrone the emperor, the key point is who will succeed Li Zongben after he is deposed?

The current Da Qi may not be in a precarious situation, but it is still in a difficult situation with internal and external troubles. Even if Li Zongben is not as capable as the late emperor, he can at least maintain the status quo of the central government and border troops, and at least keep the court functioning normally.

The so-called destruction followed by construction requires that someone be able to shoulder the responsibility.

These two people have experienced countless twists and turns in their lives, and they have been able to deal with any difficulties calmly. But now, they have both fallen into grief and depression that is difficult to describe in words.

Qin Zheng suddenly said: "In addition to the old prime minister and my men, there are also a group of people who are secretly and carefully investigating what happened back then."

Hearing these words, a hint of relief and sadness appeared in Li Daoyan's weathered eyes.

Although Qin Zheng did not say it explicitly, the name "Lu Chen" had already popped up in the old man's mind.

He looked up and said softly, "Your Majesty, you are not mistaken about him."

(End of this chapter)