Do you know the long song of laughter?

Chapter 505

However, Man Niang still had expectations for Gu Tingye and was not willing to do as he said.

"Erlang is back, it's time for her to give up. Just wait, she will come to find me when the time comes." Xiao Qin sneered.

She saw through Man Niang's kind of person at a glance. She attached herself to Gu Tingye just to enjoy wealth and glory.

She was driven away before, but now she comes back again, which shows that she can't let go of it all.

But she didn't know Gu Tingye well enough, and with Gu Tingye's personality, it was impossible for him to keep her.

By then, Man Niang will be greatly disappointed and will definitely go crazy.

But the crazier Mannia is, the better it is for her.

…………

"I pay my respects to Your Majesty!" Gu Tingye saluted.

Zhao Zongquan waved his hand and said coldly: "Look at what you have done. You came back to Beijing and made me wait for you!"

Even Xiao Qin knew the news that Gu Tingye had returned to Bian Jing, so how could he not know it?

"Your Majesty, I am innocent." Gu Tingye did not explain why he went home, but instead talked about the grievances between him and the Bai family, including a series of events that happened during his trip to Yangzhou this time.

Zhao Zongquan frowned and said, "This is a bit troublesome. You should stay at home recently and don't go out."

Although Gu Tingye said that when the old man of the Bai family died, he left a will, leaving him to inherit the family business.

Moreover, Sheng Hong and a group of officials from Yangzhou witnessed the incident and can vouch for it.

However, when there are relatives, it is rare to pass the family business to an outsider, even a grandson.

Now, because Mr. Bai deliberately made a big deal out of the matter, it has become a huge news.

So what if someone testifies?

Will anyone believe it?

Many people would think that it was because of Gu Tingye’s identity that the Yangzhou officials helped him.

As for confronting the Bai family, that is even more impossible.

The Bai family must hope that the family business will be inherited by the Bai family.

And now it is no longer an issue of family business, but someone is making a fuss about this matter.

It was said that King Huan could not find any problems in the salt administration and was eager to show off, so he made false accusations.

Fortunately, King Huan has made considerable progress.

"Yes!"

Gu Tingye also knew that it was not suitable for him to leave Beijing for the time being, which was exactly what he wanted.

He also has to deal with Man Niang's matter.

…………

"This time when we arrive in Yangzhou, I think it won't take long to completely solve the problem of corruption in the salt administration of Huainan Road." Zhao Ceying said with a smile while riding on his horse.

After more than a month of investigation, there is now sufficient evidence.

Although the highest-ranking officials in charge of salt affairs in Huainan Road could not be touched, many officials in charge of salt affairs in Huainan Road were already under control and were suspected of being involved in the illegal sale of salt.

When we get to Yangzhou, we can arrest these people and interrogate them. There is no doubt that we won’t find the truth.

Li An rode on a horse, following Zhao Ceying's side, and said, "I'm afraid it will take some effort, but it won't be difficult from now on."

The nearest wharf in Yancheng County is dozens of miles outside the city, and that wharf is mainly used to transport salt.

At this time, they rushed to the dock and took a boat to Yangzhou.

The criminal officials and the captured salt merchants had been escorted to the dock in advance.

Now Zhao Ceying is only protected by a battalion of 500 imperial guards.

They were already halfway through the journey, and would reach the dock in about half an hour, but Li An felt vaguely uneasy.

"Your Highness, you should return to the carriage," said Li An.

"No, I actually prefer riding a horse. We're almost there, why would I want to take a carriage?" Zhao Ceying waved his hand.

Li An was helpless and looked at the mountains on both sides of the road.

There are continuous mountain ranges on both sides of the road. The outermost ones are not high, only seven or eight meters, and are covered with lush trees.

From time to time, birds flew up and down, and it didn't look like there was an ambush.

After passing this mountain range, there is flat land, and it is not far from the pier.

Li An wondered if he was overthinking.

At this moment, a large number of birds in the mountains on both sides were startled and cried out urgently.

Li An was stunned at first, then his face changed drastically and he shouted, "There's an assassin! Quick, protect His Highness!"

Li An's words made the neatly-formed imperial guards a little flustered.

Although they did not see the enemy, these imperial guards instinctively moved closer to Zhao Ceying.

The guards who were nearby surrounded Zhao Ceying.

"咻咻~"

At this moment, a large number of arrows flew out from the hillsides on both sides, heading straight towards Zhao Ceying.

"Zhu Zi, protect His Highness!"

Li An drew out the sword hanging on his horse's back, swung it, and knocked away several arrows shot at him.

He learned how to use a gun, but he was a civil official after all, and he couldn't carry a gun with him.

However, some literati in ancient times had the habit of wearing swords. Although in the Song Dynasty, very few literati wore swords, it does not mean that they cannot be worn.

"Quickly protect His Highness!" Commander Lu, who led the troops, also shouted loudly.

Although Li An's previous shout made the nearby imperial guards somewhat defensive, they surrounded Zhao Ceying.

However, the ambushers were in a dominant position, and Zhao Ceying was riding on a horse, making him a sitting duck.

Fortunately, Zhao Ceying was also skilled in martial arts and had a sharp sword, so he drew his sword in time to defend himself.

Even so, he was hit in the shoulder by an arrow and fell off his horse.

"Ah~"

"Your Highness!"

Screams and panic were heard everywhere. When Li An saw Zhao Ceying fall off his horse, he was frightened and quickly jumped off.

Fortunately, the rain of arrows had stopped at this time, giving them a chance to catch their breath.

"Your Highness, are you okay?"

Commander Lu and Li An helped Zhao Ceying up. They looked at the arrow stuck in Zhao Ceying's shoulder, his clothes soaked with blood, and his face was pale. Their expressions changed drastically.

The panicked imperial guards hurriedly surrounded everyone behind them.

"Hiss" Zhao Ceying took a breath and said weakly: "The king is fine."

"Shhhh..."

At this moment, arrows rained down from both sides again.

"what…"

Many of the imperial guards outside were shot by arrows, and screams were heard everywhere.

"We can't go on like this!" Li An said anxiously, "We don't know when reinforcements will arrive. There's no shelter nearby. If we continue to drag on, I'm afraid we'll all die."

"Commander Lu, let's lead a group of people to charge into the hillsides on both sides. Only in this way can we stop them from shooting arrows."

"But Your Highness..." Commander Lu hesitated when he heard this.

They were dozens of meters away from the mountains on both sides of the road. Except for a few meters in the middle where people had been walking on the road for a long time and there were no weeds, the wasteland on both sides was overgrown with weeds.

It is now the end of March and the weeds are overgrown, making it difficult to walk, not to mention that the thieves are hiding on the hillside.

The hillside is covered with lush vegetation, which is a hindrance in hot weather.

It takes a lot of time to rush over. It is useless if there are too few people, and it will be very dangerous if there are too many people and Zhao Ceying lacks protection.

The most important thing for them was to protect Zhao Ceying. Even if all the imperial guards died, as long as Zhao Ceying was safe, it would be a great achievement.

Otherwise, even if all the bandits were killed, if anything happened to Zhao Ceying, they would be buried with him.

"There is no time to hesitate. If we delay any longer, the losses will be great. How are we going to resist the thieves if they rush out?" Li An shouted.

"Do as Ziqian says. If anything happens to me, you will be innocent!" Zhao Ceying said decisively.

He also knew that it would be disadvantageous to delay it.

"Yes!" Commander Lu responded and quickly called over several captains to give orders.

"Brother Niu, let me take the people there." Shizhu said.

"No, you have to stay and protect His Highness. You must ensure His Highness' safety." Li An said.

"But…"

"Don't say but! Just sit down as I say." Li An shouted. As he spoke, the third wave of arrows rained down, and Commander Lu had also made arrangements. Taking advantage of the gap, the two of them led a hundred men each and rushed to the left and right hillsides.

After three rounds of arrow rain, only more than 300 of the 500 imperial guards were left.

The two men took away two hundred people, leaving only more than a hundred people to protect Zhao Ceying.

There were many wounded among them.

"Damn it! Don't let me escape. Find out who it is!" Zhao Ceying gritted his teeth, but he felt dizzy and slowly lost consciousness.

…………

Zhao Ceying opened his eyes dazedly. The eunuch who was guarding beside him saw Zhao Ceying wake up and said in surprise: "Your Highness is awake!"

Li An and others who were waiting inside the room hurried forward.

"Your Highness, are you okay?"

Several people looked happy, Zhao Ceying finally woke up.

"Hiss..." As soon as Zhao Ceying moved, his injury was affected and waves of pain came.

"Your Highness, please don't move. The wound has been treated and must not break open." Li An said hurriedly.

Zhao Ceying relaxed for a moment, looked around, and at Li An's hanging arm, and asked, "Are you out of trouble?"

"Yeah." Li An nodded and explained the general situation.

It has been three days since the assassination attempt.

That day, Li An and Commander Lu each led their troops towards the mountains.

There were indeed many assassins lying in ambush on the mountains, with a total of probably thousands of people on both sides.

But they didn't have many bows and arrows, only about a hundred.

If there were a thousand bows, their man would almost certainly die if they were shot at the same time.

Although there were 500 people lying in ambush on each side, they were a motley crowd.

Although the regular army of the Song Dynasty was called the Imperial Guards, all those who were sent to protect Zhao Ceying had clean family backgrounds.

These people didn't dare to run away at all, otherwise if something happened to King Huan, they and their families would not survive.

In desperation, they burst out with astonishing fighting power, and after some of the assassins were killed, they became chaotic and fled in all directions.

Zhao Ceying was injured, and staying in Yancheng County for recuperation was the best option.

But Li An was worried about the assassins who were about to come forward, and the bows and arrows were all standard military equipment. Who knew if anyone from Yancheng County was involved.

It's more dangerous to stay here.

After consulting the doctor, Li An decided to take a boat back to Yangzhou.

Zhao Ceying was shot and fell into coma, and Xia Shaohua was killed by a stray arrow. Although he did not hold a high position, he was a civil servant and was deeply trusted by Zhao Ceying. Therefore, several military generals of the imperial guards listened to his advice.

After listening to this, Zhao Ceying pondered for a moment and said, "It is right to return to Yangzhou. Unless all the officials in Yangzhou want to rebel, it is safest to return to Yangzhou."

There are still imperial guards left by him in Yangzhou.

With thousands of imperial guards protecting him, no one could threaten him unless the Yangzhou wing troops were mobilized.

Moreover, it is impossible for so many officials in Yangzhou to be involved in this. These people know what his death means and will not let anything happen to him in Yangzhou no matter what.

Although Zhao Ceying woke up, he lost too much blood and fell asleep again soon after.

The next day, the ship arrived at Yangzhou Port.

Shen Congxing, who had received the news, rushed over from Tongzhou with a thousand imperial guards and cleared the dock.

After picking up Zhao Ceying, he went straight back to Yangzhou Post Station.

When a group of officials in Yangzhou heard the news, they also wanted to come to the dock to welcome him, but were driven away by Shen Congxing.

Even when they came to the post station to visit Zhao Ceying, Shen Congxing did not allow them to see him.

Yangzhou Post Station
Shen Congxing felt very guilty when he looked at Zhao Ceying’s pale face.

"Okay, uncle, I'm not seriously injured. I'm already injured, and I have to take the trouble to comfort you." Zhao Ceying said with a wry smile.

Before Shen Congxing could say anything, a guard came to the door and reported: "Your Highness, we just saw a suspicious person at the door. The guards approached and asked him about it. The person kept saying he wanted to see Your Highness."

"Could it be that someone wants to get close to His Highness in this way and then assassinate him?"

Shen Congxing is now on high alert, as Zhao Ceying's safety is related to the rise and fall of the Shen family.

After Zhao Ceying died, the emperor had another son to succeed him, and the Shen family's position became awkward.

The entire post station is now under martial law, and even Shen Congxing does not allow the accompanying civil officials to approach Zhao Ceying.

It was because Li An made great efforts when Zhao Ceying was assassinated that he gained his trust.

"Ziqian, go and take a look." Zhao Ceying said.

"Yes!" Li An took the order and retreated.

…………

In June, the sun shines down, making the surface of the canal golden.

Ang Lee stood on the plywood, feeling the breeze, somewhat lost in thought.

He didn't expect that the thorough investigation of the salt business would end like this.

The person who came to ask for an audience with Zhao Ceying the other day was Xue Qing.

The assassin was arranged by Xue Qing, but after the assassination failed, Wen Duo wanted to kill him to silence him.

Fortunately, Xue Qing was prepared and escaped.

However, Wen Duo had deployed personnel at every gate of Yangzhou City, and Xue Qing had no way of escaping the city.

Xue Qing hid in the city and narrowly escaped death when Wen Duo sent people to search for him.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, Zhao Ceying returned to Yangzhou. Wen Duo was worried that Xue Qing would go to Zhao Ceying to report him, so he sent people to monitor him near the post station.

As a result, Shen Congxing imposed martial law near the post station because Zhao Ceying was assassinated, giving Xue Qing an opportunity.

After Xue Qing met Zhao Ceying, he confessed everything.

Zhao Ceying immediately ordered Shen Congxing to capture Wen Duo.

At that time, Wen Duo was already preparing to escape, and Xue Qing couldn't find him, so he was always worried.

After Wen Duo was captured, he knew he was going to die.

Although he was a civil servant, assassinating King Huan was tantamount to treason, which was naturally punishable by death.

So he concealed nothing and told everything.

Wen Duo was the chief officer of the salt administration in Huainan Road. He was not only fully aware of all the problems in Huainan Road, but also very clear about the salt administration problems in other places.

With his confession, it was only a matter of time before the salt issue was clarified.

It took more than a month to sort out all the salt affairs problems in Huainan Road.

Because of Zhao Ceying's injury, the emperor had long wanted to summon him back to Beijing.

However, since the injury has not fully healed, it is not difficult to travel long distances.

Now that Zhao Ceying's injuries have basically healed and the basic problems with the salt administration have been found out, there is no need for Zhao Ceying to take personal action to deal with the rest.

The emperor summoned Zhao Ceying back to the capital.

…………

Li An returned to Bian Jing and was promoted to the sixth rank of Langzhong of the Ministry of Personnel due to his official duties.

He goes to work on time every day, and goes home to spend time with Minglan and the children after work. His life is so leisurely.

Before I knew it, several months had passed.

On this day, a piece of news spread throughout Bianjing that Gu Tingye had killed his concubine Man Niang, shocking Bianjing.

The emperor was furious and ordered an investigation, and sentenced Gu Tingye to exile to the northern border.

Li An didn't know whether this was a government plan. Before Gu Tingye was exiled, he went to see Gu Tingye, but Gu Tingye said nothing.

At the beginning of the next year, the Queen Mother and Concubine Liu launched a palace coup, and Gu Tingye and Duke Yingguo led troops to quell the rebellion.

The empress dowager was placed under complete house arrest. The emperor took the opportunity to purge some of the court ministers, completely took control of the court power, and began to implement reforms.

However, not long did the emperor live, and in the second year of the reform, he died suddenly, and Zhao Ceying succeeded him by imperial decree.

After succeeding to the throne, Zhao Ceying continued to promote reforms. It took him five years, with the assistance of Wang Anshi, Li An and others, to finally solve most of the long-standing problems within the Song Dynasty.

They began to prepare for the war against Liao and Xia.

Li An didn't care about these things because he didn't know how to fight a war.

Moreover, during the reform process, many people were cleared out, and one person was needed to take responsibility.

Li An resigned from his official position and returned to Yangzhou with his wife and children.

(End of the book)

(End of this chapter)