Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1772 Inescapable of the Tumultuous World!
Faced with Murong Yuliang's question, Zhang Mang gave a wry smile and said:
"Lord Murong, I really want to greet you, but things are urgent, and I'm not the only one investigating him right now!"

"I really wanted to help Prefect Zhang, but unfortunately he wouldn't cooperate, so I had no choice but to ask him to go back!"

Hearing Zhang Mang once again shift the blame to the Joint Operations Department, Murong Yuliang directly asked:

"Any news from the Joint Command Office?"

When Murong Yuliang encountered this problem, Zhang Mang did not answer immediately. He first glanced at Murong Yuliang and then asked in return:

"Is Liu An, the commander of the Imperial Guard in Jiangnan, now one of your own men, Lord Murong?"

Murong Yuliang frowned slightly upon hearing this, wondering why Zhang Mang would suddenly bring this up.

Seeing that Murong Yuliang remained silent, Zhang Mang took it as tacit agreement and said in a deep voice:
"Such a big matter as Wanfu Bank, and the Joint Investigation Department in Jiangnan hasn't heard a thing. His Majesty is furious. It's also hard to explain to Director Ji. Liu An is no longer trusted by the Joint Investigation Department. This time, the personnel from the Joint Investigation Department in charge of the investigation were transferred from the headquarters in Yijing!"

Upon hearing this, Murong Yuliang showed no outward reaction, but his heart sank. The commander of the thousand households in Jiangnan that Zhang Mang mentioned had indeed been won over by him. The reason why Liu An did not report in time this time was entirely due to his instructions.

Murong Yuliang had also considered the problem Zhang Mang raised. However, Murong Yuliang felt that although this matter would punish Liu An, it wouldn't completely cause Liu An to lose the trust of the Yijing headquarters. After all, Liu An had maintained his position as the commander of the Thousand-Household Command in Jiangnan by regularly offering bribes to Ji Xian…
But if what Zhang Mang said is true, and Liu An is no longer trusted by the headquarters in Yijing, and the General Dispatch Office has sent other people to Jiangnan to investigate the case, then it means that the problem is already very serious. First of all, Liu An, as a commander of a thousand, is definitely doomed! And from this, we can get a glimpse of His Majesty's determination to deal with this matter!
Thinking of this, Murong Yuliang also felt some regret, regretting that he had let his guard down and given Sun Wenheng the opportunity to do such a wicked thing!

This wasn't the first time Murong Yuliang had regretted his decision, but at this point, regret was useless; he had to look forward!

Although Murong Yuliang's expression did not change much, demonstrating the basic skill of an old G official in keeping his emotions hidden, Zhang was still able to sense Murong Yuliang's true feelings from some subtle details.

At this moment, Murong Yuliang had also returned to normal, and looked at Zhang Mang calmly, saying:
"What else do you know! Tell me everything!"

"All I know is that the people sent by the Joint Command Office this time were transferred from the Yi Jing headquarters, but I don't know who exactly is leading them!"

"However, I have some good news. Her Majesty confided in me before I came that there's likely an inside agent among the people from the Joint Operations Bureau who came from the Yijing headquarters this time..."

Upon hearing Zhang Mang's words, Murong Yuliang's expression shifted, but after glancing at Zhang Mang again, her joy faded.

If there is an inside agent in the Joint Command, it would undoubtedly be a good thing. It was with this idea in mind that Murong Yuliang spent a lot of money to win over Liu An, the commander of the Joint Command stationed in Jiangnan!

But the worst fear is that this inside man is another speculator like Zhang Mang, waiting for the right price to go!
After pondering for a moment, Murong Yuliang asked again:

"What are your plans to do with Zhang Baoping?"

"That depends on how serious the crime that Prefect Zhang committed!"

Upon hearing this answer, Murong Yuliang frowned slightly. Of his five generals, Liu Yufeng, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Jiangnan, and Wei Gaojie, the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Huainan, had already been imprisoned and sent to Yijing. If Zhang Baoping, the Prefect of Lin'an, were to get into trouble now, his situation would become extremely precarious!
So for him now, it's best if the remaining three don't get into trouble!

Seeing Murong Yuliang frown, Zhang Mang emphasized again:

"Zhang Baoping is in serious trouble. He's too involved with Sun Wenheng. And Yin Xiang is also in danger. His son, Yin Pingkang, is too high-profile. He's entangled with so many courtesans and is easily targeted!"

After Zhang Mang finished speaking, Murong Yuliang frowned even more deeply. Seeing this, Zhang Mang also made up his mind to test the waters:

"Lord Murong, shouldn't you tell me the truth now?"

"How many people are involved in this matter? I also need to report back to His Majesty!"

Upon hearing Zhang Mang's question, Murong Yuliang, who had just been frowning, changed his expression to a half-smile and said:

Are you trying to ask me if I have anything to do with this?

Seeing that Murong Yuliang had guessed his thoughts, Zhang Mang looked somewhat embarrassed, but he didn't flinch at all when facing Murong Yuliang's gaze, and said in direct confrontation:

"Lord Murong's insightful judgment is truly admirable. I've wanted to ask you this question since my very first day in Jiangnan..."

Murong Yuliang sneered:

"You're honest enough, kid. Since you already have this question in your mind, you probably already have the answer!"

"I have no answer in my heart, please enlighten me, Lord Murong!"

"I just said you were honest, but now you're playing dumb. You're just thinking that Liu Yufeng, Wei Gaojie, and Zhang Baoping are all in trouble, and Yin Xiang and Tian Yu aren't clean either. As their superior, how can I, the Governor of Jianghuai, remain unscathed!"

This time, Zhang Mang didn't speak, but just quietly looked at Murong Yuliang.

To be honest, he was somewhat surprised that Murong Yuliang would speak so bluntly and openly, but Murong Yuliang's words were exactly what he thought.

Meeting Zhang Mang's gaze, Murong Yuliang shook his head and said:
"If you want me to tell you the truth, then I can tell you the truth now. Sun Wenheng wanted to give me money, but I didn't accept it, and I have never used Wanfu Bank to seek personal gain!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Mang's eyes showed surprise for the first time. He instinctively didn't quite believe Murong Yuliang's answer, but upon reflection, things had come to this point, and Murong Yuliang seemed to have no reason to hide anything from him anymore. So he looked at Murong Yuliang with some doubt. At this moment, Murong Yuliang said with great emotion:

Do you know why His Majesty entrusted the management of Wanfu Bank to the Ministry of Revenue?

Before Zhang Mang could think further, Murong Yuliang answered on his own:
"His Majesty did this to guard against me, which is why he had the Ministry of Revenue get involved..."

"Wanfu Bank is too lucrative, and too many people are eyeing it. I don't want to become a target of public criticism for some money. My highest ideals are to achieve merit, virtue, and words. Do you understand what I mean, Minister Zhang?"

Hearing Murong Yuliang say this, Zhang Mang suddenly realized why Murong Yuliang said he hadn't used Wanfu Bank to seek personal gain. It turned out that Murong Yuliang didn't want to seek personal gain for him, but rather that Wanfu Bank was too eye-catching, and making money through it would easily attract attention.

Murong Yuliang said that the three establishments are merit, virtue, and words. If Zhang Mang remembers correctly, these three establishments should come from the Zuo Zhuan, Duke Xiang, 24th year. The original text is: "The highest is to establish virtue, the next is to establish merit, and the next is to establish words. Though time may pass, they will not be forgotten. This is called immortality."

Establishing virtue refers to cultivating noble moral character and becoming a moral role model; establishing merit refers to establishing meritorious achievements and solving crises for the country and the people; establishing words refers to creating ideological doctrines or essential statements and writing books to pass on to future generations; it is necessary to "make the essentials of the words and make the reasoning sufficient to be passed on".

Confucianism regards these three pillars as life's pursuits. Zhang Mang guessed that Murong Yuliang meant to tell him this that he had higher aspirations, namely, to become the head of the cabinet, and therefore didn't want to become a target of public criticism over the small amount of money from Wanfu Bank...
While that was the gist of it, Zhang Meng felt that Murong Yuliang had another reason he hadn't told him: as the governor of Jianghuai, it would be far too easy for him to seek personal gain and amass wealth. A single word or even a glance could be worth a fortune. Therefore, if Murong Yuliang wanted money, he could do it elsewhere, without needing to rack his brains over the hot potato that was Wanfu Bank.

Thinking of this, Zhang Mang said with a meaningful tone:
"Lord Murong, your noble character is truly admirable! I admire you greatly!"

Murong Yuliang waved his hand and said:

"Let's skip the words 'lofty character and noble integrity.' When I was young, I also thought of remaining untainted by the mud and pure without being seductive, but reality is more complicated than I imagined. Neither I nor you, Minister Zhang, can escape this mortal world!"

After speaking, Murong Yuliang gave Zhang Mang a meaningful look.

Zhang Mang knew that Murong Yuliang's words were a warning to him: everyone is corrupt, so let's not laugh at each other for being equally corrupt!
At this moment, Murong Yuliang continued:

"I will have Yin Xiang deal with his spendthrift son. Tian Yu and Yin Xiang cannot get into any more trouble, and this case must be closed as soon as possible!"

Upon hearing Murong Yuliang's words, Zhang Mang frowned slightly. Seeing this, Murong Yuliang continued:
"A third-rank prefect of Lin'an is enough for you, Vice Minister Zhang, to report to His Majesty! Do you really want to cause chaos in Jiangnan? Jiangnan is the court's purse. If this purse is damaged and affects important matters of the court, what do you think His Majesty will do?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Mang sighed and said:
"Lord Murong, I understand your thoughts, and I will do my best. But what about Liu Yufeng and Wei Gaojie, who have already been captured...?"

Upon hearing this, Murong Yuliang said calmly:
"They've already been sent to Yijing, so naturally the three judicial departments will conduct a joint trial and handle the matter accordingly!"

Zhang Mang was slightly surprised upon hearing this. The Wanfu Piaohao case was so serious. If things were really handled the way they were supposed to be, then Liu Yufeng and Wei Gaojie would definitely be doomed. In that case, wouldn't these two turn against him and implicate Murong Yuliang?
Zhang Mang originally thought that Murong Yuliang was trying to get his two subordinates back, but now it seems that Murong Yuliang has other plans!

Although Zhang Mang didn't know what tricks Murong Yuliang had up his sleeve, he didn't press further since Murong Yuliang wasn't going to elaborate. After finishing their business, Zhang Mang took his leave. Murong Yuliang, though exhausted from a long day, still summoned his advisor, Chen Mingyang, and inquired:
"Did you investigate Zhang Mang before? Do you know his preferences?"

"Zhang Mang has always been frugal while working in the Ministry of Justice, but we've heard that he seems to be very interested in gold, and we've also found out that Zhang Mang's mother is a Buddhist!"

Upon hearing this news, Murong Yuliang immediately made a decision:
"Take thirty gold bars from the cellar and have them made into a golden Buddha statue to send to Zhang Mang's hometown!"

"Yes!"

"And send someone to kill that Yin Pingkang!"

Upon hearing the name Yin Pingkang, Chen Mingyang was also taken aback. After hesitating for a moment, he tentatively asked:

"My lord, which Yin Pingkang is it?"

"Which Yin Pingkang are you referring to? It's Yin Xiang's son, Yin Pingkang..."

Chen Mingyang said somewhat awkwardly:

"My lord, how will we explain this to Inspector Yin?"

"An explanation? I should give him an explanation? I should make him give me an explanation!"

“I told him long ago that his precious son is far too high-profile. He’s always fighting with those courtesans, being aggressive and ruthless. He’s a real troublemaker. He agreed on the surface, but he’s actually still indulging him!”

"Since he can't control the kids, then I'll take care of them for him. I'll just throw him into the river!"

Seeing Murong Yuliang's murderous aura, Chen Mingyang dared not say anything more and could only agree repeatedly.

After arranging everything, Murong Yuliang leaned back on the sofa, feeling somewhat tired.

The Wanfu Piaohao incident really left him feeling humiliated, disheveled, and exhausted, both physically and mentally. He wondered how the Liaoyang Gang was laughing at him in Yijing!
What Murong Yuliang regretted even more was that he knew from the beginning that Zhang Baoping and Sun Wenheng had the deepest connection, so he wanted to take down Zhang Baoping. However, Chen Mingyang said that taking down both Liu Yufeng and Zhang Baoping at once would have too great an impact on Jiangnan, so he replaced Zhang Baoping with Wei Gaojie!
But unexpectedly, Zhang Baoping still couldn't be saved!
Now that three of his five top generals have been imprisoned, even if His Majesty doesn't punish him, he, as the governor of Jianghuai, will likely still be held accountable!

Thinking of this, Murong Yuliang sighed. He originally thought that he had worked hard to improve the economy of Jiangnan and that there would be no obstacle to him becoming the chief minister. However, he did not expect that this would happen!

That despicable Sun Wenheng! I really entrusted myself to the wrong person. If I were to catch that bastard, I would definitely tear him to pieces...
(End of this chapter)