Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 682 Jun’s name
Li Mengyang was from Jiangxi, so he naturally knew a great deal about the Guangxi wolves' soldiers burning, killing, and looting in Jiangxi.

If this whistleblower letter is leaked to Fei Hong, there is a high probability that Fei Hong will take immediate action.

At that time, who cared who reported it?

Pei Yuanqing couldn't help but say, "In that case, Li Mengyang needs at least one channel to directly contact Fei Hong."

"Only by personally meeting Fei Hong and handing the letter of accusation to him can we achieve the goal of making an impact without causing any consequences."

Wang Chang didn't know why Pei Yuan was so certain that this person was Fei Hong.

He thought for a moment and said, "Then the person who helped Li Mengyang must be He Jingming?"

"He Jingming?" Pei Yuan asked, "Who is this?"

Wang Chang laughed and said, "That's a long story."

Wang Chang immediately recounted the past between Li Mengyang and He Jingming to Pei Yuan.

In the nineteenth year of the Chenghua reign, a child was born.

When this child was born, his mother, Li, dreamed that the sun fell into her arms. Li believed this was an auspicious sign, and that her child would surely have a great future.

So, what was the name we gave him?
His name is He Jingming.

As expected, the child lived up to expectations and displayed extraordinary talent, earning him the reputation of a prodigy at a young age.

One day, he passed the imperial examination and entered the imperial court, where he saw a certain person.

The man was exceptionally handsome and outstanding, as if he had a destiny that immediately captivated He Jingming.

So, he couldn't help but grab the person and ask, "What is your name?"

Uh, no.

So, without thinking, he grabbed the man and asked, "May I ask what your name is?"

The other person replied, "My name is Li Mengyang."

He Jingming felt as if he had found a missing piece in his life, as if he had been in a dream.

When the other person saw He Jingming, they also felt that only by filling that gap could their life be complete.

From then on, Jingming and Mengyang became best friends.

Wang Chang spoke with great enthusiasm, but Pei Yuan had a real grumbling he had to vent: why were there so few ways for people in ancient times to create hype? There must have been hundreds of other methods, like "dreaming of the sun entering one's arms."

Aren't you embarrassed by all these similarities in your jokes?

Wang Chang finally revealed the key point: "He Jingming was one of the Seven Talented Scholars. He had a very good relationship with Li Mengyang and was particularly loyal. After passing the imperial examination, he served as a drafter in the Secretariat, responsible for drafting edicts for the cabinet and participating in confidential matters."

"In previous years, he was forced to retire because of his impeachment of Liu Jin. After Liu Jin was executed, He Jingming was reinstated as a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat and served as a lecturer in the cabinet, explaining Confucian classics to His Majesty and the cabinet ministers."

“He Jingming holds a very important position and deals with the cabinet ministers every day. If he were to secretly pass this secret letter from ‘Jiang Wanshi’ to a certain cabinet minister, it would be no difficult task at all.”

"In this way, this matter can be directly communicated to the highest authorities outside of the established procedures."

Pei Yuan suddenly understood upon hearing this.

Then an equation came to mind.

If you can force Li Mengyang to be your lackey, that's practically the same as getting He Jingming to be your lackey, so is He Jingming one of your own?
If we can get through to He Jingming, wouldn't that mean the mysterious Wenyuan Pavilion will also open a door for us?
Before, Pei Yuan was focused on the fierce battle between Fei Hong and Chen Jin, but his attention was also on Jiang Mian, who was caught in the middle.

Unexpectedly, the powerful are indeed powerful. Even before the battle began, many people who sensed the changing winds wanted to seize profits from it.

Pei Yuan had a big appetite and was eyeing Jiang Mian.

Although Li Mengyang and He Jingming were just insignificant ants in the face of powerful figures, they still thought of using the contradictions to solve their own problems.

Besides, it's unknown how many other people are trying to profit from this.

Pei Yuan understood the situation and put the three letters away with satisfaction. He then said to Wang Chang, "Besides me, only you know about this. Don't tell anyone else."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chang felt a surge of bittersweet emotions and quickly replied, "This subordinate will naturally keep this secret for the commander."

After seeing Wang Chang off, Pei Yuan casually asked Xiao Tong, "I wonder if Commander Song is still in Dezhou?"

Xiao Tong actually knew this. "Commander Song escorted Zhang Feng's stolen silver and accounts to Beijing. She even came to say goodbye before leaving. I reckon she won't be back in Shandong until after the New Year."

Pei Yuan gave an "Oh," and then lost interest.

That's right, the New Year is just around the corner, and there's probably a lot to do in the government.

Although with Qian Ning, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, there would be no shortage of capable officials even if a major case occurred, there was no reason to send out another head of the Western Depot now that one had returned.

The trials in Shandong are also expected to be suspended for some time, pending further instructions from the imperial court.

Judging by the time, it won't be until after the New Year.

Now that my good buddy is gone, there's nothing left to miss about Texas.

Pei Yuan had a good night's rest, and the next day he left the large group of people he had brought with him at Yongqing Temple, taking only a few close attendants with him back to the capital by imperial decree.

Upon arriving in Jingzhou, Pei Yuan had someone pick up Abbot Huiguang of Kaifu Temple and also brought along Daoist Zhenji, who was stationed at Kaifu Temple, as a personal guard.

Pei Yuan's return to the capital this time did not alarm the three commanders of the Tianjin Three Guards. It wasn't until Pei Yuan arrived in Tongzhou that the three men, having heard the news, came to meet him.

Pei Yuan couldn't openly inquire these days, so he privately asked Cheng Leixiang to see if there was any news of Li Mengyang being beaten to death.

He didn't feel any pain when he hit him, but after so many days, Pei Yuan realized that he was also his good younger brother.

Cheng Leixiang actually knew.

It turned out that after Li Mengyang was beaten, the entire officialdom in Jiangxi was in a state of panic. Li Mengyang was so famous, and he was the person in charge of education on behalf of the imperial court. If he were to be beaten to death here for no reason, would it incur the same wrath of the imperial court as in Shandong, and would a wave of people be sent to investigate?
Nobody can afford to take that responsibility!
As a result, the news that the Vice Commissioner of Education of Jiangxi had been brutally beaten and was on the verge of death was sent directly to the capital by express courier.

Moreover, influenced by Shandong, officials in Jiangxi were particularly sensitive to matters involving princes.

Most of the local officials in Shandong are now suspended from their posts pending investigation for protecting De Fan.

These Jiangxi officials certainly didn't want to suffer such an undeserved disaster.

So, who was the happiest when Li Mengyang was beaten?
Of course, it's the Prince of Huai, with whom the two sides have a conflict!
In order to show the court that "we are different from Shandong", Jiangxi officials pointed the finger at the Prince of Huai, believing that he was the one who sent people to attack.

The Prince of Huai was being bullied to the point of breaking down.

Pei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that Li Mengyang was not in immediate danger.

It’s good that you’re not dead, it’s good that you’re not dead.

After this beating, when it comes to subduing Li Mengyang again, someone else will have to play the villain.

Upon arriving in the capital, Pei Yuan rested temporarily at an inn outside the city. He returned to his loyal Zhihua Temple the following day, just as the sun began to rise, amidst the thin mist. According to court regulations, Pei Yuan, returning by imperial decree, should immediately report to the palace and await the Empress Dowager's summons.

However, this rule doesn't quite apply to Commander Pei.

After returning to Zhihua Temple, Pei Yuan immediately ordered people to block the news and then sent Lu Yong to deliver a message to Li Shishi.

As the head of the Censorate, Li Shishi could skip work at any time unless he was scheduled to attend court meetings.

As the nephew of the chief eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Lu Yong could also request an audience with Li Shishi at any time.

When Li Shishi heard that Lu Yong wanted to see him, he immediately realized that the man had returned.

Ning Fan's momentum has been soaring recently, and Li Shishi has also reached a deeper understanding with Lu Wan. However, thinking of that man's destructive power, Li Daduxian, who is very powerful among the Seven Ministers, still made a decisive decision to skip work to see him.

When Li Shishi arrived at Zhihua Temple, he found it heavily guarded and no longer allowing ordinary believers to enter or leave.

Upon seeing Pei Yuan, Li Shishi gestured to his men before Pei Yuan could speak, instructing them to leave first.

Pei Yuan also had a tacit understanding with Li Shishi, knowing that if Li Shishi did this, it must be something extremely important to say.

Pei Yuan immediately dismissed his attendants.

After everyone left, Li Shishi asked Pei Yuan, "How did your southward journey go, Commander?"

Pei Yuan smiled. "There might even be some unexpected surprises."

Li Shishi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He was afraid that Pei Yuan would cause some trouble that would implicate the Ning Kingdom, which was currently enjoying great momentum.

Li Shishi said, "Let's not rush to talk about your matter. Do you remember what we agreed on before, about letting some of the Bazhou bandits go north?"

Pei Yuan immediately became interested. "Has the person arrived?"

These Bazhou troops were something he had long coveted.

Li Shishi said speechlessly, "It's not just two or three people; they can't come over so easily. We need to make arrangements for their reception, and there needs to be a clear explanation regarding the arrangements for these personnel."

"What if they get separated as soon as they cross the river? Who's responsible then? What if they say something they shouldn't after they've separated?"

Pei Yuan became somewhat agitated upon hearing the implication of these words. "You mean, there are quite a few of them?"

Li Shishi didn't mince words and gave a precise number: "One thousand men!"

Pei Yuan was overjoyed upon hearing this, "It's true!"

Seeing Pei Yuan's genuine emotions, Li Shishi suddenly felt that the price of 10,000 taels of silver they had discussed might have been a bit too low.

So he took the initiative and asked, "Could you...?"

Before Li Shishi could utter the words "add more money," Pei Yuan decisively said, "No, what are you thinking? We'll both benefit from this deal; the Ning Kingdom won't lose out."

For Ning Fan, getting rid of the troublemakers in the Bazhou army meant that the remaining troops were easier to control.

Moreover, Li Shishi was able to sell these troublemakers at the original price, which was equivalent to selling the rotten parts of good meat at the price of good meat. It was simply wonderful.

On the surface, Pei Yuan was using these experienced cavalrymen to replenish the Xinghe Garrison Command. As for how much of a role they could play in secret, there was no need to tell Li Shishi that.

Li Shishi was disgruntled upon hearing this, but fortunately, it was something that had been agreed upon beforehand, so there was nothing to regret.

Pei Yuan, thinking about the question Li Shishi had raised earlier, said, "I will send someone to the riverbank to pick them up. You just need to get them across the river. Once they're across, if they get separated from each other, I'm willing to take full responsibility."

"You should believe that I have such ability."

Li Shishi did not question this matter.

Instead, he said, "There is someone in my residence who wishes to see you. Now that you are back, I will send someone to fetch him, what do you say?"

Seeing that Li Shishi was keeping him in suspense, Pei Yuan asked in confusion, "Who is it?"

Li Shishi smiled and said, "You'll see for yourself."

Pei Yuan's eyes flickered slightly as he suddenly thought of a possibility.

If that matter is exposed, my honeymoon period with Ning Fan might be over.

At least, it won't be so easy to cooperate with Li Shishi like this again.

Pei Yuan tried his best to pretend nothing was wrong and maintain the cooperation between the two sides.

"By the way, wasn't it said that the Prince of Ning's heir was to officiate at the sacrificial ceremony this year? I wonder if he has arrived in the capital yet?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shishi could no longer contain his pride and said with a smile, "We have already entered the capital."

He added, "Many people's attitudes toward me have changed drastically since the Prince of Ning's heir came to the capital."

After Li Shishi finished speaking, he felt his back straighten up considerably. When he looked at Pei Yuanshi again, he found himself inexplicably unable to bend down.

This feeling was both strange and exhilarating.

Pei Yuan naturally noticed these changes in Li Shishi.

Historically, following the incident involving the Prince of Ning's heir, Si Xiang, a strong consensus formed within the court. Supporting the Prince of Ning had become a clear indication of the prevailing trend.

Although in the original history Li Shishi was impeached and transferred before he could enjoy this glory, Lu Wan, the standard-bearer of Prince Ning at that time, was extremely prestigious.

In this current timeline, despite Pei Yuan's interference, Li Shishi has smoothly risen to his current position as Left Censor-in-Chief.

Furthermore, since he was related to Prince Ning, Zhu Chenhao, by marriage, these honors naturally fell to Li Shishi.

Various forces have been secretly contacting Li Shishi.

Coincidentally, "that man" was also not in the capital, and the sky above Li Dadu immediately brightened.

After two months of preparation, Li Shishi naturally began to change.

Pei Yuan silently pondered the selection of a new Left Censor-in-Chief, while saying to Li Shishi, "By the way, I have something that may require the Prince of Ning's help."

Upon hearing this, Li Shishi picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then said, "Brother, please tell me what you have to say."

Pei Yuan said, "It's about the De Fan."

“After all, the Crown Prince of De is a member of the Zhu family clan, and the case is not so easy to handle. Considering the interests of the Ning Kingdom, it is time for the Ning Kingdom to step forward and take the initiative to advance this matter.”

"Now that the Prince of Ning is in charge of incense for the state, shouldn't he show that he prioritizes the state? The whole world is focused on the case in Shandong. Why not have the Prince of Ning ask him to go to Shandong and help His Majesty resolve this problem?"

After Pei Yuan finished speaking these righteous words, he whispered a word of advice, "This is the time to build up prestige for the Prince of Ning."

(End of this chapter)