Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Seeing Huo Xian coming to the Pepper Room with his head down, Wei Zifu was curious, "What's wrong? He looks listless."

Huo Xian complained, "Originally, His Majesty summoned me to discuss state affairs. I was very excited and thought I could do great things. But before I could finish my speech, His Majesty sent me away."

Wei Zifu couldn't help laughing, "You must be talking nonsense again. When you become more stable, His Majesty might really call you to discuss state affairs."

Huo Xian was even more speechless. It seemed that not only the emperor did not trust him, but the queen also did not particularly trust him.

Although he was speechless, Huo Xian still said, "My suggestion is not nonsense. The bottom line is that our Han Dynasty is not rich enough now. Wars cost a lot of money, and Your Majesty has also spent a lot."

Wei Zifu immediately became serious, "Be careful with your words and actions. You shouldn't talk too much about these things. If His Majesty hears about them, it will do you no good."

Huo Xian naturally understood this, but still said, "Even if His Majesty heard about it, he wouldn't say anything about me. It's hard to say about others, especially my cousin, who can't mention these things."

Everyone knew that Liu Che was a bit extravagant, but other people really couldn't say much about it, especially the crown prince Liu Ju.

Wei Zifu said with some concern, "The prince is worried, but what he said is indeed inappropriate."

"My cousin certainly didn't mention it in front of Your Majesty, but it wouldn't be good if some of his complaints were passed on to Your Majesty's ears," Huo Xian said, "There aren't many truly talented people around my cousin."

After hearing what Huo Shan said, Wei Zifu became even more worried. She was well aware of some of the situations, but as the queen and the crown prince with stable positions, they also had their own concerns.

Liu Ju was named crown prince at an early age, and his younger brothers now basically posed no threat. The emperor occasionally allowed the crown prince to act as regent and to recruit talents at Bowang Garden.

All this made Liu Ju's position as the crown prince seem very stable, and it seemed that he did not need to worry too much. However, people in the know knew that these were just superficial phenomena.

The emperor was basically satisfied with the crown prince, but he was also dissatisfied. Liu Ju's power seemed considerable, but in reality he did not have much power.

The so-called recruiting of talents in Bowang Garden and so on are even more of "heresies" abandoned by mainstream doctrines, and now they have no room for survival in the court.

In the final analysis, although Liu Ju’s current position seems to be stable, he also has some weak points, which is also the most worrying thing.

Wei Zifu was also a smart person. She smiled and asked, "How is the thief-hunting matter going? These days, the news about your thief-hunting has been circulating, and many people have mentioned it to me. You should be careful about the impact."

Huo Xian also laughed, "Did my aunt hear about it in the Pepper Palace? Which families told you about it? Did anyone come to beg for mercy?"

"It's not new for you to catch thieves, it's just that the noise you made was quite loud." Wei Zifu said with a smile, "Some people are joking, telling me as if it's new. There are also people who are begging for mercy, but they all know that it's useless to beg for mercy in front of you."

As she said this, a maid handed over a thin piece of silk, on which, of course, were records of those who had come to plead for mercy with Wei Zifu.

They were all smart people, and they all knew Huo Xian's character. Most people didn't have the face to beg for mercy in front of him, so they could only think of other ways.

The general basically doesn't care about state affairs now. Although Wei Qing is gentle to others, not everyone can have some face in front of him. It is naturally unrealistic to expect him to help plead for mercy.

Crown Prince Liu Ju seemed to be a good candidate, but some officials or dignitaries did not dare to get too close to the crown prince, otherwise it might arouse the emperor's suspicion, which would not be a good thing.

What's more, although Crown Prince Liu Ju seems to need to develop his wings in the court, he has the support of Wei Huo, so he doesn't have to worry too much in the court, and there is no need for him to arouse the emperor's suspicion.

Then the only candidate left was Wei Zifu. Although this queen had fallen out of favor, her position was stable. If some women came to the palace to plead for her, it would not attract too much attention and suspicion.

As for Prime Minister Gongsun He, he was actually able to restrain Huo Shan, but even Gongsun He himself was not too confident about this. It could only be said that in general, Huo Shan would give him face.

Many people also don’t understand that there are not many people who can pay attention to Huo Shan nowadays. Liu Che is one of them, and the other one is naturally Wei Zifu.

Huo Xian watched carefully, and then he also laughed, "Many people said before that he was powerful and had many acquaintances. These wealthy families moved here from all over the place, and I didn't expect that they had some connections with many people in the court."

Wei Zifu said, "It is just like that. Once you become rich and powerful, you will naturally have more relationships. You ask me to do things, and I ask you for help. You have money and power, so you will naturally have many students, old officials, relatives and friends."

Having more people naturally means having more friendships, and sometimes things like asking for favors are inevitable. In fact, relationships become better through constant mutual help.

This is all very normal, there is no need to make a fuss. Not to mention that Wei Zifu and others have long been accustomed to this, Huo Xian actually knows it in his heart.

"I understand it now. I didn't intend to punish these people severely. Just teach them a lesson." Huo Xian said with a smile, "But I have to lock them up first and find out whether they are involved in any excessive crimes."

Wei Zifu smiled and said, "It's good that you know these things in your heart. There's no need to let them interfere with your work. Whether I help or not, they should respect me."

These are naturally Wei Zifu's confidence. As a queen, she naturally has enough means and prestige. She has never been a vase.

Huo Xian nodded repeatedly and said with a smile, "I know what's going on. This incident is just a show of excitement. It really won't cause too much commotion, and it's not even worth mentioning in the court."

Wei Zifu smiled and nodded. She knew that what Huo Xian said was right. These things were really just for show. At least for now, no real powerful officials were involved. These were only targeted at some wealthy families or wanderers.

In the eyes of ordinary people, these people are people of status and should be avoided, but in the eyes of Wei Zifu and Huo Shan, they are not truly powerful.

So Huo Shan naturally knew what to do next, and Wei Zifu would not worry too much, as she believed that Huo Shan could handle these things.

When Lady Gou Ge tried to show goodwill to Huo Xian and Han Yunniang, Wei Zifu did not mention such a thing at all. The main reason was that there was no need to do so. She did not take Lady Gou Ge seriously or regard her as a threat.

Whether it was the current Madam Gou Ge, or the previous Madam Li and Madam Xing, they all seemed to be favored for a time, but they never had the opportunity to get involved in the throne of the empress. The novelty of the emperor wore off, and the favor was gone. Moreover, after Madam Li, the emperor had not been able to have any more children in all these years, and many people did not think that the emperor, who was nearly 60 years old, could have any more children.

After talking with Wei Zifu, Huo Shan left the palace again. He still had a lot of things to do and could not rest at all.

Since some people are starting to get anxious, it is natural to add fuel to the fire and make some people even more anxious. In his opinion, this is obviously not a bad thing and should be done.

Even though Gongsun He is helping him investigate the case, he can't just be a hands-off boss who doesn't care about anything. That's really not acceptable, and it's not Huo Xian's style.

Prepare to continue catching thieves and arresting robbers, making some so-called wealthy people even more anxious and uneasy, and maybe we can find out something.

Wei Deng ran over and said, "My uncle said that they haven't found out what the relationship is between these people and Concubine Zhao."

Well, now it has caused some misunderstandings, because the timing is a little sensitive. People on Wei Huo's side also know that Madam Gou Ge was born and raised in Chang'an. She was sent to the emperor at this time, and there might be some ulterior motives.

Huo Xian, who chose to investigate the case at this time, might have wanted to find out some of the circumstances behind Madam Gou Ge. After all, he still had some doubts about Madam Gou Ge's background.

"It's good that it doesn't matter. We need to keep this matter secret." Huo Xian said with a smile, "If it really gets to your Majesty's ears, I will be in trouble."

Wei Deng knew what was going on and said, "Let's not talk about anything else. My uncle is quite capable in investigating cases and his methods are very sophisticated."

This is true. As a general, Gongsun He is not that outstanding. In the political arena, as the current prime minister, he flatters the emperor in every way and has made no achievements, which makes many people laugh at him privately.

But these do not mean that Gongsun He is useless. He is still very powerful and is very good at investigating cases. Those who underestimate him will naturally pay the price.

"The woman from a fallen official family has a reputation in Hejian, and it just happened that the news reached the ears of His Majesty during his tour. This is just too coincidental." Huo Xian said worriedly, "It can also be predicted that His Majesty's favor towards Madam Xing and others will gradually fade. These things are all too coincidental. I will not feel at ease if I don't investigate."

Wei Deng also nodded repeatedly. All these coincidences were a bit outrageous. Not to mention that Huo Xian, who was so reckless, felt that something was wrong, the cautious Wei Qing and others also felt that these things were a bit strange.

This is why Gongsun He took on this task. Catching thieves is naturally an important matter. However, this is also a cover. He can still investigate Madam Gou Ge's traces in private.

But based on the current situation, everything seems like a coincidence, a coincidence that makes it seem unreal.

If it's not true, it's not true. Now that we haven't found any really suspicious clues, let's just treat it as some coincidences. However, we still need to maintain the necessary vigilance.

What if Madam Gou Ge and others are very clever and hide their methods too deeply? Even if Wei Huo seems to be a powerful figure with great power, he dare not underestimate some things or some people.

It is better to be careful, mainly because some things involve too many things. This is a matter of life and death, so it is not excessive to be suspicious.

After Wei Deng left, Huo Xian suddenly burst into laughter, "I'm already a bit like a villain. I'm not prepared to fight a good battle, but I'm thinking about intrigue and politics."

We should be preparing for a good war, and making all-out preparations for the decisive battle with the Huns. Why are we now thinking about court matters?

It's not even about some court affairs, but some "conspiracies and intrigues" and so on.

That is to say, he is still relatively trusted by the emperor, so he is so fearless. However, he still needs to be careful when necessary, and not get carried away, otherwise the gain will outweigh the loss.

It is time to hurry up and do some serious work. If some things in Chang'an are not dealt with, it will be difficult for Huo Shan to devote himself wholeheartedly to preparations for war.

In the final analysis, he was very worried about the emperor's mental state. If he was away, the emperor might directly take action to eliminate Wei Huo.

After all, Li Guangli's "previous lesson" is in the history books. Facing the later years of Emperor Wu of Han, no one can take it lightly, not even Huo Shan.

Huo Xian, who could not sit still, appeared in Yangling again, still arresting people with an arrogant and cold face. He expanded the scale of arrests based on some clues found by Gongsun He's interrogation, which would inevitably put more psychological pressure on some people.

Those who were involved with Zhu Anshi were obviously anxious, and the accomplices who helped to shelter him were either arrested or were in a state of panic.

The so-called hero is still hiding. It doesn't matter if others go to jail for him, as long as he is not caught. If he is caught, it must be because he was betrayed. If he has the chance to come out, he will definitely seek revenge.

These may be the so-called heroes. There is nothing strange about their attitude, because many heroes behave in this way.

There is no such thing as complaints, and it will not make some people lose sleep. Only some people who are related to this matter will be worried. As for other people, they will just continue to live their lives naturally, and there will be no impact.

Gongsun He suddenly brought good news, "Shan'er, I'm afraid Zhu Anshi can't escape."

Huo Xian's eyes lit up and he quickly asked, "Have you found any clues?"

"What kind of friendship can these people have? They are still helpless." Gongsun He said with some pride, "If you are unwilling to take action, I will arrange for someone to arrest him."

Huo Xian said quickly, "I'd better go catch him myself. I want to catch him, so I have to catch him myself. Only then can I have an explanation."

Gongsun He was not surprised at all to hear Huo Xian say this. He was only responsible for trying the case, and Huo Xian should be the one to arrest people. This was the best arrangement.

The rumor was spread by Huo Xian, so we must make sure to finish it properly, arrest Zhu Anshi and give him a thorough trial.

As to whether it was a conspiracy or a series of accidents caused by a false accusation, we will soon know the answer. (End of this chapter)