Unparalleled Evildoer

Chapter 132 When the fake is true, the truth is also false

When Meng Yi learned that Wuzhan had been assassinated, he immediately came to ask Wuzhan about the details. After listening to Wuzhan's account, he stood up and thought, "Could it be that group of evil Taoists who did it?"

Wuzhan shook his head and said, "Those people are mediocre in skills. It is impossible for Jin Xingzi to deal with them alone."

Meng Yi said: "It's either them or the remnants of the restoration. Recently, many remnants of the fallen nation have sneaked into Xianyang, spreading rumors and looking for opportunities to assassinate officials in the court. As an official in the court, you are naturally among those they want to assassinate!"

Wuzhan said: "The remnants of the fallen nation would never send so many mediocre people to assassinate. These people have no experience in assassination."

Meng Yi was surprised and asked, "Then you mean the people from the Lieutenant's Mansion? It doesn't make sense for them to assassinate you!"

Wuzhan said: "Maybe it's because I offended those Confucian scholars in the Doctoral Academy in the court, so they found some assassins and sought revenge, but this is just a suspicion, there is no solid evidence."

"Although the doctors in the Doctoral Academy are always arguing and arrogant, they are all elegant people. I don't see them having any relationship with the people in the Lieutenant's Mansion."

"It didn't matter in the past, but it may not matter now. Imagine that Your Majesty has not yet implemented the feudal system, and many meritorious officials and generals are secretly indignant and it is not impossible for them to do such things."

"But they are too bold. This is violating the law, forming a clique for personal gain, excluding dissidents, and plotting to frame the ministers. They will be exterminated along with their entire clan!"

"If one person is timid, when there are many people, they will naturally become bolder."

Meng Yi narrowed his eyes slightly, slammed his fist heavily on the tea table, and said fiercely: "Once verified, there will be severe punishment!"

Wuzhan smiled and said, "Second brother's duty is to lead the palace. It is not easy to interfere with the public security outside the palace. It is better not to pay attention to them, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble. Their assassination was unsuccessful this time, so they will not dare to do it again in the future."

"No, this matter cannot be resolved like this. Tomorrow morning, my dear brother, come with me to find the Chief Justice and inform him of this matter. I will let the Chief Justice handle this assassination case. It is outrageous that they dare to assassinate you under the feet of the emperor. I think they are going to rebel!" After saying that, he got up and left.

Wuzhan was right in his prediction. The old general Huan Xi had captured Pingyang and Wucheng of Zhao and buried alive 100,000 Zhao soldiers who surrendered. Later, he was defeated by Li Mu in Feicheng and fled back to Xianyang alone. Since then, he had not been valued for nearly ten years and had not been rewarded. He was only the general defending the city of Xianyang, affiliated with the Lieutenant's Office. He had accumulated grievances for a long time and often secretly communicated with people from the Doctor's Academy, trying to implement the feudal system, get a piece of land and become a local lord. Wuzhan belittled Confucianism in the court and insisted on the implementation of the county system, which not only offended the Confucian disciples of the Doctor's Academy, but also shattered his hopes. Therefore, he was instigated to seek an opportunity for revenge, which was really an unwise move.

However, Wuzhan offended more than just these people in the court. All the court officials who advocated the feudal system were offended. Wuzhan already knew that one wave of enemies would come after another, and he would face more and more. He only hoped that they would not come at the same time and give him a chance to breathe.

After Meng Yi left, Wuzhan sat in a chair and thought hard. This day was very tiring, chaotic and sad.

It rained heavily and had strong winds in Xianyang City that night, with lightning and thunder roaring continuously.

On the next morning, the pavilions were clean and tidy, shrouded in mist, with swallows and sparrows singing and the air fresh. The rain came quickly and went away quickly.

Wuzhan followed Meng Yi to the gate of Li Si's mansion. After reporting, Li Si came out and greeted them with a smile, saying, "You two adults came to visit so early in the morning. It must be something urgent. Please come in!"

Although Li Si's mansion was large, it was simple and quaint. Meng Yi looked at the courtyard and said with a smile, "Mr. Tingwei is going to be the prime minister, so why is his mansion still so simple? The face of the Qin Dynasty has been completely lost by Tingwei!"

Li Si smiled and said, "Those are just external possessions. No matter how magnificent the house is, it is just a three-foot bed. As long as the quilt is warm when you sleep, that is enough."

Meng Yi said: "The court judge has devoted all his attention to government affairs. He has devoted himself to the Qin Dynasty day and night!"

"Lord Meng is the same. He came to see me as soon as the rain stopped. I wonder what's the urgent matter?" At this time, the three people had entered the living room.

After the three of them sat down, Meng Yi told Li Si the whole story of Wuzhan's assassination, and also mentioned the person he suspected.

After hearing this, Li Si was silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "To be honest, I have long hated them. They do nothing all day long, do not sing praises, and do not abide by the law. Instead, they use history to satirize the present, and discuss the gains and losses of military and political affairs. They can point out a lot of problems, but they can't come up with a practical solution. The debate spread from the court to the academy, from the academy to the streets, and then the whole city of Xianyang gathered to discuss it. As a result, it spread rapidly to all places, and the people all over the world knew about what happened in our court, and it became a topic of conversation after dinner. Even a child who has just learned to speak can say a few words about this topic. The trend of discussing politics has become a tradition of our Great Qin. You can hear cheers wherever you go. What's more, some people gamble with the policies that the country is about to introduce. It is ridiculous. If we don't take this trend of discussing politics seriously, the whole world will be in turmoil. The counselor exposed those hypocrites in the court, which is really gratifying. I wanted to invite you to my humble residence to discuss national policies yesterday, but because His Majesty summoned an old minister to the palace, this matter was delayed. You two came at the right time. Today, let's discuss countermeasures together on this matter!"

Meng Yi said: "This kind of atmosphere of recklessly discussing the major affairs of the court is really hateful. When my brother was resisting the Xiongnu, the court was in turmoil, and the insults and slanders were unbearable to hear. If it weren't for the support of the court judge and the old ministers, I'm afraid my brother's head would have been transported back to Xianyang before the Xiongnu were repelled!"

Li Si said, "Gossip can melt gold. This is their usual metric. If we want to fully implement the county system, we must first punish those hypocrites who are full of holy words and kingly ways. However, those doctors are colluding with the people in the Lieutenant's Mansion. The assassin must be their man. If they handle the case, there will be no trace left. We don't have enough evidence. How can we catch them and convince people? What do you think?"

"Alerting the enemy!" After a moment's silence, Wuzhan said in a deep voice.

"Alerting the enemy by making a move?" Li Si and Meng Yi asked in confusion at the same time, "How to alert the enemy by making a move?"

"I accuse Huan Xi of colluding with the remnants of the six kingdoms, attempting to restore the monarchy, letting assassins go, and bending the law for personal gain."

Li Si was even more puzzled and said, "This crime means the extermination of the entire clan. Even if they were given the courage, they would not dare to do it. Not only would the ministers not believe it, but even Your Majesty would not believe it!" "If not, how can we arrest him and put him in prison for investigation?"

"If it is found to be a false accusation, not only will the title be revoked, but you will also be sentenced to prison and sent to the border. This is no small matter!"

Wuzhan smiled slightly and said, "Your Excellency knows that once someone is put in the prison of the Imperial Court, how many people can come out alive? Now is the time to handle a major case before the Imperial Court becomes the Prime Minister, and put an end to the arrogance of those people."

Li Si stood up, stroked his beard, paced back and forth, and thought: "If he is charged with such a serious crime, once he is imprisoned, no one will dare to speak for him. Those who usually interact with him will also be worried, afraid of being implicated. I can take this opportunity to arrest all those people and interrogate them to warn them of their political opinions. When the wall falls, everyone pushes it down. Huan Xi's usual improper behavior will surely be reported by them, so as to exonerate him and draw a clear line. If so, Huan Xi will definitely die. What a good plan, your talent is really well-deserved!" He laughed in admiration.

Meng Yi smiled and said, "I went through a lot of trouble to invite him here, how could it be false!"

Li Si said to Wuzhan, "But if he refuses to plead guilty and demands a public trial, then you will be in danger!"

Wuzhan said: "Serve the country and take risks!"

Li Si said sternly: "How courageous! I will send someone to dismiss Huan Xi from his post and put him in prison!"

……

Wuzhan wrote the charge and handed it to Li Si. The Supreme Court dispatched a thousand officers and soldiers to arrest Huan Xi and the patrol soldiers who were present last night, which caused a sensation in the entire Xianyang city. Meng Yi and Wuzhan left the Supreme Court and went to the palace.

Wuzhan finished his business quickly and was about to leave the Imperial Household Department. At this time, Zhao Gao, who was hiding in the corner, coughed secretly. Wuzhan heard it and saw that it was Zhao Gao. He turned around and followed him to the corner of the corridor.

Seeing that there was no one around, Zhao Gao took out a small bamboo tube more than three inches long from his arms, handed it to Wuzhan with trembling hands, and said in a low and earnest voice: "It's inside. Thank you in advance!" Then he prostrated himself.

Wuzhan put the bamboo tube into his sleeve, quickly helped Zhao Gao up, and whispered: "It's not too late to thank you after the matter is done. Hurry up and don't let anyone see you!"

"Yes!" Zhao Gao wiped away the tears from his eyes with his long sleeves, and bowed again, saying, "It's all thanks to you, my Lord!"

Wuzhan said: "If nothing unexpected happens, I will send a carriage to pick you up at the gate of the palace in seven days. It's not convenient to talk here, you will understand by then, don't worry!"

Zhao Gao was speechless and bowed to the ground again, tears streaming down his face. Wuzhan helped Zhao Gao up again and advised him, "Don't kneel anymore. People will get suspicious if you see us. Go back now!"

At this time, two young eunuchs came over carrying a load of bamboo slips on their shoulders. Zhao Gao quickly turned around and greeted the two young eunuchs with a calm face. When the two young eunuchs saw Zhao Gao, they knew that he was a favorite serving His Majesty, and hurriedly said, "Greetings, Lord Palace Commander!"

Zhao Gao screamed, "Hurry up, the Imperial Household Department is about to close!"

The two young eunuchs hurriedly quickened their pace and walked past Zhao Gao. At this time, Zhao Gao turned around and bowed deeply to Wuzhan again behind them.

Seeing Zhao Gao so earnest, Wuzhan shook his head, turned around, and walked straight out of the palace.

After returning to the Meng Mansion, he ordered Jin Xingzi to fetch the medicine pot and put the many herbs that he had asked Meng Yi to buy before into the pot according to the dosage. He then ordered Jin Xingzi to simmer the medicine over a low fire for two hours. It was almost evening when Jin Xingzi finished boiling the medicine. He held the medicine pot and came to the barrier-free room with blackened eyes.

Wuzhan took out the bamboo tube and poured out the contents. When Jin Xingzi saw it, he glared at him and said, "Little Master, where did you pick this? How did you put it in the lime? It's so small and shriveled like this!"

Wuzhan did not answer, but said calmly: "Wash it clean, dry it with a cloth, and come back to me."

"Young master, do you want to use it to make wine?" Jin Xingzi asked with a smile while holding something in his hand.

"Don't ask any more questions, just do it!"

When Jin Xingzi came back, Wuzhan had already filtered the boiled herbs with silk and was pouring the bright red liquid into seven porcelain bottles. He put the ingredients into one of the bottles and covered it with a lid. He would change one bottle every day to cultivate it. It was no problem at all.

……

Just after dinner, the Supreme Court sent someone to take Wuzhan to the Supreme Court, and Meng Yi followed him.

(End of this chapter)