Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 293 Meat on the chopping board

When Li Zisheng left the palace, he was in an unprecedentedly happy mood.

The auspicious sign appeared on time, just during the ceremony of the Empress Dowager being given the title. This showed that he had insight into the mysteries of heaven and was undoubtedly the number one Taoist priest of the Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, the emperor has dealt with Wei Xing, and it is very likely that he will turn the fire on Liang Fang next.

Although Liang Fang had recommended Li Zisheng, Li Zisheng still felt that Liang Fang was an unstable factor after he gained power. After all, that guy held military power and was used to being domineering. No one wanted to be beaten up by a group of soldiers on the way to and from get off work or even disappear from the world, so he kept thinking about how to defeat Liang Fang.

Now I finally got the chance.

"Master Li Xian."

On the way out of the palace, Li Zisheng was chatting and laughing with Shen Lu, while the eunuch Tan Chang, the seal-holder of the Imperial Household Department, was jogging behind them.

Li Zisheng waved his hand, signaling Shen Lu to follow the officials of the Ministry of Public Security out of the palace, while he turned back to deal with Tan Chang.

"Eunuch Tan, what are you doing...?"

Li Zisheng's face was neither cold nor hot. Even though he was secretly happy in his heart, he remained calm on the surface.

Tan Chang said: "I just received news that Wei Xing has been imprisoned and hanged on the rack. The next step is likely to be severe punishment."

Li Zisheng pretended to be surprised and asked, "Is the problem so serious?"

Qin Chang sighed, "This case is of great importance and involves the Empress Dowager's knot. We, as ministers, cannot stand idly by. His Majesty has just ordered you to carefully investigate the cause and effect of the matter and the crimes of corruption, bribery, embezzlement of public funds, inferior goods as good ones, and blasphemy against gods and Buddhas involved in the reconstruction of Wanhe Temple."

"Why me?"

Li Zisheng was also confused.

You actually want me, an outsider, to investigate the corruption problems in your inner court?
When I investigate a case, can I mobilize the personnel of the Three Judicial Departments or the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard?

Obviously you found the wrong person!
Qin Chang said: "Your Majesty has asked the East Factory and the Royal Guard to cooperate with you in investigating the case. The Wanhe Temple reconstruction project has been completed, and you, the contemporary Heavenly Master, need to go and take a look in person to distinguish the authenticity. At present, the Royal Guard does not dare to torture Wei Xing..."

Li Zisheng nodded and said, "It is unjustifiable to torture a diligent eunuch just because of a dream of the Empress Dowager and a few words I said to interpret the dream."

"So you need to investigate it thoroughly." Qin Chang said, "His Majesty doesn't trust anyone right now. I'm afraid only your words can win His Majesty's heart."

"Then I can only...run for a while."

A smile finally appeared on Li Zisheng's face.

I have gained the emperor's absolute trust!
Do you think it's easy?

I have gone through numerous hardships and defeated many competitors to reach my current position.

Qin Chang said, "Don't go anywhere else or meet anyone, especially... Liang Fang. You must not meet her. I will send someone to notify the Jinyiwei and ask them to send someone to escort you to Wanhe Temple. Please go back to the mansion and wait for a while."

"it is good."

Li Zisheng smiled and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Eunuch Tan."

……

……

Li House.

Li Zisheng returned home, humming a little tune all the way, still singing the classic tune of "The Legend and the Heroine", feeling very proud in his heart.

When Pang Qing saw him in the study, Li Zisheng was sitting on the armchair, crossing his legs and drinking tea leisurely.

"Master Dao, everything today went as you expected. An auspicious sign has arrived. We were all excited when we saw that scene outside the palace." Pang Qing complimented.

Li Zisheng waved his hand: "What do you mean by 'just as I expected'? It's obviously what Lai Zhan guessed... Do you think I like people who compete for the credit?"

Pang Qing quickly agreed: "That's right, you never compete for credit. But why are you smiling so hard...?"

You say you are not seeking credit, but you are so happy. It is obvious that you have received praise from the emperor.

"You have no foresight! Do you think I am here for the auspicious sign from heaven? It is for another matter... Wei Xing had planned everything, but in the end he was outwitted by Lai Zhan. Now he is already in the Northern Pacification Office, hanging on the rack, waiting for me to go to Wanhe Temple to investigate, and then I can punish him severely when I come back. Haha."

At this point, Li Zisheng had already laughed out loud.

Pang Qing frowned and asked, "Why so fast?"

Li Zisheng said, "You don't know, the Queen Mother is very cunning and sly, and when she puts on airs, no one can stand it... Our Majesty was like he had never seen his mother's methods before, and was stunned. He immediately sent people to arrest Wei Xing and then sent him to the Northern Pacification Division Prison."

"You're arresting someone without checking?"

Pang Qing was still very surprised.

"What are you verifying? The Queen Mother had a nightmare and told Your Majesty about it, so that's conclusive evidence."

Li Zisheng said, "But in the future, His Majesty will definitely know that all this was caused by the Crown Prince and Lai Zhan... I wonder how His Majesty will feel."

"Have you been to Wanhe Temple?"

Pang Qing asked.

"I haven't gone yet. Wait for the Jinyiwei to arrive... You go and wait at the door. Call me when they arrive... Oh, by the way, when I go out of the city to investigate, you go to Zhang's house to inform Lai Zhan that the matter has been completed."

Li Zisheng looked relieved and said with a smile, "Liang Fang and Wei Xing have planned everything. They never thought that one day they would fail in the reconstruction of Wanhe Temple. If you often walk by the river, you will get your shoes wet one day. I just didn't expect that day to come so soon!"

……

……

Not long after, Jinyiwei commander Zhu Ji personally led people to Li's house and accompanied Li Zisheng to Wanhe Temple.

In addition, the Jinyiwei sent people to seal off the Wanhe Temple in advance to prevent people from entering and leaving, in order to ensure that there would be no trouble when Li Zisheng went to investigate the case.

Pang Qing then rushed to Zhang's house and told the news to Zhang Luan and Zhang Yanling, father and son.

"Mr. Zhang, according to what my Taoist master said, His Majesty may not know the instigator of this matter yet, and is just trying to please the Empress Dowager. If he wakes up and realizes this, you may have to take some responsibility."

Pang Qing gave a kind reminder.

Zhang Luan sighed, "The purpose is to make the prince more competitive and cunning... We are wholeheartedly working for the prince, why should we think so much?"

"You are quite open-minded."

As Pang Qing spoke, his eyes unconsciously drifted to Zhang Yanling behind Zhang Luan.

Zhang Luan asked, "There won't be any more deviations in this matter, right?"

Pang Qing smiled and said, "Whether there is a deviation or not depends on the quality of the stone and wood used to repair Wanhe Temple. However, as far as I know, based on the style of Wei Xing and others in the past, the evidence of your crime must be irrefutable... In fact, no one dares to investigate this kind of thing. Many people know about it, but they dare not report it. This investigation will confirm it!"

Zhang Luan asked, "Wei Xing is now in prison, what about Liang Fang?"

"Liang Fang is fine for now."

Pang Qing answered with a smile and looked at Zhang Luan with a teasing look, as if to say, are you worried about Liang Fang's revenge now?

You previously impeached him together with the envoy from the Kingdom of Islam, but he just thought you were fooling around and didn't take you seriously.

This time you are clearly taking a risk. With Liang Fang's meticulous personality, he will definitely make trouble for you once he finds out that it is you who is making trouble behind the scenes.

"Second Young Master, what do you think?"

Pang Qing asked Zhang Yanling with a smile. Zhang Yanling shrugged and said, "My father was just discussing the matter at hand. He didn't mean to target anyone. There is Wei Xing and Liang Fang... I guess there are other people involved, right? I heard that the person who contracted the supply of stone and wood seems to be the son of Pengge Lao's family?"

Pang Qing smiled and said, "You are right. Once this is done, no matter who is involved, no one will be able to escape. In order to appease the Queen Mother, His Majesty will definitely punish someone.

"In the past, when encountering such things, Your Majesty would most likely make a big deal out of a small matter, or even make it disappear, but this time... hehe. Speaking of which, I really admire your knowledge. You two know which roads are passable and which roads lead directly to the top of the mountain. That's incredible!"

Zhang Yanling said: "It's none of my fault. It was all arranged by my father."

"hehe."

Pang Qing was laughing again.

You and your son are both smarter than each other, but you, little rascal, are the smartest one I have ever seen.

……

……

After seeing Pang Qing off, Zhang Luan came back and sat there, looking depressed.

"My son, why didn't you remind me that this was so dangerous?"

Zhang Luan said worriedly, "We have lost Wei Xing, but Liang Fang is still alive. If he survives, we should be spared from the fate of being the first to be killed."

"Then... Dad, please don't go out recently."

Zhang Yanling smiled.

Zhang Luan asked, "Didn't you say that Liang Fang would definitely be implicated in this matter? Why did His Majesty only arrest Wei Xing and not Liang Fang?"

Zhang Yanling said with a serious expression: "Because His Majesty is waiting too."

"wait?"

Zhang Luan was very curious.

Zhang Yanling said: "First, we need to wait for the results of the Wanhe Temple investigation, second, we need to wait for Wei Xing's confession, and third, we need to wait for responses from all parties."

"What?"

Zhang Luan said, "I understand the first two you mentioned. What do you mean by waiting for the reactions from all parties? Whose reactions are you waiting for?"

"Of course, I'm waiting for the reaction of Liang Fang's group of people."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Dad, do you think it's that easy to move a eunuch who holds the seal of the Imperial Horse Administration? If it were really easy, His Majesty would have dealt with Liang Fang before. Why did he just ignore him and not even remove him from his official position?"

"This……"

Zhang Luan was confused again.

All under heaven belongs to the king, and all the people in the world are the king's subjects. After the emperor issued an edict, shouldn't Liang Fang, as a family slave, surrender?

Is there some hidden story behind this?

Zhang Yanling said: "That's because Liang Fang is the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Horse Administration, and he has military power. Your Majesty would not do such a stupid thing as directly moving a troop leader without solid evidence.

"As for whether Liang Fang would rebel... Everyone knows that Liang Fang generally doesn't dare to rebel, but what if he is desperate? Who dares to take such a risk?"

Zhang Luan nodded and said, "I understand. If Liang Fang is desperate and rebels, even if he only brings a few people to besiege the palace gate, His Majesty will not allow this to happen."

"Ah."

Zhang Yanling said, "This is called taking precautions. First, ignore him and let the world know that Liang Fang has fallen out of favor. Soon, the supporters around Liang Fang will become alienated from him. After a period of time, take away Liang Fang's military power. In this way, even if Liang Fang wants to rebel, no one will fight him."

Zhang Luan was shocked: "You mean, Your Majesty has been playing the long game to catch the big fish?"

"Yes."

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Look, the fish is almost hooked, it's time to reel in the rod."

Zhang Luan said: "But...even so, will His Majesty really touch Liang Fang?"

"It depends on the reaction of a key person... Dad, can you guess who it is?" Zhang Yanling asked with a smile.

"Lizi Province?"

Zhang Yanling shook his head.

"Is that Tan Chang?"

Seeing his son shaking his head again, Zhang Luan couldn't help but feel a little frustrated and urged, "Tell me quickly, your father can't guess it."

"It's Zhang Jin."

Zhang Yanling said, "This man is the eunuch superintendent of the Imperial Horse Administration. He can be said to be the third in command of the Imperial Horse Administration, but he is the one who actually commands the troops under Liang Fang. Currently, the troops of the four guards of the Imperial Army are under his control.

"Since Your Majesty dares to move against Wei Xing, it means that Your Majesty has already dealt with Zhang Jin. So even if Liang Fang wants to rebel, he can't do it from within the capital. He can only mobilize troops from outside the capital... This means... He is now meat on the chopping block."

"Zhang Jin? Son, where the hell did you get this information from? You even know this? It's really rare."

"Dad, it seems I should help you compile an official atlas so that you can study it carefully, so that you won't make a fool of yourself in the court in the future."

Zhang Yanling said seriously, "Take the Imperial Horse Administration as an example. The Imperial Horse Administration has one eunuch in charge of the seal, one eunuch in charge of supervision, and one eunuch in charge of the command. The command eunuch assists the eunuch in charge of the seal in charge of the four guards of the Forbidden Palace. These four guards are Tengxiang Left Guard, Tengxiang Right Guard, Wuxiang Left Guard, and Wuxiang Right Guard.

"As the eunuch commander, Zhang Jin is quite famous in the palace and is a key figure who can check and balance Liang Fang."

Zhang Luan said nonchalantly, "No matter how much checks and balances there are, he is still Liang Fang's man, right? Why do you think that Your Majesty has dealt with him?"

"Different."

Zhang Yanling shook his head.

Zhang Yanling knew something about Zhang Jin. He was a famous eunuch in the Imperial Stables during the Hongzhi period. At that time, he was the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Stables. However, in the late Chenghua period, he was only the eunuch admiral.

He was a cautious person, and history has left his introduction to the duties of the Imperial Horse Supervisor: "The four warriors of Tengwu are forbidden troops appointed by our ancestors to serve as imperial guards. They are called horse-raising, but in fact they are to prevent treacherous behavior and imperial teachings."

Zhang Luan suddenly became interested and suggested, "Should we go visit Zhang Jin in advance? Let's make some friends first?"

Zhang Yanling smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Dad, what are you thinking about? We can meet some eunuchs, and even take the initiative to make friends with them, which may be effective at a critical moment. However, we must not meet the commanders of the troops casually. If people misunderstand that the prince wants to get close to military power, it will really do more harm than good to the prince."

Zhang Luan was so shocked that he broke out in a cold sweat and said with emotion: "You still know more... By the way, son, where did you hear all this? Did someone teach you specifically?"

"Oh, I often go out to get information."

Zhang Yanling lied, "Dad, you should know that Hui merchants basically have dealings with the eunuchs in power in the inner court. They are very good at collusion between officials and businessmen, and they are well aware of the factions and grievances between eunuchs. Otherwise, sending the wrong gift will bring about a huge disaster.

"In addition, Tan Yun and the others occasionally tell me about the situation in the inner palace. I have been doing business in the capital recently, so how can I not check these things out?"

Zhang Luan looked a little puzzled: "Doing business has such benefits? Then why is it that even your second uncle, who claims to be very knowledgeable about the officialdom, doesn't know this and keeps asking me about it?"

Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Every profession has its own specialty. Second uncle is concerned about the official structure of Hejian Prefecture, and I will aim at the officialdom of the capital in the future. As the saying goes, people with different ideals cannot work together. In the future, I will go further with Second uncle."

"Hey."

Zhang Luan sighed and shook his head, with a look of emotion, and said, "With a natural brain like you in the family, we are not afraid of anything. My Zhang family's ancestors were virtuous enough to have you.

"Well, I will listen to you. I will not go anywhere recently and stay at home. Otherwise, I might be kidnapped or killed by Liang Fang as soon as I leave the house... A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. I will not make such a low-level mistake."

(End of this chapter)