Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 376 Power is like poison

But after the court session, Li Ji walked alone on Chengtianmen Street, still thinking about the court meeting.

When Du Fu reported Du Zhenglun, he mentioned the Baima Chamber of Commerce. Li Ji was secretly delighted and hoped that he would succeed.

Once we take over the Baima Chamber of Commerce, we can interrogate Xiaoxiang's brother about his whereabouts.

However, he did not expect Du Fu to be so useless. He did not know what kind of letter of accusation he submitted, but it actually angered the emperor.

It didn't matter that he was defeated, but it actually boosted the arrogance of the White Horse Chamber of Commerce. Now Li Ji didn't dare to investigate them.

Li Ji came to the Ministry of Personnel absent-mindedly and received the fish seal. He was in a very unhappy mood and was not in a hurry to report to Yongzhou Prefecture.

After leaving the Suzaku Gate, he went straight to Wuhoupu in Pingkangfang and found Helan Minzhi.

Helan Minzhi was afraid that he would reveal his identity, so he pulled him out of Wuhou Shop and found a tea stall to sit down. He asked with a smile, "You should have gone to Yongzhou Prefecture to take up your post today. How did you have time to look for me?"

Li Ji sighed, "Something big happened in the court just now. I'm not in the mood to go to the yamen."

Helan Minzhi asked what was going on, and Li Ji told him the situation.

After listening to this, Helan Minzhi was silent for a while and said, "Actually, I have also read the Yonghui Law these past two days."

Li Ji said: "Oh?"

Helan Minzhi said in a deep voice, "Among the legal codes, there are two that record corruption and bribery in the most detail: the Six Articles on Inspecting Integrity and the Twelve Articles on Supervision."

Li Ji couldn't believe that he was so ambitious that he could even read the boring legal code. He asked, "Is there any provision in it that can convict the White Horse Chamber of Commerce of bribery?"

Helan Minzhi said, "No, I looked it up. The old Zhenguan Code only had one simple rule: accepting bribes would be punished with sixty strokes of the cane. When Zhangsun Wuji and others revised the Yonghui Code, they added some details. For example, for birthday gifts and coming-of-age ceremonies, the value of the gifts must not exceed a certain amount, otherwise it would be considered bribery."

Li Ji said thoughtfully, "At the court meeting today, His Majesty asked Yu Zhining, Zhang Jianzhi and others to revise the new law."

Helan Minzhi smiled and said, "Then let's wait and see. Perhaps the new law includes Yibao?"

Li Ji stared blankly at his teacup and said, "I heard it takes several years to revise the law. How can Xiaoxiang wait that long?"

Helan Minzhi said: "Then there is nothing we can do. You have already helped that young eunuch a lot. He shouldn't blame you."

Li Ji was unhappy. After saying goodbye to Helan Minzhi, he returned to his mansion.

The next day, he went to the Yongzhou government office and became familiar with some government affairs.

At 3 p.m., a clerk came to report that Changsun Quan was planning to hold a banquet at Qingfeng Tower to welcome him and Zhao Chiman, and also as a way for colleagues to get to know each other.

At the banquet, the officials of Yongzhou Prefecture were extremely enthusiastic towards him. After the banquet, Li Ji felt a little better. When he returned to the mansion, the servants told him that Di Renjie was in the mansion.

Li Ji sobered up immediately and went to the side hall, where he saw Di Renjie as expected.

"Di Siqing, why are you here?" Li Ji stepped forward happily.

Di Renjie bowed and said, "I have something I would like to ask His Royal Highness the King of Wu."

Li Ji respected Di Renjie very much and did not dare to neglect him. He first ordered someone to serve the tribute tea bestowed by the emperor.

After finishing his tea, he asked Di Renjie, "What do you want to ask?"

Di Renjie stared at him and said slowly, "According to my investigation, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu seems to be looking for someone named Zhou Chun. Is this true?"

Li Ji was surprised and asked, "How did you know?"

Di Renjie said, "I am investigating a case, so please forgive me for not being able to tell you."

Li Ji nodded and said, "Yes, I did look for Zhou Chun. He is the younger brother of a friend of mine."

Di Renjie asked, "Your Highness, do you know this man's age and appearance?"

Li Ji hesitated and said, "I don't know, but I can ask my friend."

Di Renjie said, "Then I will come to visit you again tomorrow."

The next afternoon, after leaving the yamen, Li Ji went to the palace, found Xiaoxiang, and asked him about Zhou Chun's appearance.

After asking clearly, he returned to the mansion and found Di Renjie already waiting there. He told Di Renjie what he had asked.

Di Renjie smiled and said, "In that case, thank you very much, Your Highness."

Li Ji hurriedly asked, "Di Siqing, are you also looking for Zhou Chun?"

Di Renjie hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes."

Li Ji said happily: "That's great. If you find him, please tell me immediately."

Di Renjie agreed and said goodbye and left the Prince of Wu's Mansion.

After returning to the Dali Temple, several temple secretaries he had sent out to investigate reported back one after another, and Li Yuanfang was the last one to come back.

"Lord Di Si, the body has been found. It's in a forest thirty miles west of the city. Humph, these people are so brave that they didn't even bother to bury the body. Wild beasts ate it until only the bones were left."

Di Renjie thought of their influence in Mobei and said slowly, "They are indeed very courageous."

Li Yuanfang asked, "How's the situation on your side? What's the connection between Little King Wu and this case?"

Di Renjie said, "Zhou Chun, who witnessed the murder, was a brother of a palace eunuch named Zhou Xiang. The young Prince of Wu and Zhou Xiang were old acquaintances, so he helped him find the man."

Li Yuanfang smiled and said, "That's good. I was really worried that the young King of Wu had also been bribed by these people."

Di Renjie said, "These are enough evidence of the White Horse Chamber of Commerce's crimes. We can slowly interrogate the rest after we capture them."

Li Yuanfang said with a burning gaze, "Next, can we investigate Du Zhenglun?"

Di Renjie said in a deep voice, "That's right. We must be extremely careful about this matter and not let Du Zhenglun find out."

……

The room was dark.

Du Zhenglun leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling.

Power is a poisonous wine that paralyzes people.

He had reminded himself countless times that he must abide by his duties and never cross the legal line.

However, one day, he suddenly found that his foot had unknowingly crossed the red line, and he didn't even remember when he crossed it.

After that, he became extremely cautious, fearing that someone would catch him.

However, the prosperity of his family, the trust of the emperor, and the smooth official career soon paralyzed him.

Crossing the red line doesn't seem so scary.

In this officialdom, who hasn't been stained with a little mud? As long as he is loyal to the emperor and can do his job, he believes that the emperor will not punish him.

The court meeting two days ago is clear evidence of this.

The emperor did not punish himself, but instead imprisoned Du Fu, who reported him.

This is actually quite normal.

The emperor still needs to rely on himself to continue to develop the Mobei trade route and supply coal to Chang'an. What use is Du Fu to the emperor?

How could the emperor cut off his left and right arms for such an insignificant person like him?

Du Zhenglun thought quietly for a long time, and his mood became more and more cheerful.

He suddenly stood up and danced in the room, singing in an operatic tone: "Thanks to your majesty's kindness, I will do my best to help your majesty complete the plan of restoring the Qinling Mountains!"

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Du Zhenglun stopped immediately, coughed, and said, "Come in."

A servant came in and whispered, "Alang, Minister Lu is here."

Du Zhenglun said, "Please ask him to come over." He then ordered several servants to light the lamps.

After a while, the room became bright. After a while, footsteps were heard outside and Lu Chengqing walked into the study.

Du Zhenglun bowed and smiled, "Brother Lu, you came here so late, are you looking for me to drink?"

Lu Chengqing frowned and said, “Brother Du, I don’t have time to drink now. I came here to ask you something.”

Seeing his serious expression, Du Zhenglun waved his hand to dismiss the servant, asked Lu Chengqing to sit down, and asked, "Brother Lu, what do you want to ask?"

Lu Chengqing asked, "How much do you know about the White Horse Chamber of Commerce?"

Du Zhenglun sighed and said, "Brother Lu, I answered you after the court meeting that day. This matter was all caused by my cousin Hu Wei, and I was not aware of it. I will definitely restrain him in the future."

Lu Chengqing stared into his eyes and said, "Really?"

Du Zhenglun frowned and said, "Brother Lu, what's wrong with you? Don't you trust me?"

Lu Chengqing was silent for a long time, and said: "I have been unable to sleep these past two days. Whenever I close my eyes, I will think of Du Fu."

Du Zhenglun snorted, "This man is purely out of personal vendetta and has falsely accused me. Your Majesty has already dealt with him, so why should Brother Lu take it to heart?"

Lu Chengqing looked at him and said, "Don't you think something is wrong?"

Du Zhenglun asked, "What's wrong?"

Lu Chengqing said in a deep voice, "Why did His Majesty cross out our names on the imperial edict of transfer at the court meeting that day?"

Du Zhenglun's heart trembled, and he forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty may have other plans."

Lu Chengqing said: "Don't you think the timing is too coincidental?"

Du Zhenglun fell silent.

Lu Chengqing continued, "Also, at the court meeting that day, why did Li Yifu, Changsun Quan, Li Jingxuan and others suddenly speak up for Du Fu?"

Du Zhenglun's heart sank. These things were indeed a bit strange.

Lu Chengqing stared at him and said, "Brother Du, I also received news that His Majesty summoned Di Renjie after the court meeting."

Du Zhenglun's face turned pale. He asked, "Did His Majesty ask Di Renjie to investigate secretly?"

Lu Chengqing asked, "Have you noticed anything wrong in the past two days?"

Du Zhenglun was stunned and said, "No."

Lu Chengqing sighed and said, "In short, you'd better be careful. This is all I have to say. Goodbye." He turned around and was about to leave.

Du Zhenglun suddenly called out to him, "Brother Lu!"

Lu Chengqing turned his head and didn't say anything, just stared at him without blinking.

Du Zhenglun took a deep breath and said, "I have always known about Du Long's affairs."

A flash of disappointment flashed across Lu Chengqing's eyes, and he looked up and sighed, "It's true."

Du Zhenglun said anxiously, "Brother Lu, if... His Majesty really does ask Di Renjie to secretly investigate, what do you think I should do?"

Lu Chengqing said in a low voice, "Old Du, go confess your crimes to His Majesty. His Majesty will probably show some leniency in view of your past contributions."

Du Zhenglun's lips trembled, but he said nothing.

Lu Chengqing said no more and turned to leave.

After a long silence, Du Zhenglun ordered, "Come here, ask Du Long to come see me."

……

"Your Majesty, Du Long just went to the Du Mansion and met with Du Zhenglun. After returning home, he began to pack up his belongings, seemingly preparing to leave Chang'an."

"Oh?"

Li Zhi sat in front of a couch with a Go board on it. He held a Go manual in his hand and flipped through it while listening to Wang Fusheng's report.

"Fu Sheng, do you think Du Zhenglun already knows that I am investigating him?" he asked, looking up.

Wang Fusheng thought for a moment and said, "I think he must have smelled something, so he made some arrangements."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "Send someone to keep an eye on Du Long. Once he leaves the capital, secretly arrest him."

Wang Fusheng agreed.

Li Zhi looked up to the north and said, "Xue Rengui should have reached Mobei by now, right?"

Wang Fusheng smiled and said, "Given General Xue's usual style, he must have arrived in Mobei by now, and may have already taken control of the White Horse Trading Company."

Li Zhi hummed, then asked, "Any news from Di Renjie?"

Wang Fusheng smiled and said, "Minister Di, under the orders of Your Majesty, has been secretly investigating this matter. His methods were so covert that even my spies were almost unaware of it."

Li Zhi glanced at him and said, "So, his investigation still couldn't be hidden from you?"

Wang Fusheng laughed and said, "I don't know the specific process of his investigation, I only know who he met with."

"Oh, who did he meet?"

Wang Fusheng said, "One of them is called Shi Sanlang, a big businessman from Mobei. He founded the Sanlang Trading Company and was a partner with Du Long at the beginning."

Li Zhi said thoughtfully, "I seem to have heard of this name before."

Wang Fusheng smiled and said, "Your Majesty, Shi Sanlang is the grandson of Shi Hedan. When you investigated Chang Sunyang, you issued an order to return Shi Hedan's mansion to him."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "I remember now. It seems this man has inherited Shi Hedan's talent for business. How is his trading company doing?"

Wang Fusheng said, "It's also a large trading company, but it only deals in horses and coal, and its growth rate is far slower than that of the White Horse Trading Company."

Li Zhi said, "It's good that you have some sense of propriety. Did Di Renjie meet anyone else?"

Wang Fusheng said, "There's another person who was originally a big merchant in the Western Regions. He later went to Mobei and his name is An Lie. He's a friend of Shi Sanlang, and his wife is Jin Yan."

Li Zhi touched his chin and said with a smile, "I remember him. Di Renjie is quite good at finding people."

Wang Fusheng smiled and said, "I suspect that Minister Di Si may have already investigated everything. We are just waiting for news from General Xue."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "Fu Sheng, sit down and play a game of chess with me."

Wang Fusheng smiled and said, "I'm afraid my chess skills are too poor and will spoil your majesty's fun."

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Don't be so modest. I heard from Xiaolou that you've been practicing Go very hard recently, so I'm sure you've made considerable progress."

Xiaolou was the eunuch who served tea to Li Zhi and was also Wang Fusheng's apprentice. He was a gossip and Li Zhi often asked him about some news in the harem.

Wang Fusheng responded with a smile, and carefully bent down opposite Li Zhi, playing a game with Li Zhi.

Li Zhi is now very good at chess. Wang Fusheng tried his best but still lost to Li Zhi.

However, his chess skills were indeed good, especially his entanglement tactics, so it was not easy for Li Zhi to win.

There have been a lot of government affairs in recent days, and Li Zhi was a little tired today. He took a bath and went to bed early.

(End of this chapter)