The revitalization of the Tang Dynasty began with the Ganlu Incident.

The three major problems of the late Tang Dynasty were eunuch dictatorship, factionalism and suppression of dissidents, and regional separatism. Although they seemed to be independent, they were actually deeply intertwined.

The first two are particularly intertwined and inseparable.

Even setting aside the issue of the Shence Army, the powerful eunuchs in the palace today are basically people who have cultivated their power for many years and whose positions have been passed down through generations.

This enabled them not only to be thoroughly familiar with all the rules and regulations in the palace, but also to accumulate a deep network of connections and relationships.

Not to mention the Shence Army, which had been controlled by eunuchs for many years, countless officers and generals in the army were related to the eunuchs.

Although things are better in the central government, they are not far behind.

Over the years, after Emperor Xianzong, Emperors Muzong and Jingzong all lost control of the government, which led to the growing power of eunuchs.

While it cannot be said that the promotion, demotion, and dismissal of court officials were entirely at the behest of eunuchs, cultivating relationships with eunuchs to gain favor had long been an unspoken rule in officialdom.

During the two or three decades following the ascension of Emperor Muzong and Emperor Jingzong, half of the prime ministers in the Council of State Affairs were recommended by eunuchs.

In this situation, almost every official in the court who could reach the central position of two provinces would, to some extent, go to the eunuch's residence to offer prayers.

This is precisely why Li Ang felt that the original owner's attempt to eliminate the eunuchs through a coup was not a wise move.

Over the years, the eunuch group had become deeply embedded in the massive machine of the Tang Dynasty, inseparable from it.

Wang Shouchang could die, and Qiu Shiliang could die, but the deaths of these people could not change the fundamental nature of eunuch power.

Trying to regain military power and solve the problem of eunuch dominance by killing a few people is merely putting the cart before the horse.

Unless he can eliminate all the eunuchs in the palace, including the military officers and ministers associated with them, all at once.

Otherwise, a new Qiu Shiliang will inevitably emerge in a few years.

Therefore, for Li Ang at present, using the power division and checks and balances among the eunuchs, although not a fundamental solution, is still the most effective method.

Liu Hongyi and Xue Jiling were both promoted by the original owner of this body, but it can be seen from the tests they conducted a few days ago that they are not entirely loyal to him.

Yang Qinyi was certainly not entirely loyal, but his adoptive father, grandfather, and his adopted son were all in the palace, with deep roots. Using him to check Liu and Xue should not cause any problems.

With these thoughts in mind, Liu Hongyi had already arrived at the front of the palace.

"This old servant greets everyone."

"Rise."

Li Ang waved his hand, beckoning him closer, and asked.

"How's it going?"

This question is naturally about the capture of Zheng Zhu.

Liu Hongyi bowed slightly and said, "Reporting to everyone, Zheng Zhu has been locked up and imprisoned, and the Fengxiang Army he brought has been secretly taken to the Shence Army's garrison for safekeeping."

"When the old servant arrested him, Zheng Zhu, in a panic, confessed that he and Li Xun had corresponded. The old servant has already ordered his men to arrest and imprison Wei Feng, Zheng Zhu's brother-in-law who delivered the letters for him."

"The Shence Army found many letters in Wei Feng's house. This old servant has picked out the important parts. The evidence is here for your perusal."

After saying this, he took out several letters from his sleeve and handed them to the emperor's desk.

Li Ang glanced at it, but didn't rush to open it. Instead, he turned to the side and asked.

"Zheng Zhu is, after all, a military governor. If he is arrested so rashly, will there be any unrest in the capital?"

These words clearly carried a scrutinizing tone.

But Liu Hongyi didn't notice and continued to bow.

"Don't worry, everyone. This old servant went to the Lantian County post station to capture the person. He also kept a low profile on the way back to the palace. He didn't get on any torture carts. Even if someone happens to see him, they will only think that the Shence Army is on some kind of mission and will not guess that he is capturing criminals."

Upon hearing this, Li Ang glanced at Liu Hongyi from head to toe and said.

"But as far as I know, some ministers in the court are already aware of this, and the news has already begun to spread."

"What?" Liu Hongyi looked up, his face filled with astonishment.

Li Ang didn't seem to have any intention of hiding anything and continued, "Just now, Hanlin Academician Chen Yixing came to see me, and he said to me..."

After briefly recounting the events of the previous exchange, Liu Hongyi, surprised, became somewhat hesitant.

Seeing this, Li Ang's eyes darkened, and he said.

"Liu Hongyi, if I remember correctly, you seem to have had dealings with quite a few ministers in the Niu faction, right?"

Since eunuchs were involved in court politics, there were naturally different factions.

Previously, because the original owner of this body was more inclined to the Niu Party's propositions on major policies, it was only natural that those eunuchs who often spoke for the Niu Party were more favored by him.

Liu Hongyi is one of them!

However, Liu Hongyi remained calm in the face of such questioning and bowed.

"In reply to you all, although this old servant has some connections with ministers such as Li Zongmin who have been demoted, I have no dealings with Minister Linghu."

"The imperial decree to arrest Zheng Zhu is a closely guarded secret within the palace. This old servant would never dare to divulge even a single word of it. I implore everyone to understand."

Seeing this, Li Ang remained silent for a moment, his eyes still holding a hint of inquiry, and then spoke.

"Then how do you explain that while you were making your move, Linghu Chu had already received the news and then informed Zheng Qin?"

Li Ang had no doubts about Chen Yixing's previous report.

Because the news he brought matched the performance of Linghu Chu and Zheng Tan during the audience at Yan Ying Hall.

Since Li Xun became prime minister, he has been riding high for more than a year, and almost no one in the court can rival his prowess.

Even veteran officials like Linghu Chu and Zheng Tan would try their best not to provoke them during regular discussions.

It's quite rare to see a situation like this where people argue in court.

However, if Linghu Chu already knew that the palace was going to take action against Li Xun, then his reaction would be much more reasonable.

However, Li Ang also did not believe that Liu Hongyi would voluntarily leak the information.

The reason is simple: the operation to arrest Zheng Zhu, from the initial report to the final execution, was orchestrated by Liu Hongyi.

Now that the person is in his hands, there is absolutely no need to alert him.

Even if it is necessary to use ministers from the outer court to exert pressure, at least one should wait until after the prisoners have been imprisoned and interrogated, and certain evidence has been gathered, before launching an offensive.

If information is leaked like this and Li Xun accidentally finds out, it could easily lead to unforeseen circumstances.

Given Liu Hongyi's temperament, I believe he wouldn't be in such a hurry.

But just because he didn't do it doesn't mean he didn't know who did it.

Since the arrest operation was led by Liu Hongyi, he should know best where information could easily be leaked.

This is why Li Ang, even though he knew the matter had nothing to do with him, still questioned him.

Unsurprisingly, Liu Hongyi frowned deeply when faced with this question. After a moment, he seemed to realize something, and a cold glint appeared in his eyes.

Li Ang just looked at him without asking any further questions, and the atmosphere in the hall became somewhat tense.

After a brief silence, Liu Hongyi, with a complex expression, lowered his head and said...

"Reporting to everyone, only this old servant and Lieutenant Xue knew about the capture of Zheng Zhu before. Apart from him, even General Chen Junyi, who was in charge of troop deployment, only found out what was to be done after arriving in Lantian County."

"So, if the information could have been leaked beforehand, then it can only be..."