Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

Wei Yan... plotted a rebellion...

When Yang Yi heard these words, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, sitting right opposite Chen Zhi.

As long as the court acknowledges Wei Wenchang's treason, everything will be fine, and his succession as prime minister is not impossible!

Yang Yi let out a soft sigh, a slight nasal sound escaping his lips, and forced a benevolent smile: "I am aware of this. Besides the three matters you mentioned, the Prime Minister has another dying wish: to be buried at Dingjun Mountain in Hanzhong after his death. Does Your Majesty have anything to say about this?"

"Your Majesty is unaware of this matter, nor is it under the jurisdiction of this envoy," Chen Zhi replied calmly. "Lord Jiang has already dispatched the Grand Master of Ceremonies, Xiang Lang (courtesy name Juda), from Chengdu northward to Hanzhong. He should arrive in a few days. Xiang Lang is of advanced age and high moral character. At Lord Jiang's request, he has been entrusted with the full responsibility of handling the Prime Minister's funeral. Whether the Prime Minister is buried in Hanzhong or returned to Chengdu according to his wishes will be determined by Xiang Lang."

"Hmm." Yang Yi nodded, but then noticed something amiss. Was the only thing His Majesty didn't know about the Prime Minister's dying wish regarding the burial site? Then why did Jiang Wan entrust Xiang Lang with the entire matter?

There was a huge information asymmetry between the Northern Expeditionary Army and Chengdu, between Yang Yi and Jiang Wan, and between Chen Zhi and the others. Moreover, when the Prime Minister was in power, whenever imperial envoys came to the army, they treated the people of the Prime Minister's residence with great courtesy. No one ever treated them with the same official and businesslike attitude as Chen Zhi!

Something must have gone wrong!

Yang Yi hesitated for a few seconds, then asked, "How could Jiang Gongyan have ordered Xiang Juda to do this?"

Chen Zhi looked directly into Yang Yi's eyes and said, "His Majesty has dismissed Chen Xiaoqi (Chen Zhen) from his post as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and appointed Jiang Gong, the Chief Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat, as Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and Governor of Yizhou, entrusting him with the overall administration of domestic and foreign affairs. Therefore, Jiang Gong can be entrusted to Xiang Gong to carry out his duties."

Yang Yi felt a thunderclap in his mind, as if struck by lightning. The words "Minister of the Imperial Secretariat" and "Governor of Yizhou" instantly shattered his psychological defenses, freezing him in place. A complex mix of emotions surged within him, and his eyes were filled with layers of resentment, making his face appear almost furious to onlookers.

Yang Yi knew of the Prime Minister's fondness for Jiang Wan, but the Prime Minister had also always liked and valued him!

For many years, the Prime Minister has been in charge of the Northern Expeditions, and I am his only true assistant. Within the army, I plan the divisions, manage the supplies, and oversee the military operations—all these tasks are done by me! Jiang Wan merely manages the logistics and supplies in the rear. He is younger and less experienced than me. What talent do I have? What merit do I have? What virtue or ability do I possess to rise to the positions of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and Governor of Yizhou?

How could the emperor so quickly hand over the power of governance to Jiang Wan?

The Prime Minister will surely favor me! I am the Prime Minister's most capable subordinate!

Jiang Wan must have stolen the power that rightfully belonged to me!

Yang Yi's feelings at this moment were extremely complicated, a mixture of shock, anger, sorrow, and resentment. He was currently in charge of the affairs of the Prime Minister's residence, yet he had heard these things from the messenger Chen Zhi in front of everyone. Not only had he lost face, but he had also damaged his authority to issue orders. This authority was already shaky, and this blow had further damaged it.

In his nearly sixty years of life, Yang Yi had never encountered anything so embarrassing.

On the other hand, Yang Yi was completely unaware of how inappropriate his behavior was in front of everyone and in front of the Prime Minister's memorial tablet.

"Jiang! Wan!"

Yang Yi lost his composure in public, spitting out those two words through gritted teeth. Disregarding decorum, he strode straight to Chen Zhi, staring intently into Chen Zhi's eyes, and questioned in a low voice, "Did Jiang Wan send you to Hanzhong to humiliate me? Hmm? I'm assisting the Prime Minister in commanding the army at the front lines, while he sits comfortably in Chengdu, and now he's actually looking down on me?"

Chen Zhi calmly observed Yang Yi's face, flushed with anger. His already aged appearance now held a somewhat ferocious and laughable quality. A wave of disgust washed over him. Maintaining his composure, he spoke:

"The matter of General Jiang's appointment is a fait accompli, so please, General Yang, do not be angry." After saying this, Chen Zhi took a step forward and, taking advantage of his height and imposing physique, forcefully leaned close to Yang Yi's side and whispered, "General Yang, please do not be so hasty. The court has not yet made a decision regarding the Northern Expeditionary Army, which is why I was sent here!"

The imperial court... Jiang Wan...

That was Chen Zhi, sent by the emperor to Hanzhong!

"Since you are an envoy, are you willing to help me?" Yang Yi blurted out.

Chen Zhi glanced to the left and right a few times, pursed his lips, stared blankly at Yang Yi, and said nothing more.

When people are panicked, they tend to believe what is in their favor. Chen Zhi didn't say anything, but in Yang Yi's view, Chen Zhi's ambiguous attitude was a reminder to others that it was best not to say too much!

Yang Yi was stunned by Chen Zhi's "reminder". He immediately suppressed his anger, put his hands behind his back and looked at the Prime Minister's memorial tablet, with his back to the crowd in the main hall of the Prime Minister's residence.

No one heard Chen Zhi say those words to Yang Yi, but they all saw Chen Zhi whispering in Yang Yi's ear and Yang Yi's expression change from anger to calm. For a moment, they didn't know what was wrong with Yang Yi, but they felt that Yang Yi's behavior was becoming more and more erratic.

There are still discerning people here.

Fei Yi had witnessed everything that had just happened, and he had roughly guessed what had happened. But the more he knew, the less confident he felt.

This is so unusual!

What is Yang Yi doing? And what is Chen Zhi doing?

Fei Yi was certain that Yang Yi had fallen into a state of illness. And Chen Zhi… what was Chen Zhi thinking at this moment? What were His Majesty and the court thinking?

Fei Yi was adept at assessing situations, and at this moment he carefully considered the circumstances. Moreover, as the second most important person after the Prime Minister Sima and Yang Yi, if he didn't speak, the group of guards and military advisors standing by couldn't ask questions either, and the scene fell into a stalemate.

At this moment, Fei Yi recalled that on the way from the west gate of Mianyang to the Prime Minister's residence, apart from the polite conversation between him and Jiang Wei, Chen Zhi only asked Fei Yi one question.

Chen Zhi asked, "After Yang Yi killed Wei Yan, did he see Wei Yan's head? And what did he say after he saw it?"

Fei Yi had no need or way to cover up something that happened in front of everyone, so he could only answer truthfully.

Fei Yi clearly told Chen Zhi that after Wei Yan was killed by Ma Dai, his head was presented to Yang Yi. In full view of everyone, Yang Yi threw Wei Yan's head to the ground, stepped on Wei Yan's head with his right foot, and cursed, "You worthless slave, do you dare to do evil again?"

Upon hearing Fei Yi's words, Chen Zhi concluded that Yang Yi had already fallen into madness.

Upon entering the Prime Minister's residence, to find the Emperor's envoy arriving late without cause and to greet him with arrogance would be an absolute breach of etiquette.

In front of everyone, Chen Zhi, with a few words of subtle manipulation, easily dragged Yang Yi into a state of utter disarray, exposing his arrogance and further confirming Chen Zhi's judgment:

Leading the army back without consulting Wei Yan, who was acting as the general, and withdrawing the troops on his own was an irregular act.

When Wei Yan's followers scattered, instead of capturing Wei Yan and sending him to Chengdu, the emperor ordered his execution without imperial decree. This was an extremely reckless and transgressive act in politics.

After killing Wei Yan, instead of trying to stabilize the people and the army, he stepped on the head of this famous general of Shu Han and made outrageous remarks. This was a crazy, reckless, and disregardful act.

He trampled on Wei Yan's head, and then, as if committing a vengeful murder, exterminated Wei Yan's entire clan to vent his anger... This can no longer be judged by common sense. Yang Yi's mistakes can no longer be summarized as "personality defects."

Even if Chen Zhi had made preparations and weighed the options in his mind beforehand, he still needed to see Yang Yi's actual situation in person in order to be responsible to himself, to Emperor Liu Shan, to the Shu Han dynasty, and to history.

Chen Zhi has now confirmed that Yang Yi has a way of courting death and is destined to die!

Given this person, this chief secretary of the prime minister, and this mental state, even if Yang Yi can still normally handle the affairs of the prime minister's office, command the army's deployment and defense preparations, neither Chen Zhi, the court, nor Emperor Liu Shan himself should or can have any further expectations of him.