Doctor Amnesiac, but not completely amnesiac

The three murders that seemed to have nothing to do with him still left Cai Yan confused. The identities of the deceased also made it difficult for Cai Yan to tell who they were targeting. Perhaps now, he still thought that the emperor's target was still the Ministry of Revenue, and he just wanted to take this opportunity to give him a warning, but it was not yet time for him to fight to the death.

Qiao Yelan’s idea was also very clear - he wanted to use these smoke bombs to confuse the enemy, and take advantage of the fact that Cai Yan was not ready for a counterattack, and completely eliminate his men. By the time Cai Yan reacted, he would no longer be qualified and had no capital to make a final dying struggle.

This is like boiling a frog in warm water. By the time the frog reacts, it no longer has the ability to jump.

Wang Zhi refilled Qiao Yelan and the emperor with a cup of hot tea, and replaced the hot water bottle in Qiao Yelan's hand.

"My dear, I would like to hear what you are going to do next."

"Of course, it is to add another great general to Your Majesty's saddle. I will persuade Minister Chen to abandon the dark and join the light, and stand completely on Your Majesty's side."

what?

The Wang Zhi people behind were all stunned.

Although he didn't dare to look at the emperor's expression directly, from the long silence that followed, it was obvious that he was not the only one whose CPU was burned by Qiao Yelan's words.

"Your plan... is truly unpredictable."

The emperor was trying to think for a long time, but could only come up with this comment.

Before, the Grand Tutor had refused to respond to him at all. However, after Qiao Yelan arrived, the Grand Tutor suddenly stood up for him in the court and even dragged the Ministry of War into the water, which dealt a heavy blow to Cai Yan.

Just now he was talking about splitting up Cai Yan and Chen Fan and concentrating firepower on dealing with Gao Cheng, but now it suddenly seems that Chen Fan is about to pledge allegiance to him.

What kind of succubus are you that can make the other person so bewitched?

But the emperor was too embarrassed to ask.

His subordinates worked hard for him, and in the end, he couldn't even figure out Qiao Aiqing's methods.

Even with the emperor's thick skin, he felt that this was a bit of a disgrace.

The emperor waited until Wang Zhi pushed Qiao Yelan away and still sat in the back garden, thinking hard about what Qiao Yelan should do.

Until a palace servant came to find him.

"Your Majesty, it's time to eat."

The emperor's mouth twitched when his thoughts were interrupted.

Oh no, I can’t eat lunch now.

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As the Emperor of Dayan, in order to maintain his own face, he certainly didn't want to ask Qiao Yelan about everything. However, as a eunuch, Wang Zhi, who was sent to follow Qiao Yelan to learn and master the new Shaofu, had no such concerns.

He has always been a good student who asks questions whenever he has them.

"Master Qiao, I am really curious about what reasons you are going to use to persuade Minister Chen to serve His Majesty?"

"It's still the same reason I told Your Majesty before - Minister Chen, we really have evidence against you."

Qiao Yelan explained calmly.

"It is already a foregone conclusion that Chen Fan was involved in the smuggling at Longmen, and almost the entire Ministry of Revenue has been implicated by him. All that is left is for the Dali Temple to dig deeper. Therefore, whenever Your Majesty wants to deal with the Ministry of Revenue, there are reasons to follow and traces to follow. Minister Chen is naturally very clear about this."

"And it was precisely because Minister Chen knew this fact that I was able to convince him. Now, I have used a banknote from Wang's Company to implicate Zhu Ronghui, Shopkeeper Wang, and Minister Wang in this third, seemingly unrelated murder. The Ministry of Revenue has become even more turbulent because of this. So what do you think Minister Chen is thinking now?"

Wang Zhi pondered for a moment.

"Minister Chen must want to end this matter quickly now?"

"That's right. All he can think about now is how to save his money and get off safely. At this point, we haven't fully exposed the real intention of this series of actions to deal with Cai Yan. On the surface, the emperor's main focus is still on the Ministry of Revenue, and he is just trying to crack down on Cai Yan - so what is Prime Minister Cai thinking at this time?"

"If he does that... he should also want to pick himself out, right?"

"That's true, but that's only half true."

Wang Zhi was stunned.

half?

"They both really want to get themselves out of this matter, but the second half is different - Minister Chen wants to step down safely, but our Prime Minister Cai wants to continue to maintain his position and political capital."

"After all, our Lord Cai still feels that his chances of winning are very high - he still wants to continue to have absolute power in the court."

The man sat in a wheelchair with a sneer on his face.

This is the fundamental reason why he can now completely split the Tsai Party interest group - one is thinking about how to land safely, and the other is thinking about continuing to stir up trouble. Now that these two people have different interests, naturally, there is no possibility for them to cooperate.

"But even if there is no possibility for Minister Chen and Prime Minister Cai to cooperate, how can you be sure that you can persuade him to be loyal to Your Majesty and turn against Prime Minister Cai?"

Wang Zhi still didn't understand this logic.

"Chen Fan wants to ask for peace. Is it easier for him to go to Cai Yan to get it done, or to go to the emperor to get it done?"

"Of course I'll go find Cai..."

The following words were suddenly cut off in my throat.

Yes, Cai Yan does have enough say in the court, and he is also capable of helping Chen Fan get through this safely - but the question is, will he agree to Chen Fan's request?

At this critical moment when he needs the support of the court the most?

What Cai Yan wanted was to restore control over the court. If Chen Fan wanted to take a step back at this moment, he would never agree - because he could not afford the cost of losing the Ministry of Revenue's support!

Especially today, after Chen Fan was forced by the Grand Tutor to the opposite side of Cai Yan.

Cai Yan could certainly understand Chen Fan's choice, but understanding did not mean condoning it - as long as Prime Minister Cai's ambition did not disappear, he would not let go of the power in his hands, and the Ministry of Revenue was indispensable to his power, so he would never let it go!

The reason is the same as mentioned before - Cai Yan doesn't have anyone who can replace Chen Fan.

Therefore, for his own benefit, he urgently needed Chen Fan to continue to stand on the cusp of this storm, to continue to stand by him and to oppose the emperor.

Even if the Dali Temple has found evidence that can overthrow the Ministry of Revenue, he will still insist on doing so.

Because their interests are no longer unified.

"This is their fundamental contradiction. What I want to take advantage of is that Chen Fan knows that the Dali Temple has found enough evidence, and using this evidence as an excuse, the Imperial Guards can raid his house. I asked His Majesty to send Eunuch Zheng to lead the Imperial Guards to surround the Prime Minister's Mansion in order to create an illusion for Chen Fan, making him think that the Emperor is not afraid to touch them."

Qiao Yelan smiled and spread out his hands.

"But what Minister Chen doesn't know is that neither I nor His Majesty really intend to touch him at this time - but he doesn't know this fact, and he is afraid of this happening, so this is the bargaining chip I can use to trade with Minister Chen."

"That means I can help him get out of this matter, and even help him keep his position as Minister of Revenue."

Wang Zhi now understood and was deeply shocked.

It turns out that this Mr. Qiao is trying to get something for nothing.

"Your Excellency's strategy is truly...interconnected."

"Interlinked? No, that's not the case. The longer the plan, the more likely it is to go wrong. What determines which plan I use is the reaction of the person I'm plotting against. Because I have corresponding means to counter any reaction from them, and turn the outcome to the one I need."

Qiao Yelan corrected.

"For example, Eunuch Wang, if after I go there this time, Minister Chen is determined to take another gamble and plans to fight to the end with Cai Yan, what would you do if you were me?"

Wang Zhi was dumbfounded. Qiao Yelan's analysis of interests had reached this point. There was no reason or possibility for Chen Fan to refuse to stand on the emperor's side, right?

"If, it's just a hypothesis, what would you do in the face of this reaction?"

"I... am a stupid servant and I really don't know what to do."

"In fact, the answer is very simple. We should bribe the ministers and doctors of the Ministry of Revenue."

Qiao Yelan laughed.

"Bribing the assistant minister and doctor of the Ministry of Revenue?"

"Even the Shangshu Chen Fan wants to land safely. Do you think any of these assistant ministers and doctors who have taken the money would have the guts to not run away?"

The man's voice was casual, as if such a scheme was not worth mentioning to him.

"Just use the emperor's name to protect a few people and tell them to follow the crowd and contradict Cai Yan in the court. Then everyone will realize that Chen Fan has actually lost control of the Ministry of Revenue - then Chen Fan's attitude can no longer represent the Ministry of Revenue, and he will no longer be of any use to Cai Yan."

"The scary thing is not being in a situation, but being in a situation and losing your value."

Wang Zhi chewed over this sentence carefully.

Then he realized why Qiao Yelan was not worried that the Minister and the Doctor would refuse to be bribed.

Because at today's court meeting, everyone saw that Minister Chen opposed Prime Minister Cai's proposal and stood on the side of the emperor.

The immediate superiors all know that they have to adapt to the situation and stand on the side of the emperor when necessary. So, these guys who have been in the officialdom for so many years, don’t they know that it is time to find a way out for themselves?

Whether bribing Chen Fan or bribing the minister, the result will be the same - the Ministry of Revenue will stand on the side of the emperor and add insult to injury to the Cai party.

The least important part of this may be Chen Fan’s attitude towards this attempt to win over the other party.

Could Chen Fan have thought of this?

Maybe.

But even if I think of it, what can I do?

What will happen if you don’t expect it?

no difference.

Qiao Yelan said that when Minister Chen stood up at the court meeting today and said "I second the motion", it was the final nail in the coffin of Tsai's party.

Now, he is going to hammer the nail in with his own hands.

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Ace pushed Qiao Yelan and arrived at Chen's house.

"Sir, please forgive me. We at the Chen Mansion refuse to accept any outside visitors these days. My lord said he is busy with government affairs and will not see anyone else."

Qiao Yelan was not surprised by the reaction of the doorman of the Chen Mansion. At this time, Chen Fan was already a frightened bird, but he was prepared.

"I am here to discuss government affairs with Lord Chen. Please inform him - please tell Lord Chen that I am here to discuss the Wangji Company with him."

The concierge immediately ran to pass the message.

After a while, the door of Chen's house opened.

"Master Qiao, our master wants to see you."

After passing through courtyards of all sizes, Qiao Yelan finally met Minister Chen in the study, who looked rather haggard.

Ace and the servants of the Chen Mansion quickly retreated, leaving only Chen Fan and Qiao Yelan in the study.

"Master Chen seems a little surprised by my visit."

"The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Finance have rarely interacted with each other. Why did the Ministry of Finance come to visit this time and mentioned the matter of Wangji Company?

Chen Fan didn't play any roundabout ways with Qiao Yelan. He went straight to the point, staring at Qiao Yelan intently.

He couldn't figure out why this person came at this time.

"Nothing, it's just that the Shaofu is going to expand, especially to expand the business in Longmen, so they need experienced hands. The accountants of Wangji Trading Company are all experienced, so the Shaofu wants to take over all of them. Sir Chen, please sign a note."

Sign a note?

Chen Fan was completely caught off guard by Qiao Yelan's words.

The Wang's Company had originally intended to change the name but not the substance, so as to erase all the account books and traces of previous smuggling in Longmen - but the families of the responsible manager Wang and Minister Wang were successively wiped out, and the matter was completely left unresolved.

Now, some of the clerks, accountants and branch managers of these businesses who knew the inside story were trapped and died in Longmen, while those who stayed in the capital were waiting anxiously at home, suffering from the double torture of death and interrogation in the Dali Temple.

At this time, no one dared to have anything to do with this business. After all, if anyone dared to touch this business at this time, he would be immediately suspected of being a murderer...

Chen Fan stood up suddenly and stared at Qiao Yelan.

No one looked down upon this man in white who sat in a wheelchair and was obviously promoted to the third rank by the emperor at great expense. Apart from recruiting shop assistants all over the city at the beginning, this man only deliberately made a big fuss about the death of Shopkeeper Wang in the court.

But it was not until now that Chen Fan remembered that this series of events started after this person arrived in the capital!

Chapter 92: The Old Man Explodes Gold Coins

Chen Fan did not lose his composure and yell, or grit his teeth in anger.

He knew very well that the scheme that could trap both him and Cai Yan would not work if he just yelled a few times.

Especially when the person suspected to be the mastermind walks up to him.

But the other party chose to come to see me at this time, either to add insult to injury and trample me to death, or...

We still have something to talk about.

"You want all the staff of Wang's Company?"

He forced himself to suppress his twitching face, forced a smile, and asked Qiao Yelan.