Seeing Gao Panlong's expression, Han Yu knew what was going on.

He couldn't help but ask, "How could you do such a thing?"

After hearing what Han Yu said, Gao Panlong's face looked even uglier.

However, Gao Panlong knew in his heart that he needed Han Yu's help now, and he absolutely could not fall out with Han Yu.

So Gao Panlong suppressed the anger in his heart and said helplessly, "This is a long story."

"It's okay, take your time." Han Yu took a sip of tea and acted as if he was all ears.

Han Yu’s attitude was very clear: if you don’t tell me, I definitely won’t help you.

For Han Yu, participating in this matter was too risky. If he didn't understand the whole story, he might get himself into trouble.

How could Han Yu do such a high-risk thing?

Although we are all of the same origin, it is impossible for us to sacrifice our future for their stupidity.

Although Gao Panlong was furious, he was also helpless. Han Yu's attitude was clear, so he had no choice.

After a moment's silence, Gao Panlong said to Han Yu, "Do you remember the time when His Majesty summoned me?"

Han Yu was stunned for a moment, then reacted and said directly, "But what about the time when His Majesty summoned you and Yang Lian?"

Gao Panlong nodded and said helplessly, "It was that time. That time in front of His Majesty, Yang Lian said that Yao Zongwen and others should be severely punished; but I said that we should make a big deal out of a small matter. You know, I was also acting out of public interest. The situation in Liaodong is unstable, and the Jiannu are rampant. At this moment, the court's decision should focus on pacifying Liaodong."

"If the Liaodong incident were to be exposed at this time, the court would severely punish Yao Zongwen and others, and also severely punish Li Ruzhen. This would be detrimental to Liaodong and the Ming Dynasty! After Yao Zongwen and others were transferred to the Ministry of Justice, I discussed this matter with Zou Yuanbiao."

"He shared my view that we shouldn't start a war right now. So I discussed it with Yang Lian, and we decided to make a big deal out of a small one. Of course, someone had to take responsibility for the Liaodong issue, and we chose Li Ruzhen."

"If everything goes well, Li Ruzhen will be beheaded in public, and Yao Zongwen and others will be dismissed and sent home. We also said at the time that Yao Zongwen and others' dismissal and return home was only temporary, and they could be reinstated after the storm subsided."

After hearing Gao Panlong's words, Han Yu stroked his beard and nodded gently. His expression softened considerably, even showing a hint of appreciation. He said, "Li Ruzhen is responsible for the loss of territory and has also been conspiring with court officials. An immediate execution is only fitting."

"As for Yao Zongwen and the others, they were foolish enough to accept money from Liu Guojin. We all know that the Censorate is struggling, and mistakes are inevitable. Dismissal and returning home are perfectly reasonable punishments, and they are the words of a wise and prudent minister. Given this decision, why did it go so wrong?"

When Gao Panlong heard Han Yu say this, he felt relieved. As long as Han Yu agreed with his approach, it would be fine.

Sighing in frustration, Gao Panlong said helplessly, "Everything was planned very well, but who could have known that Yao Zongwen and the others would change their confessions in court, insisting that Wei Zhongxian framed them and denying all their crimes!"

"At this point, we are in a dilemma. We can't torture them like Wei Zhongxian did. But persuasion is useless."

"At this time, Wei Zhongxian has been making slanderous remarks before His Majesty. His Majesty is pressing us hard, and we have no other options. We thought we would just kill the matter. We know exactly what Wei Zhongxian is going to do, so why not take advantage of this incident to bring him down?"

Looking back now, it was so foolish of us to act like that! From that moment on, we had already fallen into Wei Zhongxian's trap!"

"Feng Sanyuan and his men had already defected to Wei Zhongxian, and their recantation was at his behest. When we submitted the interrogation records, Wei Zhongxian again slandered us before Your Majesty, accusing us of protecting one another and conflating right and wrong. Naturally, Your Majesty became suspicious, and as a result, Your Majesty ordered Wei Zhongxian to conduct a retrial."

"Since the retrial began, Feng Sanyuan and others, under Wei Zhongxian's instructions, have falsely accused us of forming a clique for personal gain. Now we have no way to defend ourselves! The death of a jailer has further weakened His Majesty's trust in us. Wei Zhongxian's constant slander has made things even more difficult. Lord, this is a matter of life and death. Our lives are of little concern; the survival of the Ming Dynasty is of paramount importance!"

"Wei Zhongxian is vicious, ruthless, and shameless. He framed us. If this case is truly determined to be a clique for personal gain, he will undoubtedly implicate us all, and the court will be filled with treason! By then, the Ming Dynasty will be in ruins! Lord, at this critical moment of our survival, you must not waver!"

Han Yu nodded and said in a deep voice, "It's true that we shouldn't open a major case, but we must give an explanation to His Majesty on this matter."

"Your Majesty is already extremely displeased with Yao Zongwen and his men for accepting bribes and impeaching Xiong Tingbi. The Inspectorate's duty is to oversee all officials, yet they are being accused of private bribery and arbitrary impeachment. How can Your Majesty not be furious?"

"Originally, this matter wasn't a big deal; simply punishing a few individuals would have been enough. However, you protected them and impeached Wei Zhongxian, the judge who presided over the case. This inevitably led His Majesty to believe that we were colluding."

"Although we know this is Wei Zhongxian's conspiracy, we have no way to prove it. The most urgent task is to calm His Majesty's anger. Only when His Majesty calms down his anger will He listen to our advice. Otherwise, nothing can be done!"

Gao Panlong nodded. He knew what Han Yu said made sense, and said bluntly, "What can we do about this?"

In fact, Han Yu didn’t have any good solution, but since he couldn’t solve the problem, he could solve the problem’s problems!

Glancing at Gao Panlong, Han Yu bluntly stated, "Your Majesty's current distrust of the Censorate stems naturally from Yao Zongwen and his men accepting bribes. But what really infuriated His Majesty was the memorial submitted by Yang Lian and his men. This led His Majesty to believe they were engaging in private transactions."

"Feng Sanyuan and the others are currently in the East Factory, and we can't contact them. Even if we could, it would be difficult for us to get them to denounce Wei Zhongxian. Since they have been bribed by Wei Zhongxian, we can't make them repent with just a few words."

"However, these people are wavering and indecisive, and their words are simply unreliable. When you return, have Zou Yuanbiao and Yang Lian summoned and have them submit memorials of apology. Zou Yuanbiao failed to discipline his subordinates and accepted bribes from the Chief Censor of the Supervisory Office. He is in no way impeachable, and Your Majesty is requested to punish him severely. As for Yang Lian, he admits his incompetence and that he was deceived by Yao Zongwen and others. He feels ashamed of Your Majesty and requests to be dismissed from office and punished according to the law."

Gao Panlong probably also knew about Han Yu's strategy.

On the one hand, they attacked Feng Sanyuan and others, saying that their words should not be adopted.

On the other hand, I wrote a letter to confess my mistakes and ask Your Majesty to punish me severely.

Let Your Majesty vent his anger, so that we can overcome this crisis.

However, Gao Panlong was still a little hesitant. Wouldn't this be tantamount to admitting defeat to Wei Zhongxian?