Chapter 100
In the afternoon, just as Fan Changyu returned to the army, he was called over by Master Tao.
She thought that Master Tao came to check the book he asked her to copy, so she went over with the stack of papers that Xie Zheng had helped to copy, but she found that there was someone else with Master Tao.
The man looked to be about forty years old, with a refined and upright look in his features. He was not wearing armor and looked like a civil servant.
Fan Changyu did not recognize him, so he just called Master Tao, "Adoptive father."
The middle-aged man had been looking at Fan Changyu closely since she entered the tent. His eyes and expression were heavy, and contained an indescribable mixture of relief and worry.
Fan Changyu felt very strange, but seeing that the other party had no ill intentions, he just let him look at him.
When Master Tao saw Fan Changyu, he said, "You're here."
He did not seem to have any intention of introducing Fan Changyu to the man. He only said, "This is a general in the army. He heard that you killed Shi Hu and is very curious. He wants to see your martial arts."
Fan Changyu had not expected that the man in the Confucian robes was actually a general. He clasped his fists and bowed, "Greetings, general."
The middle-aged man was He Jingyuan. He saw some of his old friend in Fan Changyu, and with mixed feelings, he asked, "Do you know martial arts?"
Fan Changyu replied: "A little bit."
Even though he had a guess in his mind, He Jingyuan still asked: "Who taught you martial arts?"
Fan Changyu said, "My father."
He Jingyuan asked: "Can you fight with me for a few moves?"
Fan Changyu looked at Master Tao.
Master Tao stroked his beard and said, "This general is also good at swordsmanship. Let him teach you a thing or two."
Fan Changyu clasped his fists and said, "Please teach me, General."
The space inside the military tent was too small to maneuver freely.
The two men went outside the tent to practice martial arts, each holding a long-handled broadsword.
Fan Changyu took the lead in launching the attack. His sword was swift and invincible. He Jingyuan only defended at first, fighting and retreating, just to see Fan Changyu's moves clearly.
When he was about to retreat to the edge of the military tent, he suddenly switched from defense to offense, using the same moves that Fan Changyu had used earlier.
Compared to Fan Changyu's blind pursuit of ferocity, his swordsmanship is obviously more steady. He can attack when advancing and defend when retreating, with a good balance of tension and relaxation.
When Fan Changyu wanted to change her attack, the opponent seized a loophole in her defense and pointed the blade at her neck.
Before Fan Changyu could even throw the knife in her hand, she was secretly shocked. Although she lacked practical experience, when she was detained at home in the past, her only fun was practicing the knife skills taught by her father. Fan Changyu thought she was very familiar with every move in it.
But this time when she fought with the general, she had the illusion that he was more familiar with this sword technique than she was, and even knew how to counter his moves.
Seeing her stunned, He Jingyuan put away his knife and asked her, "Do you know where the flaw was in your move just now?"
Fan Changyu clasped his fists respectfully and said, "I sincerely ask for your guidance, General."
He Jingyuan said, "I think you have practiced this set of sword techniques for too long, so your sword moves are too rigid. You must finish one move before you move to the next one. But the battlefield changes rapidly. If one attack fails, you can just try another one. How can you be thrown into disarray by someone breaking your moves?"
These words indeed pointed out the flaw in Fan Changyu's swordsmanship. When she used the pig-killing knife, she was often able to kill the opponent by surprise.
Using the long-handled sword, she would undoubtedly win against those who were not as skilled as her in martial arts. However, she would be greatly restricted when facing those like He Jingyuan and Xie Zheng who were proficient in all kinds of weapons.
Fan Changyu's respect for him increased suddenly, and he said gratefully, "Thank you, General!"
He Jingyuan saw that she understood, and besides the complexity in his eyes, there was also a hint of relief. He said, "I'll show you a few more moves."
The two continued to compete in the open space outside the military tent. Every time Fan Changyu used a move, He Jingyuan pointed out the shortcomings and told her how to break the move.
He Jingyuan did not stop until a soldier who looked like a personal guard came over. He let Fan Changyu go back and reflect on what he had learned today.
After bidding farewell to Master Tao, Fan Changyu returned with a lot of sword techniques in his mind.
When Master Tao saw Fan Changyu walking away, He Jingyuan was still staring at the direction she left, and said, "I have always felt that the child is honest and resolute. No matter where she is, she always maintains a kind heart. She is a good seedling. Later, when I heard you say that she is the descendant of that old man, I realized that this great wisdom and foolishness is similar to her grandfather."
He Jingyuan bowed to Master Tao and said, "My old friend has left me an orphan. I will entrust him to you, Master."
Master Tao sighed, "A boy and a daughter, both are my flesh and blood. But the past is all gone. When those things happened, the two daughters were not even born yet. What does it have to do with them? No matter what, I will protect them well."
He Jingyuan bowed deeply again.
Master Tao said, "As for Jiuheng, let's keep him in the dark for now."
He Jingyuan said worriedly, "I'm afraid that the paper will eventually reveal the truth."
Master Tao patted him on the shoulder and said, "Jingyuan, Jingyuan, you still don't know your prime minister well enough. Do you really think that he found out more than ten years later that Meng Shuyuan's daughter and son-in-law were hiding in Qingping County under your protection?"
He Jingyuan was stunned.
Master Tao said, with his hands behind his back, looking at the junction of the distant mountains and the sky: "What happened back then may not be what you think. You and I both know what kind of person Meng Shuyuan is. He would never do such a thing without distinguishing the importance of things. However, after the fall of Jinzhou City, he committed suicide in his tent, and the important generals around him were all killed or injured in the subsequent battles, so there is no way to know the truth of that year. But if it is said that Wei Yan planned all this, and Meng Shuyuan's descendants still have the evidence of his frame-up in their hands, I am afraid that he would rather kill a thousand people by mistake than let one person go. How could he let the other party escape to the border and live in hiding for more than ten years?"
He Jingyuan smiled bitterly and said, "When Brother Qi Lin brought General Meng's only daughter to me, he told me that the Prime Minister had ordered him to kill General Meng's only daughter. He couldn't do it, so he fabricated the illusion that he and General Meng's only daughter fell off a cliff and died. If, as the Grand Tutor said, the Prime Minister intended to leave them a way out from the beginning, why did he later order me to kill my former comrade-in-arms and send assassins to the Fan family to look for that thing several times?"
If there were any veteran generals present, they would know that the "Qi Lin" mentioned by He Jingyuan was Wei Qilin, a retainer of the Wei Mansion.
Wei Qilin's original surname was not Wei, nor did he have a name. He was just a servant bought by the Wei family to be trained as a death warrior. Because he was born with great strength and was quite talented in martial arts, he was trained by the head general of the Wei family.
Wei Yan originally had no military power at all. It was only thanks to He Jingyuan and Wei Qilin's repeated military exploits on the battlefield that he gradually gained reputation.
Later, Wei Yan married his sister to Xie Linshan, and the contacts between the Wei and Xie families became closer. Wei Qilin also worked under Xie Linshan, and was appreciated by Meng Shuyuan, an old general under Xie Linshan. Because the old general Meng had only one daughter, he married her into the Meng family.
This Wei Qilin was later known as Fan Erniu.
What He Jingyuan had always feared was that Wei Qilin would become the knife and the driving force behind General Meng's delay in grain transportation.
However, Wei Qilin told him very little about what happened in Jinzhou back then. In the past ten years or so, the two of them had never met again, except for the time when Wei Qilin took the initiative to come to him for help, just to avoid Wei Yan finding out.
He sighed deeply, "If I had opened and read those things when he gave them to me, I wouldn't have to be so suspicious now."
But if he had seen it at that time, he would not have been able to save Fan Changyu and her sister unless he directly rebelled against Wei Yan.
Master Tao comforted him, "Nothing has been settled yet, let's wait and see. I came out of seclusion because I was worried that someone would take advantage of the battle in Jinzhou and use Jiu Heng as a weapon. Lin Shan's death is a hurdle that the child can't get over, and I'm afraid he will be tricked by others."
He Jingyuan thought he had a thorough understanding of the current situation, but he was still full of doubts. He said, "He is stupid. When the doubts about the battle of Jinzhou were spread among the people, the spearhead was directly pointed at the prime minister. What the master meant was that someone was trying to cause the marquis to fight with the prime minister?"
Grand Tutor Tao said, "Wei Yan and I are not close friends. In recent years, he has been criticized by everyone, whether in the public or in the court. Perhaps he has been in that position for too long and has lost his mind. But as you said, more than ten years ago, he was also very dedicated to the country of Dayin. When he asked me to accept Jiuheng as my student, he asked the teacher of Nanshan Academy to persuade me in a roundabout way under the banner of Xie Linshan. It seemed that he was afraid that I would not accept Jiuheng as my student because I did not get along with him."
Tutor Tao was a student of Nanshan Academy.
He Jingyuan had never expected that Wei Yan would go to such lengths for Xie Zheng. He used to be Wei Yan's confidant and had seen Wei Yan and Xie Zheng together a few times. Wei Yan had never been polite to his nephew.
Even if Xie Zheng had made great military achievements and received an award, he would first scold him and then praise him with some mild words.
Everyone in the Prime Minister's Office knew that Wei Yan disliked his nephew Xie Zheng, but secretly he generously invited Master Tao to teach Xie Zheng. As Wei Xuan was Wei Yan's biological son, he probably didn't receive such treatment.
For a moment, He Jingyuan became even more confused.
He said: "It is also true that the Prime Minister wanted to kill the Marquis on the battlefield of Chongzhou."
Tao Taifu narrowed his old eyes, his eyes were sharp, and he said: "The Jinzhou case back then must be related to Wei Yan, but there may be some hidden secrets that made him so erratic. I will go to the capital to meet him in person. Before I come back, don't tell Jiuheng about the Meng family."
He paused, and then continued, "The Li family has found out a lot of things, and I'm afraid they will take action. My daughter has been trained enough, so let her go to the battlefield and gain more military merits. If the Li family messes up the situation and that brat knows about it in advance, she will have someone around her who can help her, and I don't have to worry about her."
He Jingyuan felt that his tangled thoughts had finally been sorted out, and he quickly answered yes.
-
Capital city.
After the morning court session, civil and military officials walked out of the Golden Throne Hall one after another, and officials led by Wei Yan and Li Taifu surrounded them and walked to different sides.
When Wei Yan walked down the white marble stairs, he bumped into Li Taifu who was walking down the other end of the white marble stairs that were blocked by the dragon carving.
Both of them are old foxes who have experienced many ups and downs in the officialdom for many years. When they met, one was strong and majestic, while the other was easy-going and friendly.
After looking at each other for a moment, Li Taifu took the lead in bowing to Wei Yan and said, "Prime Minister Wei."
He was thin and gaunt, with white hair and beard, and looked much older than Wei Yan. However, he was easy-going and not as knowledgeable as Master Tao. Therefore, even though he looked approachable, it was difficult to get close to him.
Wei Yan just raised his hand vacantly and replied, "Master Li."
He had been undermining the imperial power for more than ten years, yet his majesty was no less than that of an emperor.
Li Taifu said with a smile: "In the northwest war, the rebels were ordered by Marquis Wu'an and General He to hold them back separately. Now they are powerless to fight back. Your Majesty is very pleased. I think the victory report will be sent back to the capital soon. Li, congratulate the Prime Minister in advance."
Wei Yan's face showed no emotion at all, he just said: "It's a major national event, we are all happy."
The confrontation between the two has come to an end.
No matter what the current situation in the court was, and no matter how much people in the world cursed Wei Yan, he was indeed the number one in Dayin's officialdom. He walked right past Grand Tutor Li, his scarlet official robe's wide sleeves fluttering in the wind, and he walked calmly down the next set of white marble steps, and no one dared to say a word against him.
Only after Wei Yan walked away did the officials behind Li Taifu dare to speak out angrily: "Wei Yan is too arrogant! The royal family of Dayin is still named Qi!"
Li Taifu glanced at the person who spoke and said, "Shouyi, stop talking nonsense!"
His voice was not loud, and he did not seem angry, but he frightened the official so much that he quickly bowed and saluted, saying repeatedly: "It was your humble servant who spoke out of turn..."
Tutor Li said nothing more and walked away with the other officials around him. The official then looked towards the Golden Palace behind him in fear and trepidation, then lifted his sleeve to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.
Three generations of the Li family have entered officialdom. Except for Li Taifu, the mainstay who competed with Wei Yan, and Li Huaian who went to the northwest, Li Taifu also had several sons working in the court. But the only one who remained in the capital was the eldest son, who was also Li Huaian's father.
After Li Taifu and his son got on the carriage for home, his eldest son Li Yuanting said, "Father, Wu'an Hou did not attack Chongzhou, but went to besiege Kangcheng instead. I think he saw that we wanted to seize the military merit of Chongzhou, so he deliberately stayed out of it. But at the court this morning, His Majesty still praised Wu'an Hou very much, and his words seemed to indicate that he wanted to marry the eldest princess to him. Wei Yan has not fallen yet, but His Majesty has begun to envy our Li family."
Li Taifu closed his eyes and asked, "How is the Queen doing?"
Li Yuanting said somewhat harshly: "The queen... still can't get pregnant."
Taifu Li was the emperor's tutor. In order to support the Li family in their fight against Wei Yan, the young emperor made a girl from the Li family, who was less than thirteen years old, his empress.
But as the years passed, the queen still did not get pregnant.
Li Taifu asked, "What did the imperial physician say?"
Li Yuanting said: "The imperial physician couldn't figure out what the disease was."
Li Taifu opened his eyes and said something ambiguous: "Your Majesty has indeed grown up."
Li Yuanting was confused and asked, "What does father mean by this?"
Taifu Li looked at his eldest son and asked, "Do you remember how Wei Yan chose His Majesty, who had no support from his mother's family, to succeed the throne among all the princes?"
Li Yuanting thought for a moment, then suddenly looked shocked: "Is it that Your Majesty deliberately prevented the Queen from getting pregnant?"
Wei Yan chose the current emperor to succeed the throne because he had no relatives by marriage. If the young emperor wants to secure his throne, he can only listen to Wei Yan in everything.
In this way, Wei Yan almost naturally undermined the imperial power.
In order to seek protection, the little emperor pretended to be a good boy in front of Li Taifu for more than ten years, but now he is slowly showing his claws.
With his support over the years, the Li family had become very powerful in the court. The young emperor was also afraid that if the Wei Party fell, the Li family would be the next Wei Party, so he did not dare to let the empress get pregnant.
After all, the power in his hands has not been taken back yet. Once Queen Li becomes pregnant, if he wants to eliminate the Li family in the future, the Li family may take action before him and follow Wei Yan's example to support the little prince to ascend to the throne.
Tutor Li did not respond, which was considered as his tacit approval of his eldest son's words.
Li Yuanting was furious. "No wonder your majesty wants to marry the eldest princess to Marquis Wu'an. He wants to use Marquis Wu'an to control our Li family after Wei Yan is overthrown! It is said that when the birds are gone, the bows are hidden. Wei Yan still controls the government. Your majesty has waited for our Li family to come to this point. Once Wei Yan is removed, will our Li family still have a place to stand?"
But Li Taifu said, "Forget it. The hearts of emperors have always been unpredictable."
Li Yuanting said anxiously, "Father, we have to think of a solution. How His Majesty treated Wei Yan today, I'm afraid it will be our Li family's turn tomorrow."
Li Taifu spoke slowly: "Isn't there someone else in this world who is most qualified to inherit the throne?"
Li Yuanting shuddered: "You mean... the emperor's grandson?"
Li Taifu did not continue the topic and only asked: "What did Huai'an find out in Jizhou?"
Li Yuanting realized what his conversation with Li Taifu just meant, and his back was covered with cold sweat. He replied, "Wei Yan was able to sit firmly on the position of Prime Minister for so many years, and he did have several useful people under his command. He Jingyuan has been in Jizhou for more than ten years, and he has never been corrupt. Huai'an has been investigating for several months, and he only found the butcher that Wei Yan sent a large number of assassins to kill years ago. The case is suspicious."
Li Taifu raised his eyelids and asked, "Aren't those assassins going to kill Marquis Wu'an?"
Li Yuanting said: "Huai'an found the record of the dispatch of troops from Jizhou Prefecture. When Wei Yan sent his assassins, He Jingyuan also dispatched troops to help. It seemed that one wanted to kill and the other wanted to save. But He Jingyuan acted this way. After Wei Xuan's grain collection caused trouble in the northwest, He Jingyuan sent someone to send things back to Wei Yan in an emergency within 800 miles, and Wei Yan did not blame him at all."
He glanced at his father's expression and continued, "The files record that the butcher and his wife died at the hands of bandits, but Huai'an later interrogated the captured bandits, and they all said they did not kill the butcher's family. Huai'an studied the butcher's case files and found that he had only returned to Qingping County seventeen years ago, and brought back a woman of unknown origin. Seventeen years ago, the butcher's livelihood was all borrowed from a bodyguard."
Li Taifu said: "Looking at the entire Jizhou Prefecture, the only person who has the power to forge household registration documents and other resume documents is He Jingyuan."
He looked at his eldest son: "You mean, He Jingyuan is helping that butcher to hide something? And he has been protecting that butcher's family all this time?"
Li Yuanting nodded: "That's right."
Master Li remained silent for a while.
Seventeen years ago, this number was too sensitive.
So much happened seventeen years ago.
Meng Shuyuan, an old general under Xie Linshan, disobeyed military orders and went to rescue 100,000 trapped civilians in the border town while delivering food, delaying the battle opportunity and causing the death of Prince Chengde and Xie Linshan in Jinzhou. Meng Shuyuan committed suicide to atone for his crime and was cursed for all eternity.
In the same year, a fire broke out in the Eastern Palace, and the Crown Princess and the Emperor's eldest grandson were burned to death.
Li Taifu asked slowly, "Tell me, what did He Jingyuan give to Wei Yan?"
Li Yuanting was shocked and said, "It's a pity that He Jingyuan is very cautious and Huai'an can't find anything else."
But Li Taifu said, "We can't find it, let those who can find it do it."
Li Yuanting hesitated and asked, "You mean...report it to the emperor?"
Li Taifu replied: "Master Zhao, the historian, is right. The world of Dayin still belongs to the Qi family."
The Lord Zhao, the Censor he mentioned was the censor who spoke angrily after Wei Yan left.
Li Yuanting knew that he had guessed what his father meant.
The carriage had stopped, and Li Yuanting personally escorted Li Taifu out of the carriage. There were many servants and guards at the door of the house, and the two did not talk about state affairs. After entering the mansion, Li Yuanting said, "With the help of Your Majesty, we can get rid of He Jingyuan and cut off Wei Yan's arm. But since my father wants to support the one in Chongzhou, if Your Majesty arranges a marriage between the Grand Princess and Marquis Wu'an, I'm afraid that with the help of Marquis Wu'an, the situation in the future will be extremely unfavorable to us."
Li Taifu raised his eyelids and said, "I heard from Huai'an that there is a woman with Marquis Wu'an?"
Li Yuanting said hurriedly, "It was the butcher's daughter. When Huai'an first went to Jizhou and encountered banditry, it was the personal cavalryman beside Marquis Wu'an who pretended to be a soldier from Jizhou Prefecture and went to rescue the woman. Now the woman is in the Jizhou army and has been adopted as a daughter by Grand Tutor Tao. I think Marquis Wu'an values her very much."
Master Li paused for a moment and asked, "What about that old thing Tao Yi?"
His eyelids drooped slightly, and his pupils looked a little pale due to his old age. After a moment, he said, "Think of a way to pass this news to the eldest princess."
Li Yuanting should be so.
He also knew in his heart that as the adopted daughter of Master Tao, the woman's status was no longer ordinary. It was obvious that Marquis Wu'an did not intend to take her as just a concubine.
The eldest princess is proud and arrogant, and will not be tolerated.
The emperor wanted to win over the Marquis of Wu'an by offering him a marriage, but it was unclear whether this would eventually lead to an alliance or an enmity.
-
A few days later, a letter impeaching He Jingyuan for forging files and concealing evildoers was delivered to the emperor.
He Jingyuan was Wei Yan's man, and was currently leading troops to suppress the rebels in Chongzhou. It would be difficult for the emperor to punish him at this time, so he simply handed the memorial to all officials in the court to discuss how to deal with him.
The officials were in a dilemma. The impeacher was from Li Taifu's side, and the impeached was from Wei Yan's side. Even if they had a hundred courages, they would not dare to get involved in this fatal party struggle.
At the morning court session that day, only the Wei faction and the Li faction were arguing fiercely.
In the end, the emperor temporarily suppressed the matter on the grounds of war.
After the court session, Wei Yan and Li Taifu met again at the narrow road at the end of the white marble steps.
Li Taifu still had a smiling face, and he cupped his hands and said, "I am old now, and my students have their own ideas, and I can't take care of them. Prime Minister, please don't take what happened in the morning court to heart."
The one who impeached He Jingyuan was Li Taifu's disciple.
Wei Yan did not even return the greeting this time. He glanced at him with his eagle eyes, and said in a dignified manner: "Master Li is old. He should learn from Master Tao. Master Tao retired at the right time. Now, not only the officials in the court, but even His Majesty remembers his kindness, right?"
The smile on Master Li's face faded slightly.
Wei Yan then raised his hand and said, "Wei will go first."
After Wei Yan walked away, Master Li's face darkened.
-
After Wei Yan got on the sedan chair, he kept his eyes closed, his face solemn and stern.
This move by Li Taifu was to force the emperor to examine He Jingyuan.
The emperor temporarily suppressed the matter because of the war in Chongzhou, but once the battle of Chongzhou is over, the emperor will put the matter back on the agenda without the Li family bringing it up.
Seventeen years have passed, and the little emperor has grown stronger and wants to seize power from him.
Once He Jingyuan's false identity for the traitor is exposed, the tragic case of Jinzhou that year will inevitably be mentioned. Meng Shuyuan has already been convicted of a crime. After his confidants shielded the criminal, the Jinzhou case that he had always wanted to suppress will probably be re-examined.
After a long while, he opened his eagle eyes and said slowly: "He Jingyuan, there is no need to stay."
A dark shadow flew away quickly outside the car.
The author has something to say:
I'm very sorry. The author overestimated himself. This chapter took a bit of brainpower to write. It was much later than expected to finish. I'll give everyone 100 red envelopes to apologize~
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