Chapter 160
Fan Changyu had seen Xie Zheng's stubborn character, but she didn't know much about Wei Yan. Everything she knew about this powerful minister was hearsay. The only time they met was on the night of his abdication.
She had no way of judging whether the uncle and nephew looked alike.
The first impression Wei Yan gave her was exactly like the rumors about him: cold-blooded and ruthless, and willing to do anything to achieve his goals.
Different from Li Taifu, who seemed to be a Confucian scholar with a cold and noble character like a cypress tree at first glance, Wei Yan was a person as cold and hard as a rock, and seemed to have no soft sides.
Fan Changyu sat upright on the mat and asked hesitantly, "May I ask, foster father, is there any connection between Wei Yan and the concubine back then?"
Master Tao raised his eyelids and looked at Fan Changyu again: "Why do you ask this?"
Fan Changyu then told the confession of the cold palace maid and Qi Min's accusation.
Master Tao put down the teacup in his hand, stroking the rim of the cup with his wrinkled hands, his eyes showing a look of age: "I was not in the capital at that time, so I don't know much about what happened in the palace. But since it was the girl from the Qi family, no matter how cruel Wei Yan is, I don't think he would do such a thing as burning down the Qinghe Palace."
Seeing the confusion on Fan Changyu's face, he said, "Shufei is originally the daughter of the Qi family. She and the mother of that brat were good friends when they were still in the imperial court. At that time, the Xie family was not as prosperous as it is today. The one who supported the entire Dayin was General Qi. Wei Yan and Lin Shan had both been trained under General Qi. Later, General Qi passed away, Lin Shan supported half of the northwest, and Wei Yan gave up his military career to join the government. The girl from the Qi family entered the palace at that time."
Fan Changyu frowned slightly. According to what Grand Tutor Tao said, Wei Yan and Concubine Shu must have known each other since they were young, and the relationship between the two families seemed to be quite good.
Given this relationship, it is even more unreasonable that Wei Yan was able to massacre the palace and burn Concubine Shu.
She estimated Shufei's age in her mind. Shufei should be of the same generation as her parents, and Prince Chengde was also of the same generation as her parents. So if you calculate it this way, wouldn't the emperor be old enough to be Shufei's father?
Although he knew that those slightly richer old officials would marry several young and beautiful concubines, after realizing this, Fan Changyu still couldn't help but frown: "If Wei Yan is interested in Concubine Shu, why didn't he ask for her before she entered the palace?"
Master Tao sighed deeply and said, "Do you know who is the biological mother of Prince Chengde?"
Fan Changyu shook his head.
Tao Taifu said: "The Empress Dowager Qi, who is filial, loyal and kind, is the younger sister of General Qi and the aunt of Concubine Shu."
Fan Changyu was stunned. This means that Concubine Shu and Prince Chengde are cousins?
Although there were cases of aunts and nieces sharing the same husband in every dynasty, but with the premise of Crown Prince Chengde and General Qi, she thought that Empress Qi at that time had already had her son crowned as crown prince, so she would not allow her niece from her natal family to enter the palace to help consolidate her favor, right?
Perhaps her thoughts were written all over her face. Master Tao continued, "The court today is a pool of muddy water. It wasn't necessarily clean back then. The chronic diseases of this dynasty are accumulated from generation to generation. After clearing out the old ones, new ones are added over time. There is no time to clear them all..."
Tao Taifu sighed again, as if he was full of emotion: "Since you have found out about the maids around Concubine Jia, you should also know how favored Concubine Jia was back then. Almost half of the civil and military officials in the court had the surname Jia. In the early years, there was still General Qi, the pillar of the country. If the Sixteenth Prince was favored, the Crown Prince could sit firmly in the East Palace. Once General Qi left, the Queen lost her support, and the Crown Prince's road became difficult.
The public scolded the imperial concubine for deceiving the master and interfering with the government. After the old general Qi left, the empress lingered in bed. She was afraid that if she left again, the prince would have no help in the harem, so she took the girl from the Qi family into the palace on the pretext of serving an illness. I have seen that girl. She has been very smart since she was a child. She also read a lot of poetry and books, and she was born like a fish and a wild goose. This illness lasts for one year. A year later, Queen Qi passed away. Soon after the girl returned home, she was selected into the palace along with the beautiful girl and became a concubine. "
After hearing this, Fan Changyu remained silent.
The reason why Concubine Shu entered the palace was more serious than she had imagined.
The factional struggles among the princes would result in bloodshed and death. If Prince Chengde were to be defeated, it would be unknown what the fate of this branch of the Qi family would be.
The lives of the entire family depend on her, so how could Concubine Shu have any choice?
A thought flashed through her mind quickly, and Fan Changyu suddenly raised her head: "Adoptive father, Wei Yan and General Xie were both promoted by General Qi in the army, and later they also supported Prince Chengde. In the palace, Concubine Shu also helped Prince Chengde and Concubine Jia Gui to fight against her and her son. From this point of view, Concubine Shu's death and the charge of having an affair with her that Wei Yan was accused of are both very strange!"
Tao Taifu nodded: "If all this was really done by the Jia family, when Wei Yan seized power, he killed all the officials with the surname Jia in the court, and it was not just to clean up the court."
He sighed softly, "When that brat first determined that Wei Yan was the mastermind behind the Jinzhou tragedy, I thought there might be some hidden story behind it, so I went to the capital to look for Wei Yan in person. He is now a hard-hearted man, but when we were together in Linshan, we were brothers who risked our lives on the battlefield. Otherwise, he would not have promised his beloved sister to Linshan."
After hearing this, Fan Changyu recalled what Xie Zheng said when he went to the Xie family cemetery to look for him. He remembered that Wei Yan used to take him to worship alone every year and would not allow any servants to accompany him. He felt very complicated for a moment.
She asked, "Did you hear anything about what happened in the palace?"
Tao Taifu's easygoing and light smile was filled with bitterness: "Girl, do you know how long the Great Yin River and Mountains have been in chaos since Jinzhou was broken and the Northern Jue moved south? The prince died, the general died, and the emperor collapsed. Those barbarians wanted to take this opportunity to attack the capital! The green mountains buried the bones, the rivers drank the blood, and nine out of ten houses in the people were empty...
The frontline battlefield to resist the continued advance of the Northern Jue was so brutal. At the critical moment of the survival of the country, several concubines died in the palace, but they were just a few specks of dust that drifted into the blood of this chaotic world. My two children also died in the war. Fortunately, Jing Yuan buried their bodies, so they have a thin coffin and a tomb. "
Fan Changyu felt bitter in his throat and lowered his head in shame: "I'm sorry, godfather, I..."
Tao Taifu waved his hands and said, "It's all in the past. After the fall of Jinzhou, Dayin and Beijue fought for three years. The treasury was empty, the people moved everywhere due to the war, the farmland was abandoned, and the people could not collect military rations... If the war continued, Dayin would become a mess before the foreign tribes entered the capital. It was at this time that Wei Yan stood up and made a big deal about ceding twelve counties in Liaodong in exchange for twenty years of peace for Dayin.
At that time, I told him that in the history books of the future, he would be criticized for this action. He replied that the powerful ministers who lost their country would also be criticized by future generations. It would be better to take advantage of the fact that the barbarians outside the Great Wall have fought for a few years and exhausted their supplies, and give up the land for the next twenty years and gamble on the future.
Fan Changyu was also a general. When she was working in the military camp for a long time, she understood the situation when Master Tao said this.
After the fall of Jinzhou City, Dayin was like a centipede that was still alive even after death, and it continued to fight with the Northern Jue people for three years. During these three years, there must have been countless loyal people like General Xie and Grand Tutor Tao standing at the forefront, which allowed it to hold out for so long.
But the Northern Jue could no longer sustain the attack, and it was unclear how long Dayin could hold out, so they agreed to Wei Yan's surrender of the twelve counties of Liaodong and to rest and recuperate for twenty years.
The Northern Jue people probably didn't expect that within twenty years, Jinzhou would be recaptured by the descendants of Xie who had died in battle there, and the twelve counties of Liaodong would also be taken back.
Thinking of Wei Yan's harsh treatment of Xie Zheng and asking Master Tao to be Xie Zheng's teacher, Fan Changyu felt that he could no longer see through Wei Yan. He didn't know whether his actions were to protect Dayin or simply to preserve his own power.
But he did bring an infamy upon his grandfather and killed his own parents.
Fan Changyu couldn't help but purse his lips: "Foster father, Wei Yan...is he a good person or a bad person?"
Master Tao looked at Fan Changyu quietly with a complex yet broad-minded gaze that seemed to be able to accommodate all rivers, and said only: "People at that time only did what was in their power. The right and wrong, merits and demerits, will be left to future generations to judge."
Fan Changyu responded lightly, lowered his eyes to look at the chess game in front of him, and held the chess piece in his hand for a long time without saying anything.
-
After leaving Master Tao, Fan Changyu took Changning and Baoer to Madam Zhao and her husband. He thought that Qi Min was also arrested along with Master Li, so it shouldn't be difficult to find Yu Qianqian.
Xie Wu was injured while protecting Aunt Zhao and her husband. She called Xie Qi and asked him to arrange people to find the whereabouts of Yu Qianqian. Xie Qi said that Gongsun Yin had sent people to find Yu Qianqian, but Qi Min did not bring her to the capital for some reason. Instead, he locked her up in a provincial government villa. It would take another day or two for the people who came to pick up Yu Qianqian to come back.
In any case, Fan Changyu breathed a sigh of relief when he learned that Yu Qianqian was fine.
She always remembered the friendship that Yu Qianqian showed her when she was insignificant. Even when war broke out in Qingping County later, she took Yu Baoer to escape south and still thought of taking herself and Changning with her. How could Fan Changyu not remember her kindness?
She asked Xie Qi about the current situation and learned that Li Taifu was dead, Qi Min was shot by an arrow but was not dead yet. Gongsun Yin was not sure how Xie Zheng would deal with the descendant of Prince Chengde, so he asked the imperial physician to keep him alive.
The little emperor was also found in Wei Yan's mansion, but he looked crazy and it was unclear whether he was really crazy or just pretending.
Before Qi Min and Li Taifu forced the emperor to abdicate, they had the Qin Tianjian officials release the rumor that "the dragon veins were disordered and the position was not obtained legitimately", which now served Bao Er well.
Now all the officials are following Xie Zheng's lead, and they only need a suitable opportunity to push Yu Baoer to the top.
Fan Changyu felt uneasy as he thought about the still confusing truth about Jinzhou. He thought about going back to practice his sword skills and calm down.
Without paying attention, he bumped into Xie Zhong, who was limping towards Xie Zheng's study with a pile of things in his arms.
The box in Xie Zhong's hand fell to the ground, and the contents inside scattered out.
"I'm sorry, old man." Fan Changyu felt guilty. Xie Zhong had difficulty walking, so she squatted down to help him pick up the things.
Xie Zhong's expression was a little cold at first, but when he saw that it was Fan Changyu, he let down his guard and said slowly, "I saw that the general was in deep thought, so I didn't dare to disturb him. My legs were not nimble enough, so I couldn't avoid him and bumped into him..."
Fan Changyu wanted to comfort the old man, but when he saw that in addition to the letter, there were also three tiger talismans falling out of the box, his eyes changed immediately.
There were the words "Chongzhou" engraved in small seal script on the three tiger seals, which clearly showed that they were all Chongzhou tiger seals.
But why are there three?
Aren't there only two tiger talismans, one on the left and one on the right? The left one was given to the general leading the troops, and the right one remained in the hands of the emperor.
Fan Changyu's breathing became rapid almost instantly. When she tried to clasp the three tiger talismans together, her hands couldn't help but tremble.
The two halves of the tiger talisman fit together easily, and the seal characters on the cut sides fit together perfectly.
The extra one is Zuo Fu!
And what her father was responsible for delivering back then was the Right Talisman given by the Emperor!
The housekeeper of Sui Mansion said that Prince Changxin once combined the tiger talisman sent by her father in front of his generals, but the tiger talisman did not fit!
So it wasn't that her father gave her a fake tiger talisman, but that the one that Sui's family took out was a fake!
This realization made Fan Changyu's blood surge up. She suddenly raised her head and asked Xie Zhong, "Where did these things come from?"
Xie Zhong saw that her face was extremely ugly, and her hand holding the tiger talisman was so strong that her knuckles turned white. He quickly replied, "The conspirator who was accused of Wei Yan by the Dali Temple changed his testimony and accused the Li family. He also revealed the location where the Sui family hid the letters between the Sui family and the Li family. The Marquis had ordered people to search for these evidences before, and they were sent back from Chongzhou today at full speed."
When Fan Changyu heard this, he didn't bother to explain anything more and started looking through the letters: "Uncle, I'll find something and I'll tell Xie Zheng in detail later."
Xie Zhong's attitude was unexpectedly calm: "General, you can look for whatever you want. The Marquis has already told you that you can use anything in the mansion at will."
The urgency of uncovering the truth of the Jinzhou tragedy that happened 17 years ago mitigated the strange feeling that arose in Fan Changyu's heart when he heard these words.
But unfortunately, there is no correspondence between the Wei and Sui families in those letters.
Fan Changyu stared at the three tiger talismans in his hand for a few breaths, then stood up and said, "Old man, I would like to borrow these tiger talismans for a while."
Xie Zhong simply said, "General, please feel free to use it."
Fan Changyu took the three tiger talismans and went straight to find Master Tao.
When the door was kicked open, Master Tao had just poured himself a cup of tea. There was a loud "clang" sound, which startled him and made his hands tremble. The full cup of tea spilled all over his wet robe. He could not help but scolded, "You little girl, you just left, why are you back in such a hurry? What's the matter..."
Fan Changyu showed three tiger seals: "Foster father, take a look, are these tiger seals real or fake?"
Master Tao raised his drooping eyelids, and his scolding stopped abruptly. His expression immediately became serious: "Show it to me."
Fan Changyu handed the tiger seal over. Master Tao held it in front of him and examined it carefully in the light coming through the window. He said, "It is the Chongzhou tiger seal. There is no doubt about it."
Fan Changyu clenched his hands tightly at his sides, lowered his head slightly, and tried to suppress something in his calm voice: "What my father sent was a real tiger talisman. The Sui family has ulterior motives!"
Tao Taifu frowned, "This Sui family is really strange. When they were asked to send troops to turn the tide, they didn't. After Jinzhou was captured, they took over in time. If the blame for the loss of Jinzhou was entirely on the Sui family, why did that old man Wei Yan cover up for the Sui family?"
Fan Changyu turned around and walked out: "The emperor's eldest grandson... the emperor's eldest grandson is still alive. He hates the Sui family to the core. Maybe he knows something!"
Master Tao looked at Fan Changyu's back as he walked away quickly, then turned to look at the unfinished chess game on the board and sighed, "Old thing, old thing, you are really stubborn all your life. What secret can you take with you into your coffin?"
-
In the dark prison, only a beam of light came through the patio. Fine snowflakes floated in and formed a thin layer under the patio.
The iron chain at the end of the cell rattled, and a pair of brocade boots came slowly on the green bricks. They stopped in front of a cell near the inside, staring coldly at the old man who was sitting cross-legged inside with an upright figure, without saying a word.
The prison was chilly, and the snow foam covering his cloak showed no signs of melting.
Wei Yan opened his cold eyes and looked at the young man standing outside the prison who was about to support Dayin. He said calmly: "The king wins and the bandits lose. Since you have defeated me, you came here today not just to see how I am doing."
Xie Zheng just looked at him quietly, his expression cold and casual: "Prime Minister guessed right, I came here today just to see what it would be like for someone who has been wielding power all his life to lose it."
Wei Yan sneered: "It seems you are disappointed."
Xie Zheng tilted his head slightly, his long hair tied up neatly with a golden crown. The light from the skylight in the distance hit his face, making his features look even deeper. There was a hint of coldness in his eyes, and there seemed to be something else in the deepest part, making it hard to see clearly. "I can't say I'm disappointed. The Prime Minister has a heart of a snake and a nature of a wolf. I'm afraid he has forgotten how to be a human being. What can I do with someone who is not even a human being?"
A hint of coldness suddenly appeared in Wei Yan's eyes. It was not just anger, but also a bit of the harshness of an elder towards the younger.
Xie Zheng half-lowered his eyes and looked at him, saying coldly: "Angry? What right does the Prime Minister have to be angry? Or, the Prime Minister wants to tell me that you had your own reasons for killing your own sister and brother-in-law?"
Wei Yan's facial muscles tensed up, and he simply closed his eyes and stopped talking.
Xie Zheng continued casually, "The lady you married for more than 20 years came to me and begged me to spare your life. I just realized that you were indifferent to Wei Xuan's death because he was not your child. Were you also indifferent when you killed my parents?"
He slowly raised his eyes, a mocking smile on his lips, but his voice was full of cold ridicule: "Or is it that my mother is not your biological sister, and once she gets in your way, she should be eliminated?"
His words were extremely sharp, and his eyes were full of sneer, but there was a hint of sadness.
"Shut up!" Wei Yan suddenly shouted coldly, and a hint of sadness flashed across his eyes, which were similar to Xie Zheng's.
Xie Zheng suddenly leaned forward and grabbed Wei Yan's collar, forcing him to slam his head against the prison door with the shackles on. The hatred that he had suppressed under his calmness broke through the string called reason in his mind, and his expression was full of viciousness. He shouted at Wei Yan coldly: "Then tell me, why did you kill my parents? Do you deserve to let me call you uncle for more than 20 years!"
Wei Yan had iron shackles on his hands, and when Xie Zheng pulled him so hard, his forehead slammed against the wooden pillars of the cell, and soon blood appeared. However, his eyes suddenly became fierce, and he said, "It's just as you said, they blocked my way, so they deserve to die."
The last two words sounded extremely heavy.
Xie Zheng clenched his jaw tightly, his eyes were red, and the veins on the back of his hand that was holding Wei Yan's were bulging. He threw Wei Yan away with force, stood up in a wolfish manner, and spat out three words through gritted teeth: "You are lying!"
Wei Yan fell back into the haystack, breathing slowly, and did not respond after hearing this.
Xie Zheng slammed his palm heavily on the solid wooden pillar of the cell, staring at Wei Yan with hatred in his eyes: "You don't care about your relatives, you only care about power, now that you have lost your power, who are you still hiding the truth for?"
Wei Yan still did not answer.
Xie Zheng finally left in a huff. When the cell door at the end of the corridor was opened and then slammed shut, there was a loud "bang" and the chain on it also made a crackling sound, showing how angry the person who closed the door was.
The jailer didn't dare to say anything or ask any more questions. He fiddled with the chain on the door and padlocked it again.
The heavy snow had not yet stopped, and was slowly falling from the sky through the prison's skylight, which provided a ray of white light.
Wei Yan lay in the haystack, looking at the flying snow intertwined in the dim light of the cell. It was so clean that it didn't seem like something that would be found in this prison.
He closed his eyes.
His escape route was blocked seventeen years ago.
Even if he is condemned to eternal damnation, even if he deserves to be cut into pieces, it is enough for him to endure it alone.
People like spring snow should go cleanly and leave no embarrassing traces in history books.
The author has something to say:
I want to write the final chapter in one chapter, but it seems like I can’t finish it (sigh)
Yes, the main text is almost finished!
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