Chapter 583 What is reputation?
"Go check the other members of the Liu family." Xiao Yan said in a deep voice.
Liu Tong'en has always been a very loyal person who does not covet power and wealth. The Liu Mansion has few servants and looks deserted, which makes Liu Tong'en seem more like he has suffered bad luck.
The elders in the mansion passed away, and his wife and children died early. He lived alone for several years. Later, because Emperor An couldn't bear to see him too lonely, he gave him two concubines. Liu Tong'en raised them by his side, but he had no children over the years and never remarried.
Many people in the capital had discussed privately that the injury Liu Tong'en sustained when he rescued the emperor might be related to his offspring, so Emperor An felt particularly "guilty" towards him, and not only had he been sent to the Imperial Guards with an empty title and salary, but he had also been cared for and looked after for many years.
It is precisely because of this that although Liu Tong'en has no real power, no one dares to interfere in his private affairs, and no one dares to say much about the two concubines in his house. They usually interact with them as the legitimate female members of the Liu family.
Now that I think about it, given Emperor An's contempt and casualness towards Liu Tong'en, how could he possibly care about Liu Tong'en's harem and offspring?
Those two concubines were either trying to hide something from the emperor, or they were his spies, just like Yue Fengcheng who was sent to Jiyun Lane to monitor him. They were the prerequisite for Emperor An to trust Liu Tong'en.
"The Liu family's wife, children, and parents who died early may not be truly dead."
Xiao Yan said in a deep voice, "People like Liu Tong'en can only control their closest relatives or their own lives. First, have someone investigate those people in the Liu family to see if there's anything fishy about their deaths back then. As for Liu Tong'en..."
Xiao Yan recalled the methods used by some royal families to control their assassins, and instructed Jin Yun:
"Find an opportunity and have Imperial Physician Sun or Imperial Physician Jiang take Liu Tong'en's pulse to see if there's anything in his body that shouldn't be there."
Jinyun was suspicious: "Master, do you think that Emperor An has drugged him?"
Xiao Yan hummed, "Emperor An is suspicious by nature. He won't give important positions to people he can't control. Ask Jiang Tian and the others to see if there's any secret medicine or something like that in Liu Tong'en's body. Tell them to be more secretive and find a good excuse so Liu Tong'en doesn't notice."
Before confirming what Liu Tongen had caught Emperor An with, alarming him would be equivalent to alarming Emperor An.
Xiao Yan was worried that Emperor An would abandon Liu Tong'en.
If someone else were to take charge of the private army, it would be even more difficult to find an opportunity to catch them.
Jinyun also understood this and quickly said, "I understand. I will tell them to be more careful."
…
When Xiao Yan and Jinyun rode back to Jiyun Lane, it was still dark. Someone in front of the mansion saw them coming back and hurried forward to lead the horses.
After Xiao Yan loosened the reins and dismounted, he walked towards the mansion and asked in a low voice, "How's things going in Shezhou?"
Jinyun replied, "Canglang has arrived, and arrangements have been made at the Charity Hall and the Orphanage Hall."
"Canglang and his men originally planned to wait until the court could no longer distribute the relief funds so they could make their hidden plans a reality, exaggerating Emperor An's extravagance and inconsistency. However, war has suddenly broken out in Pingyang County."
"The silver originally sent to Shezhou has been cut in half, and I'm afraid all of it will be held back later. With the silver we've sent now, we can't even pay the pensions to the bereaved families in Rongjiang, let alone fund the construction of the Wanmin Tomb."
Jinyun whispered about the situation in Shezhou, and then said:
"Master's previous instructions were to stir up chaos in the Southland, causing Emperor An to completely lose the support of the people, so that he could completely sideline him and then do other things. But now that Prince Pingshan has rebelled, the Southland is likely to be in chaos. Do we still have to continue with the previous arrangements?"
Xiao Yan said, "Put it on hold for now. Everything should be done with the priority of suppressing the rebellion."
"But wouldn't that be a bargain for Emperor An?"
Jinyun was somewhat unwilling to accept this. "Emperor An had people spreading rumors about me before, trying to slander the He family with the rewards and the dramas he performed. Now it's all over the place," saying that my master was using the He family's vindication to gain benefits, using the He family's lives to gain power for himself, and using his status as a minister to bully Your Majesty.
"If we don't use the news from the South to cover this up, and let them continue to spread it, won't the master's reputation be completely ruined?"
Jinyun was extremely disgusted with what Emperor An had done, and he was unwilling to see him plot against his master.
On the contrary, Xiao Yan was particularly open-minded. Upon hearing this, he just sneered: "When has my reputation ever been good?"
Jinyun choked.
Xiao Yan said calmly, "Ever since I entered the palace and became a eunuch, I've never been clean in order to gain the trust of Emperor An and climb the social ladder."
"In order to gain his trust and 'stand out' from the other palace eunuchs, I've earned all sorts of dirty and cruel reputations. Haven't I heard enough abuse, contempt, disgust, and ridicule?"
"It's just a few words, it won't hurt anybody. Besides, the situation in the South can only be suppressed temporarily. After Marquis Wenxin and his men put down the rebellion, the war will not be able to cover up Emperor An's stupidity, and what is going to break out will eventually break out."
What's more, what Emperor An has lost now is not just his reputation.
In order to regain power and seize back the military command, he did not hesitate to collude with the rebels and provided "facilitation" for Prince Pingshan to rebel. No matter how much he participated in the rebellion, at least among those military generals, he, the emperor, had completely lost the support of the people.
He wanted to save the situation, but ended up making the already messy situation even worse. Even if he didn't step on him in the matter of compensation to the South, Emperor An would have no chance of getting off well.
If an emperor is deserted by his friends and relatives and has lost the trust and prestige of his court officials, what good will it do him even if he still sits on the throne?
Xiao Yan had a particularly clear understanding of these external possessions. He stepped through the lotus-patterned archway and entered the backyard, saying to those around him, "Don't pay attention to what people outside say. As long as you win in the end, even the worst can become good in the eyes of the world. But if you lose, even a saint will become infamous."
His father is the best example.
"Tell Canglang to tell those people not to take action yet. Put the affairs of Pingyang County first, so as to avoid further chaos in the South."
Seeing that he had made up his mind, Jinyun did not try to persuade him any further.
Xiao Yan asked about something else: "How long will it take for Hang Li and the others to reach the northwest?"
Jinyun said, "I received a message the day before yesterday and just crossed the Wuhe Road. According to the distance on foot, it should take another four or five days."
It would only take ten days for a person to travel to the northwest alone, but if Hang Li and his men brought soldiers with them, although they would stop less frequently, it would still take half as much time to avoid disturbing people along the way. If they marched normally, it would probably take even longer.
Xiao Yan continued walking. "Send a letter to him, telling him and Fu Yue about the uprising in Pingyang County. Also send a message to Di Shuangcheng, asking him to be more prepared."
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