The Ministry of Justice conducted an investigation into Luo Xiu's death according to common sense.
Because of the overall attitude of Wei, the King of Wuman kept this person as a hostage at the time, and this person had a complicated relationship with Nanman, while Wei and Nanman were not friendly neighbors... In summary, the Ministry of Justice only planned to conduct a simple investigation, and then give Wuman an explanation and close the case.
But after Yan Shang was involved in the case, the Ministry of Justice could no longer investigate it casually.
Although Yan Shang was an official of the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry had now ignored him and he had nothing to do. He didn't know how he got a copy of the decree signed by the Secretariat, which said that Luo Xiu was involved in many cases and the case could not be closed easily.
Yan Shang took the edict from the Secretariat and said that he wanted to investigate Luo Xiu's death together with the officials from the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice didn't know what Luo Xiu was involved in. The edict from the Secretariat involved state secrets and could not be opened casually. The officials from the Ministry of Justice could only cooperate with Yan Shang to investigate Luo Xiu's death.
The Ministry of Revenue was happy to see Yan Shang go to cooperate with the people from the Ministry of Justice, and thought that they had finally sent this god away.
In Yan Shang's opinion, Luo Xiu might have committed treason with a high-ranking official behind the scenes. If Luo Xiu stayed in Chang'an, the high-ranking official would definitely try to contact Luo Xiu. Then Luo Xiu's death was probably caused by that high-ranking official. So Yan Shang and the officials of the Ministry of Justice went to Zhao Jijiu's private residence in Fanchuan and asked how Luo Xiu was discovered.
Everyone looked at Luo Xiu's body which was swollen from blisters. Yan Shang followed the officials from the Ministry of Justice to examine the injuries and found bloodstains on the top of Luo Xiu's head from being hit with a club.
In this way, Yan Shang took the evidence and went directly to Lord Zhao’s mansion.
This was the first time that Lord Zhao cooperated with the now powerful eunuch Liu Wenji. How could he have imagined that after submitting his letter of surrender, he would meet such a difficult person like Yan Shang?
Originally, the officials of the Ministry of Justice might have given Yan Shang a chance to let him go, but Yan Shang was still holding on to the case, and Zhao Jijiu was in a dilemma. In private, Zhao Jijiu secretly gave Yan Shang a gift, and then hesitantly used the affair between his daughter Zhao Lingfei and Yan Shang as an excuse, hoping that Yan Shang would let the case go.
However, it backfired.
Maybe Yan Shang didn't think that Zhao Gong had much to do with this matter, but now he wants to find out Zhao Gong's purpose.
On the day of Luo Xiu's death, Lord Zhao was living in his private residence in Fanchuan, and there were eunuchs hunting in Nanshan. Lord Zhao's private residence was at the foot of Nanshan. There were traces of grass in Luo Xiu's boots. Luo Xiu was also the general of the Right Guard, so he might have participated in the hunting in Nanshan that day.
This involved a dispute between the Southern Yamen and the Northern Yamen.
The Ministry of Justice headed by the King of Qin cooperated with Yan Shang, and the King of Qin just paid attention to it; Yan Shang began to question the people in the army, and the King of Qin specially met with Yan Shang and asked him what Yan Shang was investigating.
Immediately afterwards, Yan Shang began to investigate in the direction of the eunuchs.
In the palace, when Yan Shang got the list of eunuchs who were hunted that day and began to ask the Ministry of Justice to extract the eunuchs to investigate the case, Liu Wenji received the news.
The eunuch who was sent to kill Luo Xiu that day knelt in front of Liu Wenji, trembling with fear, his face pale as dirt: "Eunuch, that Yan Erlang is really annoying. He is obsessed with one thing. If he keeps investigating, he may find out about us. It doesn't matter if I die, but if it affects you, it will be a sin."
Liu Wenzhi's brows were gloomy, he tapped the table with his hands, feeling irritated and a little hesitant.
Yan Shang...why is it Yan Shang?
The eunuch leaned close to his ear and suggested viciously: "Eunuch, why not just kill him!"
Liu Wenzhi remained silent and still hesitated.
If it was someone else, Liu Wenji might have just killed the witness. But only Yan Shang made him hesitate and couldn't do it.
However, Liu Wenji knew that he was soft-hearted towards Yan Shang, but once Yan Shang found out about him, Yan Shang would not be soft-hearted towards him. Yan Erlang seemed to have a good temper and was very open-hearted to his friends, but that did not touch Yan Erlang's principles. And Yan Erlang's principles...
Liu Wenji murmured, "Why did he want to investigate Luo Xiu's death? Did he know about the private transmission of intelligence?"
Liu Wenzhi was awed!
If this matter is discovered, it will be a crime of treason. I must not let Yan Shang find out that I am the one behind this!
But Liu Wenzhi didn't want to kill Yan Shang.
Liu Wenji whispered, "Yan Erlang has been involved in the Yizhou disaster case recently. The Ministry of Revenue and the Crown Prince's people are all reporting him. Find a time for me to meet with Lord Zhao. Lord Zhao has been in the court for many years and should know many officials from the Censorate. Let the people from the Censorate also start reporting Yan Erlang... Make sure Yan Erlang is too busy to take care of himself."
The eunuch's eyes lit up and he obeyed the order immediately.
The smartest political approach is to return court affairs to the government.
-----
In fact, Mu Wanyao had consciously suppressed the memorial to the Ministry of Revenue that criticized Yan Shang.
Since she had made an agreement with Yan Shang, she knew she was in the wrong and did not let him continue the investigation. Of course, in addition to compensation, she could not let the officials of the Ministry of Revenue trample Yan Shang to death.
But all of a sudden, the Censorate started to investigate Yan Shang. Unable to find any stains on Yan Shang's official career, they began to dig into his personal morality. When they couldn't find any stains on his personal morality, they began to investigate Yan Shang for seeking fame and reputation. They accused him of leaving the capital for a day without reason... Petitions flew to the Secretariat like pieces of paper, and for a while, Yan Shang became the target of public criticism.
Mu Wanyao immediately went to ask the Censorate, and reluctantly suppressed the memorial from the Censorate. The Crown Prince immediately sent the Minister of Revenue to ask Mu Wanyao: "If Yan Erlang is too busy to fight with us, the matter of Yizhou will be in our hands this time. Why do we want the Censorate to stop?"
Mu Wanyao's face was ugly, and he managed to say something after a while: "Because the Censorate reported him for leaving the capital for a day without reason, he came to find me. Please ask my brother for me, if he wants to bring down Yan Shang, does he also want to bring me down?"
The Minister of Revenue was shocked and did not dare to say anything more on this topic.
As the princess turned around and left the hall, the Minister of Revenue hesitated for a moment and followed her: "Your Highness... Your Highness, I know that Your Highness does not want Yan Erlang to be harmed in this incident."
Mu Wan stood behind the flowers outside the hall, then turned to look at the Minister of Revenue with a cold expression.
The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue smiled bitterly: "I was initially promoted by the late Queen, and have been following Your Highness as an aide since then. I can probably understand Your Highness's thoughts. Don't worry, Your Highness doesn't want both sides to suffer, and neither does the Ministry of Revenue. I will do my best to prevent the case from involving too many people."
He hesitated for a moment: "On the premise that Yan Erlang does not discuss this case any further."
Mu Wanyao said, "He promised me that he would not investigate the affairs of Yizhou anymore."
The Minister of Revenue relaxed his long eyebrows and said, "That's good. I am relieved."
Mu Wanyao looked at the middle-aged man from the side. His cousin was now detained in the Ministry of Justice. The court was questioning him. The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue must also be under pressure from his clansmen and felt very uncomfortable. Mu Wanyao sighed and said in a much gentler tone: "Don't worry, as long as we make compensation, I can keep you."
The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue asked back: "Your Highness, I have something to ask. I don't know if it's appropriate. The Ministry of Revenue has ignored Yan Erlang. Yan Erlang has nothing to do in the Ministry of Revenue and can't get involved in anything. He is only a seventh-rank official. It's easy for us to undermine him. Why is Your Highness still so wary of him?"
Mu Wanyao sighed softly.
She whispered, "Yan Shang is too smart. We can't give him a chance. I've known him for a few years, and his ability to break through is really amazing... He's just making a deal with me now so he won't move. We can't force him into a corner. I don't dare to underestimate him, and I don't believe that he's really as powerless as he said... It's always good to be on guard against him."
The Minister of Revenue hesitated for a moment and nodded: "Since Your Highness says so, I believe it."
He looked at the princess's profile. It had only been a few days, but she seemed to have lost a lot of weight and looked much paler. He knew that given the relationship between her and Yan Erlang, the princess must be very uncomfortable in this situation. I'm afraid the princess is caught in the middle and has the hardest time.
Just a girl...
The Minister of Revenue felt sorry for him and took the initiative to say, "Your Highness, you can hold a banquet and invite me and Yan Erlang to come. We can formally reconcile and talk about this matter. What do you think?"
Mu Wan's heart was moved for a moment, but looking at the Minister of Revenue, she shook her head again: "It's better not to provoke him. I'm afraid that if you appear in front of him, he will think of the Governor of Yizhou and will regret his agreement with me. Now we both rely on our own abilities and just wait for this matter to be closed."
-----
Luo Xiu's case could not be investigated for the time being, after all, Yan Shang was being reported by various parties and needed to cooperate with the investigation.
There was nothing difficult about closing the case of the Yizhou governor.
All parties wanted the governor of Yizhou to be held responsible for the disaster, and the governor himself did not refute his guilt and quickly signed his name. So within a few days, the case was decided, and the court sentenced the governor of Yizhou to exile in Lingnan, and he was not allowed to return to the Central Plains for life.
The system of collective responsibility affects five clans, not nine clans.
Therefore, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was fined his salary but was not implicated.
On the day when the governor of Yizhou was exiled to Lingnan, he was paraded out of Chang'an, and Yan Shang also went to watch. He was relieved after he confirmed that the man was indeed the governor of Yizhou and that the court did not use other death row prisoners to impersonate him in the crowd.
But I still feel bad.
The disaster in Yizhou lasted for several months, and in the end only the governor and his family were exiled.
I feel it's unfair.
However... Yan Shang knew that he could only do this much. If he continued to investigate, the officials in Chang'an would gang up on him. He had no support and would be swallowed up and die in obscurity.
After all, even Mu Wanyao had a different stance from him.
As for the problem between him and Mu Wanyao... Yan Shang didn't know how to solve it. He could only think of waiting until the spring plowing season, and then he and Mu Wanyao would go out of Chang'an to let Mu Wanyao see it with her own eyes. Maybe then her attitude would change.
More importantly, Yan Shang wanted to find out how Luo Xiu died. He had already found out about the eunuchs in the palace, and he had to find evidence from them... and it was at this time that the Censorate began to impeach him. Yan Shang had to suspect that the eunuch he was investigating was quite powerful.
The most powerful eunuch in Chang'an City today... is Liu Wenji.
Yan Shang was stunned. He really didn't want his opponent this time to be Liu Wenzhi.
Just when Yan Shang was hesitating, a piece of news came in from outside - "The governor of Yizhou is dead!"
When the news came in, Yan Shang was killing time in the Ministry of Revenue. Although he was in the Ministry of Revenue, he was thinking about Luo Xiu. When the officials outside were discussing the death of the governor of Yizhou, Yan Shang opened the door and went out. When they saw him, the officials' faces turned cold and they immediately dispersed without saying anything.
No matter how gentle Yan Shang is, everything is false when the standpoints are different.
Yan Shang's expression was normal, and he did not take the other people's avoidance and indifference to heart. He pulled an official he had often helped in the past, bowed to him, and then asked, "How did the governor of Yizhou die?"
The official hesitated for a moment, thinking of Yan Erlang's usual care for him, and simply said: "The officials were escorting the governor of Yizhou to Lingnan. Not far from Chang'an City, they were attacked by a masked knight. The officials thought that the knight was coming to save the governor of Yizhou, and they were quite nervous. Even the governor of Yizhou probably thought that he had done some good deeds in the past, and this knight came from the sky to save him.
"The ranger caught the governor of Yizhou, and the governor said something like 'sir, save me'. The ranger turned around, stabbed the governor with a sword, and then ran away.
"The officers were so stunned that it took them a while to think of chasing the knight. But when they looked back, they found that the governor of Yizhou was already dead.
"They had only been out of Chang'an for one day, and they had to come back to report. How pitiful."
Yan Shang seemed to be thinking about something, and bowed again to thank the other party for his answer. When he was about to leave, the other party called him and hesitated: "Yan Er, listen to my advice. Since the governor of Yizhou is dead, you should admit your mistake to the prince or the minister, and let this matter end here.
"You are so talented, you shouldn't be ignored like this."
Yan Shang bowed gently: "Thank you for your care, my lord."
-----
Yan Shang returned to his residence that night.
As usual, he went to the clean room to wash up. He still couldn't figure out who killed the governor of Yizhou. Entering the clean room, Yan Shang was still thinking about this question.
The candlelight flickered gently on the window.
Yan Shang stared at the candlelight that suddenly flickered on the window for a moment, and the next moment, he dodged sideways and reached out to push down the shelf next to him. As he expected, a cold sword silently pierced through the curtains and stabbed at him very quickly. The shelf he pushed down blocked the sword's momentum for a moment, and the owner of the sword revealed his figure.
Yan Shang stared: "Han Shuhang!"
Han Shuxing said nothing. He hid here and waited for Yan Shang to come back. After missing the first strike, he swung the sword in his hand towards Yan Shang again. Yan Shang was originally a civil official, and his martial arts were only so-so. He was not good enough in front of such a warrior. But Yan Shang's calmness allowed him to deal with Han Shuxing's assassination. Although he was embarrassed, he was not hit by the first strike.
Bottles and boxes were constantly pushed over, and curtains were used to block people. Amid the ping-pong sounds, the entire quiet room was in chaos.
Yan Shang's movements were extremely slow and skillless in Han Shuxing's eyes, but every movement of Yan Shang was just enough to block Han Shuxing's sword, which made Han Shuxing's murderous intent even stronger.
Han Shuxing sneered, and immediately sped up, rushing towards Yan Shang like a whirlwind. When Yan Shang turned his shoulder, the hair by his ear was cut off by the cold sword, and the cold sword brushed his cheek. And this time, the sword in Han Shuxing's hand was against Yan Shang's throat, making Yan Shang unable to move.
At the same time, Yun Shu outside shouted: "My dear, what's the matter?"
Han Shuxing was startled, and when he met Yan Shang's indifferent eyes, he realized that Yan Shang had been pushing down the antique shelves and bottles just now in order to notify the servants outside.
Han Shuxing's sword was against Yan Shang's throat. Yan Shang couldn't move, but he still smiled and whispered: "This is my territory. Not to mention the guards in the mansion, the princess's mansion is next door, and there are more private soldiers. The sword in my hand is very fast, and I probably won't speak too slowly. And even if I die, you can't escape death.
"Are you really willing to die with me?
Han Shuxing showed no expression at all.
Yan Shang looked at him and continued in a low voice: "I don't know what misunderstanding made you want to kill me. Why don't we sit down and talk it out. I'll ask the servants outside to withdraw, and you put the sword away. You are confident in your martial arts, and believe that as long as I am here, you should be able to kill me at any time, right?
"Han Shuxing, let's talk."
Han Shuxing stared at him.
He stared at this handsome man who was as elegant as the breeze and the bright moon, and thought of his brothers who had died in the mountain.
Han Shuxing's eyes turned red and he put down the sword in his hand.
Hoarse voice: "I killed the governor of Yizhou."
Yan Shang nodded: "When you came to assassinate me, I thought that the knight was you. But the court was trying to catch you, but you didn't run away. You even dared to return to Chang'an and risk your life to kill me. May I ask what heinous thing I did to make you hate me so much?"
Han Shuxing: "You have seen all those brothers on the mountain, seventy-two of them. You said you would save them and restore their status as good people. But they are all dead."
Yan Shang's expression went blank, and the polite, courteous smile on his face suddenly disappeared.
He stared at Han Shuxing in a daze, and saw Han Shuxing suddenly throw away his sword and sit down on the ground dejectedly.
-----
The house was quiet and snow was falling outside.
Yan Shang sat by the fire, listening to Han Shuxing talk about his business -
"...I went to challenge those bandits to avenge my brothers. When I was about to kill the last man, he was probably afraid of death and told me that the government had issued an order to kill all the brothers who had been restored to good status. They were doing business with the government.
"I said it was impossible. The governor of Yizhou was arrested and brought to the capital. All the actions of Yizhou officials were under surveillance. How could they dare to give the order? But the bandit said that it was a newly sent court official from Yizhou who made the deal with them.
"Yan Erlang, right after you left, the official who replaced you ordered a massacre. You just promised not to treat the people who had been restored to good status as bandits, but the next moment you killed them like this. If you decided not to give us a chance to live from the beginning, why did you pretend to restore their status? Was it just to build your reputation?"
Yan Shang’s face turned slightly pale.
His elbows on the table trembled slightly.
He asked, "Do you know which official gave the order?"
Han Shuxing asked back: "How should I know? Don't all of you know this? Don't all of you know this? You have colluded with each other. You don't believe that those who used to be bandits will be honest and obedient after they are restored to the status of good citizens.
"Haven't you always been like this? You always lied to us with big words and always promised us good things. But you don't even believe what you say, right? You officials...what do you think of us? Just a string of numbers? A part of your political achievements?"
Han Shuxing's eyes were red: "You are suppressing bandits, right? You are righteous, right?"
Yan Shang's brain was in a mess, and he explained with difficulty: "Han Shuxing, this is not what you think. I don't know about this matter... If I knew, I would never leave Yizhou... If I knew... this matter was not reported to the court... I, I... It should be an internal struggle in Chang'an. You have to know that officials are not the same person, and our orders are different. It is possible that the orders were not issued by the same person..."
Han Shuxing said, "I don't understand you. What you mean is that some officials in Chang'an have different ideas from you. You want to save people, but they want to kill people. Did you sacrifice us in your internal fighting?"
Yan Shang couldn't utter a word.
Han Shuxing smiled bitterly.
He sat on the ground, silent for a long time. He stared at the burning candle and muttered to himself: "Actually, I believe you, I believe you are a good person. If you wanted to kill us from the beginning, why did you pretend to be nice in the middle? But I still blame you, why did you give people hope? If you hadn't said that they could be restored to good status, why would they come down the mountain?
“They came down the mountain because they believed in you and me. They were killed because they mistakenly believed in me and you.
"I have been wandering for many years, from Wuman to Wei. Wuman did not regard me as one of their own people, and Wei also regarded me as an alien. You made me a slave and sold me in your market. No one believed me, and even I didn't know which tribe I belonged to.
"I can't find a home in Chang'an. But the longer I stay in your Wei, the more I learn your culture, and the more I want a home. The Wuman people asked me why I helped you Wei, and no matter what I did, you Wei people would not trust a foreigner. The more I understand your culture, the less I feel accepted. I don't know why I came here, and I don't know where I am going. I am not a Wuman, nor a Wei person. What am I?"
There were tears in his eyes, gleaming slightly.
Han Shuxing whispered: "You let me go that day and let me do what I wanted to do. I was a person without a home and without roots, and I didn't know what I could do. Until I met those brothers... They needed my help and relied on my help. They called me the second in command, and I seemed to have found the meaning of my existence all of a sudden."
He raised his eyes to look at Yan Shang and smiled bitterly.
"Erlang, you made me perfect, and you also destroyed me."
Yan Shang's face changed, and he stood up suddenly. He squatted down and held Han Shuxing's shoulders. He stared at this haggard, unshaven man, and he saw the empty bloodshot in his eyes, as if he could see the 72 lives through his eyes.
Everyone was staring at him, everyone was asking him why.
Yan Shang endured the huge pain and hatred in his heart, and whispered: "I was wrong... Trust me once, and just wait and see, I won't let anyone die in vain."
Han Shuxing looked at him and suddenly fell to the ground and cried. The tall man hunched his shoulders, his hands trembled, and his cry was hoarse and hopeless. The lives filled in it were like a chasm in the sky, who could easily bypass it?
The candle flame swayed gently on the window, suddenly exploded, and then became gloomy and silent again.
-----
Late at night, Yan Shang settled Han Shuxing and hid him in his house. He told Yun Shu to send him food and drink regularly and not let anyone find out that the imperial criminal was hiding in their house.
The next day, Yan Shang went out in the snow.
He was supposed to go to the Ministry of Revenue to work, but Yan Shang stood in front of the Shangshu Province for a long time, reluctant to go in. He turned around and left, going to the Zhongshu Province. When he had questions in his mind, he wanted to see his teacher and ask him for advice.
When Yan Shang was taken to the inner house, Prime Minister Liu was not free. There were too many officials who came to see the prime minister and ask him questions every day, and even as Prime Minister Liu's student, Yan Shang had to wait in line.
Minister Liu was smashing a memorial on an official's head, cursing angrily, "You forget your life for the sake of small profits, and cherish your body when doing great things! How do you do things? Go back and reflect on your mistakes. For the next six months, you don't have to report to the Secretariat!"
The official was scolded like a grandson and fled away in shame.
Yan Shang was stunned, listening to Mr. Liu teaching others.
Forget about life when seeing small profits.
Do great things and cherish your life.
What's wrong with saying this about him?
Since you want to do great things, why should you cherish your life?
Since you have made up your mind, why are you still hesitating? Why should you abandon the whole community for your own sake? Why should you abandon the overall situation for your own sake?
Yan Shang stood there silently for a long time, then suddenly turned around, opened the door curtain, and walked out. He no longer needed to ask the teacher, as he already had the answer in his mind.
-----
Xiao Li can't let him forget his life!
But he must not be afraid of big things!
-----
Liu Xianggong was drinking tea when he heard the junior official say that Yan Erlang had come and left. Liu Xianggong was stunned for a moment, sighed, and did not ask any more questions.
A man next to him said, "Your students have been having a hard time lately, and they probably came to ask for your advice. Why don't you try to help them?"
Mr. Liu slowly poured himself a glass of hot wine and said casually, "He has to walk his own path."
The man asked with a smile: "Aren't you afraid of causing a disaster?"
Mr. Liu turned his head and looked at the falling snow.
After drinking the wine in his hand, he said proudly: "How can a young man with talent be afraid of getting into trouble!"
-----
After Yan Shang returned, he went to Beili first and asked Chunniang: "How are you and Zhang Shiyilang?"
Chunniang said hurriedly: "Shiyilang is really as you expected, pursuing me. I am dealing with him..."
Yan Shang interrupted: "No need to fight. Just follow my instructions and do this..."
He gave all these instructions and left Beili. He asked the servant to invite His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin to have a drink, and then asked Yunshu to prepare the horse, saying that he was going to find Mu Wanyao to leave the city.
Everything began to speed up, and all the haze began to recede. The snow in the sky rolled up Yan Shang's robe, cold and silent, reflecting the young man's handsome face.
After getting his horse ready, Yunshu trotted after Yanshang. Seeing the calmness on his young master's face, he couldn't help but feel timid. He whispered, "Young master, are you going to take action? Didn't you say that you don't have evidence and can't bring down those high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Revenue?"
Yan Shang said in a deep voice: "I don't have any evidence, but I am not without a solution.
"I was just hesitant, but I was misled by personal feelings..."
Snowflakes fell on his eyelashes. He stared at the snow and whispered, "Now I know I was wrong. Even if I die in it, I can't just leave it alone.
"Seventy-two lives... actually more than seventy-two. The people of the world need someone to go against the tide and seek justice for them. I only hate that I woke up too late."
Yun Shu: "Then Your Highness..."
Yan Shang closed his eyes and said softly: "...I regret it, I am sorry for her.
"…But I don't regret it!"
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