Hanging Knife (1)
Feng Siji, who was standing aside, saw that he remained silent for a long time, and couldn't help but frown and glanced at Wang Mo with a warning.
Wang Mo felt a gaze like a sharp knife, his hands and feet went cold, and he subconsciously looked over and met Feng Siji's cold gaze.
In an instant, he seemed to see Feng Siji's dim figure in the dim and narrow little room again. Only his eyes were bright with murderous intent. He held a dagger in his hand, cutting into his flesh and bones.
His calves seemed to be hurting again. Wang Mo's legs went weak and he staggered back a few steps. In front of his frightened eyes, he seemed to see the bloodstains on his calves again.
Even if he had new considerations, the fear of Feng Siji had already been deeply engraved in his bones. He couldn't help but think more deeply about it. If Feng Siji didn't have a backup plan, how could he bring himself to the court so openly and boldly?
Wang Mo immediately stopped doing anything rash. He suppressed the stupid idea that was about to pop up in his mind, knelt down in front of Emperor Liang on the dragon throne, and wailed:
"Your Majesty is extremely perceptive. This case has been deliberately buried for many years. It is thanks to Your Majesty's wisdom that it has now been brought to light!"
Wang Mo was so excited that tears streamed down his face. He knelt down and bowed to Emperor Liang like a believer.
Emperor Liang was very pleased with it, and there was a hint of pride in his eyes.
Feng Siji had given Wang Mo these words. To save his life, Wang Mo memorized them and spoke excitedly, not missing a single word: "The battle at Qiangu Bay in Yunzhou was indeed fought by Lord He and Jiedushi Lord Wei. At that time, I was a close aide to the Jiedushi and knew a lot about his affairs.
"That year, Lord He came to Qianzhou and said that there was a group of old and weak soldiers who needed to be dealt with quickly. He asked Lord Wei to delay the reinforcements and let him handle it... That's why the battle of Qiangu Bay in Yunzhou was lost, resulting in the fall of Yunzhou!"
Wang Mo cried as he spoke: "I have tried to persuade the governor, but there is no way, because Lord He gave too much!"
He spoke with tears in his eyes, his eyes turned red, his chest twitched, and he even pounded his hands on the ground. At the end, he wept bitterly for the withered bones of Yunzhou's soldiers and the homeless people who were still being abused by the Southern Yan army.
This sincerity touched some civil servants, and Feng Siji, the first among them, cast inquiring glances at the person in the wheelchair.
Inside the grand hall, Emperor Liang's weak voice rebuked, "He Zhangjing, what else do you have to say?"
He Zhangjing's hands gripped the edge of the wheelchair so hard that they turned pale. His elegant face was distorted by anger, but he still maintained his usual high-ranking official demeanor and spoke calmly and clearly:
"How can Your Majesty believe Wang Mo's words alone?" After saying this, He Zhangjing secretly glanced at Chen Hu.
But Chen Hu didn't look at him.
Emperor Liang snorted coldly and said, "You are still deceiving me even now. Don't forget that I went to Qianzhou a few years ago. What do you think I did there?"
He Zhangjing was slightly stunned.
Does this mean they've already got evidence of his guilt? No, that's unlikely, He Zhangjing kept reassuring himself. That thing was done cleanly, Wei Ming is dead, and the Jiedufu is no longer what it used to be. How could such an old case be so easily brought to light?
Even though he had thought of this, he couldn't think of a way to deal with it for a while. The man on the dragon throne had already ordered mercilessly: "Envoy Feng, what are you still standing there for? Arrest the man!"
Feng Si waved his hand quickly, and a group of people wearing armor and carrying swords suddenly rushed into the hall. The scales on their armor rattled as they ran. They came to He Zhangjing in an orderly manner and surrounded him.
He Zhangjing clenched his fists, stared at Feng Siji with rapid breathing, and his eyes seemed to be able to spit out anger in an instant.
It is obvious who did all this.
He Zhangjing had just been rescued from prison by his father and Chen Hu, but now he was facing the possibility of going back to prison all over again. How could he accept this?
But there was a doubt in his heart. Emperor Liang had never been involved in state affairs. Zhang Zhouzhu had run away, but there had been no chaos in the past few days. Who was in charge of state affairs?
Feng Siji refused to take the position of Privy Councilor, so it naturally couldn't be him.
He Zhangjing thought about this and stared at Feng Siji, gritting his teeth and saying, "You are only a special case envoy investigating the case of Concubine Li. You have no right to investigate the case of the fall of Yunzhou. What do you have to arrest me? Don't forget your duty as an envoy."
"Yeah?"
After he finished speaking, Feng Siji did not speak. Instead, a rough but majestic voice came from the dragon throne.
This voice did not belong to Emperor Liang. It sounded very familiar, and it made his already worried heart rise to his throat in the blink of an eye.
The ministers who were lined up in an orderly manner in the hall all turned their heads to look. It looked like a field of sunflowers. They saw a man in a purple robe standing next to the dragon throne. He held a whisk in his hand and wore a hat. His face was as white as a young man, his body was thin, but his back was as straight as a mountain.
It was Li Ke.
He Zhangjing was stunned and looked at Li Ke with surprise and uneasiness.
He Rucheng, who was standing behind him, wanted to say something to excuse his son, but seeing the scene before him, he immediately forgot what he was going to say. He was trembling, and the long sceptre in his hand could not be held steady. After a long while, he heard his own trembling voice:
"Li Shumi? Why are you..."
Li Ke waved his whisk and said with a smile, "If I hadn't told you that he had already left the capital, how could you have let down your guard? You collaborated with Dali Temple Minister Chen Hu to blackmail the case, and took advantage of the Feng case to keep him busy and unable to attend to it, and secretly released He Zhangjing from prison. I haven't come to you to settle this matter yet!"
"Now is the perfect time to settle all old and new scores. Envoy Feng doesn't have the right to arrest you, but do I?"
With his merciless order, the scale-armored soldiers who had just rushed in captured the He father and son and Chen Hu.
He Zhangjing looked at him unwillingly, only to see Li Ke looking down at them from a high position, as if he was the master of the country.
He did occupy half of the country.
He Zhangjing looked at Emperor Liang who was hiding behind him, and instantly understood. No wonder the government had been in order in recent days. It turned out that Li Ke was in charge.
No wonder Emperor Liang was so clear-minded and spoke so decisively today, without the laziness he had when Zhang Zhouzhu was around. It turned out that what he said just now must have been taught to him word by word by Li Ke.
He Zhangjing's speculation was indeed correct.
Li Ke made the decision to use the smokescreen only to completely eliminate the He father and son and Chen Hu.
As long as these powerful forces are eliminated, there will be no voice that can stop them from sending troops to Southern Yan to recapture Yunzhou.
Although he had some power, he had no legitimate reason unless Emperor Liang stepped in.
That night, Li Ke found Emperor Liang, who was enjoying himself with Jiao Lan, and analyzed the situation with him: "Zhang Zhouzhu is about to become a nobody. The remaining people who have connections with the Prime Minister include Chen Hu, the He family father and son, and other snobbish people. If you completely eliminate them, Your Majesty can regain some power, at least you won't have to be controlled by others.
"Haven't you always wanted to build a palace for the county lady? Didn't you want to bring her into the palace this month? As long as you eliminate them, no one will stop you. The national treasury belongs to you alone, who can stop you from withdrawing it?"
Emperor Liang was deeply moved by these words, and asked in a daze, "What should I do?"
"Your Majesty, just cooperate with me, and I will be able to take care of everything for you."
When Li Ke came back to his senses, the soldiers had already arrested the three termites.
The only sounds in the hall were panicked whispers and Wang Mo, who had fallen to the ground in fear.
Li Ke didn't intend to let him go either, and said coldly, "Take this man away as well. Serve him well. Don't let him die. He still needs to provide evidence for the Yunzhou case."
Wang Mo was dragged out.
The hall was finally quiet, as if only at this moment could he feel himself breathing. Li Ke looked at the gloomy sky outside through the open door of the hall, but his heart was extremely bright.
Now that all the stumbling blocks have been removed, perhaps they will be able to send troops to do what they want soon, and by then, they will be able to reunite with Empress Ming.
-
After the court was dismissed.
Feng Siji walked out of the hall alone and walked slowly on the palace road.
Ye Shu saw him from afar and went to meet him. He had already heard about what had just happened. The three people who had been waiting for the arrest were afraid of being implicated when they heard the news, so they ran away in the blink of an eye.
"Sir, is this matter really foolproof?" Ye Shu followed Feng Siji and asked as he walked out of the palace.
Feng Siji pondered for a moment before saying, "Everything is subject to change, and no one can guarantee absolute certainty. Furthermore, the He family and Chen Hu have been entrenched in Kyoto for many years, and their deep roots won't be eradicated in a day or two."
"What should we do then?" Ye Shu was a little anxious. "Will it affect the county lady?"
When Feng Siji heard him mention Li Qi, he glanced at him sideways.
Ye Shu was frightened by his gaze and hurriedly explained, "I just feel that the county master is not that bad."
"I saved you once, and you're already grateful?"
Feng Si laughed angrily, and that deep hatred flashed in his eyes again. He was talking about Ye Shu, but it seemed more like he was scolding himself: "If I give you a little favor, you will change your mind and forget all her bad and useless things."
Ye Shu lowered his head in shame and changed the subject, "So where are we going now?"
"Gold Storage Pavilion."
-
When Feng Siji arrived, the sun was at its highest point.
The spring breeze blew in through the window, lifting a strand of Li Qi's hair. She sat at the table with her head lowered, flipping through the music score.
Hearing him coming, Li Qi raised her head, and just then a gust of wind blew her hair aside, and the hair came over and covered one of her eyes.
She raised her hand and gently brushed it away, closed the music sheet, and walked over, frowning and asking anxiously, "Is everything going well?"
Feng Siji nodded with a smile: "Today we can set out to find the queen."
Li Qi cried with joy. She had been planning for this moment and finally waited for it.
As long as they find Dong Mingrong and get the current situation of Yunzhou from her, they can send troops.
She waited for eight years and finally waited for this day.
As if not wanting Feng Siji to see her tears, Li Qi hurriedly wiped her eyes and asked, "What about He Zhangjing?"
"I've already told Li Ke that I'll spare He Zhangjing's life for you. But there's no time to look for him now. We need to get out of the city as soon as possible."
Li Qi understood that the longer they waited, the greater the chance that those people would be able to turn the situation around. She said, "I've prepared everything: horses, dry food, daggers, and bows and arrows.
"I also sent Ye Lan to the military camp. She's not good at fighting, so let her stay."
Feng Siji nodded, took her hand and left with her.
After the battle at the mass grave, they didn't have many people left, but it was not advisable to have too many people involved in a secret operation to find someone.
But Feng Siji was worried that there were too few people and what would happen if something unexpected happened and he couldn't protect Li Qi.
His worry came as soon as he left the capital, so quickly that he had not even figured out how to deal with it.
As soon as their group arrived at the teahouse in the capital, they saw He Mu waiting there with several large groups of people.
Seeing them coming, He Mu shouted, "She is the murderer in the case of Concubine Li. She faked her death just to escape from Kyoto today. You are all subordinates of Master Chen. If you want to rescue Master Chen, then capture her alive and make merit for him!"
Li Qi reined in his horse abruptly and stared at He Mu warily and indifferently. Before he could say anything, a sharp knife suddenly crossed his neck.
She was stunned.
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