Chapter 102 Clever Trick
He verbally agreed to see Li Zhuo, but Cen Yan remained unhurried.
The next day, he took Eunuch Feng to the bandit stronghold, along with Li Yang, deliberately without informing Li Zhuo.
By the time Li Zhuo found out, they had already reached the foot of the mountain. After the news was relayed back and forth, Li Zhuo, who was in Hangzhou, was furious when he heard the reason.
"What do you mean, 'It's enough for Eunuch Feng to talk about people'? Is that how he answered me?"
Li Zhuo slammed his fist on the table and stood up, his whole being filled with agitation.
The servant bowed his head, his tone becoming even more respectful, and said, "Manager Liu said that these were Eunuch Feng's exact words, and he even added that the prince should not take it to heart; it's not that the Prince's residence doesn't want to."
Li Zhuo: "..."
Li Zhuo: "Heh."
Staff member: "Perhaps the schedule was rushed, and... it's such a big matter, the people in the capital are in a hurry, so the Prince's residence didn't have time..."
The advisor meant that Eunuch Feng was pressing them hard, and the matter of the private army was no small matter.
It's understandable that the Emperor's chief eunuch, who came from the palace, brought fewer people to avoid any complications.
Originally, the Third Prince was placed in the salt inspection team at the last minute, and he wasn't very diligent in his duties. By the time they received the news of the suppression of the mountain bandits and the several secret troop deployments in between, the task was almost completed.
Throughout the entire process, it was indeed unrelated to Li Zhuo.
But before he could finish speaking, Li Zhuo angrily interrupted him, saying, "Couldn't you have sent someone to inform them if there wasn't enough time? Cen Yan clearly knows what's on the mountain, but he just doesn't want me to get involved!"
Staff member: "..."
The aide coughed and whispered, "Our relationship with the Prince's mansion isn't that close, is it?"
That's the truth.
He received a glare from Li Zhuo.
Li Zhuo knew, of course, that they disliked each other from the start, but, but...
Li Zhuo took a deep breath, but he just couldn't hold it in.
Splash—
Li Zhuo was so angry that he overturned the table.
The staff members dared not speak.
The advisors, messengers, and attendants all lowered their heads, remaining silent as Li Zhuo grew angry.
*
Saltworks on the side of the mountain.
Upon hearing Liu Qi's report, Zhuang Dongqing hesitated and asked, "Li Zhuo won't believe it, will he?"
Cen Yan smiled: "It doesn't matter, I didn't want to bring him in the first place."
Zhuang Dongqing: "..."
Zhuang Dongqing thought for a moment, "Yes, that's fine."
Under Cen Yan's gaze, she whispered even more softly, "I didn't really like him to begin with."
No normal person wants to see an emotionally unstable lunatic.
Cen Yan chuckled, and seeing that there were no outsiders around, he reached out and pulled Zhuang Dongqing aside, praising, "Our Qingqing is the most honest one."
Zhuang Dongqing touched his nose and nodded shamelessly, "Mm."
Cen Yan's smile widened.
The salt fields and bandit mountain were sealed off immediately after the incident, with troops stationed there every day to guard them and entry and exit were not allowed easily.
This time, when bringing Eunuch Feng along to investigate, Eunuch Feng kept subtly probing Cen Yan, who was also very tactful, not letting anyone catch him out. Whenever the conversation went a little deeper and involved determining the nature of the crime, such as asking whether they were mountain bandits or private soldiers, Cen Yan would flatter Eunuch Feng, saying that he was too blind to make a judgment and that he could only wait for someone from the capital to come and determine the matter.
After chatting all the way, Eunuch Feng had a good idea of Cen Yan's attitude.
This shows a reluctance to get involved.
Even if they are fully aware of the situation, they should pretend not to know anything to outsiders, just waiting to get rid of this hot potato.
And indeed, he was able to handle this difficult situation.
Eunuch Feng made this trip specifically for the matter of his private army.
Inside the capital, His Majesty was still waiting for his reply.
If they weren't private soldiers, everyone would be happy.
If... the imperial court is in turmoil.
Knowing full well the importance of this trip, Eunuch Feng showed no sign of it on his face.
Cen Yan was smooth-talking, as was Eunuch Feng. When they arrived at the salt field, only Li Yang seemed to be an oddball, diligently recounting the situation at the time, the operation of the salt field, and the clues about official and private salt, rambling on without getting to the point.
Eunuch Feng asked in confusion, "Didn't the Sixth Prince participate in the subsequent investigation?"
Li Yang: "Father-in-law is joking. After I was rescued by the Prince's Mansion, I was poisoned again. Even if I wanted to do my best, I was ultimately powerless to do so."
"I never expected the governor to do something like this. I thought he was just oppressing the local people and colluding with wealthy merchants..."
He sighed and said, "It is clear that money can influence people's hearts. I have been in Jiangnan for two years. My father's original intention was to let me see the human heart. I have disappointed my father."
Eunuch Feng: "..."
Eunuch Feng coughed lightly, bringing the conversation back on track, "What were the circumstances when the prince was tied up?"
"At the time, the prince had gone ahead of me in the carriage. I had been reviewing accounts all night and was catching up on sleep in the carriage. Seeing that I was really sleep-deprived, the prince only told me to follow the carriage slowly. Who would have thought that this would lead to this accident..."
"I had just woken up when I was kidnapped, and I was still in a daze. These bandits were really despicable. Their methods were very sophisticated. They even put a sack over my head and drove me away..."
Eunuch Feng interrupted at the right moment: "So, the prince didn't see what happened on the mountain?"
Li Yang chuckled dryly, "They were afraid I'd lose my way, so they covered my head completely. If I had to describe my experience, I just felt like I walked for a very, very long time, and then I was locked up... during which time they didn't give us..."
"Fortunately, the prince escaped under the escort of his personal guards and was not captured."
Eunuch Feng: "Didn't the memorial say that the heir apparent was also kidnapped?"
Cen Yan then spoke up: "At the time, I also thought he had fallen into the hands of bandits, but it turned out that the guards had taken him to hide in the mountains, trying to find an opportunity to escape in secret... When they were suppressing the bandits, the guards happened to hear the commotion, and that's how I found out that An'an was safe and sound..."
The words were so sincere that the bandits' subsequent actions, such as the intensive search of the mountains, could be explained.
Eunuch Feng nodded.
They talked all the way from the salt field to the foot of the mountain. Before the bandit stronghold, Cen Yan used the excuse that Li Yang had just recovered from a serious illness to leave her at the foot of the mountain. Eunuch Feng was very satisfied with this arrangement and also persuaded Li Yang to stay.
Afterwards, Eunuch Feng rode up the mountain with Cen Yan and his group.
Having surveyed the training grounds, housing, and armory in the mountains, Eunuch Feng had a good understanding of the situation there.
He was horrified.
"This is like regular military training!"
"Eunuch Feng said angrily."
Cen Yan didn't respond, but instead led Eunuch Feng to inspect each location one by one. After they finished, the two discussed matters such as reviewing the testimonies, Eunuch Feng personally interrogating the bandit leader, the governor, and the captured thieves. Only then did Eunuch Feng ask, "Is the Sixth Prince...?"
Cen Yan nodded: "It is a matter of great importance. Since the Sixth Prince was poisoned, I did not reveal anything about it."
Eunuch Feng: "Your Highness's move is good. This matter involves a great deal of issues. If it is not necessary, it is best not to create unnecessary complications."
This is why they didn't want to tell Li Yang.
Cen Yan: "Of course."
They worked until sunset before heading back.
Upon entering the city, Eunuch Feng immediately wrote a message to the capital, clearly explaining the matter of the private army. At the end, he thought of Li Yang and added, "The Sixth Prince was completely unaware of this." He then requested the Emperor's permission to handle the case with the Sixth Prince.
The news arrived three days later.
Emperor Shengwu appointed Eunuch Feng to take full charge and investigate the matter thoroughly.
The Prince of Dingxi assisted from the side.
The other princes, the third prince whose background is unknown, and the sixth prince who was victimized, are all not allowed to get involved in this matter.
Having received the imperial decree, Eunuch Feng abandoned his low-key approach and began to investigate the case in a high-profile manner.
Knowing that she had been absolved of responsibility by portraying herself as a victim, Li Yang kept the matter out of the public eye, staying home and only claiming to be recuperating.
A few days later, he received an imperial edict from Emperor Shengwu to express his condolences, along with a royal physician who had come to examine his pulse and several kinds of fine medicinal herbs as a reward. Li Yang tearfully thanked the eunuch who was delivering the edict. His thin frame revealed his true feelings, which made the eunuch's eyes well up with tears as well.
Li Zhuo's situation was worse. Ever since Eunuch Feng took charge of the case in a high-profile manner, the spies of the palace intelligence network had been mobilized. Before, when Cen Yan was interrogating him, he could still learn some inside information. But now that it was Eunuch Feng who had brought a large number of imperial guards and secret agents, not a single piece of information could be revealed.
Knowing what was going on, Li Zhuo dared not inquire further, fearing that Eunuch Feng might have other ideas.
Whenever he urged Cen Yan to meet him, Cen Yan would either say he was busy, using the excuse that he was afraid Eunuch Feng would find out, or that the time was not right and he should wait patiently.
But as the investigation proceeded day by day, unknown to others,
Li Zhuo was already having trouble sleeping, so he had no patience left.
On the eve of Lao Si's arrival, Li Zhuoyue was becoming increasingly suspicious and almost couldn't contain himself when Cen Yan finally set the time and place.
Upon hearing that they would meet at his own residence that night, Li Zhuo's suspicions about Cen Yan lessened somewhat.
His mind raced, and he murmured, "That's right. I'm afraid Eunuch Feng has already gotten to the crucial point and started interrogating the heads of the major merchants. Right now, we need to avoid suspicion."
Cen Yan is, after all, an official assisting in the investigation; if he is seen making contact with someone during the investigation...
Those who know this naturally won't think otherwise.
But it's hard to say what those who don't know, like Eunuch Feng who's still investigating the case, would think.
Besides, the fourth brother is coming soon, and if he gets something to say about it...
With a quick glance, Li Zhuo already knew what he had to do.
Late at night, Cen Yan arrived on time.
The moment Cen Yan pushed open the door and saw Li Zhuo, he sneered, "What kind of behavior is this from the Third Prince? A proper visit, and you had someone lead me in through a side door, and I didn't see a single servant along the way. I thought..."
"Since the Third Prince's attempts to reason with me have failed, he's now resorting to force."
Seeing that Cen Yan had only brought two servants with him, Li Zhuo felt a little relieved. He took a sip of tea to calm his anxiety and then said, "The situation is unclear, and we don't know what Eunuch Feng has found out. Since we are meeting so abruptly, the fewer people who know about it, the better."
Cen Yan: "..."
Cen Yan: "What's the situation?"
What's on your mind this time?
Cen Yan paused, then sneered, "You don't actually think the matter of the private soldiers can be traced back to you, do you?"
Li Zhuo's heart skipped a beat, and he answered half a beat late. However, in that short time, Cen Yan had already seen through him.
Cen Yan: "..."
Cen Yan: "...Ha, you really think highly of yourself."
Li Zhuo: "..."
Li Zhuo gritted his teeth: "Likewise, I didn't expect you to care so much about your retainer, or rather, now I should call him your male concubine, isn't that right?"
Cen Yan's smile vanished. "His name is Zhuang Dongqing."
Having grown up together in the palace, the two knew each other's temperaments well. Seeing that he had successfully stabbed Cen Yan, Li Zhuo relaxed and became even more aggressive, saying, "Oh, I forgot, he's still a young master... How's it like to be a young master of an official's family?"
Cen Yan remained expressionless.
Li Zhuo burst into laughter, then pretended to be confused and said, "Just kidding, don't take it so seriously."
"We have important business to discuss today."
"Get to the point."
Cen Yan also smiled. A cold smile.
Then he turned around and closed the door tightly.
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