Qian Yongning, the head of Jinwuwei, is very close to Cui Renshi.
Isn't that a thorn in the Empress's side?
Responsible for guarding the safety of the capital, he should have been the Empress's confidant, but now he has become a sword hanging over her head. No wonder the Empress followed Tang Huan's lead.
Tang Huan had a premonition that this matter would likely end without any resolution. Not to mention whether Qian Yongning could find any clues, even if he did, the Empress would find an excuse to deal with him.
"What about Sun Yuanzhou?" Tang Huan suddenly thought of the Prefect of Jingzhao who had appeared terrified in the main hall. The Prefect was supposed to assist the Imperial Guards in their investigation.
“Sun Yuanzhou was a highly valued person during the late emperor’s reign and accomplished a great deal back then. However, as he has grown older, he has started to become increasingly confused.”
That means there's also the possibility of being replaced.
Tang Huan understood that the Empress was preparing to gradually reclaim her power from these ministers. Only by controlling everything could she be the true emperor.
We won't be as constrained as we are now.
"Lord Tang, have you really been assassinated?"
Seeing that no one was around, Wang Tianze couldn't help but ask the question that had been on his mind the most.
It's all too coincidental, so coincidental that just when His Majesty wanted to do this, a perfect reason suddenly appeared.
During the morning court session, Tang Huan skillfully steered the conversation to a suitable point, shifting the blame and conflicts onto the Jinwu Guard.
This looks like a scheme orchestrated by Tang Huan and His Majesty.
"Lord Wang, you are questioning my character. How could I lie in front of so many civil and military officials? The assassin's body has already been taken away. If you are interested, you can go to His Majesty."
Wang Tianze chuckled and said, "I don't doubt Lord Tang, it's just too much of a coincidence."
"Perhaps it's not a coincidence. Maybe His Majesty wanted to do this a long time ago, but just couldn't find a suitable opportunity. Now that this has happened, he immediately seized the opportunity to act."
"Didn't you discuss this beforehand?"
Tang Huan spread her hands, "I only found out last night that I had to attend the morning court session today. I didn't have time to cooperate with His Majesty. I just told His Majesty about the assassination attempt."
The rest depends entirely on the tacit understanding between the two.
Wang Tianze looked at the figures gradually disappearing from sight and thought, "Perhaps, this was done by Prime Minister Cui."
"Most likely."
"You know?" Wang Tianze asked in return.
“It’s not just me who knows, His Majesty must have guessed it too. But it’s impossible for His Majesty to turn against Prime Minister Cui for the sake of a mere county magistrate like me. That would be too risky. The only option is to gradually erode Prime Minister Cui’s power until he has no one left to rely on.”
When Cui Renshi was left with only the empty title of prime minister, Wu Lanxi could decide whether to appoint a new prime minister or abolish the prime ministership altogether, all based on her word.
However, that day is still a long way off.
Tang Huan knew that the matter was no longer his concern and that Wu Lanxi would control the subsequent developments. He made an appointment with Wang Tianze to have a drink together another day, and then strode away from the palace.
Meanwhile, Cui Renshi was not the only one on the carriage returning to the Prime Minister's residence.
On either side of the carriage, Redding and Liu Danqing sat there with gloomy expressions.
In the tense atmosphere, Redding suddenly flew into a rage, "Damn it, how come he didn't die in the assassination attempt and instead caused so much trouble!"
"Should we try again?" Redding asked Cui Renshi.
Cui Renshi shook his head, almost subconsciously rejecting Reading's request.
"Since Tang Huan was able to dodge once, subsequent assassinations are meaningless to him. He had already anticipated this, and a new batch of people were transferred from his residence."
This means that the second assassination attempt will be much more difficult.
In addition, the Empress attaches great importance to this matter, and the capital will become very turbulent in the coming period.
"Prime Minister Cui, should we help Qian Yongning?" Redding asked again.
"If we can't help, are we supposed to hand ourselves over? Handing over some insignificant people is useless; we can't give the Empress an explanation. But if we hand over an important person, Qian Yongning isn't worthy of that responsibility."
Since the Empress has already set her sights on the Imperial Guards, let's just give up.
Anyway, the Imperial Guards were originally under the Empress's control, and they had already gained a lot of benefits in recent years thanks to Qian Yongning. Cui Renshi was not too greedy and did not ask for too much.
Cui Renshi glanced at the two people beside him and sternly ordered, "Do not make any rash moves in the next half month, and do not have any conflict with Tang Huan. We just need to wait quietly."
Reading seemed to realize something, and nodded emphatically, saying, "I understand."
Tang Huan was unaware of Wu Lanxi's determination, but he soon discovered that the entire city was under martial law.
Even during the day, the Jinwu Guard began to patrol the streets closely and strictly, and from time to time one could hear people shouting warnings about things that might happen.
"Is the city officially under martial law, but actually it's just an opportunity to get rid of Qian Yongning's people?"
Although Tang Huan didn't think Qian Yongning had the guts to go against the Empress, Tang Huan greatly admired the Empress's caution and meticulousness.
Along with the citywide martial law, the daily curfew was brought forward.
Previously, the curfew was from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. every night, but in the blink of an eye, it became that people could no longer appear on the streets after 8 p.m.
After some research, Tang Huan discovered that violating the curfew in Daqing had extremely severe penalties, so he abandoned the idea of ignoring it.
He didn't want to lose his head over something trivial, but it wouldn't last long anyway.
"The curfew is being moved up today, and the entire city is under martial law. You two better watch out, especially you, Da Kui!"
Tang Huan returned to the mansion carrying two jugs of wine. Upon seeing the two men, he gave them his orders.
"Why the sudden martial law? Does this mean Xiao Qin and the others won't be able to come back for the time being?" Li Daikui was thinking about other things.
Tang Huan nodded, "They definitely won't be able to come back. Let's wait until the martial law is over. Now, entering and leaving the city requires strict questioning and investigation. One of them is a princess of a fallen kingdom, and the other is the son of a general. They definitely won't pass the investigation."
Unless they think they have too much time on their hands, they wouldn't be thinking of returning to the capital anytime soon.
"How long will the martial law last?" Xue'e asked.
"Once the Empress replaces all the guards in the Imperial Guard with her own people, this matter will be over. Our assassination attempt has given the Empress a very good excuse."
Tang Huan then realized that even if he hadn't shifted the blame to the Imperial Guards in the main hall, Wu Lanxi would probably have used other methods to hold them accountable.
Despite being just a woman, Wu Lanxi has a keen sense for political power.
If she couldn't seize this opportunity, she wouldn't have ascended the throne in the first place.
Tang Huan sighed, "With Xiao Qin gone, there's no one to help me write the teaching materials. That's probably the only problem!"
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