Chapter 45 Killing Crazy. No matter who you are today, don’t think about it.
Pei Ji has been on leave at home these days, accompanying He Zhiliao all the time. Perhaps because they have had a deeper contact, little Zhiliao is even more attached to him than before.
"It's not good to hug you all the time." Pei Ji held him tightly in his arms. He said this, but his body was too honest.
He Zhiliao tried to struggle free but couldn't, so she could only let him hold her, and he was happy anyway.
He raised his hands, pursed his lips and smiled. The crystal jade bracelet fit his wrist perfectly. No matter how many times he looked at it, he felt that it was the best jade bracelet in the world.
Since his mother treats him well, he should take good care of the family!
"Just wear it. Don't you find it troublesome to take it off and put it on every day?" Pei Ji kissed the back of his neck, watching him take off the jade bracelet. "If you really treasured it, you should have kept it in a brocade box and never taken it out again."
He Zhiliao pouted slightly. Doesn't he want to treat such a precious thing like this?
Pei Ji quickly lifted his head and kissed him, sucking his pouty lips into his mouth. "Okay, okay, whatever you want is fine. If you like jade bracelets, I'll tear apart the jade screen and make you a dozen pairs. You can wear them every day!"
He Zhiliao quickly shook his head.
That is a solid jadeite made of very good material, and it is not easy to remove it casually. The edges and corners of the material can be sold at a high price!
Pei Ji smiled lightly and said nothing more.
Taking advantage of his birthday, he rested well at home for five days, which made Emperor An a little restless, so he sent an imperial edict to the palace for him.
I had known that he was obsessed with He Zhi, but I didn't expect him to be so obsessed with her that he even ignored the affairs of the court!
"I know I was wrong, Your Majesty, please punish me." Pei Ji still bowed and apologized, but his expression was more high-spirited than before, which showed how comfortable and relaxed he had been these days.
Emperor An snorted coldly, "How long has it been since you last worked carefully? Are you tired of this position, or are you tired of having your head on your neck?"
Pei Ji immediately knelt down and kowtowed, "I dare not. If I offend the emperor, I deserve to die."
"That's good to know." Emperor An glanced at him, "Don't forget why I sent you to the Censorate. If you don't work hard, I won't let you off easily!"
"I understand."
"Stand back."
"yes."
Pei Ji immediately stood up, bowed, and left the Shangshu room.
As he watched him leave, Peng Tongmin said seriously, "It's no wonder Your Majesty is angry. This Pei Si is really going too far. He's forgotten that you are the Son of Heaven!"
"Why should I be angry with him? Everyone knows his temper. I'm just looking for an excuse to vent his anger." Emperor An snorted and laughed. "By the way, take my snacks to Jingyue Palace and tell Concubine Rong that I'll visit her this afternoon."
"I'll go right away." Peng Tongmin hurried to pass on the message.
Pei Ji left the Shangshufang, and the timidity on his face disappeared. He understood what Emperor An meant. He thought that his elder sister also knew what happened that day, and His Majesty might be dissatisfied with the third prince.
This was an opportunity for him, so he had to seize it.
Pei Ji already had many matters concerning the Third Prince in his hands, but because of the Queen's mother's family, he did not dare to act rashly. Otherwise, if Emperor An suppressed the matter, the Jin family would be proud and would hate the Pei family even more.
And now that His Majesty has given him a way out, he naturally has to do a good job of this matter.
He had been dissatisfied with the Third Prince for a long time, but if the other party had not allowed the imperial concubine to take action against He Zhiliao, he would certainly not have hated him so much.
He Zhiliao is his weak spot, which is something that His Majesty knows, but the Third Prince touched it so easily, which is nothing but a provocation to him, and it is also an underestimation of him, and he does not believe that he can make any waves.
Then he had to show the other party that he could not only create waves, but also make them high and strong enough to drown him!
Returning to the Censorate, Pei Ji looked at Liu Linfeng, who was still sorting through the files. He approached him and whispered, "You can take out some of the files I gave you earlier."
"Is it going to be used?" Liu Linfeng's expression became stern, and he became more serious and cautious.
"Yes." Pei Ji nodded, "Send it to the Shangshufang later and just say I asked you to."
Liu Linfeng became nervous instantly. Apart from the palace examination that year, he had never spoken to the emperor again. Now that he was asked to deliver such an important thing, he would inevitably have to communicate with the emperor. He didn't know what to say.
Pei Ji glanced at him and said, "Look at your potential. You will rise step by step in the future. How can you be so timid?"
"I'm just a little nervous..." Liu Linfeng felt a little embarrassed, but was also shocked by the meaning of the other party's words.
He was an unknown person in the Censorate before, but after following Lord Pei, he has the opportunity to be promoted step by step. Just thinking about it is exciting!
"You should answer whatever His Majesty asks. If you don't want His Majesty to know that you are now obeying my orders, then there is no need to be so honest." Pei Ji reminded him in a low voice, "Think twice before you speak. Don't be too naive and answer whatever others ask."
Liu Linfeng understood, "I understand."
Pei Ji raised his eyebrows slightly, "Go ahead."
What he asked Liu Linfeng to deliver was the information about the people sent by the Third Prince's party. Many things were time-consuming and laborious to investigate, and it was thanks to Jinyang and others who worked tirelessly.
Now that Jinyang has gained honor in the eyes of His Majesty, it also means that he, the "recommender", has gained honor as well.
After seeing the evidence presented, Emperor An did not say much, but chatted with Liu Linfeng for a few more words. He did not expect that His Majesty would actually hint at the relationship between him and Pei Ji.
Liu Linfeng lied subconsciously without changing his expression, "Master Pei is the superior, so I am obeying his orders and sending these here."
Emperor An's gaze fell on him and he smiled, "I was just asking casually. I vaguely remember you being so respectful during the palace examination two years ago. Not bad."
"Your Majesty, thank you for your praise. Everything I have is due to your grace. I am grateful from the bottom of my heart." Liu Linfeng echoed Emperor An's words.
Emperor An looked particularly satisfied and asked him a few more questions. Then he waved his hand to signal him to leave.
Although he seemed to be answering fluently, the more he did so, the more it seemed as if he had a plan in place in advance.
It’s time to find someone to keep an eye on Pei Ji.
So as to avoid any unnecessary trouble in the future.
"Your Majesty did not summon those officials and asked me many questions. What does this mean?" Liu Linfeng was a little anxious.
Even if Pei Ji was not there, there was still His Majesty. He didn't know why he was worried about Pei Ji.
Pei Ji sneered, "Just speak as you did today. His Majesty has his own deeper meaning. Perhaps one day, you won't need to follow me and you will be able to rise to prominence."
"I..." Liu Linfeng wanted to say that he had no intention of abandoning the other party. He would do things for anyone, but the character of the person in charge was what he valued most.
"Don't worry about what I mean." Pei Ji said in a low voice, "What I can give you is naturally not as much as what Your Majesty can give you."
Liu Linfeng nodded slightly. He understood Pei Ji's meaning. Nothing is certain about the future. Since words can be changeable, just leave it to actions.
He didn't tell Pei Ji that His Majesty had asked him to keep an eye on the other party's actions. He only needed to handle these matters and not cause any trouble for his superiors.
Pei Ji was completely unaware of this, and even if he knew, he would not take it to heart. His Majesty had eyes and ears everywhere, and Liu Linfeng was nothing to him. He only needed to do what he should do.
Pei Ji's mind and eyes were fixed on the Third Prince's party at this time. Since Emperor An allowed him to do this, he naturally had to do it to his heart's content.
He went to court the next day.
"Do you have any other reports, my dear ministers?"
"Your Majesty, I have a report to make." After receiving a glance from His Majesty, Pei Ji immediately stood up in front of the court officials and said in a resounding voice, "I have solid evidence that Wang Min, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, has seized the people's land, increased taxes, and embezzled tax revenue. He deserves death!"
"Wu Qing, the Cabinet Scholar, neglected his duties and abused his position to accept bribes. He should be dismissed and investigated according to the law!"
"Taifu Jin's son, Jin Ze, has raped men and women, torturing countless people to death. I believe he should be executed immediately!"
Pei Ji did not give anyone a chance to interrupt, and directly explained the guilt and how to convict. When he finished speaking, the court suddenly became extremely quiet, and you could hear a pin drop, and even the sound of breathing was extremely suppressed.
No one expected Pei Ji to say this.
He is an official of the Censorate, and it is normal for him to keep an eye on the previous dynasty for His Majesty, but Jin Ze is a member of the Empress's family. The Empress and the Jin family complement each other. As long as one side does not fall, the other side will always have a chance to make a comeback.
Not to mention that the queen is now in her prime and has raised the third prince to adulthood. Tutor Jin's family has never made any major mistakes. Such a small matter will not cause any impact or harm to the Jin family. Instead, it will bring trouble to Pei Ji.
For a moment, all the court officials were anxiously waiting for His Majesty's response. After all, His Majesty's attitude towards this matter could reveal his attitude towards the Third Prince.
"Your Majesty! I am innocent!"
"I am wronged!"
Wang Min and Wu Qing stood up at the same time and knelt down to protest their injustice, but only they knew whether they were truly wronged or not.
Emperor An remained silent. He had already known all this yesterday, but he did not make any decision yesterday because it was all for Pei Ji to expose it in the court today.
There are many things that officials cannot hide from his eyes, but he should never treat him as a fool.
Jin Taifu saw that His Majesty looked confused, so he immediately stepped forward and responded, "Your Majesty, my son is frail and has been kept in the inner chambers. He has never done anything so shameless. I hope Your Majesty will investigate."
Only a fool would just cry out for justice.
After saying this, Grand Tutor Jin looked at Pei Ji and said, "Since you say you have evidence, where is the evidence? If you dare to slander my Jin family like this, what crime will you be punished for?"
"Since I said there is solid evidence, I must have the evidence. Grand Tutor, you are so eager to convict me. Do you take His Majesty seriously?" Pei Ji retorted bluntly. Anyway, no one can think about it today.
Although he did not do anything to the Third Prince openly, he dragged out people from the Third Prince's party, even Jin Ze was dragged out by him. It can be seen that he is now furious and does not care about the level of official position at all.
Anyway, if he is unhappy, no one else can be happy.
"Pei Ji! Watch your words!"
Pei Ji sneered, "It's Grand Tutor Jin who should be paying attention. Since you said you want evidence, then I'll tell you. Your son Jin Ze has been playing with men and women since he became promiscuous. It's been over twenty years now, and countless people have died at his hands. As Grand Tutor, you never tried to dissuade him, but instead shielded him from his crimes. What is your crime?"
After he finished speaking, he orally narrated the evidence of Jin Ze's torture and killing over the years, starting from the initial year, the gender and place of origin of the victims, etc.
If there were no concrete evidence, he would not have been able to tell all these things so well. As he testified, Master Jin's face became more and more ugly. It was obvious that he had never thought that he could actually dig up things that happened many years ago.
It was his speechless look that made the court officials realize that every word Pei Ji said was true.
Even if they were on the side of the Jin family, those court officials did not dare to speak out casually. This matter involved the Jin family, and they could not remain immune. If they acted rashly, they would be implicated!
"Wang Min's property was confiscated and he was executed. Wu Qing was dismissed from his post and investigated."
"The Grand Tutor is my teacher. I trust him, so he must be unaware of this matter. In this case, I will arrest Jin Ze for questioning. This matter will be handed over to the Censorate and the Ministry of Justice for joint investigation."
Emperor An's words removed Tutor Jin in order to protect the face of the Queen and the Third Prince. Moreover, the Jin family was deeply rooted in the court, and it was not the time to uproot them.
It is clear that three people are involved, but they have different experiences.
Pei Ji had anticipated this. His Majesty would easily let it slip if the Jin family committed no serious offense. But what if the prince coveted the throne? Would he still be able to remain silent and watch?
"Your Majesty! I have an important matter to report." Pei Ji raised his head and looked directly into the emperor's face. "While I was sorting through the files of the Dongdi group, I heard from my subordinates that they had discovered traces of a group of troops camped in a deep forest in the East."
As soon as these words were spoken, Emperor An's eyes, which had been slightly lowered, instantly met Pei Ji's gaze. Before this, he had never heard Pei Ji mention this matter.
Did he deliberately reveal everything today, or was the evidence only found today?
Since Pei Ji's triumphant return, the military power has been temporarily taken back by Emperor An. The troops inside and outside Tianqi cannot be moved at will without an imperial decree. However, there are traces of troops stationed in the east. Isn't it obvious that someone is hoarding troops?
Emperor An's cold gaze swept across the courtiers below, inadvertently passing over the Third Prince. He asked in a deep voice, "Have you investigated clearly?"
"I once asked people from the martial arts world to track them down, and we have successfully tracked them down. We discovered that they were in a camp, practicing martial arts at night and going down the mountain disguised as villagers during the day." Pei Ji said.
He originally wanted to make good use of this matter and was planning to turn those soldiers over to his side, but he didn't expect that they would be so loyal. In this case, he had to cut the weeds and root them out.
After these words were spoken, the court officials dared not stand idly by anymore.
This matter could be a big deal or a small one. If someone is deliberately hoarding troops and horses, I am afraid that when the opportunity comes, they will immediately attack the imperial city.
It’s not that we can’t fight, but the situation will become even more difficult due to internal and external troubles.
Emperor An pondered for a moment and said, "Dismiss the court."
Looking at Emperor An's departing back, the court officials looked at each other, but dared not disobey his orders. Those who were not involved could only retreat first, while those who were involved stood there for a long time without moving.
Pei Xiao glanced at Pei Ji before leaving. The latter nodded at him and went towards the conference hall.
"Deputy Envoy Pei," Grand Tutor Jin called out to him, "You should be mindful of your words and actions. If you act recklessly, you'll bring disaster upon the Pei Mansion."
Pei Ji smiled: "My Pei Mansion has always been loyal since the time of the previous emperor. All the civil officials and military officers are here to share your majesty's worries. Even if there is a disaster, it is only intentional by someone with ulterior motives."
He was not sure whether it was the Jin family who framed him in his previous life, but now that the feud had been formed, he had to be more vigilant.
If the third prince is named the crown prince in the future, the Pei family will probably end up in the same situation as in the previous life.
Inside the meeting hall.
Emperor An no longer needed to suppress his anger. He watched Pei Ji come in and pay his respects. He gently stroked the long sword standing beside him while he was furious, trying to suppress the anger in his heart.
"Tell me everything you have found out, in every detail."
"yes."
Pei Ji had previously asked Jinyang to go to the east to investigate the third prince. At that time, he found traces of a garrison and asked him to continue investigating. He discovered that the group had occupied a mountain stronghold and had taken away some refugees including women and children.
After that, he lived in the mountain stronghold. During the day, he lived like a slave to the people in the stronghold, but in fact, he used the women and children as cover. At night, he would practice archery, wrestling, etc.
After Jinyang was given an official title, he had been kept under surveillance by others, and the news reached Pei Ji's ears every day. He had never thought that this matter would be used so early. The Third Prince was ungrateful and had to deliberately try to touch his soft spot.
"The people I sent over have carefully examined them and found that the weapons they use are all newly forged, sharp and durable." Pei Ji said, "Not to mention the weapons, the daily expenses for the food and clothing of hundreds of people alone are quite a large sum."
Who can support such a team, including food, drink and forging new weapons for hundreds of people?
Emperor An cast a suspicious glance at Pei Ji's face. Speaking of which, it wasn't impossible for the Pei family to have such a thing. Rumor had it that the Pei Mansion was as radiant as a golden house, with even the steps made of white marble...
But if it was really the Pei family's doing, why would Pei Ji reveal all of this?
Apart from that, it is not impossible that those princes could be the real ones.
"What else do you want to say?" Emperor An asked.
"Your Majesty, do you still remember that the Third Prince did not have enough money for disaster relief during his trip to the East, but turned around and took out a hundred taels of gold to shut me up?" Pei Ji stopped there.
Emperor An was not unaware of the reason behind this, but he just needed a push to make him think for himself.
It was already a fact that the Third Prince was corrupt, but Emperor An still did not dare to easily believe that he had hoarded private soldiers.
The third prince is the legitimate son of the queen. As long as he works diligently and doesn't make any major mistakes, the position of crown prince will fall on him sooner or later. Why should he do these thankless tasks?
But this chair can make people lose their minds and abandon their family ties. Even he had fought his way out of the siege in this way, so it didn't seem surprising that his son would do the same.
"What do you think?" Emperor An asked after pondering for a moment.
Pei Ji seemed to know he would ask this question, and immediately said seriously: "Your Majesty, you may not know that although the stronghold is some distance away from the capital, it is not impossible to attack it if you want to. In my humble opinion, it would be better to send the Third Prince to encircle and suppress the stronghold."
Aren't you going to use the people's life-saving money to support those private soldiers? Then die at the hands of the Third Prince, whom they trust and respect the most.
Pei Ji's move was extremely vicious, and there was nothing more murderous than this.
Even Peng Tongmin felt a little nervous while listening to this, fearing that His Majesty would order Pei Ji to be dragged away at any time.
But compared with the minister's calculations and his son's future rebellion, the latter is naturally more serious.
"Peng Tongmin," Emperor An said loudly, "go and pass on the imperial decree. Tell His Highness the Third Prince that he is not allowed to return until the stronghold is destroyed!"
He could certainly recruit those private soldiers, but when he thought that those private soldiers were intended to be used by his son to deal with him, he would naturally feel angry at the sight of them, so how could he spare their lives?
Pei Ji lowered his head and frowned, looking so submissive and contented that people who didn't know him would probably think he was very well-behaved.
"I'll leave the matter of Jin Ze to you as well." Emperor An said suddenly.
"This... I am just a deputy envoy. This matter should be handed over to the Left Censor." Pei Ji was a little surprised. He just said that the Censorate and the Ministry of Justice would work together, but he didn't expect him to do it.
The Left Censor had never offended him, so it seemed a bit inappropriate for him to take on his responsibilities. Although he advocated power, there were also human feelings under power.
Emperor An said: "This is my will."
Pei Ji immediately bowed respectfully and said, "I understand. I will do it right away!"
The matter of Jin Ze was originally fabricated by Pei Ji. If someone else had been interrogating him, they would have been able to mediate. However, the person interrogating him was Pei Ji. Even if he was not executed immediately, he would have to suffer a lot if he wanted to get out of the Ministry of Justice.
The court officials could naturally see what His Majesty meant. It was obvious that he wanted to teach the Jin family a lesson.
When they thought about the Third Prince who was strongly supported by the Jin family, they must be dissatisfied with the Third Prince. However, no matter how hard they tried to think about it, they had no idea why they suddenly became dissatisfied with the Third Prince.
However, the situation in the court is treacherous and changeable, and one may be kicked out if he is not careful. If His Majesty continues to displease him, the Third Prince may never again have the hope of ascending the throne.
The queen obviously thought so too. After learning that Jin Ze was detained, she immediately hurried to the Shangshufang to meet Emperor An, but was stopped by Peng Tongmin. That night, Emperor An went to Rongfei's palace.
Before the Queen could rescue Jin Ze, she learned that the Third Prince had been sent to encircle and suppress the mountain stronghold. She was exhausted in an instant and fell ill.
Who would have thought that Pei Ji could achieve this.
Whether it was Wang Min who was executed after his property was confiscated, or Wu Qing who was dismissed from his post and investigated, they were all secretly promoted by Jin Taifu. Since they wanted to make trouble for the third prince, they naturally had to cut off their arms and feet.
Party disputes have always been like this.
Pei Ji had thrown the court into chaos. After the third prince was forced to leave the capital, the court became quiet again. When attending court, people handled matters impartially and there were no more troubles. It was a relief to have vented their anger.
The Pei family never said much about what he did, but only helped him analyze the pros and cons, as well as the possible direction of events.
Pei Xiao said, "This will completely rip the relationship between us and the Third Prince. We will have to be more cautious from now on."
"If he can succeed in the encirclement and suppression this time, will Your Majesty regain his trust in him?" Pei Ding asked calmly. If so, the success of the encirclement and suppression would be a meritorious service, and it would not be impossible for him to become the crown prince.
"He won't succeed." Pei Ji chuckled. "The imperial decree for the encirclement and suppression has been issued. Those private soldiers may have trusted him completely in the past, but as long as there is a rift in their hearts, trust cannot be rebuilt."
When people are pushed into a corner, they can do anything.
Those private soldiers are naturally no match for the imperial court's soldiers. Moreover, if they really came into conflict with the imperial court, they would probably have been frightened and fled in all directions.
It's either surrender or resentment. If someone adds fuel to the fire, the fire will burn even more fiercely.
The Third Prince is a useless idiot. If this unrest spreads, he will probably be unable to resist.
Pei Xiao nodded continuously, "Yes, you are indeed my son, you are so sinister and vicious! Yes!"
Pei Ji closed his eyes, "Are you praising me?"
"Sure." Pei Xiao gave him a thumbs up.
Pei Ji was too lazy to chat with them anymore, so he stood up to leave, but suddenly something occurred to him, "Dad, your study should be cleaned carefully. Last time I went to look for books, I stepped on a lot of black dust."
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The author has something to say: Little Cicada: Although I only had a small portion of soy sauce, it’s still okay to eat with fried rice… [Sprinkle flowers] Have some more nutrient solution to moisten my throat~ [Haha laugh][Haha laugh][Haha laugh]
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