Chapter 166: Factions
Yang Jin shook his head thoughtfully.
"Last time, your people said there was a ghost wall on Crouching Tiger Mountain. Prince Shou'an and I went to see it together. It was just some tricks of the underworld.
So you go to the Imperial Observatory to find someone who understands the Five Elements and Qimen Dunjia, and then go outside to find someone who is proficient in this area to go with you.
We’re bound to discover something.”
When Yang Jin heard this, his brows immediately relaxed and he understood.
So he took his leave and prepared to go back to reorganize the team and go to Wan'an Mountain again.
After Yang Jin left, Li Yueyao thought for a long time and finally said:
“You still remember the Wang family that Li Huaiyu found recruiting craftsmen and people who are good at making firearms.
Hasn’t that group of people disappeared?
Could it be in Wan'an Mountain?"
Feng Shenyu nodded and said, "It's possible. And I speculate that the missing thunderbolt may also be there."
Li Yueyao paused after hearing this and said, "Qian Lou, quickly send someone to inform Minister Yang of the Ministry of War. Be careful of the thunder bomb in the mountains."
"Yes."
Qian Lou turned around and ran outside.
"The Gusu Wang family is colluding with the Minister of Rites, so who is the Minister of Rites in cahoots with?" Li Yueyao asked.
"I have some suspicion that it was Prince Jin, but I have no evidence." Feng Shenyu said.
"Why do you make such a guess? Is there something fishy going on between the two of them?"
"Your Highness, do you remember who recommended Prince Jin to be in charge of the Ministry of Revenue?" Feng Shenyu asked.
Li Yueyao thought carefully about the dispute in the Ministry of Revenue at the beginning of the year. At that time, the court recommended the King of Qin and the King of Jin to be in charge of the Ministry of Revenue.
"It seems that the Minister of Rites recommended the Prince of Jin, and the Minister of Works recommended the Prince of Qin."
"Well, at that time we were fully focused on dealing with Gao Hongchen, and at the same time we were on guard against the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works turning against us.
So I sent someone to check the Shangshu of these two books.
We discovered some interaction between the two, but nothing else was discovered.”
Li Yueyao analyzed, "That means Ruan Anhe and Xiang Jingyang from the Ministry of Industry have close ties and are in the same group."
Feng Shenyu said: "The two of them are not very close, but as colleagues, they are quite close.
It can be understood that the two are in the same group.”
Li Yueyao continued, "If they are in the same group, then they are a faction of their own. Or are they in the same faction as Prince Jin, or are they in the same faction as the Xie family?"
Feng Shenyu listened, thought for a moment, and said, "What I just said was just a suspicion. I haven't found any contact between them and either the King of Jin or the Xie family."
"Then let's temporarily classify Ruan An and them as a separate faction.
What can be confirmed now is that Ruan Anhe's subordinates are the Wang family, and the Wang family's subordinates seem to be related to the spies of Nanli.
First straighten this line and make it smooth.
Then arrest the people and find out the clues through interrogation to see how they colluded with Nanli.
Or maybe he belongs to a faction of the Prince of Jin or the Xie family."
Feng Shenyu nodded.
"The tactics used by these Nanli people have always been to push others forward and hide themselves behind.
It’s like wearing layers of masks. Until you take them off completely, you’ll never know what kind of face is hidden underneath.”
Li Yueyao sighed and said, "Yes. We checked Zhao Qing and found that Gao Hongchen might be behind her.
After checking Gao Hongchen, I found that he was just a knife in the hands of others.
Now that Ruan Anhe has been found, do you think he might also be someone else's pawn?"
Feng Shenyu looked up at the distance and said, "It's very likely."
"We have a very good and strong opponent." Li Yueyao said.
Feng Shenyu smiled and said, "Your Highness, this is also very good.
It is interesting when chess players meet their worthy opponents and generals meet talented people.
If everyone were to just wipe them out like Gao Hongchen did, it would be too simple and boring."
Li Yueyao turned to look at Feng Shenyu and said, "You don't have a fever, what nonsense are you talking about?
This is the imperial court, which concerns millions of people in the Great Jin Dynasty. How can we really fight like on a chessboard?
Fight to the end, you win, but you are the only one left.
What’s the point of such an ending?”
Feng Shenyu laughed after hearing this and said, "I'm fighting in the front, and you're watching from behind.
Your Highness is a man of great resourcefulness. How could he have watched me fight to the bitter end, leaving me alone?"
Li Yueyao glared at him unhappily and said nothing.
In the afternoon, the two were discussing military deployment in the study when Yu Zhan suddenly appeared at the door.
Yu Zhan remained standing until the two of them finished their discussion.
Li Yueyao said, "Yu Zhan, is there something wrong?"
Yu Zhan nodded and came in.
"My dear, there are two Princes of Jin in Prince Jin's mansion. One is Prince Jin himself, and the other is Concubine Xiao."
Feng Shenyu heard this and said, "Isn't it the principal wife Zhuge?"
Yu Zhan shook his head.
Li Yueyao asked, "What are you talking about?"
Fengshen Jade Slip told Li Yueyao about the matter, and Li Yueyao said after listening:
"It is indeed so."
Yu Zhan thought for a moment and then spoke again: "That Prince Jin listens very much to the Xiao family. It seems that the Prince Jin's Mansion respects the Xiao family."
Li Yueyao suddenly turned around and asked, "What about the Queen Zhuge?"
"Never seen it." Yu Zhan replied.
"The second time we visited Prince Jin's Mansion at night, there was some movement in the east courtyard, and Xiao rushed over.
On the way, she said that those who can't even take care of a dying person are a bunch of good-for-nothings.
So who is the dying man?
Is it Zhuge?" Feng Shenyu asked.
Yu Zhan suddenly lowered his head and said, "My lord, the place is heavily guarded, with three layers of sentries, both overt and covert. I have tried several times but failed to get in.
The subordinates are incompetent."
"What secrets are hidden in a small courtyard on the east side that requires three levels of sentry posts?" Li Yueyao murmured.
“There are secret guards outside the courtyard and visible guards inside the courtyard, and their shift changes do not overlap.
One time, I disguised myself as a guard in the courtyard and tried to get in under the pretext of delivering food.
But I found that there was another layer of guards in the house. They took the food and kicked me out.
Therefore, the situation inside the house remains unclear.”
Li Yueyao heard this and said, "I'll lend you Chen Yue, and you two can go explore the Prince Jin's Mansion together."
Yu Zhan shook his head and said, "Your Highness, if you want to investigate that small side courtyard thoroughly, you may have to lure the snake out of its hole.
But in this case, you must hit the target with one strike, otherwise they will be alerted and move the people away.
This would put us in a more passive position.”
Feng Shenyu heard this and said, "Someone go and ask General Xiao Xue to come over."
After a while, Xue An came in from outside.
Xue An is Xue Yong's nephew, that is, Zhaoqing's nephew from her husband's family.
Xue An is only eighteen years old. He looks very different from Xue Yong, who is a big and strong man. This little Xue has red lips and white teeth, and looks like a young lady.
However, he was quite skilled and diligent in his daily duties as a guard in the palace, which earned him the emperor's trust.
The fact that he was still not married at the age of eighteen gave the old lady of the Xue family a headache, so she came to Li Yueyao for help.
I hope Li Yueyao can persuade him to get married soon.
Ever since Li Yueyao learned about the messy relationships among Li Huaiyu, Gan Qing, and Zhao Qing, she has been very indifferent to these things.
But the Xue family is his uncle's family, and Old Lady Xue is his third aunt, so he has to agree even if he doesn't want to.
Yesterday, Li Yueyao called Xue An in and gave him a lecture, asking him to get married as soon as possible. Xue An lowered his head and walked out in shame.
Hearing Li Yueyao calling him at this moment, Xue An thought that they were still talking about marriage, and he was worried.
When I arrived, I found that not only Li Yueyao was here, but also the Right Prime Minister and his guards.
Feng Shenyu looked at Xue An and said, "I have something I would like to trouble you with, General Xue."
"If the Right Prime Minister has anything to say, please give me your instructions. I will do my best to carry it out."
"A few days ago, you, Chen Yue, and Huai Xiucheng captured the assassination group of men in black, and you worked together very well.
This time, you and Yu Zhan should go down and discuss the matter and check out the small courtyard east of Prince Jin's Mansion.
Let’s see what secrets are hidden in there.”
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