Then, he hurriedly and nervously asked:
"Prime Minister, what should we do now?"
"Hmph! What else can we do?"
Sima Lie sneered:
"Immediately dispatch troops to search for Zhang Tang near the Luohe post station under the pretext of rescuing the imperial envoy. Once found, hack him to death with a flurry of blows!"
Sima Lie clenched his fists, a fierce look flashing across his old face: "Doesn't he like to hide? Let's see if he hides well or if we find him quickly."
"Yes! I will go and give the order right away."
After finishing his speech, Ma Shangtao hurriedly left.
But no sooner had he left than someone called out to Sima Lie from behind.
"Prime Minister Sima, please wait!"
Hearing someone call his name, Sima Lie frowned slightly and turned around.
He then saw Wang Ziru and a group of ministers rushing toward him.
"Hmm?" Sima Lie asked in confusion, "What brings you here?"
Wang Ziru hurriedly cupped his hands and said:
"Your Excellency, we...we have something to ask of you."
As he spoke, his expression was somewhat timid, but remembering the purpose of his visit, he still forced himself to speak:
"Prime Minister, you must have witnessed the loan dispute in court. As the head of all officials, you should..."
Wang Ziru stopped there, but seeing the equally eager looks in the eyes of the other ministers, he immediately understood that they had all come for the same purpose.
Upon hearing this, Sima Lie's face instantly turned cold, and he said indifferently:
"I don't have time to help you get money from that tyrant. You'd better find someone else."
"Oh, Your Excellency!"
Wang Ziru said anxiously:
"Your Excellency, please don't misunderstand. That's not what we meant. It's just... Alas, Your Excellency, to be honest, we roughly know what exactly happened with the disaster relief army being attacked."
Sima Lie frowned.
It took him a long time to realize that these people had actually guessed it?
This is really a strange thing.
"In that case, you should know that I am currently extremely busy and have no time to deal with you."
Wang Ziru said with a bitter face:
"But we have no choice! Your Excellency Prime Minister, please have mercy and leave us some soup."
"What's the meaning?"
Sima Lie didn't react for a long time.
Wang Ziru thought he was still pretending, so he gritted his teeth, looked around, and then leaned closer and whispered:
“Prime Minister, we all know the truth about this, but no one will expose it. However, Prime Minister, you went too far. Zhang Tang deserves to die, but you should leave some money for us. After all, that money was all scraped together from our own savings.”
"It's one thing if you kill Zhang Tang, but please don't let it harm our livelihoods!"
"What did you say?"
Upon hearing this, Sima Lie froze on the spot!
Feeling like he was listening to gibberish, he stared wide-eyed for a long time before gritting his teeth and saying, "What nonsense are you spouting? You're not trying to say that I did this, are you?"
Everyone nodded in unison; the meaning couldn't be clearer.
They firmly believed that Sima Lie was involved in this matter, and that he must have sent men to impersonate bandits, eliminate their old rival Zhang Tang, and steal all the disaster relief funds.
Killing two birds with one stone—such a ruthless scheme is indeed the Prime Minister's style!
Furthermore, if it weren't for the Prime Minister's intervention, how could mountain bandits have committed murder, arson, and robbed disaster relief funds right under the noses of the imperial army of five thousand? They didn't even run away after looting, and they even killed hundreds of imperial officers!
Even the Xiongnu wouldn't dare to be this ruthless!
Wang Ziru sighed softly, his eyes filled with a hint of reproach, and said:
"Prime Minister, we all know that you don't want to bring this matter up in public, and neither do we. But life is getting harder every day."
"Bullshit! Shut up!"
"I didn't do this at all!"
Sima Lie was so angry that he was practically fuming and started swearing.
If he really did it, why would he be so angry?
This is a huge black pot. If word gets out, wouldn't everyone end up asking him to pay back the millions of taels of silver in national debt?
Sima Lie was so angry that he puffed out his beard and glared at his face: "Get out of here, all of you! If anyone dares to slander me in the future, I will not let him get away with it!"
After saying that, Sima Lie angrily flung his sleeves and left.
Wang Ziru and the others were left completely bewildered.
...
at the same time.
As soon as Qin Yu returned to the palace, Zhu Fei, having received the news, picked up a tiger-shaped whip and headed straight for the Imperial Study.
When Zhu Fei encountered passing eunuchs and palace maids on the road, he made no attempt to conceal his eroticism, presumably holding it in his hands, which made the palace maids blush with embarrassment all the way.
A moment later, Zhu Fei finally met Qin Yu in the secret room of the Imperial Study.
"This humble general pays his respects to Your Majesty."
"You may dispense with the formalities, my dear minister."
Qin Yu was casually flipping through the memorials when he looked up and saw Zhu Fei. A smile appeared on his lips, and he asked in a low voice:
"What's wrong? Is there any news from Li Geng?"
Zhu Fei nodded: "Your Majesty is indeed a prophet. Li Geng did indeed send a secret letter this morning, and I have come here for this matter."
"Oh?" Qin Yu looked at Zhu Fei in surprise and asked:
"Tell me quickly, how is the situation on his end?"
As they spoke, Zhu Fei had already taken a letter from his pocket and handed it to Qin Yu, saying respectfully:
"Your Majesty, look, Li Geng said in his secret letter that he has successfully completed his mission, and Zhang Tang has been secretly escorted away by the Blood Droplets and is now heading to the disaster area via a side road."
Qin Yu opened the letter and was immediately filled with relief and excitement, saying:
"Very good, Li Geng did a fantastic job this time!"
The Flying Guillotine's first mission was so swift and efficient!
It's only a small test, and it's already this impressive!
With such an elite force, those corrupt officials will be in for a world of trouble!
Qin Yu became more and more excited as he thought about it, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
He no longer needed to worry about Zhang Tang's safety, and he felt much more relaxed.
Qin Yu took a deep breath, glanced at the time, and waved his hand, saying:
"General Zhu, you've been here for almost the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. You'd better leave quickly to avoid arousing suspicion."
"Your humble servant obeys the order!"
Zhu Fei nodded, bowed respectfully to Qin Yu, and then turned and left the study.
Qin Yu was in a great mood at this moment. As soon as he sat down, An Fu happily said beside him:
"The Emperor's plan is truly intricate, and Sima Lie is likely to be in a lot of trouble for a while now."
"Oh? What are they doing now?"
Qin Yu picked up the teacup, took a sip, and asked casually.
"They're mobilizing troops and conducting a large-scale search around the Luohe post station," Anfu said gloatingly.
"Although they claim to be searching for the safety of the imperial envoy, in my opinion, they probably think Zhang Tang is still alive and want to find him and kill him to silence him."
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