"Prime Minister, my son is in terrible shape. He was beaten beyond recognition, and even his legs were broken."
At this point, Ma Shangtao gritted his teeth and said with grief and indignation.
"Prime Minister, are we just going to let that tyrannical emperor run rampant? He's practically defecating and urinating on our necks."
Ma Shangtao became more and more excited as he spoke.
That tyrannical emperor, who was a courtesan from a brothel, actually beat his son Ma Biao so badly. Whenever he thought of his son's miserable state, he wished he could kill that tyrannical emperor immediately.
Sima Lie was actually utterly speechless.
That tyrannical emperor actually dared to steal a woman from a spoiled brat, and to make matters worse, he stole a prostitute.
They even dared to kill government soldiers; it's utterly absurd!
Just as Sima Lie was comforting Ma Shangtao, Sima Jing also hurriedly arrived at the Prime Minister's residence.
She walked on the bluestone road for a long time before finally seeing the Prime Minister's residence not far away.
Sima Jing's gaze sharpened slightly, and she quickened her pace.
As she approached, the old butler came out to greet her.
Sima Jing cut to the chase and asked, "Has the Prime Minister rested?"
The old steward shook his head and respectfully said, "Reporting to Consort Jing! Master hasn't rested yet!"
Upon hearing this, Sima Jing raised an eyebrow and breathed a sigh of relief.
The old steward quickly led Sima Jing into the Prime Minister's residence.
Sima Jing finally met Sima Lie and immediately said anxiously, "Prime Minister, I have found out who that tyrannical emperor wants to appoint as imperial envoy."
She walked into the hall and stood still, then spoke to Sima Lie, who was sitting in the main seat.
Upon hearing his ace spy's anxious words, Sima Lie immediately frowned, looked up at her anxiously, and asked, "Oh? Who is it?"
"It is... Duke Zhang Tang, the Pillar of State!"
Sima Jing pursed her lips and uttered these words.
Upon hearing this name, Sima Lie's old face twitched, and his brows furrowed even more deeply.
"Zhang Tang? Are you sure it's him?"
Sima Jing nodded and answered affirmatively, "It was him. That's what that tyrannical emperor said himself!"
Sima Lie remained silent for a long time, his expression growing increasingly grim.
A moment later, he snorted coldly and said angrily, "Nonsense! This tyrant is truly audacious. How dare he reinstate Zhang Tang?"
"Yes, Prime Minister, Zhang Tang is a difficult man to deal with. We must not let him return to the court."
Sima Jing echoed in agreement.
Sima Lie's face was gloomy: "That's right, Zhang Tang is my biggest rival. I really didn't expect that the incompetent and foolish emperor would actually take the initiative to appoint Zhang Tang. Does he think he's living too comfortably?"
His tone was full of anger; wasn't this a clear indication that he was being defiant?
Who gave that tyrant the audacity, or did he suddenly become intelligent?
At this moment, Qiu Beiming, who had been silent all along, slowly put down his teacup, coughed lightly, and said, "As for why it was Zhang Tang, I have some guesses."
Upon hearing this, Sima Lie immediately turned to look at Qiu Beiming.
"Sir, in your opinion, why does that foolish ruler insist on giving Zhang Tang such an important position?"
Qiu Beiming stroked his beard and said, "That tyrant can't become a wise ruler overnight, and a dog can never stop eating shit. So, based on information from various sources, I guess the problem can only be with one person."
"oh?"
Who is it?
Sima Lie and Sima Jing stared at Qiu Beiming with puzzlement.
"The abbot of Qingyun Temple, Liu Caiqing."
Qiu Beiming's lips parted as he slowly said, "It's common knowledge how lecherous that tyrant is. Aren't there all sorts of rumors circulating that he's having an affair with Liu Caiqing in private? And Wang Zhen even witnessed it."
“Zhang Tang and Qingyun Temple have an extremely close relationship, and he is even more of a sworn brother to Liu Caiqing’s master, the previous Imperial Preceptor! So, in my judgment, it must have been Zhang Tang who had Liu Caiqing bewitch the tyrant and propose the idea. The tyrant was blinded by lust and thus agreed.”
This statement was reasonable and well-founded, and it matched the intelligence that Sima Jing had obtained very well.
Sima Lie suddenly understood and realized the truth in an instant.
"As expected of the master, it seems that nothing can escape the master's eyes."
Sima Lie praised Qiu Beiming.
Qiu Beiming smiled modestly, then changed the subject and said, "Now that things have happened, the Prime Minister needs to make plans to deal with them as soon as possible."
Sima Lie nodded, his expression darkening once again.
He snorted coldly, narrowed his eyes, and said, "That Zhang Tang wants to make a comeback, but how can I allow him to? Tomorrow morning at court, I will have all the officials jointly petition to replace Tan Wu, the Vice Minister of Revenue, as the Imperial Commissioner for Disaster Relief!"
This is a great job.
If he could be in this position and use his own people, he could not only embezzle the disaster relief funds for his own pocket, but also take the opportunity to place his cronies in the three southwestern prefectures.
The power of an imperial envoy is terrifyingly vast. He can use various pretexts to purge officials at all levels in the southwest and kill anyone who is disloyal to him.
The various benefits made Sima Lie extremely interested in this position, and he was determined to keep it in the hands of his own people.
However, at this moment, Qiu Beiming shook his head for the first time ever.
Sima Lie was startled and quickly asked, "Sir, is there something amiss?"
Qiu Beiming nodded slightly, and then said, "Since it is not the tyrannical emperor's intention to reinstate Zhang Tang, we can turn the tables on him."
"Let's go along with Zhang Tang and that woman's plan for now! Zhang Tang wants to be the imperial envoy, let him be! Later, on his way to take up his post in the southwest, we'll ambush elite assassins disguised as bandits, waiting for Zhang Tang and his men to pass by..."
Qiu Beiming's eyes instantly turned cold and sharp, flashing with a hint of killing intent.
Sima Lie initially felt it was inappropriate, but then his eyes suddenly lit up, and he took over the conversation, continuing, "In this way, we can have people disguised as bandits kill Zhang Tang and also take all the silver?"
"Hahaha, what a brilliant plan!"
Sima Lie couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Sir, you are truly exceptional! I am utterly impressed and deeply admire you!"
After he finished speaking, he repeatedly cupped his hands in greeting to Qiu Beiming, his expression filled with excitement.
He had wanted to kill Zhang Tang for a long time, because only a dead person could truly put people at ease.
The problem is that the military horse farm is a crowded and noisy place. Although Zhang Tang has been demoted, he still has considerable prestige in Daxia. Even he doesn't dare to openly kill him.
Qiu Beiming's scheme was extremely ingenious.
Zhang Tang's seemingly comeback attempt is actually a hasty descent into oblivion; he's practically crawling on his way to the underworld.
If they send troops, they will have the opportunity to eliminate the threat completely.
Thinking of this, Sima Lie clenched his fist excitedly, eager to give the order immediately.
"Prime Minister, you may do this at court tomorrow..."
Qiu Beiming smiled, his tone unfathomable.
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