Chapter 183 The Call from the Lake
Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night for the scholars in the capital.
Just when many literati were losing interest and returning home anxiously, preparing to go to sleep.
Teams of murderous officials from the imperial yamen knocked on their door.
"Master, master, something terrible has happened. The police are here!" Chen Mansion.
Chen Zhengru, a Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy, was reading at his desk when a servant suddenly ran in in fear and pushed the door open.
"What?"
Chen Zhengru stood up suddenly, and before he could react, he saw the officials rushing in, led by Captain Zhou Cang.
This time he smiled and said:
"Master Chen, we suspect the recent trend in the capital is related to the rebels. Please don't make things difficult for us. Please come back with us."
Chen Zhengru's face turned pale and he said:
"Zhao Duan is only a sixth-rank official. He has no authority to arrest me."
Zhou Cang threw an arrest warrant in his face, took a few steps closer, his smile vanished, and said:
"Grand Secretary, don't you understand? It's not Lord Zhao who's inviting you over, it's His Majesty."
Chen Zhengru's face was pale and he looked bitter.
Liquidation—I didn’t expect it to come so soon.
…
A house somewhere.
"Bang!" The police rushed in like wolves and tigers.
Xu Hanlin had just fallen asleep when he came out with his clothes on, looking fierce but weak:
"I am a Hanlin..."
The Hou Ren who was on duty at Lihua Hall today suddenly struck out with the handle of his knife. Xu Hanlin's eyes went dark immediately, and he was hit by severe pain, and he bent over like a shrimp.
He actually fainted from the pain.
"Bah! Trash, you dare to deal with my master with this?"
Hou Renmeng was bored and turned his head and said in a fierce voice:
"take away!"
…
Similar scenes occurred in many places at the same time.
In the study of the Prime Minister's Mansion.
The lights are on.
His temples were like hedgehogs, his eyebrows were like stone edges, and his messy stubble spread along both sides of his cheeks, where his temples met his temples. Li Yanfu sat upright in a square chair with an expressionless face.
His eyes, as deep as a dark pool, were fixed on the "young cabinet minister" who was standing on the gorgeous knitted carpet in the room with his head bowed, looking like he was receiving training.
“…That’s what happened.”
Li Yinglong, who was nearly forty years old, with feminine features, a high nose bridge and deep eye sockets, finished narrating what happened today, but did not wait for his father's response.
The atmosphere in the room was terribly depressing.
The hourglass on the table ticked slowly, and you could hear a pin drop.
This ambitious but incompetent Minister of Works, who was clearly not young anymore but still acted immaturely, seemed to be able to hear the sound of flowing sand.
In silence.
Finally, the leader of the Xiangguo Party, who was sitting high in the main hall, slowly spoke with only two words: "Stupid."
Li Yanfu's face was filled with anger at his lack of fighting spirit:
"Didn't I tell you last time to be patient and not to stare at a cruel official? In the end, what did you do?"
Li Yinglong said nothing.
Li Yanfu sighed, looking a little tired:
"Forget it, it's come to this. If my guess is correct, His Majesty has already known about this, and whether he uses this as an excuse or offers a huge sum of money to buy a horse's bones, he will not let it go. I'm afraid Chen Zhengru will also be implicated and suffer."
After a brief pause, he narrowed his eyes and calmly ordered:
"Tomorrow, when you go to court, find an excuse to claim you've been incompetent and ask His Majesty to fine you at least half a year's salary. Humph, punishing yourself is better than His Majesty punishing you."
Li Yinglong raised his head suddenly:
"Father, I only briefly pushed this matter forward, so I'm sure nothing will be found..."
"Stupid!" Li Yanfu's face was as dark as water. "Do you really think that His Majesty, at such a young age, can't guess your unspeakable tricks?"
Li Yinglong opened his mouth and wanted to defend himself.
At this moment, there were suddenly footsteps outside, followed by a knock on the door:
"Master, someone from the palace came over to say that His Majesty heard that you were ill, so he came to visit you."
The father and son in the room looked at each other.
"Please invite the person to the front hall." Li Yinglong said.
After a while, Li Yinglong came to the front hall, supporting the prime minister who looked unwell and coughed continuously.
I saw several eunuchs waiting there, and the leading eunuch hurriedly stood up and said:
"Since the Prime Minister is seriously ill, why did he come out in person? It's us who should go and visit him."
Li Yanfu slowly sat down, looking completely different from the weak man he was just now.
"When the angel arrives, I, this old minister, will welcome him. I heard that His Majesty has emerged from confinement?"
The middle-aged eunuch nodded and waved his hand. The young eunuch next to him came forward holding a number of valuable boxes.
"Your Majesty heard from Minister Li that the Prime Minister caught a cold and therefore missed this year's Dharma Assembly. He has specially ordered this servant to deliver Snow Mountain Ginseng and other nutritious treasures from the palace.
His Majesty, impressed by the Prime Minister's hard work for the court, said that since this is the case, he should rest and recuperate. For the next period of time, the Prime Minister will not have to attend court."
He turned to Li Yinglong and said:
"Your Majesty also said that Minister Li is a filial son. I think he should take care of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Works. So, I don't need to worry about it for now. It's better for him to focus on taking care of his family."
Banning my father from attending court...weakening my own authority...
The young cabinet minister's face changed slightly. He never thought that His Majesty would act so decisively and protect that pretty boy so much.
Revenge overnight... Can't you even wait for a day?
Li Yanfu looked calm and smiled:
"In that case, I thank Your Majesty on behalf of this old minister."
Deep within the deep pupils, there was already a cold silence.
…
…
"Your Majesty's grace is beyond my comprehension, except to sacrifice my life for the country."
Zhao Duan vaguely guessed the result and decisively offered his loyalty.
When a leader rewards, he must provide positive feedback in a timely manner. For him, it has almost become a muscle instinct.
Xu Zhenguan was very satisfied, then frowned and said:
"However, I can help you block open attacks, but I cannot protect you from hidden arrows. Next, the new policies will be released and implemented gradually and slowly.
This will undoubtedly arouse fierce resistance from many people in the court.
"What I and the Grand Master are saying is that it's best for you to stay away from Xiuwen Academy, including the title of Bachelor. For you, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages at this moment."
This is quite straightforward.
Once the new policy is made public, officials from aristocratic families will inevitably launch a frantic counterattack and try to obstruct it.
In the court, a new round of fierce competition will surely take place, and its scale and momentum will probably be no less than the last party struggle surrounding Pei Kaizhi.
especially……
This time, the new policy affects more than just the "Li Party".
The members of the "Qingliu Party" behind Yuan Li also include a large number of aristocratic scholars, and even the "Imperial Party" of the empress also face the huge risk of rebellion.
Ultimately, when the imperial court has to compete with the officials for profit, even the most loyal ministers will take up their swords.
So, coming up with a strategy is just the first step.
The real difficulty lies in how to withstand the numerous obstacles.
Just like in history, the reformers Zhao Duan was familiar with almost all faced tragic end.
Zhao Duan is still too weak now, his rank is only sixth, and he is still a military officer.
The court struggles that Xiuwenguan was involved in were still too intense for him.
Therefore, after much deliberation, the empress decided to let him hide under the wings of herself and others, develop in a low-key manner, and avoid the limelight.
"It's all at your command, Your Majesty." Zhao Duan nodded happily.
Xu Zhen looked at the time and said:
"It's been too long out there."
"I send you to Your Majesty."
Zhao Duan paid the bill, and after the empress lifted the blockade, the two Yakshas walked out of the noodle shop.
After finding a secluded place, the empress suddenly disappeared, leaving only a Yaksha mask on the ground.
Zhao Duan silently picked up the mask, looked at the brightly lit palace in the distance, turned around and returned the same way.
The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. He was the only one left in the bustling streets.
…
unconsciously.
Zhao Duan walked back to the bridge where he had just talked with the empress, looked towards the river, and thought of the handkerchief that had floated away.
Then……
"Huh?"
Zhao Duan suddenly felt that this place looked familiar.
He also vaguely realized that the Qi in his body was boiling on its own, and was faintly resonating with the deep river water in the distance.
He looked around and saw that no one was paying attention. He quietly slipped into the darkness and turned over to reach the bottom of the bridge.
Weird expression:
"What a coincidence... Isn't this the location of the secret passage in the imperial palace?"
However, what really surprised him was...
At this moment, he clearly felt the faint attraction coming from the formation at the bottom of the lake.
As if...
call!
(End of this chapter)
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