Chapter 311 The Li Party's Counterattack
Tomorrow's court meeting... Zhao Duan was secretly frightened. From the empress's few words, he could hear the possible storm.
"I understand." Zhao Duan bowed and said goodbye. He took two steps back and suddenly stopped. After a moment of hesitation, he asked:
"Your Majesty, what crime do you think Gao Lian might be convicted of in the end?"
Xu Zhenguan glanced at him unexpectedly and said calmly:
"According to common sense, this crime is second only to treason and should be executed immediately."
According to common sense...these three words mean that "abnormal" things can exist.
The game in the court often does not mean there are only two outcomes: "win" or "lose". It is more about different forces fighting each other and finally reaching some kind of compromise.
For example, Gao Lian committed a crime this time, and no matter how hard the Li Party officials tried, it would be impossible for him to be reinstated. But at the same time... as long as they are willing to put in the effort, it would not be easy to execute him immediately.
Even though he raped and plundered, relied on his power to harm innocent people, and had many lives on his hands.
"I understand." Zhao Duan nodded and walked out of the palace.
Xu Zhenguan looked at his receding back quietly, wanting to say something, but finally closed his mouth.
He just raised his eyes and looked at the dead leaves dancing over the garden.
I thought that by now, the news of the Taicang Prefecture case must have spread.
…
In the courtyard of the Censorate, the rear court.
Yuan Li, with a clear face, finished reviewing the things piled up on her desk, then stood up a little tiredly and stretched her body.
Da Qingyi walked casually in front of the antique display case in the room, raised her hand to play with a tea pet jade cabbage on the case.
The beginning of autumn is a rare period of leisure for the Censorate.
The battle between Buddhism and Taoism caused the court to be in turmoil. All factions tacitly stopped fighting and put their weapons into storage.
Later, due to Zhao Duan's performance in the battle of wits, the royal family's prestige was shaken again. For a while, there was a feeling in the officialdom of the capital that the "imperial party" was rising, and the Li party and the Qingliu party were about to cease their activities.
"Sir, sir!" Suddenly, an official came running from outside the courtyard.
Yuan Li's hands trembled, startled by the voice. He quickly put the jade cabbage back on the shelf, turned around unhappily, and glared at the official who entered.
"I'm not old and deaf. What happened?"
The official said timidly, "Sir, Chen Hong, Censor Chen is back."
Low-ranking officials did not dare to call him "Mr. Yuan".
"Huh?" Yuan Li was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up and he said, "Hurry and call him over."
After a while.
The dusty Censor Chen came in, bowed and smiled:
"Mr. Yuan, I'm back."
Yuan Li smiled and asked him to take a seat:
"You came back so suddenly. This trip was so hasty. Did everything go well? Wasn't Zhao Duan with you?"
"Lord Zhao entered the palace first." said the middle-aged imperial censor with silver teeth inlaid on his face.
Tsk... young people are just impatient... The elegant and handsome man in blue smiled.
Chen Hong said, "The Taicang case has been solved, and the county magistrate, Wang Chusheng, has been apprehended. However, there were some unexpected events that implicated some people."
"Who?" Yuan Li didn't seem surprised.
"The temporarily appointed Governor Gao Lian." Chen Hong uttered the name.
The smile on Yuan Li's face slowly froze, as if he was digesting the news, and his expression became serious:
"Is it really...him? Is that correct?"
Chen Hong said, "The county magistrate personally accused him and has evidence..."
He quickly repeated the process of the speech he had prepared earlier.
After hearing this, Yuan Li couldn't help but stand up, paced back and forth in the room, exhaled lightly, and murmured:
"How could it be him... Alas."
He sighed with a headache. The court, which had been calm for a short while, was about to be in turmoil again.
…
Prime Minister's Mansion.
A carriage hurriedly stopped at the door. The "young cabinet minister" with a high nose and about forty years old jumped out without waiting for the carriage to stop.
He ignored the servants' greetings and ran hurriedly towards the backyard.
He cried out, "Father! Father!"
But it came back empty-handed.
"Yinglong? The master is taking a nap, don't shout." A beautiful woman came out. She was Li Yanfu's concubine.
This will wave his hands, trying to dissuade.
"Something happened, I'm going to see my father!" Li Yinglong looked anxious, with a murderous look on his face. He pushed his concubine away and went to the bedroom.
After a while, big hands banged on the door, and then a sound of "come in" was heard from inside the room.
Li Yinglong pushed open the door and saw the bedroom at noon in autumn.
Li Yanfu, the Prime Minister of Dayu, was leaning on the Arhat bed.
His temples were like hedgehog skin, his eyebrows were like purple stone edges, and his messy and frizzy beard was connected to the temples on both sides.
He was wearing a dark red loose robe with white jade buttons hanging on it.
At this moment, he slowly sat up, supporting himself on the bed with one hand, his eyes as sharp as an eagle.
"Father..." Li Yinglong shuddered for no reason as the old prime minister stared at him.
Li Yanfu had no expression on his face, and said in a slightly hurried voice:
"But Zhao Duan is back."
Li Yinglong was stunned, unable to hide his surprise: "Father already knows?"
"I guessed it." Li Yanfu slowly sat up straight, and Li Yinglong hurried over to support him carefully.
"Tell me, what's the result." Li Yanfu's old voice became slow at this moment.
Li Yinglong said anxiously:
"The people below saw that Zhao Duan entered the city about an hour ago, bringing two large prisoner carts. One was for the county magistrate, Wang Chusheng, and the other was... Gao Lian!"
Li Yanfu's hands, which were pressed on the bed, with wrinkles and bulging veins, suddenly clenched!
"Father! The prisoner cart has been taken to the Imperial Prison. It's difficult for our people to go there and investigate. The specific situation is still unclear, but we can roughly guess. I'm afraid Gao Lian is involved in this case!
"Zhao Duan is truly our sworn enemy! You held back at first, but now he's got the upper hand and is ready to devour us completely!" Li Yinglong said.
"Shut up!"
Li Yanfu scolded, his eyes fixed on the young cabinet minister, making him feel uneasy.
"You still have the nerve to bring that up? Forget who cleaned up your ass last time!?"
Li Yinglong's momentum suddenly weakened, and he could only say anxiously:
"Father, now is not the time to talk about this. Gao Lian is about to die. He and we... share weal and woe. If he speaks nonsense in prison..."
"Humph," Li Yanfu shook off his unfilial son and said in a deep voice:
"Gao Lian isn't as stupid as you. He wouldn't say anything without thinking. If I'm not mistaken, he probably didn't say a single word on the way from Taicang to the capital."
The old prime minister sat cross-legged on the couch, his eyes flickering, as if thinking of a strategy.
Li Yinglong hesitated and said:
"I trust Governor Gao, but Zhao Duan is vicious and might be setting a trap... Anyway, what I'm saying is that we can't just sit there and wait for death.
Gao Lian is silent, hoping we can rescue him. Father, if we remain silent this time, it won't matter what Gao Lian says in prison. The morale of the people will be lost, and that will be fatal."
In the previous few times, neither Pei Kaizhi, Zhou Cheng, nor Li Yanfu tried their best.
This had already caused great displeasure among the officials of the Li Party and the major families in Jiangnan, but due to the accumulated power of the Prime Minister, they could only complain.
It can still be stable.
But Li Yinglong knew very well that if he retreated again and again, the aristocratic families in Jiangnan would not agree, and neither would the officials of Li's party.
"Father! We ceded five cities today, ten tomorrow. You said we'd take a beating so His Majesty could vent his anger, and we did as you said. But His Majesty still won't let go. This time, if we still don't make an effort, people's hearts will truly fall apart!"
Li Yinglong almost begged.
"I told you to shut up!" Li Yanfu was annoyed and furious after hearing this. The young cabinet minister was so scared that he trembled and dared not say a word.
The room fell silent.
After a long while, Li Yanfu closed his eyes, exhaled, and said in a hoarse voice:
"Go gather everyone and have a chat at the mansion."
Li Yinglong raised his head abruptly, his eyes suddenly shining, and he said excitedly: "Father, you want to..."
"Go call someone," Li Yanfu waved his hand, his eyes opened with unusual calmness, his grey eyes like ancient wells.
"We really can't retreat any further."
Even sheep will bite if pushed into a corner.
Li Yanfu clenched his hands, raised his head, and looked towards the direction of the palace, his eyes seeming to penetrate the roof.
Your Majesty, why are you so aggressive...
…
…
Zhao family residence.
After lunch, Zhao Pan brought the boiled hawthorn pills and knocked on the door of the master bedroom in the east wing.
"Mom, have some fruit."
The girl stepped over the threshold, and the sunlight behind her passed around her waist in a plain skirt and spread across the smooth wooden floor.
The autumn afternoon sun lights up the antique furniture.
Eugene Hua was wearing a long dress and sitting on a round stool embroidering. She held a round bamboo frame in her left hand and tightened the silk cloth.
The smooth fingers of his right hand held a needle, and a thimble made of mutton-fat jade was worn on his fingers.
At this moment, she tilted her head and bit the silk thread with her silver teeth, and a mandarin duck appeared on the silk cloth in her hand.
"Put it down." Eugene Hua said, looking at her daughter curiously.
"You're being so attentive for no reason. What's the matter? Do you want to go shopping, or do you want your monthly allowance?"
Zhao Pan puffed out his cheeks. After feeding, his oval face had gained a little "autumn fat", becoming rounder and more lovely.
"Mom, I want to ask if there is any news about my eldest brother and when he will be back."
Eugene Hua uttered an "Ah," sighed softly, and looked worried and concerned.
"Your eldest brother hasn't sent back a letter, so how would mother know? But when he left Beijing, he said he would be back in a month at most, so he should be back soon."
"Oh." Zhao Pan sat down gloomily, in a bad mood.
Eugene glanced at her daughter, trying to calm her nerves. She showed her the mandarin ducks she was embroidering.
"Look, it's embroidered for you."
"Why are you embroidering mandarin ducks?" Zhao Pan frowned.
Eugene Hua smiled and said:
"After the New Year, you are one year older, and it's time to look for a future husband. Now our family is not what it used to be, we are also a wealthy family. With your elder brother here, if you like any of the talented men in the capital, mother will..."
"I don't want to hear it, you're just chanting." Zhao Pan turned decisively, leaving her mother with a buttocks, and covered her ears with her hands, as if resisting the pressure to get married and refusing to marry.
"Why don't you marry me if you want to?"
"You kid! What nonsense are you talking about?" Eugene Hua was helpless. She raised her hand angrily and poked her head with her finger.
At this moment, the servant's surprised voice came from outside the room:
"The young master is back!"
The mother and daughter were stunned, looked at each other, and stood up and ran out of the house at the same time.
Then he saw Zhao Duan walking into the courtyard with bags in his hands, smiling, his eyes lit up:
"Auntie, sister, I'm back."
(End of this chapter)
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