Chapter 16: Chang'an Tiger
Cold Food Festival is here.
In Chang'an City, from the king to the common people, every household extinguished their stoves.
The prosperity and bustle of the streets and alleys are not diminished by this.
People were drinking cold bean porridge in the streets and alleys, listening attentively to the latest rumors in the capital.
Something big happened in Chang'an City recently.
The only son of the Xue family was kidnapped in the Mingguo Mansion by someone. It was said that someone in the court instructed the Green Snake Village, a gangster faction, to do it.
General Xue, who was far away in the northwest, was furious. He ordered his old subordinates who were now stationed in Lingnan to attack the Green Snake Village directly and wipe it out in one fell swoop, leaving no blade behind.
Unfortunately, after searching the entire Green Snake Village, we still couldn't find any trace of Young Master Xue.
To put it nicely, it's an uncertain life or death, but to put it bluntly, it's likely that he has already died in the snake's belly.
General Xue sent someone to deliver an urgent letter back to Chang'an over a thousand miles, asking the emperor to take charge and find out who was behind this.
The emperor felt sorry for the Xue family who had lost their only son and ordered the Dali Temple to investigate the case.
Inside the palace with red walls and black tiles.
In the imperial study, the Duke of Ming, who was over seventy years old, was supported by a eunuch. He beat his chest and stamped his feet, and almost fainted.
"Your Majesty, please understand! I was just hosting a birthday party, and those damned thieves took advantage of it to attack the Xue family's only son. This matter has nothing to do with me!"
Duke Ming's white beard trembled.
He truly felt that he was the most wronged person in Chang'an.
He was already old and estimated that he didn't have many years left to live, so he wanted to hold a grand birthday party, but this happened.
Sitting behind the desk was Dao Ming Huang, dressed in a five-clawed golden dragon robe, with a deep expression and a majestic aura.
The current emperor Murong Yu ascended the throne when he was young.
He has been in power for nearly twenty years since the first year of the Yongjia period. Now he is thirty-three years old, with a dignified physique and extraordinary bearing.
Murong Yu put down the memorial in his hand, his eyes wandered from the desk to the anxious expression of Duke Ming, and he chuckled softly:
"Alright, Duke Ming, I didn't say I doubted you. I just need everyone in your mansion to cooperate with the Dali Temple in investigating the case.
I know your family isn't very smart, but you're not stupid enough to hold a banquet in your own house to harm others."
The corners of Duke Ming's mouth twitched when he heard this, but he still shouted, "Your Majesty is wise!"
Duke Ming was reassured and took his leave to go back home to rest.
The smile on Murong Yu's face faded, and the imperial brush in his hand was dipped in cinnabar ink. He paused over the memorial without writing anything.
A frost appeared in his eyes.
Xue Che’s disappearance may not be a bad thing.
It is true that the Xue family has served Dayu for generations, but their reputation is too great.
Since Murong Yu ascended the throne, he has been deliberately weakening the civil and military families. The military power in the hands of the Xue family must be taken back eventually.
The Xue Family Army has followed the Xue Family for generations and refuses to submit to generals other than members of the Xue Family. However, if the Xue Family has no descendants, the power of the Xue Family Army will eventually be dispersed.
Murong Yu's eyes were as dark as ink, and he tapped his knuckles twice on the mahogany lacquer surface.
Since Xue Yucheng wants an explanation, then give him one.
…
He Mansion.
Bang!
A jade cup was smashed into pieces, and the tea in the cup splashed onto the face of Lu Feng, the Minister of War, with the fragments.
Lu Feng stood in the middle hall with his back bent, looking panicked and humble. He didn't dare to raise his hand to touch the cuts on his face caused by the fragments.
In front of the rosewood six-fold screen, Zhongshu Ling He Tingfang was furious, and he hadn't put down his hand yet to throw the teacup:
"You can't even handle this little thing. The Dali Temple has already reported it to the Ministry of War. What a loser!"
"Master He, I don't know how they were able to find this place."
Lu Feng's face was pale.
He had let the people from the Green Snake Village work for him for several years, and nothing major had ever gone wrong.
He was well aware of the dirty deeds that Green Snake Village had always done, such as selling human children.
But with the help of the underworld gangs, he could achieve his goal without dirtying his own hands, so he turned a blind eye to the actions of the Green Snake Village.
Qiu Ming is a shrewd and cunning person. He has done things cleanly and efficiently many times, and the government has not been able to trace him to the Green Snake Village.
Lu Feng's contact with the Green Snake Village has always been secretive and cautious, and he has never left any physical evidence.
But this time, when attacking Xue Che, the Xue family actually traced back to the Green Snake Village, and the evidence handed over to the Dali Temple pointed directly to the Ministry of War.
Lu Feng panicked: "Master He, why don't you contact the people at the Dali Temple?"
He Tingfang looked at Lu Feng as if he were looking at a pig:
"Communicate with the people in Dali Temple?"
"Do you know why we haven't been able to intervene in the Dali Temple for so many years? The Dali Temple is full of His Majesty's confidants! How dare you dare to set your sights on the Dali Temple?"
"Now Xue Yucheng is furious, and the Xue family army is also dissatisfied. The emperor clearly wants to give the Xue family an explanation."
Originally they planned to keep Xue Che in their hands.
On the one hand, it can provoke Xue Yucheng to make mistakes under impulse, and on the other hand, it can be used to restrain Xue Yucheng and even the Xue family army.
But now Xue Che is nowhere to be found and the Green Snake Village has been massacred. Xue Yucheng is not overwhelmed by the pain of losing his son, but instead has found a clue.
At this point, if no one is pushed out, the situation will only become more unfavorable.
Lu Feng's legs went weak, his face pale as he knelt down, and crawled to He Tingfang's feet on his knees.
The broken pieces of the teacup on the ground pierced his flesh, and the tea stains spread blood. However, Lu Feng seemed completely oblivious and only focused on grabbing He Tingfang's clothes.
"Master He, I have followed you for many years. I beg you to show me the way forward!"
"Master He, I have an old mother, wife, and children at home..."
"This humble official has always been loyal and dedicated to Lord He..."
He Tingfang closed his eyes tiredly.
"In recognition of your years of hard work, your elderly mother, wife, and children will be taken care of in the future."
Upon hearing this, Lu Feng tightly grasped the hem of He Tingfang's clothes and refused to let go, as if a drowning man was grabbing at the only piece of driftwood.
He Tingfang opened his eyes, his eyes flashing with a coldness like a knife:
"If you don't want your children to wait for you on the road to the underworld, what should you say at the Dali Temple? I don't need to teach you."
Lu Feng sat back with his eyes vacant, unable to utter a word through his trembling lips and teeth.
"Show him out." He Ting ordered him to leave expressionlessly, then walked around the screen and went to the backyard without any hesitation.
The servants in the house were all silent when they saw He Tingfang's long face.
He Tingfang rarely shows his emotions, and most of the time he is very comfortable in official circles.
Although he could abandon Lu Feng to settle the matter this time, he felt uneasy and had a vague feeling that some things were beyond his control in places he could not see.
I haven't felt this way in years.
Many years ago, his mortal enemy Pei Dingli could still fight with him.
But later Pei Dingli lost the fight.
Ten years ago, someone reported that it was because Shangshu Ling Pei Dingli had secret communications with the enemy country that the border was almost lost.
Letters exchanged with the Hu people were found in Pei's mansion, involving Dayu's secrets.
Everyone in the Pei family was dismissed from office, their property was confiscated, and the entire family was exiled to Lingnan.
It happened to be a year of natural disasters, with floods raging and bandits swarming. Pei Dingli and his entire family were killed on the way to exile.
When He Tingfang and Pei Dingli fought, he was afraid that the Pei family would fake their death on the road to escape, so he sent people to follow the Pei family when they set out from the capital.
When the spies followed into Lingnan, the people were in chaos due to floods and plagues, and they almost got separated several times.
The final news brought back to He Tingfang was that some members of Pei Dingli's family had starved to death, and some had contracted the plague on the way.
Later, they encountered extremely vicious bandits, who robbed and killed the escorting officials and prisoners.
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