Chapter 75
"I don't know?" The emperor sneered and threw a report in front of him. "The whole city is in turmoil, saying that your second brother has hidden weapons and is plotting rebellion. Tell me, where are those weapons?"
The reports were scattered all over the floor, and the handwriting on them was shocking.
Shen Yanzhi didn't look, but replied calmly: "Your Majesty, I don't know. I only know that my second brother hoarded private salt and made huge profits, causing a salt shortage in the capital and public resentment. If we don't act quickly and stabilize the situation, the consequences will be disastrous."
He neither admitted nor denied it, but cleverly directed the question back to the salt itself.
"What a prompt decision!" The emperor stood up from the dragon throne and walked step by step to him, looking down at him. "Use rumors to fight rumors, use frame-ups to punish crimes. Yanzhi, who taught you these methods? What do you think the court is? A brawl ground for common people?"
There was obvious anger in the emperor's voice, but more of it was disappointment.
"Fighting poison with poison is not the right way. What did you let the people see? They saw the princes going to great lengths to secure the throne! They saw the so-called truth as just another, bigger lie! This will shake the foundation of the country and undermine the people's trust in the royal family! Don't you understand this?"
Chen Yanzhi lowered his head, his long eyelashes casting a shadow under his eyes. "Your son understands. But under the circumstances at that time, if we hadn't taken drastic measures, I'm afraid that it would have been the entire Liang dynasty that would have been shaken."
"So, you think you have no merits but no faults?" The emperor's eyes became sharper.
"I dare not take credit for anything, nor do I dare to shirk responsibility." Shen Yantian raised his head and met the emperor's gaze, his eyes clear and firm. "Everything I have done is for Daliang. If your Majesty deems me guilty, I am willing to accept the punishment."
His frankness left the emperor speechless for a moment.
The emperor stared at him for a long time, his eyes, full of a complex mix of emotions: anger, approval, fear, and the helplessness of a father.
Finally, he let out a long sigh, turned around and walked back to the dragon table and sat down, with a hint of fatigue in his tone.
"Get up."
"Thank you, Father."
"When will the salt from Shu arrive?" The emperor changed the subject and his voice returned to its usual majesty.
"Reporting to the Emperor, the first batch of well salt is on the way and is expected to arrive in the capital within twenty days."
"Twentieth days..." the emperor pondered. "That's too long. The capital cannot live without salt for a single day, and the people's patience is limited. During this time, you must find a way to appease the people and absolutely prevent any further disturbances."
"I understand."
"As for your second brother..." The emperor paused, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. "He made mistakes, but he is still a prince after all. This rumor has already caused great damage to the reputation of the imperial family. I do not wish to hear any more discussions about this matter. Do you understand?"
This was a warning, but also a form of protection. It was protecting the Second Prince, and also protecting the reputation of the entire royal family.
"Your son obeys your order." Shen Yanzhi bowed and replied.
"Go down." The emperor waved his hand, as if unwilling to say more.
Shen Yanzhi bowed and left, then turned and walked out of the imperial study. When the palace door slowly closed behind him, isolating the deep imperial majesty inside, he calmly let out a sigh of relief.
The sunlight was glaring and he squinted slightly.
He had expected his father's warning, but his father's final words made him realize that the matter was far from over.
What my father fears is never who is right or wrong, but who has lost control.
Today, he can use the people's support to overthrow the second prince. Will the people's support turn around and push him to a height that the emperor cannot tolerate tomorrow?
This victory may seem glorious, but in fact it has already planted an invisible thorn in the king's heart.
On the other hand, in the confined Second Prince's mansion, the atmosphere was extremely depressing.
Shen Yanhong's hair was disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, and he looked haggard, completely lacking the demeanor of a prince. He paced back and forth in the room like a trapped animal, cursing non-stop.
"Useless! They're all a bunch of useless! Investigate! Investigate for me! That neighbor of my third uncle's second aunt, find this night watchman for me! I'm going to tear him into pieces!"
The servant knelt on the ground trembling with fear, not daring to raise his head: "Your Highness... Jingzhao Yin has sent people to investigate, and even asked all the night watchmen in the city, but there is no such person at all!"
"No?" Shen Yanhong stopped abruptly, grabbed the teacup on the table, and smashed it hard on the ground, making a sharp sound. "How could there be nothing? They must have hidden it! It was that bitch Song Qingyuan! It was that hypocrite Shen Yanzhi! They made up a lie and wiped out all the evidence!"
He roared and vented, but could not change any facts.
Just then, a steady voice came from the door.
"Your Highness, things have come to this point. Getting angry will not help."
Grand Tutor Li Song walked in. He looked much more haggard, but his eyes were still shrewd and a little cold.
"Father-in-law!" Shen Yanhong saw him and felt like he had grabbed a life-saving straw. "You must help me! I'm being wronged! I don't have any weapons at all!"
"I know." Li Song waved his hand, signaling the servants to leave.
He walked to the main seat, sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, and said slowly, "It's pointless to talk about this now. The people only believe what they want to believe. The most urgent task is not to make excuses, but to find a way out of this situation."
"Break the situation?" Shen Yanhong laughed bitterly. "The emperor has already issued an order to confine me. Those opportunists in the court are now avoiding me. How else can I break the situation?"
Li Song took a sip of tea, his eyes sinister. "Your Majesty has only confined you and fined me my salary. He hasn't stripped you of your title, nor has he shaken the foundation of our Li family. This shows that there's still hope."
He put down his teacup, looked at his useless son-in-law, and said word by word: "Chen Yanzhi promised that within twenty days, the salt from Shu will be transported to the capital. Do you think that these twenty days will be smooth sailing?"
Shen Yanhong was stunned for a moment, then a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes: "Father-in-law means..."
"For a capital city with a population of one million, a day without salt is a day of suffering. The people's praise comes quickly and disappears just as quickly."
A cold smile appeared on the corner of Li Song's mouth. "They can praise Shen Yanzhi and Song Qingyuan to the sky now, but after twenty days, if they don't see the salt or something goes wrong, they can trample them into the mud."
"We will add fuel to the fire in these twenty days."
The days go by.
In the air of the capital, in addition to the sweet fragrance of osmanthus, there is gradually a hint of anxiety.
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