His adoptive father first proposed to attack the Witchcraft Cult because Xu Qi'an died in Yun State.
Nangong Qianrou guessed that his adoptive father's feelings at that time included the pain of losing his trusted confidant and the need to suppress the Witchcraft Cult for expanding too fast.
Later, Xu Qi'an returned to the capital and the Witchcraft Cult kept to themselves. Since that was the case, there was no need to make a big fuss.
As for the Witchcraft Cult, they only needed to suppress them.
However, his adoptive father was implying that he was going to start a large-scale Nation War.
"Adoptive father, isn't it too radical?" Nangong Qianrou asked directly.
With the Great Feng Empire's strength weakening, a large-scale Kingdom War that would take a few years was an unbearable burden.
"Yang Yan sent an urgent report from the north. The Witchcraft Cult is attacking the northern barbarians. Zhu Jiu can't do it alone, so he retreated from his original territory and brought the demons and barbarians to the northwest. "
Wei Yuan lowered his head to study the map and said calmly, "Duke Huai's plan failed, but the Witchcraft Cult achieved their goal. If either Zhu Jiu or Ji Zhigu died in battle, the northern barbarians would fall into an unprecedented weakness.
"But Chu Zhou also suffered a heavy blow. They lost a third-grade martial artist and couldn't march north. The Witchcraft Cult took advantage of them."
Nangong Qianrou was shocked and suddenly realized, "So, you don't care about the imperial court because His Majesty might send you to the north?"
At the same time, he guessed that His Majesty was suppressing Wang Shoufu at this time. It might seem like he didn't care about the balance, but it was actually the way to balance it.
Without Wei Yuan in the imperial court, wouldn't Wang Shoufu be the only one in power?
"Even if you don't care about the imperial court, there is still a long way to go. Why don't you take advantage of the Royal Faction's crisis to gain some benefits? That way, you won't have to worry about going to war in the future."
Nangong Qianrou gave his opinion.
Wei Yuan laughed, "Do you think it's better for the Royal Faction to fall or not?"
Nangong Qianrou said without hesitation, "It's best if they fall."
Wei Yuan nodded. "That's right. It's best if he collapses, but it's also good if he doesn't. If it wasn't for the war, I would have added insult to injury. Once Wang Zhenwen fell, I would have at least five years to do something. If Your Majesty wants to support a new party against me, it won't happen overnight.
"In this situation, there are benefits to the Royal Faction. Wang Zhenwen and I have been fighting for so many years and we know each other very well. It's better to have a familiar opponent in court than a stranger. "
At this time, an official came to report and said respectfully, "Duke Wei, Grand Secretary Qian Qingshu of Martial Heroic Hall requests an audience."
Qian Qingshu was Wang Zhenwen's confidant … Nangong Qianrou looked at Wei Yuan.
Wei Yuan waved his hand. "I won't see him. Let him go back."
The official bowed and said, "Yes."
"Godfather?" Nangong Qianrou thought to himself, Godfather still chose to be a bystander in the end.
"It'll be meaningless if I make a move."
Wei Yuan smiled. "This favor should be saved for the right person."
Nangong Qianrou didn't understand, but he didn't ask. After being together for so many years, he was used to his godfather's style of speech.
"You can leave first." Wei Yuan suddenly said.
After Nangong Qianrou left, he took out a few envelopes, picked up a pen, and wrote.
…
Imperial Palace, Jingxiu Palace.
The Crown Prince was eating iced plums with a basin of ice by his feet. He enjoyed the cool breeze from the palace maids, but his expression didn't relax at all.
He said, "That day, I advised Wang Shoufu not to compete with Imperial Father and follow Wei Yuan, but he didn't listen. Now, Imperial Father wants to punish him. "
The Crown Prince and Wang Shoufu didn't have much interaction, but there were many people in the Royal Faction who were unswervingly on the Crown Prince's side.
If Wang Zhenwen fell, these people would also be implicated, which would indirectly weaken the Crown Prince's influence in the imperial court.
Chen Fei and Lin An listened on the side and were a bit worried. Since the beginning of the year of Jingcha, the Crown Prince's position had been swaying left and right.
Chen Fei frowned and said, "What's Wei Yuan's attitude?"
The Crown Prince said in a deep voice, "Qian Qingshu, the Grand Secretary of Martial Heroic Hall, went to visit Wei Yuan this morning, but I didn't see him."
Chen Fei's face was full of worry. "Wei Yuan and Wang Shoufu are political enemies. I'm afraid they're waiting to hit us when we're down."
The Crown Prince looked at his sister and said, "Lin An, isn't Xu Qi 'an your confidant? He's someone that Wei Yuan relies on. Why don't you try to break through him?"
Lin An sat on the soft couch. She was wearing a gorgeous red dress and a golden crown. Her round oval face was beautiful, and her peach blossom eyes were charming and watery.
When she was silent, she was like a delicate and flawless jade beauty.
"He hasn't come to me for a long time …"
Lin An's face was gloomy as she whispered.
After the massacre in Chuzhou City, more than half a month had passed, but Xu Ningyan had never come to her. Lin An didn't say it, but she was sensitive enough to feel that Xu Ningyan completely hated the royal family because of that incident.
He also hated her, so he deliberately distanced himself from her.
Thinking of their happy times in the past, Lin An felt a burst of sadness in her heart.
"That's easy. Send someone to the Xu Mansion to send a letter and ask him to meet. If he agrees, it means that his heart is still with you." The Crown Prince smiled and suggested.
Chen Fei added, "Remember to keep it a secret. Let the servants of Lin An Mansion do it. Don't send the palace guards. Don't let your father know that you have anything to do with Xu Qi 'an. "
Lin An nodded and a look of anticipation appeared on her face. "I will ask someone to do it now."
…
During lunch, the Left Imperial Censor Yuan Xiong and the Assistant Minister of War, Qin Yuandao, entered a restaurant in the inner city.
They were accompanied by a few officials from the same camp.
There was an hour break for lunch. The food in the Yamen's dining hall was famous for being unpalatable. Although it wasn't tasteless, it wasn't a sumptuous meal.
Other than the low-ranking officials who ate in the dining hall, the high-ranking officials all went to the restaurant.
Yuan Xiong raised his teacup and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Assistant Minister Qin. You have a chance to enter the Cabinet."
Qin Yuandao raised his cup and said, "Lord Yuan, it's only a matter of time before you take over the Imperial Censorate. Don't forget to take care of us when the time comes."
The Imperial Censorate had a lot of power and was responsible for supervising the officials. Yuan Xiong had always wanted to take over the Imperial Censorate and kick out Wei Yuan's henchmen.
Qin Yuandao, on the other hand, had no hope of becoming the Minister of War, so he wanted to find another way to enter the Cabinet.
The two of them had plotted the imperial examination fraud case together, but it had ended in failure. Now they were making a comeback. What was different from last time was that the Emperor had been watching from the sidelines, but this time, the Emperor was supporting them from behind.
"Even if Wang Zhenwen doesn't fall this time, he will be in deep trouble. He has been in charge of the Cabinet for many years, and we needed him to keep Wei Yuan in check. But now, the Emperor wants Wei Yuan to be the Commander of the Chu Zhou City Army, so Wang Zhenwen has to make a move. "
"I also heard that Qian Qingshu went to visit Wei Yuan this morning, but he was rejected."
"If it weren't for that son of a b * tch, we would have lost our positions a long time ago." Qin Yuandao gritted his teeth.
An official raised his cup and smiled. "Assistant Minister Qin, there is no need to be angry. That Xu Qi 'an can't even protect himself. He has offended His Majesty, and sooner or later, he will be punished. First, we will beat the big one, then we will deal with the small one. He is not far from death.
"Let's drink, let's drink."
They toasted each other and laughed.
…
"Dalang, someone has a letter for you."
The gatekeeper, Old Zhang, presented the letter to Chen Fan.
Xu Qi 'an, who was kicking Xu Lingyin up and down like a shuttlecock, put down his little sister and took the letter. He asked, "Who sent the letter?"
Old Zhang shook his head and said, "He is outside, and he didn't say for whom. He said he is waiting for your reply."
"Brother, keep playing!"
Xu Lingyin had enjoyed the feeling of flying, and she was no longer a stupid child living on the ground.
She held onto Xu Qi 'an's leg like an octopus and wouldn't let go no matter what.
Xu Qi 'an tried to kick Xu Lingyin, but it didn't fly away. He thought to himself that this silly child was getting stronger and stronger.
"Taiping!"
He shouted.
The saber flew out of the room and hovered in the air in front of Xu Qi 'an.
Xu Lingyin was stunned. She raised her head and looked dumbfounded.
Xu Qi 'an picked her up and let her ride on the saber like a witch riding a magic broom. Then, he patted Xu Lingyin's butt and said loudly.
"Go, magical girl!"
The saber flew out of the hall with her, and the little girl's heartless laughter could be heard in the air.
Xu Qi 'an opened the letter and read it. It was sent from Lin' an and described the situation of the court's dispute over the past few days. It was a tactful request to see if he could find out what Wei Yuan was up to.
This doesn't seem like Lin 'an's style. Is it Concubine Chen or the Crown Prince who instigated it … I remember Duke Wei said that there are many supporters of the Crown Prince in the Royal Faction. Speaking of which, I haven't visited Lin' an since the two dukes were killed.
Alas, there are too many things to do, one after another, and I neglected her …
Lin 'an and Huaiqing were different. Huaiqing didn't need to be coaxed, but Lin' an was a girl who wanted to be accompanied.
"Ask him to tell the master that I know."
Xu Qi 'an sent away Old Zhang and sat at the round table. He couldn't help but recall what Wei Yuan said this morning.
I won't interfere in this matter.
Yesterday, Xu Erlang returned home and told him about the situation in the court. Xu Qi 'an paid attention to it. This morning, he went to the Yamen to find Wei Yuan and found out that this wasn't an ordinary fight.
The Yuanjing Emperor wanted to move against Wang Shoufu.
"This is actually an opportunity for me. Although Erlang and Miss Wang flirted, he didn't enter the eyes of Wang Shoufu. Moreover, because of his identity as a student of Yunlu Academy, and because of me, it's difficult for him to advance further in the official circle, unless he turns to Wang Shoufu.
"But Wang Shoufu was born in the Imperial College and is naturally resistant to being a student of Yunlu Academy. Now, isn't this an opportunity? I have a lot of evidence of officials and Cao Guogong taking bribes and bending the law. These political chips were originally going to be given to Duke Wei and some to Erlang.
"Isn't this a good time to use them? Moreover, if I can gain Wang Shoufu's favor, it will be very helpful for me to investigate the Yuanjing Emperor. I also want to go to the Ministry of Personnel's archives to check the files.
"I have already confessed to Duke Wei about Cao Guogong's secret letter, and he said that he doesn't care about this matter. The hint is very obvious. Recently, Duke Wei seems to be more negative about the matters of the court. What is he scheming now? "
Xu Erlang returned home to eat with a depressed face. As soon as he passed through the front yard, he saw his youngest sister riding on a knife, flying around the small courtyard and laughing like a pig.
His mother and Lingyue watched worriedly from below. From time to time, they would scream and repeatedly say, "Be careful, be careful!"
His aunt said angrily, "Xu Ningyan, hurry up and let your broken knife come down. If Lingyue falls and hurts herself, see how I will teach you a lesson."
His aunt put her hands on her waist and stood in the courtyard, shouting towards the front hall.
"Mother, how can a knife fly?" Xu Lingyue was a little surprised and a little scared.
"Who knows, it must be your big brother's witchcraft." His aunt said.
The mother and daughter had seen Li Miaozhen flying high and high on a flying sword, so they thought it was no big deal. However, when Xu Erlang saw this scene, he was completely stunned.
"Peerless, peerless godly weapon …" Xu Erlang murmured.
At this time, Xu Qi'an walked out of the front hall and called out, "Taiping, come down."
The taiping knife lowered its height and hovered in the air. His aunt immediately grabbed her precious daughter and said, "What broken knife."
After saying that, she saw Xu Xinnian take three steps and stop in front of the taiping knife. His eyes were straight as he stretched out his hand, as if he wanted to hold the knife, but he didn't dare to. He was extremely excited.
As a scholar from the orthodox Confucian system, Xu Erlang naturally knew about peerless godly weapons.
Seeing her son's attitude, his aunt asked suspiciously, "Erlang, what's wrong with this knife?"
Xu Erlang murmured, "This knife is rare and priceless. No, it's priceless."
Priceless?! His aunt's heart palpitated. She looked at the taiping knife in surprise and asked tentatively, "How much is it worth?"
His aunt needed a specific number to measure its value.
"Let's put it this way, if big brother takes it to exchange for a title, he can at least exchange it for an earl, or even a marquis."
A marquis was second only to a duke. In Daibun, a duke was almost the pinnacle of nobility.
His aunt opened her small mouth, and when she looked at the taiping knife again, it was as if she was looking at her own son. No, it was even more passionate than her own son.
"I still want to play." Xu Lingyin climbed up the taiping knife.
"Go, damn child, such a precious thing. If you break it, I will beat you to death." His aunt slapped the little bean away.
Xu Qi 'an looked at this scene with a smile and shouted, "Erlang, come in, I have something to tell you."
Xu Erlang entered the front hall and sat at the table. Then, his eyes were attracted by a stack of secret letters on the table. It was not a secret letter sent by someone from Lin 'an, but a secret letter found in Cao Guogong's private house.
"I already know what happened to Wang Shoufu. Erlang, if you have the ability to help him get through the difficulties, will you help him or watch coldly?"
Hearing this, Xu Xinnian frowned slightly and said calmly, "I am worried about Si Mu, but I don't have much feeling or anxiety about what happened to Wang Shoufu. If there was no Si Mu, I would probably be drinking with my eldest brother now. "
Daibun's good son-in-law … Xu Qi 'an complained in his heart and said with a smile, "But if you can help, I believe that Wang Shoufu will be willing to accept you, at least, he will not resist you."
As he said this, he pointed to the secret letters on the table.
With doubts, Xu Erlang opened the secret letters and looked at them one by one. His pupils shrank slightly, showing shock, then excitement, and his hands trembled slightly.
If these secret letters fell into the hands of a capable person, they would become a sharp weapon in their hands. Then, it was unknown how many officials in the capital would be punished, and the entire capital's officialdom would usher in a big earthquake.
Of course, there was also a possibility that these secret letters would all be destroyed because there were too many people involved.
"I can only give you a small part of these secret letters. We need to pick out a few people who are useful to Wang Shoufu." Xu Qi 'an spread out the secret letters one by one.
The so-called useful people could not be from the Wang Clique, nor could they be like Yuan Xiong. The latter had the emperor's support, so these secret letters could not have a fatal effect on them. At least in the current situation, they could not be killed in one blow.
Very quickly, the two brothers picked out eight people. They had high status and power, but they did not belong to the other two.
"After the duty is over, go to the Wang Residence and personally hand these secret letters to Wang Shoufu. Remember, go find Miss Wang first and let her introduce you."
Eldest brother wants me to hint to Wang Shoufu about my relationship with Si Mu … Xu Xinnian grunted. Just as he put away the secret letters, he saw his eldest brother roll up his sleeves.
"What is eldest brother doing?"
"Beating you up!"
Bang!
Xu Erlang's handsome face took a punch and he screamed and fell down. Xu Dalang rode on him and beat him up.
"Eldest brother, don't hit my face …" Xu Erlang screamed.
"If you don't hit your face, how can you show your sacrifice and make Miss Wang feel touched? In order to save your father-in-law, you did not hesitate to become enemies with eldest brother. "
"This, isn't this a bit despicable?"
"This is not despicable, this is a trick. Come on, make a good pose, let eldest brother hit you a few more times. "
…
Jingxiu Palace.
The news came back quickly from Lin 'an Prefecture. There was no reply, only one sentence: I know.
The Crown Prince glanced at Lin 'an, touched his nose, and said with emotion, "It seems that I can't count on him. It's true. He is no longer an official and knows that he has angered father, so he is too lazy to manage the relationship between us."
Lin 'an's eyes turned red because of his words.
Chen Fei frowned and reprimanded, "Don't say a few words. It's normal that he doesn't help. No matter how much Wei Yuan relies on him, will he listen to him?"
The Crown Prince said helplessly, "I know, but his attitude is not pleasant."
Lin 'an pursed his lips and said sullenly, "I'm going back to Shaoyin Palace."
…
Wang Residence.
In the inner hall, the atmosphere was a bit heavy.
Simu Wang sat beside Mrs. Wang and chatted softly, trying to ease her mother's anxiety.
The eldest son of the Wang family, who worked in the Ministry of Revenue, drank his tea without saying a word. The second son of the Wang family, who was a businessman, was impatient and walked around the hall.
"Eldest brother, I heard from a friend that the Emperor is going to wipe out the Wang family. Is that true?" The second son of the Wang family said as he walked.
The worry in Madam Wang's eyes deepened. She looked at her eldest son for confirmation.
The eldest son of the Wang family put down the teacup and said calmly, "It is a bit troublesome. Yuan Xiong and Qin Yuan have listed a lot of evidence, the most troublesome of which is embezzlement of the military funds.
"Do you still remember the former Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Zhou Xianping? He worked for father and did embezzle the military funds. When the Zhou family was confiscated, there were only a few thousand taels of silver. Where did the money go? They all said it was in the Wang family. "
"That's nonsense." The second son of the Wang family gritted his teeth.
The eldest son of the Wang family rubbed his brows and heaved a sigh.
"Father used to be in the Emperor's Heart, so he was fine. But during the massacre in Chu Zhou City, father offended the Emperor too much. That is the crux of the problem."
Mrs. Wang said worriedly, "What should we do? What should we do?"
Simu Wang tried to comfort her mother. Then, she frowned and said,
"Don't talk so much. If you can't think of a solution, then stop complaining. What else can you do other than add to mother's worries?"
She continued to comfort her mother and said softly, "Father has been the Prime Minister for more than a decade and has seen all kinds of storms. He knows what to do. He is discussing with the uncles in the study. "
The eldest son of the Wang family looked at his sister and shook his head. Although there had been crises in the past, it had never been as dangerous as this one. Fighting with political enemies and fighting with the Emperor, what was the difference?
Just as they were speaking, the housekeeper hurriedly came to report. He swept his eyes across the people in the hall and looked at Wang Simu, "Miss, Lord Xu is outside and wishes to see you."
The second son of the Wang family sneered and said, "Is he still in the mood to talk about love?"
Mrs. Wang and the eldest son of the Wang family frowned.
They knew that Xu Erlang was close to their daughter. Simu Wang was very strong-willed and intelligent. Except for Wang Zhenwen, no one in the family could control her.
So, they turned a blind eye and let her do whatever she wanted.
But now the Wang family was in crisis and Xu Erlang frequently came to the Wang family, which was inexplicably annoying.
Simu Wang squinted at the second son of the Wang family and stood up. She said, "Take him to the outer hall."
She patted the back of her mother's hand and left. Through the inner courtyard and through the winding corridor, Miss Wang met Xu Erlang in the living room.
He sat on the chair and hid his face with his sleeves.
"What's wrong with Erlang?" Simu Wang looked around for a while, but he avoided her.
"Nothing …"
Xu Erlang said, "I'm here to deliver something to you."
As he said this, he pointed at the tea table with his other hand. Simu Wang found a stack of letters on the tea table.
Simu Wang opened the letters curiously and looked at them. Her body trembled and her beautiful big eyes were full of shock.
"These, these secret letters, where did Erlang get them?" She opened her mouth slightly and her beautiful face turned pale.
"I got it from my big brother," Xu Erlang replied.
Where did Xu Qi 'an get them? He is Wei Yuan's confidant, how could he help my father … Simu Wang turned her eyes and looked at Xu Erlang's evasive look.
Her heart sank, and she reached out to pull his sleeve away.
"Ah …"
Simu Wang screamed.
She saw that Xu Erlang's cheeks were swollen, his nose was bruised, and his lips were cut. He looked like he had been beaten.
"Your eldest brother beat him? Because, because of these secret letters? "Simu Wang's lips were trembling.
"I fell on my own." Xu Erlang denied.
Tears gushed out of Wang Simu's eyes like pearls from a broken necklace.
"He, he actually beat you up like this …" Miss Wang was sobbing uncontrollably.
"Eldest brother's trick is really effective …" Xu Erlang sighed in his heart and explained, "I really fell on my own."
He didn't waste time and said, "These secret letters were given by eldest brother, but he has a condition that I need to tell the Grand Secretary in person."
Simu Wang took out a silk handkerchief from her sleeve and carefully wiped her tears. She looked at Xu Erlang with eyes full of love.
She nodded and said, "I'll take you there."
…
In the spacious study, the smell of sandalwood wafted. Wang Shoufu held a cup of tea and frowned in silence.
Martial Hall Grand Secretary Qian Qingshu, Construction Hall Grand Secretary Chen Qi, Ministry of Justice Minister Sun and other trusted aides were gathered together with serious expressions.
"Looks like His Majesty means that in a few days, it will be our turn?" Qian Qingshu said.
Construction Hall Grand Secretary Chen Qi had a bad temper. He slammed the table and scolded, "The massacre in Chuzhou was caused by Duke Huai's madness. How can we tolerate it? I will just retire. "
The Ministry of Appointments Minister snorted, "If you retire, you will be playing into Qin Huai's hands."
Wang Shoufu sat at the head of the table and sipped his tea while listening to his colleagues argue. The old man had been in and out of the bureaucracy for half his life, but he had never been flustered.
Seeing that the quarrel had died down, Wang Shoufu asked, "What is Wei Yuan's attitude?"
"He was given the cold shoulder." Qian Qingshu said with a dark face.
"Not surprising." Wang Shoufu nodded, "His Majesty still needs him. Wei Yuan is much more useful than us."
The Ministry of Appointments Minister sneered, "Will His Majesty allow him to dominate?"
Wang Shoufu took a sip of tea and said calmly, "Many years ago, I felt that he was tired of fighting in the court and wanted to control the army again. If I am not wrong, Duke Huai's death was partly due to him.
"Minister Sun, you are in charge of the Ministry of Justice. You need to keep a close eye on him. We cannot let the Dali Monastery and the Imperial Censorate convict him."
The Ministry of Justice Minister Sun nodded.
"Minister Xu, I know you support the Crown Prince. This is a good opportunity to contact the other Crown Princes."
The Ministry of Appointments Minister nodded.
Then, Grand Secretary Wang's tone was calm as he looked around everyone. "There's nothing bad about retiring, just treat it as a brave retreat. It's always better than a bleak conclusion. Moreover, you can always be reinstated after you retire. A gentleman should learn to avoid harm and retreat when necessary. "
At this moment, there was a knock on the door. Simu Wang's gentle voice sounded, "Father, your daughter wants to see you."
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