"Hmph! Good for you, Ma Zhongming! How dare you! How dare you scheme against me? Seems like I have been too merciful all these years! "
Zhangsun Wuji said angrily as he looked at Ma Cheng, who was kneeling on the ground with his hands tied up.
Actually, Zhangsun Wuji was already suspicious of Ma Cheng on the way back from the palace. After all, Ma Cheng, as Crown Prince Zhan Shi, didn't accompany the Crown Prince to study in the East Palace today. Instead, he specially came over to mention the Yan Huang Bank's sanctions against the merchants from the An Nation and Kang Nation. Moreover, he intentionally or unintentionally led the topic to Li Ke, making Zhangsun Wuji fearful of Li Ke's current power and impeach Li Ke!
Zhangsun Wuji, who had been in the officialdom for more than a decade and had fought with countless people in the officialdom, calmed down and thought carefully. He guessed that Ma Cheng didn't come to look for him this morning just to reveal a piece of news to him. There was most likely a conspiracy behind it!
So after he returned to his residence, Zhangsun Wuji wanted to test Ma Cheng. He purposely pretended that the trip to the Imperial Palace earlier was very smooth, causing Ma Cheng to lower his guard and gradually reveal himself. After that, he ordered his men to capture Ma Cheng and the people behind Ma Cheng!
An old fox was, after all, an old fox. The reason why Ma Cheng was able to scheme against Zhangsun Wuji in the morning was because Zhangsun Wuji didn't have much vigilance against him. Moreover, he grasped Zhangsun Wuji's "weakness" very well. He knew that Zhangsun Wuji was even more concerned about Li Chengqian's position as the crown prince than Li Chengqian himself. As long as someone threatened Li Chengqian's position as the crown prince, Zhangsun Wuji would definitely eliminate that person at all costs!
But in terms of intelligence and methods, Zhangsun Wuji was miles ahead of Ma Cheng. The moment Zhangsun Wuji became suspicious of Ma Cheng, Ma Cheng's failure was already destined! Ma Cheng couldn't win against Zhangsun Wuji no matter if it was overt or covert methods!
However, Zhangsun Wuji's actions were a little risky. Because he had previously used Li Er's name to deceive Ma Cheng. He had altered Li Er's words. If the Imperial Censors knew about this, they might impeach him for the crime of tampering with the imperial edict! But … Zhangsun Wuji definitely wouldn't let this happen!
At that moment, there was another person kneeling on the right side of Ma Cheng. It was An Shuncai!
Previously, An Shun had received news that Ma Cheng had come to his teahouse. An Shun knew that if Ma Cheng had come to find him at this time, it must be that there had been new progress in the matter he had previously requested. Therefore, he hurriedly rushed to the teahouse as fast as he could. However, before he could say a few words to Ma Cheng, several saber-wielding warriors rushed in from outside the room. An Shun was shocked and hurriedly called for the servants and guards in the teahouse. However, who would have thought that the martial arts of the people who rushed in were so high? None of the more than a dozen people under An Shun's command were a match for the leading warrior. In a short while, they were all beaten down! After that, he and Ma Cheng were tied up and brought here!
As for Ma Cheng, he recognized the leading saber-wielding warrior. It was the leader of the Zhangsun Family's guards, Zhangsun Qinghe. The moment he recognized Zhangsun Qinghe, Ma Cheng's old face instantly turned ashen. He knew that he had lost. He was completely finished!
At this moment, facing Zhangsun Wuji's fury, Ma Cheng's eyes were dull and he turned a deaf ear to it. His entire person was like a pile of mud, as if he would fall to the ground at any time. He didn't beg for mercy because now that the matter had been exposed, he knew that no matter what he said, he would only be left with a dead end. After all, he had offended Zhangsun Wuji!
He just didn't expect the matter to be exposed so quickly. He also didn't expect that Zhangsun Wuji would suspect him the moment he returned from the palace and send people to follow him!
What exactly happened in Taiyuan? What exactly happened after Zhangsun Wuji went to the palace previously?
This was the biggest doubt in Ma Cheng's heart!
An Shuncai had told Ma Cheng some of the reasons why the Yan Huang Bank banned the merchants from An Country and Kang Country. However, it wasn't the whole story. Ma Cheng only knew that there were merchants with nine surnames causing trouble in Taiyuan City, which was why the Yan Huang Bank did this today! However, from Ma Cheng's point of view, this matter wasn't completely irreversible. If the merchants with nine surnames in Taiyuan were causing trouble, then the imperial court could just arrest them directly. However, the Yan Huang Bank punished all the merchants from An Country and Kang Country who were doing business in Tang Dynasty because of this. Wasn't it a little overboard?
Therefore, he was willing to take the risk to help An Shuncai resolve this matter.
However, from the current outcome, he seemed to have thought of this matter too simply. Zhangsun Wuji must have "hit a wall" when he went to the palace to impeach Li Ke. Otherwise, Zhangsun Wuji wouldn't have schemed against him the moment he returned and made him lower his guard so that he could find An Shuncai to "report the good news"!
"And you!"
Seeing Ma Cheng's drooping head and lifeless eyes, it was obvious that he knew that he was going to die and had given up on treatment. Zhangsun Wuji turned to look at An Shuncai, who was kneeling beside Ma Cheng. He asked coldly, "You are the one who asked Ma Cheng to plot against me? You are the barbarian merchant? "
"Re … Re … Re … Re … Re … Re …"
Feeling the terrifying aura from Zhangsun Wuji, An Shuncai was so frightened that he couldn't speak clearly. Actually, the moment he entered the Zhangsun Residence, he knew that he was done for. After doing business in Chang 'an City for so many years, how could he not have heard of Zhangsun Wuji's name? Previously, he asked Ma Cheng for help because he wanted to make use of Ma Cheng to connect with Zhangsun Wuji, an important official of the Tang Dynasty's imperial court. However, he didn't expect things to develop to such a stage!
"Family Head, this person is An Shuncai, an influential merchant from An Country. He is the one who bribed Ma Cheng and wanted to borrow your hand to remove the ban from the Yan Huang Bank!"
Seeing that An Shuncai couldn't even speak clearly, Zhangsun Qinghe cupped his fists and said to Zhangsun Wuji.
"Good! Very good! "
Zhangsun Wuji's face was as cold as ice. He stared at An Shuncai and said word by word, "A mere merchant dares to plot against me? Very good! Qinghe, drag him away and break his limbs first. Then bring him here for me to question him! "
"Yes! Family Head! "
Zhangsun Qinghe cupped his fists and accepted the order. He strode forward and wanted to lift An Shuncai up from the ground.
An Shuncai was shocked when he heard that. At this moment, this fellow could speak clearly. He quickly begged for mercy and said, "Duke Zhao, please spare my life! Duke Zhao, please spare my life! I just want to ask Duke Zhao to help me resolve the ban that the Yanhuang Bank has placed on us. It's just that Duke Zhao's position is high and powerful, and I'm just a merchant. It's very difficult for me to meet Duke Zhao. That's why I thought of asking Ma Zhanshi from your residence to introduce me. I have no ill intentions towards Duke Zhao.
"Hmph! What a good recommendation! In the end, you actually want to use me as a weapon in your hands to deal with the Yan Huang Bank! What a wild ambition! "
Zhangsun Wuji sneered. Then, he suddenly felt that the name An Shuncai was a little familiar. Soon, he recalled what Li Er said to him in the palace. "Qing Que was kidnapped by a Turkic spy in Taiyuan City. The An Kingdom's merchant, An Shunshan, colluded with the Turkic spy. The Kang Kingdom's merchant, Kang Qu, and the others instigated civil unrest and obstructed the officials from rescuing Qing Que!"
Thinking of this, Zhangsun Wuji's expression changed. He looked at An Shuncai and asked coldly, "Wait, you are called An Shuncai?"
An Shuncai was already lifted up by Zhangsun Qinghe and was about to be dragged away to have his limbs broken. When he heard Zhangsun Wuji's sudden question, this fellow seemed to have seen a trace of hope for survival. He quickly nodded and said, "Yes, yes, yes! I am called An Shuncai! "
"Do you know An Shunshan? Who is he to you? "
Zhangsun Wuji waved his hand at Zhangsun Qinghe, indicating for him to put An Shuncai down first. Then, he looked at An Shuncai and asked.
In this era, brothers would usually have similar names. For example, Cheng Chumo and Cheng Chuliang, Yuchi Baolin and Yuchi Baohuan, Fang Yiai and Fang Yizhi. Although such things couldn't be said to be absolute, with such similar names, these two people were very likely to be brothers or came from the same clan!
Zhangsun Wuji asked this because he wanted to try his luck.
He didn't expect that he would really 'meet' him!
"I know, I know! Of course, I know him! "
An Shuncai's eyes lit up. Could it be that his cousin was friends with Zhangsun Wuji? If that was the case, he would be able to avert danger today. Therefore, he quickly said,
"Replying to Duke of Zhao, An Shunshan is this An's younger cousin. Shunshan manages more than one hundred shops in the Great Tang. As long as Duke of Zhao spares this one's life, this one and my younger cousin are willing to offer up all our wealth …"
"Shut up!"
This fellow still wanted to use money to bribe Zhangsun Wuji. Zhangsun Wuji couldn't help but frown and interrupt him. Then, he shouted coldly, "An Shunshan colluded with Turkic spies in Taiyuan and held the King of Wei hostage. His crime is punishable by death. Since you are his cousin, this matter definitely has something to do with you. Qinghe, immediately escort this person to the Supreme Court and let Shaoqing Dai interrogate him properly!"
Hearing this, Ma Cheng, who was kneeling on the ground, trembled. He was filled with regret. No wonder! No wonder the Yanhuang Bank wanted to ban the merchants from An Country and Kang Country. No wonder the cabinet elder returned empty-handed after making a trip to the palace. An Shuncai's cousin actually colluded with Turkic spies in Taiyuan. If he had known earlier …
If Ma Cheng had known that such a thing happened in Taiyuan City, even if An Shuncai gave him a hundred thousand strings of cash, he wouldn't have dared to interfere in this matter. Now, he could only feel endless regret in his heart!
"Wh … What?"
When An Shuncai heard Zhangsun Wuji's words, his face instantly turned pale!
What did he just hear? His younger brother actually colluded with Turkic spies in Taiyuan City and held the King of Wei hostage?
The thing that he was most worried about had indeed happened! Now, even if Zhangsun Wuji didn't kill him, the Emperor of Great Tang wouldn't let him off!
It was laughable that he was still pondering on how to remove the ban from the Yanhuang Bank. If he had known earlier, he would have fled Chang 'an in advance!
"Yes! Family Head! "
Zhangsun Qinghe cupped his fists and received the order. Then, he strode forward and grabbed An Shuncai's shoulder. Like dragging a dead dog, he dragged An Shuncai out.
Instantly, only Zhangsun Wuji and Ma Cheng were left in the house!
"Ma Zhongming, although you came from a humble background, I admire your talent. That's why I kept you in the residence back then and let you walk step by step to where you are today. But you have really disappointed me!"
Looking at the person that he had groomed, Zhangsun Wuji shook his head. His face was filled with pain and disappointment.
Indeed, when he first knew that Ma Cheng had schemed against him, he really hated Ma Cheng to the core. He couldn't wait to tear Ma Cheng into pieces to vent the hatred in his heart. But now that he had calmed down, there was only pain and disappointment left in Zhangsun Wuji's heart!
Ma Cheng was indeed a talented person. Moreover, he was groomed by him. Ma Cheng was able to turn from a poor scholar back then to the Crown Prince Zhan Shi today. Behind this, Ma Cheng's own hard work was behind it. But more importantly, it was Zhangsun Wuji's help in the dark.
Recommending the person that he had groomed to the East Palace as the Crown Prince Zhan Shi was a move that Zhangsun Wuji had spent a lot of effort on. He wanted to correct the Crown Prince's wrong thinking of "belittling Confucianism and emphasizing engineering." Besides, with Ma Cheng in the East Palace, if anything happened over there, he would be able to know about it immediately.
But now, the move that he had put in so much effort into had come to nothing because of the "betrayal" of his own people. How could he not be heartbroken? How could he not be disappointed?
"Cabinet Elder, Zhong Ming is indebted to you for recognizing my worth. Zhong Ming is deeply grateful. Today, I was blinded by greed and did such a foolish thing. Zhong Ming knows that I have no face to meet Cabinet Elder in the future. I am willing to atone for my sins with death!"
Ma Cheng's expression was a little moved. He banged his head on the ground and kowtowed heavily to Zhangsun Wuji. Then, he groaned and a large amount of blood flowed out from his mouth. Following that, his neck tilted and his eyes rolled as he fell to the ground.
This guy actually bit his tongue to commit suicide!
From the perspective of modern medicine, there was no scientific basis for the description of death by biting one's tongue in the novel. Actually, in real life, we could often see many people who had their tongues injured or even lost part of their tongues due to various reasons but still survived.
But generally speaking, biting one's tongue to commit suicide would usually result in the tongue being severed at the root. The person would usually faint because they couldn't bear the pain. Because the blood vessels at the root of the tongue were larger, and because the tongue was in the mouth, it wasn't easy to use methods such as compressing the blood vessels to stop the bleeding. If the bleeding couldn't be stopped, then the person who bit his tongue to commit suicide would definitely die from excessive blood loss!
As for cutting the tongue, because it was cut from the outside, the tongue wouldn't be severed at the root. Only the tip of the tongue would be cut off, so the pain was relatively smaller.
When a person bit their tongue, they would bite off the root of the tongue (the root of the part in the mouth). The remaining part would block the trachea, causing the person to suffocate to death.
The tongue was rich in blood vessels. After biting the tongue, one would bleed to death.
The intense pain after biting the tongue would cause the person to temporarily lose their rationality. The large amount of blood and secretions from the mouth could be inhaled into the trachea, causing choking and coughing. Choking and coughing would further worsen the lack of oxygen. The possibility of death due to mechanical asphyxiation and traumatic coma couldn't be ruled out.
The blood vessels on the tongue were rich. Once they were severed, there would be massive bleeding, causing the body to lack blood. Also, the tongue was very close to the brain, so the nerves on it were rich and controlled directly by the brain. Once it was strongly stimulated, it would directly stimulate the central nervous system, causing the central nervous system to be damaged and cause death.
Zhangsun Wuji's gaze turned cold. He knew that Ma Cheng had most likely bit his tongue to commit suicide. He didn't expect that this guy would suddenly wake up at the last moment and have the courage to bite his tongue to commit suicide and atone for his sins with his death. Looking at Ma Cheng's body on the ground, Zhangsun Wuji sighed and shouted outside, "Men!"
…
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