Lord Qiao, You Are a Smart Man
Inside the hall.
Jing Rong had only probed him a little, but Qiao Zheng had already cut off all ties between him and Peng Yuanhai. It felt as if he was trying to hide something and was trying to escape from a disaster.
He had been an official for many years, so his temperament was naturally more tactful. He knew that the matter of the Ministry of Personnel's memorial would cause a huge commotion. It involved Prince Rong, a ministry, a department, and even the imperial family. Therefore, he would avoid it as much as he could and run as much as he could.
The abyss was full of thorns and traps. If he stuck his foot inside, he might suffer a crushing defeat and his entire family would be executed.
There were probably only a few officials who didn't understand this logic.
Jing Rong didn't believe him. This old fox couldn't be underestimated.
He narrowed his deep eyes and stared sternly at the tight-lipped fellow in front of him.
"Lord Qiao, you are a smart man. You should understand what I mean."
"Please enlighten me, Your Highness."
He continued to play dumb!
"You said that you didn't have a deep relationship with Peng Yuanhai. This Prince will believe you for the time being, but how do you explain why he immediately submitted a petition to me the moment you resigned? How could someone without any backing have such great ability? How could he make the entire Office of Transmission help him? There seems to be something fishy going on here! I wonder if Lord Qiao can explain this to this Prince? "
Qiao Zheng's expression froze. He hurriedly raised his hand and lowered his body. "This matter has absolutely nothing to do with this lowly official. I didn't even know that something like this would happen. If I could predict it, I would definitely try my best to stop Peng Yuanhai."
"Fine. Then this Prince asks you, if it really has nothing to do with you, then … what about Prince Yi's Estate?"
Is there a connection?
To put it bluntly, does it have anything to do with Jing Yi?
Jing Rong stared at him, his eyes full of deterrence.
Today, he had to get to the bottom of this.
Qiao Zheng knew that he was hanging on a barbecue grill, at the mercy of others.
He really regretted coming here.
Why did he take the initiative to bite the hook?
Wasn't that courting death?
Now, he couldn't advance or retreat. He was stuck in the middle, like a fishbone stuck in his throat.
Seeing his expression wavering, Jing Rong reminded him again, "You should know what this Prince wants. What do you want to hear? As long as you give me the answer I want, I won't make things difficult for you, and you can leave this place safely. "
It was a threat.
Qiao Zheng knew that if he didn't leak some information to Jing Rong, he wouldn't be able to leave today.
Might as well —
Before that Peng Yuanhai followed this lowly official to the Ministry of Personnel, he was merely a minor civil official in the Hanlin Academy. At that time, he had a very good relationship with Lord Qu, who had yet to become the Envoy of Transmission. Both of them were students of Mingshan Academy and were fellow students. Later on, Lord Qu was recommended by Prince Yi to be the Envoy of Transmission, while Peng Yuanhai followed this lowly official to the Ministry of Personnel. Since then, the two of them have had no further contact, and very few people know of their previous relationship. This time, when the Ministry of Personnel reported Your Highness, Lord Qu, the Envoy of Transmission, actually helped them in secret.
"That's not what this prince wants to hear," Jing Rong replied.
Qiao Zheng only needed to take a deep breath and lower his head once more, lowering it. "Qu Jiang and Peng Yuanhai … are the Eldest Imperial Prince's men."
Huh?
The dead Crown Prince!
If that's the case, then the mystery has been solved.
Sure enough, you still have to force him a little. If you don't, you won't be able to get the information from him.
Jing Rong concluded, "So, before Lord Peng and Lord Qu were promoted, both of them were on the Eldest Imperial Prince's side. In order to win over Lord Qu, Prince Yi personally recommended him to be the Envoy of Transmission. After receiving such a generous gift, Lord Qu abandoned his position and changed his official position, pledging his loyalty to Prince Yi. On the other hand, you tried to recruit Peng Yuanhai to the Ministry of Personnel with the intention of persuading him to change his official position and stand on Prince Yi's side. However, he didn't do you a favor, and so he parted ways with Lord Qu, who betrayed the Eldest Imperial Prince. Am I right?"
"Yes!"
"So, in order to avenge the Eldest Imperial Prince, Peng Yuanhai submitted a report in an attempt to use this prince's assassination attempt to pin the blame on Prince Yi?"
"Yes!"
"And you also knew that he had this plan, so in order to avoid trouble, you resigned?"
"Yes!"
His answer was quite serious.
Jing Rong didn't understand, "But didn't that Lord Qu already pledge his allegiance to Prince Yi? Why did he suddenly betray him? And you are also Prince Yi's man. Why didn't you inform Prince Yi when you knew that Peng Yuanhai intended to do this? "
"This lowly official …"
He was at a loss for words.
"Since you've already said it like this, there's no need to hide it anymore. Just say it. After all, the sky is high here, and the Emperor is far away. Whatever you say, once we leave that door, this prince will swallow it down. I won't say a word to you. "
This prince was really greedy.
It was as if he wouldn't be satisfied until he dug out all of his secrets.
Jing Rong gritted his teeth. Since he had already stepped into the tiger's den, he had to go all out.
"Actually, ever since Your Highness left the capital, the guards guarding the capital have been secretly replaced with Prince Yi's men. This lowly official has been an official for many years, and I know the pros and cons of the current political situation. Back then, this lowly official was under Old Teacher Luo Chongyang's tutelage, so naturally, I learned some things. Prince Yi was originally only one step away from the position of Crown Prince, but he was too impatient. The Emperor has been on the throne for twenty years, and he knows better than anyone else that this lowly official has to take care of his elders and children. This lowly official chose to resign and leave the capital when Prince Yi was gaining power because he was worried that … the matter would be exposed."
The matter would be exposed!
It was obvious that this old fox didn't believe that Prince Yi would become the Emperor.
Just as he said, Jing Yi was too impatient!
Qiao Zheng continued, "I believe that Lord Qu has the same thoughts as this lowly official, so …"
That's why he betrayed and joined forces with Peng Yuanhai.
What was the saying again?
A true victory was not necessarily a true victory.
Jing Yi, oh Jing Yi, you definitely didn't expect that the chess piece you kept by your side would actually become a grass on the wall!
Jing Rong was very satisfied with his answer.
The corners of his lips curled up as he said, "Lord Qiao, you are a smart man."
Qiao Zheng remained silent.
"Don't worry, just stay in Yufu. This prince will not reveal a single word of what you said to this prince today. This prince will also remember the favor you have done for me."
"Many thanks, Your Highness."
"This prince should be the one thanking you instead."
"I wouldn't dare."
"It's getting late. Bring Young Master Qiao back, but if there's anything else related to the case, I'll have to trouble Lord Qiao to continue cooperating." Jing Rong smiled meaningfully.
"Yes, Your Highness."
He obediently complied, bowed, and retreated out of the room.
Once he was out of the room, he let out a long sigh of relief. His eyes were bloodshot, as if he had been forced into this state.
He lifted his sleeve to wipe away the sweat on his forehead. His heart was still beating rapidly. In the past, he had thought that Jing Rong was a man of few words in the imperial court, a man who could be trampled upon by anyone.
Firstly, he had no power, and secondly, he had no followers. He was no different from the sickly Virtuous King.
But today, he finally understood the imposing manner that Jing Rong exuded, forcing him to spill the entire truth step by step.
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