Zhang Changzong had been living in the Thousand Horsemen Camp, which was filled with the elite soldiers of the imperial army. At the same time, Zhang Changzong's 2,000 Steel Cavalry were also stationed there. Of course, it was impregnable in terms of security. However, one could easily imagine how unsettled the camp was.
Actually, after the purge, Zhang Changzong didn't need to continue living here. As the host, Liu Xiantian should at least show some appreciation. For example, he could invite Zhang Changzong to stay on the island in the center of Longqing Pool to show some hospitality. However, Liu Xiantian didn't do anything.
Carefully thinking about Liu Xiantian's inhumane actions, it was actually very thought-provoking.
Back when Liu Xiantian invited Yang Fan to stay in his private villa on the island, it was also because it was a critical moment of the purge. Liu Xiantian was in a hurry to express goodwill to Yang Fan and improve his relationship with the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate. Otherwise, he wouldn't have done this kind gesture. There was only one reason: the situation was unclear.
Liu Xiantian was on the empress dowager's side. Before the empress dowager became the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty, he had stayed in Chang 'an. Now, the empress dowager had been the emperor for ten years. Time and space had widened the distance between him and the empress. Strictly speaking, he was no longer the empress's absolute confidante.
Liu Xiantian colluded with the local forces in Chang 'an and secretly built his own power because of this sense of crisis. He was very cunning, like an agile snow fox. He would be able to smell the slightest disturbance in the court, and he would be able to smell the scent of unease.
He was far away in Chang 'an, but he knew everything that was happening in Luoyang like the back of his hand. He knew very well how many officials who had been deeply trusted by the empress had now become lackeys to be cooked. Thus, he had always been very glad that he could stay in Chang 'an. Otherwise, he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't fall in the treacherous political turmoil.
Now, Chang 'an was suddenly about to become the political center of the country. The political signal of the emperor moving the capital was: return power to Li. How could the cunning Liu Xiantian not plan for his own future?
The Empress was too old. She, who had one foot in the grave, had lost the confidence to make people follow her wholeheartedly. Every step Liu Biantian took required careful consideration. He needed to consider the changes in the political situation of the court in the next few years.
The Emperor would definitely come from either the Li Family or the Wu Family. The Li Family had at least a sixty percent chance of becoming the Emperor, while the Wu Family had at least a forty percent chance. It was impossible for anyone else to covet the throne. This was Liu Qiantian's judgment.
Brother Zhang had already offended both the Wu and Li families, so Liu Qietian didn't want to get close to him.
A new emperor brought his own courtiers. Even the slightest mistake now could be used by others to make a big deal out of it in the future. The astute Liu Biantian had set a guideline for himself in this unpredictable environment, "Only seek to avoid mistakes, not achievements." Therefore, other than the welcoming banquet he held on behalf of the Chang 'an government when Zhang Changzong first arrived in Chang' an, he did not express anything else after that.
Seeing many people flatter Zhang Changzong, the emperor's most favored official, and offer expensive gifts in order to gain more power after the emperor moved west, Liu Qietian stood in the deep courtyard of the Chang 'an Local Government and only responded with a disdainful sneer. He was not moved at all.
Liu Qiantian's attitude was actually alienating the second Zhang. If Zhang Yizhi was here, perhaps he would be able to sense something, but Zhang Changzong could not. He had unparalleled beauty, and he was talented in the four arts, but he had no political wisdom.
Faced with the stream of flatterers, Zhang Changzong had completely ignored Liu Qietian. He thought that Liu Qietian lived in seclusion and was careful with his words because so many things had happened in Guanzhong and Liu Qietian could not escape the blame. Therefore, he was anxious and did not realize what Liu Qietian's actions, as the top political figure in Guanzhong, meant.
Fortunately, there were people who constantly went to the Thousand Horsemen Camp to give gifts and banquets. Otherwise, Zhang Changzong would not have been able to stay in the Thousand Horsemen Camp. Xu Liang, Maqiao, Huang Xuchang and the others were respectful to Zhang Changzong, but these rough people had no common topics with him. The people who constantly came to visit were mostly civil officials and scholars, so Zhang Changzong was not so annoyed.
Near noon, Zhang Changzong had just sent off a guest and returned to his room to carefully play with a pair of jade horses that the guest had given him. Suddenly, someone came to report that Yang Fan had arrived. Zhang Changzong hurriedly ordered people to put away the treasures and personally went out to welcome him.
Yang Fan was the commander of the Thousand Horsemen Camp and naturally did not need to wait for others to announce his return. Hearing that he had returned, Xu Liang, Huang Xuchang, Lu Maofeng and the others all hurried to greet him. They crowded around Yang Fan and laughed as they walked in. Zhang Changzong came out to welcome him. Seeing Yang Fan, he smiled and said, "Erlang is back! Forgive me for not welcoming you earlier. "
Yang Fan joked, "Speaking of which, I'm the host here, and Liu Lang is my honored guest. Today, I'm the one who's being rude, and the host has to be the guest!"
Zhang Changzong laughed and quickly took Yang Fan's arm into the room and sat down with him.
Yang Fan said, "Now that I have recovered, I specially came back to the camp to take a look. At the same time, I intend to invite Liulang to stay at the island in the middle of the lake. The security there is not inferior to here, but the scenery is a hundred times better. Liulang, don't you feel bored living in the camp all day with these uncouth people?"
Zhang Changzong was greatly moved. Before he could answer, a close attendant suddenly came in and whispered a few words in his ear. Then, he handed him a secret letter. Zhang Changzong opened it and a strange look appeared on his face.
Today, Yang Fan came just in time. He had asked people to pay attention to the journey of Shanghai Wan 'er's troops. Knowing that they had already arrived in Chang' an, he rushed to see Zhang Changzong first. Seeing Zhang Changzong's expression, he knew that Wan 'er had sent someone to deliver a letter.
Yang Fan pretended not to know and deliberately asked, "What's the matter, Liulang? Do you need my help?"
Yang Fan's action was a bit presumptuous, but Yang Fan had to say it. Otherwise, if Zhang Changzong really bypassed him and arranged for Wan 'er to go to a secluded place, it would be difficult for him to visit her. Although he could sneak there, it was not a long-term solution. Zhang Changzong raised his head and said to Xu Liang and others with a serious face, "Everyone, please leave for a moment. I have something important to discuss with General Yang."
Seeing that he looked serious and even used a more formal address to address Yang Fan, everyone knew that the two really had something important to discuss. Everyone hurriedly left the table and retreated. In a moment, the hall was empty and even the messenger left.
Yang Fan said with a smile, "Liulang, why are you so serious?"
Zhang Changzong lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "Someone from the capital has arrived. Shangguan Wei has arrived."
"Oh?"
Yang Fan smiled disapprovingly and said, "His Majesty has already announced to the world that the capital will be moved to Chang 'an this year. He also said that he will first send Shangguan Wei here to prepare for the move with Liulang. I also know of this matter. There is nothing strange about Shangguan Wei's arrival. Liulang just needs to go and greet him properly."
Zhang Changzong chuckled and shook his head, saying, "If it was just Shangguan Wei, why would I act like this? Do you know why Shangguan Wei came?"
Yang Fan was moved and said, "Could it be that Shangguan Wei has another mission and there will be another storm in Guanzhong?"
Zhang Changzong could not hide his excitement. He pushed the secret letter in his hand and said, "Liulang, please take a look."
Yang Fan deliberately refused and said, "How can I read His Majesty's secret edict?"
Zhang Changzong said, "This is not a secret edict. Besides, you are not an outsider." These words had the intention of roping him in. Yang Fan pretended not to hear the meaning behind the words and reached out to take Zhang Changzong's secret letter. He opened it and showed a shocked expression.
Zhang Changzong chuckled and said, "Changzong always thought that if there was only one person left in the palace who kept her chastity, it would be this Shangguan Wei. Who would have thought that Shangguan Wei would also be so dissolute in the imperial examinations. Now he has caused a 'human life', haha …"
Zhang Changzong had always admired Shanghai Wan 'er's talent. Adding on that during the development of the two powers, Wan' er had always restrained and given in to them, so the two had a good personal relationship. Now that he had suddenly heard of such a romantic affair, Zhang Changzong only expressed an instinctive interest as a man but did not say anything too excessive.
Yang Fan held the letter and felt slightly sad. He knew how much Shanghai Wan 'er treasured her reputation. But he also knew that if he did not ruin his own reputation, it would be difficult to dispel the female Emperor's wariness and murderous intent. Wan 'er had made the most correct move. This was to protect their child.
What moved Yang Fan was that before this, Wan 'er had not revealed anything to him.
In this world, the hardest thing to guess was the human heart. In the eyes of the Emperor, killing one person and keeping one person alive were common things. When the Emperor was unhappy, a few words of criticism could cause her to kill her own grandson and granddaughter.
Although Wan 'er was by the Emperor's side and could grasp the Emperor's mood at any time and choose the best time to reveal the truth, she did not have the confidence that she would be safe. If the Emperor really wanted to kill her, then it would be one corpse and two lives. The reason she did not let him know before she was out of danger was to protect him to the greatest extent possible.
Although Yang Fan had learned of the news yesterday, thinking of Wan 'er's good intentions today, his heart was still moved. "Wan' er … I have owed you too much. I fear I will not be able to repay this love in this lifetime."
Zhang Changzong saw that Yang Fan was staring at the secret letter in a daze and knew that he was stunned by the news. He was a popular person in front of the Emperor, and his status could not be lower than Shangguan Di's. There was no harm in teasing her a little. With Yang Fan's status, he naturally did not dare to say too much, so he cleared his throat.
Yang Fan came to his senses and quickly put down the secret letter. He complained, "Such a secret, Sixth Lang should not have let me and Wen know."
Zhang Changzong said with a smile, "I have never regarded Erlang as an outsider. What harm is there for a brother to know? I still want you to help me come up with some ideas on how to properly arrange the Shangguan system."
As Zhang Changzong spoke, he could not help but feel a bit proud of himself. He did not ask Yang Fan to leave because this was someone else's territory. It was fine for him to ask someone else to leave, but if he asked this loyal general to leave, it would be too unreasonable. After reading the contents of the secret letter, he suddenly had an idea. He felt that letting Yang Fan and Wen Wen know the secret was a good opportunity to improve their relationship.
A common secret was the easiest way to improve the relationship between two people. Second Zhang used the Emperor's favor and painstakingly managed to win over a group of henchmen in the court. But he did not make much progress in the army. So far, his greatest achievement was to place Lu Maofeng in the Thousand Horsemen Battalion.
He and Zhang Yizhi had always wanted to pull Yang Fan, the commander in charge of the central armed forces, to their side. Today's action of not acting like an outsider was naturally to express goodwill and rope him in.
When Yang Fan appeared here today, he had also fully considered Zhang Changzong's possible reaction. He had also prepared at least two sets of contingency measures. But it was clear that the first move was effective in dealing with Zhang Changzong, a political incompetent. While Zhang Changzong was feeling proud of himself, this matter had become Yang Fan's lead.
Yang Fan said regretfully, "I didn't look at the almanac when I went out today. I've come to the wrong place!"
Zhang Changzong laughed proudly and pointed at him. "Look at how scared you are. Don't worry. The Sage meant that as long as you don't make a fuss, it's fine. You are also the Emperor's confidant. What is there to be afraid of?"
Yang Fan smiled bitterly. "In short, this is muddy water."
Zhang Changzong laughed. "Alright, alright. Don't complain. Where do you think we should arrange for her?"
Yang Fan asked in return, "What do you plan to do, Sixth Lang?"
Zhang Changzong held his chin and thought for a while. "How about letting Shangguan Dai live in Ganye Temple? It's very secluded there. I can take care of her nearby. "
Yang Fan thought for a while and frowned. "That's not appropriate."
Zhang Changzong asked, "What's wrong?"
Yang Fan said, "Ganye Temple is a royal temple. It specially takes in the concubines who haven't given birth when the late Emperor passed away. Moreover, the temple is located in the Forbidden Garden and has little contact with the outside world. Sixth Lang must have thought of this place for this reason?"
Zhang Changzong nodded. "Exactly!"
Yang Fan said, "But because the Bhikkhunis there are all concubines of the late Emperor and have seen a lot of things, I'm afraid they will notice something. Moreover, the Sage made this arrangement. Obviously, Shangguan Dai is of great use. Shangguan Dai is here with the Sage's order to prepare for the relocation of the capital. Won't people be suspicious if she lives in Ganye Temple? "
Zhang Changzong also felt that his idea was not very mature after hearing Yang Fan's words. He said, "Then in Erlang's opinion, what should we do?"
Yang Fan said, "First, this place must be remote and quiet. It's difficult for ordinary people to come in contact with it. Only then can the secret not be leaked to the greatest extent. Second, this place must be elegant and in line with Shangguan Dai's identity. It must let people know that she came to Chang 'an with the Sage's order and not to be placed under house arrest or banished. Third … "
Before Yang Fan could finish, Zhang Changzong's eyes lit up. He blurted out, "The island in the middle of the lake!"
Yang Fan was startled. "The island in the middle of the lake?"
Zhang Changzong said excitedly, "That's right! The island in the middle of the lake meets this requirement! "
Yang Fan was stunned for a while. He nodded and said, "That's right! The island in the middle of the lake is indeed a suitable place. How about this? My body has recovered and I don't need to stay on the island to recuperate. I'll move out of Longqing Square and return to the Thousand Horsemen Camp today. Liulang and Shangguan Dai can live in Longqing Pool. "
Zhang Changzong was not willing to live alone with Shangguan Wan'er. Everything he had came from the Emperor. Now that he knew Shangguan Wan'er's private affairs were not clean, he would certainly think of avoiding suspicion.
He didn't go to the island in the middle of the lake earlier or later. When Shangguan Wan'er came, he moved to the island in the middle of the lake. Moreover, he also 'chased' Yang Fan away. A man and a woman alone together. If any indecent rumors were to spread, it would be troublesome. Although Wan'er was already a pregnant woman and the Emperor wouldn't take it seriously, he was not willing to do anything that would make the Emperor slightly unhappy.
Therefore, Zhang Changzong immediately rejected Yang Fan's proposal. He said resolutely, "No, Erlang will still live on the island. With you here, you can help me cover up. Erlang is full of wisdom. With you here, in case something happens, I will have someone to discuss it with. "
Yang Fan repeatedly refused, "No, no, no. It's better to avoid trouble. Liulang, please let me go!"
Zhang Changzong said with a smile, "Erlang already knows about this."
Yang Fan said, "But Shangguan Dai doesn't know that I already know about this!"
Zhang Changzong said, "Shangguan Dai doesn't know, but I know!"
Yang Fan stared at him and said gloomily, "You're really careless in making friends!"
Zhang Changzong laughed and cupped his hands, "Thank you, Erlang. I'll remember this favor!"
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