Miao Shenke slowly turned around and stared at Yang Fan. He solemnly said, "Regardless of He Lan Minzhi's various preposterous actions or what his original goal was, his preposterous actions are already known to the entire world. Such a person's reputation is already rotten. Once the Empress establishes a new dynasty, how can she allow such a stain on her reputation?
Moreover, the Jialan Clan's population is already sparse. How could they be of help to the Heaven Empress? The Heaven Empress is already old and a young ruler is here. Once the new dynasty is established, how could it last long? This Miao is loyal and devoted to the Empress. How can I sit by and watch this happen? "
Yang Fan said in a deep voice, "So, you contacted Qiu Shenji to cut the weeds and eliminate the roots?"
Miao Shenke said, "Qiu Shenji is also someone the Heaven Empress promoted. He is also one of the generals who is most passionate about the Heaven Empress becoming the emperor. He works beside the Heaven Empress with me and is very familiar with me. I am a scholar and can't do such a thing myself. Of course, I need his help. "
Yang Fan said, "So, you instructed Qiu Shenji to make a move and plan the Peach Blossom Massacre?"
Miao Shenke said, "That's right! We had already decided to abandon the Jialan Clan and use the Wu Clan! This was the wisest choice. The Heaven Empress had great talent and although she was a woman, she was still a woman after all. Women would always be affected by their emotions. She clearly knew that the Jialan Clan couldn't be compared to the Wu Clan, but because she hated the Wu Clan, she couldn't make a decision. Of course, we had to share the Heaven Empress' worries. "
Yang Fan's eyes widened, and his expression suddenly became fierce. He said excitedly, "Just because of this, you killed everyone in a village?"
Shenke Miao calmly replied, "The people from the Jialan Clan in the village naturally have to be killed. As for who Jialan Minzhi entrusted his son to, that informant only knew about the matter but didn't know the details. How would we know who Jialan Minzhi's bastard child is? Only by killing them all will we be safe. Do you know how many people will die in a change of dynasty? All obstacles that could stop the Heaven Empress from ascending to the throne should be turned into stepping stones. What can a hundred foolish villagers do? "
Yang Fan's hands trembled slightly. He gritted his teeth and sneered, "Well said! All the obstacles in the way of the Empress' ascension should be turned into stepping stones! The Empress is about to ascend the throne. Now, please become a stepping stone for the Empress to ascend the altar to announce her ascension to the heavens! "
Miao Shenke slowly turned around with his back facing Yang Fan. With his hands behind his back, he raised his head and sighed, "I have been waiting for a long time. Waiting is also a kind of torture. Do it, this old man is very happy to borrow your hand to free myself! "
Yang Fan gripped the hilt of his saber tightly, forcefully suppressing the urge to strike with his saber. He sneered and said, "Killing you will only dirty my saber! Since you were able to tell me the truth and dispel my doubts, I will leave you with an intact corpse. Hang yourself! "
Miao Shenke turned around and looked at Yang Fan with surprise. He said meaningfully, "In this world, there are many things that will rot with the grass and trees, and no one will know about them. But there are some things that can be passed down to future generations, and the reason is because there was a fish that escaped the net! Chong 'er escaped the net, and so there was Duke Wen of Jin; Gou Jian escaped the net, and so the State of Wu was destroyed. Young man, I hope that you, the fish that escaped the net, will also have great achievements in the future … "
Yang Fan couldn't help but frown. Miao Shenke's words were a little abrupt, and there was a great mystery behind them. What did he mean?
Miao Shenke didn't give him a chance to carefully think about it. He had already started walking towards the main hall …
A belt was hung on the beam of the roof, and a pair of hands covered in age spots firmly tied it into a dead knot.
Miao Shenke looked at the rope that was gently swaying in front of him, and sadly said to himself, "As a subject of the Tang dynasty, I received the salary of the Tang dynasty, but I was blinded by greed, and helped the evildoer. In the end, I even lost my own life. Now that I'm going to die, how can I face the late Emperor in the underworld? "
"I'm ashamed, I'm really ashamed!"
Two lines of turbid tears slowly flowed down from that pair of old eyes. Miao Shenke gently pulled out the wooden hairpin on his head, and his hair fell down, covering his face.
He grabbed the rope loop, and slowly put his head in. Without hesitation, he kicked with force with both feet. The wooden stump fell with a "bang", and his body swayed and hung in the air …
…
Yang Fan left Miao Shenke's residence, and immediately rushed to his own residence in Gong An Lane. He stayed there for a while, and when he came out, he deliberately dawdled, letting the neighbors see that he had locked the door and left. Only then did he rush back to the palace.
Even when he crossed the Tianjin Bridge, his eyes were still filled with confusion, and his emotions still couldn't calm down. Now, he finally knew the truth. He originally thought that he was a fish that escaped the net, but who knew that he was a fish that got caught in the crossfire.
As it turned out, the entire matter was the result of the confrontation between the two forces, and his family was just an innocent victim. He had reason to take revenge, but his enemies didn't want to kill him and his family, they were just some small fish and shrimp that were cut off along the way.
He went through untold hardships, and finally found Miao Shenke, and brought him to justice. But in his heart, he was no longer as happy as he was when he killed Cai Dongcheng and Yang Mingsheng, instead he felt a sense of loss. To other people, this matter was simply a farce, but as the person involved, he paid a painful price. He lost his parents, lost his Elder Sister, his entire life changed because of this …
Thinking of his strict father and loving mother, thinking of his amiable and adorable Elder Sister, Yang Fan really wanted to cry. However, his mood was indeed much more relaxed because of this. Living like Miao Shenke, waiting for death at every moment, was a great torment. To him, that heavy hatred pressed down on his heart, how could it not be a kind of torment?
When he walked to the Zuo Ye Gate of the palace, this was no longer a place that ordinary people could set foot in. The square was empty, only a few officials and a few oxen and horse carriages walked on it.
Yang Fan took a deep breath and pulled himself together: "After I kill Qiu Shenji, I will return to Shaozhou to pay my respects to my parents and Elder Sister. Now that the hatred has been settled, I will find Niuniu, bring her to Luoyang, and then work hard to marry Wan 'er and have a bunch of children. I believe that Father, Mother, and Elder Sister in heaven will also smile for me! "
Yang Fan slowly raised his head and looked into the distance. At the end of the flat square was the lofty and magnificent palace gate, and further up was the azure sky with floating white clouds.
"Huh? Stop the carriage! "
From the side, an ox-cart slowly came over. When it reached Yang Fan's side, it suddenly stopped.
A rich and fat face peeked out from the window. On his head was a black hat with a piece of jade inlaid on his forehead. His skin was slightly dark, his beard was white, and the hair on his temples was eighty percent white, but his eyes were bright and full of expression.
Seeing Yang Fan's appearance clearly, the fat old man laughed: "Little Langjun, this old man and you are really fated?"
Yang Fan was startled, looking at this fat old man, for a moment he did not recognize him.
The fat old man pointed at his own nose and said: "Me! Me! Don't you recognize this old man? "
Just as Yang Fan was about to speak, the fat old man retracted his head with a 'whoosh', lifted the curtain of the carriage, and limped out. He was wearing a purple official robe, a goldfish pouch hung on his waist, and a pair of black official boots on his feet, giving off an air of nobility.
When Yang Fan saw this, he was secretly shocked. Wearing a purple robe, he was at least a third-ranked official. In reality, there were very few first-ranked officials, and first-ranked officials were only given to those who were old and didn't have a title. A third-ranked official was already considered a high-ranking official.
The cart driver put down the pedal, and the fat old man limped out of the carriage with a smile. He said to Yang Fan: "I didn't expect you and I to meet here!"
Yang Fan said hesitantly, "My foot is …"
That day, Di Renjie was dressed casually, and he was already slovenly, and after being jolted around by the crazy donkey, he was now dressed neatly, looking majestic. If it was not for his clever and carefree smile, Yang Fan would not have felt a sense of familiarity, and would not have associated him with the donkey rider.
Di Renjie saw his blank face, and chuckled: "This old man was riding a crazy donkey at the Tianjin Bridge two days ago, luckily you saved me, do you still remember?"
Yang Fan said in surprise: "Ah! I remember, so you are … "
Di Renjie said: "This old man is Di Renjie, so you are the imperial bodyguard of this palace?"
"Di Renjie?"
Yang Fan was shocked, and hurriedly bowed. He wanted to address him, but hesitated. Di Renjie was now the assistant minister of the prefectural officials, and calling him 'assistant minister Di' was the proper way to address him. However, Yang Fan and the Di family's second son Di Guangyuan called each other brothers, so he should call Di Renjie 'uncle'. However, he did not know if Di Guangyuan had mentioned him to him, and if he addressed him rashly, would it make him feel like a relative?
While Yang Fan was hesitating, he heard someone laugh loudly: "Hahaha … isn't this Di Gong? Long time no see, Di Gong is as healthy as ever, congratulations! "
Before Yang Fan could figure out how to address Di Renjie, a long laugh interrupted his salute. Both of them turned their heads and saw an official with uniformed eyebrows, phoenix eyes, neatly trimmed hair, and a sharp nose walking towards them with a big smile on his face. He was an official with a very proper appearance. He had straight eyebrows, phoenix eyes, neatly combed hair, and a sharp nose. This person was also wearing a purple robe, a black gauze hat, and a jade belt with a goldfish pouch hanging from his waist. It was the Spring Official, Wu Sansi.
Di Renjie softly exclaimed, and cupped his hands in greeting: "Minister Wu!"
Wu Sansi laughed heartily as he walked closer and said: "I heard last night that Di Gong has returned to the capital, and I was thinking of taking some time to visit you, but I didn't expect to meet you here. Di Renjie, are you going to the palace to meet the Emperor?"
Di Renjie said: "Yes. When I returned to the capital, I accidentally fell and injured my leg, and I had to rest at home for a few days. Now that I've recovered, I'm going to the palace to meet the Empress. "
Wu Sansi laughed: "Good, then Di Gong can go see the Empress Dowager first, and I have to go to the Secretariat to settle some matters. After I'm done, I'll wait for you here at Zuoyemen. When you return to the capital, I'll hold a banquet for you!"
Di Renjie's face turned serious, and he said: "Oh, that's not appropriate, I'm sick, and I can't attend a banquet now. I appreciate Minister Wu's kindness, but I'll have to politely decline this banquet!"
Wu Sansi's face turned cold, and he said: "Is Di Gong looking down on me? As far as I know, Di Gong attended Princess Taiping's banquet yesterday, why? She invited you, so Di Gong gladly attended the banquet, but when I invited you, you won't even give me face? "
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
