When Yang Fan arrived at Jiacheng, many of the male and female guards who were not on duty today greeted Yang Fan warmly as long as they knew him. Yang Fan did not put on any airs. He did not treat his old acquaintances unkindly just because he had been promoted to Officer General. He smiled and returned the greetings until he turned into the courtyard where the female guards lived.
A female guard was juggling a ball in front of the residence, practicing all kinds of techniques. Suddenly, the ball lost control and rolled toward Yang Fan. Yang Ling jumped with both feet, picked up the ball, and threw it into the air. With a light push of his foot, he sent the ball back steadily. The whole movement was done in one go, and it was very beautiful.
The female guard stopped the ball and cheered for him.
Yang Fan did not know this female guard, so he smiled and cupped his hands in greeting. "Excuse me, may I ask if Guard Gao Ying and Guard Lan Yiqing are here?"
He did not recognize the female guard, but the female guard recognized him. Pursing her lips, she smiled and said, "Xiao Lan is currently on duty in front of the Emperor. Today, Guard Gao is resting. General Yang, please wait for a moment, I will go and find her."
"Thank you!" Yang Fan said.
Not long after, the female guard found Gao Ying. She was wearing a grass green arrow sleeve, looking valiant and full of energy. She was a little surprised to see Yang Fan and said with a smile, "Officer General is a newlywed, why are you looking for me? Don't let your Xiao Man know, she will be jealous of me for nothing. "
"Guard Gao must be joking," Yang Fan said with a smile. "I have something to trouble you with."
"What is it?" Gao Ying asked.
"I have an urgent matter, I need to see someone," Yang Fan said. "But I am on duty right now and cannot leave the palace. I would like to trouble you to make a trip for me."
"Who is it?" Gao Ying joked. "Don't tell me you have a mistress right after you got married?"
Yang Fan laughed and said in a low voice, "I would like you to make a trip to the Liang Palace for me and invite King Liang to see me!"
Gao Ying was startled and said doubtfully, "Wu Sansi?"
Yang Fan said, "That's right. What, you don't recognize the Liang Palace? It's very easy to find him. His mansion is in … "
"I recognize it," Gao Ying said. However … "
Gao Ying bit her lip and said softly, "The Wu family has a bad reputation. Erlang has a bright future ahead of him. Even if he doesn't attach himself to the Wu family, he will still have a bright future. I really shouldn't get too close to them. "
Yang Fan straightened his expression and said, "That's right! This Yang associating with the Wu Clan … hehe, this Yang's character, you will know in the future. But no matter what, I still need your help this time. "
Gao Ying rolled her eyes at him and faintly said, "But if you have a request, how can I not agree?"
How could Yang Fan take her half-serious joke? Seeing that she had already agreed, he thanked her and ran away in a sorry state.
…
There was a guest in Wu Sansi's residence.
The visitor was the supervising imperial censor, Yao Shaozhi, one of the Sansi Five Dogs.
He was the first to know that Zong Qinke and Zhou Xing had impeached Wei Fangzhi and then rushed to the Hall of Governmental Affairs to arrest him. Yao Shaozhi immediately ran like a wisp of smoke to the Liang Palace to report.
Wu Sansi was overjoyed when he heard this. These people who didn't put the Wu family in their eyes were all thorns in the Wu family's eyes. Now that Wei Fangzhi was in trouble, Wu Sansi was naturally happy.
Yao Shaozhi said, "Your Highness, don't be so happy. Even if this official didn't come, Your Highness would know of this matter tomorrow. This official didn't rush here to report the good news to Your Highness."
Wu Sansi immediately knew that Yao Shaozhi had other intentions. He quickly put on a shameless act and asked, "What does Shaozhi want to tell me?"
Yao Shaozhi said, "Your Highness has evidence against the Prince of Wei. This official wants to know, when does Your Highness plan to present it to His Majesty?"
Wu Sansi said, "Hmm, I have thought about this matter carefully. His Majesty beat Wang Qingzhi to death and is clearly fed up with Wu Chengsi's attempt to steal his heir. I originally planned to present the evidence tomorrow, but I didn't expect Wu Chengsi to act first today. Wu Chengsi first suffered a setback due to Wang Qingzhi's matter and then was humiliated by Wei Fangzhi. Now, he is biting people like a mad dog. He has clearly lost his composure.
Although those Prime Ministers are also scheming against each other, when faced with a foreign enemy, they are united against a common enemy. Now that Wei Fangzhi is out of luck, those Prime Ministers will definitely not let it go. If I present the evidence now, once those Prime Ministers hear of it, they will definitely take the opportunity to hit me while I'm down and help me deal with Wu Chengsi. "
Yao Shaozhi shook his head repeatedly and said, "Your Highness is wrong! This official would like to ask, if those Prime Ministers look down on the Prince of Wei, what do they think of Your Highness? "
Wu Sansi grunted and said, "In the eyes of those old men, only the descendants of the Li family are the descendants of the Emperor. They look down on Wu Chengsi, so naturally they look down on me as well."
Yao Shaozhi clapped his hands and said, "That's right! Your Highness, since you also understand the logic behind this, how can you step forward at this time? "
Wu Sansi curiously asked, "What wise opinion does Shaozhi have?"
Yao Shaozhi said, "Your Highness, in the past, although Zhou Xing and the others have attacked the Princes and Dukes who are more powerful than the Prime Ministers, the Emperor's relatives and the various Marquises, but at that time, the Emperor had not ascended the throne yet. Everyone knows that the idea of attacking those people came from the Emperor and not from Zhou Xing and the others."
Wu Sansi nodded and said, "That's right, so what?"
Yao Shaozhi licked his lips and laughed sinisterly, saying, "But now it's different. The world now belongs to the Emperor. Ever since the Emperor ascended the throne, the court has been peaceful and no one has ever accused an important official of the Prime Minister level. What's the reason? Because the Emperor has already obtained the world, there are no more obstacles for him to kick aside.
Most of these Prime Ministers were appointed after the Emperor ascended the throne and are all new officials. Moreover, this time there are people attacking the Prime Ministers and it is not the Emperor's intention. Do you think they will be satisfied? If they sit back and watch Zhou Xing frame Wei Fangzhi, once this precedent is set, it won't be long before someone will attack them.
In this lowly official's humble opinion, this group of Prime Ministers will protect Wei Fangzhi even if it is to protect themselves. And Wei Wang wants to revive his defeated reputation, he will not be willing to give up. If we topple Wei Wang now, it will be helping these Prime Ministers. When the time comes, they will become an obstacle for Your Highness to fight for the Crown Prince position. Why don't Your Highness bear with it for now and wait for them to fight until both sides are injured? "
Wu Sansi was enlightened and clapped his hands, saying, "That's right! Shaozhi, your words have really reminded me! Yes, yes, yes. This Prince shouldn't make a move now. Let them fight to the death. When they are both injured, this Prince will make a move. At that time, who in the Imperial Court can compete with me? "
Just as Wu Sansi said this, the residence's steward quietly entered the study and whispered something in his ear. Wu Sansi was startled and said to Yao Shaozhi, "Good! We will do as you say. You can go back, this Prince still has things to do! "
Hearing this, Yao Shaozhi quickly stood up and said, "This lowly official will take his leave!"
Once Yao Shaozhi left, Wu Sansi had the steward invite Gao Ying, who was dressed in men's clothes, into the study. Gao Ying explained the purpose of her visit and Wu Sansi did not dare to delay and immediately followed her out of the residence.
Yang Fan could not leave the palace because of his duties. He did not mean to put on airs in front of a Prince. Wu Sansi was clear on this point and naturally did not feel offended. He did not know what urgent matter Yang Fan had to see him for, so he did not dare to delay.
When Wu Sansi arrived at the Meridian Gate and saw Yang Fan, he immediately called him to the side and asked in a low voice, "Why does Erlang want to see this Prince?"
Yang Fan said, "Your Highness, Lou Shide has arrived in the capital."
When Wu Sansi heard such a brainless sentence, he could not help but be curious, "What does Lou Shide's arrival in the capital have to do with this Prince?"
Yang Fan said, "It's Ye An! That witness! Lou Shide has seen him before! The Emperor is already disgusted with Wei Wang's recent actions. This is the right time for Your Highness to present a witness. At that time, with Lou Shide as a witness, Qiu Shenji will not be able to defend himself. The Emperor's punishment will be even more severe in his anger. This will be of great benefit to Your Highness! "
Yang Fan did not know that his words were a step too late. Wu Sansi had already heard Yao Shaozhi's words and had already made up his mind to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. How would he be willing to get involved? Hearing this, he repeatedly shook his head and said with a smile, "No rush, no rush. Erlang, Lou Shide has returned to the capital to see the Emperor and will not return for a while. What is there for this Prince to be anxious about?
Wu Chengsi was first thwarted by Li Zhaode and then by Wei Fangzhi. Heh heh! You still don't know? Today, he ordered his henchmen to bring down Wei Fangzhi. That group of Prime Ministers will definitely not let it go. Just watch, very soon they will fight until their heads bleed. This Prince can sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. When the time comes, I will reap the benefits. Isn't that good? "
When Yang Fan heard this, he was stunned. He did not expect the usually impulsive Wu Sansi to have such a sinister idea. When he and Princess Taiping had discussed using Wu Sansi as a knife to deal with Wu Chengsi, they did not expect such a change today. Now that the witness had fallen into Wu Sansi's hands, the initiative was in his hands. If he was not willing to make a move, Yang Fan could not do anything. He could not show that he was more interested in bringing down Wu Chengsi than Wu Sansi.
Seeing his expression, Wu Sansi thought that he was loyal and devoted to himself, thinking that everything he did was for his own good. He patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "Erlang, you are still young, it's normal that you haven't thought so far ahead. You do not need to worry. Everything is under this Prince's control! You have done very well today. In the future, if you have any news or ideas, please report to this Prince immediately. Once this Prince becomes the Crown Prince, this Prince will not mistreat you when I ascend to the Imperial Throne! "
Yang Fan smiled bitterly to himself and could only bow and say, "Thank you, Your Highness!"
Wu Sansi was very happy. He laughed and said, "Since this Prince is here, if I do not enter the Palace, it will inevitably arouse suspicion. This Prince will go see the Saint. You can go do what you need to do!"
As Wu Sansi said this, he swaggered into the Palace.
Wei Fangzhi was on duty when Zhou Xing suddenly brought people from the Ministry of Justice into the Hall of Governmental Affairs and took him away. As expected, this action angered the Prime Ministers. Ever since Wu Zetian ascended to the throne, the officials all thought that the Emperor had already gotten what he wanted and that there would no longer be the danger of having his family destroyed at the slightest provocation. In reality, this was indeed the case. Ever since Wu Zetian ascended to the throne a year ago, there had been very few cases of officials being arrested in the Imperial Court.
Wei Fangzhi's capture caused all the officials to feel insecure. That very night, the officials of the Imperial Court began to conspire with one another, communicating with one another in preparation to rescue Wei Fangzhi. However, they had all underestimated the capabilities of Zhou Xing who was born to torture and interrogate.
At morning court the next day, they all brought their memorials to the Palace. However, before the Prime Ministers could take the lead to protect Wei Fangzhi, Zhou Xing had already taken the initiative to report to Wu Zetian: Wei Fangzhi had confessed to all his crimes and had personally written a confession. He had also reported an accomplice: Prime Minister Su Liangsi!
When the officials heard this, they were all dumbfounded!
…
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