Li Zhaode's expression changed. "What do you mean?"
Yang Fan said in a deep voice, "Lingnan Jade Mountain is now flowing with rivers of blood. Vengeful spirits are wailing and wandering the countryside. The Prime Minister is resting at home today with his friends, singing and dancing. You must know nothing about this? "
Li Zhaode would not lie in front of a junior. After a moment of silence, he slowly replied, "I already know about this."
Yang Fan raised his eyebrows. "Oh? The Prime Minister already knows. What does the Prime Minister plan to do? "
Li Zhaode said, "Wan Guojun fabricated a lie, claiming that the exiles rebelled and killed three hundred and seventeen innocent people on Jade Mountain. His intentions are reprehensible and he deserves death. I have already sent people to search for evidence of his crimes so that he can be brought to justice!"
Yang Fan nodded. "Good! The Prime Minister is experienced in planning for the country. Yang Fan is a young lad with the courage of blood and vigor. His ability to plan is not as good as the Prime Minister's. The Prime Minister's action is considered appropriate. But now the Censorate has gone to Yunnan, Shu, Guizhou, Sichuan, Guangxi, and Lingnan. They are about to raise the butcher's knife again. Yang Fan would like to ask Master Li, as the Prime Minister, what plans do you have? "
Li Zhaode frowned. "Wan Guojun wrote to the Emperor, saying that the exiles are resentful and have evil intentions. They are plotting to rebel. If they are not dealt with quickly, there will be a disaster. The Sage is suspicious, so he sent the Censorate officials to inspect the exiles and investigate the truth. What's wrong with this? What else do I need to plan? "
Yang Fan looked up to the sky and laughed coldly, "Do you believe these words yourself, Mister Li?"
Li Zhaode's expression darkened. Yang Fan sneered. "Master Li, you don't even believe it yourself, yet you want to use this reason to dismiss me. Aren't you deceiving yourself?"
Li Zhaode slowly said, "The Censorate has been suppressed by us. If they retreat now, it will not be easy for us to get hold of their weakness and get rid of all these cruel officials. Now Wan Guojun is in a mess and made this stupid move to try to save the Emperor. Little did they know that they had already offended all the civil and military officials of the imperial court. After this incident, the entire world would view them as an enemy. They were courting death!
Yang Fan, the group of cruel officials in the Censorate is a hidden danger to the country. You and I have the same goal, we both want to get rid of this group of cruel officials and restore peace to the world. Now is our best chance. When they have done their evil deeds, the heavens will be angry and the people will resent them. By then, no one will be able to protect them. This is a chance bestowed to us by the heavens! "
Yang Fan's body trembled slightly as he said in a low voice, "Does Master Li really think so? Heaven and Earth were heartless, treating all living things like straw dogs! Could it be that in Li Xianggong's eyes, human lives were as insignificant as a blade of grass, a tree, a chicken, or a dog? Wan Guojun had killed three hundred and seventeen people on Jade Mountain, three hundred and seventeen people!
Now that the Censorate had turned out in full force, who knew how many more lives they would kill in Yunnan, Shu, Guizhou, Sichuan, Guangxi, and the entire Lingnan? People only see a group of big shots fighting in the imperial court. Who could see how many white bones were placed under their feet? How many innocent people had become their stepping stones?
Li Xianggong wanted to wait until the group of cruel officials in the Censorate had done their evil deeds to the extreme before bringing them to justice. Do you know how cold-blooded your decision is? When the common people of the world praise you, Li Xianggong, for being righteous and getting rid of evil, when the history books record how many evil deeds those cruel officials had done, and when you, Li Xianggong, executed the evil officials to the satisfaction of the people, when your name is recorded in the history books, perhaps no one knew that you had watched them do evil with your own eyes, condoned them to do evil, but can your heart be at ease? "
Li Zhaode's eyebrows stood erect, his anger flared up, but when he met Yang Fan's eyes, his anger could not be vented. Nowadays, very few people dared to look directly at him, but this fifth-grade petty official in front of him dared. Not only did he dare to look directly at him, he even dared to question him.
His eyes were as clear as water, and as firm as ice. Looking at that pair of clear and firm eyes, which contained pain and sorrow, Li Zhaode's prestige as an official was somewhat unable to be released.
He let out a long sigh, and slowly released the dignified air that gathered between his brows. In a deep voice, he said, "Your Majesty's will is as firm as steel. Once you have made a decision, no one can dissuade you! I have no intention of condoning the evil officials to do evil, I just cannot stop them! "
Yang Fan sneered, "Li Xianggong sat at home, laughing, watching the music and dancing, drinking and singing, he did not try at all, and you say you cannot stop them?"
Li Zhaode said in a deep voice, "Is there a need to try? But when it comes to rebellion, the Saint would rather kill the wrong person than let them go, don't you know? From before the establishment of the Great Zhou, to after the Saint ascended the throne, how many families have been ruined, how many people have been thrown into prison, even you almost died in the Censorate. The Saint will not let off even if it is just a rumor, don't you know?
Over all these years, how many good officials, princes and dukes have died in the hands of the cruel officials of the Censorate? If this group of scourges is not eradicated, who knows how many more people will suffer in the future. So what if some people die today? To achieve great things, there must be sacrifices! "
Yang Fan questioned, "This is what you are thinking, isn't it? As long as you can achieve your goal, others can die as much as they want! You have never thought of saving them at all! If among those people were your family and friends, your parents, wife and children, would you still be able to say it so confidently, without feeling any pain or itch? "
"Presumptuous!"
Li Zhaode finally could not restrain himself, and roared at Yang Fan, "Do you know who is standing in front of you? I see your sincerity, that is why I have repeatedly forgiven your offense, do not take an inch and take a mile! You are the only one in the entire imperial court who dares to speak to me like this. Do you really think that I cannot punish you? "
Yang Fan said, "I know that the person standing in front of me is the Great Zhou's Prime Minister, Prime Minister Li. I know that you, Prime Minister Li, have killed Wang Qingzhi, who tried to persuade the crown prince, used a scheme to depose the glorious Wu Chengsi, and not long ago, you even killed the Censorate Hou Sizhi. If Prime Minister Li is angry, even if you kill me here today, the Emperor will only blame you a little.
But I am still standing here, Yang Fan, not to offend Prime Minister Li's authority, nor to pretend to be a pleading minister for the people, to resist the powerful officials! I am here to beg you, Prime Minister Li, to turn the tide and take back those tigers and wolves, because in the entire imperial court, only you can do this!
I have to come today, there are three hundred and ten vengeful spirits behind me, urging me to come. If I do not come, the vengeful spirits behind me will quickly increase to thousands, or even tens of thousands! Prime Minister Li, Yang Fan cannot bear the burden of tens of thousands of vengeful spirits, and neither can you! "
Li Zhaode's pupils shrank, and after a moment of silence, his flustered appearance gradually faded. He laughed and sighed, "Yang Langzhong is strong and resolute, and his fiery temperament is just like this old man in the past. Fine, then this old man will make a trip to the palace to see the Emperor. But … don't have too much hope, it is impossible to succeed. "
Yang Fan said, "If Prime Minister Li has this kind of thinking, then it is fine not to enter the palace! Before I met Prime Minister Li, someone advised me not to come, she said that I would not be able to convince Prime Minister Li. And now? Prime Minister Li has agreed to enter the palace. If Prime Minister Li can be as impassioned in front of the Emperor as Yang Fan is in front of Prime Minister Li, who knows if the Emperor will take back his order? Prime Minister Li has long had the idea that this matter cannot be done, how can Yang Fan dare to hope that Prime Minister Li can convince the Emperor? "
Li Zhaode pursed his lips and said in a deep voice, "This old man is the Prime Minister, below only one, above tens of thousands of people. I have the responsibility to support the country, and my body is related to the safety of the world, how can I not be cautious?"
Yang Fan's heart suddenly turned cold. Although he had finally persuaded Li Zhaode to come forward to see the Emperor, Li Zhaode was always calculating his own gains and losses, how could he wholeheartedly plead for those innocent people who were about to die?
After all, he was a bureaucrat who had spent most of his life in the officialdom. He was cold-blooded, rational, and everything he did was based on weighing the gains and losses. This had become his instinct. If Li Zhaode was not firm, how could he convince the Emperor?
Yang Fan heavily spat out a mouthful of turbid air, and said in a low voice, "If that is so, I will have to trouble Prime Minister Li! Just now Yang offended you, but it was because I was worried about the lives and deaths of those people, and in a moment of desperation, I forgot my manners! "
He cupped his fists toward Li Zhaode and said, "If Prime Minister Li can persuade His Majesty to change his mind this time, that would be the best. If not, Yang still has a matter to trouble Prime Minister, I must ask Prime Minister to help me!"
Hearing him say this, Li Zhaode could not help but secretly let out a sigh of relief. He thought, "As long as you don't force me to provoke the Emperor, it's fine." He hurriedly asked, "What is it?"
Yang Fan said, "If it is really difficult to obtain the Sage's approval to pursue the various imperial censors sent by the Imperial Envoy Platform, then Prime Minister, no matter what, please ask the Sage for another imperial edict!"
Li Zhaode's expression tightened. "What imperial edict?" he asked.
Yang Fan said, "The Imperial Envoy Platform's cavalry is out everywhere, unscrupulous. Yunnan, Shu, Guizhou, Sichuan, Guangxi, Min, there are no less than tens of thousands of people. This time, I'm afraid they will all fall into their evil hands! If Prime Minister Li cannot persuade the Emperor to change his mind, then let's go with the flow. Ask the Son of Heaven to send another group of cavalry to patrol the people and investigate the truth of the rebellion! As the saying goes, if you listen to both sides, you will be enlightened. I believe that if Prime Minister Li makes this request, His Majesty will definitely agree! "
Li Zhaode was a little surprised at first, but then he understood Yang Fan's meaning. He could not help but exclaim, "Send another group of cavalry, then it will be you?"
Yang Fan nodded his head heavily. "That's right! Everyone knows that I am the Imperial Envoy Platform's arch-enemy, and the people of the Imperial Envoy Platform are even more clear about it. Is there anyone more suitable than me? Only if I go will they be worried that I will have something to use against them. Only then will they be more vigilant and restrain themselves, not daring to kill without any qualms! "
Li Zhaode said in a deep voice, "You better think about this matter carefully. This matter involves a high-ranking position, no matter who is involved, the Saints will not be lenient. You sympathize with the people. Even if you go under the guise of inspecting the people, you will inevitably find that the people are biased. Those Imperial Envoys are accustomed to fabricating something out of nothing and insinuating insinuations. Once they accuse you of being one of the rebels, you will be in a place of eternal damnation! "
Yang Fan said, "As the saying goes, it is easy to be an official if there is someone in the imperial court. The Imperial Envoy Platform has turned out in full force. There is the Prime Minister in the imperial court. My life and death will be entrusted to the Prime Minister!"
Li Zhaode stared fixedly at him for a long time. His eyebrows gradually rose. In a deep voice he shouted, "Good! Impressive ambition, outstanding heroism, such a young man, the old man is ashamed of his inferiority! Do as you please, as long as the old man is in the imperial court, I will not let a word of greed slander you! "
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