Today, the Chang 'an officials and nobles invited the Supervising Censor Wang Zhu to the banquet.
Every year, the court would send Supervising Censors to visit the various prefectures. They were in charge of many things, such as governing the people, judicial proceedings, corvee labor, education, and so on. They rarely interfered with local government affairs, but they had the right to report everything they saw and heard to the Emperor after returning to the capital.
These special "investigators" were not high-ranking officials, but they had too much power, so the local officials never dared to slight them. This Supervising Censor Wang Zhu not only had the right to investigate the people's affairs on behalf of the Emperor, his elder brother was the Renren of the Phoenix Pavilion and assistant minister of the Ministry of Personnel. With this relationship, the local officials naturally flattered him even more.
This banquet could not be too extravagant, nor could it be bad taste. Chang 'an Magistrate Liu Zitian had put in a lot of effort to make the banquet presentable, and the guests and the host were all happy. When the banquet ended, the feather-sized snow had also stopped. The whole city was wrapped in silver, and it was especially enchanting.
Liu Zitian wanted to arrange for Censor Wang to stay in his mansion. Just as he expressed his intentions, Wang Zhu smiled, "I appreciate Magistrate Liu's good intentions. But before I came, I had already written to Brother Ji about my itinerary. I said that I would stay in his mansion and sleep with him on the same floor, so that we can talk about parting. "
As he spoke, Wang Zhu pulled someone in front of him. Liu Zitian recognized this person as Ji Xu. The Ming Tang Commandant in Chang 'an was the same as the Palace Commandant in the eastern capital, Luoyang. Although they were under the jurisdiction of Chang' an Magistrate and Luoyang Magistrate respectively, their authority and status were more special.
They were county commandants, responsible for law and order. But they were not responsible for ordinary markets, they were responsible for the palace. The Imperial Palace did not only include the Imperial Palace. In the places outside the Imperial Palace, there were the bailiffs, cleaners, coachmen and cooks. Usually, it was inevitable that there would be sneak attacks and fights.
The Ming Tang Commandant in Chang 'an and the Palace Commandant in Luoyang were responsible for law and order within the palace, as well as criminal and civil cases. Now, Lai Junchen was Luoyang's Palace Commandant, and the Chang 'an Palace Commandant was Ji Xu. As Luoyang was the capital, Ji Xu was Lai Junchen's direct subordinate.
Ji Xu was a resolute and taciturn person. In the circle of Chang 'an officials, he was not a very eye-catching character. He rarely attended banquets and social events, so Liu Qietian did not have a deep impression of him. He only remembered that he was a serious person and did not like to smile. He did not expect him to be so familiar with Censor Wang from the capital.
Seeing his surprise, Assistant Wang smiled and explained, "Brother Ji and I have known each other for a long time. We met on the way to the capital for the imperial examinations. We went to the capital together and rented a house to prepare for the examinations. We passed the imperial examinations together and can be considered old friends."
Ji Xu held Liu Qietian's hand. It seemed that because he did not smile often, the muscles on his face were already stiff. His lips moved a little as a greeting.
Liu Qietian suddenly said, "I see. Since Censor Wang and County Commandant Ji are good friends of the same age, then … I will not be the bad guy. Hahaha, but Censor Wang is a guest from afar. As the host, I cannot be a good host. It is only right that I send Censor Wang to the Ji Residence to show my respect."
Assistant Wang thanked him profusely. Although Ji Xu did not laugh or talk much, he knew that it was time to say something. He quickly said a few words and Liu Qietian stopped. He held Censor Wang's hand and sent him out of the restaurant. Only when he and Ji Xu boarded the carriage and left did Liu Qietian bid farewell to all the Chang 'an officials and nobles who attended the banquet. Everyone boarded their respective carriages and returned to their mansions.
Ji Xu was usually quiet in front of unfamiliar people, but he was always cheerful with friends of many years. He always had endless topics to talk about. He was a completely different person from his usual self. The two boarded the carriage and enjoyed the snowy scenery along the way. They talked about their own developments and encounters over the years and arrived at the Ji Residence.
The Ji Residence had a courtyard with three entrances. Although it was not luxurious, it was spacious and solemn. It had the air of an official's family.
After Ji Xu returned to the Ji Residence, he had to ask his family to prepare a few dishes and roast wine in a small red clay stove. He and his friends watched the snow from the window and chatted again. Before they knew it, it was night time. Ji Xu was still in the mood to talk. He asked someone to spread a blanket for two people in the guest room, lit the lamp, and continued to drink and chat.
By now, the two had finished talking about their developments over the years. Assistant Wang was talking about what he had seen and heard along the way. He smiled and said to Ji Xu, "Brother Ji, on the way here, I happened to hear a rumor. It is said that the Luo Province Secretary General Qi Lianyao has the Mandate of Heaven. Qi Lianyao's mansion has the Qi of the King. Hahaha, people even say that Qi Lianyao has two sons. The elder son is called Dajue and the younger son is called Xiaojue, which means two qilins. "
Assistant Wang's tongue was swollen from drinking too much, but his voice was still clear. "They also say that Qi Lianyao's' Yao 'is' Guang Di ', meaning the ruler of the world! Don't you think … that's ridiculous? "
Ji Xu was startled and sobered up a bit. He hurriedly asked, "Did Brother Wang report this to the Son of Heaven?"
"Ah! Utter nonsense! It's nothing but a rumor spread by the common folk! " Assistant Wang waved his sleeves and laughed. "Qi Lianyao is but a small Secretary General of Luo Province. The Mandate of Heaven? The ruler of the world? Laughable! Laughable! How could I believe in such nonsense and use such supernatural things to confuse the eyes and ears of the Son of Heaven! "
Assistant Wang slumped forward on the table as if he had lost the strength to drink. Ji Xu rubbed his hands and said anxiously, "Brother Wang, you're muddle-headed! This isn't a small matter. As the ruler of the world, this is what I fear the most. Since ancient times until now, no matter how wise or heroic the ruler was, all of them would rather believe this sort of news than not believe it. Why did you … "
Assistant Wang slumped over the table, snoring loudly. Ji Xu nudged him and called out, "Good brother, good brother?"
Assistant Wang was already in a deep sleep, completely unconscious. Ji Xu laughed bitterly and stood up. He paced a few steps in the room and finally made up his mind. He raised his voice and called: "Come, help Imperial Censor Wang to his bed to rest!"
Two manservants entered and saw Ji Xu removing his robe from the wall rack. They couldn't help asking, "Ah Lang, aren't you going to rest?"
Ji Xu said, "Help Censor Wang to sleep first. I'm going to the study to take care of some official business!" With that, he pushed the door open and left.
The two manservants struggled to drag Wang Zhu up and carried him to the couch. They took off his boots and covered him with a brocade quilt. Because Ah Lang would come back to rest, the two manservants left a lamp on the table and then went out.
Assistant Wang lay on his side on the bed, snoring loudly. He didn't stop after the two manservants left, but he opened his eyes and glanced at the door with a strange smile.
He had known Ji Xu for a long time and knew his temperament very well. This dear friend had a deep mind and would never take a wrong step in the face of trouble. Wang Zhu had long known that as long as he told him this rumor, Ji Xu would not ignore it.
Wu Chengsi dragged back a mad dog surnamed Lai from Tongzhou, wanting it to bite Li Zhaode and Yang Fan. But this mad dog was no longer powerful. He had to make it the Emperor's watchdog again. Only then would it be qualified to challenge Li Zhaode and Yang Fan. So Wu Chengsi used the most effective method to make the Emperor's aunt value this mad dog again.
He knew what his aunt was most afraid of: rebellion! If he wanted to do something, he could only start with this topic.
But now was different from the past. Ever since the Southern Border barbarians were almost forced to rebel by the cruel officials of the Imperial Censorate in the name of rebellion, the Emperor had already begun to be cautious and vigilant towards the words of rebellion. It was already impossible to casually fabricate a crime of rebellion like before and really set off a turmoil. He needed concrete evidence to prove that there was indeed a rebellion. At least this time, there must be evidence.
So he asked Zhang Zhenren, who had been helping him refine the Rejuvenation Pill, to beguile Ji Provincial Governor Liu Sili, who believed in physiognomy and feng shui. Then, together with the bewitched Liu Sili, they tricked Luo Provincial Military Adjunct Qi Lianyao. Qi Lianyao saw Zhang Zhenren's "godly physiognomy" and Liu Sili, whose position was far above his, treating him with respect and truly treating him as the Son of Heaven. He actually began to believe that he was the Son of Heaven and began to secretly prepare for the Empress' death and chaos!
Now that things had come to this, Wu Chengsi was already prepared. However, he was still worried that there would be some oversight. Once the investigation was carried out, if it was traced back to him, he would lose the right to compete with Wu Sansi for the position of Imperial Heir. That would not be worth it.
Even if the investigation didn't trace back to him, he couldn't bear to lose his limited influence in court. So the informant couldn't be one of his people.
Wang Zhu and Wang Lei were Wu Chengsi's people. The mission Wu Chengsi gave Wang Zhu was to find someone who had no connection to Wu Chengsi's faction and was qualified to report the rebellion. So he left the capital and chose his good friend of the same age, Ji Xu. Ji Xu was far away in Chang 'an. Once this matter broke out, no one would be able to contact the King of Wei in Luoyang.
To Wu Chengsi, this was a rare masterpiece of his life: far-sighted, meticulous planning, and meticulous execution. It could be said to be flawless. However, the situation in the capital was unpredictable. He didn't expect that before the mad dog Lai Junchen was released, Li Zhaode would fall, followed by Yang Fan.
Li Zhaode was demoted to a county officer and exiled to Lingnan. He hadn't gone far from the capital and was still trudging through the snow. Then, he was summoned back by the Emperor's decree. He squatted at the Censorate and became colleagues with the censors he used to order around like dogs. And Yang Fan was sent to the Dragon Gate to look after the Emperor's baths, raise horses, and grow vegetables.
The information was not synchronized, so Wang Zhu, who had just arrived in Chang 'an, was completely unaware of the latest changes in the capital. He did not have the fast and efficient information channels of the Dugu family, and he was still meticulously carrying out the mission that Wu Chengsi had given him. Once this news got out, it would set off a bloody storm in the imperial court.
A bloody storm was about to come again. However, the bloody storm in the court had never stopped since the end of the martial year. Perhaps those officials who pursued power and wealth on the edge of a knife were already used to it …
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