"Unfortunately, I have to rush back to the palace city today. Younger Brother, speak quickly if you have something to say! "
As Yang Fan spoke, he looked worriedly at the gloomy sky. The curtain of rain was boundless, and the eaves had become a water curtain cave. The servants had used sandbags to block all the courtyard doors, but the water in the courtyard was still very deep.
Cui Lin twisted the hem of his wet robe and smiled. "Younger Brother knows that today is not the right time, but the matter is urgent and I had to come."
Yang Fan looked back at him and asked, "Is it because of the conflict between the Obvious and Hidden Sects?"
Cui Lin sighed after hearing this and said, "It is best that Older Brother knows. We hope that the Obvious and Hidden Sects can unite and cooperate sincerely, and not undermine each other or even go against each other."
Yang Fan obviously knew who the "we" he was talking about was. Yang Fan smiled and said, "Younger Brother and I may not have known each other for long, but we feel like old friends at first sight. There are some things that I do not need to hide and will say to you directly. Isn't the situation today the result of their connivance? Shen Mu has been back for more than a year, do they not know? "
Cui Lin smiled bitterly and said, "Perhaps we have estimated wrongly on this matter. Although the Obvious Sect suffered a great loss last time and lost their foundation in Chang 'an, their strength is still above the Hidden Sect. The elders were worried that the Obvious Sect would be overbearing, but who knew that Shen Mu was also very ambitious and showed weakness everywhere, crying that he was poor. In reality, his strength far exceeded our expectations … "
Yang Fan recalled the strength that Shen Mu had displayed to him when he was in the western regions and faintly felt that the seven sects and five families' evaluation of Shen Mu's strength was still on the low side. The Hidden Sect was gradually developed by Shen Mu with a group of people from the 'Succession Hall'. Although there were disciples that directly belonged to the seven sects and five families, there wouldn't be as many as the Obvious Sect.
Based on Shen Mu's methods, as long as he didn't allow these people to come into contact with the core information, they wouldn't be able to fully grasp how much power the Hidden Sect had. It was probably because Young Master Jiang had underestimated the power that Shen Mu could unleash, which resulted in Chang 'an's crushing defeat and forced them to retreat to Luoyang.
However, Yang Fan did not mention this matter. If he did, although he had no evidence, the Seven Sects and Five Families might not have completely disbelieved him. Even if only one or two of them were to raise their vigilance and investigate Shen Mu's background, it would still cause a certain amount of trouble for Shen Mu. If Shen Mu had to split his attention to deal with the Seven Sects and Five Families, it would be even more difficult for him to deal with Yang Fan.
But from the bottom of his heart, Yang Fan had no intention of revealing it at all. The Hidden Sect might be his strongest enemy, but the seven sects and five families were like a sharp sword hanging above his head. No matter if it was the Obvious Sect or the Hidden Sect, no matter how powerful they were, no matter how much they jumped around, the seven sects and five families were like a high and mighty god that smiled as they jumped around in his palm.
This feeling made Yang Fan feel very uncomfortable. Compared to the seven aristocratic clans that controlled them, he preferred the Hidden Sect more. Even if the Hidden Sect was his enemy, they were at least a visible force that he could touch, and they weren't invincible. However, the seven sects and five families were different.
Yang Fan said to Cui Lin, "Whether or not there was a misjudgment, it is a fact that the Hidden Sect is trying to balance my Obvious Sect. This matter did not only harm me, but also the entire Obvious Sect. "
Cui Lin was silent. Of course, he understood what Yang Fan meant. Although the 'Succession Hall' was created by the Seven Sects and Five Families, and most of the founders were from the Seven Sects and Five Families, it had absorbed many people from other clans over the years. Even the descendants of the seven aristocratic clans now had their own small interest groups. They were naturally dissatisfied that the Seven Sects and Five Families were siding with the Hidden Sect.
However, what needed to be said still had to be said. Cui Lin was silent for a moment and said, "No matter what, we do not wish for you to have another conflict. Especially since you used the power of the officials this time. Since the establishment of the 'Succession Hall,' such a thing has never happened. Once the officials get involved, some things will no longer be up to us. "
Yang Fan slowly walked to the door, which was also piled with sandbags. The muddy rainwater that was above his knees swayed in the courtyard, and there would be rainwater splashing into the hall from time to time. Yang Fan said, "Sometimes, things develop naturally. Just like the water in front of this hall, the more you block it, the higher it will be. I can start this' war 'because I followed the will of the people, and it is impossible for me to stop it!"
Cui Lin frowned and said, "Could it be that Brother Yang wishes for the elders to personally intervene?"
Yang Fan turned his head and smiled. "This matter has already been handled by the officials. Xu Yougong is in Taiyuan, Siyu is in Danzhou, and Hu Yuanli is in Fuzhou. Even if the elders personally intervene, they will not be able to stop the development of the matter. In my opinion, it is best for the elders to stay out of this matter."
Cui Lin's expression darkened. "Once the officials get involved, the consequences will be unthinkable. This … you should have thought of this long ago."
Yang Fan said, "If it wasn't for the connivance of the elders, this matter would not have happened in the first place. Right now, I can only do my best to minimize the losses. There is nothing else I can do."
Cui Lin said, "If you insist on doing things your own way, we will withdraw the disciples of the main branch of the aristocratic families. Otherwise, once the situation goes out of control, even if the aristocratic families do not get involved, these elite disciples will suffer heavy losses."
No matter if it was the Obvious Clan or the Hidden Clan, there were some of these aristocratic families' disciples, and the Obvious Clan had the most. Young Master Jiang was from an aristocratic family, and he had always been proud. Naturally, the people who were important to him were mostly from aristocratic families. At this critical juncture, if the aristocratic families exerted their influence and withdrew these disciples who held important positions, it would obviously affect both the Obvious and Hidden Clans, especially the Obvious Clan.
However, Yang Fan did not panic at all. He smiled and said, "That's fine! I don't want anything to happen to them. After the dust settles, it won't be too late for them to return. "
Cui Lin's brow furrowed and he said, "Brother Yang still doesn't seem to understand what I'm saying. If these disciples withdraw, the support that the seven aristocratic families have for you …"
Yang Fan slowly turned around and looked outside the hall. He replied indifferently, "No matter what, we have to decide who is the winner first!"
"Crack crack …"
A bolt of purple lightning suddenly lit up the hall, and then a clap of thunder shook the window frames and made them tremble. When the lightning lit up, Yang Fan, who was standing with his hands behind his back, seemed to be plated with a layer of gold. Cui Lin looked at his proud and unmoving figure and sighed in his heart.
His grandfather and the elders of the aristocratic families had indulged Shen Mu in hopes of achieving a balance in the Succession Hall. In the end, it caused the Succession Hall, which had a huge amount of wealth and resources, to have internal strife again and again after the division. The internal friction was shocking, and those who played with fire would burn themselves.
Now, he only hoped that the Obvious and Hidden Clans would not follow in the footsteps of those elders. If the situation went out of control and the imperial court took the initiative, it would be a nightmare for the Obvious Clan, the Hidden Clan, and the seven clans and five families behind them.
…
"Dong ~, dong ~"
The melodious sound of a bell echoed in the sky above the ancient city. This was the sound of the Baoshi Temple's bell.
The Baoshi Temple of the Feng Province was built before the Sui Dynasty. In the third year of Zhenguan, some kind men and women donated money to cast a bronze bell. It was cast with flying heavens, chain flowers, vermillion birds, green dragons, and there were also inscriptions in the sun. It became the treasure of the Baoshi Temple. When the bronze bell rang, the sound could be heard for dozens of miles. It was like a scene in the Feng Province.
Hu Yuanli stopped all activities when he arrived in the Feng Province. At the same time, like the imperial censors, he wanted to investigate the Feng Province first by going incognito.
This was not because Hu Yuanli and Shi Yu had a telepathic connection. It was because the imperial censors and imperial censors were born to play the role of opposing other officials. Every time they went to a place, even if it was not to investigate the local officials, the local officials would be on high alert.
This kind of situation was too common. Therefore, when the imperial censors went to investigate a case, almost without exception, they would choose to go incognito first. Although the information they obtained from the side could be considered hearsay and could not be used as conclusive evidence, it was still more objective than just listening to the local officials' reports and explanations. This could be considered as a way of listening to both sides.
Hu Yuanli disguised himself as a merchant and quietly moved into the Baoshi Temple. He donated a sum of money for sesame oil, and the group settled down. Hu Yuanli happily took a bath and got rid of the dust from the journey. He changed into a light robe and came out. The table was already set up. There were a few light dishes, a bowl of rice porridge, and a plate of local specialties.
Hu Yuanli sat down and was about to eat when he heard a 'thud' sound. A flying knife with a red tassel hit the table. Hu Yuanli was so shocked that he fell on his back and shouted, "Guards!"
Two officials guarding the door rushed in with knives in hand. When they saw the situation in the room, they panicked. They quickly helped Hu Yuanli up and pulled out their knives to search the room. Inside the room, outside the room, on the beams and behind the windows, there was no one else.
Hu Yuanli calmed down and saw that there was a letter stuck under the flying knife. His heart skipped a beat. He quickly pulled out the flying knife and took down the letter. He opened it and read it carefully. He could not help but be shocked, "According to the folklore, the wanderers of Jianghu can come and go freely. Their supernatural powers are brilliant.
Is there really such a thing? "The messenger did not leave his name. In the letter, he only said that the officials of Peng Prefecture were colluding with each other and that there were corrupt officials everywhere. He knew that Imperial Censor Hu was ordered by the Emperor to investigate the case of the officials of Peng Prefecture being corrupt. Therefore, he acted in a righteous manner to investigate the matter of the officials of Peng Prefecture embezzling public grain.
The letter not only pointed out which granary had a problem, he only needed to investigate and he would be able to obtain the evidence. From there, he could conduct a thorough investigation of all the granaries. He also offered him a plan. He said that the officials of Peng Prefecture were corrupt and despicable. He was afraid that the officials of Peng Prefecture were their eyes and ears. If the Imperial Censor wanted to find out the truth, he could not give them time to hide the evidence. He should immediately contact the newly appointed Provincial Governor Pei and quickly obtain the evidence.
This was what surprised Hu Yuanli. These Jianghu people had the ability to leap onto roofs and vault over walls. It was not strange for them to find out the truth about the granaries. But this wanderer not only knew his identity and knew that he had come to Peng Prefecture, he also knew about the background of the newly appointed Provincial Governor Pei.
It could be said that he was brave and resourceful. It was a pity that such a highly skilled person came and went like a divine dragon, one could only see his head but not his tail. Otherwise, if he could subdue this person and work for the imperial court, wouldn't he have a capable right-hand man? However, on second thought, this kind of person used his martial arts to violate the prohibition, plus his temperament was like a leisurely cloud or a leisurely crane; perhaps he would not be bound by the rules of the officialdom.
Holding the letter in his hand, Hu Yuanli thought, "Is the content of this letter true or false? If it is false, I will have nothing to show, unavoidably people will laugh at me. But if there is really something fishy about the Peng Prefecture case, why would those corrupt officials use this kind of trick just to give me some ridicule? Isn't it too senseless? "
Hu Yuanli was silent for half a day. Finally he made up his mind. Without eating, he slapped the table and stood up. He shouted at the Imperial Bodyguards, who had rushed over upon hearing the news. By now they had surrounded his residence so tightly that not even a drop of water could trickle through. "Quickly change your official clothes," he said, "We are going to the Provincial Governor's Mansion!"
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