In the Ministry of Revenue's office, Qiu Lingzhi and a few confidants had just finished discussing the last few charges against the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate.
He was the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue and had no direct conflict with the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate. But since he was on the Wu family's side, he had to plan for the Wu family. The Ministry of Justice and the Censorate were obviously not on the same side as the Wu family. If he could take this opportunity to bring them down, then the Wu family would no longer have anyone to cause trouble in Chang 'an. They could then smoothly lay out their plans and subdue all the other forces.
The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works were in charge of grain and transportation, and the Ministry of Justice and the Imperial Censorate had chosen to start with the Baishang Plain Fishermen. This gave Assistant Minister Qiu an opportunity to take advantage of. The blackmail was written in a thick book. Qiu Lingzhi patted the material he was preparing to send to Luoyang and revealed a proud sneer.
"Tonight, I will write a memorial to the imperial court with this evidence attached to it!"
Just as Qiu Lingzhi finished speaking, Zheng Zhongbo walked in from outside. Zheng Zhongbo was thin and withered. His face was full of wrinkles and his eyebrows were inverted. He always had a worried look. Qiu Lingzhi glanced at him and asked disapprovingly, "What's the matter?"
Zheng Zhongbo frowned and said, "Assistant minister, Yang Fan was assassinated."
Qiu Lingzhi was stunned at first and then reacted. He jumped up and said loudly, "What did you say? What happened to Yang Fan?"
Zheng Zhongbo frowned and said, "Yang Fan was escorting the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate to the Thousand Cavalry Camp and was assassinated on Zhuque Avenue. The assassin's target was Chen Dong and Hu Yuanli. In the end, Yang Fan was protecting them and was shot in the chest. No one knows if he is dead or alive."
"Bada!"
The blackmail material that Qiu Lingzhi had painstakingly concocted with the help of his advisors for several days smashed heavily on his feet. Qiu Lingzhi slumped back into his chair, his eyes staring blankly as he said, "How did I get assassinated? Who did this? Who did this? "
The thick pile of materials at his feet was the result of his hard work, but he was too lazy to pick them up. The assassination of Yang Fan meant that all the materials he had concocted were meaningless. Not to mention the fact that there were many groundless accusations, taken out of context, and distorted facts, even if all the things listed above were true, it would still be meaningless.
There was nothing more serious than the assassination of a high-ranking member of the imperial court. It involved the law, involved politics, involved the reputation and authority of the imperial court. It was not something that could be provoked. Even if everything he accused of Yang Fan was true, even if the Baishang Cao Fu really was not guilty of any wrongdoing and was persecuted and suppressed by the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate, this public assassination case that happened on Vermilion Bird Avenue had already turned all of their grievances into the river.
Even if the Emperor delayed or did not move the capital, he would not accommodate the matter of an imperial envoy being publicly assassinated. If this matter was not dealt with, there would be nothing left of the court's dignity. From then on, imperial power would face countless challenges. The fact that he was assassinated was the most powerful weapon of the Ministry of Justice and the Imperial Censorate. It could defeat the countless crimes he had carefully prepared!
…
"Bastard! Stupid! Impossibly stupid! Who did this? Who did this? "
From the depths of the Chang 'an government came a roar that shocked the entire government. The veins on Liu Qiantian's forehead bulged like earthworms. He was so angry that his whole body was shaking.
All the counterattack strategies he had carefully prepared were useless. From now on, the only thing he needed to do was to prove to the Emperor that under his rule, there were not so many lawless madmen in Chang 'an. He needed to catch the murderer and prove that he was not someone who did not do anything. He needed to …
He might have to do a lot of things, wipe his own butt, wipe other people's butt, but he could not attack Yang Fan. If he did this kind of thing now, he would be sending himself to the Emperor's blazing anger and burned to ashes.
He hated Chen Dong and Hu Yuanli for not understanding the situation. He wanted to completely knock them down so that they would never be able to rise again. He wanted to prove to all those who tried to challenge his authority that his fangs were not dull. But all the means must be within the rules of the officialdom.
Using violent means to challenge the authority of the imperial court and the imperial power was the stupidest thing to do. He was confident that he could completely destroy Chen Dong and Hu Yuanli, the two dragons crossing the river. He had integrated the forces of the aristocratic families, officials, and nobles in Chang 'an, and was ready to complete the task in one battle. Unexpectedly, a pig-like teammate popped up at this time and did such a thing that hurt his friends and pleased his enemies.
If in the officialdom, using violent means to get rid of opponents could solve all problems, then everyone could just raise a group of assassins to kill each other. Why would they need to figure out the ways of flattery, flattery, and flattery? Why would they need to practice the Heart Sutras of being ruthless, accurate, steady, and patient? Why would they need to talk about weighing the pros and cons? Why would they need to keep a low profile?
Ruined!
Everything was f * cking ruined!
All the plans were ruined by this idiot who assassinated the imperial envoy!
Especially … the assassin was using a military crossbow!
Thinking of this, Liu Qiantian felt a chill in his heart. He could completely imagine how the emperor would react when he heard this news.
Liu Qiantian paced around the detention room like a trapped beast. He gritted his teeth and gave an order with a sinister smile, "Investigate immediately! Find the murderer even if you have to dig three feet into the ground! "
Commander-in-Chief Dai, Judge Xing, and Constable Wu wiped their cold sweat and retreated. Liu Qiantian opened the drawer, took out the written memorial and threw it into the brazier. Watching it burn to ashes, he secretly rejoiced that he did not have time to send it to Dong Du.
A moment later, Liu Qietian arrived at the Thousand Horsemen Camp, dressed in his official robes. He paid a visit to General Yang, who was on the verge of death. This sly old fox had a keen sense of smell. When the news of Yang Fan's assassination came, he decisively switched sides and stood on the side of the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate.
Everyone sweeps the snow in front of their own door, who cares about the frost on other people's roofs!
Those aristocratic families, nobles, and nobles were all blown away by him like he was blowing snot.
…
"The King of Hanoi and the Great General of the Jin Wu Guards have arrived ~ ~ ~"
Before the echoes of the announcement died down, Wu Yizong rushed in like a spark. A pair of military boots clanked against the green brick floor. He was wearing a military uniform with three layers of soft armor underneath. His originally short and thin body seemed much stronger because of this.
Xu Liang led a group of generals out to welcome him. Wu Yizong did not stop and asked with a gloomy face, "Where is Yang Fan? How is he now?"
Xu Liang said with a heavy expression, "The military doctor has just finished bandaging the general's wounds. The general is currently unconscious and his life is in danger."
Wu Yizong did not stop when he asked the question. After Xu Liang finished speaking, Wu Yizong said, "Quickly take me to see him!" As he spoke, he was already in front of the commander's tent.
The door opened and a soldier came out with a basin of water. Seeing that the newcomer was a great general, he quickly moved to the side.
Wu Yizong glanced at him and saw that the basin of water was already red. It was clearly half a basin of blood. He stepped into the commander's tent and went straight to the small tent at the back. In front was the guest hall. Although Wu Yizong had been there before, he knew the layout of the room. Without stopping, he turned and went around the screen.
On the ground behind the screen, there were balls of soft cloth, all of which had been stained with blood. Many people in the room were busy, but they were moving quietly. Their expressions were heavy and they did not say a word. The atmosphere was very oppressive.
Wu Yizong's military uniform was the best proof of his identity. Regardless of whether the people in the room recognized him or not, when they saw this commander's uniform, they hurriedly saluted and gave way. Wu Yizong strode like a shooting star until he reached the bed. Focusing his eyes on Yang Fan lying there, he could not help but suck in a cold breath.
If he still suspected that Yang Fan was faking it on the way here, at this moment, all his doubts vanished. As long as one wasn't blind, they could see that Yang Fan only had half a life left at most. Yang Fan's injuries were real. Even his coma was real. There was not a single flaw to be found.
Seeing Yang Fan's appearance, Wu Yizong was so angry that he wanted to curse!
He and Yang Fan had a grudge. Even the emperor knew about this. The two of them had come to Chang 'an together and there was a competition of interests. Now, Yang Fan had been assassinated. Moreover, the assassin had used a crossbow. He was the biggest suspect. This time, he would not be able to clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River.
Xu Liang, Huang Xuchang, Chu Kuangge, and the others followed in and stood on the left and right. They did not lack any of the necessary etiquette, but the way they looked at him was a little …
Wu Yizong could not explain it clearly, but he understood what that look meant. It was the look of looking at the murderer! Now he was yellow mud on his crotch. Even if he was not shit, he was shit.
…
The open and secret struggles in Chang 'an would eventually be reflected in the imperial court. That was because the key to victory or defeat would be there. It was in the center of the imperial court.
The Lantern Festival had just passed, and the officials opened the yamen to take care of official business. After a long holiday, people were still lazy. There was not much official business in the yamen. Even the emperor did not receive many memorials. However, within a few days, all kinds of memorials from the six ministries of the imperial court, the three departments of justice, and the Chang 'an region flooded the front of the emperor.
The memorials described different matters, and the officials who were impeaching them were also different. However, the many memorials that suddenly appeared all had one thing in common: Chang 'an. All the memorials, no matter the topic, were related to Chang 'an.
Some of these memorials were the result of the open and secret struggle between Wu Yizong's faction and Yang Fan's faction. Some were the result of the struggle between Chen Dong and Hu Yuanli and the Chang 'an gentry and the aristocratic families whose interests had been harmed. In addition, there was no lack of obvious and hidden sects adding fuel to the fire.
When Chen Dong and Hu Yuanli refused to attend the Lotus Banquet, the struggle between the two sides entered a white-hot stage. Shen Mu, who had been staying in Luoyang under the guise of rescuing the officials involved in the corruption case in Yanzhou, made a timely move. He suggested to the emperor that moving the capital was not a good time and should be postponed.
Officials paid attention to figuring out the intentions of their superiors. Figuring out the intentions of their superiors was to achieve their own goals. However, figuring out the intentions of their superiors did not necessarily mean that they had to cater to their superiors. Sometimes, doing the opposite would lead to unexpected results. The ingenuity of this so-called application depended on one's heart.
Wu Zetian had always been a dictatorial person. When she made a decision, anyone who dared to go against her decision would be touching her reverse scale. If someone suggested that they stop moving the capital, it was easy to imagine what kind of effect that would have on Wu Zetian.
The group of boatmen on Ba influenced some of the middle and lower class officials in Chang 'an, the Directorate of Studies, and some scholars in the Imperial College who had no hope of entering officialdom. These middle and lower class officials and scholars influenced the high-ranking officials, aristocratic families, and nobles in the capital.
These high-ranking officials, aristocratic families, and nobles in the capital could also influence the influential officials in the imperial court who could establish their own offices and establish their own government. The small Jianghu on Ba had finally affected many of the important figures in the imperial court. Each faction had their own objectives and joined the fray.
At this time, the news that an official from the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate had been assassinated, but the assassin had accidentally hit the secondary carriage, seriously injuring Yang Fan. Moreover, the weapon used by the assassin was a military crossbow. The noisy officialdom in Luoyang suddenly became stagnant and silent.
In the officialdom, assassinations had been used to achieve their goals since ancient times. However, those who did this were extremely stupid. If the basic rules of the officialdom were broken, no official could guarantee that the next person to be treated the same way would not be him. Therefore, doing this was equivalent to becoming the public enemy of the officialdom.
When the news that Yang Fan had been assassinated spread, the attacks on the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate in the imperial court immediately disappeared without a trace. Two huge waves continuously collided and offset each other's tremendous power that could destroy heaven and earth. If one of the huge waves suddenly disappeared without a trace, what would happen to the other? It would topple mountains and overturn seas, unstoppable!
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