Ever since Yang Fan was taken to the Longqing Pool by Liu Qian Tian to recuperate, the usually deserted island became lively. Almost every day, there would be people visiting the island.
The Longqing Pool was a lake in the city, and there was an island on the lake. On the island, there was a stretch of water, lush flowers and trees, and the environment was quiet. It was indeed a blessed place for cultivating one's mind.
At this moment, Yang Fan was sitting by the side of the pool, holding a purple bamboo fishing rod in his hand. He was leisurely fishing. The surface of the water was sparkling, and the fishing bobber was bobbing up and down. There was a kind of lazy atmosphere, and the warm spring breeze was intoxicating.
When Zheng Yu saw Yang Fan, Yang Fan was sitting on an intricately made wheelchair. The fishing rod was inserted in the gap of the armrest, and the wheelchair stopped under a weeping willow. Yang Fan was lying on the wheelchair, sleeping leisurely. The curling branches turned into thousands of soft yellow and green flowers, gently fluttering on his shoulders, looking quite otherworldly.
The green willow hung down, and under the willow was a quaint stone platform. There were three cups of tea on the stone platform, giving off a curling fragrance.
Yang Fan, Shen Mu, and Zheng Yu sat in a triangular formation around the stone platform in the wheelchair, like three legs of a tripod.
Shen Mu picked up a cup of golden and glossy tea, brought it under his nose, and smelled it. He smiled and said, "Erlang likes to drink tea now. Hmm … it's still this original tea that makes people reminisce."
Yang Fan said with a smile: "This drinking method, this little brother learned it from Brother Shen. Originally, this Yang had always kept a respectful distance from tea. Only after learning Brother Shen's tea tasting method did I realize the taste of this tea."
Shen Mu laughed and said to Zheng Yu, "Brother Zheng, please have a taste. The tea that you usually drink has too many condiments, and it has covered up the original taste of the tea. In my opinion, tea should be tasted this way. The mouth will salivate, and the aftertaste will be sweet. "
Zheng Yu picked up the teacup, and perfunctorily took a sip. After carefully touching it, it really had a different taste. It was just that Zheng Yu did not know the taste of food, let alone tea. But as soon as Shen Mu arrived, he started gossiping with Yang Fan. Following that, the two of them started talking about the Way of Tea. Zheng Yu could only patiently sit at the side and listen to their idle chatter.
The current situation was similar to the time when Yang Fan and Shen Mu Luoyang met. The difference was that the third party was replaced by Zheng Yu this time.
After chatting for a while, Shen Mu's expression turned serious and he said with concern, "I heard about the assassination attempt on Erlang on my way back from Luoyang. Fortunately, Erlang is blessed by the heavens and was able to escape this calamity. Erlang, it's not that I want to scold you, but your current status is very different from the past. A commander and a general have their own duties. You shouldn't do everything yourself. "
Yang Fan lightly said, "This time, I did not take the risk. I led hundreds of armored soldiers to welcome the Censorate and Ministry of Justice officials to the Thousand Cavalry Camp. Who would have thought that someone would use a crossbow and openly assassinate me on Vermilion Bird Avenue? How do you expect me to guard against such a dangerous situation? Do you expect me to stay at home from now on and not go anywhere? "
Zheng Yu said uneasily, "Erlang, I was about to tell you about this matter. After Erlang was assassinated on Chang 'an Street, all the officials in Chang' an were shocked. Such a lawless act has never happened in Chang 'an before … "
Yang Fan looked up to the sky and laughed. He said with grief and indignation, "According to what you said, it was my arrival in Chang 'an that caused the anger of the people and forced them to take the risk?"
Zheng Yu hurriedly said, "No, no, no. Erlang, don't be angry. Please listen to my explanation. Because such a thing has never happened in Chang 'an, all the officials in Chang' an were shocked. After I heard the news, I immediately arranged for people to start investigating, hoping to find the real culprit."
Yang Fan stared at him and said, "Then have you found the real culprit?"
Zheng Yu paused and said awkwardly, "There are no clues so far …"
Yang Fan smiled. Zheng Yu frowned and said, "I have indeed used a large number of people to investigate this matter, but the whereabouts of those people with crossbows are too mysterious. They appeared in Vermilion Bird Avenue and then disappeared completely. It is really strange. I suspect that they are people from Wu Yizong. "
Yang Fan shook his head and said, "It can't be people from Wu Yizong!"
Zheng Yu's gaze froze and he hurriedly asked, "Erlang, how can you be so sure?"
Yang Fan slowly said, "Because Wu Yizong has always been my opponent! I have always been on guard against him. If he was the one who did it, I would not have been so unaware and could not find the slightest trace afterwards. "
Zheng Yu's brows furrowed even tighter and he said in a low voice, "But I can also be sure that this batch of crossbows and the people using them are not from some aristocratic family in Shandong, nor are they from any Chang 'an official or noble!"
Yang Fan leaned forward slightly and said coldly, "Are you sure?"
Zheng Yu nodded without hesitation and said, "I am sure!"
Yang Fan said coldly, "What if your investigation is wrong?"
Zheng Yu raised his brows and said, "If the culprit is really from some aristocratic family or a noble in Chang 'an, once Erlang finds the evidence, we will not interfere in the slightest!"
"A gentleman's word?"
"A whip on a fast horse!"
"Alright, alright!"
Shen Mu came out to smooth things over and said, "The two of you should not argue over this. The culprit who tried to assassinate Erlang cannot be let off. Since I have returned, I will also use my people to investigate this matter and seek justice for Erlang. However, the most important thing now is how to solve the current situation in Chang 'an. "
Shen Mu's expression turned serious and he said in a low voice, "The current situation in Chang 'an is very serious. The disturbance on Ba affected the transportation and attracted the attention of the Empress. Your assassination made the Empress furious. The Empress is about to move the capital, and she has been away from Chang 'an for more than 20 years. She does not understand the current situation in Chang' an and only relies on the reports from the local authorities.
What would this empress think when she heard all these pieces of news? Has the Chang 'an officialdom become rotten? Has Chang 'an become a place where bandits run amok? How could a lawless person despise the law and imperial power to such an extent? When the Emperor is angry, he will not be afraid of blood flowing. Our Empress is especially not afraid of killing!
Although the Emperor's intention is to reorganize Guanzhong and not to target the aristocratic families, the interests of the aristocratic families and the Chang 'an officialdom are one. Once the Emperor makes up his mind to clean up Guanzhong, the painstaking efforts of the aristocratic families in Guanzhong will be ruined. The consequences will be unimaginable.
The Obvious and Hidden Sects were born from the aristocratic families and are attached to them. They share the same roots and many interests are inseparable from the aristocratic families. In the current situation, whether it is for the aristocratic families or our two sects, we should put aside all prejudices and join hands to stop this disaster. "
Shen Mu spoke with sincerity and Zheng Yu nodded repeatedly.
Yang Fan disapproved and said, "This is the reason why the two of you came to visit today, right? But how do you want me to stop it? I am recuperating and can only sit in a wheelchair for the next three to five months. What can I do about the military and state affairs? "
Zheng Yu said cheerfully, "It is enough as long as Erlang has this thought. My plan is like this. Brother Shen will secretly contact the local officials in Chang 'an. With wine, women, wealth, and temper, we will win over the new imperial envoy Zhang Changzong. At the same time, we will mobilize all forces in the court to urge the Emperor to change his mind.
Erlang has connections with the three most powerful forces in the court, the Wu Family, the Li Family, and the Zhang Family. I ask Erlang to come out and exert influence on them. I believe that as long as Erlang is willing to mediate, no matter if it is the situation in the court or this imperial envoy Zhang, their attitudes will change greatly. "
Yang Fan gave a noncommittal "oh." Seeing that he had no enthusiasm, Zheng Yu looked at Shen Mu for help.
Shen Mu coughed and said, "Ever since Lu Binmi left Chang 'an, the two most important trade routes in Chang' an are under the control of my Hidden Sect. How about this, the trade routes from the West Region and the Central Plains will use Chang 'an as the boundary. The trade routes from the West Region will stop at Chang' an and belong to my Hidden Sect. Further east, all the benefits will be enjoyed by your Obvious Sect.
The trade routes from the Central Plains will be the same. The trade routes from the Central Plains to Chang 'an will be enjoyed by your Obvious Sect. The trade routes from Chang 'an to the west will be enjoyed by my Hidden Sect. Chang 'an City will be shared between our two sects. As for the benefits that our two sects should share with the aristocratic families, we will each take fifty percent. What do you think? "
Yang Fan clapped and said with a smile, "Brother Shen is truly scheming. Right now, this little brother is the chief minister of the water transport and uses the water transport to drive the trade routes. The eastern trade route is originally in this little brother's pocket. You have to hand it over even if you don't want to. Now that Brother Shen has generously given it to this little brother, this little brother will owe you a favor."
Shen Mu's face reddened, and he muttered to himself before gritting his teeth and saying, "Then how about this. The workshops in Chang 'an were originally controlled by my Hidden Sect. Out of the various workshops in Chang' an, we directly or indirectly control at least seventy percent. I will take out half and give it to your Obvious Sect. How about this?"
Yang Fan glanced at him and said, "Brother Shen dislikes the high labor costs in Chang 'an and is currently building all sorts of workshops in Mei Yuan, Feng Zhou, Qi Zhou, and Long Zhou. Do you think that this little brother doesn't know about this?"
Shen Mu flew into a rage out of humiliation and said, "Erlang, the salt and wine industries are both extremely profitable. Isn't it enough that these two industries are under the control of your Obvious Sect? Are you going to ask my Hidden Sect to hand over all the benefits to you? "
Zheng Yu smiled bitterly and said, "Both of you, once the boat capsizes, everyone will be finished together. Now that everyone is in the same boat, we should help each other and not undermine each other! "
Yang Fan said, "Brother Zheng's words aren't right. Everyone naturally has the same benefits to the outside world, but when it comes to the various clans, don't you all have your own plans? Brother Zheng is from the Xingyang Zheng Clan. If the Xingyang Zheng Clan and the Longxi Li Clan have a conflict of interest, which side will you stand on? If you blindly make peace and give in too much, will the Zheng Clan agree? "
Shen Mu sighed and said, "Isn't this Shen the same? If you ask me to give in too much, Shen Mu won't be able to answer to my brothers!"
Zheng Yu gritted his teeth and said, "Forget it! I also understand your difficulties. How about this, in order to give an explanation to your subordinates, I promise you on behalf of the aristocratic families that every three years, we will provide seven places for the Directorate to the Obvious and Hidden Schools. Among them, we will ensure that three of them will enter the Imperial College and one of them will enter the Imperial College. Is this okay? "
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