On the fifteenth day of the tenth month, a peddler who had gone out to do business with a shoulder pole passed by the gate of the yamen. He found that many people were gathered under the notice board, pointing and discussing something. He walked closer curiously and saw that there was a notice with yellow edges pasted on the wooden board that was hanging high up.
He heard someone say — —
"Tsk tsk, this is a wanted criminal of the imperial court. The higher-ups say that he has killed several people. Whoever can catch him and send him to the yamen can get a hundred taels of gold!"
The peddler was illiterate. He clicked his tongue and stared at the portrait on the left. It was a man in his forties, with broad eyebrows, long and narrow eyes, and a small mustache on his mouth.
.....
Just as the imperial notice was put up, someone recognized the "wanted criminal of the imperial court" on the portrait. This person happened to be a guest of Ning Wang Fu. Once he found out about this, he went straight to Ning Wang Fu without a word.
Wow, the second chief steward of Prime Minister Xue's fu was actually a wanted criminal by the emperor!
Liu Hao was in the fu at the moment and didn't go anywhere. There was supposed to be a court conference on the fifteenth day of the lunar month, but after the Mid-Autumn Festival, the emperor lifted his confinement order but didn't allow him to return to court. He could only hold it in.
When Liu Hao heard the news, he was stunned for a moment and then laughed. He waved his hand and rewarded the person with a gold ingot. He turned around and went to discuss with his confidants how to handle it.
With Liu Hao's natural political sensitivity, the emperor suddenly issued an imperial notice of a wanted criminal without any warning. It could be seen that the situation was tense. The criminal couldn't have just killed a few people.
There was more to this than meets the eye.
Ning Wang Fu had two advisors with outstanding strategies. They immediately gave Liu Hao a few excellent ideas. One of them was to strike first and gain the upper hand. It suited Liu Hao the best.
The second chief steward of Xue's fu wasn't an ordinary person. There were many people in Anling who knew him, so no one dared to expose him for a while.
This "credit" couldn't be left unclaimed by Ning Wang and his subordinates. He had to find the most suitable person. Who was this person?
King Ning's cousin, Third Young Master of Prime Minister Yin's Residence, Left Vice Commander of the Yulin Guards, Yin Yuanrong.
There were two advantages to letting Yin Yuanrong go. Firstly, Yin Yuanrong was the commander of the Yulin Royal Guards, which was His Majesty's Imperial Guards. He could directly lead his troops to the Xue Residence to capture the person. The greater the commotion, the more disadvantageous it would be for the Xue family.
The Ministry of Justice was full of Xue Lingnan's people. In order to avoid arousing suspicion, the case would definitely be handled by the Supreme Court. The Chancellor of the Supreme Court, Guo Huaian, was a stubborn person. If they wanted to get first-hand information, someone had to be involved. If Yin Yuanrong was the first to arrest the person, he would definitely be able to find a way to interfere.
Third, even though they were cousins, but everyone knew that Yin Yuanrong and Ning Wang Fu did not interact frequently. After the incident, no one would think of Liu Hao.
Therefore, Liu Hao immediately gave the order.
"Quickly go and find out where Yuan Rong is right now. Send an unfamiliar person to take down the imperial notice and find him. We must have him bring people to the Xue Manor to capture him."
Even if Yin Yuanrong did not want to get into trouble, he could not turn a blind eye to someone taking down the imperial notice to sue him. That would be defying the Emperor's order.
.....
Less than two hours after the imperial notice was posted in the busy streets of Anling City, a small group of Yulin Royal Guards arrived at the gate of the Xue Manor. The left deputy commander of the Yulin Royal Guards, Yin Yuanrong, led the way with a straight face. He knocked on the door and entered.
Xue Lingnan had just returned from the palace. Because of what happened in the morning court, he was not in a good mood, so he wandered in the garden to relax.
In order to fight for the right to lead the army to the Wei Kingdom, several generals fought fiercely in the morning court. Today, the faction of the Left Prime Minister expressed their stance and brought up the matter of Lord Dongjing leading the army again. The Emperor looked hesitant, but in fact, he was already impatient.
Xue Lingnan did not comment on whether Lord Dongjing was leading the army or not. He had discussed this matter with Xue Rui in private. Both grandfather and grandson thought that it was not the right time to send troops to attack the Wei Kingdom now.
"Master, Master, something has happened!"
A low shout interrupted Xue Lingnan's thoughts. He turned around with his hands behind his back and saw the old steward, who had always been steady, running towards him from the other side of the flower pond.
"What's the hurry?"
The old steward was old. He stopped to catch his breath and reported, "The Yulin Royal Guards came to arrest someone. They took the imperial notice and said that Xu Li of our manor is a wanted criminal of the imperial court under the Emperor's order. I've calmed him down. You should hurry to the front and have a look."
Xue Lingnan was confused. What wanted criminal of the imperial court? What imperial notice?
The old steward was so anxious that he could not explain clearly. Xue Lingnan could only rush to the front yard with doubts.
Turning around the winding corridor, they could see from afar that there were more than ten imperial guards dressed in black and red armor standing in the corridor in front of the main hall. The person in the lead was wearing a silver soft armor and a cloud crown. He had a youthful face full of vigor. He was actually the third son of the Yin family.
"Minister Xue!" Yin Yuanrong had no choice but to come to Xue Lingnan. His expression was a little sour. He cupped his hands towards Xue Lingnan and performed a simple military salute, calling him minister instead of prime minister.
Of the six ministries, only the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Personnel maintained the position of minister. The other four ministries were headed by the left and right assistant ministers. Yin Yuanrong's grandfather, Yin Tianhou, was the minister of the Ministry of Personnel, while Xue Lingnan was the minister of the Ministry of War.
When Xue Lingnan heard the way he addressed him, he knew that the man had come to deal with official matters. With a solemn expression, he asked, "May I know the reason why Commander Yin has brought people to my manor to arrest someone?"
Yin Yuanrong did not waste words. He waved the imperial notice in his hand and said, "This is the imperial notice that was posted early this morning. Take a look for yourself."
The old steward went forward to receive it. When he stole a glance at the portrait on it, his heart immediately jumped. He stiffly handed it over to Xue Lingnan.
Then, Xue Lingnan saw the portrait on the notice and the wanted poster. His expression abruptly changed, and his hands trembled slightly.
Seeing this, Yin Yuanrong said, "Just now, someone removed the imperial notice to report to me that he knows the person in the portrait."
As he said this, he dragged a timid scholar over and patted his shoulder. The scholar met Xue Lingnan's fierce gaze and stammered, "I … I know the person in the portrait. It's a Chief Steward of this manor with the surname Xu."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yin Yuanrong pulled him to the side and said to Xue Lingnan, "You heard him. Would the Old Minister please call this Head Steward Xu out to see me so that I can verify his authenticity?"
Xue Lingnan held the imperial notice that had been smeared with starch. His emotions fluctuated several times. No one knew what he was thinking at the moment.
"Go find Xu Li," he turned around and ordered.
"Master …" A few drops of cold sweat appeared on the old steward's forehead. He called out as if he was pleading, but did not move.
Xue Lingnan's expression darkened. He ordered, "Go find him!"
Based on this situation, Yin Yuanrong more or less had an idea. This Governor Xu of the Xue Manor most likely had the same face as the criminal in the portrait on the imperial notice.
He scrutinized Xue Lingnan's expression without the slightest hesitation. The imperial notice was vague. It only said that the criminal was a murderer, but it didn't say who he had killed and why the emperor had ordered him to be wanted.
As the Chief Steward of the Prime Minister Manor, he must be Xue Lingnan's confidant. How could Xue Lingnan not be involved in the serious crime he had committed?
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