June 17th,
On the almanac, it was a day when everything was appropriate,
But it felt particularly long. The rain fell and stopped,
It stopped and fell,
The gloomy and wet sky made people's hearts gloomy.
Due to the weather,
The study of the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace was lit early.
Li Jiancheng put down the booklet in his hand that he couldn't read for a long time and buried his face in his hand, rubbing it hard.
Pei Ji's death was undoubtedly the biggest blow to him.
In front of Li Yuan, there was one less person with the most weight to speak for him; in the imperial court,
The biggest way to arrange for people to enter; in the battle with Li Shimin, there was one less person to give him advice … and there was no Pei Ji.
Would those who supported him because of Pei Ji still stand firmly on his side?
For a little Lin Ruo, he had already filled in a third-rank Dali Temple official.
Now that Pei Ji was gone, such a loss was no less than having an arm broken.
Lin Ruo, Lin Ruo!
How dare he? How dare he do such a rebellious thing,
He actually used a Duke to sacrifice his errand boy! Where did he get the guts to do that?
Where did he get such great … ability?
Li Jiancheng closed his eyes,
There was a bitter smile on his face,
In front of people, he acted as if nothing had happened, but how could he not regret it? The young man who was like a banished immortal might be a little unruly, but he was indeed his man at the beginning, and he also had the capital to be arrogant. Since he could kill Pei Ji in front of everyone, he could naturally kill Du Ruhui, kill Fang Xuanling, and even kill the person he was most afraid of … but such a person, because of his time and time again, stood on the opposite side of him.
He originally thought that the man was unscathed, and only a errand boy was dead. They still had time to repair the relationship. As the Crown Prince, if he took the initiative to show goodwill and express that he had abandoned the former hatred, who would not be flattered? But Pei Ji died when the thought was just a thought. Who would have thought that this young man was so fierce that he would do such a thing for an errand boy?
If this young man really wholeheartedly helped that person, if the same kind of situation were to happen to him one day … he didn't dare to think about it.
He admitted that he was a little scared. Dying in such a way was not only painful, but also humiliating. It was a humiliation that his descendants would not be able to raise their heads for generations to come!
Li Jiancheng shook his head, pushing the youth's shadow out of his mind. However, he thought of Lin Ruo again. That Lin Boyuan whom he thought was mediocre, but who spoke with fervor and assurance in the main hall. He blocked Duke Zheng's mouth and made those who had been kneeling in Taiji Palace for half a day no longer have a reason to continue kneeling. He made Dou Chengji unable to justify himself and no longer dared to insist on imprisoning Lin Ruo. He easily aroused Li Yuan's guilt and dissatisfaction towards Pei Ji, so much so that he openly protected Lin Ruo.
This kind of courage and insight, this kind of talent, how far was the difference between mediocre and mediocre? But this person was also forcefully pushed away by him.
He looked at his white and slender hands, as if he could clearly feel something being lost. A strong sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart …
"Lord Wei, you can't enter. His Highness has instructed …"
Li Jiancheng suddenly came back to his senses and raised his voice, "Is it Wei Zheng?"
"Yes." Wei Zheng's voice sounded outside the door, with a rare hint of anxiety. "I have an urgent matter to report."
"Come in and talk."
Wei Zheng entered the door, not even bothering to salute. He directly said, "Does Your Highness know that at the docks just now, all of Lord Pei's things were robbed?"
Li Jiancheng was stunned. "What?"
It wasn't that he didn't understand Wei Zheng's words, but he didn't understand. Why would Pei Ji's things be robbed for no reason? Who would have such guts? Moreover, it was just property, why would Wei Zheng be so anxious? And why would he come looking for him at such a time?
Wei Zheng sighed helplessly. His tone calmed down and he said, "Because Lord Pei's death was too sudden, the Pei family was in a mess. Not only did they have to track down the murderer, but they also had to deal with the Ministry of Justice's questioning. They also had to prepare for the funeral, report the death of the deceased, buy mourning clothes, and so on. They were so flustered that they didn't care about the things that had already been loaded onto the ship. They only sent a dozen family members to guard the ship, thinking that no one would dare to touch their things.
"But when it was close to dusk, the Pei family's ship suddenly began to leak and was about to sink. Most of the Pei family's belongings were on the ship, and the family members were terrified. They hurriedly cried for help and promised a large sum of money to get people to help move the ship.
"But at that time, the manager and many coolies at the docks were taken to the Ministry of Justice for questioning. Among the people they found, more than half of them were local hoodlums. Not long after those hoodlums got on the ship, the ship caught fire, whether it was intentional or not. They said that they accidentally knocked over an oil lamp when they went into the warehouse to move things.
"The fire grew bigger and bigger, and there was thick smoke everywhere. Seeing that the ship was about to sink, the situation became extremely chaotic. Those hoodlums were not clean to begin with. They only dared to carefully hide some things, but when they saw the situation, they simply swaggered around and took everything. Money moves people's hearts, and Lord Pei's family was not ordinary. Seeing those hoodlums stuffing gold and jade into their arms, those who really came to help couldn't help but be greedy. They thought that since the ship was going to sink anyway, who knew if they took the things or if they sank to the bottom of the water? So they also began to snatch things. Later on, the situation became more and more intense. Most of the people at the docks rushed over to snatch things. Even the boxes that had already been moved off the ship were smashed open and snatched … In the end, the ship didn't really sink, and the fire was extinguished, but everything was taken away. "
Li Jiancheng frowned. "These people are really daring! But don't worry, Imperial Father will not tolerate them. They're just a bunch of hoodlums. As long as we send more people, we won't be afraid that we won't be able to catch them and get the things back! "
Wei Zheng smiled bitterly. "Your Highness, I'm not worried about missing things, I'm worried that … there are too many things!"
"Too many …" Li Jiancheng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly quivered. "You're saying … Pei Ji wouldn't be so unwise, right?"
Wei Zheng sighed. "If he didn't bring those things on board, would he have left them in the capital? Lord Pei still has the heart to make a comeback. These things are the foundation for his comeback, so they can't be easily destroyed. The most likely possibility is that he brought them back to his hometown … Moreover, even if these things weren't originally on the ship, they might have been found in the end. "
Li Jiancheng's face paled, and he finally understood. He hurriedly stood up and turned around twice, then shouted to the outside, "Quickly, quickly get Wei Ting to come see me! Immediately, immediately! "
In the officialdom, there had always been a saying that officials would protect each other. If you help me deal with a small problem, I'll help you get a good position. This was a common occurrence. Pei Ji was the Prime Minister, and he had countless people under his command. Naturally, this kind of thing was even more common. Pei Ji wasn't an honest official, so it was inevitable that he would be involved in some unspeakable matters. In order to avoid being betrayed by his subordinates, Pei Ji naturally had a lot of things that were similar to proof of loyalty, such as letters and so on. In fact, it wasn't just Pei Ji. Most of the officials were like this.
These things should be hidden in the most confidential places at any time. Even if someone raided a house, they might not be able to find them. However, at this moment, Pei Ji was leaving the capital. Moreover, he was prepared to leave no one in the capital. Under these circumstances, how could these things not go with him? This matter was extremely confidential. The head steward in charge of arranging the entire trip should be in the know. However, because the head steward was the closest to Pei Ji when the incident happened, he was taken to the Ministry of Justice for questioning. How could he have the opportunity to arrange these things?
Therefore, it was very likely that they were on the ship. Even if they weren't, under these circumstances, if someone wanted to put a few things on it, it would be as easy as flipping a hand!
Li Jiancheng and Pei Ji had always been close. Among the things that Pei Ji had, it was very likely that there were things that were related to him. Even if there weren't, it could become something that was related to him.
Li Jiancheng only felt that his heart was in a mess. However, he heard Wei Zheng say, "Your Highness doesn't need to worry. After this official received the news, this official notified Wei Daren. At this moment, he has already arranged for people to secretly investigate. Your Highness, the most important thing right now is to arrange your own people among the fu guards. This way, even if the officials find something, they can handle it flexibly. "
Li Jiancheng nodded and called in his subordinates to carefully instruct them. After a while, everything was arranged properly. The rest could only be left to fate.
There were only two people left in the study room. Li Jiancheng put down his confident posture and sat weakly on the chair. He smiled bitterly and said, "Lord Wei, I'm lucky to have you by my side."
Wei Zheng bowed and said, "Your Highness, you're exaggerating. I'm only doing my part to fulfill the monarch's needs."
Li Jiancheng sighed and looked at the dark sky outside. Why is this day never ending?
He said again, "Lord Wei, do you think this is a coincidence or …"
Wei Zheng smiled bitterly and said, "How can there be so many coincidences in the world?"
Li Jiancheng was silent for a moment. Suddenly, he slammed his fist on the table and roared with suppressed anger, "What does he want? What else does he want?! Isn't it just the death of a page boy? Isn't it just the death of a page boy?! Does he want me to pay with my life?! "
Wei Zheng was silent. He didn't agree with Li Jiancheng's judgment. Because compared to Lin Ruo, there was someone else who had more reasons to do so … Wei Zheng glanced at Li Jiancheng and didn't discuss with him as usual.
*****
In the past few months, the spiritual world of the people of Chang 'an had been greatly satisfied. Since the "Bringing in the Wine" incident, one incident after another happened in Chang' an. Every incident was more exciting than the opera. Especially today, it was the climax of the day. On the streets and alleys, everyone had a mysterious expression on their faces. As long as two or more people gathered together and listened closely, the topic of discussion would inevitably revolve around the words "Duke of Wei", "Young Master Lin", and "Little Shu".
When the heat of the incident died down in the evening, there was suddenly a new situation. Everyone couldn't help but sigh. It turned out that there was still a lingering charm after the climax!
The follow-up of the live sacrifice incident was the sinking of the ship. The sinking of the ship eventually evolved into a looting incident. Many people sighed and blamed themselves for being too slow to know the news. Otherwise, they might have been able to fish for a bit and wouldn't have to worry about it for the rest of their lives.
When the incident was reported to the palace, Li Yuan, who was filled with anger because of Pei Ji's death and had no choice but to forcibly endure because the suspect was Lin Ruo, finally found a direction to vent his anger. He directly sent out mansion guards to capture these "rioters" everywhere.
Therefore, the bold ones hid the items, the timid ones quickly took the initiative to hand them over, and the smarter ones handed over half of the items and hid the other half … However, because the ship didn't sink in the end, there was a limit to the number of items that were lost. This made the items in their hands become hot potatoes. They were reluctant to hand them over, and not to mention that they couldn't spend them, they might even be caught by the authorities.
Fortunately, there was soon another piece of news: there was actually someone who was secretly buying these items at a high price, and it wasn't just one group of people.
These "buyers" were full of hostility between each other. Therefore, every morning when they woke up, an unidentified corpse would suddenly appear in some corner of the street. Some "owners" who hid their items and prepared to compete with the three parties would sometimes suddenly become corpses.
Later on, if the items were sold and people suspected that they had opened them, they would become corpses. If the items were no longer there but people suspected that they were still hiding them, they would become corpses. If they accidentally bumped into a scene they shouldn't have seen, they would become corpses …
Although those who died, other than the unidentified people who appeared out of thin air, were mostly ruffians and hooligans who harmed their neighbors, one couldn't help but say: Chang 'an was in chaos.
*****
Several days later, at noon, the weather finally cleared up. Looking at the long-awaited sunshine outside, Lin Ruo comfortably stretched his waist and smiled, "I heard people say that all scholars like the rain. Listening to the rain, watching the rain, and admiring the rain, it's a different kind of fun. But I don't like it at all. It's clear that I'm not a true scholar."
"That's because they're wrong," Lin Chuan seriously said, "Of course you're a scholar. Therefore, a scholar should be like you."
Lin Ruo laughed loudly and said, "Lin Chuan, no matter how loudly you flatter me, you still won't get a raise. Oh, while the sun's hot, quickly get people to take out the stuff and put it under the sun … If it continues to be so damp, even a scholar will grow mushrooms. "
Therefore, he really wasn't a scholar. When he saw the rain, he didn't think of any poetic or picturesque scenery, but the wet clothes and bedding that seemed as if they would never dry.
However, he didn't need to worry about this kind of thing. Before Lin Chuan went to call for people, the servants had already come to clean up.
Lin Ruo had people move a deck chair under the sun and also put it under the sun. He had now become very fond of the sun, even if it was summer.
Lin Ruo narrowed his eyes and said emotionally, "The Ministry of Justice hasn't sent anyone to listen to my 'dream talk' for a few days already!"
With Li Yuan's words, if the people from the Ministry of Justice wanted to interrogate him, they would have to come to the Lin residence themselves. They had lost their home ground advantage, and torture and threats couldn't be used. What could they get out of him? However, he didn't know whether it was because there was no progress in other areas, or because the officials from the Ministry of Justice didn't want to let Lin Ruo feel too comfortable, but they would send someone to bother him every few days.
Lin Chuan said, "Chang 'an is now a mess, and the time limit set by His Majesty is almost up. The Ministry of Justice is in a terrible fix, how can they have the leisure to come here and cause trouble?"
Lin Ruo said in surprise, "It's still a mess now?"
Lin Chuan said, "It's quiet on the surface. After all, most of the things in the hands of the common people have been taken away. What's left is a dog-eat-dog situation. Everyone wants to hold on to the weakness of others, and find their own things to destroy … but everyone has a tacit understanding to hide it from their superiors. Young Master, should we do something and tell His Majesty? "
Lin Ruo shook his head and laughed, saying, "Lin Chuan, that's the Emperor, the founding Emperor of the Tang Empire."
No matter how easy it was for Li Yuan to be swayed by the people around him, no matter how emotional he was, he was still an emperor, the founding emperor of the Tang Empire. His wisdom in politics and governance was no worse than anyone else's. Of his two sons, one was an adult crown prince, young and powerful, with outstanding ability, and the other was an invincible general who had conquered more than half of the Tang Empire. With such two powerful sons, he could firmly grasp the power without any restraint. How could this be done by a fool?
The capital was in such a mess. As the Emperor of the country, as the actual ruler of the Tang Empire, how could he not know?
Lin Chuan said, "But His Majesty's reaction doesn't seem like he knows."
"He's waiting for someone to open the lid," Lin Ruo said, "The longer he waits, the angrier he will be, and the more suspicious he will be."
The things that were spread out on the ship may involve many courtiers, but definitely not everyone. But until now, no one had reported it to him. What did this mean?
Maybe this only meant that no one was willing to be the first to stand out, no one dared to poke the hornet's nest and offend everyone. Needless to say, those who were affected, even those who were not affected would be unhappy. When no one else said anything, you went and said it. What do you mean, are you saying that we are not as loyal as you? Also, this was not something that involved the survival of the country. It was just the privacy of some officials. Was it worth it to stand out like this? Also, this matter was related to the battle between the Crown Prince and the King Of Qin. If it was not handled well, it might offend the future master. It was better to just watch quietly.
But as the Emperor, he did not think this way.
He thought, why did everyone work together to hide this from him? What did these people want to do? Whose idea was this?
"Go back and secretly go to the palace," Lin Ruo said, "Tell him, it's best if he personally opens the lid. Tell him to bring the things into the palace alone on the night of the 26th of June. Don't say anything. He must ask His Majesty not to see it. When the court session starts, burn it in front of everyone. "
In today's Chang 'an City, other than Emperor Li Yuan, the most powerful people were the Crown Prince and the King Of Qin. Therefore, they should have the most things in their hands.
Lin Ruo had some expectations. If the King Of Qin handed over the things in his hands and burned them, then what about the Crown Prince? Did he dare to hand over his things? Did he dare to not hand them over? One must know that Pei Ji's party was almost the Crown Prince's party. If he handed them over, it would be like breaking his own arms, and it would make the people around him bitterly disappointed. If he did not hand them over, how would Li Yuan deal with it?
Therefore, who was more loyal? Who cared more about the big picture? Who was more willing to endure humiliation?
Linchuan agreed. Lin Ruo said again, "Tell the King Of Qin that this is to thank him for the jade pendant he gave the day before yesterday. Tell him not to take it to heart."
"Yes." Linchuan agreed. He hesitated and said, "Young Master, since you have already helped the King Of Qin, why do you need to draw such a clear line? In the future, if the King Of Qin ascends to Dabao, wouldn't it be …"
"Who said I was helping him? Fighting for the throne is not interesting. Do what you want! "Lin Ruo yawned somewhat dispiritedly and asked," How come I don't see Uncle? "
Linchuan said, "Lord Wei invited Master to drink at the guest house early in the morning. It's probably to mediate on behalf of the Crown Prince?"
After saying this, he was stunned. Mediate on behalf of the Crown Prince? These words sounded … a little arrogant?
Lin Ruo did not feel anything and said, "I heard that there is a Miss Ke Er in Yunduan. She is both beautiful and talented. She once came out on top in last year's Fragrant Gathering … Send someone to ask. I want to hear Miss Ke Er play the zither and sing tomorrow. Ask her if she has the time."
Linchuan hesitated and said, "Young Master, I heard that this Miss Ke Er is already taken. She is the favorite of Yin De Fei's younger brother, Yin Hongfei. No one is allowed to touch her …"
"I know," Lin Ruo said indifferently, "I'm just asking. It's best if she agrees, but if she doesn't, then forget it."
Linchuan smiled and said, "Young Master, don't worry. If you want to listen to the zither, who would refuse?"
Linchuan agreed without hesitation. He was just afraid that Lin Ruo did not know the inside story, so he reminded him. He did not have the intention to question his young master's decision. Others did not know about Lin Ruo's ability, but he knew very well. With just a few small arrangements, he downplayed the earth-shattering matter of killing High Duke Zheng without a trace. With just one person, he destroyed a ship and silently turned the entire Chang 'an upside down, while he stood quietly and watched from afar …
Linchuan looked at Lin Ruo with respect and fanaticism in his eyes. He was originally worried that his young master was too pure and would be bullied in the future. Now it seemed that his young master was just too lazy to put in effort in this aspect.
Those who dragged his young master out of the peaceful world of zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting must be regretting it now.
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