After hearing what You Wenzhi said, Chai Zhewei shook his head.
"How can this be done? In front of so many officials from the Ministry of War and Ministry of Civil Affairs, if we burn all the account books with a fire, wouldn't we tell the whole world that there is something wrong with our account books?"
He thought the question was a bad idea.
If you do this, you might as well burn the account books and kill all the officials who came to inspect them and throw them into the fire, creating the illusion of an accidental fire.
But Pei Xingjian and General Xin Mao were both officials of the Six Ministries, and Pei Xingjian was already considered a figure from the fifth rank of the Jinbu doctor. With his age, ability, and family background, he would be a suitable future minister. If you kill him, what's the point?
Early tomorrow morning, the Ministry of Punishment, Dali Temple, and Yushitai will come together to let Chai Zhewei have a taste of the "Trial of the Three Divisions"...
You Wenzhi said: "The commander-in-chief Mingjian, what if everyone in the world knows that there is a problem? As long as there is no evidence, no one can do anything to the commander-in-chief! If he is not ruthless at this time, once Pei Xingjian checks the account books and finds out the tricks in them , how can the commander explain to the people of the world? Raising private soldiers is a common thing for noble families, but who suddenly raises private soldiers to die? Not to mention, 10% of the food, fodder and weapons of Zuotunwei are lost every year. Marshal is being used for other purposes... If you find out, it's not just a question of whether Marshal can keep his title, but what you should be worried about is whether you can reach the place where he was exiled alive..."
As Chai Zhewei's confidant, he was in charge of almost everything in Zuotunwei's account books, so he naturally knew it clearly and understood the serious consequences of the matter.
Chai Zhewei was sweating profusely.
He originally thought that he asked Princess Baling to go to the East Palace to intercede. The prince's benevolent character and his mother's past kindness and love would definitely control the matter within an acceptable range. As long as he could keep his title, everything else would be fine. You can recognize it.
But when You Wenzhi said this, he realized that he was a little naive.
The royal family can tolerate themselves being greedy for military pay and food, but how can they tolerate themselves misappropriating a large amount of military equipment for other purposes every year?
To put it more seriously, it would be enough to accuse him of treason...
After struggling for a long time, weighing the situation over and over in his mind, he finally realized that perhaps You Wenzhi's worries were correct. Once the matter broke out, it would not just be a matter of keeping his title. At that time, Hou Junji just put all the treasures from the Gaochang Palace into his own storehouse, but he was impeached by countless imperial censors. His Majesty Li Er had to punish him, forcing Hou Junji to have a grudge and embark on a conspiracy. The reverse path.
My crime is much more serious...
Gritting his teeth, he made up his mind and said: "In that case, let's wait for now. If His Highness the Crown Prince sends someone to transfer Pei Xingjian before midnight, then this inspection will be suspended. Otherwise, we will have to risk the disapproval of the world. Burn those account books with fire!"
You Wenzhi said happily: "Commander is wise! At critical moments, we must kill and make decisive decisions. The most taboo is to delay the kindness of women."
Chai Zhewei smiled bitterly and said: "To put it lightly, I am gambling on my title and the future of my family..."
Having said this, I felt extremely regretful.
I think Chai Zhewei has been a relative of the emperor since he was born. Because of his mother, he won the trust of His Majesty Li Er. At a young age, he was entrusted with the post of General Zuotunwei, guarding the Xuanwu Gate, the north gate of the palace. This is something that can wait Glory? Almost everyone regarded him as a future military giant and a pillar of the imperial court.
As a result, he became obsessed with his mind, listened to the temptations of those people, allowed his ambition to grow crazily, and became more and more daring. As a result, he got deeper and deeper, unable to extricate himself, and finally today...
Chai Zhewei became cruel and said to You Wenzhi: "Now that you have made a decision, you cannot waver. Go down and make preparations. If no one comes before midnight, prepare for the worst. This matter is in your hands. It’s important, and I don’t want anyone to know about it.”
You Wenzhi quickly accepted the order: "No! I'm going to summon a few close confidants and get ready."
Chai Zhewei gritted his teeth and said, "Go back quickly!"
"promise!"
When You Wenzhi walked out of the tent, Chai Zhewei was sitting there alone, in a daze.
He couldn't figure it out. He was already the Duke of the country, and he didn't want to seek to usurp the throne. How could he have come to this point in a daze?
What kind of stupid things have been done one by one...
…
After a while, You Wenzhi returned, carrying a food box in his hand.
Chai Zhewei asked with his eyes, You Wenzhi nodded slightly and said softly: "Everything is ready, the most trustworthy manpower will ensure nothing goes wrong."
Chai Zhewei warned: "We must not destroy the lives of Pei Xingjian and others!"
Burning the account books is one thing. After all, the Chai family is not alone in the court. Someone will speak for him when the time comes. In addition, the prince may think of Princess Pingyang's past love and care and open up a few areas; but if even people are involved, If the fire is gone, it would be a bottomless challenge to the imperial power and legal authority of the Tang Dynasty. Let alone Chai Zhewei, even if Chai Shao is resurrected, he will only end up with a glass of poisonous wine and three feet of white silk...
You Wenzhi placed the food box on the coffee table, opened the lid, took out the side dishes one by one and put them away, and said softly: "Don't worry, Commander, I know what's going on."
Then he took out a jar of old wine from the bottom of the food box, opened the mud seal, filled the wine bowl with wine, and said: "It's only the Youshi period. The commander has not eaten all day. He might as well eat something to cushion his stomach. I will accompany you." The handsome man has a few drinks and waits while he drinks."
"That's fine."
After all, he is a descendant of a distinguished family, and although he has never been on the battlefield, he is capable and determined, so he is not so entangled in making a decision now.
He can rest assured that You Wenzhi is doing things. Ever since this person was recommended to him, he has always been prudent and resourceful. He has handled many difficult things beautifully. Only in this way can he gain his trust and solve many shady things. Trusted, no mistakes have ever been made.
The two of them sat in the big tent, sipping on side dishes, and chatting in low voices about the impact of this matter, how the court would deal with it, and the follow-up responses that needed to be made.
Unknowingly, the soldiers patrolling the camp outside banged their clappers and counted the time. It was already three o'clock in the morning.
Chai Zhewei raised his head and drank the wine in the bowl, sighing: "He still didn't come after all!"
If not necessary, who would be willing to seriously burn the account books, violate the Tang Dynasty's criminal laws, and end their career? Burning the account books can certainly solve the temporary crisis, but when His Majesty returns from the Eastern Expedition, he will be severely punished for this matter. From now on, it will be difficult to make any progress.
But it was obvious that the prince wanted to wait for the results of the investigation to come out before weighing whether to be lenient or pursue the matter to the end.
You Wenzhi poured wine into his bowl and asked, "Is your Majesty going to let someone do it?"
Chai Zhewei did not hesitate, nodded and said: "No wait! Let those people keep their hands and feet clean, and immediately stay away from Guanzhong after taking action. Whether it is going south to Jingchu or north to Northern Xinjiang, they can never appear in Guanzhong again! In addition, You must not hurt the lives of Pei Xingjian and others, remember this!"
"promise!"
You Wenzhi agreed, and together with Chai Zhewei, he raised the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp. Then he put the wine bowl, plates and chopsticks into the food box one by one, and walked out of the tent with them.
Chai Zhewei sighed and rubbed his swollen forehead.
Fang Jun’s kid! The reason why I am where I am today is because of your gift. You have waited for me. Once I have the opportunity, I will repay you twice as much!
*****
In Zuotunwei's account room, the crisp sound of abacus could be heard. A joint inspection team composed of more than ten people from the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of War stayed up all night to calculate the accounts nervously.
Pei Xingjian rubbed his eyes, looked at the several oil lamps burning in the accounting room, and said helplessly to the Zuotunwei clerk in the accounting room: "Are you Zuotunwei so poor? You don't even have a few candles, and you still have Are you using an oil lamp? Not only does it burn your eyes, it also poses a huge safety hazard."
Candles had been used before, but after they burned out, oil lamps were replaced. The answer given by the scribe was that there were no more candles in the military camp and oil lamps could only be used instead.
Pei Xingjian felt that this was simply revenge for their uninvited guests. He didn't know what kind of oil they used for these oil lamps. When they burned, the black smoke pillars went straight upwards. Soon the whole accounting room was filled with oil smoke. He stared at the account books for a while. The stool is sour and unbearable, and the tears cannot stop flowing.
Almost blinded by smoke...
The scribe of Zuotunwei smiled apologetically and said, "It's a coincidence. There were some candles, but I couldn't find them at the moment. Thank you for your hard work, please bear with me... Oops! What did you do? Put out the fire quickly!"
While they were talking, a clerk accidentally knocked over an oil lamp when he turned around. The oil flowed onto a roll of account books and instantly ignited the account book, sending black smoke and flames into the sky.
