Yan Wen returned home and asked his servant to bring him some casual clothes. As soon as he put them on, he heard a knock on the door outside the house and said, "Come in."
The man opened the door slightly, squeezed through, and bowed to Yan Wen - this man was his confidant.
"What's the matter?" Yan Wen asked.
Without saying anything, he took out a letter from his arms and handed it to Yan Shenzheng's hand, looking at him nervously.
Yan Wen opened the letter and saw a golden arrow wrapped inside. He was shocked and looked back to his confidants.
"I can't say... Please read the letter again." The confidant retracted his feet and lowered his head.
Yan Wen stopped looking at him and immediately opened the letter. There were only a few lines of small words written on it: "The prince went hunting with a certain person the day before yesterday. He was deeply frightened when he mentioned something about treason." The two people who form a party with him are Sun Siyong and Zhang Tangqing, so they are not of great concern; however, even if they win over the Secretary and carry out secret schemes, they will eventually cause trouble in the long run. I hope they will participate in politics to think about it. Now take the prince’s golden arrow as proof. King Xu respectfully presents. '
Yan Wen was silent for a moment, folded the letter, and said to his confidants: "Let's keep the evidence and burn King Xu's letter first."
The confidant was puzzled: "King Xu has always been humble and respectful, and he is also close to us. There is no way he could spread rumors and cause trouble. I hope you will think twice."
"This is not something that can be decided at once," Yan Wen frowned, "If the prince wants to rebel, there will be unrest in the capital, and General Liu and the emperor will have to come back to stabilize the overall situation. Wouldn't all the previous efforts in Nanjing be wasted?"
"Burn it," he pushed the confidant's hand with the letter. "To cast suspicion on the prince based on just one person's words...is unbecoming of an official."
The confidant agreed and went down with the letter. Yan Wen turned to look out the window, and the firelight in the distance reflected his stunned face.
Tomorrow morning, Yan Wen still planned to act according to the original plan, that is, to notify Prime Minister Tao Xuandao and order him to send an envoy to grant Sun Weigao the post of political participation.
Sun Weigao, however, was still thinking about it. Hearing that the envoys from outside were about to come in, he was anxious and at a loss. Finally, he decided that the overall situation should be put first, and resigned from Liu Dang's appointment first to stabilize unity. Having made up his mind, he ordered his servants to welcome the envoy inside.
The envoy saw Weigao here and was about to read out the edict, but Sun Weigao kowtowed first and said: "I hope the envoy will listen to what I have to say and it will not be too late to read it out again."
The envoy was greatly surprised and asked why. Sun Weigao replied: "Zhongshu Province has always selected wise men, but I am extremely stupid and find it difficult to take on the responsibility. Secondly, I only serve in the Imperial Academy and have little power and fame. If I suddenly rise to the provincial level, all the people will be My colleagues will never be convinced, as it may cause disputes and be detrimental to government affairs. For the sake of the great cause of the country, I am willing to temporarily resign from my appointment."
"This..." The envoy held the edict in his hand, feeling very embarrassed.
"Please come here to make the recovery successful, so that you can live up to Master Yan's good intentions."
"Then I'll report back to Prime Minister Tao and Yan Zhanzheng..."
"Go ahead, they won't blame you."
The envoy put the edict back on Yan Wen's desk, leaned forward and said, "It seems that he will not accept it even if he is beaten to death."
"Exit." Yan Wen waved his hand, and the man immediately closed the door and left.
"Yesterday I accepted the jade pendant with great joy, but today I don't want to accept the order. It's really strange..." Yan Wen murmured to himself as he walked back and forth, "I treat him so well, how could he..."
"Sir! I have something urgent to report." A sergeant suddenly walked out of the door, interrupting his thoughts.
"What's the matter again?" Yan Wen looked a little impatient.
"The Minister of Dali Temple, Gong Zhao, sent people to Sun Hanlin's official office to congratulate him on his promotion, and went back soon."
Yan Wen's heart trembled: "Who saw it? But is it true?"
The sergeant knelt down on one knee: "I saw it truthfully, and I don't dare to lie about it!"
After hearing this, Yan Wen was stunned for a while, then he suddenly stamped his foot and ordered the sergeant to say: "Quickly mobilize our soldiers and follow me into the political hall to meet the prime minister!"
"Master Tao!"
Tao Xuandao was sleeping soundly in the back room when someone shouted loudly, causing him to tremble all over and sit up.
He was about to get angry when he saw that it was Yan Wen who led a group of Ziliu Zhennian's soldiers to the court. He immediately lost his temper and just sighed a little and asked: "Yan Shenzheng, you have already come to see me in the morning. It's noon. What do you want to do here?"
Yan Wen didn't have time to salute, so he rushed forward and said angrily: "Master Prime Minister, General Sun Weigao has rebelled. It is best to summon him now and capture him alive on the spot!"
"What?" Tao Xuandao scratched his ear, "He was just recommended by you to participate in politics, why are you arresting him again?"
Yan Wen knew that he couldn't understand a word, so he sat aside and explained patiently: "The previous letter from King Xu was secretly presented. Weigao had a party, so I was hesitant. Today, an official refused to accept it, but Gong Zhao sent someone to congratulate him. It's clear that he is They are accomplices, otherwise how would we know that he was going to enter the province today? It’s also their fault that they didn’t collude well, so they were discovered by the subordinates. Yayun acted first to gain advantage, we should find out the truth as soon as possible and crush the conspiracy!"
This Tao Xuandao was not a member of the Liu Party, and he only retained the title of prime minister because of his high moral character and high prestige. Now that he heard that Liu Dang was going to arrest someone on his own behalf, he was dissatisfied, so he declined and said: "Yan is participating in politics and arbitrarily judging the courtiers. It is harmful to harmony..."
"How can a traitor be treated harmoniously?"
Tao Xuandao was speechless for a moment, so he pretended to be groggy: "I just woke up from sleep, and my head is still buzzing. Wait for me to figure this out..."
The sergeants beside Yan Wen couldn't help it any longer. Someone simply picked up his sword and walked forward angrily: "Master Tao, do you agree or not?"
Yan Wen hurried forward and managed to stop him; Tao Xuandao took a breath and was really shocked.
"This servant is vulgar, don't think it's strange." Yan Wen smiled faintly, "You are right. You shouldn't make random guesses before you find out. Why don't you call Gong Zhao first? The person he sent himself must be the best in his heart. clear."
Tao Xuan was frightened after what he just said, so he nodded and said, "It's just like what Shenzheng said."
Not yet.
Zhang Han quickened his pace and stepped straight towards the gate of the East Palace. He shouted angrily at the soldiers outside the palace: "Get out of the way!" and pushed them aside.
"Zhang Yushi, is it possible that the news has been leaked?" The prince climbed down the palace steps and eagerly took Zhang Han's hand.
Hot sweat broke out on Zhang Han's head, and he was still breathing heavily when he spoke: "I was just about to go find Gong Zhao, but who would have thought that he was taken to the meeting hall by a group of people, saying that they were investigating the crime of treason, and we couldn't escape. !”
"Oh!" The prince clapped his hands, "Sooner or later, you will die, why not... why don't you fight with him and start a rebellion in the daytime! You hurry up and summon Sun Hanlin, and prepare to raise troops while the court meeting is still pending."
Zhang Han couldn't think of any other way, only righteous indignation welled up in his heart, and he gritted his teeth and said: "You might as well give him a try!"
After saying that, Zhang Yushi ran out of the palace gate, facing the fierce sun, biting his finger with heartache, blood dripping from his fingertips.
