"Master Zeng is still so merciless in his speech," Ye Yongjia was not angry, but smiled softly, "But I no longer want to go against you, so I came here to discuss something with you."
Zeng Liang still didn't look good: "Then you mean... you admit it?"
"No, no," Ye Yongjia denied flatly, "How can I control the officials of the East Palace? You will understand it just thinking about it."
"I heard that Cui Yi ransacked Cun Zhao's home and went to the palace to complain."
Ye Yongjia took a sip of tea leisurely: "If you insist that there is a conspiracy behind this, you can completely produce evidence and make it public."
"Zeng can't produce the evidence, but I won't believe your words either. Because of this, there is no room for negotiation between you and me. Please go back." Zeng Liang said with a slightly angry tone.
Ye Yongjia disagreed, shook his head and said: "These words are always just excuses. As long as benefits can be exchanged, anything can be discussed."
Zeng Liang felt ridiculous and sneered: "What can you exchange for?"
"I have ordered Dong Sheng to stop the border reforms," Ye Yongjia brushed his sleeves nonchalantly, "In other words, I have decided to abandon the New Deal."
Zeng Liang's ears suddenly buzzed, and his whole body trembled with excitement. He slowly moved his eyes over to make sure that the words came from the other person's mouth.
"Really...really?"
Ye Yongjia glanced at his reaction, remembered it in his heart, and said slowly: "How can this statement be false? From now on, Xiangzhi will not need to add one more tael of silver or one grain of rice to the Ministry of War."
This was a blessing from heaven for Zeng Liang. He was so excited that he didn't care about the differences between the Chen Party and the Ye Party. He said bluntly: "Brother Ye is willing to help my household department solve the major problem of insufficient finance and food. Zeng Liang has no idea." Report! Tell me, what do you want from me?"
"I would like to jointly sign a report with all the ministers and submit it to Your Majesty, requesting that the two criminals be transferred to the Ministry of Justice for interrogation. I wonder if Xiangzhi would be willing to go to the trouble of writing to help me?"
Zeng Liang said: "These are all out of the question. Sir, I will prepare a report immediately. I will go to the province with you and submit it publicly!"
After Ye Yongjia got Zeng Liang's approval, he stopped worrying and got Cai Xianqing, Ming Huiguang and others to sign. Finally, he sent someone to inform Lu Tingci, the imperial censor, to wait for news from him.
Lu Tingci originally wanted to sign in the name of Yushitai, but then he thought that Zhongcheng Ge Ming was a gentleman and he had a personal relationship with him. If he acted on his behalf, it would be tantamount to stabbing him in the back. He just wrote his name on it and handed it back to Ye Yongjia.
Ye Yongjia was a little disappointed after reading it, but he had no intention of pursuing it at this time, so he formally handed the memorial to the capital and handed it over to the prime minister for review.
Su Zongshan saw the huge momentum of the signatures and was afraid of offending others, so he listened to this memorial and sent it to his palace. Within a few days, the imperial edict was issued: "Cunzhao and Lanyuan will be transferred to the Ministry of Punishment Prison, and the confession documents will still be handed over to Dali Temple for review." 'Ye Yongjia felt much more at ease after hearing this edict, but immediately, new worries emerged from the bottom of his heart: Why has Tongpao Chen, who is known for his resourcefulness, not responded at all yet? "
"People sent him away?"
Chen Tongpao was sitting in the staff room, carefully sorting out the documents that had not been processed recently. He glanced at the aggressive Guo Xiangren and saw that his face was red from suppressing it and his eyes were staring blankly.
"Lord Chen!" said the man from Guoxiang through gritted teeth, "The situation outside is not good for me. Why don't you ignore it? If you continue to sit back and watch like this, the thief will definitely involve the prince and change his position as the heir apparent, making us all You are a prisoner!"
"Then tell me first, what should we do now?" Chen Tongpao packed up the documents, tied them into a pile, and placed them on the cabinet beside him.
The people in Hunan watched his every move intently: "This case is almost certainly concocted by the Ye Party, and the source of the so-called evidence is unknown. Now, while the Ministry of Punishment has not yet interrogated him, he publicly launched an attack and strongly criticized him for falsely accusing the minister and creating perjury. , as long as the foundation of his argument is denied, everything will be solved."
"Almost certain?" Tongpao Chen smiled, "What is the basis for your certainty?"
"This..." Guoxiangren's thoughts were suddenly confused, and he stuttered, "This, this is not their usual style? Isn't it strange?"
"Sixing is too arbitrary," Chen Tongpao sighed softly, "What if after verification, these evidences are authentic and not forged, what will you do? Isn't there no way out? ?”
"Can……"
Tongpao Chen immediately waved his hand and interrupted him: "So we can't say anything now. The emperor is still furious and is bent on searching for traitors and traitors. He is full of suspicions. Whoever dares to be the leader will definitely suffer. First, just follow the instructions. Your Majesty’s intention is to wait for the opportunity.”
"Then... what is the timing?" Guo Xiangren nodded, but still felt uneasy.
"New Deal," Chen Tongpao blurted out, saying these two words very clearly, "this matter is not only the step for their promotion, but also the beginning of their destruction. Once it starts, we will have the possibility of manipulation and seize it. Using one or two clues to overturn Lan Yuan's case is currently the most appropriate method."
"I understand." Guo Xiangren no longer had any objections.
Compared with the imperial prison, the prison dungeon was obviously smaller in size. Walking down the slippery stairs, you faced a narrow corridor with cells on both sides, which could only accommodate two people walking side by side. Oil lamps were lit on the stone walls, and the surroundings were brightly lit, extending to an invisible place in the distance.
Lan Yuan, carrying heavy shackles on his back, was being brought in by two jailers when he saw a bench placed in front of him, blocking his way. A few steps in front of the stool, Cui Yi, the head of the Criminal Department, was sitting.
"Are you all ready?" Cui Yi glanced coldly and his tone was extremely scary.
There was a "snap" sound, and Lan Yuan was pressed on his shoulders, kneeling heavily on the stool.
"Remove the shackles."
The jailer quickly obeyed the order and took away the wooden shackles, leaving only a pair of handcuffs for him. Lan Yuan shook his sore shoulders and muttered impatiently: "Call my interrogator."
Cui Yi sneered: "Who else is going to interrogate you? I seem to be the only one here."
"You?" Lan Yuan suddenly raised his head and looked at him steadily, with all kinds of fear in his eyes.
"Are you still afraid?" Cui Yi stood up and leaned over to look at him. "I didn't expect that Master Lan, who is accustomed to showing off poisonous schemes and harming countless people, would be afraid one day! Someone!" He waved his hand.
"What do you want me to say?" Lan Yuan was sweating profusely and speaking faster, "What do you want to do!"
"It seems that you are still very stubborn!" Cui Yi shouted, "Why are you hesitating? Let's start with the punishment first!"
