There is a mansion covering an area of dozens of acres in Chongyi Square. The mansion is lush with trees, gurgling rivers, pavilions and pavilions everywhere, and various buildings are decorated with lofty beams and painted rafters, making it extremely luxurious. In front of the door, there are three layers of white marble stone steps, two stone lions rolling embroidered balls, and the copper nails as big as bowls on the red lacquer door are shining, which makes the place extraordinary. On the plaque on the top of the door, there are two large characters "Yu Mansion" inscribed with silver hooks and iron.
This is the residence of Yu Shiji, the Minister of Internal Affairs.
Yu Shiji was from Yuyao, Kuaiji, and was born into a family of officials. He and his younger brother Yu Shinan have been famous for their talents since childhood. When he entered the Sui Dynasty, people at the time called him the "Er Lu", which was comparable to the brothers Lu Ji and Lu Yun who entered the Jin Dynasty. It is evident that the Yu brothers are highly talented and knowledgeable.
In the study room in the third courtyard of the Yu Mansion, several screens and several pairs of ancient bookshelves divide the entire huge room into several spaces with different functions. The main hall is sparse and elegant, and I occasionally glimpse the other entrances covered by the screens. There is a kind of winding path that is fascinating and fascinating.
Yu Shiji wore a Yanju uniform, a brocade belt, and a Xiaoyao scarf tied casually on his head, making him look extremely chic. At this time, he was standing next to the ancient book shelf, using a handkerchief made of white folded cloth to leisurely wipe a piece of exquisite porcelain.
The porcelain has a narrow mouth and long neck, and is as thin as a cicada's wing. When tapped lightly, a pleasant jade chime sound can be heard. It is obviously an excellent collection. Standing next to him, Feng Lun, a member of the Internal Affairs Bureau, whispered a few words of criticism from time to time, which earned Yu Shiji a pleasant smile.
At this time, the sound of scraping boots came from far away, and his stepson Xia Houyan appeared at the door. Yu Shiji carefully put the porcelain back on the shelf, turned to look at him, and asked, "What's the matter?"
Xia Houyan bowed respectfully: "Father, Yu Wenhuaji, on my father's orders, please have a talk with me tomorrow afternoon!"
Xia Houyan joined the Yu family because his mother, Sun, remarried to Yu Shiji. Yu Shiji, his stepfather, treated him as his own son, just like the tasks Yu Wenshu gave to Yuwen Zhiji, and handed over many unscrupulous tasks to Xia Houyan.
After hearing this, Yu Shiji frowned slightly, walked a few steps in the hall with his hands behind his back, stood still, and said to Xia Houyan: "Just say that I have a slight illness today and it is inconvenient to go out to meet guests."
The conflict between Yang Ji and Yu Wen Zhiji was in full swing, and Yu Shiji naturally knew about it. Yu Wenshu clearly wanted to ask for his help, but was afraid of being abrupt, so he asked his son to come out for an interview first.
"Here!" Xia Houyan agreed, turned around and left.
Feng Lun's eyes flashed, he lowered his head to think for a moment, followed Yu Shiji, cupped his hands and said: "Mr. Yu, Yu Wenshu asked his son to pass the message, he must be asking Gong Yu to save his son!"
Feng Lun, whose courtesy name was De Yi, was born in the Feng family of Haizhou. He had extraordinary intelligence. He first served as an aide to Yang Su, Duke of Yue, and became an in-law. Later, he was responsible for supervising the construction of Renshou Palace, and was promoted to the position of Internal Secretary Sheren due to his meritorious service. Feng Lun was tactful and cunning. Without affecting his relationship with Yang Su, he also secretly interacted with Yu Shiji. Since Yang Guang ascended the throne, Feng Lun felt that Yang Su was a master of outstanding achievements, so he slowly approached Yu Shiji, who was deeply trusted by the emperor. Yu Shiji now relies heavily on Yu Shiji and becomes his confidant.
In private, he addressed Yu Shiji as "Yu Gong" in order to open up the officialdom and make Yu Shiji subconsciously identify with him emotionally and get close to him.
Yu Shiji threw the handkerchief on the sapphire table aside and said in a deep voice: "I know this! It's because I know that I can't see him. The murder case that happened today involves King Wei and Yu Wenshu, and even the saint is very concerned about it. , How can I just wade through this water casually?" After pondering for a long time, he said: "And my foundation in the court is shallow. If I offend someone rashly, provoke hostility and revenge, I can't bear it. It's best to sit back and watch this matter. "
As Yu Shiji's confidant, Feng Lun was one of the few people who knew that he had the ambition to dominate the court. Yu Shiji was a latecomer to the Sui Dynasty, and was previously only an aide to Yang Guang during the prince's period. He himself did not have much power, so he naturally He could no longer win over officials to work for him, so even after he was promoted to Minister of Internal Affairs, he still did not have the same power in his hands. This was also Yu Shiji's worry. But Feng Lun would not tell the matter directly to avoid making Yu Shiji look ugly, so he just said tactfully: "The saint has always favored Yuwenshu. Now that Yuwenshu, who is in power, meets someone he can't afford to offend, he Please help Mr. Yu. If Mr. Yu avoids seeing him, I'm afraid Yu Wenshu will hold a grudge! On the contrary, it will make Yu Wenshu owe a huge favor. If he has Yu Wenshu's help and acquiescence in the future, it will be of great benefit to Mr. Yu. "
It's not like Yu Shiji hadn't thought about Feng Lun's words. But the opponent was Yang Ji, and he really didn't want to provoke him; besides, Yang Guang had the ambition to plot the Western Regions. As long as Yang Guang's ambition did not die, the Western Regions were not destroyed, and Yang Ji himself did not seek death, then he would be as stable as a mountain in this life. If he, Yu Shiji, rashly It is really not a good thing to be an enemy of such a person, so he still shook his head and said nothing.
Feng Lun smiled slightly and said: "I know what Mr. Yu is worried about. In fact, you don't have to worry about it. I still have to do this favor, not to help Yu Wenshu, but to help Mr. Yu himself."
"Oh?" Yu Shiji looked at Feng Lun with some emotion and said, "I know that you are full of clever tricks. Why are you trying to help me? Tell me."
Feng Lun smiled slightly, cupped his hands and said: "Gong Yu doesn't want to get involved in this matter or cause King Wei to misunderstand, so there is no need to say that he is involved. Just use words to point out the Daxing County Magistrate, the Ministry of Punishment, and the officials of Dali Temple to let them know Mr. Yu was very concerned about this murder case, so they had to be cautious in doing things. If Yu Wen Zhiji's innocence is proved in the future, it will be the work of Mr. Yu. If Yu Wen Zhiji cannot be cleared of charges, so can Mr. Yu. If you are benevolent and righteous, not only will you not give King Wei an excuse to criticize, but you will also leave Yu Wenshu still in debt."
"This is not yet important. The most important thing is that since the Sui Dynasty unified the world, the officials of the Southern Department were leaderless, and the Xiao family was controlled by the descendants of the Liang State and did not dare to be the leader. Therefore, those who suffered from the Guanlong Sect The suppressed southern officials were always working on their own and at a loss. If Mr. Yu made a gesture and made a gesture in this case, no matter whether he could help Yu Wenshu or not, at least it would let the world know that Mr. Yu had something to do with Yu Wenshu. , King Wei's status and courage, otherwise, Duke Yu would not have participated in the battle between the two powerful ministers. This was a trap for those southern officials who were eager to find a big tree to shelter from the wind and rain. This is a hint of the strong rise of Duke Yu, so in the future, why don’t we try our best to stay dormant under Duke Yu?”
Yu Shiji came to his senses, raised his eyebrows and said, "I understand, it's nothing more than picking it up heavily and putting it down gently!"
"That's right!" Feng Lun said with a smile: "Mr. Yu will go to the county government, the Ministry of Justice, and Dali Temple tomorrow morning. Not only will he go, but he will also go there with great fanfare, so that others will know that Mr. Yu has been there. When he reaches his destination After the earth, Duke Yu didn’t have to directly say anything about Bao Yu Wen Zhiji. Those officials were all smart people. With a little tapping, they could understand Duke Yu’s attitude. As for how they acted, what did it have to do with Duke Yu? If Yu Wen It is the credit of Duke Yu that Zhiji is freed from the crime. If Yuwen Zhiji is guilty, what does it have to do with Duke Yu? Even if King Wei suffers a loss, the only people he is not angry with are the law enforcement and judicial officials."
Yu Shiji laughed loudly, nodded and said, "I understand what you mean. If I meet Yu Wenshu again later, even the saint will think that I am concerned about the justice of the Sui Dynasty, rather than having any selfish motives. Is that so?"
Feng Lun smiled and complimented: "Yu Gong is wise!"
Yu Shiji continued to laugh, pointed at Feng Lun and said, "You are such a smart guy. Then I will do this tomorrow."
. . . . . . . .
The ice and snow had begun to melt during the day, and at night, after the freezing cold wind, the entire Yibang military camp was shrouded in a pale color.
Fifteen officials from the Ministry of War met Yang Ji, and it was a bloody misfortune for eighteen lifetimes. After their arms were broken, they applied medicine hastily and fixed the broken arms with wooden strips. However, the next day, they immediately What makes them feel even more helpless is that after the martial arts competition is over, they will have to be tried and receive the severe punishment they deserve. But who can blame them for ending up like this? Isn’t it because they are corrupt and bending the law?
The night was getting darker and the military camp was silent, but Wang Shichong still did not fall asleep. He was sitting in the tent next to the bonfire, looking out blankly. Under the flickering bonfire, his face was obviously extremely pale, without a trace of blood. Compared with the high spirits at the opening of the martial arts competition, Wang Shi I have lost enough weight, and my complexion is completely different.
After he was physically punished by Yang Ji in public, he was still a member of the Ministry of War because he had not yet been tried. This seemed to be an inconspicuous role, but in fact he was a high-ranking official. When the late emperor established the five provinces and six ministries, he established four divisions in each of the six ministries of the Shangshu Province. Each division appointed a fifth-rank member, a foreign minister, to serve as the deputy director of each department, equivalent to the deputy director, while the doctor was the chief director.
Unlike the other fourteen military officials who came from aristocratic families, Wang Shichong, who came from the Wang family in Bacheng, was from a completely poor family. There was only one character difference between him and Wang Shiji, who was executed by the late emperor, but they were not even remotely related to each other. . And that he climbed from a weak and poor boy to a member of the Yuanwailang family shows his extraordinary ability, and it also shows that his journey has not been easy.
Wang Shichong was worried about failure at the beginning of the martial arts fraud. The main reason was that Yu Wenshu was too greedy and wanted to take away 180 places in the second list at once. In addition, the fifteen of them each benefited from each other and blocked others. Therefore, There are only thirty or fifty places left for tens of thousands of ordinary soldiers and warriors.
He knew that once things failed, the saint would not severely punish important ministers like Yuwenshu, but would instead use them as scapegoats with dirty little officials; Yuwenshu was not a fuel-efficient lamp, and he had no time to protect himself at this time. He won’t intercede for himself. But he had too many handles in Yuwenshu's hands, so he was controlled by Yuwenshu from beginning to end. In addition, he was lucky and had high hopes for Yuwenshu, so he could only bravely endure the situation knowing that it was a sea of fire.
So far, things have indeed developed according to his worries. What he was afraid of was not the emperor's punishment, but the lack of any attitude. All the plans and rhetoric he had made were useless. More importantly, the emperor could not hold him accountable. What should he do?
At first, Wang Shichong thought that the emperor would send people to question them and punish them. No matter what the emperor's decree was, even if he was demoted to the people, or even imprisoned or sent to the frontier, at least there would be a result. However, many days passed without any clue. Such unpredictable nature and unknown fear made him look thin and exhausted.
Wang Shichong sat there stupidly, not knowing where his future was or whether he could see the light of tomorrow.
At this moment, a guard opened the curtain and came in and said a few words to Wang Shichong. Wang Shichong nodded and hurriedly walked out of the big tent. He ran all the way and soon reached the secondary tent next to the Chinese army's big tent.
The outside of the tent was heavily guarded and the fire was bright inside. Seeing this posture, Wang Shichong couldn't help but feel nervous. He quickly suppressed the confusion in his heart, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down before entering the big tent. There was no one on the main seat, but two scribes with extraordinary temperament were sitting at the bottom, as if waiting for him.
He quickly stepped forward, bowed deeply and said, "Wang Shichong has met these two gentlemen."
"Wang Yuanwailang!" The two scribes stood up and returned the salute. The older one introduced himself, "I am Bo Songzhengben, the master of Prince Wei's palace, and he is Hao Yuan, who is joining the military. We are under the order of the king and have something to discuss. Please sit down!"
"Thank you for sitting down!" Wang Shichong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He found a seat and sat down. He raised his hands and asked, "I dare to ask Song Lord Bo and Hao Canjun, but I don't know if there is anything that King Wei needs to do? But please tell me directly. It’s okay.”
Wang Shichong had been left out for so long and knew that he had been abandoned by Yu Wenshu. Although he had known that he was a pawn and had the consciousness of being abandoned, when this day really came, he still couldn't bear it. He was full of resentment towards Yu Wenshu. If he hadn't been too greedy, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation. However, after the incident failed, he actually gave up on him as an abandoned child.
After losing hope in Yu Wenshu, the anxious Wang Shichong kept trying to think of a way to save himself, but in the end he couldn't get in. Song Zhengben and Hao Yuan are now visiting late at night on the orders of Yang Ji, which shows that Wang Shichong still has some use value; in the following negotiations, he can save himself by negotiating terms, even if he cannot keep his official position, he must win over the common people body.
As for Yang Ji, although he broke one of his arms and hated him to the bone at first, as time went by, the hatred in Wang Shichong's heart had completely disappeared, because the other party was like a god in the clouds, and he was just They are just little ants who are trapped in the calamity of death and have brought it upon themselves. What qualifications and courage do they have to hate? If Yang Ji rescued him from despair, what couldn't he do to 'cooperate'?
Song Zhengben and Hao Yuan looked at each other and smiled knowingly. This Wang Shichong was indeed a smart man as the young master said.
"It's really easy to talk to smart people." Song Zhengben said with a smile: "Wang Yuanwailang, we know that behind you is General Yuwen, and what is his purpose in manipulating the martial arts?"
Wang Shichong was secretly frightened by these words. It seemed that King Wei wanted to deal with Yu Wenshu through this matter. But they were fighting between gods, so how could he, a young official who was waiting for punishment, be able to participate? And how should he answer this? He couldn't express his position at all, so he had to pretend to be stupid and said: "Wang is stupid and doesn't know what Lord Song Bo means."
"Wang Yuanwailang is not stupid, you are too smart, so you don't want to get involved in this matter. It's a pity that there are too few smart people in this world, but there are too many stupid people!" Song Zhengben smiled and said: "In other words, it is their greed. It’s too heavy, so if you want to get more, you will inevitably do some stupid things. Although everyone’s purpose is different, in essence, what’s the difference?”
Wang Shichong felt a little panicked after hearing this.
"The four hundred places on the second list of the martial arts examination are just a small matter in the minds of the saints, but the concept of meritocracy contained in it is a big deal, so the saints have been paying attention to this matter. It's a pity that you didn't notice it. At one point, you thought that the martial arts competition was different from the past, and that the "military competition for meritocracy" was just a gesture of the saint. So you confidently and boldly manipulated the martial arts competition, deliberately making the regulations full of loopholes, so as to facilitate the placement of your own people, So that you can sell your official position and get a title."
Song Zhengben said calmly: "But tens of thousands of soldiers and warriors are full of hope for this. They come all the way to the capital. If they encounter injustice or even fooling, what do you think they will say when they return? The image of the saint and the court among the people has changed. What will happen? If the saint knows about the martial arts manipulated by you, causing his and the Sui Dynasty's reputation and majesty among the people to be damaged, what do you think will happen to you? "
These words were like a thunder, exploding in Wang Shichong's ears. The firelight swaying in the wind made Wang Shichong's face even paler!
Wang Shichong's face turned pale and his mouth trembled. He finally realized the importance of the martial arts examination in Yang Guang's mind, and finally realized how serious and bad the impact it would have on the emperor once the martial arts examination became notorious. Only then did I know that they were really in big trouble this time, and maybe even Yu Wenshu would be in big trouble.
He is now almost certain that Yuwenshu avoids Yuwenshu because of his great influence. As long as the matter is tried after the martial arts competition is over, he will definitely be betrayed by the insidious Yuwenshu, and even chop off his family's belongings with his own hands. The head was given to the emperor to show his uprightness.
What's more important is that Yu Wenshu will most likely not allow him to speak, kill him in the military camp, and then put Neng An's crimes on him.
If things got to that point, in order to clean up the imperial court, kill chickens to scare monkeys, and establish an image of strict law enforcement, the Yi and other tribes would be taken lightly.
Wang Shichong thought of this and had already made a decision. He said in his heart that you, Yu Wenshu, are unkind, so don't blame me, Wang Shichong, for being unjust. He gritted his teeth, handed over his hand to Song Zhengben and said, "Song Lord Bo, but I don't know what King Wei wants me to do?"
"The king has a lot of evidence of Yu Wenshu's crimes in his hands, and today he got the letters of allegiance from Song Laosheng, Gao Shida and others from Yu Wenzhiji. These letters of allegiance are Yu Wenshu's way of forcing these outstanding warriors from poor families to be loyal to him." After emphasizing, Song Zhengben continued: "Yuwenshu clearly used the imperial court's martial arts to cultivate his own power and take the saints and court talents as his own. If these criminal evidences get into the hands of the saint, Yuwenshu will shed a layer of skin even if he does not die, but These are not enough. So the king needs the evidence in your hands and you as a witness. The more evidence of Yuwen Shu’s crimes, the heavier the punishment he will receive. This will not only help the court to eliminate one harm, but will also be of no harm to you. "
Hao Yuan added from the side: "In addition to you, there are fourteen officials who need to atone for their crimes. The evidence they have is enough to make Yu Wenshu fall. So you are not indispensable to us. Yes, if you don’t say anything and don’t want to be this witness, we won’t force you.”
He glanced at Wang Shichong and said with a smile: "It's just that if you refuse, you will miss the opportunity to save yourself. When the time comes, the three tribes will be slaves of the officials at the least, or they will be killed at the worst."
As expected of the outstanding elites of this era, Song Zhengben and Hao Yuan did not use any coercive techniques, but rationally analyzed all this, so that Wang Shichong had to give in.
"Okay!" Wang Shichong was helpless and agreed. He sighed and said: "I understand that I will never miss the opportunity to defend the king."
"That's good! When this matter is settled, the king will not forget you." Song Zhengben said with a smile: "The king said that you are proficient in the law and are best at using loopholes in the law to excuse criminals. It just so happens that the saint wants to revise " "Kai Huang Lu", he will recommend you to the saint so that your talents can be used in the right way. Even if the saint does not use you, the king can still use you. "
"That's right." Hao Yuan also said: "To put it bluntly, you are just a member of the Communist Party of China. The saint will not care about your life or death. But you have to know that it is precisely because the saint does not care about your life and death that your Majesty It’s easy to turn you over.”
Wang Shichong's desperate heart also became hot. He immediately stood up and bowed deeply to the two of them, "Thank you, King Wei, for your affirmation. Wang Shichong will definitely cooperate with us."
Song Zhengben nodded and said: "Okay! Please ask Wang Yuanwailang to come to Beijing with us later."
"Here!" Wang Shichong responded with his hands raised.
Song Zhengben asked again: "Can you convince the other fourteen officials of the Ministry of War?"
"Please rest assured, Master Bo of the Song Dynasty. They are as uneasy as their humble position. If they hear that King Wei needs it, they will definitely be willing to give up their merits." Wang Shichong was eager to perform his merits and said happily: "Just leave this matter to Wang."
"That's fine." Song Zhengben frowned when he saw that he suddenly changed from worrying about gains and losses to becoming eager, and even immediately agreed to become Yu Wenshu's enemy.
He felt that Wang Shichong was too utilitarian, and he really didn't like him. If such a person entered the palace, he would definitely make the palace a mess and destroy the good atmosphere of unity and unity. This is not a good thing for the king and for everyone.
The most important thing is that Wang Shichong can betray Yu Wenshu for himself today, and he can betray the king for his own interests tomorrow.
Such a villain is really not someone you can talk to. After returning home, you must try your best to persuade the king.
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