Yang Ji saw off Xiao Jing and Pei Xuanji, and immediately came to the Anren Hall of Daxing Palace to pay homage to Yang Guang, who asked him to "go away".
"The generals of the Southern Navy set fire to destroy evidence of crimes. They are really audacious and lawless." After listening to Yang Ji's report, Yang Guang's eyes turned cold. He said in a serious tone: "It must be the establishment of the Northern Navy and the appointment of Zhou Fashang as the Northern Navy." The Commander-in-Chief of the Normal University disturbed them."
Yang Ji: "..."
Although Yang Guang's tone was not very good, Yang Ji could feel that Yang Guang was vaguely excited. It can be seen that Yang Guang, like him, regarded the arson case as an opportunity to investigate and rectify the navy.
But why do these words sound so familiar? It seems that he also told Xiao Jing and Pei Xuanji when he was in the palace.
"Vajra slave, is this news reliable?" Yang Guang asked the same question as Yang Ji.
"This is what Brother Bingwen (Xiao Jing) told me just now. He said that several of his Xiao family's children are civil servants in the Navy. It is said that after the "fire" in the Navy General Administration, the Deputy Commander of the Navy, Wang Chang He immediately arrested all the officials in charge of filing documents for dereliction of duty, and among them were the children of the Xiao family. "Yang Ji has nothing to do with the Sui Navy. If he doesn't answer well at this time, Yang Guang will inevitably suspect that he sent people to supervise the navy without authorization, and that his power has spread all over the world. So he unceremoniously sent the Xiao family to Confessed.
In his words, he even revealed the meaning of "the Xiao family asked their son-in-law to come forward to rescue the children of the Xiao family"; and using relationships to rescue relatives and clan members is just human nature, as long as Yang Ji does not bend the law for personal gain or interfere with the south The judicial process of the Navy has nothing to do with state affairs.
Of course, Yang Ji also "betrayed" the Xiao family. If he said, "According to the Xiao family's placement in the Southern Navy," then the Xiao family would definitely suffer a great deal, and it would even affect the status and stability of the Southern gentry in the Northern Navy.
These are also the explanations Yang Ji gave Yang Guang after discussing with Hao Yuan. According to Hao Yuan's analysis, Yang Guang may not consider these at this time, but once his mind calms down, these problems will come one after another, so he thinks that instead of Instead of letting Yang Guang use his random thoughts and speculations in the future, it would be better to point out the problem from the beginning.
Even if Yang Guang really thinks about this in the future, he will still be affected by "preconceptions". As for why the Xiao family looked for Yang Ji instead of him: The main reason was that the Xiao family could not confirm whether their children had really neglected their duties at this time. Therefore, the Xiao family could not openly ask the emperor to make the decision, and could only send people from the court to investigate. Previously, he hoped to use Yang Ji to exert influence, interfere with justice, and save the tribe.
This may seem unnecessary, and it may seem that Yang Ji and Hao Yuan are overly worried, but as a powerful minister and prince, Yang Ji must pay attention to these details that determine success or failure, otherwise he will regret it later.
As for Yang Guang, just as Yang Ji and Hao Yuan expected, he had no time to consider Yang Jizhi's concerns now; after he listened to Yang Ji's words, he regarded the "arson case" as an opportunity to rectify and investigate the southern water resources. opportunity for teachers.
He looked at the dark sky outside the window and said in a deep voice: "Vajra slave, who do you think is responsible for the arson?"
In a word, Yang Guang directly characterized the "fire case" as a man-made "arson case". It seemed that there was a one-word difference, but Yang Ji knew that the nature was completely different. At the same time, he heard the hidden meaning behind these words. The sharpness and murderous intent underneath. If he said a few random words at this juncture, it would definitely cause a storm and lead to some unjust, false, and wrongful convictions. Therefore, it was not easy to draw conclusions without authorization for a while. He pondered for a moment, then followed his heart and expressed his suspicions. : "I think Wang Changxi, Deputy Commander of the Southern Navy, is the biggest suspect: Brother Bingwen said that before the fire, Wang Changxi went to inspect the military camp in the rain on a rainy night. Shortly after he left the General Administration's Yamen, the General Administration There was a fire. Not only did he arrive in time, but with his efforts, the fire was brought under control. However, what was burned in the end was neither the office building nor the naval warehouse where weapons, equipment, and supplies were stored. It just happened to be burned down. The file room where vital files are kept."
Having said this, he glanced at Yang Guang and made a conclusion: "The timing of Wang Changxi's departure and return, as well as the place where he was burned to ashes, created a kind of artificial "coincidence" that made people One has to suspect that he did it deliberately. "
In fact, Yang Guang thinks so too, but after all, he is
The emperor, and Wang Changxi also had a powerful family leader behind him, so he could not arbitrarily regard Wang Changxi as an arsonist without evidence. But when the minister said this, it was completely different. Therefore, what Yang Guang was waiting for and wanted was Yang Ji's reasonable analysis. After hearing this, he immediately nodded his head: "What you say makes sense, what you say makes sense."
"..." Yang Ji was speechless and looked at the smiling Yang Guang with a strange look.
"Don't look at me like that." Yang Guang was a little embarrassed by Yang Ji's look, and said angrily: "Okay, okay! I admit it, I actually think so too."
Fearing that Yang Ji would catch him, Yang Guang immediately ignored this embarrassing topic without waiting for Yang Ji to respond. With a straight face, he said seriously: "Vajra slave, this Wang Changxi is not simple. You know where he's coming from." Road, right?"
Yang Ji thought for a while and said, "Wang Changxi is a person who dominates the city. He seems to have a roundabout relationship with the Wang family in Taiyuan."
"It's not as simple as beating around the bush. I am originally a branch of the Wang family in Taiyuan, and a direct descendant." Yang Guang emphasized it emphatically, and then introduced: "When the two Wei Dynasties were fighting for hegemony, various aristocratic families fought on both sides. Bet, the Wang family in Taiyuan is no exception. At that time, the Western Wei Dynasty was weak and the Eastern Wei Dynasty was strong. The branch that served the Eastern Wei Dynasty was the "main force" of the Wang family that stayed in Taiyuan; the branch that served the Zhou Dynasty was based on Wang Shiji. His father, Wang Ya, was the leader. This man was originally a general of the Northern Wei Dynasty. After loyal to the Western Wei Dynasty, he made great contributions in the Battle of Shayuan and the Battle of Mangshan. Therefore, he was awarded the title of General of Hussars and the Third Division of Kaifu Yitong. The Wang family in Guanzhong prospered from this. And this Wang Changxi comes from this branch. "
Yang Ji was stunned when he heard this and said, "Does that mean that the other party is not only a powerful member of the Guanlong aristocracy, but also a Shandong noble?"
"That's right. This is why it's not easy to say that Wang Changxi is not easy." Yang Guang continued: "In the middle and late stages of the founding of the Emperor, the head of the Guanzhong family was Wang Shiji. Wang Shiji participated in the Sui Dynasty's battle to destroy Chen. He worshiped the general of Zhuguo and the governor of Jingzhou. , Progressively advanced into the Shangzhu Kingdom. After returning from the defeat in the Liaodong War, Wang Shiji felt extremely guilty and drank all day long to relieve his sorrow. Aye could not bear the thought that a famous general would be so drunk and wasted his life, so he made him the general manager of Liangzhou and made him the Duke of Yiyang. While he was asked to guard the western border of the Sui Dynasty, he was also expected to make further achievements in the border and regain his authority as a famous general. However, he did not want to serve the country. Not only did he let down Aye's hard work, but he also committed many illegal things during his time in Liangzhou. , resulting in countless losses. That's all. He still had evil intentions. Instead of considering dealing with the Turkic Khanate and Tuyuhun, he thought that Liangzhou had produced elite soldiers and many war horses since ancient times. Once he blocked Dazhenguan from the west, Anyi Pass, together with the Turkic Khanate, Tuyuhun, and Dangxiang Qiang, can separate Liangzhou and stand on its own. This is also an important reason why Aye gave him death. As for the fact that he was a confidant of the former prince, it can actually be ignored. "
Yang Ji nodded silently. Wang Shiji was the previous manager of Liangzhou, and the mess he inherited was caused by Wang Shiji. Zhang Jun, Yuan Shan and others were able to successfully resell a large amount of military rations and official rations to Tuyuhun, and Wang Shiji "should be the chief contributor".
"After Wang Shiji, Wang Changxi was the head of the Wang family in Guanzhong. When I was the general manager of Yangzhou, he was the prefect of Qingjiang County and the military commander. After the Battle of Pingchen, he served as the prefect of Nanjun for three years. I know this person Compared to Wang Shiji, he is even worse. When I was still the prince, I also wanted to find out, but then I changed my mind several times and delayed it until today." Yang Guang said with a cold look: "I heard that you are in Liangzhou At that time, I made a bold statement about going back twenty years to investigate. Since the Southern Navy has caused such a big case, when I sent people to investigate, I didn’t just go there and do a simple investigation, but I wanted to dig out the bottom of the Southern Navy. ! I would like to see what those generals did and how greedy they were."
"Brother, that's what I mean." Yang Ji bowed his hand to Yang Guang. He didn't even need to write a draft, but directly copied what Xiao Jing and Pei Xuanji said, and said sadly: "Wang Changxi controlled The Southern Navy lasted for sixteen years. During this period, it was unknown how many deficits were incurred, how many vacancies were taken, and how much military pay was withheld." "What's more important is that the imperial court carried out a vigorous rectification of the Beijing army, which has long been spread. The world, however, these greedy people still don’t know how to restrain themselves, still despise the national law, and still eat away at the foundation of our Sui Dynasty like moths, so I think that either we don’t investigate, or once we investigate, we will destroy these moths in the country.
Sweep away all the insects." "
"You understand me, and you are dedicated to the country." After hearing this, Yang Guang was immediately delighted. He praised Yang Ji, then rolled up his sleeves excitedly and said, "Once the illegal wealth is recovered and returned, once the illegal wealth is recovered and returned, By collecting the fines into the treasury, the court will have a lot of money and food, and will have the confidence to do things. In the future, whether it is reorganizing the army, training strong soldiers, or digging river roads, there will be no need to worry about money and food."
Yang Jisheng was afraid of unduly expanding the scope of his attack and launched a Soviet-style purge against the Southern Navy controlled by the Guanlong nobles. He quickly suggested: "Brother, the Northern Patrol is about to begin, and the war between me and Goguryeo will begin again. I I believe that the current priority for the Southern Navy is to rectify the administration and accumulate financial resources; otherwise, there may be the danger of overcorrecting and going too far."
"That's what I mean." Yang Guang nodded, and he had a very suitable candidate for investigating the case in his mind. He suddenly smiled strangely and said to Yang Ji: "The Southern Navy has been controlled by the Guanlong nobles for too long. , Ordinary censors and ordinary courtiers cannot deal with those generals. Pei Yun, the minister of Taichang Temple, is a core figure of the Pei family and the Hedong gentry. This man is familiar with the law, can solve outstanding cases, and has been an official in the Chen Dynasty for many years. He has great influence on the south He is very familiar with the officialdom. After entering the Sui Dynasty, he served as governor of six or seven states. No matter where he was an official, his performance evaluation was always first. Such a capable minister is undoubtedly the best candidate to investigate the case, so I We plan to let him go to the Southern Navy to investigate the case, what do you think?"
Yang Ji said speechlessly: "Isn't this the handle of the knife handed to the Hedong nobles?"
"Hehe, that's what I mean." Yang Guang chuckled and said leisurely: "The southern nobles alone cannot defeat the Guanlong nobles. If Pei Yun goes to investigate the Guanlong nobles, it will become a game between the three parties. It’s competition.”
Yang Ji's heart moved and he said to Yang Guang: "Pei Ju and Pei Yun are both old foxes who are old women, and simply investigating the Southern Navy is a heavy task that offends people and offends the nobles of Guanlong. Pei Yun is so shrewd, and then In addition, Mr. Pei cannot get any real benefits from it, so they may not be able to investigate as much as I want, and they may not do their best to investigate. If this is the case, the effect of getting the final result will not be achieved. "
Yang Guang was stunned for a moment, but after thinking about the personalities of the Pei brothers, he found that their brothers were indeed what Yang Ji said, a pair of old foxes who didn't get up early for no benefit, but he couldn't think of anything better for the moment. The choice of candidates and methods, inadvertently, Yang Ji looked at him with a calm and leisurely expression, and he knew that he already had an idea in his mind. He couldn't help laughing and scolding: "Since you have a good idea, why don't you tell me quickly? Come out? Why do you care?"
"I do have an immature idea." Yang Ji glanced at Yang Guang and said hesitantly: "But this method involves the Pei family, so I can't say it. After all, I am the son-in-law of the Pei family. "
"Why are you meeting me?" Yang Guang waved his hand and said angrily: "Tell me! Tell me immediately."
"Since you insist on me saying it, I'll do it reluctantly." Yang Ji scratched his head and then said: "As far as I know, Pei Renji is an upright and honest general who is both civil and military and proficient in land and water warfare. But he Although he is brother's confidant, he is also a descendant of the Wenxi Pei family. Apart from Pei Renji, the Wenxi Pei family has no other capable generals. Once he enters the Southern Navy, perhaps the Northern Navy will General, the Pei brothers will definitely try their best to "protect" him. What is the difference between this and the Pei family and Hedong entering the game? "
Although before this, Yang Ji believed that Pei Renji could take office with Xiao Jue's recommendation. Therefore, he did not intend to recommend Pei Renji, and decided to earn the favor of Pei and Xiao in vain. But at that moment, when he and Yang Guang reached this point, he suddenly found a new idea in his mind that was better and more suitable for the current atmosphere, so he took the initiative to recommend Pei Renji.
He glanced at Yang Guang and saw that Yang Guang's eyes were sparkling and he was extremely excited, without any bad expression, and then said: "As for the candidates to investigate the case! I think capable officials from Shandong noble families are the most suitable. . As for the reason for choosing the Shandong gentry instead of the royal family and the Central Plains gentry, it is that the Shandong gentry was suppressed too hard by the Guanlong nobles and could never find a chance to take revenge. Once brother gave someone this opportunity, I think this Whether it is for revenge or to win brother's favor, people will do their best to investigate.
. This investigation..."
"With this investigation and appointment, the Navy has become a four-party game?" Yang Guang interrupted Yang Ji and said with an excited smile.
"Brother is wise. Brother is getting smarter and smarter. Congratulations." Yang Ji pointed his finger in praise.
Yang Guang's face turned dark: "..."
However, in his heart, he had to admit that Yang Ji's method was far more brilliant and more exciting than the simple Pei Yun's investigation of the case; and the real benefits and power it gave could make the Hedong and Shandong factions If you want to refuse, you can't.
