Shen Lie was prepared and said calmly: "The secret file has always been sealed in the library of Nilin Division, and has a special person to keep it. Mr. Tian, as the long history of Nilin, did not ask your subordinates for it, but came to ask Shen So, what’s the point?”
Tian Mu smiled coldly: "Of course it's reasonable to ask Mr. Shen. I checked the transfer records and found that you took away the secret file No. 105 of Renxu and never returned it."
"Is there such a thing?" Shen Lie pretended to be confused: "May I ask if the record says when did Shen get transferred?"
Tian Mu replied without thinking: "At three o'clock on the day of Bingwu month and Dinghai day in the 821st year of the Holy Tang Calendar, the recorder was Sang Yien, the director of the library."
Shen Lie raised his head and thought for a while: "It's been so long... Well, it seems that there is something like this. By the way, Mr. Tian, there should be a reason for the shift in the record, right? How is it written?"
Tian Mu was slightly stunned by his question, and subconsciously responded: "In the column of reasons, write down the words 'Emperor Yu Lan'."
"Oh, that's right!" Shen Lie clapped his hands: "I remembered that the late emperor wanted to access the secret file at that time, so he ordered Shen to get it, but..."
He paused briefly, looked at Li Bing and others, and said helplessly: "However, the late emperor never returned the secret file."
Hearing that Shen Lie had directly handed Li Chengwu the blame for the secret file, Li Bing was immediately furious.
The late emperor reviewed the secret files and asked the ministers of Beiya to retrieve them in person, but he did not return them afterwards. This set of rhetoric is completely unsubstantiated and seamless. No one can distinguish the truth from the false or directly denounce it.
It was clear that Shen Lie was cheating in public, but Li Bing and the others were helpless.
Tian Mu was still unwilling to give in and sneered: "Since Mr. Shen has put all the blame on the late emperor, I have nothing to say. However, according to the rules, all secret files must be backed up and sealed with gold paint for later use." When necessary, take it out and check it with the original. To open the golden seal, you need the emperor's decree, otherwise no one can easily tear it apart and read it. Master Shen, the original secret file is gone, so where is the backup copy of the golden seal? Why is it missing?"
Shen Lie responded calmly: "The Turks attacked the imperial capital, and part of the backup was lost during the transfer..."
"Joke!" Before Shen Lie could finish his words, he was interrupted by Wei Zixuan: "The imperial court moved from the imperial capital to Yizhou, and then from Yizhou to Luoyi. Along the way, officials from various ministries carried them shoulder to shoulder, and nothing was lost. More than half of the volume. Your majestic Nilin Division, such a confidential government office, would actually lose the gold-sealed backup?!"
Shen Lie glanced at him coldly, and then asked: "Excuse me, what is Mr. Wei's current official position?"
Wei Zixuan replied proudly: "I am from Zuopushe, the second-rank minister. What? Aren't you qualified to ask about this matter?"
Shen Lie smiled lightly, "Not qualified."
"You! You are too arrogant!" Wei Zixuan was so angry that his eyebrows stood up and he pointed at Shen Lie and shouted.
Shen Lie ignored him at all and turned to Li Bing and said: "Your Majesty, Beiya has been a private soldier of the royal family since its establishment. And Nilinsi is a secret government office loyal only to the emperor. For hundreds of years, Foreign officials are never allowed to inquire about anything about Beiya Nilin Division. This is a rule, and it is an iron law. Anyone who dares to violate it will be killed on the spot without asking for permission!"
As soon as these words came out, Li Bing, Tian Mu and Wei Zixuan were immediately embarrassed.
The rules Shen Lie mentioned are real rules of heaven. Today, they are still clearly engraved on the wall of the west wall of the Beiya Government Office:
Anyone who dares to spy on Beiya's affairs will be killed without mercy.
Anyone who dares to make irresponsible remarks about Beiya's conduct will be shot without mercy.
Anyone who dares to resist Beiya's law enforcement will be shot without mercy.
In other words, today in Yangxin Pavilion, let alone Wei Zixuan's intervention, he and several other ministers present would be damned if they just listened to the conversation between Shen Lie and Tian Mu.
Li Bing coughed slightly and said in a deep voice: "Shen Qing, you don't have to be angry. Today I issued a special decree and asked several ministers to listen here. When I was still the prince, I followed him several times. Late Emperor, would you like to listen to your report on the investigation? At that time, my master, Mr. Chuck, and Commander Wang Hengda, who was in charge of the Forbidden Army, were also present."
Shen Lie nodded and responded: "Your Majesty is right. As long as you issue a special decree, I will obey it. However, adults can only listen and cannot discuss."
Li Bing nodded helplessly, and then ordered Wei Zixuan and others: "You have all heard it, follow Shen Qing's wishes, you are only allowed to listen, not speak."
"I obey the order."
Looking at Wei Zixuan who looked dejected, Tian Mu couldn't help but sigh secretly and continued: "Shen Lie, since you mentioned the rules of Nilin Division, I will explain the rules. As the former chief historian, you have lost your gold. What's the crime for sealing backup?"
Shen Lie smiled lightly: "Death penalty."
He answered so simply that Tian Mu was stunned: "Oh, it's quite pleasant, so there's nothing more to say. Your Majesty, I suggest that Chang Ninghou Shen Lie be imprisoned immediately and be sentenced to death for the crime of losing secret files." .”
Hearing this, Li Bing was slightly startled, and then said softly to Shen Lie: "Shen Qing, there is no need to make such a fuss, right? Think carefully about where the gold seal backup is. Just take it out, I will never pursue it."
Shen Lie cupped his hands and responded: "Your Majesty, the rules are the rules, and I am willing to accept the punishment."
Seeing how determined he was, Li Bing was helpless for a moment. He looked around, and Wei Zixuan and others nodded slightly. It was obvious that Shen Lie had to be arrested.
Li Bing had no choice but to wave his hands and said: "Well, you have done great things for me, and you are the most trusted person around the late emperor, and I don't want to do it right. But the imperial court has its own laws, and the secret file is It's extremely important, so we can't let it go easily. Come here, temporarily imprison Shen Lie in Dali Temple, and apologize for his mistakes. Let's talk about it when we have completely figured it out."
Four imperial army captains walked into Yangxin Pavilion, bound Shen Lie with the shackles prepared in advance, and took him away from the palace.
The next day, the news spread throughout the court that the former head of Beiya's Nilin Division and Changning Marquis Shen Lie was convicted and imprisoned.
Many old ministers were familiar with Shen Lie and knew his background. They couldn't help but speculate about what happened in the court. Even Shen Changshi was arrested by the emperor. You must know that in the world of Shengtang, Shen Lie has always been the only one to deal with others, and there is no reason for others to provoke Shen Lie.
For a time, some people were panicked and doubtful, some were secretly happy, some were sighing, and some were panic-stricken.
Could this be a signal? Has the emperor begun to eliminate the old officials of the late emperor?
Driven by such speculation, civil and military officials gradually took action. They either took the initiative to show their loyalty to Li Bing, or they made friends with their favorites such as Wei Zixuan, Yin Chengyi, Tian Mu, Gong Chengze, etc., hoping to keep their official positions.
There's so much smoke and mist.
Among them, only one person was concerned about Shen Lie's safety, and he was Dong Tianxing.
After many inquiries, Lao Dong finally breathed a sigh of relief when he learned that Shen Lie was not imprisoned in prison, but was taken to Dali Temple.
The difference between prison and Dali Temple is almost the difference between certain death and half-death.
As long as Shen Changshi's life is not taken immediately, then things can still turn around!
Dong Tianxing didn't bother to eat or sleep. He hid in his study and wrote three letters in a row, sending them to Li Jiangyao, Murong Xue and Zhou Xing respectively.
Hurry up and find a way to rescue Shen Lie, otherwise it may be too late!
Murong Xue and Zhou Xing were both anxious after receiving Lao Dong's letter asking for help. One of them started from the Suzhou camp, the other started from the front line of Xiangcheng, and rushed to the imperial capital like flying.
In contrast, Li Jiangyao seemed much calmer. He asked the messenger to send a message back to Dong Tianxing: "If you try to spread the news in the court, let's say that Shen Lie has secret files hidden in his hands."
Dong Tianxing thought hard and couldn't figure out what Li Jiangyao meant. What does a secret file mean? And why can Shen Lie's life be saved?
I don’t understand, I really don’t understand.
However, he was absolutely convinced of the wisdom and methods of the Protector. Since Li Jiangyao said so, he would just do it.
Lao Dong thought about it all night and finally came up with a solution. After the court dismissed the next day, it coincided with the monthly poetry meeting of civil servants. While everyone was drinking wine and enjoying poetry, Dong Tianxing pretended to inadvertently raise the topic of Shen Lie.
Some people who claimed to be well-informed immediately couldn't help but analyze all kinds of things, and the discussion was very lively. The old Dong selected a few loudmouths who were known to love showing off. He drank a lot of wine for them first, and then secretly told them the rumors he had heard: secret files.
At this time, those guys seemed to have been given a shot of blood, excitedly spreading the news everywhere, telling everyone they met that they knew the inside story of Shen Lie's imprisonment: because he held an extremely mysterious secret file of Nilin, So he pissed off the emperor.
This kind of gossip, enriched by meddlesome people, became more and more popular, and soon spread throughout the court.
The brilliance of Li Jiangyao's plan is that he took the initiative to reveal the confidential information and turned it into a rumor that was difficult to tell whether it was true or false, so that everyone related to the matter was unable to distinguish for a while. Shen Lie Do you have that fatal secret file in your hand?
If it is true, everyone is talking about it, and the more it is said, the more true it becomes; if it is true, but those are just rumors on the streets, but Shen Lie himself has never admitted it.
Therefore, in the dilemma of whether to have it or not, Li Bing was worried that the secret file whose specific contents were not yet known was really lost, so he did not dare to do anything to Shen Lie easily.
A few days later, Murong Xue rushed to the imperial capital and entered the palace to meet the saint.
Li Bing knew in his heart that his beloved general had formed a deep friendship with Shen Lie in his previous battles with the rebels. Murong Xue ran back from the front line without waiting for an order. She must have wanted to plead for Shen Lie's injustice.
In order to silence Murong Xue, and to avoid embarrassment for himself, Li Bing didn't wait for the other party to ask about Shen Lie, and asked a question about the rebel general Murong Xue's army:
"When are you going to welcome Shang Zhen's cousin?"
