On the ninth day of July, one day had passed since the incident in Huaqing Palace.
Although Xue Bai was resting in bed in the official residence of Taile Department, he could still feel a tense atmosphere around Lishan.
This feeling was very strange. He clearly hadn't taken a step out of the house. In front of him, only Xie Aman was caring for him.
"Don't you feel uncomfortable because your body is dirty?" Xie Aman peeled off a lychee, handed it to Xue Bai's mouth, and asked, "Shall I ask someone to get you some water to wipe your body?"
"Xie Dianshi is not a palace official, why do you need to do this?"
"You saved the imperial concubine. There must be someone around to take care of you. Eat quickly."
If Xie Aman hadn't been here, Qinglan and Mingzhu would have taken better care of her.
Xue Bai had to bite the lychee carefully to avoid touching her hand.
"Is the Number One Scholar here?"
At this moment, Guo Qianli opened the door and walked in. Seeing this scene, he quickly covered his eyes and wanted to exit.
"Is there something wrong with General Guo?" Xue Bai asked.
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"If Mr. Xue's injury is better, come with me." Guo Qianli smiled and said, "I want to ask some questions."
Xie Aman said: "He was seriously injured."
"Haha, we suffered more serious injuries on the battlefield, so we had to go back to camp. One time my intestines fell out, so I held my stomach and returned to camp. When I got to the tent, I saw that it was someone else's intestines stuck in the tent. It’s on me!”
"I'll go with General Guo."
Xue Bai struggled to stand up, and Guo Qianli stepped forward to support him, and then went to the martial arts hall outside the palace wall.
After leaving the official residence of Taile Department, the dignified atmosphere hit us even more.
Along the way, Guo Qianli also talked about some new developments in the case.
"Those traitors, we took thirteen alive and accidentally killed six of them. They are still being interrogated, and the others who should be under temporary supervision are also under supervision."
Xue Bai asked: "Including me?
"Don't worry." Guo Qianli said: "No one will doubt you, not to mention you have made meritorious deeds. The saint is with you, so I am here to invite you, but I must have something to ask."
"About Fahai?"
"Probably not." Guo Qianli shook his head, "I think someone bit you. Otherwise, if it was just Fa Hai, let me ask you a few questions. Why would I invite you over?"
Judging from this detail, he is loyal and not stupid... he just talks quickly.
Xue Bai pondered and asked: "Who will judge this matter?"
"Such a big matter cannot be tried by General Chen alone." Guo Qianli said, "But I don't know who the sage will send to judge it together. It depends on which of the princes and ministers up and down Lishan Mountain wins the sage's trust first. "
Xue Bai nodded, thinking in his heart that the saint should not believe anyone.
"Meet me? Me?"
Yang Zhao rubbed his hands uneasily, fearful in his heart.
He then took a few steps forward, quietly put a few pieces of gold into the hand of the eunuch who was delivering the order, and asked in a low voice, "Do you know what it is?"
"Old slave has accepted too much money from Zhongcheng. That's enough. I really don't know what to do today...please."
This attitude made Yang Zhao even more uneasy.
He couldn't help but start to think about whether this major case might involve him. Could it be that Concubine Yang was beginning to lose power now?
What a shame those demon thieves insist on calling "Liu Shi Ji Zhu" and chop this "Maojin Sword" in front of the saint.
Unfortunately, he never thought of changing his name before. After all, his "sword" only has a golden sword, which lacks a "mao" compared to "Liu".
"I, I pay homage to the saint and pray for the saint's long life."
When he arrived at the hall, Yang Zhao quickly prostrated himself and gave an exaggerated gift, but he didn't even dare to say his name.
Li Longji actually didn't wake him up and shouted: "Change my name!
"I...are guilty!
Cold sweat started to flow from Yang Zhao's forehead. He was a little overwhelmed. After a pause, he thought that maybe the saint was waiting for him to mention a new name?
"I, I, I think of my name, and for the sake of 'loyalty to the country', I sincerely request your majesty's sanction."
"Guozhong?
"I am absolutely loyal and I would like to be named after this."
"allow.
"I obey the order! From now on, my name will be Yang Guozhong!"
"Get up.
Yang Guozhong then raised his head, stood up carefully, and stood there with a bow.
Li Longji glanced at him lightly and said, "On the seventh night of the Lunar New Year, a few monsters and thieves made trouble, what do you think?
"Your Majesty..." Yang Guozhong was too nervous and didn't have much opinion at the moment, so he could only say bitterly: "These demon thieves! They deserve death! The prophecy of the Golden Sword is simply empty talk, just used by some demons with wild ambitions."
"Who is so ambitious?"
“I am incompetent and I don’t know.
"Go check it out."
Yang Guozhong was stunned, but he didn't react for a moment.
Li Longji said: "You are the censor Zhongcheng. If you don't investigate, who will?"
"I accept the decree! I will definitely live up to His Majesty's great trust!"
Yang Guozhong responded loudly, feeling excited.
He never expected that he would be the first to gain the saint's trust when the situation was so tense. And it was when his name violated the prophecy of the Golden Sword... I couldn't help but shed tears of gratitude.
Your Majesty trusts so much, trusts so much... Your Majesty...
Yang Guozhong's eyes turned red and he burst into tears. He knelt on the ground again while crying loudly.
"Go." Li Longji said warmly and waved his hand.
After receiving the imperial edict, Yang Guozhong had already received advice from Gao Lishi. After leaving Huaqing Palace, he went straight to the Jiangwu Hall. He saw Xue Bai from a distance and greeted Xue Bai warmly.
"Abai!"
"Brother?"
"Is your injury getting better? Brother Wei has always wanted to visit you, but he was afraid that the name would harm you. But it's better now. I have changed my name to Yang Guozhong' and am about to visit you.
"Thank you for your concern, brother." Xue Bai looked at the imperial edict in Yang Guozhong's hand and asked, "Brother, this is an errand."
Yang Guozhong glanced at Guo Qianli, put his arm around Xue Bai's shoulders, took two steps, and started discussing in a low voice.
"I have been wondering just now, why didn't the saint leave this job to people like King Qi and Zhang Consort, but left it to me? When I saw you, I understood that the saint actually trusts you. Knowing that you are Yang The brains of the family."
Xue Bai quickly humbled himself and said: "No, I trust my brother.
Yang Guozhong showed even more affection and said: "You have to help me to catch the man behind the scenes. You are the most important person in this matter. You will be promoted to great power soon."
"I still need qualifications and I don't dare to expect great achievements. But if I can do my best, I won't shirk it."
"Okay! Now you and I will do something big!"
Xue Bai smiled faintly, but he didn't think so in his heart.
He didn't believe a word Yang Guozhong said.
Because Li Longji was not for the "Yang family think tank". There was only one reason for choosing Yang Guozhong - when all the officials were suspicious, he chose the one who was easiest to see through and the least threatening.
Jiangwu Hall has almost become the North Yamen Prison.
When Xue Bai and others walked into the hall, they saw Chen Xuanli talking to Zhang, as if asking Zhang Zhan.
"I have never discussed the expansion of Huaqing Palace with my brother, and when he took over, the southwest section of the palace wall should have been repaired
"The prince-in-law misunderstood, and he did not doubt the prince-in-law." Chen Xuanli smiled and said, "But does the prince-in-law know? Several of those traitors were laborers building the Huaqing Palace."
"I do not know."
"Please, Prince Consort."
"Goodbye."
Zhang Zan had an unlucky look on his face again. When he went out, he saw Xue Bai, straightened up his appearance, nodded gracefully, and walked away.
Yang Guozhong looked back and asked, "General Chen suspects the consort?"
"Just ask." Chen Xuanli said: "Those traitors sneaked in between Fang Guan's release and Zhang Jun's arrival."
Yang Guozhong handed over the imperial edict in his hand and asked, "Who let them sneak in?"
Chen Xuanli took it and glanced at it, without answering, and looked at Xue Bai.
"I have a few words to ask the Number One Scholar."
"General Chen, it's okay to ask.
"Are Zhuangyuan Lang and Zhaoying Weida Xifu friends?"
Xue Bai shook his head and replied: "I want to seek the position of Zhaoying County Lieutenant and have some contacts with him."
"How long have you been in the Secretary's Department before you plan to be promoted?"
"People go to higher places." Xue Bai said: "As soon as the report comes out, some important officials in the court are afraid that I will not be allowed to stay in Chang'an.
Chen Xuanli smiled again and asked again: "What deals did you make with Da Xifu?"
"His grandpa will rate my exams well, and we will recommend each other."
After Xue Bai finished speaking, Chen Xuanli nodded and looked at the recorder behind him.
A memorial was taken out.
"Fortunately, the number one scholar is honest, otherwise it would be really troublesome. Da Xixun has already sent people to report your merits."
"I must be honest."
"Okay, that'll be fine." Chen Xuanli asked again, seemingly casually: "By the way, what else do you have to do with Da Xifu?"
"It's time to go away."
"Really? Then why didn't you report him to the court for hiding his funeral?"
Xue Bai hesitated for a moment and replied: "I don't know whether it is true or not, and there is nothing in the officialdom to report colleagues' private affairs... I am not a censor after all."
Chen Xuanli said: "I thought that Zhuangyuan Lang was friends with Da Xifu and helped him cover up. It turns out that it was good if I knew there was a trap in this matter."
Xue Bai was surprised and asked: "What trap?"
"I really don't know?"
"I really don't know."
Xue Bai felt that everything Chen Xuanli said was a trap.
He had to make it clear that he didn't know enough about Da Xifu to even know about the family affairs of Da Xi's family.
During this process, Yang Guozhong didn't say a word, but felt a little insecure.
They could all see that Da Xifu had recruited a lot of things.
At the same time, behind the martial arts hall, there was a newly renovated torture chamber.
Da Xifu was hung on the torture rack and kept talking, more than the people who asked him.
Sometimes the other party didn't ask, he just started talking directly.
"Li Xi, the magistrate of Zhaoying County, did not want to deal with me. He sent people to Luoyang to investigate, saying that I had concealed my mourning without paying tribute... But in fact, my mother-in-law passed away in the 29th year of Kaiyuan, and her relics were enshrined in Longmen. He was buried in Beimang Mountain for six years.
"Your mother-in-law still has relics?"
"yes."
"You just said that Xue Bai also knew about this, why didn't he report you?"
"Xue Bai showed his kindness to me. I felt that he was trying to win over me. He also deliberately told me about "The Legend of White Snake". Otherwise, I would never have known that Fahai was missing in the opera."
When Da Xifu said this, he suddenly realized and shouted: "I understand!"
"What do you understand?"
"They are all using me. Xue Bai deliberately presented a play; Wang Zhun, Xingxian and others deliberately recommended Liu Hua; and Li Xi, he was originally the magistrate of Yucheng County, and most of those monsters and thieves came from Henan Prefecture .... It was Li Xi who arranged for the demon thief to come to Huaqing Palace!
In the hall, Chen Xuanli had almost finished asking Xue Bai and went to Huaqing Palace to see him.
It seemed like he had no doubts about Xue Bai.
"How can he, a general, check these things?" Yang Guozhong muttered.
"I must have seen too many conspiracies."
Yang Guozhong nodded and said, "We have to interrogate the demon thief Liu Hua."
Only then did Xue Bai know that Liu Hua was not dead yet.
He didn't want to get involved in this matter. It would still be very troublesome if he was taken advantage of by someone with intentions. In addition, Chen Xuanli probably sent people to keep an eye on him to see if he had any dealings with these demon thieves.
But since Yang Guozhong invited him, he agreed to go to the trial together.
Liu Hua had been tortured to a state of disgrace. Not even a single piece of flesh on his body, including his scalp, was intact.
Yang Guozhong came in and took a look, shook his head and said: "Beiya's skills are still not good enough. If it were handed over to Yushitai, it wouldn't be such a miserable situation."
After he entered the Yushitai, he obviously learned a lot of skills from the cruel officials. At this time, he was still talking and laughing in the dirty and smelly torture chamber.
Xue Bai is not in such a mood. For this reason, it is possible that this major case will eventually be blamed on anyone, including him and Yang Guozhong.
"Abai is here to ask?"
"That's fine."
When Liu Hua heard the sound, he raised his head and stared at Xue Bai with his only eye.
And his other eye socket was bleeding with pus and blood.
"Do you regret it?" Xue Bai asked: "As long as you are loyal to the saint, you may be a famous figure in Chang'an by now."
"Am I... majestic on stage?"
Liu Hua's voice was hoarse, probably because the torture made him scream until he became hoarse.
His singing skills have probably been mostly ruined.
"I mean, when I assassinated Hun Jun, was it majestic? Hahaha, so happy!"
"Snapped!"
Yang Guozhong directly picked up the whip, rewarded Liu Hua heavily, and shouted: "Don't slander the saint!"
"You... although your bodies have not been cast out by lot, your brains have been cast out... saint? Hahaha, the eternal wise king of Fengchan Huashan, go and ask how many people want to kill him! The Li family will be destroyed, and Liu will be destroyed. Lord Jiji!"
"This madness is nothing to talk about." Yang Guozhong said, "I'll do it."
He didn't need any new torture tools, just a thick hemp rope and a bamboo board.
Two bamboo boards were tied to Liu Hua's abdomen and pulled with a hemp rope. The abdominal organs were tightly stirred on the left and right sides. This was not just a clamp. As the ropes twisted, the bamboo boards would also twist back and forth, aggravating the pain.
"Say! Who ordered you to do it?"
"I said……."
"remember."
Liu Hua groaned in pain and murmured: "Henan Yin Pei Dunfu..."
Yang Guozhong was stunned. Pei Dunfu returned to Beijing last year and caused some trouble, but he was dead because of party strife.
The imperial court stipulated that people should store grain in charity warehouses at a rate of "two liters per mu". It was clearly stated that this was for famine relief and disaster relief, and other people were not allowed to use it for other purposes. Pei Dun resumed his post as Yin of Henan, and paid four liters of grain per mu... That's all... The more households fled, the more he fled, and there was nothing he could do about it, that's all... However, there was a long drought in Henan, and when the disaster relief mission wanted to open warehouses to help the people , only to discover that he had moved the warehouse privately. "
Although Liu Hua's voice was hoarse, he became more sober as he spoke.
"My grandpa and the villagers always store grain in charity warehouses, and it has become a regular tax! But why did it divert and misappropriate it and completely change it?! The imperial court sent disaster relief envoys, why did they change the word "relief" to "relief loan"? The so-called imperial court borrowed first Give us food and wait for a good harvest to repay... This,
That’s all. Why borrow one liter and have to pay back three liters? If you can survive one disaster year, how can you survive two disaster years? It is obviously the food we paid, our food!
Yang Guozhong keenly discovered the clues in his words and shouted: "Who is your grandpa?!"
"Hahaha, my grandfather's name is taboo..."
"Hahaha, my grandpa's name is taboo...Liu Dinggao!" Liu Hua raised his head and laughed, "He is the hero who led the army to attack Luoyang in the 13th year of Kaiyuan!"
"Liu Dinggao!" Liu Hua raised his head and laughed: "Xue Bai, who led the army to attack Luoyang in the 13th year of Kaiyuan, sighed slightly in his heart, knowing that Liu Hua had deceived him before."
Yang Guozhong scolded: "Liu Dinggao has been executed long ago, who instigated you?!"
"Okay, I'll say it." Liu Hua said, "The people who instruct me are Wei Jian, the governor of Shaanxi Province and the land and water transport envoy; and the right minister of the court, Li Linfu!"
"How dare you talk nonsense?!"
"In the twenty-fifth year of Kaiyuan, Li Linfu re-established the free warehouse method. Before the re-establishment, those who had land paid for grain and stored it in the free warehouse. After the re-establishment, those without land also received grain. The corn supply in the free warehouse increased greatly, restoring the past prosperity... But my adoptive father, who had no land, was punished by the government officials. Exploit until death! This Kaiyuan granary and the prosperous age of the Tang Dynasty are all due to my adoptive father! Grant him a Zen title, you can grant him a Zen title of Xiyue. When I send this faint king down, my adoptive father will grant him a Zen title..."
"Torture!" Yang Guozhong shouted angrily, "Torture!"
"There is also Wei Jian, who opened water transport and transported grain from the southern warehouses to Chang'an. He has good strategies to govern the country. But he still wants us to pay a 'foot fee'.
It’s more than paying for food, and the ropes are stripped twice a year...ah!
Liu Hua said, feeling severe pain.
He was still yelling.
"Do you want foot fees... I'll give you my eggs! I'll give you my eggs! Those who force me to rebel... That's Li Longji... That's Li Longji! The lucky master of the Liu family!"
After listening to this, Xue Bai suddenly understood that the prophecy of the Golden Sword was actually not superstition, but a kind of faith.
If there was no such prophecy, how could a common man dare to call the emperor by his name?
On the other hand, if the situation was not getting worse, how could there be such a prophecy?
Today is the lucky lord of the Liu family, and tomorrow it may be the lucky lord of the An family...
