Chang'an, Daming Palace.
The upright Imperial Guards held swords and spears like a forest in their hands, the majestic palace was decorated with gold and jade, flags were fluttering, and the momentum was majestic.
With a memorial hidden in his sleeve, Pei Yan slowly walked into the majestic Zichen Hall under the watchful eyes of the officials coming and going.
Walking into the palace, Pei Yan didn't even look up, and bowed directly: "My lord, Pei Yan, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, pays homage to the Queen of Heaven. May the Queen of Heaven be safe!"
"Pingshen." Empress Wu sat on the golden throne and waved her hand a little tiredly. The chamberlain beside her immediately stepped forward and put the memorial in front of Empress Wu on one side. On the other side, a female officer brought a cup of hot tea. Put it in front of Empress Wu.
Empress Wu took a gentle sip, and her expression relaxed a little. She raised her head and looked at Pei Yan, and asked softly: "How is the investigation on the East China Sea King incident going?"
Pei Yan's eyes tightened, but his expression remained calm and he said: "Reporting to the Queen of Heaven, the Ministry of Punishment has investigated most of the imperial clan, relatives, and all the descendants of officials who were in the palace of the Yin Crown Prince. The bad news is that nothing has been found. The good news is the same. Nothing was found."
"You do know how to talk." Empress Wu chuckled disdainfully, then waved her long sleeves and said, "This is not good news, nor is it bad news. King Yinxi has been dead for so many years, who else can I miss him, not to mention that truly capable talents have already taken important positions in various parts of the imperial court, and only those losers would associate with Queen Yinxi's people."
"What the Queen said is absolutely true." Pei Yan nodded solemnly, and then said: "Chang'an and Luoyang are actively investigating, and local governments have also taken action, but there is not much progress. Only in Yangzhou... the King of Nanchang captured the old man in Yangzhou. Li Niannian, the son of Duke Ankang, was killed in advance and no further progress was made, and the King of Nanchang seemed to have omitted some things."
"Omission, what is the omission?" Empress Wu's eyes dropped slightly, with a hint of anger in her expression.
"Although Li Niannian is dead, he has been working in Yangzhou for many years and has connected inside and outside to form a huge network. If we can conduct an in-depth investigation, we will definitely be able to achieve results, but the King of Nanchang seems to be thinking about the clan. I feel a pity that I didn't dig deeper into it." Pei Yan's expression showed a hint of regret, as if he was bound to be able to dig it out in Yangzhou.
"Pei Qing!" Empress Wu suddenly spoke, her voice not deep, but Pei Yan felt an inexplicable chill.
"I'm here!" Pei Yan solemnly raised his hands.
Empress Wu said with a hint of coldness in her eyes: "Does Pei Qing still remember the responsibility of King Nanchang for his trip to the southeast?"
"I remember!" Pei Yan's face suddenly darkened, and then he said quickly: "On this trip, King Nanchang served as the deputy envoy of Jiangnan Road to prepare troops. He assisted the Governor of Yangzhou, Shi Dou Xuande, in recruiting soldiers and renovating warships. At the same time, he contacted the Japanese country and defrauded them. Silla, let it misjudge the strength and determination of our advancing troops, thereby facilitating the army's northward retreat."
"Since you understand, why are you still making such false claims? The king of Nanchang knows the difference between priority and priority. You, Pei Yan and Pei Zilong, the dignified Minister of the Ministry of Punishment and the central minister, really want the southeast to be in chaos now?" Empress Wu said angrily. He picked up a memorial on the table and threw it towards Pei Yan.
With a "pop" sound, the memorial hit the ground directly at Pei Yan's feet, only missing him by a small margin.
Pei Yan's expression suddenly changed, and he even couldn't help but take several steps back.
In an instant, Pei Yan's face turned pale, because the words on the cover of the memorial in front of him made Pei Yan break out in a cold sweat: Dou, the ambassador of Jiangnan Road, and Li Zuo, the deputy envoy, raised the army.
Two or three things were written on the cover of the memorial, but Pei Yan knew that in this memorial, Dou Xuande and Li Xuan must have described all the things in Yangzhou in detail, including the matter about Li Missing. .
"The King of Nanchang has already asked for an order to deal with the matter that Li misses. After all, Duke Shi'an is a member of the clan and an elder. It is normal for the King of Nanchang to be difficult to deal with, and everything is done in a low-key manner. But you, being so smart, insist on doing it. Put Duke Shi'an under house arrest..."
Empress Wu gritted her teeth and looked at Pei Yan: "Now that the entire southeast is in unrest, you still want to make false claims to create a trap. Do you have to cause chaos in the southeast, unable to assist Anton, and ultimately lead to
The army on the front line was defeated, which in turn affected Tubo's preparations for war... You have to make the Tang Dynasty uneasy and chaotic inside and outside the country before you give up, right? "
Pei Yan immediately pulled up the hem of his clothes and knelt down directly in the palace. His face was full of fear, but he said very sincerely: "Tianhou, you have wronged me. I am loyal to Your Majesty and Tianhou, and I am dedicated to the Tang Dynasty. How could you have such evil and sinister thoughts?"
"I hope you don't have it, but given the overall situation, please don't have any small thoughts that you shouldn't have." Empress Wu's voice suddenly became calmer, and the resentment in her previous words disappeared without a trace in an instant. .
"I obey!" Pei Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Although he was panicked on the outside and even sweating, he was quiet in his heart.
At this moment, Empress Wu continued to speak: "I have sent an order for Duke Shi'an to return home. The matter of Li's memory has nothing to do with him. He is just looking after the unfilial son for his brother, and The King of East China Sea has no connection.”
"What the Queen of Heaven said is true, it's your minister Meng Lang." Pei Yan slightly cupped his hands.
"Please step back," Empress Wu waved her hand directly, with a hint of impatience on her face.
Pei Yan immediately stood up slowly, not daring to say anything, and retreated directly. He couldn't help but let out a slight sigh of relief on his face. However, when he was halfway back, Empress Wu suddenly spoke: "Li Xuansi, the Lieutenant General of the Forbidden Army." He was transferred to General Zuo Xiaowei. Cheng Wuting, the general of Zhonglang of the Right Leading Army Wei, was transferred to the post of General of Zhonglang of the Forbidden Army."
General Lang of the Forbidden Army, guarding the Xuanwu Gate.
Pei Yan suddenly stopped, turned to look at Empress Wu, bowed deeply, and then exited the Zichen Palace.
After Pei Yan left, Wu Cai's face turned cold and he cursed rudely: "Trash."
In one word, the entire Zichen Hall fell into silence.
"Queen of Heaven, calm down!" A figure stood up from behind the gauze curtain and bowed slightly to Empress Wu.
Empress Wu waved her hands indifferently, but this time, the anger on her face had lightened a lot, and she sneered and said: "Being ambitious is not a bad thing, but being too ambitious is not a good thing. A person becomes the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and the same clan He is the Minister of the Ministry of War, and he has an in-law who is the Minister of the Ministry of Industry. Not only is he spying on the position of prime minister, but he is also eyeing the Minister of Rites. If we really want him to succeed, I am afraid that even this queen will be wary of him."
Although the position of the prime minister at the center of the court is divided up by several affairs, each prime minister has great power. Even the emperor needs to use the six ministries and nine ministers to carefully check and balance the power of the prime minister and maintain the stability of the court. .
The position of each of the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers in the Central Center requires careful consideration by the emperor again and again before being determined. However, if a certain prime minister directly focuses on the position of a certain Six Ministries and Ministers, and tries to push his cronies to the top...
If this person was highly appreciated by the emperor, and could even be the future prime minister, assistant, and left prime minister, that would be natural, but such a person was not what Empress Wu liked.
Look at the current leaders of the three central provinces, Liu Rengui, Dai Zhide, and Hao Chujun, all of whom are not around seventy years old. But Pei Yan, who has just passed fifty, is already actively seeking the position of prime minister and even planning for six provinces.
Such a prime minister is too ambitious and greedy. Even if he is her confidant, Empress Wu does not like it in her heart. She still likes those who know how to proceed and how to retreat.
"The southeast needs peace, but it also needs to find out all the remnants of Prince Yin. This is also a delicate job, especially now, and it requires more patience. Pei Yan is too impatient. He would rather hurt innocent people to complete the matter. There is no way at all. Considering that this will damage this year's autumn harvest and next year's spring planting." Empress Wu shook her head in disgust.
"Queen of Heaven, although Pei Shangshu is a little impatient, he is still measured." The figure who stood up once again interceded for Pei Yan.
"Property, his sense of propriety is just to buy favors for himself." Empress Wu sneered, she could clearly see Pei Yan's little tricks. Read the book
If it weren't for this, Pei Yan wouldn't have thought of leaving the Zichen Palace just now.
It is impossible for a minister of punishment who does not have an overall view to become a prime minister.
In fact, Empress Wu knew in her heart that although Pei Yan was more selfish, he was still sure of the situation in the southeast. He could use the threat of the King of East China Sea to suppress
Force the major aristocratic families in the south of the Yangtze River to take the initiative to clean up the people and things related to the King of East China Sea.
Then he grabbed some evidence to suppress and win over him, and at the same time, he was about to control the situation in his own hands.
Pei Yan's idea is good, but at the practical level, it has some shortcomings.
After all, it was not Pei Yan himself who actually went to the southeast for operations, but his nephew Xue Zhongzhang.
Although Xue Zhongzhang looks good, in fact, he is procrastinating in doing things and is easy to rush into things. Especially beside him, there is a more obedient King of Nanchang.
Empress Wu could almost see through the development of Southeast Asia at a glance. Xue Zhongzhang seemed to be hiding behind Li Xuan, plotting something secretly. But since he placed Li Xizhi, the Duke of Shi'an County, under house arrest, all the aristocratic families in the entire Southeast... Everyone knows who to watch out for.
"Fan Qing!" Empress Wu raised her head and looked at Fan Lubing, who had fallen silent. There was a hint of coldness on her face with a slight smile: "What do you think of another memorial by King Nanchang?"
Fan Lubing raised his hands with a solemn expression and said, "Tian Hou, everything the King of Nanchang said is all speculation without any evidence. It cannot be relied upon in the court, but..."
"Although there is no evidence, we can already confirm based on speculation that it is that person who is doing it, right?" A coldness flashed deep in Empress Wu's eyes. At that time, Anlu County Duke Xu Shan had a vague intention of seeking refuge, but Empress Wu was only slightly concerned. If you pay attention, Xu Shan will die.
But Empress Wu didn't care that much at the time. After all, Xu Shan just had an attitude at that time.
Moreover, Empress Wu also had some doubts at that time that the emperor had done something wrong. After all, no one would like a traitor.
But now, everything proves that the emperor didn't know anything about that incident back then. Now that it suddenly came out, it not only embarrassed Empress Wu in front of the emperor, but more importantly, that incident made her miss a prime minister.
Master Xu Yu, as long as he is transferred back to the center, he will immediately become the prime minister.
Empress Wu took a deep breath and said coldly: "Let Baiqisi conduct a thorough investigation. If they find evidence, send them to the Ministry of Punishment. If no evidence is found, then let Li Anjing and his family disappear completely."
"This is what Your Majesty meant."
