It is very difficult to keep any secrets in the secret prison of Ouchi Guards. Someone was staring at Fang Jie all the time, as if they wanted to record even his urine and urine. This is the first time in my life to survive in this kind of environment. To be honest, Fang Jie is not very sure that I can get out of here.
Changchun Garden
By the lotus pond
After listening to the report on war preparations by Mou Liangbi, Minister of War, and giving serious instructions, the emperor breathed a sigh of relief and did not summon other important officials of the court. Instead, he sat on the stone bench next to the lotus pond and was in a daze for a while. The emperor rarely behaved like this, he always seemed very busy. It can be said that God Bless Emperor Yang Yi was the most low-key emperor in the history of the Sui Dynasty, but he was also the most diligent emperor.
He was always dealing with state affairs, and would sit on the earthen kang in Qionglu for a long time without moving. He sleeps for at most two hours a day and never delays getting up for even a minute.
In the past, emperors rarely read all memorials. You must know that the Sui Dynasty was too big. There were twenty-four worlds and thousands of cities. Not even an ox cart could pull the memorials delivered to Changchun Garden every day. Therefore, the emperor of the Sui Dynasty set up the position of eunuch Bingbi a long time ago, and the emperor's most trusted eunuchs were responsible for selecting memorials. They would filter and classify all the memorials, and then select the important ones and present them to the emperor.
And most of the memorials that have no substantive significance are often given by the eunuch Bingbi directly on behalf of the emperor. Such rules have been formed for decades. The power of the eunuch Bingbi was so great that even the important officials of the imperial court were not as powerful as him.
But when it came to the generation of God Bless Emperor Yang Yi, he abolished this rule. He is like a machine that never tires, showing no aversion to the trivial and complicated affairs of state. Since he ascended the throne, the huge power of eunuch Bingbi has been gradually weakened. Later, Eunuch Bingbi returned to being just a eunuch.
But even though the emperor was admirably diligent, he was still overwhelmed. Therefore, someone had to help him share some of the burden, so the official position of Huangmen Shilang became more and more important. Relatively speaking, Emperor Tianyou obviously trusted the courtiers more than the eunuchs in handling state affairs.
He set up the official position of Huangmen Shilang. There was no such official in the Sui Dynasty before. The responsibilities of Huangmen Shilang are actually to share some of the things that should have been done by eunuch Bingbi.
But in other matters, the emperor's trust in the eunuchs seemed not to be low at all. For example, the person closest to him at all times is the eunuch Su Buwei who looks very honest and taciturn.
The emperor is always very busy, so it is very novel for him to sit by the lotus pond and be in a daze.
People are used to it. When they think of the emperor, they can immediately guess that he is handling state affairs.
"Su Buweihow many years have you been in the palace?"
The emperor asked after being silent for a long time.
Su Buwei, who was standing not far from the emperor with his head bowed, replied: "Twenty-six years have passed since I entered the palace at the age of fifteen. I first worked as an apprentice in the imperial kitchen. Later, because I was quite clever, I was hired by the eunuch of the sect's inner palace at that time. Wu Peisheng was transferred to work with him. He worked in Zong Nei Mansion for more than ten years. Later, Wu Peisheng was promoted to Bingbi Eunuch, and I was also transferred to the Imperial Study Room for fourteen years. "
"Your memory has always been good."
The emperor nodded.
"Wu Peisheng was promoted by his father. At that time, even the second and third-ranking officials of the imperial court had to fawn over those who were eunuchs at Bingbi I have abolished most of the powers of eunuch Bingbi. I think Wu Peisheng must have been unwilling and angry. I have never asked him. You have been with him for more than 20 years, and no one knows him better than you. I heard Wu Peisheng came to see you alone before leaving Chang'an for the northwest? "
"yes"
Su Buwei lowered his head and said, "I have indeed seen this slave."
"What did he say?"
The emperor asked.
"Wu Peisheng said If he goes to the northwest, he will probably never come back. He said that after his death, the slave should take over the position of eunuch Bingbi. He warned the slave not to be disrespectful to His Majesty. The late emperor When he was in power, the duty of the eunuch Bingbi was to share the government affairs with the late emperor. What His Majesty wanted was not a eunuch but a responsible eunuch. He told the slaves to do what a eunuch should do and not to touch it. Something that cannot be touched.¡±
Hearing these words, the emperor was silent for a while and then sighed: "He still has resentment in his heart."
Su Buwei remained silent.
The emperor said: "He guessed wrong."
Su Buwei was startled, not knowing what the emperor meant by guessing wrong.
The emperor stood up, looked at the ridiculously beautiful flowers in the lotus pond and said with some sadness."I asked him to go to the northwest, not to get rid of him. I knew that Wu Peisheng would be dissatisfied and angry if he weakened the authority of eunuch Bingbi. But I knew that he was loyal, so I never thought of killing him. . The purpose of sending him to the northwest is to eliminate the corruption in the army before the war. It is to prepare for the war against Meng Yuan and to find out what the garrison in the northwest is like. "
"He thought I wanted to kill him because he had complained. He was wrong."
The emperor said: "I have even prepared a home for him. I bought a big house for him on Jianghuai Road. I specially asked the Ministry of Household Affairs to allocate a sum of money to purchase land and servants. I thought, when he comes from the northwest As soon as he comes back, let him go out of the palace to take care of himself. He is already very old He has done a lot for the late emperor and he has made great contributions. How could I kill him? "
The emperor's tone was sad and a little angry.
He was angry because Wu Peisheng didn't understand him.
"Perhaps Wu Peisheng said that he would definitely die, not because he thought what Your Majesty wanted."
Su Buwei's expression kept changing. He hesitated for a moment before continuing: "He followed His Majesty's order to thoroughly investigate the corruption case in the northwest military, which will inevitably affect the interests of many people. He said that he would never return, and maybe he was worried What's more, he will find out something that will definitely cost him his life."
"Su Buwei"
The emperor looked back at him and said: "It's rare for you to say such a thing today. You have never participated in state affairs. Even if I ask you, you will find a way to refuse."
"I don't want your majesty to be unhappy, nor do you want your majesty to misunderstand Wu Peisheng He is greedy for money and loves power. If an eunuch is contaminated by these two things, he will definitely die. But he is loyal enough to your majesty, even if there is Complaining will not do anything detrimental to Your Majesty. And because I know him well, I know that with his temperament, he will definitely investigate deeply and carefully, and he will find many shady things."
The emperor was slightly startled, and then a sharp look flashed in his eyes.
"Find Hou Wenji No, let's find Luo Weiran."
The emperor ordered: "Let him find out by whose hands Wu Peisheng died."
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Wu Peisheng was killed by Li Xiaozong.
Where is Li Xiaozong?
Still in the northwest, but has been dismissed. He no longer had the battle robe of the fifth-grade tooth general from the Great Sui Dynasty, but he was not imprisoned. It seems that the emperor believed the truth about the Fan Gu war reported by the Ministry of War, and only made up for his mistake of concealing the report. Of course, this kind of sin can be big or small. To put it more harshly, it would be the crime of deceiving the emperor. For things like the crime of deceiving the emperor it depends on what His Majesty thinks.
¡°Obviously, His Majesty doesn¡¯t want to kill him yet.
So although he fell from a very high position, he did not fall to his knees. Originally, several ministers of the imperial court were discussing and wanted to add a rule of never hiring him. But when it was submitted to His Majesty for approval later, His Majesty crossed out this sentence with a red pen. This was an obvious signal, so many people in the court guessed that this young man named Li Xiaozong must have a chance to make a comeback.
When it became clear that the empire was going to expedition to the northwest, everyone understood why the emperor did not execute Li Xiaozong at that time. Li Xiaozong had been a tooth general in Fangu for several years. No one knew the situation in Fangu better than him. And he was a very scheming person. While sending troops to eliminate the bandits and horse thieves around Fan Gu, he also explored the terrain of Langru Mountain several times. He knows very well that if a person wants to succeed, he must prepare many things in advance.
He was not sure that the empire would go to war against Meng Yuan, but he knew from the beginning that he had to be prepared for this.
How could Your Majesty abandon such a person? Once the war breaks out, he will be quickly resurrected. And after experiencing a great war, it was impossible to say that this young man would soar into the sky. Thinking further, when His Majesty designated him as Fan Gu's general, could he have the intention of using him in the war?
This is not impossible. You must know that although Li Xiaozong could not squeeze into the top three in the Yanwu Academy, he was always ranked fourth. The first three people were all assigned to the Sui War Soldiers. He was transferred to Fan Gu. Why? Not a kind of attention? The three people who were better than him went to familiarize themselves with the army in order to bring out an elite and capable soldier as soon as possible. Li Xiaozong went to get to know the northwest, and his role cannot be underestimated.
"The one who was punished by His Majesty at the same time as Li Xiaozong was General Li Yuanshan of You Xiaowei. This man who had been in the position of general for more than ten years was demoted three levels in a row, from a third-grade general to a fifth-grade general. However, what is very unruly is that he still leads the right Xiaowei.
There are dozens of generals above the fifth rank of You Xiaowei Zheng.
So Li Yuanshan is a very embarrassing person. As the commander-in-chief of You Xiaowei, according to the rules, he must first give a military salute to dozens of his subordinates when he raises his account every day. And the most surprising thing is that he actually abides by this rule without slacking off at all. From the moment he was demoted to the army, he acted completely according to the rules. When it is time to give orders, he will not be sloppy, and when it is time to salute his opponent, he will never be reluctant.
Of course, someone will naturally tell His Majesty the Emperor who is far away in the Imperial Capital such a thing.
Li Yuanshan is used to living in big tents and military camps. But since he was demoted, whenever military matters were dealt with, he would ride back to his mansion in the city and live with his wife and children. He no longer enjoyed the special treatment from the general, and even cut off the fine wine from the Western Regions specially provided to the general.
Of course, someone would naturally tell His Majesty the Emperor who was far away in the imperial capital such a thing.
Li Yuanshan, who was sitting in the study, wore a cotton dress instead of a brocade dress. He always thought that soft cotton was more comfortable to wear. After casually flipping through the imperial palace newspaper a few times, he turned his attention to the young man who had been standing quietly aside.
"How many days has Prince Xu arrived?"
he asks.
The young man standing very politely was Li Xiaozong. He had no official position, but was appointed as an aide by Li Yuanshan. This was something that did not conflict with the imperial decree. The staff were his personal advisers, not court officials. Of course, this is also a handle, but who would offend a general who will soon be reinstated for such a trivial matter?
"It's been ten days."
Li Xiaozong replied.
"Any unusual behavior?"
Li Xiaozong thought for a while and replied: "The day before yesterday, he seemed to have inadvertently asked about Wu Peisheng's death."
"Just ask."
Li Yuanshan shook his head slightly and said: "Who can prove now that it was you who killed Wu Peisheng? That old eunuch knew that there were many things he couldn't touch, but he still got in. In the northwest, he was just a passerby. That¡¯s all, but because of his curiosity, he even left the grave here. Prince Xu is smarter than Wu Peisheng. He knows what is most important at this time. "
"Your Majesty wants to attack Meng Yuan. Your Majesty will not spare anyone who ruins your majesty's great cause."
He looked at Li Xiaozong and said, "Get ready. Maybe it won't be long before your will is reactivated."
"Thank you, uncle!"
Li Xiaozong bowed deeply and spoke sincerely.
"What you should be grateful for is your fate. If you were not born in the Li family you would have died long ago. We, the Li family, are not the ones who can do anything they want."