Don't Ask Where People Go After Time Travel

Chapter 1325 Innocent

Li Shengxuan asked, "Do you know why I want to transfer Wu Sheng to the Ministry of Justice to revise the law?"

Fang Zilan was about to speak when she heard Li Shengxuan say, "Half of it is because he has ideas, and the other half is because he is a disciple of Master Su Heng."

Fang Zilan's eyes flashed with surprise, and Li Shengxuan sighed, "Even with me behind him, Zhuge Yu's implementation of the civil service reform is still hindered, and he needs an old and respected man in the court to stand by his side and support him. Old Master Zhuge will naturally avoid suspicion. I originally wanted to invite Old Master Su Heng back to Beijing to take up his post, but there is the will of the late emperor, and Old Master Su Heng was quite disappointed when he was demoted. It would be inappropriate to invite him back rashly. Therefore, I want to use Wu Sheng as an opportunity to show Old Master Su Heng and the people of the world my intention to govern the world, and then it will not be too late to invite him back."

"But now Lord Wu Sheng..." Fang Zilan's voice was almost inaudible. She had not expected that Li Shengxuan had such an intention behind Wu Sheng's transfer to the Ministry of Justice. It seemed that Wu Sheng's death was not necessarily caused by her alone.

"I have ordered people to investigate. Wu Sheng is the only disciple of Master Su Heng in the capital." Li Shengxuan had a complicated expression. "I must give an explanation to Master Su Heng and the people of the world. Do you understand?"

Fang Zilan was distracted for a moment, and subconsciously asked, "How will Your Majesty explain this?"

Li Shengxuan remained silent. Fang Zilan clenched her fists and gritted her teeth as she said, "Who can give an explanation to Lord Yang Zhiqing and his family?"

Although she had been living in a daze these past few days, she had taken Xiao Xuan'er's words to heart. She knew that it was rumored in the capital that Yang Zhiqing had not been promoted for many years, and because he was jealous of Wu Sheng's transfer to the Ministry of Justice, he hired someone to kill him. Later, the clues in the letter were exposed, and in order not to drag down his family, he committed suicide in front of the Jingzhao Yin Mansion out of fear of crime.

After the incident spread, everyone in the capital cursed Yang Zhiqing. Every day, people would shout and throw stones in front of his mansion, disturbing his whole family.

It was as if everyone had lost their memory. No one remembered that Yang Zhiqing was an official who had guarded the miasma-ridden southeast for eight years and had received an umbrella for the people when he left office.

They only remembered that Yang Zhiqing was jealous and murderous, cruel and petty, and was not worthy of being an official at all.

As for Wu Sheng, he became the most innocent victim and was infinitely glorified. He was the disciple of Master Su Heng, talented, and a man of good character... All those who knew him or not were full of praise and regret, as if his absence was a huge loss to the court.

  When a person dies, he can only be criticized by others, and can't even keep his reputation after death?

Fang Zilan stared at the person in front of her, her eyes red with excitement. She suppressed her emotions and said word by word, "Lord Yang Zhiqing died in an unclear manner. Your Majesty did not order an investigation into the truth, but instead used his death to silence the public?"

"Fang Zilan, if you are willing to tell me everything you know, why would you do this?" Li Shengxuan's voice was filled with hidden resentment. "What kind of existence is Ghost Gate?"

Fang Zilan's expression froze for a moment, then she raised her lips as if relieved, "Your Majesty knows that the deaths of the two adults are related to the Ghost Gate. It seems that the Zhuge family has found out."

Her expression returned to calm. Li Shengxuan was stunned, as if he had not expected her to be so calm.

“Ghost Gate, as the name suggests, is a place where lonely ghosts live.” Fang Zilan said dimly, “Who in the world can be called a lonely ghost? I think Your Majesty should know.” “The old people of the previous dynasty who cannot see the light.” Li Shengxuan added, and Fang Zilan nodded slightly, “Although Emperor Tai’an issued a general amnesty at the beginning of his reign and did not pursue many old people of the previous dynasty, and even entrusted them with important tasks, the seeds of hatred were sown when the dynasty changed. As time passed, not only did they not disappear, but they gradually grew stronger and cannot be ignored.”

She paused as she spoke, "In the past, Guimen only roamed the martial arts world. It was the most famous assassin organization after Miluo Tianying and Baiyue Trial Hall."

Li Shengxuan was silent for a moment before he said, "Miluo Tianying and Baiyue Trial Hall have all interfered in the political situation and caused a stir in the court. Does Guimen want to follow in their footsteps?"

"Your Majesty is only half right." Fang Zilan took a deep breath and said, "Even if they intervene in the political situation, they are different. Miluo Tianying protected the high priest and maintained Yancheng Villa during the Three Kings' War a hundred years ago. After the seas and rivers calmed down, he disappeared. As for Baiyue Trial Hall, it killed the famous minister Xie's family, severely damaged the general who protected the country, and stirred up a bloody storm in Baiyue, and was eventually destroyed by the Xia family army."

It seemed as if everything had returned to the starting point. Ouyang Zirou was still at the center of the storm, and the court officials were arguing endlessly, as if they did not take Li Shengxuan's intentions to heart at all.

In order to maintain the superficial intimacy with Ouyang Zirou, the Ouyang family could only secretly obstruct. Under the instruction of the Ouyang family and the Pei family, the Censorate was the most shouting, like a group of jumping clowns. Su Yun was unwilling to participate in it, but he could not stay out of it, and he got himself into trouble. Zhuge Yu watched coldly and took the opportunity to judge whether it was feasible to allow women to enter the court.

Wang Quanrui of the Ministry of Rites was two-faced. On the one hand, he was bothered by Pei's agreement with the censors, and on the other hand, he tried to protect himself by keeping silent. He was like a coward, moving at every poke, and no one could do anything about it.

The Ministry of Justice, which supported the Queen Mother and the Dugu family, was able to stand up, but was ultimately weak. In addition, the revision of the law had many twists and turns, and the people in the Ministry of Justice were easily ridiculed by others in the court as soon as they opened their mouths, so they did not dare to stand out.

Fang Zilan knew that Li Shengxuan had the right idea and that the matter would be settled sooner or later, so she simply decided not to ask for permission from the court anymore, to avoid daily verbal sparring that would not gain any benefit and it would not be worth getting angry for nothing.

Therefore, only Ouyang Zirou was the most concerned. Every day before dawn, she would kneel outside the palace gate holding the imperial edict, attracting the attention of passers-by. For a while, the capital was full of discussions about whether Ouyang Zirou should take over the Arsenal.

In the teahouses and restaurants in the streets and alleys, whether you know the situation or not, whether you have a reason or hearsay, as long as you can speak, you will have something to say, and even those who can't speak will have to gesture to express themselves.

The whole capital was unusually lively, but Li Shengxuan in the Qiankun Palace remained calm. He knew very well that this matter could not be resolved by an imperial decree, and it would take the will of heaven and the will of the people to make it happen. He represented the will of heaven and the will of the people...

Fang Zilan was one of them, but she alone was not enough. If Ouyang Zirou wanted to be legitimate and women of all social status could enter the court, then it couldn't just be women who had the final say, but men had to speak up for it.

The world has never belonged to just one person. As a king, it is possible to use force to check and balance power, but it is ultimately a mirage and will not last long. If you want peace and prosperity, you must win the support of the people.

(End of this chapter)