Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 433 Conditions
He Jian was stunned for a moment and asked, "Are you the Jinyiwei captain who asked to see you?"

It’s not that he didn’t think of Pei Yuan, but he did think of Pei Yuan.

After all, it had only been a short time since Pei Yuan was driven away from the door. How could He Jian not have any impression of it?

And perhaps it was this arrogant attitude that reminded He Jian of an incident that happened to Xu Feng, the commander of the Hangzhou vanguard, several months ago.

At that time, Xu Feng accused Nanjing Minister of War Wang Chang of colluding with the Bazhou bandits. As a result, because Wang Chang defeated the Bazhou army and killed Qi Yanming, He Jian judged that he was falsely accused and imprisoned.

When Xu Feng was imprisoned, a letter was delivered to him, signed by Pei Yuan, a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, demanding that Xu Feng be severely punished.

With He Jian's status, he would certainly not allow a small captain of the Jinyiwei to offend him.

If he wasn't the Minister of War and had no control over the Embroidered Uniform Guard, He Jian would have wanted to catch this guy and give him a good beating.

Afterwards, He Jian simply released Xu Feng.

If we look at it from this root, the relationship between the two sides is not harmonious.

He Jian maintained his arrogance as a Grand Marshal of the second rank and was about to storm out.

The captain of the Jinyiwei didn't stand up either, and continued to speak slowly, "Even if the Grand Marshal is disdainful, there is no need to look down on the goodwill of the old prime minister, right?"

He Jian heard this and became suspicious. He turned around and asked coldly, "What do you mean?"

This is the benefit of Pei Yuan asking Chen Xinjian to stop those servants.

For Li Dongyang, the best way to deal with this matter is to stay out of it.

If things don't work out, he won't be implicated.

If things were to work out, then how could Li Dongyang's mediation be in vain?

Since Li Dongyang didn't want to meet He Jian, Pei Yuan could naturally take advantage of the cognitive gap between the two sides and profit from it.

Pei Yuan stood up respectfully and said to He Jian, "I am Captain Pei Yuan. I will follow up on the case of Bian Xian and Xiao Chong that the Grand Marshal is involved in."

He Jian's eyes were filled with even more hesitation, so he simply asked straight to the point, "Is this what Li Xiya meant?"

Pei Yuan listened and deliberately said vaguely, "If I can answer the Grand Marshal clearly, then the one waiting in this hall is the old prime minister himself."

He Jian thought about it, sneered in his heart, and hated Li Dongyang more and more.

Although his original actions seemed to be an attempt to curry favor with the Prime Minister.

However, after Li Dongyang enjoyed the flattery in the beginning, he turned a blind eye to what happened, which really made He Jian feel disappointed.

If he was not in a difficult situation and did not dare to turn against Li Dongyang, he would have rushed in and beaten Li Dongyang up long ago.

But no matter what, Li Dongyang has started to take action now.

He Jian turned around and sat down expectantly, and asked Pei Yuan bluntly, "What did Xiya say?"

Pei Yuan also sat down and emphasized seriously, "This is a matter between me and the Grand Marshal, and has nothing to do with the old Prime Minister."

He Jian sneered.

But since this matter concerned his honor, wealth and status, he had no choice but to flatter and say, "What does Captain Pei say?"

Pei Yuan didn't waste time with He Jian and asked directly, "What does the Grand Marshal think of this case? What do you think the chances are that Bian Xian and Xiao Chong can overturn the verdict?"

He Jian was silent for a while.

He sighed, "Now that the rebels have been destroyed and the political situation has calmed down, no one wants to be the bad guy at this time, not to mention that those two guys have Yang Tinghe and Yang Yiqing behind them."

Pei Yuan said bluntly, "That is to say, Bian Xian and Xiao Chong will definitely be able to return to the court, right?"

He Jian did not answer.

Pei Yuan asked again, "These two are both Fengxian officials. Not only are they the Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief, but they also have their own backers. Is the Grand Marshal confident that he can put aside his past grudges and reconcile with these two?"

He Jian was still feeling a little resentful just now, but now he was so depressed that he didn't want to talk.

The reason why Li Dongyang wanted to deal with these two people was because of the request of Duke Yansheng.

And He Jian was the one who was looking for trouble.

This kind of meddling in other people's business is the most hateful thing.

When these two Right Censors-in-Chief return to the court, they will definitely take revenge on him without mercy.

But He Jian really has something that he can't justify.

Those were the things that were revealed in the memorial submitted by the eunuch Bi Zhen, who was in charge of Shandong, and which sparked discussions among the government and the public.

Under the premise that hundreds of thousands of the imperial army were unable to deal with the rebels in Bazhou, was it too cruel to force county officials to die in the city?

By pushing forward such an unreasonable policy, is it taking advantage of the system and killing people in blatant ways?
The captain of the Imperial Guard had no sympathy for He Jian's feelings and continued, "From what the Grand Marshal said, the two sides are not going to ease the tension?"

He Jian couldn't help but answer, but he didn't know what to answer, so he sighed again.

Pei Yuan asked, "According to the Grand Marshal's own estimation, what will be the best outcome of this matter, and what will be the worst outcome?"

He Jian's mood had reached its lowest point, and he was becoming a little impatient.

He said directly, "The worst case scenario is that my property will be confiscated and I will be exiled. If the Prime Minister and the Heavenly Officials are willing to treat me decently because of my hard work over the years, perhaps I can be dismissed and sent back home."

"Hmm..." Pei Yuan responded and continued to drink his tea slowly.

After He Jian finished speaking, he sat there for a while with a dead heart, and suddenly realized that something was wrong.

He looked up at Pei Yuan, who looked calm, and asked with a hint of expectation, "What advice do you have for Captain Pei?"

Pei Yuan smiled and said, "I do have some ideas. Maybe, not only can we help the Grand Marshal land safely, but we can also retain our rank and status and return home in glory."

He Jian almost stood up from his seat when he heard this. It was only when he half-leaned forward that he suddenly realized what was going on.

However, he did not even bother to sit back down. He just half-leaned and asked Pei Yuan, "Are you serious?!"

Pei Yuan didn't dare to make any guarantees.

"No one can predict this kind of thing, but there is still a 90% chance of success."

After hearing Pei Yuan's first words, He Jian's legs went limp and he almost sat back down in disappointment. But after hearing Pei Yuan's second words, he suddenly felt strength coming from somewhere in his legs and he stood up.

He asked hurriedly, "Are you serious?"

Pei Yuan showed a sunny and cheerful smile and said lightly, "It's not difficult to save your life."

He Jian looked at Pei Yuan, his mind racing, and he suddenly became alert.

He clenched his hands in his sleeves and asked directly in a deep voice, "Who are you?"

Pei Yuan asked curiously, "Why would the Grand Marshal ask this?" He Jian stared at Pei Yuan and said, "Even Li Dongyang wouldn't dare to say that. Who is behind you?"

Pei Yuan laughed and didn't deny anything. Instead, he said calmly, "It's not that difficult to save your life."

He Jian: “…”

He Jian stared at Pei Yuan for a while, and then asked, "What do you want from me?"

Pei Yuan didn't expect that He Jian was still so vigilant even though he was at the end of his rope.

Fortunately, Pei Yuan did not want to ask too much from He Jian, so he said to him, "I saved you just for the sake of convenience, and I just need you to help me a little, and I don't expect any big reward."

Although it is a bit harsh that the Jinyiwei captain can decide one's life and death with just a flick of his hand.

But He Jian was not affected by his emotions. Instead, he said to Pei Yuan in a serious and negotiating manner, "Then why don't you tell me first?"

Pei Yuan had nothing to hide, so he said, "Grand Marshal, do you still remember Liu Xiang, the prefect of Huai'an?"

He Jian thought for a moment and remembered the guy who led his troops to fight against the Bazhou army but was captured instead.

He was a little surprised and asked, "You want me to protect Liu Xiang?"

Pei Yuan quickly denied it, "That's not necessary. Although Liu Xiang was defeated and captured, he is still better off than Bian Xian and Xiao Chong who were helpless. If Bian Xian and Xiao Chong were both safe and sound, Liu Xiang should not have been held accountable."

"Besides, although he was caught by the bandits at that time, the reputation of the prefect Liu was so well-known that the bandits dared not harm him, which is also something worth publicizing."

Pei Yuan asked the eunuch Bi Zhen, who was in charge of Shandong, to come out and support the two governors, which directly led to the reversal of the verdicts on Bian Xian and Xiao Chong earlier than in history.

The court and its people also began to reflect on some of the policies used to suppress the rebellion early on.

With this favorable opportunity, Liu Xiang, who had no backing, was considered lucky and should not have been exiled to Guizhou as happened in history.

He Jian thought about it and generally agreed with Pei Yuan's judgment.

During the great discussion on merit some time ago, a captain of the Imperial Guard named Pei De emerged and accused the local authorities of being too harsh in governing the people, which led to the people rebelling everywhere.

The military men's opinions were so overwhelming that the civil service camp was embarrassed.

In this case, Liu Xiang, a local prefect who is respected even by the Bazhou Army, is a good person to talk about.

He Jian asked Pei Yuan, "So what do you mean?"

Pei Yuan asked He Jian for his opinion, "Liu Xiang has been defeated and captured before, should he also be brought to the capital for questioning?"

He Jian answered honestly, "That's true. We still have to go through the necessary formalities."

Pei Yuan clapped his hands, "That's it!"

He Jian: “?”

so?
Pei Yuan looked at He Jian and said with some regret, "I am a person who cares most about face."

"When Pei went to Huai'an to ask for an audience with the prefect, Liu Xiang refused to see me, which has been bothering me. I want you to ask Liu Xiang a question for me when you try his case."

He Jian asked in confusion, "What does Captain Pei want to ask?"

Pei Yuan looked at He Jian and said slowly, "Ask for me, does Governor Liu still remember Captain Pei Yuan?"

He Jian asked in disbelief, "That's it?"

Pei Yuan answered quickly, "Yes, that's the request."

He Jian listened to those somewhat trifling words, and thought that such trifling words could be equated with the life and property of a minister like himself, and he couldn't help feeling absurd and angry.

If this person had not been introduced by Li Dongyang, and if this had not been in the main hall of Li Dongyang's mansion, He Jian would have almost walked away in anger.

Fortunately, although the conditions of this Jinyiwei captain were child's play, He Jian could accomplish them with just a little effort.

He wouldn't mind hearing what plans Pei Yuan had to reverse the situation.

He Jian said solemnly, "I promise you."

After saying this, he gestured to Pei Yuan and asked him to make his words clear.

Pei Yuan did not beat around the bush with He Jian and said directly, "Great Sima, you have actually made a huge misunderstanding in this matter."

"You have put all your energy into how to resolve the issue of Bian Xian and Xiao Chong overturning their verdicts. But this matter itself is already a dead end. Bian Xian and Xiao Chong will definitely overturn their verdicts, and you can't stop them."

He Jian didn't understand what Pei Yuan meant, and looked at Pei Yuan with a frown.

Pei Yuan's strong body leaned forward with great pressure, and he said slowly, "Since you can't solve the problem, why don't you skip this dead end and try to solve the result?"

He Jian's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. His eyes moved a few times, and he couldn't help but blurt out, "What do you mean by this?"

Pei Yuan said, "You just said that the worst outcome is nothing more than confiscation of property and exile. The best outcome is that Yang Tinghe and Yang Yiqing will be considerate of each other and let you leave with dignity."

"So we don't have to think about overturning the verdict. We just need to force Yang Tinghe and Yang Yiqing to let you leave in a dignified manner."

He Jian had a sudden realization. His eyes lit up, and then he said bitterly, "It's not that simple. This is not just my business."

He Jian does not represent himself.

Being pushed to that position means that there are many people with common interests supporting him from below.

If He Jian lands safely, it will be difficult to hold his accomplices accountable.

Yang Tinghe had just taken office as Prime Minister, and his subordinates also needed to share enough benefits.

Pei Yuan heard this and said, counting on his fingers, "As one of the Seven Great Lords, you are also a very important faction in the Qingliu. The reason why you are in the current predicament is nothing more than that Yang Tinghe and Yang Yiqing are standing behind Bian Xian and Xiao Chong. You have become their common enemy, so it is inevitable that you will be outnumbered and at the mercy of others."

"But what if Yang Tinghe and Yang Yiqing turn against each other?"

"Then no matter what the outcome of the 'Bian Xian and Xiao Chong case' is, Yang Tinghe and Yang Yiqing will compete to win over you as the third person. By then, will you still have to worry about your future?"

He Jian pursed his lips and said in feigned anger, "How is this possible?"

Pei Yuan smiled and said, "Aren't we reviewing the gains and losses in suppressing the rebellion now? Did the Grand Marshal forget that there is still a Ma Dutang imprisoned in the prison? Ma Dutang was the first Chief Censor responsible for suppressing the Bazhou bandits, and his merits and demerits have not yet been discussed."

When the Bazhou army first started to rebel, Yang Yiqing actively recommended the Right Censor-in-Chief Ma Zhongxi to lead the expedition.

Yang Tinghe, the sixth brother, kept silent at first, but only started to make every effort to attack Zhongxi after the army set out.

Yang Yiqing felt very uncomfortable with this, but the army had already set out, and it was too late even to make a temporary change of generals.

Unexpectedly, Ma Zhongxi, with a huge advantage, played a heart-to-heart game with the Bazhou Army, allowing the Bazhou Army to take the opportunity to escape.

He Jian frowned and said, "Although the Ma Zhongxi incident caused a big rift between Yang Yiqing and Yang Tinghe, it would be difficult to break up the two just by relying on this, right?"

Pei Yuan looked at He Jian and said softly, "I have a few words from my heart. I wonder if the Grand Marshal dares to listen?"

(End of this chapter)