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

Chapter 485 Target Zhang Xiong
and so.

Zhang Yong, who backstabbed and killed Liu Jin, was undoubtedly Bi Zhen's greatest enemy.

That's why.

When Prince Ning launched a rebellion and tried to seize the throne, Bi Zhen, who had become the eunuch guarding the city, acted without hesitation.

He first spread rumors in Zhejiang to create unrest among the people, then took away the keys to the city gates at dusk and ordered the government troops to enter the city in armor in the middle of the night, intending to lure and kill officials from various prefectures and garrison commanders in Zhejiang.

Unfortunately, Bi Zhen overestimated the officials' moral integrity. These guys were so frightened by Bi Zhen's rumors that they didn't dare to go out.

This is, this is really frustrating.

Although Bi Zhen's plan failed in history, Pei Yuan still had a good impression of this guy who "really did it when there was a problem".

This is the chosen ally he wants!

If we want to kill Zhang Yong, how can we do it without calling Bi Zhen?
This secret that he had to keep with all his might in front of others, became the capital for taking credit from Bi Zhen when facing him!

Moreover, given Bi Zhen's "resolutely do it" personality, if he knew that Pei Yuan had such a plan, he might take the initiative to participate.

If Bi Zhen gets involved in this matter and everyone does something bad together, then the other two of the three Avengers, Liu Jing and Liu Lang, will be dragged into it sooner or later.

Thinking of his pride, Pei Yuan couldn't help but say to Chen Xinjian, who was traveling with him, "Eunuch Zhang's death was worth it!"

In order to encircle and kill Zhang Yong, in addition to using the elite soldiers from Xuzhou that Chen Toutie brought to Luojiao, the two hundred soldiers from Xuzhou who were the five trial centurions would also be used. In addition, Pei Yuan would also make Xiao Tong see blood, and also try to win over the three avengers including Bi Zhen.

It can be said that this incident, in addition to eliminating the hidden danger of Zhang Yong, is also a team-building activity to unite people and expand consensus.

Chen Xinjian didn't have as many thoughts as Pei Yuan, and just reminded him awkwardly, "Captain, Eunuch Zhang is not dead yet?"

Pei Yuan didn't take it as an offense and laughed, "Oh? Not dead? Just a walking corpse."

Pei Yuan's group was small in number and had fast horses available, so after entering Shandong, it only took them two days to reach Licheng, where they met the garrison eunuch Bi Zhen.

Bi Zhen's last memorial was extremely impressive, and he also earned the reputation of a virtuous official because he spoke for the civil officials.

Although his loud cry of "The country has supported eunuchs for a hundred years, and they are dying for their loyalty and righteousness today" almost broke the skulls of many upright people, he was generally recognized.

The inner court, in particular, resonated greatly with Bi Zhen's remarks.

After Bi Zhen finished filming his scenes, he returned to Shandong feeling secretly happy.

...That would be even better!

Because the main content of Bi Zhen's letter to Beijing this time was to defend the former Shandong governor Bian Xian and those Shandong local officials who were convicted for losing the city.

This move directly changed the views of many Shandong officials towards Bi Zhen.

Although Bi Zhen is a bit greedy, if you look around with your conscience, who is not greedy?
Which of those cold and indifferent filial piety, outdated customs and practices is not institutional greed?

How much more respectable is this tacit sharing of the spoils than Bi Zhen asking for it himself?

So, we are all family!
After realizing this, and considering that Bi Zhen, the eunuch guarding Shandong, had a very high status, Bi Zhen became very successful in Shandong for a while.

Many officials who were already interested in getting in touch with him also took the opportunity to make contact with him in a decent manner, taking advantage of Bi Zhen's speaking for Shandong officials.

Chen Xinjian first secretly asked to see Bi Zhen, and then whispered to Bi Zhen that Captain Pei was already outside the door.

Bi Zhen was shocked when he heard this.

Seeing that Chen Xinjian was cautious, he dismissed his attendants and personally welcomed Pei Yuan in.

The people brought by Pei Yuan immediately guarded the inside and outside. Bi Zhen was puzzled, but not too nervous.

The relationship between the two was pretty good, and they had previously worked together to conceal the death of the Yanggu County Magistrate.

Bi Zhen's act of submitting a petition to the emperor helped Pei Yuan a lot.

Bi Zhen saw that Pei Yuan's personal soldiers also retreated, and asked in surprise, "Is there something important that made Captain Pei come to visit in person?"

Pei Yuan asked directly, "Zhang Yong has been stripped of his position as the Chief of the Imperial Household Department. Does Eunuch Bi know about this?"

When Bi Zhen heard Pei Yuan mention Zhang Yong, his face immediately darkened.

He said in a cold voice, feeling quite relieved, "We received the news a few days ago. It can be said that God has opened his eyes for that bastard to have this day!"

Pei Yuan saw that Bi Zhen did not hide his hatred for Zhang Yong at all, so he simply looked at Bi Zhen and said word by word, "Then if I go to kill Zhang Yong, what is Eunuch Bi willing to pay?"

Bi Zhen was shocked when he heard this, "You're going to kill Zhang Yong?"

The look on his face was one of disbelief at first, and then his eyes gradually widened, as if they were about to emit light, "Can you really kill Zhang Yong?"

Pei Yuan didn't beat around the bush with Bi Zhen, and still asked directly, "What can the father-in-law give me?"

Bi Zhen seemed to be afraid to touch his beautiful dream, and he denied the possibility of this matter. "I heard that Zhang Yong went south this time with Zhang Rong and more than 200 elite soldiers, who followed and protected him in the name of family servants. What can you use to kill Zhang Yong?"

Pei Yuan rudely interrupted Bi Zhen's nonsense and said, "What I'm asking is, what can you give me?!"

Only then did Bi Zhen hear Pei Yuan's determination from his decisive and firm words.

Bi Zhen gritted his teeth and promised without hesitation, "If Captain Pei can kill Zhang Yong, our family will obey you from now on! Even if you want me to be your dog, I will bark for you twice a day!"

Pei Yuan saw that Bi Zhen was not ambiguous at all, and he had no doubts in his heart. He immediately said to him, "I have a grudge against Zhang Rong, and I am afraid that the emperor will restore them one day in the future, so I plan to take this opportunity to wipe them out completely."

"But Eunuch Bi should know how serious this matter is. We can't just act bravely without any plan."

Upon hearing this, Bi Zhen immediately gritted his teeth and said, "Since Captain Pei said this, I believe he has already made up his mind."

"As long as our place can be used, Captain Pei, just ask. Even if it means exchanging our life for that bastard's, we will accept it."

Pei Yuan said, "That's not necessary. I have already chosen someone to take care of the aftermath."

Without waiting for Bi Zhen to ask, he said directly, "It's Zhang Xiong, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Stables."

"Zhang Xiong?" Bi Zhen was stunned, not being able to identify this name.

Bi Zhen had been sent out to be a garrison eunuch a long time ago, so Zhang Xiong was not well-known, so he was naturally a little unfamiliar. Pei Yuan explained, "Zhang Xiong is the younger brother of Zhang Rui, the head of the East Factory. Some time ago, the emperor was short of money because he had to train troops in the capital, so I advised the emperor to resume the tax supervision that Eunuch Liu had set up in various places before, and directly supervise the local taxation."

"The emperor readily agreed and gave the task to Zhang Rui. Zhang Rui had just taken over the East Factory, so he naturally had to make some achievements to prove himself. So he let his younger brother Zhang Xiong use the name of the East Factory and personally lead the people to the south."

Bi Zhen had been to many places for a long time, so he certainly knew into whose pockets the taxes went.

He didn't say anything about it, just listened quietly.

Pei Yuan jumped and said, "Zhang Xiong was ignorant and careless. He was attacked by some unknown force just after arriving in Jiangnan. As a result, he suffered heavy losses before he even started supervising the tax collection."

"I heard that when they went there, there were more than 600 people, but when they came back, there were only more than 200 people."

Bi Zhen couldn't help but ask, "Does this person have anything to do with the murder of Zhang Yong? Captain Pei plans to use this person's manpower?"

Pei Yuan shook his head and said, "That's not the case. I plan to put the blame on Zhang Xiong."

Bi Zhen instinctively felt that this was not credible. "Why would Zhang Xiong want to kill Zhang Yong for no reason? Besides, Zhang Xiong's manpower is not enough to pose a threat."

Pei Yuan explained, "Eunuch Bi doesn't know about this. This time Zhang Yong stepped down because Zhang Rui was ordered to handle the case. And Zhang Rui was worried that he would not be able to kill the case and let Zhang Yong revive, so he thoroughly investigated Zhang Yong."

"It can be said that Zhang Rui has offended Zhang Yong to death. However, the emperor still spared Zhang Yong's life out of consideration for his feelings."

After Pei Yuan explained Zhang Rui's motives, he reminded Bi Zhen, "Of course, two hundred people cannot surround and kill Zhang Yong, but what if there are six hundred people?"

Bi Zhen was stunned. Thinking about the number six hundred, he immediately remembered what Pei Yuan had just mentioned, that there were six hundred people when Zhang Xiong led his men south.

He shook his head and said, "Without any evidence, how can we convince people? We can't just say that Zhang Xiong killed him, and that means it was Zhang Xiong who killed him."

Pei Yuan immediately added, "Then we'll have to rely on Eunuch Bi to help."

"Me?" Bi Zhen was stunned.

Pei Yuan was afraid that Bi Zhen would not be willing to do his best, so he added, "Only when this thousand households have no worries will they dare to act decisively."

Bi Zhen frowned slightly, but did not hesitate, "Then tell me what you think."

Pei Yuan said, "If Zhang Yong dies, it will definitely cause outrage among the government and the public."

"But the emperor is fickle-hearted, so it's hard to say how much attention he can pay to this matter."

"Besides, Zhang Yong was demoted to Nanjing, and the charges Zhang Rui found against him were not all false. As the emperor still has a bad impression of Zhang Yong, he may not put much pressure on his subordinates."

"As long as the subordinates are watching over this matter, there will be an opportunity to take advantage of it."

Pei Yuan still remembered that the Sanhe Posthouse case developed in this way.

When middle-level officials like Liu Zhishu, who is the head of the Ministry of Justice, found that the pressure from above was not very urgent and the matter might involve other bigwigs, they began to tacitly play it safe and do nothing.

They will use procedural issues to completely drag down this investigation, ultimately leading to nothing being done.

Pei Yuan said, "Zhang Rui already has the motive to wipe out the roots. What we need to do now is to create a big enough suspicion for Zhang Xiong and link the matter to the two brothers Zhang Rui and Zhang Xiong."

"As long as this matter involves the head of the East Factory and the emperor does not continue to exert pressure, this case cannot be investigated."

Bi Zhen reminded, "Zhang Xiong's 600 Ti cavalry have already suffered a lot of losses in the south, and the remaining people can't do anything to Zhang Rong's elite troops. Even if he wants to do it, he can't do it. Just for this reason, it's impossible to throw dirty water on Zhang Xiong."

Pei Yuan thought for a moment and said, "It's not difficult. Since the key point lies in the number of Zhang Xiong's men, can't we just blur the number of his men?"

Pei Yuan asked Bi Zhen, "Does Eunuch Bi have any trusted eunuchs under his command?"

Bi Zhen nodded, "There are a few that can be used."

Pei Yuan said, "I have a solution."

"You can have your eunuchs go to Zhang Xiong to offer advice in the name of currying favor with the Zhang brothers. Just say that since Zhang Yong has left, the hair will not stay if the skin is gone, and the head of the Imperial Household Department, Ma Yongcheng, will probably step down soon."

"In the past, the inner court had the eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department in charge of the Eastern Depot. Although Zhang Rui was the director of the Eastern Depot, he served concurrently as the eunuch of the Imperial Treasure Department."

"Now that Zhang Rui has taken control of the East Factory, theoretically he can also turn around and seek the position of the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department."

Pei Yuan said, and asked Bi Zhen, who was familiar with the affairs of the inner palace, "Is this logic correct?"

Bi Zhen thought about it and agreed, "Now that Zhang Yong is gone, Ma Yongcheng will indeed be replaced. The Silijian seal holder and the Silijian pen holder need to be of one mind. Now that Lu Ting has taken over, Ma Yongcheng will naturally not be retained. The emperor will not want endless fighting in the inner court."

"Lu Ting and Zhang Rui are both old friends of Hongzhi. When Lu Ting led the army to war, Zhang Rui was also briefly ordered to supervise the guns in the army. He can be considered to have worked under Lu Ting for a while."

"If Zhang Rui, as the governor of the Eastern Depot, seeks the position of the chief secretary of the Imperial Household Department, Lu Ting has no reason to object."

Pei Yuan was relieved when he saw that Bi Zhen also agreed with his judgment. "That's good."

Then he continued, "If Zhang Rui wants to be promoted, he can't just be promoted without any merit. Even if he doesn't seek to make any achievements, at least he must not make any mistakes."

"The emperor asked Zhang Rui to go south to collect taxes. But Zhang Xiong did a terrible job supervising the tax collection. Not only did he not collect the silver, but he also lost most of the imperial guards he brought with him. Not only did they not achieve any success, but they also destroyed the dignity of the imperial court."

"This incident will definitely affect the emperor's view of Zhang Rui. Maybe Zhang Rui will not only have no chance to be promoted to the position of Chief of the Imperial Household Department, but he may even lose his position as the Commander of the East Factory."

Bi Zhen was touched when he heard this and said, "Given the emperor's indifference, it's not impossible."

Pei Yuan then said to Bi Zhen, "Can your people use this argument to persuade Zhang Xiong to falsify the casualty figures, recruit troops along the way, and then let Zhang Xiong try to cover up his actions and quietly bring people back to the capital?"

"As long as Zhang Xiong himself is not trustworthy, that is the biggest doubt."

Bi Zhen had a grasp of Pei Yuan's thoughts, and he asked excitedly, "Anything more specific?"

Pei Yuan said, "There are some eunuchs who have castrated themselves in the palaces of the kings along the way. Now that Zhang Rui is the head of the East Factory, the kings should still give him some respect. In addition, we can recruit some idle men to serve as imperial guards."

"As long as Zhang Xiong fabricated the numbers once, he won't be able to give any credible explanation about the number of people."

"And precisely because he is fake, he must be real."

"Even if he has many flaws and there is evidence everywhere that he lied about the number of people, he can only have brought 600 people back to the capital."

"In order to protect Zhang Xiong and cover up their fraud, Zhang Rui will definitely take action to deter those who are investigating the case recklessly."

(End of this chapter)