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

Chapter 672 The Incompetent Li Mengyang
Cheng Lei was overjoyed.

Having experience being carried by his boss, he remained completely calm even when faced with the situation of being carried by his underlings.

Cheng Leixiang immediately retorted righteously, "This humble officer has only received some instruction from the commander, how could I possibly deserve the commander's praise?"

"To be honest, I envy Chen Tou Tie the most. If I could stay by the commander's side and serve him for a while longer, I might be able to make some progress."

Pei Yuan understood.

Are you jealous of Chen Tou Tie's position as Deputy Commander-in-Chief?
easy to do.

Pei Yuan magnanimously assured Cheng Leixiang, "I understand, don't worry. Focus on doing your job well in Tianjin."

When Cheng Leixiang saw that Pei Yuan had seen through his little scheme, he chuckled and didn't explain anything.

Deng Liang and Cao Xing couldn't figure out what was going on, nor did they know whether their boss was performing well or not, so they were just anxiously waiting on the sidelines.

Fortunately, Xiao Tong came in from outside at that moment, carrying a jar of wine. He said to Pei Yuan, "Commander, the weather is getting colder. I'll heat up some wine for you later to help you relax."

Pei Yuan thought for a moment and realized that this operation was not urgent, so there was no need to be too strict.

So he said, "Let each of the brothers have a bowl of food, and bring out the best of the other dishes."

Xiao Tong obeyed the order, glanced at Deng Liang and Cao Xing, and turned to leave.

Deng Liang and Cao Xing were both pleased, as their previous friendship had finally paid off.

The territory of the Three Guards of Tianjin was too close to the capital, and it had always been a place where imperial relatives, eunuchs and nobles fought fiercely. Since the Hongzhi era, the commanders of the Three Guards of Tianjin had changed one after another, and the previous commander of the Tianjin Guard was even forced to commit suicide in the military camp by the eunuch in charge of the imperial estates.

Neither Deng Liang nor Cao Xing had any powerful backers. After being transferred here, their main survival skill was to follow the lead of all previous commanders of Tianjin Garrison.

Anyway, they don't have any connections, so they just need to stick to the commander of Tianjin.

If the Tianjin Garrison Commander can lead the way, they'll be in luck. If he can't, the Tianjin Garrison Commander will have already taken the blame, and they can continue to follow the next Tianjin Garrison Commander.

What they didn't expect was that this time they actually managed to latch onto someone powerful.

If we don't act now, when will we?
Pei Yuan, not hesitant to extend goodwill to the two newcomers who were taking the initiative to approach him, invited them, "Let's have something to eat together later, and we can also talk about the future."

Both commanders were flattered and said, "Thank you for your appreciation, Commander."

Just then, someone rushed in to report, "Commander, news has come from the capital."

Pei Yuan was surprised to hear this.

They hadn't been traveling too slowly, and the moment they stopped, news arrived, indicating that a messenger had been rushing after them.

Pei Yuan quickly said, "Have someone come over."

A short while later, a junior officer from the Imperial Guard entered the room and presented a letter with both hands.

"Chief, this is an urgent report from Shaanxi. Commander Yun, Commander Tantai, and Commander Sikong all agree that it should be shown to you immediately."

Pei Yuan frowned.

Lu Yong quickly took the letter, checked the hidden mark on the envelope, and then handed it to Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan opened the letter, quickly glanced at it, and then looked at Cheng Leixiang with a puzzled expression, asking, "Have you ever heard of any Xuanhu Sect?"

Cheng Leixiang was taken aback upon hearing this, "This humble servant has never heard of any Xuanhu Sect."

He then pressed further, "Is it important? Why did you rush to send it here?"

Pei Yuan was about to hand the letter in his hand to Cheng Leixiang when he suddenly remembered that Deng Liang and Cao Xing were nearby. Not wanting to appear too distant, he simply said to everyone, "This is a secret report from Shaanxi. The writer is a man named Kang Hai, who says that a Xuanhu Sect has sprung up in Xingping, Liquan, Qianzhou, Wugong, Xianyang and other places."

"Wherever his sorcerer went, every household treated him as if he were their ancestor. They flattered him to the extreme, doing whatever he needed."

"Kang Hai saw that the cult was gradually showing signs of causing trouble, so he quickly wrote secret letters to Lan Wenxiu, the governor of Shaanxi, and Wang Ziheng, the imperial inspector."

"But the two of them ignored it completely."

"This man had no choice but to write another letter to the Ministry of Rites, which was then forwarded to our Thousand-Household Office."

Cheng Leixiang was completely bewildered. "Who is this Kang Hai? How did he end up filing a complaint with the Ministry of Rites?"

Although this incident actually turned out to be a lucky accident, as it brought them to the Zhenxie Qianhu Office, which is in charge of dealing with cults, the reasoning behind the complaint was quite peculiar.

Pei Yuan glanced at the letter that Yun Buxian and the others had attached and said, "That wasn't written there, and they don't know much about it either."

Just as the two were completely bewildered, they suddenly heard someone say awkwardly from the side, "Could the commander be referring to Kang Hai from Wugong County, Xi'an Prefecture, Shaanxi? If so, I do know a thing or two about him."

The speaker was Deng Liang.

Seeing Pei Yuan and Cheng Leixiang looking over, Deng Liang quickly said, "This humble servant is from Wugong County, Xi'an Prefecture, Shaanxi Province, and knows Kang Hai's reputation."

Pei Yuan never expected to encounter someone he knew so well.

He immediately said, "Tell me about it."

As a result, Deng Liang's words completely stunned Pei Yuan.

"Chief of the Imperial Academy, Kang Hai was the top scholar in the imperial examination of the fifteenth year of the Hongzhi reign, and one of the Seven Literary Talents."

Pei Yuan looked at the letter in his hand, somewhat bewildered, then looked at Deng Liang and asked, "Then why isn't he compiling books at the Hanlin Academy? What is he doing back in his hometown practicing martial arts?"

Deng Liang said, "I do know about this matter. I heard about it when I returned to my hometown last year. I wonder if the commander has heard of Li Mengyang?"

Pei Yuan had indeed heard of it.

When Li Mengyang was discussing heroes with Tang Gao and the other two over wine in the small boat, Tang Gao mentioned that Li Mengyang was quick-witted, had a remarkable retro style, and was also exceptionally upright, not afraid of powerful figures, and was a hero of the times.

So he said, "I've heard of it."

Deng Liang sighed, "My fellow villager was just unlucky to have met that scoundrel Li Mengyang."

Before Pei Yuan could ask any more questions, he explained, "After Kang Hai was named the top scholar, his career was going smoothly. Later, when the current emperor ascended the throne, Liu Jin came to power. Because Kang Hai was from the same Xi'an Prefecture as him, Liu Jin was delighted and wanted to win over Kang Hai, his fellow townsman, to his side."

"Kang Hai was upright and incorruptible, despised the powerful and wealthy, and was completely unmoved by Liu Jin."

"Although Liu Jin was unhappy, he was afraid of being gossiped about by his hometown people because Kang Hai was the top scholar from their hometown. So even though Kang Hai ignored him, he remained polite to him."

"Later, Li Mengyang was impeached by Han Wen, the Minister of Works, for drafting a memorial impeaching Liu Jin. After the matter was exposed, Liu Jin added many charges against Li Mengyang, arrested him, imprisoned him, and prepared to execute him."

“Li Mengyang had a good reputation and a shrewd appearance, but he was a clever man. He knew that Liu Jin wanted to see Kang Hai but could not, and that he and Kang Hai were close friends. So he sent someone from prison to deliver a note to Kang Hai with the words ‘Save me from the opposite mountain’ written on it.”

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan automatically imagined Old Liu sneering at Kang Hai, "Kang Hai, you don't want Li Mengyang either..." Holy crap!

Pei Yuan immediately had a vivid picture in mind.

What an incompetent NTR plot by Li Mengyang!

The phrase "Save me from the mountain" actually reminded Pei Yuan of some classical allusions.

However, with his fellow villager Deng Liang providing a detailed account, Pei Yuan naturally listened patiently.

Deng Liang continued, "Kang Hai knew the meaning behind the four words that his close friend had given him without asking anyone else. So he no longer cared about his reputation for integrity and had no choice but to humble himself and pay his respects to Liu Jin."

"When Liu Jin heard that Kang Hai was requesting an audience, he was so happy that he ran out to greet Kang Hai without even putting on his shoes properly. For the sake of his close friend, Kang Hai had no choice but to persuade Liu Jin with kind words to release Li Mengyang."

"Although Liu Jin was the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and he looked down on all the officials in the court, he treated the top scholar from his own hometown differently."

"Therefore, upon seeing Kang Hai plead for him in person, Liu Jin immediately and happily agreed. The next day, Li Mengyang was indeed released."

Pei Yuan, thinking of the song "Save Me, Mountain," still asked, even though he knew the outcome, "And then what?"

Deng Liang said, "Two years ago, when Eunuch Liu's plot failed, he was slashed more than three thousand times. Kang Hai was listed as an accomplice because he had met with Liu Jin, and was directly demoted from a promising Hanlin Academy compiler to a commoner."

"At this time, Li Mengyang had not only been reinstated to his original position, but also enjoyed a high reputation among scholars. Kang Hai hoped that Li Mengyang would stand up and tell the truth, clear his name of currying favor with the eunuch faction, and create a beautiful story between the two talented men. However, Li Mengyang was afraid that the truth would be exposed, so he turned around and accused Kang Hai instead."

"Kang Hai was greatly disappointed. He felt burdened by writing, so he simply returned to his hometown."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the tent sighed, "That Li Mengyang is truly a scoundrel!"

Pei Yuan knew that Li Mengyang was indeed a scoundrel, but he didn't have a good ending either.

After all, if you've offended intellectuals, do you expect to be well-received?
After returning to his hometown, Kang Hai became engrossed in opera, studied Qinqiang opera, and created the opera zaju "Zhongshan Wolf" based on historical stories and his good friend Li Xiyang.

Afterwards, Li Mengyang's official career had its ups and downs, but after the release of the zaju play "Zhongshan Wolf", he was completely socially dead.

Even at the end of the Ming Dynasty, some people still remembered this and wrote another miscellaneous song called "Save Me, Mountain".

These mere four words encapsulate Li Mengyang's panicked and cowardly state, etching it into the annals of history.

"The Liu family's husband has a fiery temper, and all the officials in the court are imprisoned. He's sharpening his knife to kill Li Kongtong, but only Duishan can save me."

"Gazing at the mountains, I realize it truly is my affair; I ride my horse to the gate of the high-ranking official. What a fine wind is blowing today, bringing the top scholar here?"

"My husband kneels down, his maidservant kneeling, burning incense and offering wine to urge him to get drunk."

……

Seeing the crowd's agitation, Pei Yuan asked them, "Do you know where Li Mengyang is now?"

Everyone looked at each other.

These were all military officers; knowing who Li Mengyang was was already beyond their comprehension, let alone paying attention to the transfer of a civil official.

Pei Yuan waved his hand, setting the tone, "Have someone ask around and see where he is, then we..."

Pei Yuan pointed at Cheng Leixiang, Deng Liang, and Cao Xing, "I despise this kind of treacherous scoundrel. When the time comes, the four of us will go masked and beat him up. No one is allowed to refuse."

Cheng Leixiang naturally obeyed Pei Yuan's orders without question, but Deng Liang and Cao Xing were genuinely excited.

I just felt that Commander Pei was simply the most straightforward and decisive person in the world.

The two men patted their chests and said, "If the commander says the word, even if he cuts off our heads, we won't say a word."

Pei Yuan laughed and said, "That's not it, that's boring."

It's more interesting to watch Li Mengyang, this hypocritical guy, become tainted by his despicable behavior and turn into a villain that everyone looks down on.

After everyone finished laughing, Deng Liang remembered his own affairs and quickly continued, "I reckon that the Shaanxi Governor and Censor-in-Chief Lan Wenxiu and the Imperial Inspector Wang Ziheng are also wary of Kang Hai being classified as a remnant of Liu Jin, so they dare not get involved in this matter."

"When Kang Hai was in the Hanlin Academy, he studied under Wang Hua and was considered half a disciple of Wang Hua. Kang Hai himself was from Qin and naturally did not want to see his hometown suffer. Therefore, it is very likely that he had no choice but to turn to his former teacher Wang Hua when he had nowhere else to turn."

Pei Yuan looked at the letter again.

That makes sense.

The Ministry of Rites and the Zhenxie Qianhu Office have been in close contact recently, and the Ministry of Rites is much clearer about the duties of the Zhenxie Qianhu Office than others. Therefore, when they see cults causing trouble, they subconsciously transfer the matter to the Qianhu Office, which is normal practice.

However, isn't the Xuanhu Sect a bit too aggressive?

Pei Yuan felt a chill run down his spine when he saw the sentence that read "hundreds of thousands of followers".

Such a large cult, and you want me to take it down?
However, Pei Yuan could not turn a blind eye, since it concerned a cult and he could not shirk his responsibility.

Despite the rapid expansion of the Xuanhu Sect, as long as these cults haven't raised the banner of rebellion, their hundreds of thousands of followers are still considered misled civilians, and the imperial court has no reason to directly resort to force.

After all, the Luo Sect was such a powerful entity, and the imperial court, in order to avoid trouble, turned a blind eye.

Not to mention the Xuanhu Sect, which is located far away.

After reading the letter, Pei Yuan handed it to Deng Liang.

Deng Liang was flattered and accepted it, wanting to show it to Cheng Leixiang first.

Cheng Leixiang said unhappily, "The commander let you see it first, how can you make decisions on your own?"

Deng Liang then quickly opened the letter and read it. The contents of Kang Hai's letter were shocking, and even Deng Liang was momentarily stunned.

His entire family is in Xi'an Prefecture.

If religious unrest were to occur, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Pei Yuan asked Deng Liang, "Haven't you heard anything about the Xuanhu Sect before?"

Deng Liang was in a state of confusion and said, "I've only ever heard of the White Lotus Sect, never the Xuanhu Sect. Perhaps the Xuanhu Sect is a branch of the White Lotus Sect."

Pei Yuan didn't get any useful information and couldn't help but sigh. At such a critical time, did he really have to go to Shaanxi?

What about the situation in Shandong?
But leaving it alone is not an option either. If chaos breaks out, the people most harmed by these rioters will be the ordinary people who are even more vulnerable than themselves.

Pei Yuan felt overwhelmed by the situation and, with deep concern for the country and its people, couldn't help but lament, "The wind rises and the clouds fly, where can we find brave warriors to guard the four directions?"

(End of this chapter)