Strange Tales from the Northern Qi Dynasty

Chapter 139 The Knife is Dirty
Yecheng, Yang Mansion.

Yan Zixian hurriedly walked into the Prime Minister's Mansion. Everyone in the mansion knew him and no one stopped him. Yan Zixian just walked all the way to the backyard.

There are many more soldiers in the palace than in the past, all of them are armed with sharp weapons, making the atmosphere in the palace even more solemn and murderous.

A servant came out and greeted Yan Zixian to continue walking inside, and they walked all the way to the innermost part.

Unlike in the past, this moment there was a row of soldiers standing neatly outside Yang Yin's study.

These armored soldiers all held the hilt of their swords, looked forward, and were filled with murderous intent.

After the servant went in to report, he brought Yan Zishen into the study.

Yang Yin knelt in front of the desk, his whole body buried in the pile of documents, almost invisible.

"Ji Ze is here. Please sit down first."

Yang Yin gave a casual instruction and continued writing.

Yan Zixian sat aside, looking anxious, but did not disturb Yang Yin. He just sat there and waited.

After a long time, Yang Yin finally stood up. He looked much thinner than before, and his big belly was almost invisible, but his whole body seemed a little haggard. He looked at Yan Zixian and couldn't help but smile, "Haha, those traitors have finally been dismissed. Now, whether it is inside or outside the court, or in the local areas, there won't be so many cruel and greedy evil spirits."

Yan Zixian hurriedly said, "Lord Yang, although these people have been dismissed, they have all gathered at the palace of the King of Changshan."

"The residence of the King of Changshan is extremely lively at the moment, with countless dignitaries coming and going every day."

The smile on Yang Yin's face disappeared a little at that time, but he still walked to Yan Zixian's side, sat down gently, and comforted him: "Ji Ze, don't panic. I have made preparations. I will send the two kings to the outside world and make them leave the temple. As long as there are no more traitors in the court, everything will be easy."

Yan Zixian did not continue to talk about this matter. He quickly said, "I came here this time because of another important matter."

"Oh? What's the matter?"

"It's about that cruel official, Liu Taozi!"

Yan Zixian said unhappily: "On the one hand, Lord Yang dismissed those corrupt officials, but on the other hand, he promoted and appointed cruel officials. Why is that?!"

"The news about Boling County has spread everywhere. The ministers are terrified and the virtuous are saddened. Lord Yang, I know that the Cui family has some grievances with you, but you can't just send cruel officials to deal with them in such a cruel way, right? This is the way those Xianbei people who don't know how to govern a country do. How can you do this?"

Yan Zixian became more and more excited as he spoke. "I didn't believe others who said Liu Taozi was sent by you. I just thought that Mr. Yang was a man of integrity and would not resort to such means. But I really didn't expect this!"

"Mr. Yang, that Liu Taozi not only attacked the Cui family, he also led people to massacre Liu Ruzong's family!!"

"You should also know about this matter, right? Right now, we are the only ones who know about it. Soon, it will spread everywhere. Then, all students in the world will spit on Master Yang. Please ask Master Yang to come forward immediately and kill this person!!"

Yan Zixian had never been so angry. He felt that Yang Yin's use of cruel officials to deal with his own family was despicable, and Liu Taozi's massacre of Confucian scholars and forced killing of Confucian students made him even more angry.

Looking at the extremely excited Yan Zixian in front of him, Yang Yin said calmly: "I know everything."

"You know why you are still so indulgent?"

"Isn't Yang Gong afraid of being ruined in front of the wise men of the world?"

Yang Yin said, "Money and food."

"Do you know how much the imperial court's tax revenue was last year? The treasury is empty. If we don't find a solution this year, the army in Jinyang alone will rise up and cause trouble. Who can stop us by then?"

"Although Liu Taozi's actions were cruel, Dingzhou also benefited from it. Gao Yanzong, the governor of Dingzhou, submitted six memorials to the imperial court in a row, all about granting land in Dingzhou."

"I have approved them all."

"It's not that I'm unscrupulous, it's that these people are going too far."

Yan Zixian looked at Yang Yin again, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.

Yang Yin said, "I know what Ji Ze wants to say. You mean that my people are also like this, occupying a large amount of arable land and using my name to bully the local area, right?"

Yang Yin sighed, "Jize, we are the ones who are in charge of governing the Great Qi. There are some things that we have to do. Even if they are my own people, I will never tolerate them."

"Mr. Yang, you should know that the reason why we can compete with the kings is because of your reputation and the support of the scholars in the world. Because of them, we are qualified to compete with the kings and govern the world."

"Are we scholars the only ones who occupy the land and suck blood and eat flesh? Aren't those Xianbei nobles even more ruthless? They even dare to eat the military pay!! What are we?"

"That's Lou Rui. How many places has he eaten up?"

"I can understand that you want to replenish the national treasury, but I don't understand why you don't ask the nobles to replenish the national treasury, but instead ask the scholars to do it?!"

Yan Zixian frowned, "Your actions will only make you lose credibility with the world. Please do not hesitate, execute Liu Taozi before the news spreads!!"

Yang Yin hesitated at this moment. He kept a straight face and continued, "It's not appropriate. The governance of Dingzhou has just begun. If Liu Taozi is executed..."

"Mr. Yang, you have to give an explanation to the scholars of the world. The powerful and wealthy have all turned to the royal family. Only these scholars stand by our side. If you want to offend them, I really don't know how I can compete with the royal family."

Yang Yin stood up and walked back and forth.

His expression kept changing, he was hesitant, and had lost his original courage.

Yan Zixian said again: "Mr. Yang, make a decision early. For example, regarding the issue of money and grain, the scholars may not be willing to care about it. Now that things have happened, they cannot be repaired. However, Mr. Yang must give everyone an explanation."

"When Lord Yang promoted this man, he must have had this in mind. Don't hesitate, please give the order immediately."

Yang Yin frowned and said, "This person is quite talented and can be used in the future."

"If we don't get rid of this person now, there will be no future for him. How can we use him more?!"

Yan Zixian really couldn't understand Yang Yin's hesitation. The scholars in the world were their base. After killing Liu Taozi, their base was almost destroyed. Why was he still hesitating at this time? ?
Yang Yin finally sat down again. His face was extremely ugly. He looked at Yan Zixian, "If even Ji Ze is so excited, how about the others?"

Yan Zixian pursed her lips and did not answer.

Yang Yin picked up the document and sighed again.

"What a pity, such an able official. If he had been born ten years earlier and met by Your Majesty, he would have been a pillar of the Qi Dynasty."

He looked at Yan Zixian who was standing beside him, and slowly closed his eyes, "Ji Ze, you go and handle this matter. Don't make it too tragic."

"it is good!"

Yan Zixian looked at the dejected Yang Yin and said reluctantly, "Mr. Yang, I know you are impatient and you are anxious to govern the world, but the great cause is in our hands now. I think we can take our time to do everything. The reason why people in the world support us is because they believe that Mr. Yang can change the bad politics of the world. He is not as cruel, brutal and vicious as the Xianbei people. He can use the Han etiquette and laws to save Da Qi from danger."

"Although a capable official died at the moment, he was able to appease the people. In the future, when the empire prospers, will we still have trouble finding such capable people?"

Yang Yan didn't say anything else, just waved his hand.

“I’m a little tired”

Yan Zixian said no more, saluted to Yang Yin, and then walked out of the Prime Minister's Mansion. He immediately drove towards the Prince Pingqin's Palace.

When he arrived here, the place was also heavily guarded, with soldiers patrolling back and forth. It was no less guarded than Yang Yin's place. Yan Zixian had no privileges here. After layers of inspections and interrogations, he was finally brought before Ping Qin Wang Gao Guiyan.

Gao Guiyan was sitting in the upper seat. He was not very old, tall and handsome. There were drinks on the table next to him. When he saw Yan Zi offering them food, he did not stand up to greet her.

Yan Zixian hurriedly bowed and greeted him, "Your Majesty!!"

Gao Guiyan nodded and motioned for him to sit aside.

"Your Majesty, have you heard about the incident in Boling County?"

Hearing Yan Zixian's words, Gao Guiyan picked up the wine pot and took a big sip. "I was just discussing this with my friend."

Gao Guiyan's expression was quite cold and arrogant, but Yan Zixian didn't find it strange.

The King of Pingqin was the cousin of Emperor Shenwu. When he was young, he was taken by Emperor Shenwu and was raised by his cousin Gao Yue. However, Gao Yue did not like this kid and was very mean to him. When King Pingqin grew up, his personality changed drastically. He changed from being timid in his youth to being arrogant and unrestrained. Later, he slandered Gao Yue to Emperor Wenxuan and forced him to be killed. As a result, he held military power and was in charge of the imperial palace guards, becoming Gao Yang's trusted minister.

Yan Zixian continued, "This cruel official's actions are truly frightening. How many innocent people have he killed?"

Gao Guiyan glanced at him, took another sip of wine, and didn't answer at all.

Yan Zixian was a little embarrassed. He smiled and said, "Lord Yang thought this matter was extremely inappropriate and asked me to deal with the cruel official. However, I don't have many people around me. The thief is vicious and has the protection of King Ande. If I just send some minor officials to read the imperial edict, I'm afraid it will cause chaos."

"As a member of the royal family, King Ande would not dare to disobey you. Besides, you have many warriors under your command. If you can send some of them over, you can get rid of this scourge."

"Why should I do this?"

Gao Guiyan said bluntly: "Why are you telling me what Yang Gong gave you?"

Yan Zixian continued, "Your Majesty, among all the royal family members inside and outside the court, you are the most wise. If I don't go to you, who else can I go to?"

Gao Guiyan suddenly laughed, and he looked at Yan Zixian who was standing beside him, "Well, well, I'll just consider it because you flattered me."

"You go back, I will arrange this matter."

Yan Zixian was overjoyed and hurriedly thanked Gao Guiyan, then turned and left.

After walking out of the palace, Yan Zixian felt refreshed, with a proud smile on his face. Everything was settled! !
Gao Guiyan watched him leave, then sneered and said, "Come out, he's gone."

Wang Xi came out from the side with a smile, stroking his beard, "Your Majesty, the pleasure of drinking is ruined. Are you still going to drink?"

"Eat! Why not eat!"

Wang Xi smiled and sat in front of Gao Guiyan. He waved his sleeves, picked up the wine pot, and started to eat like Gao Guiyan. After eating, he put the wine pot aside and said, "Ah, good wine."

Gao Guiyan laughed, "I like Wang Jun's free and easy personality. He is unlike these people who are always talking nonsense and are evasive when speaking."

"Let's not talk about this, let's continue eating!"

The two of them were eating, drinking and singing, and the atmosphere was very good.

At this time, Wang Xi finally asked, "What is Yan Zixian looking for the king for?"

"It's the Liu Taozi we just talked about. He said Yang Yin wanted to kill Liu Taozi and asked me to send someone to do it."

Wang Xi's eyes flickered and he grinned.

"My king, I have told you long ago that Yang Yin and his people are always cruel and ruthless. Liu Taozi was sent by them to do something. Now that she has become famous and has offended someone, they think the knife is dirty and immediately throw it away. Hahaha, poor Taozi."

Gao Guiyan laughed along, but after a while, the smile on his face froze instantly and his eyes became very ugly.

He smashed the wine jug on the table and asked angrily, "Who are you hinting at, Wang Jun?!"

Wang Xi was shocked and quickly stood up to apologize.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I have no intention of criticizing you."

Gao Guiyan's face was extremely ugly. After a moment, he waved his hand and said, "Forget it. You didn't say it clearly. Sit down."

Wang Xi carefully sat down beside him, "My lord, I made a mistake, I made a mistake, I will punish myself with a pot of wine!!"

Gao Guiyan then smiled, "No need, it's not a slip of the tongue, these people are just like that, you're not wrong!"

Wang Xi's face suddenly became solemn. "Your Majesty, before they used Liu Taozi to kill people, and then they would punish him. Now they use your majesty to kill people, what will happen in the future?"

Gao Guiyan was horrified and was about to speak when Wang Xi continued, "These people have never been close to the royal family. They hate all royal family members and think that the government should be in the hands of these court officials."

"They are willing to get close to the king now only because the king can help them fight against the King of Changshan. If they defeat the King of Changshan in the future, how will the king deal with it?!"

Gao Guiyan pointed at Wang Xi, but Wang Xi did not give him a chance to speak.

"Does your Majesty think that these people are not wary of you?"

"When Yang Yin led his men to welcome the emperor from Jinyang to Yecheng, he secretly left 5,000 troops behind to guard against them. Your Majesty, tell me, who was he guarding against?!"

Hearing this, Gao Guiyan stood up suddenly, his eyes burning with anger.

Wang Xi also stood up and said fearlessly: "My king has always been close to you. As a member of the royal family, how can you hang out with these villains? I know you are here because of the Emperor Wenxuan's kindness, but now Yang Yin is dominating the government and sidelining the emperor. Is this what the Emperor Wenxuan wants to see?!"

"Please don't be stubborn, and make a decision immediately. These people only know how to betray their friends and get rid of them. Don't you understand that?!"

At this moment, Wang Xi's momentum seemed to overshadow the king in front of him who was leading the army.

Gao Guiyan was stunned where he was. Suddenly, he gritted his teeth and grabbed Wang Xi's arm, "Take me to see the King of Changshan, now!"

Gao Yan ran out to greet Gao Guiyan, while Wang Xi hurriedly ordered his subordinates to be on guard nearby and not allow anyone to approach.

Gao Yan took Gao Guiyan's hand and invited him into the house with great respect.

"When my father was still alive, he often told us that you were someone we could rely on. I never thought that my father's words would finally come true today!"

Hearing Gao Yan's words, Gao Guiyan's arrogant look immediately subsided a little. However, Gao Zhan was standing not far away, looking up, and did not treat Gao Guiyan as kindly as Gao Yan.

Gao Guiyan sat aside and said to Gao Yan and Gao Zhan, "Yang Yin and others have already drafted an imperial decree to send you two out of the capital. Although they didn't say what will happen after you are sent out, I think they will definitely kill you on the way."

Gao Yan hurriedly said: "If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would have suffered such a disaster. I want to subdue the traitors in the court, seize the power from the outsiders, and return it to your majesty. I only hope that you can be our master and lead us to do this!"

Gao Guiyan was stunned. He lowered his head and saw Gao Yan's sincere eyes. He shook his head quickly, "No, this matter should be handled by King Changshan. I am willing to assist you!!"

After he finished speaking, he stood up, took a few steps back, and saluted Gao Yan.

Gao Yan glanced at Gao Zhan vaguely at this moment, and Gao Zhan stood up and left.

Gao Yan enthusiastically pulled Gao Guiyan aside, asked him to sit aside, and told him many of his ideas.

"During these days, my lord, don't be anxious and do things calmly. After he issues the imperial edict, I will start to act."

Gao Guiyan nodded, "It just so happens that Yan Zixian asked me to help him kill someone, so I'll go do it first."

"Is it Liu Taozi?"

"Oh, King Changshan also knows?"

"He's my man."

"what??"

Gao Guiyan was stunned for a moment, then he clapped his hands in haste, "So that's it!! He was a spy sent by you, under the banner of Yang Yin, to kill those great clans and famous scholars, making Yang Yin caught in a dilemma and ruining his reputation?! Hahaha, it has to be the King of Changshan!! Smart!!"

Gao Yan smiled and didn't explain. Gao Guiyan continued, "If that's the case, I'll just pretend to do it. Don't worry, I won't let him get hurt."

"it is good."

Gao Yan escorted Gao Guiyan all the way to the side door. Gao Guiyan got into the car and left quickly.

Gao Zhan came out again at this moment and said unhappily: "Sixth brother, this man is quite ambitious and can't be trusted easily."

Gao Yan's expression was particularly solemn at this moment. "The enemy now is Yang Yin, not him. Gao Guiyan is also on our side now. In this way, there is no risk anymore."

"Zhan can start now."

(End of this chapter)