Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 215 Close the door and release Junchen

As a former general of Wagangzhai, Chang He did not have the literary and martial talents of Li Shiji, the conspiracy and scheming of Zhang Liang, nor the leadership ability of Cheng Zhijie.

He was more like a simple mountain bandit who could not read a single word and had no political ambitions.

I just want to live a simple and unpretentious life of wealth and glory.

The highlight of his life was the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

It was the Xuanwu Gate that he was guarding at that time.

As Li Chengqian's nominal subordinate, he stood firmly on Li Shimin's side and opened the door to welcome Li Er.

Just by standing firmly on the side this time, he won't have to worry about his life anymore.

"I have long admired General Chang's great reputation. It is my fault that I have not greeted him for a long time."

Li Zhi was as polite as ever and bowed deeply to Chang He.

"Hey hey where are you!"

The rough and uncouth bandit was particularly susceptible to Li Zhi's tricks, and became even more flustered when he was bowed to by the prince.

Li Zhi said sincerely:

"General Chang is the key to your majesty's rule over the world, and Zhi has long wanted to make friends with him.

"Today I have seen that the general is indeed extraordinary and mighty."

"Hey, hey, where?"

Chang He smiled flatteringly and made tea for Li Zhi himself.

He knew that all the old guys in Wagangzhai had surrendered to Prince Jin, and he also intended to follow the crowd.

But he had no connection with King Jin.

The only intersection might be that his aide Ma Zhou was once the chief historian of the Prince of Jin's Palace.

However, Ma Zhou's stupid move of the "Two Tax Law" caused chaos in Qizhou, and he was kicked to Zhangqiu County of Qizhou as the county magistrate.

Chang He no longer had any reason to get close to Prince of Jin, Li Zhi.

Then, he just gave up.

After all, as mentioned earlier, Lao Chang has no political ambitions.

Unexpectedly, His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin came in person today.

After a brief exchange of greetings, the host and the guest immediately became familiar with each other.

Li Zhi had dealt with the people of Wagangzhai many times, and he spoke in a way that suited their tastes. Chang He also wanted to make friends with them, and they had a very pleasant conversation.

"After General Chang, the defense strength of Xuanwu Gate was upgraded to a higher level, and new left and right camps were built."

Li Zhi said casually:

"With General Chang leading the Right Guards to protect Xuanwu Gate, the northern gate of the imperial palace, we feel at ease."

"Well, I am the General of the Right Guard and I don't lead troops or manage affairs. It's just that His Majesty has given me retirement and asked me to temporarily resign from my position."

Chang He was very generous and told the truth directly.
Of course Li Zhi knew about this.

But he suddenly looked horrified:

"Apart from General Chang, who else can shoulder the responsibility of guarding the North Gate?"

Chang He laughed out loud:

"Your Majesty has many elite soldiers and generals under your command, so how can you be missing me?
"The one guarding Xuanwu Gate now is also a loyal and capable general named Li Jun...Xian."

Chang He looked at Li Zhi.

Li Zhi looked at Chang He.

Chang He understood.

He is just uneducated, not stupid.

As a key figure in the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Xiao Li's mention of the defense of Xuanwu Gate naturally had a hidden meaning.

Especially now, when His Majesty is not at home.

Chang He's brain was working fast.

He knew that his team-building skills were being tested once again.

After a few breaths, Chang He smiled innocently and continued with the previous topic:
“It just so happens that I have some friendship with Li Junxian.

"If His Highness doesn't mind us rough people, you can bring me to His Highness to meet him."

Li Zhi smiled from the bottom of his heart.

…………

"According to the documents for leaving the city, those Sogdian profiteers left Chang'an only after the victims reported the crime?"

Li Ming's gaze passed over the documents in his hand and fell on the old minister Xiao Yu and the Minister of Justice Liu Dequan opposite him.

"Exactly."

Xiao Yu replied:
"Because the Turkic merchant named Zhishi Buzhen was the first to discover the Sogdians' scam.

"They immediately organized a large number of victims, catching the Sogdians off guard and preventing them from absconding with the money."

Li Ming couldn't help but grin.

If it weren't for the insect Li Qianyou's interference, the losses from this pyramid scheme might have been recovered by Brother Zhishi.

The results are better now.

Not only did it cause a group of middle-class people in the capital to fall back into poverty instantly, but it also left me with a bomb that was about to explode.

What benefits did Li Qianyou receive that made him work so hard to act as a protective umbrella for the Hu people?
Just wait until Li Jing dies of old age, and I will chop you to pieces... Li Ming suppressed his anger and asked:

"Have the Sogdian settlements been searched? Have the people associated with the scammers been caught?"

Xiao Yu shook his head:

"This matter is being investigated by the Zuo Wuhou Guards. There are many people in Huaiyuanfang who are gossipy, so there has been no progress so far.

"Do you need me to reprimand you and urge you to do it?"

Li Ming pretended to think and said:

“No need, the soldiers have worked hard.

"Investigating cases is not their job, so they should be rewarded to boost morale."

"Follow the order."

Xiao Yu and Liu Dequan took the order and withdrew.

Huh... Li Ming wiped the cold sweat off his forehead.

Fortunately, Brother Xiao Yu didn't have much of his own opinion and reported everything to the authorities without taking the initiative to criticize Su Dingfang.

Unconsciously dodged a landmine.

The Zuo Wuhou Guards under Su Dingfang are high-ranking police officers.

But in Chang'an, where the military was weak, it was also an important force.

At a time when the situation suddenly took a turn for the worse, Li Ming could not afford the risk of falling out with the Zuo Wuhou Guard.

"As expected, all the people involved in this case have fled. Checking them one by one is like looking for a needle in a haystack..."

Li Ming thought back to the breakthrough that Di Renjie had reminded him of that night.

Li Xiaogong's Sogdian sixth aunt.

Detective Di Renjie's sixth sense is something you can't help but believe in.

“But how can we check?

"If that woman is really an accomplice of the fraud and dares to stay in Chang'an so brazenly, then she must be very confident in herself and all the evidence must have been destroyed.

"How do I pry her mouth open..."

Li Ming pondered.

He didn't think about how to solve the problem specifically.

Instead, he quickly searches the huge talent pool in his mind for someone who can solve this problem.

A name immediately came to mind:

Come to Junchen.

He slapped the table and stood up.

"Get up, leave the palace, and go to the West Market."

…………

West Market.

It's still as lively and chaotic as ever.

The victims of the pyramid scheme are still gathering in Xishi, the Zuo Wuhou Guard is still maintaining order, and Su Dingfang's head is still hurting.

"General."

Su Dingfang's deputy general reported:
"The soldiers are now complaining, thinking that this matter should be the responsibility of the Chang'an County Government, and they shouldn't be so busy."

"Hmm." Su Dingfang hummed vaguely.

The deputy general glanced at him and said:

"I heard from the clerks in the Ministry of Justice that the ministers are very dissatisfied with our progress and may issue a letter of reprimand."

"Uh-huh?!"

Su Dingfang immediately became unhappy.

joke!

I came here with good intentions to help, but ended up getting splashed all over.

The soldiers were seconded to do odd jobs and were already full of resentment.

Still want to reprimand?

Isn't this the fault of your Ministry of Justice's poor performance? Why are you putting the blame on Wu Houwei?
After the reprimand, will the military pay be deducted?

Everyone hasn't forgotten about the delay in paying military salaries for the past two months!

This is because they are afraid that the army will mutiny!
Su Dingfang's face turned pale, and his adjutant stepped back in fear.

Just at this moment, the eunuch from the palace came.

"Su Dingfang, the Left Marquis of Wu and the General of the Imperial Guards, has received an order from His Royal Highness the Regent."

The eunuch ordered in a shrill voice.

"Hmm!" Su Dingmian looked unhappy and glared with his copper bell eyes.

The eunuch who delivered the order took a breath and felt that he was just a minor role that would be chopped in half in the next second.

Alas... Su Dingfang sighed silently, but suppressed his temper: "What are your instructions, His Highness the Regent?"

He did not dismount.

You, a soldier, are so uneducated… the eunuch complained in his heart.

But he didn't dare say it to his face.

After all, the Regent is not the emperor, and the orders he passed down do not stipulate any etiquette such as dismounting and bowing.

The eunuch did not want to get entangled with this rough man, so he made it short:

"Your Majesty the Regent is mindful of the hard work of the Marquises, and is offering this encouragement.

"Each soldier will be awarded one string of money and two pieces of cloth, and those above the rank of lieutenant will be awarded double the reward."

"Forgive me for not... huh?"

Su Dingfang was about to start criticizing when he suddenly realized that the style of the painting was wrong.

What about the salary deduction for reprimand?
Did I hear something wrong?

But the eunuch didn't want to argue with the warrior, so he ran away without looking back.

Su Dingfang scratched his head in confusion and glanced at his deputy general.

The deputy general quickly defended himself:
"It is absolutely true that the civil officials wanted to shift the blame."

Su Dingfang's eyes rolled:
"So what you mean is that His Royal Highness the Regent has stopped this for us?"

"Ah? Right, right! It must be so!" The deputy general said confidently:
"Everyone says that His Highness the Regent has a good way of governing the country. He is like Yao and Shun reincarnated in the world. It must be that His Highness has seen through the conspiracy of the civil officials and sought justice for us warriors!"

Su Dingfang narrowed his eyes, suddenly kicked his horse's belly, and shouted to the low morale:

"His Highness the Regent has just rewarded you with two months' worth of food and wages, thinking of your hard work!

"Why, is this how you repay His Highness's kindness?!"

When they heard that there was a subsidy, the soldiers who were originally dejected immediately stopped feeling sleepy and returned to their work with full energy.

Just then, a royal carriage came galloping in, covered in dust.

"Your Highness the Regent?"

Su Dingfang looked at the wheel tracks that raised billowing yellow dust and dismounted from his horse at a distance.

Your Highness has worked so hard for the people's livelihood, and his future is immeasurable...

…………

"Come Junchen."

Li Ming went straight to the Chang'an newspaper office and pulled out Lai Junchen who was arguing with Di Renjie.

"Di Renjie is mentally ill! Master Ming, I'm not telling tales on you."

After being dragged out of the secret room, Lai Junchen continued to complain about his colleagues:

"How could he send the spies in Chang'an, even some spies who had managed to sneak into the Taiji Palace, to Luoyang!

"I told him what to do if someone in Chang'an rebelled, but he got mad at me, saying I was not afraid of biting my tongue when I spoke!

"That little thing has had too much luck in life, so naive!"

"He is naive, just give in to him." Li Ming felt overwhelmed and coaxed his two subordinates like children.

These two people each have their own reasons.

When Di Renjie heard that Brother Ming wanted to focus on investigating Li Tai, he really put all his work focus on Luoyang.

Lai Junchen habitually "made concessions" in execution, kept a backup plan, and was always on guard against Chang'an where Li Ming was.

Li Ming is not sure who is right or wrong.

Both make sense.

However, the option of investigating Li Tai and taking Chang'an into consideration is unrealistic.

If you want everything, you will end up with nothing.

Only children would say they want them all, but adults know they don’t have the ability to do so.

"Let's not talk about this for now." Li Ming changed the subject:

"I came to you today to ask you to interrogate someone for me."

When Lai Junchen heard that he could finally use his expertise, the anger on his face instantly disappeared.

His eyes immediately became clear.

"Hey, who is Master Ming, so blessed?"

"He's an old friend. Come with me to the Prince of Hejian's Mansion."

…………

Hejian County Prince's Mansion.

More than a year after the death of the original owner, Li Xiaogong, the mansion had become so dilapidated that Li Ming could hardly recognize it.

Your Majesty, remembering their old friendship, treated the three sons of the old ladybug with favor, giving them high positions and generous salaries.

Even this huge Prince's Mansion was repaired by Wannian County, so the three young masters didn't have to worry about it.

But these three guys are just hopeless and are almost squandering the huge family fortune. They also want to divide the family and split the Prince's Mansion into three parts.

Another big argument over how to distribute it.

When Li Shimin heard about this, he was so angry that he issued a death order: if they didn't want to live in the palace, it was okay. The three of them had to get out quickly, and the palace was taken back by the imperial court.

This calmed the three brothers down.

"It's all Sanlang's fault. After being bewitched by that Sogdian witch, he has been thinking about making money by lending money at interest every day. He has lent out money and can't get it back. He has almost squandered all the family property left by his father!"

The eldest brother Li Chongyi complained to Li Ming.

Erlang Li Hui chimed in:
"That's true. That's why we proposed to separate the family and quickly cut ties with that wasteful thing. At least we can keep some of our assets."

Every family has its own problems... But Li Ming wasn't here to act like an old uncle, so he asked directly:
"Where is the third brother, Li Chongzhen, and his Sogdian witch?"

Both of them turned their heads to the west at the same time:
"Sanlang went to the West Market to cause trouble, and there has been no news of that evil woman since my father passed away."

Li Ming's mouth twitched when he heard this.

It’s true that a dog can’t change its eating habits. How could Li Chongzhen miss this pyramid scheme case?
He didn't care, but Li Xiaogong's sixth concubine had disappeared, which meant that the clue was lost again.

The Sogdian aunt should still be in Chang'an, because a written document is required to leave the city, and her name is not on the city gate records.

In other words, she never left the capital during this year.

But Chang'an is crowded with people, where can I find her?
…………

Li Ming returned to Xishi with a heavy heart.

I want to find Li Chongzhen, or at least get some clues about Sixth Aunt.

As soon as we entered the market, our carriage was stopped.

It turned out to be Brother Su Dingfang, who came to report excitedly:

"Your Highness!"

Li Ming took the initiative to get out of the carriage and politely bowed to the long-unsuccessful Zhonglang Jiang:

"What's the matter, General Su?"

"Caught a suspicious Sogdian woman!" Su Dingfang reported enthusiastically:
"Last year, she suddenly appeared in Huaiyuanfang and bought a large house. The male owner was nowhere to be seen, and she lived there alone!
"According to others, that woman was once a concubine of a prince!"

Oh? It's easy to find after searching everywhere. Isn't this the long-lost Sixth Aunt?

Isn't this a coincidence?
It's not a coincidence either.

The Sogdians all lived in Huaiyuanfang near the West Market. Since the Sixth Aunt did not leave Chang'an City, she would naturally choose to live there.

The Wuhou Guards are conducting a carpet search of Nalifang, and sooner or later they will catch the Sogdian woman who is involved in a huge amount of unknown wealth.

"Where is she?"

"Temporarily detained in Dali Temple Prison!"

…………

"How can you arrest people without any reason? I have told you many times that I have nothing to do with the scam you are investigating!"

Li Xiaogong's sixth concubine, An, was making a loud noise in the Dali Temple prison.

She studied here last year.

Although I scored twice this time, it doesn't feel like coming home.

But he had experienced the jailers' methods to some extent, and he no longer felt the fear he had the first time.

The jailers could do nothing about her.

After all, there was no real conviction, and it did not involve cases such as "murder of royal family members" which were personally supervised by His Majesty.

You can't just be cruel and punish her right away, right?
"No progress?" Li Ming walked over hurriedly.

The jailers immediately stood up respectfully and shook their heads in shame.

An looked at this arrogant little prince and immediately recalled the unpleasantness of last year, frowning slightly.

"Are you An, the concubine of Prince Hejian?" Li Ming asked in a businesslike manner.

An's eyes rolled and he immediately started to wail in grievance:
"Ah, I am a weak woman, please understand me, Your Highness!

"After I left the Prince's Mansion, I stayed at home every day, but today I was arrested by the Tang army for no reason, and they accused me of cheating people out of money!
"It's really a pity that I've never been out of Huaiyuanfang!"

"That's not what we want to investigate." Li Ming looked directly into An's eyes:
"Where did you get the money to buy the house? Do you know the scammer this time?"

Of course, I earned it as a concubine... An wanted to say the lines she had prepared for a long time.

But as the child stared at her, she found herself unable to say these words with confidence and subconsciously looked away.

Li Ming was too lazy to talk nonsense with her and nodded to the jailer next to him:

"Torture."

An's heart skipped a beat and her face quickly turned pale.

But she just pursed her lips, said nothing, and looked at the jailer coldly.

But the jailers retreated to the sides and pushed a boy of about ten years old to the front.

The young man was hunched over, with a wretched look on his face, and it was hard to tell what kind of person he was.

But those burly jailers were somewhat in awe of the plain-looking boy, and were cautious in their every move.

"Come here, but don't make any obvious injuries. It will be embarrassing if it gets out." Li Ming ordered.

Huh... An secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Last year, even the Dali Temple Prison couldn't find any questions from her. Now, what is there for a teenager who hasn't even fully grown out to be afraid of?
Lai Junchen looked at the materials carefully and smiled sincerely.

"Okay, Master Ming."

(End of this chapter)