Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 411: Your Majesty, where are you?
"Di Renjie? Can you do it?"

Yuchi Xunyu folded his arms and looked at his friend with a questioning look in his eyes.

Di Renjie was still the same, bowing humbly with an awkward but polite smile on his face. He neither refuted nor explained, giving people the impression that he was unsure.

This made Yuchi Xunyu even more suspicious, and he raised his voice:

“Although this case did not cause serious consequences, it was of a serious nature.

"The enemy is targeting Brother Ming and the entire Ming Dynasty. If they succeed, the consequences will be disastrous. We must deal with it seriously and solve the case as soon as possible!"

Di Renjie was sprayed with spit by the charcoal-haired guy, and his aura became even weaker. He just nodded weakly and said with a stammer:
"Yes...you are right."

"Oh, can you do it?" This lukewarm attitude made Yuchi Xunyu more and more dissatisfied.

"I, I..." Poor Di Renjie was completely suppressed by his aura and couldn't even speak.

Li Ming interrupted to smooth things over:
"Don't be so aggressive, Black Charcoal Head. Xiao Di is still very good.

"Di Renjie, you too, be more confident. Have you forgotten? Didn't you and I solve the case of the poisoning of Hejian County Prince Li Xiaogong?"

Di Renjie moved his lips and finally uttered a relatively complete half sentence, which was:

"But... that was your wisdom and bravery, Your Majesty Mingge. You solved the strange case with your wisdom. It was all your credit. I just..."

"I just made a cameo appearance." Yuchi Xunyu completed the second half of the sentence for him.

"Yes, it's correct and objective." Di Renjie agreed.

Li Ming touched his head awkwardly:

"Oh no, you also deserve half of the military medal...

“No, I’m not here to listen to your flattery!

"Black Charcoal Head, Di Renjie successfully operated an intelligence network in the enemy's base camp and made outstanding contributions to the victory of the war. He has proven his ability. You must believe in him."

Yuchi Xunyu still refused to accept:

"It's different to be in the back and investigate the case."

Faced with his colleagues' direct questions, Di Renjie just lowered his head and did not refute. No one knew what he was thinking.

Li Ming could only sigh secretly.

The personalities of Yuchi Xunyu and Di Renjie can be said to be completely opposite, one is impatient and strong, while the other is meticulous.

And they happened to be doing the same job - both were on the intelligence front, one in the south, the other in the north, one facing external affairs, the other in charge of internal affairs.

It's hard not to be at odds with each other.

It is said that people in the same industry are enemies. Li Ming's assignment is simply to prevent the two from fighting.

Even though Yuchi Xunyu was the main attacker, Di Renjie was certainly unwilling in his heart, but with his personality he didn't show it easily.

Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes. Just relying on the relationship between classmates cannot guarantee that the group will be united and free of conflicts.

This has both advantages and disadvantages for their bosses.

We must maintain healthy competition between the two sides, while avoiding the two sides from tearing each other apart and sabotaging each other, which would degenerate into vicious competition.

This balance is very difficult to strike, like dancing on two eggs.

But Li Ming is an expert at the egg dance.

In front of the two of them, he asked back with a smile:
"The Ming Dynasty is full of talented people. Why do you think I should ask Di Renjie to handle this case?"

They were both stunned and looked at each other in confusion.

From what Brother Ming said, is there something important about selecting people?
“Because Di Renjie has been in Chang’an for a long time, he doesn’t have a deep relationship with Tangzhou.

"The incident happened in Tangzhou. Local forces cannot eliminate suspicion, such as the downtrodden nobles, the remnants of Goguryeo, or a minister who was not doing well in his career...

"Xun Yu, I don't suspect you of colluding with them. It's just that I'm afraid you'll arouse suspicion from others.

"In comparison, Di Renjie has almost no connection with Tangzhou, so he is obviously more suitable. This is also to protect you, Yuchi Xunyu."

Li Ming stood on tiptoe, patted the black-headed man's shoulder earnestly, and said to Di Renjie:
"You are not familiar with the Ming officials, so this is a good opportunity for you to get to know each other.

"Don't be afraid of offending people. As the head of the Purge Committee, your responsibility is to make them fear you and be wary of you."

The dazzling set of operations left the two friends stunned.

The emperor is worthy of being the emperor. He is just a candidate for investigating a case, but he can fill it with careful calculations.

Politics is really a complicated art, or is investigating a case simpler...

Di Renjie lowered his head and seemed to sigh slightly:

"Yes, Your Majesty..."

Yuchi Xunyu was very proud and showed a confident smile:

"So Brother Ming is trying to protect me, right? It's not because my ability to solve cases is not as good as Di Renjie's, right?"

Well... Li Ming didn't answer directly, but patted his shoulder again:

"Boys should protect themselves when they go out."

Yuchi Xunyu's smile froze, and Di Renjie's back straightened again.

Giving each person a sweet date was considered as maintaining a delicate balance.

Although Yuchi Xunyu was not convinced by Mingge's final arrangement, he could only accept it calmly.

"Now let's get back to the case itself." Li Ming cleared his throat and got to the point.

"The situation at the scene has been brought under control. Except for the ministers who have returned home, everyone else has been ordered not to leave the State Council Office. We will first conduct a preliminary investigation.

"Who is the arsonist? What is the real culprit behind the fire? Do you have any clues?"

Di Renjie was about to speak.

But Li Ming took back the conversation:

"I do have some guesses, and I hope you two can help me correct them."

Li Ming was polite for a moment, and then began to deduce:

"Although there are many people in the government office, but those who have the opportunity to get close to the Shangshi Bureau can be roughly divided into the following categories:

"The first is the imperial chef, the second is the palace maid who serves the dishes, and the third is the guard who guards the place."

Although this classification is a bit rough, it does restore the situation on the scene in a logically coherent manner, so that it is not too confusing and interferes with thinking.

Di Renjie nodded slightly to show his agreement and prepared to speak.

"First, rule out the imperial chef." Li Ming took over the conversation again.

“Not to mention that the selection of the imperial chefs has been strictly checked, and not to mention how strict the access control of the Shangshi Bureau is, once a chef enters, he cannot leave easily, let alone approach the woodshed.

"Just talking about the method of committing the crime, if a certain royal chef really had sinister intentions, he could have used more efficient methods such as poisoning. Why would he set a fire in a firewood room that was not very dangerous?"

After hearing this, Di Renjie nodded repeatedly and was about to speak out in agreement.

"You're right!"

But he was interrupted by Yuchi Xunyu.

The charcoal-haired man patted his dark forehead and suddenly realized:

"That's true! I almost wrongly accused those cooks. It's all thanks to Brother Ming, he's really smart!"

Li Ming smoothly took over the words handed over by Yuchi Xunyu, and did not give Di Renjie a chance to speak.

“Similarly, the palace maid’s suspicion can also be ruled out.

“The palace maids had strict routes for serving food, and the entire process was carried out under the supervision of the guards, and they also had no chance to get close to the woodshed.

"Similarly, if the palace maids want to cause trouble, there are better ways. Even spitting in the food is more reliable than setting a fire in the woodshed."

"Yeah, that's right." Yuchi Xunyu nodded heavily.

After eliminating two of the three options, it is really a difficult question as to what to answer next.

He actively used his little brain, skillfully applying the process of elimination, and his face gradually became serious:
"The cook and the palace maid can be ruled out as suspects, which means the one with the problem is... the guard?!"

There is no doubt that your Majesty's personal guards are elite troops who have been strictly selected and must be absolutely reliable.

If something goes wrong with the Guards...

From the small details, we can see that there has been a collapse in the governance of the Ming Dynasty.
"No."

However, Li Ming shook his head in denial.

"The guards are the least likely to have problems of the three groups. "Do you know why this fire was put out so quickly?"

"Because it's windy and rainy?" Yuchi Xunyu asked without thinking.

Li Ming glanced at him coldly:
“Although the Ming Dynasty was still a long way off, the imperial court and government officials were not particular about ostentation and were committed to simplicity.

"But the woodshed shouldn't be leaking, right?"

In fact, the firewood room of Shangshi Bureau is a sturdy warehouse that is always kept dry.

Even if there is a knife falling from outside, the inside will still be as solid as a rock, not to mention the slightest wind and rain.

“The fire was put out quickly thanks to the quick response of the guards.

"Secondly, it was because the arsonist was not familiar with the national conditions of the Ming Dynasty."

Li Ming said slowly.

This made Yuchi Xunyu confused.

It's just setting a fire. How can the success or failure of the assassination be related to whether one is familiar with the national conditions?
"Do you know what Brother Ming means?" Yuchi Xunyu asked Di Renjie in a low voice.

Di Renjie shook his head weakly:
"How can we speculate on your Majesty's will?"

"Oh! If you don't know, just say you don't know! You've been beating around the bush, but aren't you just as incapable of handling a case as I am?" Yuchi Xunyu complained impatiently.

Di Renjie opened his mouth, but was unable to refute.

"What the arsonists didn't know is that the firewood room is just named with the word 'firewood' in it. The fuel stored inside has nothing to do with firewood."

Li Ming explained:
"It's coal."

"Coal?" Di Renjie repeated with some surprise.

As a "foreigner" from Chang'an, although he had been in constant contact with Li Ming, he was not very clear about the details of his life.

For example, the main fuel of the Ming Dynasty was not firewood or charcoal, but coal.

Coal was the fuel first proposed by Li Ming to replace charcoal, so the palace naturally set an example.

We can't let the people use cheap coal while we secretly enjoy specially supplied charcoal.

“One characteristic of coal is that it has a high ignition point… well, to put it simply, it is more difficult to ignite than firewood or charcoal.

"The arsonist must have been unaware of this, which resulted in the fire in the ignition material not being strong enough and the woodshed not catching fire."

Li Ming looked at the two of them and said:

“There’s no way my guards didn’t know that.

"It can even be generalized that anyone who has lived in the territory of the Ming Dynasty for a period of time would not make such a low-level mistake that would lead to failure."

His tone was somewhat relieved.

Fortunately, the key departments of the Forbidden City have not been infiltrated and corrupted by the enemy, and are still reliable.

Fortunately in misfortune.

The assassin might not even be from the Ming Dynasty.

They don't even know the common sense about coal, so their national character is indeed questionable.

If this is true, then Li Ming has even more reason to feel gratified.

Because this shows that the mastermind behind the scenes could not find even one citizen within the Ming Dynasty who was willing to kill the most virtuous and holy Emperor.

This further proves that Your Majesty is still very popular in the country and your rule is very solid!
"In this way, the scope of suspects can be further narrowed down."

Li Ming concluded.

Hmmmm... Di Renjie and Yuchi Xunyu nodded and looked at Brother Ming with anticipation.

His Majesty Mingge looked at the two of them.

"What are you doing?"

"Where's down there?"

"There's nothing more down there... Pah pah pah!"

His Majesty the Emperor was furious:
"If I have to investigate everything, then what else do you guys do?
"Di Renjie will handle the case. I have a lot of things to do. I want to focus on domestic affairs."

Di Renjie was startled and said timidly:
"I will obey your order!"

"..." Li Ming was too lazy to correct him, and instructed Yuchi Xunyu:
"Based on the existing evidence, we cannot rule out the possibility that the real culprit behind this is from abroad.

"External intelligence work falls within your purview. Di Renjie will coordinate with you on related matters."

When he heard that he could also get involved, Yuchi Xunyu immediately became excited:

"Follow the order!"

After finishing his instructions, Li Ming waved to his two friends:

"It's getting late, you should go back and rest."

"Follow the order."

Yuchi Xunyu and Di Renjie took their leave together.

Li Ming let out a breath.

How the founding emperor deals with his meritorious officials has always been a difficult problem, and Li Ming was the most difficult one among them.

They used to be classmates and buddies, but now they have become king and subject.

How to handle this relationship?

If you do everything according to the rules, you will be considered inhumane and ungrateful, "Brother Ming, you have changed."

If we indulge them, they will sooner or later cause trouble and harm the world.

“Therefore, the best approach is to let them compete with each other and I will mediate.

"This can not only maintain a harmonious and friendly relationship between the monarch and his subjects, but also keep them on their toes at all times and not let them relax."

Li Ming secretly made a plan in his mind.

He is really good at balancing.

This "snake head but snake tail" arson case in the State Council Yamen can just serve to balance the role of Di Renjie and Yuchi Xunyu, and the internal and external intelligence agencies.

As for the arson itself, Li Ming didn't care much about it.

At first glance, this was a political assassination that attempted to lump the emperor and his ministers together, and could be called an "ominous event in the imperial capital."

The enemy is in the State Council!

But as long as you study the details, it is not difficult to find that the iron wall around you is still very solid.

Even if the enemy hides in the darkness, the arrows shot by them cannot hurt you.

Although the Ming Dynasty was large, there were not many loopholes for the enemy to exploit.

Prove that you are competent in organization and control at the grassroots level.

But then again, who or which force was so bold as to come to Tangzhou and challenge the authority of the most sage and saintly person?

Do you even have the delusion of annihilating the entire Ming Dynasty and the entire world's ruling group?

Although his behavior is extremely foolish, his intention is so evil that he deserves death!

The smoke of war has not yet dissipated. Do you think I can't lift the knife or that I don't dare to kill anyone?

It’s just...

"Ah...it all depends on Di Renjie."

Li Ming suppressed the urge to roll up his arms and rush forward, and forced himself to calm down.

He is the emperor now, he cannot be too fussy about details.

He wants to govern the country.

"Finance, disaster prevention, relief, development... they are all troublesome issues."

Li Ming was silently thinking about his busy schedule when suddenly an idea came to him.

"Oh right! How could I have forgotten that there is still a blood pack that has not been used!
"It's a good opportunity to call Ah Sizi along!"

(End of this chapter)