Fu Shanhe

Chapter 443 Assassination
Time flies, and before we knew it, it was the ninth year of Yongning.

After the rebellion was quelled, the number of immigrants received from Southern Zhili decreased significantly.

Fortunately, Li Mu quickly adjusted the policy and set up more immigration points in a number of coastal provinces, thus filling the gap in time.

The immigration process went exceptionally smoothly.

Local government offices all contributed greatly; Li Mu made the arrangements for the military officers, while the civil officials acted spontaneously.

It's clear that there are more normal people than normal people in this world, and only a very small minority of perverts who harm others without benefiting themselves.

No matter how intense the civil and military disputes are, they will not affect everyone's support for immigration.

For local officials, displaced people are a security threat.

Having witnessed the destructive power of the rebels, no one wants to experience it a second time.

The large-scale immigration policy, to some extent, alleviated social conflicts in Dayu.

Perhaps because the previous natural disasters had caused enough trouble, in the ninth year of Yongning, apart from some local natural disasters, the entire Dayu region enjoyed favorable weather and abundant harvests.

The situation is thriving.

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

The Emperor Yongning felt somewhat uneasy without any bad news.

Since he ascended the throne, bad news has been constant, and ministers have been replaced wave after wave.

Suddenly, when the noble faction came to power, the world was at peace, which made him feel very insecure.

In an era that believed in destiny, such a strange change could easily lead to negative associations.

Unless something major happens, it's not good for him, the emperor, to cause trouble.

After all, he aspired to be a wise ruler and couldn't afford to cause trouble for no reason.

"Your Majesty, something is wrong!"

"After court today, the Duke of Cheng and the Marquis of Zhenyuan were assassinated on their way home."

Zheng Yingyi said in a panic.

The assassination of the Grand Secretary and the Second Grand Secretary at the same time was a major incident that caused a huge uproar.

Upon receiving the news, he did not dare to delay for a moment and immediately went to the palace to report to the emperor.

"Were the two Grand Secretaries injured?"

Emperor Yongning said in a panic.

The last time the retired Grand Secretary was attacked, he was humiliated and almost forced to issue an edict of self-reproach.

Even after so much time has passed, he still feels lingering fear.

Compared to the deceased Wan Junhui, Jing Guoliang and Li Yuan undoubtedly had a much greater influence.

If something were to happen to these two, it wouldn't be the civil officials who would cause trouble, but the military generals scattered throughout the land.

Before local authorities can exert their influence, the nobles in the capital will cause trouble and overturn the imperial court.

When the Marquis of Wuyang died in battle last time, all the high-ranking officials of the cabinet and the six ministries also perished.

Not only did they die, but their families also suffered bloody retribution.

So many people died, and apart from scholars cursing the military men for acting like foreigners, the imperial court didn't even hold anyone accountable.

Of course, it wasn't entirely without consequences; Emperor Yongning confiscated the salaries of a group of nobles and relatives of the emperor for three years.

After Jing Guoliang and Li Yuan came to power, apart from Xu Wenyue who received a posthumous title, no one else was even granted a posthumous title.

There were two people above restraining them, and the troops below were the imperial army.

Without this restraint, the army below will sooner or later degenerate into warlords.

Even if another cabinet composed of nobles is formed, it can only delay the occurrence of this situation.

Once the discord between the ruler and his subjects occurs, it can never be reversed.

Even though Emperor Yongning maintained contact with various noble families and relatives of the emperor, he still could not salvage the crisis of trust.

"The incident happened too suddenly, and the Five Cities Garrison quickly took control of the scene, preventing our people from getting close."

Whether the two ministers were injured is currently unknown.

Zheng Yingyi replied with a frustrated expression.

It's a miracle that the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard could rise to such a position in the Great Yu Dynasty.

There's no way around it; the nobility is currently in a period of great power, their influence comparable to that of the early years of the founding of the nation.

Along with the Five City Garrison Commanders, their voices in the capital grew louder and louder.

In the eyes of some young noblemen, he, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was just an ordinary third-rank official.

The lower-ranking officers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, such as centurions and commanders, were directly reduced to minor officials of the fifth or sixth rank.

Anyway, as sons of noble families, the commanders of a thousand and a hundred households wouldn't back down when they encountered them.

They were supposed to handle the assassination case, but someone else snatched the job away from them.

They didn't have the confidence to cause trouble. Although the Five Cities Military Command managed military security, it was essentially still an army, not a local government office.

In terms of combat strength, they are no weaker than the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The main problem was a lack of money; the imperial court was very strict with their budget and wouldn't give them any extra funding.

However, the emperor had strict requirements for the secret police, forbidding them from going out to make money without permission.

Regardless of the situation in the local areas, they certainly wouldn't dare to act recklessly in the capital.

Under the emperor's nose, with so many censors and officials, even the slightest disturbance could lead to impeachment.

The official staff of the Embroidered Uniform Guard consisted of only 5,600 people.

If such a small number of people were all placed in the capital, they would certainly be wealthy.

Unfortunately, their mission was to monitor the entire country and even gather intelligence on foreign vassals, so only a little over a thousand remained in the capital.

Against this backdrop, the task of guarding the capital with the Embroidered Uniform Guard became a daunting one.

Aside from making a quick buck when carrying out raids, they dare not do anything rash under normal circumstances.

Among all the officials in the court, none were more eager to uncover a major case than they were.

Unfortunately, the emperor's power is now being squeezed, not to mention those who depend on the emperor's power.

The Directorate of Ceremonial, which used to be able to check and balance the outer court, has never played a role since the beginning of the Yongning reign.

The emperor held too much power, and the eunuchs lost their motivation.

After the noble faction came to power, the eunuchs' situation improved slightly, but only to the point that the nobles stopped targeting them.

"waste!"

After he finished cursing, Emperor Yongning suddenly realized how insignificant he was.

It is truly unacceptable for an emperor to panic to this extent over the safety of his subjects.

After calming down, he began to think about it in secret.

Jing Guoliang and Li Yuan wielded immense power and influence, but they also blocked the path of many others.

Aside from the noble faction, which wouldn't target them, all other factions in the court are suspected of plotting against them, including the emperor himself.

If both of them are safe and sound, that's fine, but if one of them has an accident, it will cause a huge uproar.

Whoever did it must pay the price.

The most important thing now is not to find the murderer, but to convince the nobles that he was not the one who did it.

Even an emperor would be doomed if he took the blame for this.

"If you want your minister to die, you will have to die."

This statement applies only to ordinary ministers who have no power to resist.

Jing Guoliang and Li Yuan represent not only themselves, but also an interest group.

If the worst-case scenario occurs, the nobility group will have no way out.

If they don't want to be purged in the future, they have no choice but to use their troops to launch a preemptive attack.

Without two people to restrain them, the leaderless aristocratic faction could launch any kind of counterattack.

Since he dared to kill a minister in the imperial court, no one could guarantee that these people wouldn't kill him as well in a fit of anger.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

"The more critical the moment, the more we need to remain calm."

I believe that the Duke of Cheng and the Marquis of Zhenyuan are blessed by Heaven and will be safe!

Xu Zhongen forced himself to persuade him.

The unexpected incident also stunned him, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

In the past few days, he has reached a tacit understanding with the nobility, and together they will suppress the civil service group and share the fruits of victory.

Although the eunuch faction didn't actually gain much from this power feast, they were still thrilled!
After the civil service was suppressed, they no longer had to take the blame.

Their reputations have rebounded significantly, and the criticism they've received from both the government and the public has subsided considerably. Some disillusioned civil officials are quietly gravitating towards them in order to advance their careers.

If this situation continues, once the two old men, Jing Guoliang and Li Yuan, retire, the eunuch faction will become a significant force in the imperial court.

The future political situation in the court will most likely be a three-way power struggle between civil officials, eunuchs, and nobles.

This is also the court structure that best serves the emperor's interests at present, and the previous emperor's reign had always strived in this direction.

Unfortunately, there weren't many wars at the time, and the noble faction, lacking the support of military achievements, didn't have enough power. The emperor could only continuously strengthen the eunuchs.

"Ok!"

"Send the imperial physicians to the residences of the two Grand Secretaries to examine them. Spare no effort to save the lives of these two ministers!"

Emperor Yongning said with a solemn expression.

The more he wanted those two old guys dead in the past, the more he now longed for them to be safe and sound.

The two of them could die, but they absolutely could not die in an assassination attempt.

If he were to die, he should die of old age, so that he would not leave any hidden dangers and the noble faction would not cause him any trouble.

The most perfect solution would be to select two more Grand Secretaries from among the nobility to gradually take over the power vacuum left by the two former Grand Secretaries.

"According to the order!"

……

The Zhenyuan Marquis's Residence.

"My lord, what's wrong with the blood on your body?"

The lady of the Marquis's mansion asked with concern.

Although the Hou family's power has expanded rapidly in recent years, Li Yuan is still the head of the Hou family.

If something happens to Li Yuan, the current favorable situation will be completely ruined.

Even with the support of the Li clan outside, her young son was unable to stabilize the situation.

"Don't worry, this blood belongs to someone else."

Today, I was attacked by assassins on the road, but fortunately, my personal guards are quite capable, easily killing dozens of assassins.

Li Yuan said, feigning composure.

Blood was dripping onto him; the battle was definitely not as simple as he made it out to be.

If it weren't for his personal guards risking their lives, this tragic Grand Secretary might have become the first Grand Secretary of the Great Yu Dynasty to be assassinated in the street.

Deep down, he was not at peace.

Although he knew that many people in the capital wanted him dead, the fact that he was able to arrange for dozens of assassins to ambush him in the street was still beyond his expectations.

In particular, the assassins used muskets and crossbows, which is something that ordinary forces could not do.

The capital is destined to be turbulent tonight. With such a major upheaval, countless people will be unable to sleep.

The bottom line of political struggle has been broken once again, which means that the subsequent party struggle will become even more bloody and turbulent.

"My lord, who has the audacity to assassinate you in the street?"

After confirming that Li Yuan was alright, the Marquis asked in confusion.

Having lived half her life, she's seen all sorts of bizarre things.

I have never seen anyone dare to assassinate a cabinet minister in the street.

"do not know!"

"Not only me, but Brother Jing was also assassinated."

He wasn't as lucky as me; an arrow whizzed past his forehead, nearly killing him.

Li Yuan said with a smile.

The danger wasn't important; the important thing is that no one was hurt.

If that arrow had hit Jing Guoliang, he wouldn't have had time to make jokes now.

He had absolutely no clue about the real culprit.

It's not that we don't have any targets to suspect; on the contrary, we have too many targets to suspect.

Apart from his own people, he now sees everyone in the various factions of the court as a potential murderer.

In fact, the assassin's choice to strike in the street was out of necessity.

Since joining the cabinet, he and Jing Guoliang have lived a secluded life.

Even during normal times, entertainment activities are conducted within the residence.

Even when invited by acquaintances, they would meet at their respective residences.

When they occasionally go out, they are always accompanied by a large number of soldiers.

The only way to get close to him was on the road to and from the capital.

Furthermore, the government offices would conduct daily inspections, with buildings on both sides of the street being the primary targets.

Under normal circumstances, something like this wouldn't happen.

The fact that the assassins were able to lurk in the streets without being discovered by the patrolling soldiers suggests that someone in the imperial court was behind it.

If this matter is investigated thoroughly, it will surely leave some clues.

Especially muskets and crossbows; these are things that ordinary assassins can't get their hands on.

……

Lu Mansion.

"Gentlemen, what should we do now?"

Lu Lingfeng asked in a panic.

The Prime Minister and the Second Prime Minister were assassinated at the same time, and they, members of the Qingliu Party, were the prime suspects.

Don't be fooled by their usual behavior; when it comes to confronting the aristocratic faction, they are the loudest.

In private gatherings, they often boasted that they wanted to kill the two of them.

But all of this is just talk. If they were really asked to take action and kill the two cabinet ministers, they wouldn't dare to do it even if they had the guts.

There was no other reason than that the revenge of the noble faction was far too bloody and ruthless.

Their predecessors did not anticipate this, which is why they lost their lives and fortunes.

Having witnessed the horrific scene firsthand, most of the civil officials, including them, were terrified.

Everyone here is well-versed in history and knows very well what happens when you anger the ruler in a country ruled by military men.

They are all wealthy and powerful families; it's impossible for them to risk the lives of their entire clan to benefit others.

"Brother Lü, don't panic."

The assassination attempt on the two Grand Secretaries wasn't our doing; panicking too much will only bring trouble.

"No, Brother Lü."

"This matter has nothing to do with you, does it?"

Fei Xinyuan asked, his expression changing drastically.

This kind of deadly thing, no matter who gets involved, is a death sentence for their entire family.

He can disregard his colleagues' reckless actions.

But the matter is too big now; if any member of the Qingliu Party is involved, they will all be implicated.

When the nobility retaliate, they don't bother to investigate whether the nobles were involved.

If it involves any faction, just eliminate them physically.

These nobles in the court were relatively well-behaved.

The most ruthless were the local nobles and military generals, a bunch of ruthless killers.

Once they've decided on something, they're willing to impersonate rebels and do it without considering the political consequences.

"Brother Fei, you're really joking."

Lu was not stupid; why would he arrange for someone to assassinate the two Grand Secretaries?

Even if I were out of my mind, I don't have that many assassins in my house!

Lu Lingfeng hurriedly explained.

He was indeed aware of the assassination attempt beforehand, but he absolutely did not participate in it.

Before the incident, someone approached him, expressing their intention to rid the country of traitors.

However, Lü Lingfeng wasn't stupid; he knew that the noble faction was not to be trifled with, so he didn't get involved.

It was initially thought to be just a sudden whim of someone below, but the assassination attempt changed the nature of the incident.

(End of this chapter)