Fu Shanhe

Chapter 444 The Terrified Capital

That's absolutely true!
We scholars are all loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and of noble character. How could we possibly keep a large number of assassins in our homes?

However, the fact that so many assassins could be planted in the capital without being discovered by the authorities must have required the cooperation of officials in the court.

Even for us high-ranking officials in the imperial court, achieving this is not so easy.

"wrong!"

"Brother Lü, you should know something, otherwise you wouldn't be so flustered!"

Le Xiangsong abruptly changed the subject and questioned him.

We all live in the same circle, and we know each other very well.

If there were no problems, Lü Lingfeng would never be so flustered.

No matter how domineering and arrogant the noble faction is, they still have to be reasonable. It's impossible to attack them without cause.

"Brother Le is right. If Brother Lü knows anything, then please tell us quickly!"

"If we work together, we can always get through this."

Minister of Justice Fei Xinyuan then offered his advice.

He said nice things, but deep down he couldn't help but curse Lü Lingfeng's ancestors for eighteen generations.

I've seen teammates who mess up, but I've never seen anyone mess up like this.

For the disadvantaged "Great Qing Clique," the current rules of the political game are their greatest protection.

Once they break the precedent and set a precedent for assassination, the first to suffer will be these scholars.

The same guards and servants who accompanied the nobles were all veterans who had come from the battlefield and had received rigorous military training.

In terms of combat power, they are far superior to the servants around them.

Of course, they can hire soldiers to protect themselves, but the issue of trust is an insurmountable obstacle.

Nobody wants to entrust their safety to a group of strangers.

If it were a spy planted by the enemy, then we would be inviting a wolf into our house.

"Hey!"

"To be honest with you two, three months ago, several of my students suddenly came to visit me, hoping that I could take the lead in organizing an effort to eliminate traitors for the country. Their target was none other than you two Grand Secretaries."

I naturally rejected this outrageous act and gave him a severe scolding.

They thought the matter was over, but to their utter surprise, the two Grand Secretaries were suddenly assassinated today.

If this matter has nothing to do with him, that's fine. But if it does, and the imperial court investigates, I'm afraid I won't be able to explain myself!"

Lu Lingfeng sighed and then said.

The matter was so mysterious. What was initially thought to be the arrogant words of a student turned out to be the actual assassination plot.

Under normal circumstances, the assassin should have been arrested by the authorities shortly after entering the capital.

The Great Yu Dynasty was in such chaos that there were many who attempted to assassinate high-ranking officials. In more than 90% of these assassinations, the assassins were caught before they could even be carried out.

The remaining ten percent was also suppressed almost instantly after it was launched.

A major assassination like this during the day is a once-in-a-lifetime event.

"Brother Lü, don't panic."

Especially in times like these, we need to stay calm.

The noble clan had offended many people, and those who wanted them dead could stretch from the capital to Lingnan.

Perhaps this case has nothing to do with your students.

However, in this situation, we must also take emergency measures.

You must find the students who will visit you that day in advance to nip problems in the bud!

Le Xiangsong suppressed his anger and tried to persuade him.

If Jing and Li are alright, that's fine. With them keeping things in check, the people below can still maintain their composure.

When investigating an assassination case, one can approach it rationally.

If something were to happen to either of them, and the power in the aristocratic faction were to be taken over by a younger generation, then we would be doomed!
Young people are capable of anything when they get angry.

Evidence is meaningless to them.

If you suspect who did it, then kill them first.

Since we're all from opposing factions anyway, killing them all wouldn't be unjust.

If he could sever ties, Le Xiangsong would definitely do so immediately and distance himself from Lü Lingfeng.

However, they were political allies, and their ties in the court were very strong.

If the investigation traces back to Lü Lingfeng, the nobility will definitely not mind dragging them into it as well.

Although the Qingliu Party had a large number of members, they were all weak scholars. If they were to fight against a group of martial arts masters, it would be suicide.

"Brother Le and Brother Fei, rest assured, I have already sent people to search for them."

No matter what happens, it will absolutely not involve you.

Lü Lingfeng immediately assured him.

However, this guarantee is more like empty promises.

If an assassination attempt involves the Qingliu Party, their leaders are doomed.

Even the emperor couldn't protect them.

Or rather, the first person to kill them was Emperor Yongning.

What appeared to be an assassination attempt actually pushed Jing and Li a step further down the path to power.

Even if it's just for their own protection, the two will increase their efforts to seize power.

Even if they grow old and frail in the future, they will cultivate successors to take over their current power in order to ensure that their family will not be purged after their death.

The path of proactively delegating power has been almost completely blocked.

"That's not enough. We need to quickly find a scapegoat to draw the fire away from them."

The nobility may not have the patience to thoroughly investigate the details of a case.

We need to create a plausible enemy for them, and send this unfortunate guy to vent their anger!

Fei Xinyuan said in a heavy tone.

It's time to sell out your teammates.

When confronting the powerful nobles, the civil service group was a unified entity, but its internal structure was complex and intertwined.

If the Qingliu Party doesn't want to bear the retaliation from the noble faction, then they need to push out an unlucky guy to take the brunt of the nobles' anger.

"Northern barbarians!"

"Jin Dang!"

Le Xiangsong and Lü Lingfeng said in unison.

There are many political parties in the DPRK, but few are suitable scapegoats.

Jing and Li's reorganization of military affairs seriously threatened the safety of the Northern Barbarians.

It is entirely reasonable for the Northern barbarians to assassinate them in order to eliminate potential threats.

Fortunately, they had the capability to send out so many assassins.

It's not enough to just let the northern barbarians take the blame; we also need to arrange for capable inside agents.

The Shanxi Party, which had close ties with Shanxi merchants, was undoubtedly the best choice.

Even though the Jin Party has been the closest political ally of the Qingliu Party for most of the time, they must betray them now.

……

Zhang Mansion.

"You bunch of idiots participated in the assassination during the day?"

Looking at his clansmen, Vice Minister Zhang questioned them angrily.

Six months ago, these members of the clan went to Beijing to develop trade routes and specifically took over a number of shops.

To support his clansmen's business, he used his own calling card to ensure the smooth conduct of the transaction.

Several of these houses happened to be located at the site of the assassination.

"Uncle, we dare not participate in such treasonous acts!"

"I only took them in for two days out of courtesy, who would have thought that these people were actually assassins!"

......"

Zhang Shilang didn't listen to a word of the obese man's explanation; his mind was filled with thoughts of impending doom.

He knew that his clan had connections with the Northern Barbarians because of business dealings.

In the past, they had provided assistance to spies from the Northern Barbarians on more than one occasion, but that was limited to intelligence gathering.

Occasionally, they would launch a major operation, which was nothing more than smuggling some grain and firearms.

There are many officials in the court who are profiting from this, and the border troops are also part of this vested interest group. As long as they keep a low profile, nothing serious will happen.

But things are different now. Because of the money involved, people usually turn a blind eye to smuggling cases.

When it comes to assassinating a high-ranking official, no one dares to cover it up for them.

Even if you find someone to pull the strings, you'll probably be sold out the moment the deal is finalized.

"idiot!"

"If they're only being taken in for a few days, do they think the weapons the assassins have all fallen from the sky?"

Why are you coming here instead of turning yourself in to the authorities after causing such a big problem?

"Do you want my entire Zhang family, including nine generations of my clan, to be satisfied before you're done?!"

Zhang Shilang couldn't help but burst into a tirade of curses.

He seemed like a smart person most of the time, but unexpectedly, he made a huge mess at a crucial moment.

If he had been involved in the assassination, he might have held him in higher regard.

Even if it's reckless, at least their execution ability is good, and they can handle the preliminary preparations properly.

Being used as a pawn without even realizing it is pure stupidity.

"Uncle, you must save him!"

"My nephew's shop took them in because someone put in a good word for them; I really can't afford to offend them!"

......"

The middle-aged man explained, crying.

"Guards! Tie this idiot up! I'm going to personally escort him to the Five Cities Military Command!"

Zhang, the Vice Minister, coldly gave the order.

Now that things have come to this, he can barely take care of himself, let alone his nephew.

This is a matter of life and death; no matter who sends someone to give the order, we can't do it.

He was unwittingly dragged into this mess, and even a second-rank official like him couldn't escape it.

Just as the servants were getting to work, they heard the sound of soldiers breaking down the door outside.

"Take this idiot with you and get out through the secret passage!"

Vice Minister Zhang decisively gave the order.

Having been engaged in grassland trade for many years, which is a business that can cost you your life, you naturally need to be prepared in advance.

They thought they had been implicated in the imperial crackdown on smuggling and needed to escape through a secret passage.

I never imagined that I would have to go on the run just because there was a fool in my clan.

There's no way to explain it. Once it falls into the hands of the authorities, given all the shady things the Zhang family has done, the execution of the entire family is a foregone conclusion.

He had previously considered taking his nephew to the yamen to plead guilty, but that was merely a desperate attempt to muster his courage.

It's two different things to voluntarily confess the truth and to have your family investigated by the imperial court.

If the two Grand Secretaries are unharmed, there is a certain probability that they will be spared their lives, considering their efforts to atone for their crimes.

Now that the imperial army has come knocking, it's all someone else's doing.

Once in prison, they were subjected to severe torture.

When the time comes, being unable to live and unable to die will be truly tragic.

Their hasty escape ultimately came too late.

As soon as the secret passage was opened, the soldiers of the Five Cities Garrison stormed in.

The fact that two powerful figures from the aristocratic faction were assassinated right under their noses was itself a serious dereliction of duty.

In this situation, we naturally need to find ways to remedy the situation.

If the murderer is not caught soon, all the government offices in the capital, including the Five City Garrison, will be implicated.

"Bastard thing!"

"I am a high-ranking official of the second rank in the imperial court. Without the emperor's decree, who allowed you to trespass?"

Looking at the soldiers before him, Vice Minister Zhang rebuked them with feigned strength.

According to the laws of the Great Yu Dynasty, arrests of high-ranking officials like Zhang Shilang required an imperial decree.

The noble sons, consumed by rage, clearly didn't care about this.

"Becoming a second-rank official is a thing of the past; you will no longer be one after today."

Take him back and interrogate him severely!

"You dare send assassins to kill the Duke of Cheng and the Marquis of Zhenyuan? You old scoundrel, you're tired of living!"

The young man immediately reprimanded him.

"Injustice!"

Seeing that the other party was serious, Vice Minister Zhang hurriedly cried out that he was innocent.

In all honesty, he did not send anyone to assassinate the two Grand Secretaries.

Unfortunately, the assassins broke out from Zhang's shop, and without the cooperation of the merchants, they could not complete the infiltration.

If they made even the slightest noise and attracted the soldiers from the yamen, the assassin group would be wiped out prematurely.

The assassination attempt could have been prevented earlier, but since it happened right under the emperor's nose, this vice minister is the prime suspect.

"If you have been wronged, wait until His Majesty sends someone to interrogate you before you slowly shout your grievances."

At a time like this, you'd better just come with me to prison.

Don't expect that making a scene will get your colleagues to stand up for you.

At times like these, everyone is keeping their doors and windows closed, fearing they might get into trouble.

The young centurion couldn't help but sneer.

Now you know to cry foul, why didn't you do that earlier?

Even if one is truly unaware of the situation, failing to properly manage subordinates still carries responsibility.

In cases like this, even if subordinates act on their own initiative, they can drag Minister Zhang and his entire family to their deaths.

……

Late at night, in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Your Majesty, it's time to rest!"

Xu Zhongen stepped forward to remind him.

"I can't sleep. How far has the assassination investigation progressed?"

Emperor Yongning asked with concern.

Ever since receiving news of the assassination of the two Grand Secretaries, he had been restless, feeling that something bad was about to happen.

"Your Majesty, the case is under investigation."

All the government offices in the capital, including the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Eastern Depot, the Five City Garrison Commands, the Shuntian Prefecture, and the Ministry of Justice, mobilized.

Even the Beijing garrison has been mobilized, sealing off all the gates of the capital; now, entry is permitted, but exit is not.

Xu Zhongen's answer made Emperor Yongning frown even more.

The relevant government departments in the capital have taken action; there's not much to say about that.

If they don't do anything after such a major case, then there's something wrong with them.

The key issue was the mobilization of the Beijing garrison. Without his imperial edict and the troop deployment tally, the subordinates dared to act without authorization.

Even if a transfer is necessary, at the very least, they should come and consult him first.

As a reasonable emperor, he certainly wouldn't refuse at such a crucial moment.

Without even going through the proper procedure of requesting instructions, the Beijing garrison took action first.

Clearly, in the eyes of those noble generals, the emperor's edict was dispensable and far less important than the assassination cases of Jing Guoliang and Li Yuan.

A typical sign of the decline of imperial power.

This usually only happens at the end of a dynasty, when powerful ministers control the government.

"Jingying."

"Humph!"

"Never mind, let them be."

Tell the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard to be careful and hand over the investigative powers to those nobles!

After giving a cold shout, Emperor Yongning, regaining his rationality, ultimately chose to follow his heart.

With their own faction's top two leaders assassinated at the same time, the nobles were already furious and it was clearly not the time to deal with them.

If a direct confrontation doesn't work, then it's best to back down.

Having been wronged once, he doesn't want to be wronged again.

If he causes a stir and the nobles start to suspect him, then he'll be in big trouble.

(End of this chapter)