Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 620 Hunting
Li Fengniang rushed out of the carriage and saw Fang Jiao standing in the crowd and talking nonsense. She reached out to draw her sword.

She was twelve years old, but she was holding a large sword, but her arms were too long to pull the sword out of the sheath.

Li Fengniang, who was furious, raised the sword with both hands and chopped down at Fang Jiao's head with the scabbard attached.

"boom!"

The sword hit Fang Jiao's head right on top.

Even though it was the scabbard that was chopped off, Fang Jiao kept his eyes fixed. A stream of blood quickly flowed out from the hair on his forehead and crawled towards the tip of his nose.

Li Fengniang screamed, "Go to hell!"

She moved with the sword, took a wrong step and turned, then slashed at the back of Fang Jiao's neck with the sword in her hand again.

His movements were agile and his swordsmanship was sharp, and he looked quite realistic.

"puff!"

The big sword slashed Fang Jiao on the back of the head. Fang Jiao rolled his eyes and fell softly to the ground.

Li Fengniang gnashed her teeth and glared at Fang Hu again. Fang Hu retreated in horror and screamed, "Murder, murder..."

"Squeaky, creaky..." The tightly closed palace gate of Prince Jin's Mansion opened.

Four girls in palace dress walked out of the palace and stood one step apart on the left and right.

Then a little girl came out from the palace gate. She was no more than six or seven years old. She was wearing a goose yellow shirt and a purple gauze ribbon around her slender waist with pearl buttons.

The little girl had almond eyes and rosy cheeks, her pupils were as black as ink. As she walked, the golden phoenix embroidered on her skirt and sleeves sparkled brightly.

She stood on the stone steps and looked down. Despite her young age, her rosy face showed a noble grace.

"How dare you speak so rudely and insult me, you scoundrel! Slap me in the face!"

Following Zhao Ning'er came out several eunuchs and palace guards.

After hearing Zhao Ning'er's instructions, several palace guards rushed forward, handcuffed Old Master Fang and Fang Hu, and pinned them to the ground.

Several eunuchs with feminine looks walked forward quickly. Their footsteps were so light that it seemed as if they could not even kill an ant with their kick, but their attacks were heavy-handed.

They just slapped them once, without making a loud sound, but the cheeks of Old Master Fang and Fang Hu swelled up.

The few old teeth that had not yet been retired in Old Master Fang's mouth were slapped away.

"You... who are you? Someone is being beaten in Prince Jin's Mansion."

Fang Hu struggled and screamed.

Zhao Ning'er's eyebrows were raised, her eyes were wide open, and she said in a delicate voice, "I am the woman you arranged to be imprisoned and have a secret meeting with the Marquis of Chengdu!"

When Fang Hu heard this, his eyes widened and he was speechless.

He would never have thought that the person who was slandered was such a little girl.

How old is she? Is it possible that anyone would believe the rumors spread about her?
And she calls herself this palace...

Fang Hu had seen plays before. The woman who calls herself "the queen" and is so young must be a princess, right?

Just as he thought of this, the eunuch standing in front of him slapped him again.

He didn't see how the eunuch was moving, and the amplitude of his arm swinging was not very large, but when the slap came, Fang Hu's head buzzed, and the rest of his face lost consciousness.

Old Master Fang and Fang Hu were slapped in the face. Li Fengniang saw this and poked Fang Jiao, who was unconscious on the ground, with her sword, and shouted, "Hey, there's another one here. Do you want to fight him?"

A few guards who didn't get a chance to get a seat didn't know what to do. When they heard this, they grabbed Fang Jiao's shoulders and lifted him up without caring that his head was covered in blood.

A eunuch saw this and thought that something bad had happened, so he quickly walked over and slapped the man gently.

The movements looked so elegant and dignified, but Fang Jiao, who was in a coma, was hit on the face so hard that his head shook violently from side to side like a rattle, and he actually woke up.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a hand slapping the other half of his face.

Zhao Ning'er looked at Li Fengniang, who was standing in the sun, leaning on a large sword that was almost as tall as her.

Although she is still young, with eyes and eyebrows that haven't fully grown yet, she has a brightness like a beautiful peony.

Li Fengniang, standing there angrily, was like a young leopard with strong vitality.

That kind of full vitality with a bit of wildness is exactly what Zhao Ning'er, who is gentle and has been in poor physical condition since childhood, lacks.

As soon as she saw her, she immediately felt envy and affection for this young lady, so she greeted her and said, "Sister, have you also been humiliated by these scoundrels?"

Although the little girl Li Fengniang is young, she is very smart.

As early as when she heard Zhao Ning'er call herself "this palace", she knew who the little girl in front of her was.

At this time, she pretended not to know, stepped forward and held Zhao Ning'er's hand, and said affectionately: "Yes, dear sister, these rogues, they open their mouths and tarnish the innocence of our daughters, which is really abominable."

Zhao Ning'er only has older brothers, and because of the rules in the palace, she doesn't have much contact with her brothers.

Since she went to Yang Yuan's house, she had a few more little sisters who were not too much older than her in age to play with.

Li Fengniang was about the same age as Ata, both of whom were at the age that she could play with the most. She also spoke in a pleasant way, so she liked her immediately.

Zhao Ning'er nodded and said, "Yes, I heard from people around my aunt that someone in front of the mansion was slandering the Marquis of Chengdu and throwing dirty water on him."

"What? My sister is so young and so cute, and these bad guys are willing to bully you. They are such bastards."

Zhao Ning'er was delighted by her praise and said, "Sister, you are so beautiful and talented. Who doesn't love peonies? They are the most beautiful thing in the city."

Li Fengniang said: "Sister, you are a beauty in your own right. When the cardamom flowers bloom, you will surely be suspected to be the work of the goddess of Luochuan, with a thousand charming beauties breaking through the morning glow."

Old Master Fang's face was numb from being slapped, and he could no longer feel the pain from being slapped by the eunuch in front of him.

He couldn't help but yelled, "Call the police, hurry up and call the police. I'd rather hand you over to the police for investigation. Stop beating me..."

……

In the government hall, a group of senior officials took their seats one after another.

At the top was the regent, Prince of Jin, Zhao Jue, followed on the left and right by the two heads of government, Shen Gai and Yang Cunzhong.

Next came the political participants Tang Situi, Chen Kangbo and Chen Junqing.

Deputy Prime Minister Wei Xiangchen and Councillor Zhang Jun followed the imperial carriage to Chengdu and are not here.

Further down are the six ministers.

After everyone sat down, Tang Situi sent a series of memorials of deliberation and impeachment to Zhao Yu's desk, saying, "The regent, Yang Yuan, the assistant censor of the Censorate, is surrounded by controversy.

Whether he is a spy of the new Jin, some ministers have speculated from time to time. Now there are various incidents about his moral degradation. I think..."

Tang Shitui had already discussed with the six ministries, the political advisors, and Prime Minister Shen Gai in advance, and everyone had expressed their approval of his proposal, so he was very confident. This time he finally went into battle bare-handed and took the initiative to launch an attack.

Tang Situi discussed the issue and concluded: "This kind of chaos cannot continue.

If the emperor comes back and sees the court in turmoil, it will be a shame for us ministers.

I think that Yang Yuan can be demoted to the position of prefect of Quanzhou. This will live up to his achievements and will not discourage those who have made great contributions.

As far as the imperial court is concerned, now that this person who was criticizing them is no longer in sight, all the disputes surrounding him will naturally dissipate..."

After listening to Tang Situi's words, Zhao Yu pondered for a moment and said, "What Mr. Tang said is indeed a mature view of state affairs. Why not call Yang Yuan and ask him what he thinks?

If Yang Yuan also agrees with what Mr. Tang said, then everyone will be happy. "

Tang Situi couldn't help but frown when he heard this, and said, "Regent, I am discussing politics with the Regent in the side hall. Is Yang Yuan not qualified to be involved?"

The other councillors and the six ministers either exchanged glances with each other or whispered to each other, showing some resistance to Prince Jin's proposal.

The main reason is that Yang Yuan, at his level, should not participate in meetings of this level.

This made them somewhat dissatisfied, but everyone looked at Prime Minister Shen Gai, and the old gentleman did not show any opposition, so everyone swallowed their opposition. The King of Jin smiled and said, "After all, we have to make arrangements for Yang Yuan. If we don't make him convinced, how can we not discourage the meritorious officials?
Besides, Yang Yuan has something to report to me, and he is waiting outside now, now that he is here."

China's Eight Forgivenesses: "We are all here, it's not easy, we are all friends, and they are children. They are dead. It's the New Year, give them some face, it's for your own good"...

Even for a person like Tang Situi, since the other party had already come, he couldn't say anything more.

So, Yang Yuan was called into the government hall.

When Zhao Qu told Tang Situi's proposal in front of the ministers of the two governments and six ministries, Yang Yuan exploded on the spot like a firecracker.

"Mr. Tang, this is a kind offer. I am so young, but I am more than happy to be in charge of a region. There is no reason to refuse."

"But innocence is the foundation of being a human being, and reputation is the cornerstone of life. Since there are so many slanderous words against me, if I don't clear them up, how can I have the face to live in this world, let alone govern a place and work for the people."

"Someone slandered me for seeking the money of the Fang family. Investigate! Slander me for building a small villa with beautiful concubines. Investigate! Slander me for being a spy of Xinjin. Investigate! I would rather give up this bright future than be innocent!"

Tang Situi frowned and said unhappily: "Yang Qianxian, how can we find out all the criticisms about you in such a short time?

Are we going to let the government and the opposition continue to argue over this? You have to consider the overall situation!"

Yang Yuan said, "If you can't find anything, then it doesn't exist. If it doesn't exist, then I should be cleared of all charges. Making assumptions without any evidence is slander. Slander is spreading rumors to confuse the public, which is a crime. If you punish people with crimes, how can there be disputes?"

Tang Situi said contemptuously: "The superior officers forget their reputation, the middle officers establish their reputation, and the inferior officers steal their reputation. Yang Qianxian, you do not put your country first, but are obsessed with your own reputation. It's a pity that you are the top scholar who won the top three prizes in the imperial examination. You are a man who seeks fame, not a wise man."

"Mr. Tang, are you slandering me? Minister Qu, do you think he is slandering me? He is slandering me..."

Tang Situi was very displeased and said, "As the regent, a loyal and good person of the country should not be tempted by praise, nor be afraid of slander; he should follow the right path and be upright.

Yang Yuan is a man who loves fame and glory. He is a man who is corrupted by fame. He should definitely not be kept in the central government."

Yang Yuan said in a sullen tone, "Are you trying to accuse me, Mr. Tang? I just want to clear my name, how can that be considered as morally corrupt? Are you trying to accuse me of something that is not true, Mr. Tang?"

Tang Shitui became furious when he heard this. How dare he compare me to the old villain Qin Hui!

Tang Situi immediately said to the King of Jin: "Regent, Yang Yuan has no respect for the superiors and slanders his superiors. I ask the Regent to punish him!"

Yang Yuan spread his hands and said, "I haven't done anything yet. When I was summoned to the court by the Regent just now, I was asked to consider the overall situation and endure the humiliation.

I just value my reputation and don't want to compromise, but does this mean I have lost my morals and committed a crime?"

"Geese, geese, geese~, cough cough!" Prince Jin couldn't help but burst out laughing when he heard it, but hurriedly held it back.

Tang Situi was furious and said: "The regent should not be deceived by his clever words. A wise man should see clearly."

Yang Yuan said: "If the Regent does not listen to Minister Tang, then Minister Tang will punish you for your negligence."

"Shut up, you bastard!"

Tang Situi was extremely furious. He was less than 40 years old and had already become a prime minister. He had never been ridiculed in public like this.

Tang Sixun said angrily: "If the supervision is not clear, treacherous people will appear. If treacherous people appear, the wise will leave. If the wise leave, the country will not rise. If the country does not rise, then..."

Yang Yuan was planning to launch a general attack on the conservative faction anyway, so he didn't have to worry about anything, so he spoke so unscrupulously today.

He immediately interrupted, "If the country does not help, I will repay it with my blood. If you do not help, I am willing to be your foster father."

Tang Situi was choked. He could understand the first sentence, but what was the second sentence talking about?
All the officials from the two governments and six ministries fell into deep thought. The second half of Mr. Zhuangyuan's words must have an allusion.

However, the most famous story about this sentence is Lu Bu, a slave of three surnames.

However, Lu Bu's life had nothing to do with what the two of them were arguing about at this time.

Therefore, what Zhuangyuan said must have nothing to do with Lu Bu.

So, where did this sentence come from and what is the meaning of it?
I feel ashamed. After all, he is the top scorer in the imperial examination, but I don’t even know where this sentence came from or why.

"Geese, geese, geese, geese..." King Jin Zhao Ju suddenly shrugged his shoulders and laughed uncontrollably.

Tang Shitui searched the classics in his mind, but could not find the source of Yang Yuan's words.

At this moment, he suddenly saw King Jin smiling obscenely. He changed his mind and became so angry that he almost vomited blood.

Shit! What allusion is there? This disgraceful bastard is just insulting me!

Shen Gai looked at Yang Yuan deeply.
When Yang Yuan unexpectedly appeared just now, he felt a little surprised.

Seeing Yang Yuan laughing and cursing again, showing no fear in front of the officials of the two governments and six ministries, and even challenging Tang Situi in public, Shen Gai became more and more suspicious.

How dare Yang Yuan be so presumptuous? I'm afraid... what he holds in his hands are not just the things that His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin showed me, right?
Thinking of this, Shen Gai felt that he should take the initiative to express his position.

Only by taking the initiative can we keep the situation within controllable range.

If Yang Yuan and Tang Shitui were allowed to continue quarreling with each other, God knows what the situation would be like in the end.

Thinking of this, Shen Gai, who had been silent all this time, cleared his throat and said slowly: "This is the government hall, not the streets! Tang Jinzhi, Yang Ziyue, as ministers, you two should still take care of the overall situation!"

Tang Situi's eyes were red, and he looked at Shen Gai with some disbelief.

What does this old man mean? Yang Yuan offended me, the ruler, and you actually gave him fifty lashes?
Shen Gai picked up the tea and took a sip slowly. A gleam in his old eyes passed across Yang Yuan's face, who looked calm and not angry.

He raised his eyelids and said to Zhao Yu: "Regent, I think that the many criticisms against Yang Yuan are indeed as Yang Yuan said, so we may as well investigate them thoroughly.

If no evidence is found, no one will be allowed to mention it without reason from now on. Otherwise, the person will be charged with defamation and prosecuted. This will naturally stop the rumors.

If Yang Yuan were to leave the court with all the slander on his shoulders, it would seem that the matter had been settled peacefully, but in fact, there would be endless hidden dangers, and it is not advisable!"

Tang Shitui was stunned when he heard this. When I reported to you, you nodded too much. Why are you doing this now?
After hearing this, the King of Jin asked casually, "What do the ministers think?"

Yang Cunzhong and Chen Junqing said in unison: "I second the motion."

Chen Kangbo bowed and said, "Mr. Shen is right."

Minister of Rites Qu Mo nodded to his son-in-law and said, "Mr. Shen is a senior and respected person. This proposal is indeed a wise and mature one for the country."

Minister of War Cheng Zhen, Minister of Revenue Xizhe, Minister of Punishment Zhang Fangxun, and Minister of Works Hou Keyi all expressed their opinions, "I second the motion."

Although it is not known whether they were attaching Shen Gai's or Qu Mo's intentions, it was obvious that they meant the same thing.

Only the Minister of Personnel, Tan Yingwen, remained silent because he hated Yang Yuan to the core.

When Tang Shitui saw Shen Gai express his position and the other ministers following suit, a chill suddenly struck his heart.

It was not until then that he realized that the disadvantages of being promoted too quickly and staying in any position for too short a time were so serious.

The prime ministers, regents, and chancellors usually treated him as a brother and were friendly with him.

But when it really came to taking sides, no one was willing to stand on his side.

What shocked him was that this was just a rejection of one of his proposals?

Absolutely not.

He had been planning for a long time and had obtained the tacit approval of senior officials from various departments. This proposal, which should have been a sure thing, was overturned just like that. This was a sign.

A group of tigers and wolves were originally roaming in their own territories, living in peace with each other.

Suddenly one day, they all approached the territory of one of the parties at the same time, showing their fangs and claws.

Then they definitely wouldn't just roar at him a few times next.

During this "convenient hall political discussion", all the officials in charge of the two governments and six ministries, except for the Minister of Personnel who neither agreed nor opposed, voted against Tang Situi.

When he walked out of the Council Hall in a daze, Tang Shitui felt that the people walking beside him were not a group of colleagues, but a group of hyenas who were eyeing him, thinking about where to start and tearing his flesh apart.

All the hairs on Tang Situi's body stood up, and suddenly he stepped on empty air.

He was two steps away from reaching the flat ground, but he stumbled and hit one knee hard on the ground. Fortunately, he quickly supported himself with both hands and avoided rolling down in a mess.

PS: I had meetings these days. I got up at 6am this morning to rush to the station and didn’t get home until the evening. From the 10th to the 17th, I was still in meetings in four places. I pray that the second half of the month will be quiet, and I wish you infinite blessings!

(End of this chapter)