Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 518 What can an incompetent person do?

"Why are you so alarmed?"

Yuwen Rong hurriedly returned home and saw that his son and Li Linfu both looked anxious. He immediately frowned and asked.

Yuwen Kuan stepped forward with a pained expression and said anxiously, "Father, something terrible has happened! Zhang Dai is plotting against me and my family. He actually wants to accuse you of embezzlement and bribery and wants to confiscate our property!"

"Don't talk nonsense! How dare he?"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Rong's expression hardened, and he immediately rebuked him in a deep voice.

He didn't say that because he had a good impression of Zhang Dai, but rather because he was a prime minister and how could he be easily impeached by the censor?

Moreover, he had many informants and influence within the Censorate, so if Zhang Dai really dared to do this, he couldn't possibly be unaware. He even had ways to make it difficult for the impeachment memorial to leave the Censorate!
Li Linfu also hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Reporting to the Prime Minister, this matter is indeed true and should not be taken lightly! Last night, Zhang Dai came to Prime Minister Pei's door and told him that he had this plan, and repeatedly begged Prime Minister Pei to support it."

"If this is true, where did you get this information from?"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Rong frowned even more deeply, and then looked at Li Linfu and asked a question.

Upon hearing this question, a flicker of panic and embarrassment crossed Li Linfu's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and said sincerely, "I have no way of knowing this, and it is truly inconvenient to inform you, sir. But this matter is beyond doubt. Zhang Dai is wicked and certainly not a good person. Prime Minister Pei is also very shrewd; we must be careful!"

Yuwen Kuan said impatiently, "When Zhang Dai came to our door last time and made those outrageous remarks, I already felt that he was a treacherous and wicked person. Not only did he refuse Father's offer of employment, but he also instigated Pei Yaoqing to quarrel with Father, which shows that he harbors evil intentions. I originally wanted to strike first and punish him, but I didn't expect that this guy to be so vicious. Before my plan could be implemented, he tried to do something bad..."

"what have you done?"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Rong immediately looked at his son and asked urgently.

"It was a plan devised between me and my eldest son. We didn't do anything illegal or disorderly; we simply used Zhang Dai's own business..."

Li Linfu took the initiative to explain what they were planning, without hiding anything.

"Three hundred thousand strings of cash? Where did you get so much money?"

After listening, Yuwen Rong raised an eyebrow and looked at Yuwen Kuan, demanding an explanation.

He was certainly aware of his son's actions, but he himself was busy with official duties and therefore lacked a comprehensive understanding of some details. When he heard that Yuwen Kuan had actually invested so much money in the attempt to seize Zhang Dai's business, Yuwen Rong couldn't help but feel quite surprised.

This amount wasn't a huge sum for him, but it was all for the sake of managing the nation's finances. However, the fact that his own son could so easily use hundreds of thousands of strings of cash to seek personal gain was still a great surprise to him.

In his original view, although his son entertained guests and collected gifts, he might have a few tens of thousands of strings of cash in income, which was not a big deal for his current expenses. Even if someone used this as grounds for impeachment, he could easily cover it up without leaving a trace.

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Kuan felt a pang of panic and quickly lowered his head, saying, "Father has been busy with state affairs, and I dare not trouble him with family matters. Although the various expenses at home are numerous and complicated, they add up to a considerable sum. As the eldest son in the household, I can only do my best to support the family..."

"Everyone agrees that the eldest son is in charge of the household. All those who enter and leave this gate say that the Prime Minister's family is prosperous, and this is all thanks to the eldest son. The Prime Minister is exceptionally talented and manages the country's finances well. The eldest son has inherited his father's style and manages the household affairs in an orderly manner, which is only natural."

Li Linfu quickly spoke up to defend Yuwen Kuan, then hurriedly added, "These matters can be discussed later. The most important thing right now is to deal with Zhang Dai's impeachment with caution. You are well aware of his deeds, sir. If we allow him to plot against us without taking precautions, disaster may be imminent. What we must be especially careful about is ensuring that our eldest son does not follow in Yuan Jiu's footsteps!"

"Father, I don't want to die, I don't want to..."

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Kuan was immediately terrified. Not only Yuan Jie from earlier this year, but also Wang Shouqing and other officials of the Eastern Palace who had recently suffered extreme punishment—all these people rushed into his mind, scaring him half to death.

"He dares!"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Rong roared angrily, his resentment rising again. He couldn't help but curse, "What right does this brat have to impeach others for embezzlement and bribery? Who in the world doesn't know that his grandfather, Zhang Shuo, was the most greedy man! I used to cherish his talent and treat him with special consideration, but I never expected that this fellow would repeatedly try to harm me. Do you really think I can't do anything about him?"

Seeing Yuwen Rong's deep resentment towards Zhang Dai, Li Linfu was secretly pleased. However, his most pressing concern was preventing Zhang Dai from successfully impeaching Yuwen Rong and thwarting their scheme. He only knew from Lady Wu that Zhang Dai intended to impeach Yuwen Rong for embezzlement, thereby withholding the funds to prevent a run on the banks in Bianzhou. Lady Wu, after leaving in a fit of rage, was unaware that Pei Guangting had already rejected the plan and was not planning to implement it immediately.

From Li Linfu's perspective, it was clear that Zhang Dai was also somewhat flustered. This plan must have targeted his Achilles' heel, which is why he was so desperate that he came up with such a futile and unrealistic idea.

In recent years, the imperial court has become increasingly strict in investigating and punishing officials for embezzlement and bribery. This is because the national treasury is increasingly strained, so it is necessary to rectify the behavior of officials and clarify the law. At the same time, it is also a means of generating revenue.

However, such investigations vary from person to person; at least for high-ranking officials, it's not considered a serious issue. Even a sage might be fully aware of the corruption of some high-ranking officials, but as long as they are still useful, he won't pursue the matter further.

As Yuwen Rong said, Zhang Shuo's corruption was no secret, and he was even impeached by a joint petition from the Censorate officials. Although he lost his power as a result, the real reason was not corruption.

Although Yuwen Rong's embezzlement was suspected of being an inside job, the country was currently in dire financial straits. Should the court investigate thoroughly and uncover the hundreds of thousands of strings of cash in embezzled funds, or should it protect a minister who was good at financial management and help the court to continuously expand its sources of revenue?
Therefore, Zhang Dai's actions would not cause Yuwen Rong much harm, but would only thoroughly enrage him.

Because he only held a sinecure, Li Linfu became increasingly marginalized in Yuwen Rong's camp, which gave him the time and energy to stir up trouble with Yuwen Kuan.

He hadn't even seen Yuwen Rong or communicated with him directly for a while, and now that he finally had another chance, he naturally wanted to make a good impression again. So he quickly said, "Zhang Dai is not a big threat even if we deal with him carefully. The real concern is Minister Pei."

Now that Prime Minister Pei is in charge of the Censorate, and Zhang Dai is under his protection, if he insists on protecting Zhang Dai, dealing with him will be quite difficult. Prime Minister Pei is also cunning and treacherous, and should be guarded against. Especially since his son has amassed a large fortune, managing businesses with Zhang Dai and the sons of Prince Xin'an. If Prime Minister Pei and Prince Xin'an are plotting something, this would be a dangerous situation for the Prime Minister as well!

Although Lady Wu had heard of Pei Guangting's private contacts and interactions with Prince Xin'an, she did not mention it to Li Linfu. After all, she knew she was Pei Guangting's wife, and she would naturally be happy to see her husband succeed in his power struggle.

She only told Li Linfu about Zhang Dai's schemes because she was worried that Li Linfu might be harmed by Zhang Dai again without his knowledge.

However, some things don't require solid evidence; they can be deduced from subtle clues. The fact that Zhang Dai, Pei Zhen, and Li Xia jointly operated a tea plantation wasn't a top secret. In fact, Wu complained to Li Linfu several times about it, apologizing for not having enough spare money to help him.

This matter began before news of Prince Xin'an's great achievement reached Chang'an, indicating a deep connection between them, rather than a hasty relationship established after learning of Prince Xin'an's accomplishments.

Although Li Linfu was becoming increasingly marginalized, he still paid close attention to what Yuwen Rong was doing. Knowing that Yuwen Rong had been targeting Prince Xin'an recently, he advised him again: "The Emperor is very pleased with the border achievements, and now Prince Xin'an has returned home with great merit. He is currently enjoying the Emperor's favor. It is not advisable to provoke him at this time. If Prince Xin'an colludes with the ministers in court, it will be very troublesome to retaliate."

“Even if Pei Mouxing’s cronies and Prince Xin’an’s mere military man collude, what can they do besides disrupting the law and order?”

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Rong snorted coldly. He had been in charge of a series of important affairs since the ninth year of the Kaiyuan era, while Pei Guangting was still in obscurity and had no notable achievements due to his father-in-law Wu Sansi. Now that the two of them had become prime ministers together, he naturally looked down on Pei Guangting.

He scoffed at Li Linfu's advice and then said, "The country is in dire straits both internally and externally. Even if these two collude, what plan can they possibly use to relieve the country's troubles? Moreover, what is the purpose of such collusion between generals and ministers? I am worried about how to teach Prince Xin'an a lesson, so that he will focus on border affairs and not get involved in anything else. If he dares to interfere in court affairs, how can I forgive these two!"

Seeing Yuwen Rong's arrogance, Li Linfu became increasingly worried. He was about to continue trying to persuade him when Yuwen Rong impatiently waved him off.

“Although you have worked hard to run the family business, you have done something wrong in this matter. Since you are not from a merchant family, you should know that displaying so much wealth in front of others will attract criticism. I will have someone keep a close eye on the Magistrate and not allow Zhang Dai to speak out. You should settle the money and silk you have invested as soon as possible and not leave any trouble behind!”

Yuwen Rong then pointed at his son and instructed him, "This flying money involves the inner palace. Even if you manage to seize it, you must not directly participate. Like Zhang Dai, you should enjoy the benefits without taking any action. Do you understand?"

Yuwen Kuan nodded hurriedly and agreed: "I will set off for Bianzhou immediately and do my best to handle things properly as soon as possible, so that Father will not have to worry about it!"

"With so many people gathered in the capital, if the eldest son goes, the other young masters may find it difficult to handle things properly. If you and the eldest son trust me, I will go in your place. Is that alright?"

After pondering for a moment, Li Linfu spoke again.

On one hand, he was the mastermind behind this whole affair, aiming to quickly raise money to pay off his enormous debts. On the other hand, Yuwen Rong's current arrogant attitude made him uneasy, and he also wanted to temporarily leave the central government to observe how things would develop.

"Li Shi is prudent in his dealings and his strategies are commendable; he can handle things as he sees fit. As for you, stay at home and remember, do not take in any more large sums of money!"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Rong nodded and said that he was not worried about Li Linfu causing any trouble. His family had a clean reputation and was well-known in the capital. If he dared to do anything, he would have a way to deal with him!
(End of this chapter)