Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 598 - 483: Be Alert and Careful_1

Chapter 598: Chapter 483: Be Alert and Careful_1

Huangfu Xuanji learned the news of Weizhen’s death when he returned home in the evening.

He stood dumbfounded for a while, and after recovering his senses, he immediately summoned several supporters from The Fourth Gate to guard him. Then with a hurried look, he rushed towards the mansion of Earl Huichang, the imperial uncle.

Huangfu Xuanji found that the imperial uncle, Sun Jizong, was also in a state of confusion.

"How did he die? How could he die so easily?" Sun Jizong stared blankly at Huangfu Xuanji: "Weizhen is such a character? He has been standing strong in the Capital City for over a hundred years with substantial foundations. Unbelievable, he was just played to death by that guy."

Huangfu Xuanji also sighed remorsefully: "It can only be said that this guy is indeed the descendant of a military family, and he fully understands the essence of military strategy. He hit Weizhen where it hurts the most, not giving Weizhen any chance to fight back. He’s no gentleman either, and didn’t hesitate in employing any means necessary."

Then his voice changed, and his gaze became deep; "However, this time, it may be an opportunity for you and me."

Once Sun Jizong heard this, he understood that Huangfu Xuanji was targeting the supporters of Weizhen.

That said, Sun Jizong was also very tempted.

What he cared about more was money. Having been extorted by Li Xuan earlier, his recent life had been very difficult, and a lot of slaves in his house had been dismissed.

"Without Weizhen, these people are just scattered sand, and they will be broken up by Li Xuan."

Huangfu Xuanji gritted his teeth: "Even if only to make Li Xuan uncomfortable, we can’t allow him to succeed. According to my knowledge, the case of Xunjian Yushi Xia Guangwei involves two servants of the court and a former Minister of the Revenue who retired and lives off his past achievements. If we can preserve even half of them, it could be of great benefit for Empress Sun and the True Emperor."

Imperial uncle Sun Jizong was immediately moved, and fell into deep thought.

But at this time, an iron-faced scholar walked over. This man was sturdy but dressed as a scholar, and his face was hidden by an iron mask without revealing his true appearance.

However, the rhythm of his walk, and his gestures, all had an elegant charm. He spoke calmly, "General Huangfu came up with a good plan, but unfortunately it’s not possible anymore."

Huangfu Xuanji and Sun Jizong both looked over in surprise.

"Why?" asked Huangfu Xuanji, puzzled. "Mr. Tie, the comrades of Abbot Weizhen absolutely can’t just sit and wait for death. A twelve-year-old case, how could it easily nail them?"

At this time, his tone when talking to the iron-faced scholar was still respectful.

It was just because not long ago, he, Huangfu Xuanji, was able to escape from prison, thanks to the guidance of the imperial uncle’s mansion’s think tank.

This iron-faced scholar was extremely wise and could predict things with godlike precision. He judged that the General Zhenshuo, was a man with an intense sense of pride, which led him to actively show goodwill to Great General Liang Heng.

Liang Heng was indeed overjoyed at his pledge of allegiance, the third son of Prince Hejian, a noble of the first rank in power. So, he personally went to the Court to plead for him.

This man used to be a trusted general of Emperor Jingtai and is currently in charge of the entire Capital City’s defense.

The Emperor might not give face to the Princess Hejian, but he cannot refuse his trusted general, however reluctantly, he had to agree.

Sun Jizong asked with a puzzled look: "Mr. Tie, why is this?"

The iron-faced scholar just smiled bitterly: "Imperial uncle, haven’t you seen the most recent news passed along by the secret guards? First Li Xuan visited the Ministry of War, then the Ministry of Revenue. He stayed there for a full hour."

He shook his head: "Wait a bit, maybe not long after, the Empress’ decree will arrive too."

Indeed, shortly after he sat down, an eunuch came to convey the Empress Sun’s verbal decree: "The Empress’s intention is that Weizhen and the others deserve to die a thousand deaths, and their crimes are unforgivable! These remnants of Wang Zhen must be eliminated.

The Empress orders you, the imperial uncle, to assist the Ministry of Punishments in thoroughly investigating the military grain case previously led by Weizhen and make this case public."

Sun Jizong’s expression changed slightly as he figured out the Empress’s intention. But then he asked: "Apart from this, what else did the Empress say?"

"Nothing much." The eunuch thought for a while: "But the Empress was very angry and broke several of her favorite teacups. She said that these treacherous villains are the pests of the nation, leading to the True Emperor falling into the hands of the enemy.

The Empress criticised you, the imperial uncle, for how could you get involved with these people? Isn’t it that they have caused enough damage to her and her son? The Empress questioned whether you were involved in this case. She also asked you to go to the Court as soon as possible."

While Sun Jizong was sweating nervously, Huangfu Xuanji turned to the iron-faced scholar with a look of realization: "Mr. Tie, earlier, when Li Xuan visited the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, was it about the recent shortage of money in the Court?"

"Exactly." The iron-faced scholar smiled lightly, raising his hand to press down: "To break their core with force, entice them with great wealth, and pressure them with the trend of events, this is the strategy of Marquis of Guanjun. At this time, anyone who tries to resist will be crushed beyond recovery. I have to admit, this time, he definitely left no stone unturned."

Then he shook his head: "Now we can only hope that the person tasked with this case is not Yu Jie or Li Xuan."

Huangfu Xuanji immediately understood their motives. Even if Weizhen and his accomplices were totally eradicated, they could still find ways to profit from this situation.

They could still manipulate this case to amass a fortune.

But the premise is that the person in charge of this case is not the upright and irreproachable Shaobao Yu Jie, who cannot tolerate even a grain of sand in his eyes; It’s not Li Xuan either, who has pure intentions and bears a grudge against them.

※※※※

When Li Xuan entered the palace, he met Prince Xiang, Yu Zhanshi.

This fifth son of Ren Emperor, the ’imperial uncle’ of the current emperor and True Emperor, is known as the Xian Emperor and enjoys great prestige within and outside the court.

He not only served as Jianguo several times during the reigns of Ren and Xuan Emperors, but was also considered for succession to the throne three times, and each time steadfastly declined.

After the Zhengtong Emperor was captured, Empress Sun wanted to make Prince Xiang, Yu Zhanshi, the Emperor and even ordered the golden seal of Prince Xiang to be brought to the palace to summon him. However, Prince Xiang petitioned to appoint the eldest son of the emperor, Yu Jianshen, as the Crown Prince, to let Prince Cheng, Yu Qiyu, rule and to recruit brave and wise men to rescue the emperor.

So, Prince Xiang is deeply trusted by both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. He has not only broken the Jin Dynasty’s precedent that vassal kings must be enthroned, but also served in the capital as Dazongzheng till now.

Due to his cultivation, Yu Zhanshi looked only about forty years old, with a similar appearance to that of the elder Yu. He had a square face with big ears, a handsome face and was dressed in court apparel. He was solemn and resolute, with an extremely imposing bearing.

However, upon seeing Li Xuan, Prince Xiang, Yu Zhanshi, was pleasant and they exchanged pleasantries. Then Yu Zhanshi took the initiative to mention the case of Xia Guangwei, "Lucky for us, or else I would have been fooled by the villain. In the afternoon, a deputy supervisor named Qin Yongren of my house came to me in fear and told me everything. I was shocked to find out that for just tens of thousands of teals of silver, the beast dare to misuse my Prince Xiang’s mansion name, consorted with Weizhen, and made me an accomplice which led to the wrongful death of such a faithful and upright official like Xia Guangwei."

He then asked, "Marquis of Guanjun, I am not sure if there are any descendants of Yushi Xia still alive? After learning about this, I am deeply remorseful and uneasy. I wish to make some compensation to his descendants to make amends for my previous mistakes."

His demeanor was sincere and heartfelt.

If Li Xuan had not been so well-informed about the case, he might also have been fooled.

The truth is, in this case, the Prince Xiang’s mansion didn’t contribute much. It merely gave Weizhen a platform and circulated some covert rumors.

The idea of Prince Xiang is straightforward. If the case was a success, they would gain hundreds of thousands of teals; if it failed, they could easily distance themselves from it.

However, this was crucial, as it led many officials involved in the case to believe that Weizhen had the backing of Prince Xiang’s mansion. That’s why they participated in this matter without any scruples and made a killing.

The hundreds of thousands of teals of silver that the Prince Xiang’s estate received from Weizhen every year were covered in blood.

"Why does Prince Xiang need to worry so much? It is understandable that Prince Xiang, living in the deep courtyards of the prince’s mansion for a long time, is inevitably deceived by others and unaware of the truth."

Li Xuan pretended to believe, and warned in a solemn tone, "However, Your Royal Highness must be more careful. When I was investigating this case earlier, I found that Weizhen often told his accomplices that he had been making money for you before and after the Tumu Fort Incident. And during Xia Guangwei’s case, you were the real mastermind."

"If this were to spread out, the Emperor and the True Emperor would probably not believe it, but it would harm your reputation, Your Royal Highness. After all, the granaries involved in the case are all near Huailai. It may cause people with ulterior motives to associate it with Tumu Fort."

Prince Xiang, Yu Zhanshi, who originally appeared calm, was suddenly filled with cold sweat all over his body.

He was in shock and disbelief, thinking, "Could Weizhen really say that?"

Looking at Li Xuan’s sincere and thoughtful looks, it didn’t seem likely that he was lying.

However, before Yu Zhanshi had a chance to clarify the situation, Li Xuan was already led into the Taihe Gate by an eunuch, beating him to it.

At that time, within the Yizheng Hall of the Taihe Gate, not only were there several cabinet ministers present, but also Minister of Punishments Yu Shiyue, the newly appointed Qing of Dali Temple, Dudu Tongzhi Zuo Daoxing of Xiuyiwei, head Eunuch of inner Jishi Bureau, and so on.

At this time, left Qiandu Yushi, Wei Zhen, and Qianhu from Xiuyiwei, Wei Bailong, were also here.

The two had returned from the search of Abbot Weizhen’s house. Wei Zhen was holding a list, reading it excitedly, "--- a total of more than 3,500 acres of land near the Capital City, 197 shops, 9 houses and other properties, 530,000 teals of silver bars, 90,000 teals of gold, 2.74 million teals of silver notes, and more than 3,400 pieces of various treasures and jewelry ---"

Wei Zhen reported for about a moment before he stopped. Then he bowed his hand and said, "The specific value needs to be evaluated in detail, but I estimate that the total value of these assets would not be less than ten million. Moreover, Wei Qianhu’s men are also interrogating Weizhen’s descendants and housekeeper. I expect that Weizhen must have hidden stashes."

Meanwhile, the officials in the hall were all looking at each other, each with different expressions on their faces.

Minister of Revenue Xiao Ci was the most excited, his face flushed, "Your Majesty! Since this case involves the Law of Kaizhong, it is related to our Ministry of Revenue. I request that our Ministry and the Ministry of Punishments jointly handle this case and thoroughly investigate."

Although Yu Jie maintained a calm demeanor, an intense killing intent radiated from him, "About the case of the deficit in Xia Guangwei’s and Huailai’s granaries, I also had doubts in the past. But at that time, I was in charge of border defense and was too busy, which gave these people a chance to collude and deceive the court. I am requesting to thoroughly investigate the case of Xia Guangwei, correct the chaos, and purify the universe!"