xymnovel Chapter 23: Undercurrents
Chapter 23: Undercurrents
"Li Zhongyan!"
Zheng Zhu ground his back teeth and called out Li Xun's name almost word by word, his tone revealing a chilling intent.
Seeing this, Liu Hongyi's smile widened, and he said with his hands folded.
"Now that the commander understands, there's no need for futile struggles. Take off your armor and obediently follow us!"
A casual remark instantly cooled Zheng Zhu's anger.
Now is not the time to hate Li Xun; what he should be thinking about now is how to protect himself.
Zheng Zhu's gaze swept over the fully armored Shence Army in the distance, and his face showed a struggle. After a moment, he seemed to have made a tough decision and said.
"Lieutenant Liu, I must report that Prime Minister Li Xun is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Over the years, he has appeared to be assisting His Majesty in eradicating his cronies and treacherous officials, but in reality, he has been recruiting confidants and cultivating his own faction. After the deaths of Wang Shoucheng and others, he has long harbored ambitions to seize control of the Shence Army."
"Such an ambitious man, if kept in the court, will surely one day commit acts of disloyalty. I hope Lieutenant Liu will consider this carefully and convey this message to His Majesty!"
Zheng Zhu's ability to get to where he is today is undoubtedly due to his skill in seizing opportunities.
In his words, he specifically pointed out that Li Xun's purpose was the Shence Army, just to attract the attention of the person in front of him.
But what Zheng Zhu didn't know was that Liu Hongyi's excitement upon hearing these words was no less than his current panic.
However, even so, Liu Hongyi did not show any emotion on his face, but pretended to be hesitant and said.
"Is this really true? Is what the general said true?"
Zheng Zhu hurriedly said, "Lieutenant, you should know that I have a very close relationship with Li Xun. Over the years, I have evidence of how he used the name of faction to eliminate dissidents, how he accepted bribes, abused his power for personal gain, and cultivated a large number of cronies."
"In addition, after I went to Fengxiang, he and I kept in touch through letters, which also revealed his intention to plot against the Shence Army."
"I am willing to offer up all this evidence if the lieutenant is willing to defend me before His Majesty."
It's like a pillow appearing when you're about to fall asleep.
Even Liu Hongyi didn't expect that before he could even bring it up, Zheng Zhu had already offered his pledge of allegiance.
Suppressing his excitement, Liu Hongyi said.
"If that is truly the case, I certainly cannot stand idly by and watch such a scourge upon the country. Please rest assured, General, I will certainly relay your words to His Majesty truthfully. However…"
He paused, then didn't continue.
This made Zheng Zhu's heart jump, and he quickly said...
"But what?"
Liu Hongyi feigned a troubled expression and continued, "However, Prime Minister Li is a dignified prime minister who has now achieved new merits and is extremely favored by His Majesty. I have no evidence whatsoever to accuse Prime Minister Li of disloyalty, and His Majesty is unlikely to believe me!"
This implication couldn't be clearer.
Upon hearing this, Zheng Zhu's expression shifted between light and dark.
Despite his pleasant words, Zheng Zhu didn't entirely trust Liu Hongyi either.
He deliberately made it sound so serious to escalate the situation, so that Liu Hongyi wouldn't dare to cover it up, and thus attract the emperor's attention.
As long as these matters reach the Emperor's ears, he will have the opportunity to meet the Emperor in person.
Only by seeing the emperor could he truly save his life and power.
From this perspective, the evidence he possesses is only for self-preservation; once it's handed over, he'll have no trump cards left.
However... seeing Liu Hongyi's calm and composed demeanor, Zheng Zhu hesitated for a moment before quickly making his decision.
Saving your life is the most important thing!
"The lieutenant is right. Here's what we'll do: I have a brother-in-law named Wei Feng, who currently lives in Chang Le Fang in the capital."
"After I left the capital, all my interactions with Li Xun were handled by him. He has many letters that Li Xun wrote to me."
"If these letters are presented to His Majesty, His Majesty will surely know of Li Xun's treacherous intentions!"
Liu Hongyi's expression finally relaxed, and he said.
"General Jie is indeed a wise man. Rest assured, as long as what you just said is true, I will definitely report everything to His Majesty. Before that, even if you are in the inner prison, I can guarantee that no one will make things difficult for you."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Zhu stiffened and hesitated before saying, "Lieutenant Liu..."
However, Liu Hongyi simply said, "Since His Majesty has issued an edict, how can I disobey? General, please bear with it for a few days. Once His Majesty sees the evidence you have presented, he will naturally know who the loyal minister is."
"Or perhaps, General, you were just joking with us, and you actually intend to rely on these officials from Fengxiang to fight against the imperial court?"
The tone of those words was sinister, which immediately sent a shiver down Zheng Zhu's spine, and he repeatedly said he dared not.
Looking again at the Shence Army, which outnumbered him several times over, Zheng Zhu sighed and had no choice but to remove his armor and obediently extend his hand.
"Then I'll leave it to the lieutenant."
Seeing this, Liu Hongyi resumed his smile, a barely perceptible glint of cold light flashing in his eyes, and nodded.
"General... don't worry!"
…………
Just as Zheng Zhu was being quietly taken away, Li Xun and Linghu Chu were still exchanging insults in the Yan Ying Hall.
In order to oppose Li Xun's suggestion to investigate ministers who had been associating with Qiu Shiliang and others in the outer court, Linghu Chu brought up the rumors that had been circulating in the court in the past few days.
Because the Shence Army was involved, Xue Jiling also stepped in to question them. In order to clear himself of suspicion, Li Xun directly demanded that those who spread the rumors be punished.
This completely enraged Linghu Chu.
He just said those words. Right now, Li Xun is saying he wants to punish those who spread rumors. Isn't that to punish him?
The old man had a fiery temper, and he couldn't hold back any longer. He walked straight up to Li Xun, pointed at his nose, and cursed him.
"Li Zhongyan, you know in your heart whether it's a rumor or not. Over the years, you have ostracized veteran officials, engaged in favoritism and corruption, and used the pretext of eliminating factions to purge dissidents, making a big show of it. In front of His Majesty and all the civil and military officials, do you dare to say that you have no designs on the Shence Army?"
"Of course not!"
Therefore, the most important quality that every person who rises to power through flattery must possess is shamelessness.
Faced with such a fierce questioning, Li Xun denied it crisply and without the slightest embarrassment.
"As Lieutenant Xue just said, the Shence Army is the imperial guard, and there has never been a precedent of a prime minister commanding troops. The prime minister bears the heavy responsibility of the state and is above all other officials. If he were to also command troops, how would he be any different from a powerful minister?"
"I, Li, come from humble origins, but have been granted the position of Prime Minister by His Majesty's favor and trust. How could I dare not serve him wholeheartedly?"
"Even if His Majesty is wise and insightful, it is impossible for him to issue such an edict. But even if it were true, I, Li, for the sake of loyalty, must not accept such an edict and should strongly advise against it."
"But you, Minister Linghu, keep accusing me of ostracizing senior officials and engaging in favoritism and corruption. What are your true intentions in slandering the current prime minister?"
The two of them went back and forth like this, both of them blushing and getting very emotional.
Li Ang even suspected that if they weren't currently in front of the emperor, the two of them might actually have started fighting.
Seeing that continuing to argue like this was not a solution, Li Ang had no choice but to raise his hand and gently shout.
"Okay, stop arguing."
So the two reluctantly bowed to each other, looking at each other with resentment, as if they wanted to devour each other.
Seeing this, Li Ang shook his head and said, "I have already said that the matter of Qiu and Yu's rebellion should be resolved as soon as possible, and it is not advisable to involve them too much..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Xun was about to speak.
But Li Ang preemptively stopped him, saying, "Prime Minister Li, I know you are loyal to the country and want to reorganize the court, but eliminating long-standing problems is not something that can be accomplished overnight. We must proceed gradually."
Having said all that, Li Xun could no longer insist and could only say, "Your Majesty's wisdom and foresight are profound; I obey your decree."
However, despite saying that, the expression on his face was rather unpleasant.
Li Ang continued, "The elimination of Qiu and Yu's faction is thanks to the diligent service of the ministers in the court who protected the emperor. I have already reviewed the list of meritorious officials submitted by the Secretariat and the Chancellery and can approve it. However, the specific rewards still need to be considered further."
"Especially those ministers who led troops to protect the people during the turmoil, such as Wang Fan and Guo Xingyu, should be promoted and rewarded for their merits. After court today, in addition to announcing the crimes of the two men, the most important thing in the Council of State Affairs is to discuss how to reward the meritorious officials."
"Hmm...this matter will be personally overseen by Minister Li!"