xymnovel Chapter 76: So That's How It Is
Chapter 76: So That's How It Is
With Yang Qinyi on the inside and Li Deyu on the outside, plus the tacit approval and compromise of Liu Hongyi, the Shence Lieutenant, the reform of Shence naturally progressed very quickly.
Although Li Ang still harbored some skepticism about Liu Hongyi's final statement, some things didn't necessarily need to be explained too clearly.
After all, once you reach this level of status and position, it's difficult to explain your major decisions with a single, simple reason.
Li Ang believed that Liu Hongyi's compromise was for the sake of his son.
After all, after the reform, the Shence Commander-in-Chief was more like an outsider in a sense. Although he was still temporarily a eunuch, he was now part of the court system, and whoever was appointed to the position largely depended on the emperor's wishes.
In this situation, Liu Xiuqi went from being an adopted son of a eunuch to a son of a high-ranking official, thus gaining a legitimate path in officialdom and potentially even forming a new family lineage in the future.
This is definitely the result Liu Hongyi wanted to see.
But beyond that, he should also understand that the Shence reforms were an inevitable trend. This problem lay between the imperial power and the eunuchs, and as long as it was not resolved, neither side could eliminate their vigilance and suspicion.
Agreeing to the reform of the Shence Army meant sacrificing some of the eunuchs' control over the army, but for Liu Hongyi, it would likely give him a more dignified and stable future.
The saying goes, "Better to sacrifice a friend than myself," and as he himself said, everyone has selfish desires. This is probably the main reason why he was truly willing to compromise.
In a sense, seeking a favorable future for Liu Xiuqi was also a way for him to express his own attitude.
This shows that he is willing to let his son pursue a proper official career, which can be regarded as handing over his "weak point" to Li Ang in order to prove his sincerity and loyalty.
Politicians are indeed complex figures; their emotions and interests are often so intertwined that even they themselves may not be able to clearly distinguish between them.
But in any case, things are finally able to move forward smoothly.
But before that, there was one more thing he needed to do...
The inner hall of Zichen Palace.
The overall situation has been settled, but there are still some things that Li Ang has doubts about and needs to confirm.
With a command, Xue Jiling, who had been waiting in the side hall, was brought up.
Upon seeing Li Ang, the former Shence Army lieutenant immediately rushed over and shouted loudly.
"Everyone, this old servant is innocent!"
At this moment, Xue Jiling was no longer as arrogant as he had been in front of the Jingzhao Prefecture; he was now in a sorry state.
Li Ang's gaze was deep, but his voice was extremely calm.
"Xue Jiling, you are not a fool. Now that things have come to this, does it even matter whether you are innocent or not?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xue Jiling's body stiffened slightly, and his face quickly turned ashen.
So, this is Li Ang's style.
Sometimes, politics requires a roundabout approach, but sometimes, getting straight to the point is the most efficient way to get things done.
Xue Jiling's voice was somewhat hoarse. He seemed resigned to his fate, but his tone also revealed a hint of unwillingness as he asked.
"I understand everything else, but there's one thing I don't understand. Could you please give me an answer?"
"You mean to ask why Liu Hongyi was willing to hand over this case to the Prefectural Magistrate's Office?"
Without much effort, Li Ang guessed what he wanted to ask.
Upon hearing this, Xue Jiling's emotions immediately became somewhat agitated.
Since things had already come to this point, his fate was basically sealed, so he spoke with less restraint and became more frank.
"Actually, ever since the establishment of the Eastern Depot, this old servant has vaguely understood that everyone wants to divide the power in our hands. Ximen Jixuan, Wang Wenqian and others are all Liu Hongyi and Yang Qinyi’s confidants. Everyone values them, and Liu Hongyi and Yang Qinyi are naturally grateful."
"But this old servant doesn't understand, can these two really turn against each other based on just these things? This time, the unauthorized troop deployment was indeed an impulsive act, but, but matters concerning the Shence Army have always been decided by the Shence Lieutenant himself. This old servant did this in order to uphold the authority of the Shence Army, so why..."
Xue Jiling's tone was full of incomprehension and frustration.
You must understand that he is by no means a fool to be in this position, and he certainly doesn't lack a sense of right and wrong when it comes to what he can and cannot do.
Just like the unauthorized troop deployment, it was indeed impulsive.
But Xue Jiling's real intention was to demonstrate against the ministers in the court.
His confidence stemmed from the fact that Liu Hongyi, also a lieutenant in the Shence Army, would definitely stand by his side.
Because essentially, by doing this, he was also protecting Liu Hongyi's power.
But he couldn't understand why, in the end, Liu Hongyi would lead his troops to capture him without hesitation.
Seeing his excited expression, Li Ang shook his head inwardly.
Indeed, Xue Jiling was not stupid, but those who often fall into traps are often the smart ones.
"Show him this."
Li Ang pulled a document from the table beside him and had Qi Baozhen hand it over.
"This is the confession I obtained that night after interrogating those soldiers. You can take a look. After all, given the Shence Army's usual style of operation, you shouldn't have continued to interrogate them after taking them away, right?"
Xue Jiling was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Li Ang to bring up this matter.
Although the whole incident stemmed from this case of a soldier beating someone to death.
But in Xue Jiling's eyes, this matter was far too insignificant.
With the protection of the eunuchs, the Shence Army ran rampant in Chang'an. Almost every month, seven or eight such incidents would be reported, and Xue Jiling had long been used to it.
In fact, if the emperor hadn't happened to be involved this time, Xue Jiling wouldn't have even personally intervened in such a matter; he would have simply had his subordinates handle it.
Qi Baozhen presented the confession to Xue Jiling. Everything seemed normal until Xue Jiling noticed a line of information that hadn't appeared anywhere else.
"...These people who were killed were actually the families of fallen soldiers of the Left Shence Army?"
Xue Jiling's pupils shrank suddenly, and a look of shock and anger appeared on his face.
"That bastard Zhang Chongwen, how dare he do this?"
During his time imprisoned in the side hall, Xue Jiling thought a lot.
He had considered what the emperor might have used to bribe Liu Hongyi—perhaps high-ranking official positions and generous salaries, or perhaps he had exploited some of Liu's weaknesses.
But to his surprise, the final answer was so simple and unadorned.
Those who were killed were not ordinary civilians; they were the families of fallen soldiers of the Left Shence Army.
No wonder, no wonder Liu Hongyi was unwilling to handle this matter himself, but instead wanted the Prefectural Governor's Office and the Eastern Depot to get involved.
The attackers were from the right wing, and the victims were the family members of the left wing, who were even killed.
If this matter escalates, it could lead to a significant conflict between the left and right wings. It might be better to let a third party handle it to try and smooth things over.
However, despite this, after reading the testimony, Xue Jiling had new doubts.
If it were simply because the person killed was a family member of a fallen soldier from the Left Army, Liu Hongyi would have just told him directly.
It should be noted that there are some consensuses among the Shence Army members.
For example, it's acceptable to bully ordinary civilians, but the families of military personnel cannot be bullied at will.
After all, everyone has a family, right?
If Xue Jiling finds out about this, he will definitely punish these soldiers severely. Even if the news gets out, the other soldiers of the Right Army will not feel dissatisfied because of it.
Why...
At this moment, Li Ang seemed to see his doubts, so he took out another document and said.
"This is a secret report submitted by the Eastern Depot after the case occurred. Take a look."
Qi Baozhen returned to the emperor's presence, picked up the document, and unfolded it again before Xue Jiling's eyes.
Upon seeing the document, Xue Jiling froze, as if all his strength had been drained away, and collapsed weakly to the ground, saying...
"I see……"