Gao Qiu secretly looked at the two people without any eye contact, but felt a little confused in his heart. How did Tong Guan get Cai Jing to speak for him
You must know that Taishi Cai is truly under one person in the court. He holds great power and is not someone who can help others casually. Even the emperor's favorites like Gao Qiu and Tong Guan are actually just small figures in his eyes. Forget it, how could the fight between them interest the Imperial Master and his students
Sensing Gao Qiu's suspicious gaze, Tong Guan's lips curled up slightly. If he hadn't been fully prepared, how could he dare to make a sudden move at a grand meeting like today? It is indeed difficult to get hold of Grand Master Cai, but it is not without any chance. However, Tong Guan had already formed a good relationship with him.
In fact, if we really talk about it, this matter is closely related to Sun Tu, and that is Cai Jiucai Dezhang, the governor of Jiangzhou. It was Tong Guan who arranged for Sun Tu to go to Jiangzhou, which allowed Cai Dezhang to truly control the overall situation there. Even Cai Jing could not deny that he owed Tong Guan a favor.
But Tong Guan never mentioned this matter to anyone after that. It was not until he took the liberty to visit the house two nights ago that he used this relationship. He also vaguely mentioned that once Sun Tu was convicted, Cai Jiu would also Will be implicated, which naturally makes Cai Jing unable to sit back and watch.
Of course, this is not enough. The key to making Cai Jing speak out at this time lies in Tong Guan's words afterwards: "The Grand Master will tell you the truth. The reason why I am so concerned about this matter is not just for me. It is for the sake of the stability of our country, the Song Dynasty. Grand Master, you don’t know something. Sun Tu is extremely courageous, and his reputation throughout Shandong is also extremely high. If the imperial court really wants to pursue this matter, force him to do so. I'm worried, I'm afraid he might really rise up..."
After hearing this statement, even Cai Jingdu became a little uneasy. He squinted his old eyes and asked, "How dare he?"
"Although this person has never expressed his disobedience to the imperial court, the lower officials can feel that he is a madman who does not follow etiquette and law. When he was in Jiangzhou and Qingzhou, he dared to use extraordinary means to kill officials. This is the best explanation. If the court can treat him well, this person can be the leader of the country, but once he really wants to be punished, he will never be captured. Once he raises his troops, he will join forces with the Liangshan bandits. , then the chaos in Shandong will be completely out of control!"
Seeing Tong Guan's worried look, Cai Jing really believed it. He knew that Tong Guan would not dare to talk about such a big thing, but he was more concerned about the dangerous person Sun Tu: "Since this person is so dangerous, how dare you put him in Qingzhou and give him military power? "
"I'm sorry, Grand Master, but I didn't see this person through at first, and I didn't understand it until recently. In fact, I took him to Liao Kingdom just to transfer him from Shandong, so that I can take him directly when I come back. Returning to Bianjing is the best way to eliminate future troubles without any bloodshed. Unfortunately, the incident in Youzhou actually caused him to escape from my control and lead to such an unmanageable situation." Tong Guan I hurriedly explained a few words.
Cai Jing looked at him for a while before agreeing to this statement: "So you want to protect him this time?"
"Not only must we protect him, but we must also take advantage of the opportunity to put him to the use of the court and let him fight against the Liangshan bandits. It would be great if the chaos can be quelled. If he loses, he will inevitably lose his army and the court will use this as an excuse. If we take him down, we will be able to change our name." Tong Guan
He revealed his plan without any reservation, and only then did he get Cai Jing's nod.
Gao Qiu didn't know the details, so he felt frightened at this moment. Then he exchanged glances with Liang Shicheng in front of him, both of whom had doubts on their faces. This time things were really difficult to handle.
Sure enough, with Cai Jing's opening, the courtiers no longer dared to refute casually. Even Zhao Ji nodded in agreement: "What the grand master said is indeed reasonable. This Sun Tu is a rare general. If it is determined by this matter, His crime is indeed somewhat inappropriate, so give him a chance to make up for his crime. If this time he can help the court quell the rebellion of thieves and bandits in Liangshanbo, not only will the past affairs not be investigated, but the court will also reward him based on his merits, but If he fails, he will be punished for both crimes, and he will be punished severely."
"Your Majesty, your Majesty!" Cai Jing and Tong Guan stepped forward to praise and accept the order, and then other officials followed suit after hesitating. This time the impeachment against Sun Tu was finally suppressed for the time being.
Although Gao Qiu was angry, he could only hold back his breath at this time. At the same time, he began to think about how to act to make Sun Tu suffer a big loss in the battle against Liangshan. He was naturally very experienced in things like this that hindered people. In just a moment, he had already formed various strategies in his mind, and he would send people to secretly implement them after he went to court.
But just when he was thinking about it, Tong Guan spoke again: "Your Majesty, I have one more thing to report!"
"Huh? Let's talk about it." Zhao Ji was already a little sleepy at this time. In the past, the court had already dispersed long ago, but today, because Gao Qiu and Tong Guan were unable to do so in public, the court meeting was postponed for nearly an hour. Unexpectedly, Tong Guan actually There is something else. Others also looked at Tong Guan a little strangely. Is there something that cannot be reported privately or submitted to a memorial, but must be said in public here
That’s really it!
Tong Guan glanced at Gao Qiu with his eyes, and then said: "Your Majesty, among the various crimes of the former Qingzhou magistrate Gao Xiang, there is one serious crime of colluding with the Liangshan bandits. I hope your Majesty will notice clearly!" After a pause, He added: "Moreover, I am worried that a local magistrate may not have such courage. I am afraid that behind him, there are important officials in the court involved in this matter in public!"
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense, and all the officials took a breath of cold air unconsciously. It is self-evident who Tong Guan is targeting with his words. Gao Xiang is Gao Qiu's nephew. Who else has the backer behind him besides him? This is clearly aimed at Gao Qiu.
If the fight between the two people just now was considered a falling out, then Tong Guan went straight to it and tore his face apart. This was something that the Song Dynasty court had never encountered in many years. It was a matter of life and death. political dispute!
Tu Qiongdong sees that everything before today was designed for this move. This is Tong Guan's final goal today!
As early as he knew that Gao Qiu actually instigated Gao Xiang to attack him in the name of cleaning up Sun Tu in Qingzhou, he had already decided to give the opponent a heavy counterattack. But now, as Sun Tu's contribution has been fully recognized, it proves that Gao Xiang and the others' crimes are true, and they can use this to attack Gao Qiu.
Gao Qiu was obviously caught off guard and couldn't react for a moment. Then he noticed the cold murderous intent in Tong Guan's eyes as he glanced at him. A sense of panic grew uncontrollably in his heart, and his legs They are all a little weak.
Seeing this, Cai Jing just smiled slightly and had no intention of getting involved.
The more fierce the fight between Gao Qiu and Tong Guan, the better for him, and he also believed that Gao Xiang alone could not defeat the mighty Song Taiwei. Of course, this means that Gao Qiu responded appropriately, otherwise it is hard to say what the consequences would be.
At this moment, a person quickly stepped out, saluted and said: "Your Majesty, I also think that what Privy Tong said is reasonable. Although Gao Xiang is dead, his crime must be investigated to the end and must not be tolerated. I am willing to serve your Majesty. Share your worries and investigate this matter carefully.”
When everyone saw it, it was Liang Shicheng who reacted quickly and stood up, which made Tong Guan frown. This Gao Qiu ally was shrewd enough to find the key point to break the situation at once. Indeed, Gao Qiu can only ensure safety when he has the power to review the case in his own hands.
After Zhao Ji's eyes swept back and forth over these favored ministers, he nodded and said, "It's up to you, Taifu Liang, to investigate this matter in detail with the officials of Dali Temple. But there is one thing you must listen carefully to. The matter is of great importance and there must be no bias!”
Liang Shicheng hurriedly saluted and responded: "I obey the decree..." He heard the meaning of the emperor's words, which was to stop bothering Sun Tu about this matter and only investigate the charges related to Gao Xiang and others. In fact, this was also a warning for the emperor to calm down the matter and not want to cause trouble again. Zhao Ji was not a fool after all. Several ministers had already made such a fuss among themselves. How could he not know that they were using this matter to start a fight.
As for Gao Qiu and Tong Guanna, both of them were favored ministers of Zhao Ji. He didn't want them to fight to the death, so he could just put the matter on hold. Of course, since Gao Xiang had confessed to all the crimes before his death, a large number of his relatives would have been implicated. Even Gao Qiu could only suffer the loss of being dumb and admit defeat with his tail between his legs. .
Liang Shicheng, who deeply understood the holy will, also sighed after receiving the decree. Gao Qiu lost in today's game quite ugly. If he hadn't come forward in time, but let Tong Guan or other officials who had a grudge against Gao Qiu get there first, I'm afraid his situation would have become even more difficult.
But if you think about it carefully, his loss is reasonable. After all, it was Tong Guan who suddenly attacked today. Gao Qiu had never heard anything about it before. He didn't even know that Gao Xiang and others were killed. .
When the court meeting ended and the ministers dispersed, Gao Qiu and Liang Shicheng walked together. The former repeatedly thanked him: "If Taifu hadn't taken action in time, I'm afraid the official would have fallen into the trap of the old thief."
"Does the Lieutenant know why he was defeated?" Liang Shicheng asked with a solemn expression.
"It's all because of that Tong Guan who ignored the rules of the court and acted viciously..." Gao Qiu gritted his teeth.
Liang Shicheng shook his head gently: "No, Tong Guan is just following the trend. The one who really puts you in such a passive situation is Sun Tu who is far away in Qingzhou. It is he who has done everything to make you passive everywhere. No matter how difficult it is, Turn over. So this person is the real strong enemy of you and me. We really underestimated this young man in the past!"
Gao Qiu only thought about it carefully and nodded with deep understanding: "This person is indeed not to be underestimated and must be eliminated as soon as possible!"
"Then let's take advantage of this opportunity. The Liangshan bandits are not easy to deal with. As long as he makes a mistake, we will kill him!" Liang Shicheng said in a cold voice. There has never been a moment like this. He desperately wants one person to die!
Sun Tu has now become the biggest thorn in the eyes of the two powerful officials in the DPRK and China!