Qin Mubai had long heard from Li Ke that Quan Wanji had a strong and upright temperament and a bit of a hot temper. To be honest, he is not afraid of anything, even if he raises his head, he dares to fight with others. He once served as Yushi Zhongcheng, responsible for supervising the clean government and impeaching hundreds of officials. His job was to offend people. He also once served as the governor of a local prefecture or county, and he has always hated the negligence and corruption of local officials the most.
During the Zhenguan Dynasty, because Li Shimin was good at accepting remonstrances and encouraged them, there were many remonstrators like Wei Zheng who dared to rebel against Longlin, and Quan Wanji was one of them. Even the emperor respected, feared, loved and hated such an admonishment officer.
I had only heard about it, but Qin Mubai saw it with his own eyes this time. Looking at Quan Wanji's attitude, I wish I could bring Liao Lirong to justice now, and then follow the clues to find out the culprits of all crimes. But if you do this, you might be alerting the enemy, and it's easy to do bad things.
So Qin Mubai hurriedly advised: "Mr. Quan, calm down. There is a problem with Liao Lirong in all likelihood, but we don't have to rush to take him now. Mr. Quan also served as an official in a local state and county, and he knows that officials in local states and counties have always been Are they connected with each other? If we go to take Liao Lirong right now, the ground in Jiangzhou will be like a thunder, and everyone will be in danger. This is a critical period for disaster relief and the people, so we must take the overall situation into consideration. It’s important. It’s better to hold back for the time being and investigate secretly, find more sufficient evidence, investigate the case more clearly, and settle the accounts later after settling the matter of the victims!”
Quan Wanji had an angry look on his face. After hearing Qin Mubai's words, he took a long breath and nodded: "The general's words make sense. We should really focus on the overall situation now. No matter what, The lives and deaths of tens of thousands of victims are far more important than dealing with those corrupt officials who are worse than beasts. Let’s just send the heads of these evil thieves! However, this matter should be reported to His Majesty as soon as possible. By the way, General. Have you informed His Highness about this matter?"
"Not yet." Qin Mubai said calmly without changing his expression, "His Highness has been busy rescuing the people all day long, and he lives and eats with the officials. I'm worried that after I tell His Highness this news, it will affect his mood in doing things. The gentleman also knows that His Highness has been banned for more than half a year and finally has a chance to do something. If you tell him these things, it will definitely distract him and affect his motivation. We will inform His Highness as soon as we have conclusive evidence.”
"It makes sense." Quan Wanji nodded, "Then, let His Highness focus on disaster relief and appeasement of the people! You and I will investigate the case secretly! We will report to His Highness King Wu after the evidence is conclusive. Get someone to handle the case. You and I are not the censor or the imperial envoy of Dali Temple, but King Wu has been authorized by His Majesty the Emperor to "act as I personally do when the situation arises." You and I will report the results directly to His Highness when we arrive. It’s also much simpler and clearer.”
"That's very good. It belongs to Mr. Yi Quan!" Qin Mubai cupped his hands and said with a smile.
Quan Wanji cut his hands behind his back and let out a long sigh: "What a misfortune for the country! I didn't expect that our prosperous and peaceful Zhenguan Tang Dynasty would also have such corrupt officials. It is really a crime that cannot be punished!"
In the next few days, Qin Mubai asked Li Ke to find various excuses to keep him close to him. Therefore, the important task of "investigating the case" has actually fallen completely on Quan Wanji. Qin Mubai revealed some clues to him intentionally or unintentionally, like the rice used to fill floods and build embankments, which was used by corrupt officials to mend holes; the forged suicide note was probably written by Liao Lirong, because he was the only one who wished the deceased. Cheng Wen was the most familiar and most likely to imitate Zhu Chengwen's handwriting; in the end, the governor Cheng Songnian was finally traced. When Quan Wanji learned that he had a close relationship with Sheng Nanhou, he realized that the case was a huge one - it was about the prince!
Almost everyone in the whole court knew that the prince's wet nurse had a younger brother who had not learned anything since he was a child, but he had a very close relationship with the prince. In private, they even called him uncle and nephew. Marquis Shengnan was previously named Zhang Sande. After Li Chengqian was named the prince, he personally went out to find a marquis for him. The court granted him a house and farmland with twice as much grace and honor. Then he changed his name to Zhang Tianci. His intention is obvious, probably to say that his current glory and wealth are all single-handedly rewarded by the future emperor.
Zhang Sande is more than ten years older than Li Chengqian. He doesn't know anything else but is good at eating, drinking and having fun. He also has a nasty habit - he likes to keep male pets!
Under his influence, Li Chengqian actually contracted this terrible bad habit. It is said that more than a year ago, Zhang Sande secretly sent a male favorite named "Li Xin" to Li Chengqian. Li Chengqian couldn't put it down and played with him day and night.
These things are almost an open secret, and I am afraid that only the emperor does not know. Or perhaps, he knew, but was still pretending not to know.
When the case was traced to Sheng Nanhou, Quan Wanji also felt troubled. Although he is upright and upright, it does not mean that he is stupid. At present, the prince has lost his virtue, the emperor prefers the king of Wei, and there are rumors throughout the court that the emperor intends to depose and establish a crown prince. If Sheng Nanhou is stabbed out at this juncture, it will definitely affect the whole body. Apart from anything else, if the matter of a male favorite's "love" is made public, it will definitely be an unprecedented royal scandal. This alone was enough for the emperor to use it as an excuse to depose Prince Li Chengqian!
At the same time, if the people in King Wei's camp knew about it, would they not use it to add insult to injury? By that time, his Quan Wanji would have been invisibly used by the Wei royal party!
Riding a tiger with difficulty, Quan Wanji hesitated like never before.
He was never afraid of being killed for offending the Holy Face because of his rebellion against Long Lin, nor was he afraid of retaliation and murder by those he impeached, but he was worried that some of his actions would cause a great shock to the entire court and lead to the loss of the country. And the world is restless.
The prince, the crown prince of the country, is the foundation of the country and the pillar of the court - if such a thunderous means is used to tear down this pillar and foundation, what will happen to the world? How many courtiers will die because of this? The struggle for the heir apparent is always bloody, and there is no peace at all!
Now as long as the prince is defeated, the people who assisted and followed him in the past are likely to be affected and killed. Even Fang Xuanling, who also holds the title of Prince Zhanshi, may not be spared even if he is the prime minister of a country and the person most trusted and valued by the emperor. Because, as long as another prince comes to power, the former hostile camp will inevitably be politically purged.
No one can be spared!
…
Thinking of this, Quan Wanji's expression changed a little.
He never imagined that a small corruption case involving people from Jiangzhou would actually involve such a huge series of things!
What a dilemma now.
If the case had been stopped and not investigated or reported, the matter might have settled down and would not have caused a huge shock in the court. However, this is not his Quan Wanji style! By doing this, he would not only be sorry for the mighty emperor's kindness, but also sorry for his own conscience. That would be even more uncomfortable than killing him!
But if the emperor is informed of the truth and the case is investigated thoroughly in accordance with the law... the consequences will be simply unimaginable!
…
Thinking of this, Quan Wanji suddenly had a thought in his mind - Wow! Li Ke, Qin Mubai, you actually took advantage of me! ! !
Quan Wanji was furious and immediately found Qin Mubai.
Qin Mubai knew something was wrong as soon as he saw Quan Wanji's expression. Although this stubborn old man has an upright and strong temperament, he is still an old man who has been in the officialdom for many years. He is very wise and foolish. He must have figured out something fishy!
"Why is Mr. Quan so angry today?" Qin Mubai smiled and said, "Who dares to be so bold and offend our Mr. Quan?"
"General Qin, do you still need to cover up and lie like this in front of me?" Quan Wanji snorted coldly, turned around with a touch of his sleeves, and stopped talking.
Qin Mubai was startled for a moment and thought to himself: This stubborn old man really thought of everything... Well, it would be a good thing to break the window paper. After all, you are now the chief historian of Prince Wu's palace, and the teacher of King Wu Li Ke. In terms of relationship, you are closer to him than I am. I don't believe it, wouldn't you make some sacrifices for his own good
So Qin Mubai simply opened the skylight and spoke frankly: "Seeing that the gentleman is so angry, I understand in my heart that the gentleman must have understood something. If there is any offense, it is all Qin Mubai's fault. I, hereby express my gratitude to you. I can’t apologize, sir.”
After saying that, Qin Mubai, who was dressed in military uniform, waved his golden sword and waved his hand, and knelt down on one knee to salute.
It is inconvenient to salute in military uniform, but the best I can do is to salute like this when I see the king. No matter how old the official was, he just stood up straight and hugged his fists. Therefore, this is a very big gift for Qin Mubai.
Quan Wanji hurriedly turned around and grabbed Qin Mubai's arms to prevent him from bowing down. He frowned and looked directly into Qin Mubai's eyes with his thick eyebrows tightly knitted. He was silent for a long time and sighed: "Hey! Actually, I I also know that you did all this for the sake of King Wu. Although I was used by you, I was actually willing to do so. It is a matter of loyalty to the Lord, and I, Quan Wanji, actually have no complaints about you, General Qin. Do you know... if we really investigate this case thoroughly, how much drastic changes will it cause in the court? "
"I understand." Qin Mubai said, "It is a big case involving the prince. In fact, the case is very simple. If you are an ordinary person, there is no need to trouble the King of Wu or ask Mr. Quan to move. I, Mr. Qin, will lead A team of hundreds of cavalry captured it and beheaded it on the spot, and it was over. Because the matter was so important, the three of us, King Wu and Mr. Quan, must work together to find a solution to the problem successfully. If a drastic change occurs due to this, I am afraid that the lives of you and me will also be affected. It is a pity that you and I will die. It is a pity that His Highness King Wu was called to provide disaster relief and help the people, but he did nothing wrong but served the people of the country. It’s so embarrassing. Will you, sir, tolerate the abuse?”
[Next chapter, updated on time at 23:00]