The next day, Mu Fulan left Yuecheng under the escort of Yuan Handing, and the group headed south to Liancheng. After arriving, after settling Xier, she joined the Sanmiao tribe and started to work.
While she was busy, Zhang Ban, who was far away in Shangjing, received a reply letter from Changsha that night. After reading it, he knew that he had fallen into the trap of the Mu family girl. Her attitude now clearly showed that she was fearless. Whether she would help him collect evidence of Xie Changgeng's rebellion was entirely up to her. He could only blame himself for being too impatient. He lost his temper and was tempted by beauty. He suffered a loss in silence and was soft-hearted. Now he couldn't get angry even if he wanted to.
Zhang Ban was feeling very upset when a servant knocked on the door of his study and handed him a visiting card, saying that a visitor had come to see him at night.
Zhang Ban thought that this person was coming to him at night to ask him to do something for him, so he angrily said, "No!"
The servant whispered, "That man claims to have come from afar and was sent by someone to see you about something important. You can't delay."
Zhang Ban paused, took the visiting card, unfolded it and glanced at it, a look of surprise appeared on his face, he calmed down, changed his words and ordered the person to be brought in.
A moment later, he heard the footsteps of a servant outside the door leading someone in. He immediately put on a serious expression and sat down behind the desk.
The visitor was of medium build, wearing a hat, and there was nothing special about his appearance. But when Zhang Ban took a look at him, he felt that he looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where.
He suppressed his doubts, ordered the servant to leave, and said in an official tone: "Thank you, Jiedushi, for sending you to Beijing to meet me privately even though you are far away in Hexi. If it is for official business, it seems to be against the court rules. If it is a private matter, you can meet me in the daytime. Why do you come to my house at night?"
The man bowed to him and said, "This is both a public and private matter. Because it is special, Jiedushi Xie is afraid that if he handles it improperly, it may damage his relationship with you, so out of caution, he sent me to see you first."
"What's the matter?" Zhang Ban frowned.
"To be honest, Lord Nei Shi, some time ago, Jiedushi Xie successively captured several spies who were trying to gather military intelligence in Hexi. The spies confessed that they were instructed by you, Lord Nei Shi. When something like this happens, it is natural to report it to Empress Liu."
Zhang Ban was shocked and stood up suddenly: "Nonsense! This is a frame-up! I have no idea about this!"
The man said, "Envoy Xie also didn't believe it, so he investigated it himself, and only then did he find out that the spy was sent by the King of Qi."
Zhang Ban finally breathed a sigh of relief, took out a handkerchief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said bitterly: "The King of Qi and I have never had anything to do with each other. It would have been fine if he had spied on me himself, but he even framed me and tried to alienate me from Lord Xie. Fortunately, Lord Xie was very perceptive and didn't let his evil plan succeed!"
Zhang Ban was so nervous because this kind of crime could be either a big one or a small one. If Xie Changgeng insisted that it was him and reported it to Empress Liu, he would definitely not get away with it given his current status.
The man continued, "Master Zhang, the Jiedushi has something else to say, and asked me to pass it on. Master, you usually take precautions against the Jiedushi, but in fact you are using the wrong force and targeting the wrong person."
Zhang Ban's hand, which was wiping sweat, suddenly stopped in front of his forehead, paused for a moment, and slowly let it go. He forced a smile and said, "What do you mean? I don't understand."
The man smiled slightly, "The Jiedushi was honest with you, Lord Neishi, so you don't have to pretend to be confused. The Jiedushi said that he has no interest in the inner court, and will not compete with you for an official position in the court. Your real opponent, Lord Neishi, is not the Jiedushi, but the King of Qi. Think about it, Lord Neishi, once the King of Qi successfully fabricates charges and overthrows the Jiedushi, he will definitely replace the Jiedushi and be favored by the Queen Mother. How can the King of Qi be sent out then? He must stay in the court. There can't be two tigers in one mountain. By then, you, Lord Neishi, will really have no place to stand!"
Zhang Ban thought about it and became more and more frightened. He looked at the other party and said, "Xie Jiedushi asked you to tell me this. What exactly does it mean?"
The man did not answer him immediately, but walked forward a few steps, stopped near the candlelight, raised his hand to take off the hat on his head, and said with a smile: "Master Neishi, you are really a noble man who forgets things easily. Don't you recognize me?"
Zhang Ban looked at the other person again by candlelight, and suddenly thought of someone, blurting out: "It's you!"
He finally recognized that the man smiling at him was actually a minor official named Liu Guan under the Ministry of Personnel. He still had an impression of him because he was very capable. He remembered that he was later exiled because he offended his superiors.
No wonder I felt he looked familiar the first time I saw him. It's just that after so many years, his appearance has changed, and I didn't pay much attention, so I didn't recognize him at first.
"Thank you for remembering me, sir. Liu Guan greets you, sir."
Zhang Ban was stunned: "You, how could you..."
He wanted to ask how he got back to Xie Changgeng, but when he thought of Xie Changgeng's background, he understood and stopped immediately.
Liu Guan smiled and said, "Xie Jiedushi said that from now on, the Internal History will be in charge of the inner court, and Xie Jiedushi will be in charge of foreign affairs. They will each perform their duties and work together to serve the Queen Mother. Isn't this better than being suspicious of each other as before?"
Zhang Ban's eyes flickered and he said nothing at first.
Liu Guan lowered his voice.
"To be honest, the governor knew very well that the Minister of Internal Affairs had been secretly communicating with Changsha to lobby for the Mu family. Even if it was a long time ago, the governor also heard about your other past events. But I have always known that you, the Minister of Internal Affairs, are talented and willing to make friends. What does this mean?"
Zhang Ban was shocked.
He never thought that Xie Changgeng had already discovered all the bribes he had accepted. He must have known about his previous attacks on him, but he just kept it to himself.
A layer of cold sweat quickly broke out on his back. He was embarrassed and frightened, and was speechless for a while.
Liu Guan looked at Zhang Ban, whose face was gloomy, and smiled slightly.
"Master Neishi, since Jiedu Xie sent me to see you, do you still have doubts about your trust in you?"
Zhang Ban did not hesitate any longer, stepped forward and grasped Liu Guan's hand, saying with a smile: "I am ashamed! I did not know Jiedushi Xie was such a hero before. Please go back and tell him that from now on, Jiedushi and I are of one mind, willing to support the court together and serve the Queen Mother! Jiedushi Xie, if there is anything you can do for me, please feel free to ask."
Liu Guan whispered something to him.
Zhang Ban agreed immediately. After a moment's hesitation, he suddenly remembered something and asked Liu Guan to wait for a moment. He walked behind the desk, wrote a letter, sealed it and handed it to him, saying, "Please pass this letter to the Jiedushi."
Liu Guan put the letter away, said goodbye to Zhang Ban, and then turned and left.
After Liu Guan left, Zhang Ban was alone in the study, slowly wiping the remaining cold sweat from his face, lost in thought for a long time.
…
Five days later, an imperial edict from Empress Liu was carried by a messenger from Shangjing, traveling day and night for 800 miles to the Hexi Jiedushi Mansion.
In her imperial edict, Empress Liu said that after receiving the memorial from Xie Changgeng with the confession of the spy attached, she was extremely angry and summoned Prince Qi for confrontation. Prince Qi confessed his crime on the spot and should have been severely punished, but considering that he was also loyal to the court and listened to slander and did something wrong in a moment of confusion, he was punished as a punishment this time.
Empress Liu comforted Xie Changgeng, saying that if such a thing happened again next time, no matter who it was, she would not let him off easily. She had already severely warned the officials at the court, telling Xie Changgeng not to lose heart because of it. His reward was on the way and would be delivered soon. The resignation letter that had been sent with the memorial was also returned intact. Empress Liu ordered him to be loyal to his duties and continue to serve the court.
After the imperial edict was delivered, Liu Guan also secretly returned to Guzang a few days later. That night, he met Xie Changgeng in the study of the Jiedushi Mansion. Despite being tired and exhausted from the journey, after meeting Xie Changgeng, Liu Guan told him about his trip to Shangjing.
The next day after Zhang Ban met with him, Empress Liu received a memorial from Xie Changgeng sent from Hexi.
This is also a letter of apology.
He said that he had captured several spies in Guzang some time ago. He thought they were sent by northerners and did not take them seriously at first. Later, he investigated and found out that they were sent by a prince in the inner court. He thought that he was suspected of rebellion. He was deeply confused. In order to avoid more suspicion in the future, he took off his seal at the Jiedushi Mansion and resigned from his post. He also wrote a letter to the court and the empress dowager to plead guilty and prove his innocence.
After receiving the letter, Empress Liu summoned Zhang Ban into the palace to discuss the matter, and then the King of Qi confessed his guilt.
Speaking of this, Liu Guan was extremely excited.
"Sir, we have been keeping an eye on the King of Qi's spies for a long time, but I was a little confused when you didn't take any action before. It turns out that it is useful now, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone. Not only can we make Zhang Ban obedient, but also let him keep his eyes on the King of Qi from now on. I am afraid that the King of Qi will not be able to rest easy in the future."
Xie Changgeng smiled, his eyes flickering slightly, and then asked: "What do you think of Zhao Xitai's situation in Changsha?"
Liu Guan immediately said, "I reminded Zhang Ban. When Zhang Ban spoke to Empress Liu, he specifically mentioned that the Prince of Qi was now in Changsha, and he might have other intentions. Empress Liu was very unhappy, and questioned the Prince of Qi, saying that if it was just to treat the disease, why didn't he invite the miracle doctor to the Prince of Qi's mansion, but asked the prince to drag his sick body thousands of miles to see the doctor in person? The Prince of Qi was extremely panicked and tried to explain himself. After leaving the palace, he sent someone to pass on the message and immediately recalled his son."
Liu Guan recounted what he had heard from Zhang Ban, but he was still a little confused. He didn't know why the Jiedushi was keeping such a close eye on Zhao Xitai and not allowing him to stay in Changsha to treat his illness.
After he finished speaking, he looked at the Jiedushi and saw that he looked calm. He just nodded and smiled, "Thank you for your hard work these days. It's getting late. I have nothing to do here. You should go and rest first."
Before Liu Guan left, he took out the letter that Zhang Ban asked him to pass on that night and handed it over.
Xie Changgeng was alone in the study. He opened the letter and took a quick glance at it. His expression suddenly became extremely ugly. His originally barely happy mood suddenly turned bad.
He read the letter again, slowly folded it up, put it away, suppressed the anger in his heart, concentrated for a moment, then stood up and left the study.
He returned to his bedroom, but he was still feeling extremely depressed and unable to relieve himself. He knew that he would not be able to sleep that night, so he simply went out and ordered his followers to prepare the horses and set out for Xiu Tu City overnight.
The next day, he arrived at Xiutu City. Deputy General Liu An learned that the Jiedushi had arrived, so he led people out of the city to welcome him.
Xie Changgeng rode his horse to the border, climbed a high hill, and looked into the distance. It was endless and covered with lush vegetation.
He opened his mouth and asked about Beiren's recent movements.
Liu An said, "I have something I want to send a message to you to discuss. What a coincidence that you are here today. The northerners haven't made any moves recently, but I am a little worried about the Ma River Valley. It is also where the natives live and is a place of hidden dangers. In my humble opinion, it is best to relocate all the natives there and build garrisons as soon as possible. Otherwise, if the northerners think of using the Ma River Valley as a breakthrough point and bribe the natives to pass through, the cavalry will come directly, which will be very disadvantageous to the defenders here."
"Have you tried contacting them?"
Xie Changgeng looked towards the river valley in the distance at the end of his sight and asked.
Liu An nodded, then shook his head.
"I went there myself, and they wouldn't even let me in at the intersection."
He glanced at the Jiedushi, and seeing that he frowned slightly, he whispered: "It has been a while since the Madam left, right? Why doesn't the Jiedushi take the Madam back..."
Xie Changgeng glanced at him. He quickly shut up.
"Let's go and take a look at the Horse Valley."
Xie Changgeng stopped for a moment and drove his horse forward.
The next day, he returned to Guzang and sat in the study of the Jiedushi Mansion for a while. Without any hesitation, he took a pen and wrote a letter, sealed it, called the steward, and ordered him to send a messenger to set off as quickly as possible to deliver the letter to Changsha State and give it to Mu Fulan.
The steward hurriedly took the letter, handed over another letter he had just received, and turned away.
As soon as Xie Changgeng saw the special seal on the seal, he recognized that it was sent by Zhu Liuhu who stayed in Yuecheng through the special path he told him.
He had been waiting, but after such a long time, another letter was delivered.
He felt slightly unhappy and opened the letter.
Zhu Liuhu said in the letter that there was nothing special about Changsha Kingdom recently. Only a few days ago, the Sanmiao people in the south came to seek help due to famine and malaria. Mu Xuanqing lent them grain and helped them overcome the disaster. In addition, the princess also went to Liancheng in the south to practice medicine. At that time, he was among the crowd and witnessed the princess' departure.
The princess was accompanied by a boy of about four years old. He asked around and found out that the boy's name was Xi'er, and that he was the princess' adopted son. According to the time calculation, she must have met him on her way back from Hexi.
He also saw Yuan Handing leaving with the princess that day, so he must be a traveler.
Xie Changgeng's gaze stopped on the last few lines of words on the letter. He squinted his eyes and concentrated for a long time, and the letter paper was crumpled into a ball in his hands.
He slowly stood up, walked out, and told the maid outside: "Call the steward back for me! Prepare for me, I have to go on a long journey!"