Yan Liqiang found it funny at first when he thought that Ye Tiancheng wanted to rebel against him, but in a blink of an eye, he understood. He knew that in Ye Tiancheng's eyes, he was just a 15-year-old boy from an ordinary family.
At my age and with my strength, I might be considered excellent among my peers in Pingxi County, but in the eyes of a man like Ye Tiancheng, I am almost like a little white rabbit in the eyes of a big bad wolf, and a good target for him to launch a psychological attack.
"Mr. County Magistrate, what's the point of you saying this now?" Yan Liqiang sighed and looked at Ye Tiancheng in the room. "You are now a prisoner of the Inspector General Sun, and I am his attendant. Your Ye family has been uprooted by the Ganzhou Governor Lei Sitong. Although I am young and have not seen much of the world, you don't think you can buy me off now, do you?"
"My position as county magistrate was appointed by the imperial court. Apart from the imperial court, no one, not even the Ganzhou governor Lei Sitong, can remove me from office. Although Sun Bingchen is an inspector, he only has the duty of inspection and does not have the power to make announcements. Even if I have a problem, he can report to the imperial court instead of arresting me. What they are doing now has exceeded their authority. As long as the imperial court does not officially order, my identity at this moment is still the county magistrate of Pingxi County. As soon as I arrive in the imperial capital, the prime minister will definitely make the decision for me and the Ye family, help me clear my grievances, restore my innocence, and give justice to our Ye family!" Ye Tiancheng had a tragic and generous look on his face. If he were an ordinary person, he might have been deceived by him.
"Mr. County Magistrate, do you know why Lord Sun asked me to come here to watch you?" Yan Liqiang sneered, "You still want to go to the Imperial Capital. It's good enough that you can leave Ganzhou alive. Lord Lei Sitong may have thought of hundreds of ways to kill you in Ganzhou. You should pray to God to let you leave Ganzhou alive. Besides, even if you make it to the Imperial Capital alive, Lord Sun was sent by His Majesty the Emperor..."
"As soon as I heard that, I knew that you probably don't understand the situation of the Han Empire and the Imperial Capital, right?" Ye Tiancheng in the room looked at Yan Liqiang with a strange look, "Do you want me to explain it to you so that you can understand it clearly?"
"What does the situation in the Han Empire and the Imperial Capital have to do with you?"
"My Ye family and I, Ye Tiancheng, are the backbone of the Prime Minister's party. The situation of the Han Empire and the Imperial Capital is of course related to me!" Ye Tiancheng showed a smile on his face, "I guess Sun Bingchen has never told you this, little brother. If you knew this, you probably wouldn't be easily fooled. The promises Sun Bingchen made to you may be just illusions in the end. Don't take them seriously!"
"Really? Tell me about it. I'm all ears!" Yan Liqiang said calmly.
"Then let me ask you a question first, little brother. Which do you think is stronger, the imperial power or the prime minister's power in the Han Empire?"
Yan Liqiang said without thinking, "Of course this is the emperor..."
The word "emperor" was even spoken, but Yan Liqiang reacted immediately and quickly stopped talking. In the impression of ordinary people, especially Yan Liqiang who was baptized by various film and television dramas in his previous life, if you ask a modern person, many will say that the imperial power is definitely the strongest. In fact, which is stronger, the imperial power or the prime minister's power, is really a difficult question to answer.
Not to mention the world of Silver Continent, even in the ancient history that Yan Liqiang knew in his previous life, take China as an example. In many dynasties in ancient times, the contest and game between imperial power and prime minister's power was a very common phenomenon. Everyone has the impression that the prime minister must listen to the emperor. That was basically a pattern that gradually formed after the Ming Dynasty. Before the Ming Dynasty, from the Qin and Han Dynasties to the Tang and Song Dynasties, it was really hard to say whether the prime minister's power was greater or the imperial power was greater. In some dynasties and some historical periods, the prime minister's power could suppress the imperial power. For example, in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the prime minister's power was greater than the imperial power. Even in the Tang and Song Dynasties, the contest and game between imperial power and prime minister's power was one after another and never stopped. The emperor and the literati ruled the world together, and the prime minister was the representative of the literati class.
The situation of the Han Empire in the Silver Continent is somewhat similar to that of ancient China, but it also has its own unique features. The Han Empire has both an emperor and a prime minister. In such a world where martial arts are respected, it is hard to say whether the emperor's power is stronger or the prime minister's power is stronger...
"Little brother, I guess you have figured it out by now. For thousands of years, the Han Empire has always had a strong emperor and strong power, and a strong prime minister and strong power. If a person does not have the strength to dominate the world, then it is hard to say how much authority the so-called power in his hands can have. Since Emperor Yingzong, the royal family of the Han Empire has not produced a peerless strongman with the cultivation of a Martial Emperor for three generations, nearly two hundred years. In this generation, Emperor Yuanping has been weak and sickly since childhood. There is no need to say much about his strength and cultivation. On the contrary, the prime minister is heroic and ambitious. He is one of the few peerless masters in the Han Empire who has advanced to the first level of Martial Emperor. In this imperial capital, which is stronger, the imperial power or the prime minister's power? Is there any need to say?" Ye Tiancheng looked at Yan Liqiang with a meaningful look. "Knowing this, little brother, don't make a mistake. Sun Bingchen will not be able to protect himself when he returns to the imperial capital this time, let alone continue to be his inspector!"
"Since everything is as you said, the Prime Minister has such great power, and your Ye family and Ye Tiancheng are both staunch supporters of the Prime Minister, and now you are in Ganzhou, why have you ended up like this?" Yan Liqiang asked calmly.
Yan Liqiang's question made Ye Tiancheng's eyes flash with a hint of gloom and coldness, but in the blink of an eye, the gloom and coldness on Ye Tiancheng's face turned into indignation, "As the saying goes, horses stumble and people make mistakes. How could I, Ye Tiancheng and the Ye family, have thought that Sun Bingchen and Lei Sitong would be so bold and reckless, and dare to unite to attack my Ye family..."
"I heard that the Imperial Senate is behind Lord Lei Sitong!"
"Yes, the Imperial Senate is indeed the third force in the Han Empire besides the imperial power and the prime minister's power!" Ye Tiancheng calmed down for a moment, "But in the Imperial Capital, the Prime Minister's influence on the Senate is definitely above that of His Majesty the Emperor, and what Lei Sitong is doing now is more of his own revenge to frame our Ye family. If Lei Sitong wants to dominate Ganzhou, he must kick our Ye family out. What he is doing now is probably not reported to the Senate, and it does not mean that the Senate will definitely support him in messing around in Ganzhou. This is why he wants to eradicate our Ye family in Ganzhou, because he knows that as long as one person in our Ye family can survive, we will definitely be able to turn the tables..."
What Ye Tiancheng said was partly true and partly false. However, after hearing what Ye Tiancheng said, Yan Liqiang felt as if he had suddenly seen the light. Before, he was still a little confused and didn't understand many things. But now, he suddenly understood the things and competitions behind Sun Bingchen, Lei Sitong, and Ye Tiancheng...
Simply put, the Ganzhou incident was a joint counterattack by the Emperor and the Senate against the powerful prime minister. Although the Emperor and the Senate joined forces, they still had differences. The difference was in the interests of both parties. The Senate was like the local princes of the Han Empire, and what they cared about was the control of the local areas and the territory they could get. The Emperor behind Sun Bingchen cared about the impact of this incident on the central power of the Imperial Capital...
Because of this, all the members of the Ye family who fell into the hands of Lei Sitong died, but Ye Tiancheng, who fell into the hands of Sun Bingchen, was still alive, and Sun Bingchen even wanted to bring Ye Tiancheng to Dijing as a bargaining chip.
Thinking further, if I were the backer of Ye Tiancheng and the Ye family, what would I be thinking now after knowing that Ye Tiancheng fell into the hands of Sun Bingchen
Since His Majesty the Emperor wants Sun Bingchen to bring Ye Tiancheng to the Imperial Capital, then I must not let Sun Bingchen bring Ye Tiancheng to the Imperial Capital. What the enemy agrees with, I oppose, and what the enemy opposes, I agree with. This is the basic principle of political struggle. If you want to achieve this goal, there are only two ways. Either rescue Ye Tiancheng from Sun Bingchen before he enters the Imperial Capital, or let him die before Ye Tiancheng enters the Imperial Capital.
Having lost Ganzhou and with their reputation in disrepute, the Ye family was finished in Ganzhou. Naturally, Ye Tiancheng had no value in the eyes of his big backer. Moreover, at this time, Ye Tiancheng had already been labeled a traitor and a traitor to the country, and his reputation was already so bad that anyone who was associated with him would have bad luck +3. Therefore, only a dead Ye Tiancheng could make that person feel more at ease. No matter what evidence Ye Tiancheng had in his hand, as long as Ye Tiancheng died, everything would be gone without any evidence.
At this moment, Ye Tiancheng has probably become a discarded pawn.
Before the Ye family was taken down, the Emperor and the Senate had a tacit understanding and stood together to take down the Ye family in one fell swoop...
After the Ye family was taken down, the Prime Minister and the Senate hoped to completely destroy the Ye family. So, would the Prime Minister and the Senate have the same tacit understanding at this time
Yan Liqiang didn't understand it before, and was only thinking about the scenery of the capital. But at this moment, after seeing the entanglement behind this matter, Yan Liqiang couldn't help but feel a chill running through his bones, and he shivered all over.
If he really wanted to take Ye Tiancheng back to the capital, the dangers he would encounter along the way with Sun Bingchen would probably be beyond anyone's expectations.
Just when Yan Liqiang was thinking about all this, two servants from the posthouse came over with a tray of food and wine, smiling...
(End of this chapter)