Chapter Twelve

  The emperor was furious, "This is infuriating! It's clear that this old scoundrel is corrupt and lawless, but there's no evidence to convict him. This time, we finally have a chance to investigate the Yang City case and seize his assets, yet still can't do anything about it. Lin Xiang, you're a high-ranking minister left over from the previous emperor, think of something quickly!"

  Lin Tianyuan said: "Your Majesty, this Yang City is Governor Li's private gold mine, there must be some dirty secrets inside..."

  "Good, I'll send someone to investigate right away. I don't believe he can still be spared in the face of ironclad evidence."

  Lin Tianyuan advised: "Your Majesty, if you investigate now, I'm afraid it will be too late to find anything. These past few days have given him ample time to destroy the evidence."

  The Emperor De Wu sighed, "Is there really no other way? This old man thinks he's the Grand Councilor of three dynasties, and everything he does is against me. I've been tolerant of him all along, but now he dares to defy me. When I said we need to increase military spending, he tells me that all is peaceful under heaven. What a short-sighted fool! Once Ningguo and Xishang destroy Western Qin and Daxia, it will be our turn next. Yang Gong has submitted several memorials analyzing the pros and cons, and I've explained the advantages and disadvantages to many officials, but they all follow that old man's lead, and no one listens to what I say. What's the point of me being the Emperor if I'm not in charge? Might as well let him take over! If we don't teach him a lesson, he'll think I'm easy to bully." The more he spoke, the angrier he became.

  Lin Tianyuan said: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger, I didn't say don't investigate him, but rather to change the place of investigation."

  "De Wu Emperor doubted and said: 'Oh, you say it, how can we investigate.'"

  "Your Majesty, Li Xiang was able to serve as Prime Minister for so many years relying on his left and right arms. His left arm is the officials of Yang City and Ling City, who helped him extort money from the people and build a small treasury for him, so he has all the money he needs. Now that you have reorganized Yang City, Ling City should also be vigilant and investigate, but I'm afraid nothing will be found there either. His right arm is the 200,000-strong army in Gan Zhou. According to my knowledge, Li Xiang has stored all the silver extorted from various places there, we can start by investigating that place."

  The Emperor De Wu thought for a moment and said, "Since it's his old haunt, I'm afraid it won't be that easy to investigate."

  Lin Tianyuan said: "Your Majesty, we can't go there directly in name, but we can use another name to visit secretly."

  Emperor De of Wu said: "You'd better say what grounds you have for investigating?"

  Lin Tianyuan said, "This year Ganzhou is experiencing a severe drought, the imperial court should also send an envoy to take a look. I have heard that the disaster relief grain issued by the imperial court was embezzled by the Ganzhou military, we can make use of this situation here. Pulling one hair will move the whole body."

  De Wu Emperor coldly smiled and said: "It seems you've calculated everything, you really are painstakingly thorough."

  Lin Tianyuan immediately knelt down and said, "I am willing to do my best to help Your Majesty resolve your worries, I dare not be lazy. Please investigate clearly."

  Emperor De Wu patted Lin Tianyuan's shoulder and said, "I hope what you say is true and not motivated by personal gain. If not, I will never forgive you. You may rise."

  Lin Tian felt deeply that the emperor's will was hard to fathom. "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

  The Emperor De of Wu said: "Who do you think can take on this heavy responsibility?"

  Lin Tianyuan said: "The Right Vice Minister of Rites, Tong Wei, Lord Tong can take on this heavy responsibility."

  The Emperor De of Wu said: "Why did you choose him? His ability is very suspicious, and his personality is also very impulsive?"

  Lin Tianyuan smiled and said, "It's precisely because of that we can choose him. He has never gotten along with Prime Minister Li, and his son has also been hindered by Prime Minister Li from advancing in his career. If Your Majesty gives him a boost of confidence, he will definitely stir up some trouble there. Isn't this the effect you want, Your Majesty? In case Prime Minister Li does something to him, we'll have reason to take action against him."

  The Emperor De of Wu smiled and said: "Good, you draft the edict."

  Lin Tianyuan said: "I obey your orders."

  Left Prime Minister's Office

  Li Zhong anxiously asked: "Has Mr. Wei arrived?"

  "Report to Master Xiang, Mr. Wei has been waiting for a long time. Shall we invite him over?"

  Li Zhong nodded, feeling too tired today and already feeling overwhelmed. He was also at a loss for what to do next. Mr. Wei was his chief advisor, named Wei Qing Shu, a fallen scholar. When the two first met, it was also the most difficult time for Wei Qing Shu. Li Zhong took pity on him and invited him to be his guest. Although he was a fallen scholar, he did not agree with the words of the saints and only believed that power was the truth. He had come up with many ideas for Li Xiang, including the proposal to transfer all the silver from Yang City to Gan Zhou. Li Zhong trusted him extremely, even more than his own son. And Wei Qing Shu was also extremely loyal to Li Zhong.

  "Wei: 'Master, is something wrong?'"

  Li: "Today, His Majesty audited the Ministry of Revenue's accounts. You really guessed it right. Now I have no idea what to do. Give me some ideas. What should we do from now on?"

  "Wei Qing thought for a moment and said, 'Your Excellency, I'm afraid the Emperor won't let this matter rest. And soon he will take action against us. I was just thinking about how the Emperor would deal with us, but couldn't come up with anything. But if we think from Lin's perspective, it's already clear what the Emperor wants to do.'"

  Li Zhong anxiously asked: "What will the Emperor do?"

  "Wei Qingxu smiled and said, 'General, don't be nervous. From my understanding of Lin Xiang, he will come up empty-handed from both Yangcheng and the Ministry of Revenue. Then his next target will be Gan Zhou, which is our only weakness, an irreparable weakness. Moreover, we have stored all the silver from various places in Gan Zhou. If I'm not mistaken, the Emperor will send a special envoy there within these few days. We must remind General Huangfu not to ruin our big plan.'"

  Li Zhong said in doubt: "It can't be, the Emperor hasn't had a direct confrontation with me yet. He wouldn't do this, would he?"

  "Your Excellency, we can't afford to be overconfident at this moment. Otherwise, a single misstep could lead to eternal regret! Haven't the lessons of history been enough?"

  "Alright. This is my token, you go to Gan Zhou and bring him up."

  "Master Wei, you want me to go?"

  Li Zhong smiled and said, "Apart from you, I couldn't think of anyone else who can take on this important task. You must remind Huangfu Yuan to be careful. If he encounters any problems, take out my token. However, unless absolutely necessary, try not to use it, understand?"

  Wei Qing Shu naturally knew what Li Zhong meant, took the token and said: "Master, I will not disappoint your expectations. Tomorrow morning, I will go to Gan Zhou, if nothing happens, I will withdraw."

  "Go, be careful with everything."

  Wei Qing Shu left, Li Zhong looked westward and thought to himself: It won't be long before Gan Zhou stirs up trouble. If I'm still not too old by then, that would be great...