Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 213 Li Tai, is that you?

Li Qianyou was such a bastard that he dared to openly embezzle relief funds when the country was in the midst of an economic crisis.

Now, he is behind the Sogdian pyramid scheme case again.

This is no longer an ordinary embezzler, and Li Ming has long wanted to strike hard.

However, this insect was protected by Li Er again and again, and was forced under Li Ming's nose to disgust him.

What if the people of the capital really hold an unlimited fighting conference on this matter, and people of all ethnic groups fight each other, won’t the blame still be put on his head as regent?
Damn it, is the Gang of Fourteen Traitors the lair of corrupt officials?
"If there is no reasonable reason, then don't blame me for punishing the corrupt official Li Qianyou according to the Zhenguan Law."

Li Ming said that the king was away and he would not obey some of his orders. This was a disorderly order and he refused to obey it.

Fang Xuanling thought about it for a moment and realized that Emperor Li Shimin did not seem to require that the matter be kept extra confidential.

In order to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings between His Highness and His Majesty, I will state the reasons straightforwardly:

"Because Li Qianyou is the cousin of Li Jing, the Duke of Wei."

"Then what?" Li Ming felt that this reason was not sufficient.

He also got to know a thing or two about the operations of the aristocratic families.

Zhuge Liang and Zhuge Jin are brothers, and Changsun Wuji and Changsun Yan are grandfather and grandson.

Why do you, Li Jing, get special treatment and protect your good-for-nothing cousin so much?

"The relationship between Li Weigong and Li Qianyou is actually quite ordinary."

Fang Xuanling said slowly:

"But for some reason, Lord Li Wei always agreed to this cousin's request."

Li Ming raised his eyebrows:
"Why? Li Qianyou has the leverage over Li Jing?"

"I don't know about that." Fang Xuanling decisively distanced himself from the matter.

Hiss... Li Ming felt that the direction of this matter was becoming interesting.

Considering the great military achievements made by Li Jing, his treatment - only a nominal title of Duke of Weiguo, without any real military or political position - can be said to be negligible.

Anyone with a discerning eye knows that Li Jing was hidden by the Emperor.

Afraid that his achievements would overshadow his master.

However, a not very close relative of Li Jing was able to sit firmly in a key department in Chang'an, like an unshakable official.

Your Majesty's arrangement of Li Qianyou was obviously not intended to bestow favor on Li Jing.

But he had other plans.

"Li Er... Your Majesty, Father, must have this handle in his hands, but we can't just use this as an excuse to hit Li Jing, as it will easily cause a falling out between the two sides..."

Li Ming thought aloud:

“So, Li Qianyou should have a tacit understanding with the emperor.

"My father used Li Qianyou as an intermediary to use this as leverage to pressure Li Jing.

"This way, Father can control Li Jing, and the relationship between the two sides still has room for improvement."

Fang Xuanling nodded slowly:
"Your Highness, I think that's a good idea."

The more he looked at this student, the more he liked him, and he understood all his schemes and plots at once.

Born to be a sinister person.

"Since this is to contain Li Jing... then, it is indeed difficult to disobey the king's order."

Li Ming accepted this explanation for the time being.

Li Ming was fortunate enough to have met the famous general, who became famous throughout the ages and attained deification among the people, only once.

It was at Li Xiaogong's funeral.

Contrary to the stereotype, Li Jing is just a fat and cute old man from a wealthy family, with a very puzzling nickname "Sheep Urine Bubble".

In addition, the impression Li Jing left on Li Ming was that he was too cautious.

Now that I think about it, it's no wonder that he would develop such a weird habit, considering that the current emperor is willing to keep a big termite to guard against him.

"Then we will bypass the Chang'an County Court and pretend that they don't exist. We will suppress the Sogdian pyramid scheme case directly at the higher level."

Li Ming dictated an action plan on the spot:
“First, we must send troops to isolate the Sogdian settlements to prevent fatal clashes with people of other ethnic groups.

“Secondly, when appeasing the deceived people, it is also necessary to send troops to maintain law and order.

"Finally, soldiers are still needed to search the Sogdians and hunt down potential fraudster accomplices."

Li Ming looked at Fang Xuanling:
"Where do the soldiers come from?"

Just like the Jiucheng Palace incident, the Ministry of Justice headquarters located in the capital is mainly an institution that handles cases and processes documents.

There are not many soldiers of its own.

Law enforcement power is in the hands of the county government.

Now that the county government is not trustworthy, we have to transfer people from other places.

The most powerful department in the capital today, apart from the county government officials, is the army.

The Guanzhong region is the place with the highest density of Zhechoufu in the country and is an important force in defending the capital.

However, this power was in the hands of the emperor, and Li Ming could not mobilize it.

Even if they can be mobilized, these brave men from Guanzhong have already followed Your Majesty to the Northern Expedition, leaving only an empty shell.

The palace guards are divided into two parts.

Most of the forces were stationed outside the north gate, Xuanwu Gate, which were called the Left and Right Camps.

This troop was not withdrawn, but Li Ming did not have the authority to move them.

After all, defending Xuanwu Gate is the ancestral rule of the Li family and it cannot be changed.

The other part is guarding the palace, and Li Ming can command these people.

However, sending out the imperial guards to do this job is somewhat an overreaction and unprofessional.

Moreover, after being withdrawn by Emperor Li Shimin, the number of imperial guards was not large, and transferring them out at will would cause the defense of Taiji Palace to be unreliable.

In addition to the above-mentioned troops, the only organized armed forces in Chang'an and its surrounding areas are -

"Left and right Wuhou Guards." Fang Xuanling suggested.

The main responsibility of Wuhouwei was to maintain order in the capital.

During the money shortage crisis, they "shone brightly" and arrested many thieves who took advantage of the chaos to smash, loot and rob.

Logically speaking, preventing bloody conflicts between the Sogdians and other ethnic groups is most in line with Wuhouwei's expertise.

Moreover, since it concerns the security of the capital, Li Ming, as the regent, also has the authority to mobilize them.

However, Li Ming hesitated.

"The left and right Wuhou Guards are respectively controlled by Li Tai and Li Zhi..."

Zhangsun Wuji's unusual behavior shows that the legitimate son's faction has not given up.

Without Li Shimin in charge, he did not trust these two forces very much.

"The position of general held by the prince is usually an honorary title, and the one who actually leads the troops is the lieutenant general."

Fang Xuanling comforted him:

"The Zhonglang Jiang only obeys your Majesty's orders."

The implication is that soldiers are very simple and do not get involved in politics.

There is no need to worry that the Wuhou Guards will deliberately lay mines, dig pits and cause sabotage during the process like the civil officials did.

Li Ming thought for a while and reluctantly agreed:

"Just do it."

…………

Su Dingfang, the Left General of the Imperial Guard, felt as if his head was about to explode.

As a "post-90s" born in the 1990s, Lao Su has been serving as the "senior tile policeman" of Wuhouwei for twenty years.

As a tough man who followed Li Jing to defeat the Eastern Turks and took the lead in attacking Jie Li Khan's tent, this was obviously a waste of his talent.

For some reason, most of the subordinates that Li Weigong used at his disposal seemed to have suffered the same fate.

“Old woman, even if you sold me, I can’t pay so much money.

"First of all, I am only responsible for maintaining order. I didn't cheat you out of your money, so it's useless for you to arrest me."

Su Dingfang's face was full of black lines, and the hem of his clothes was tightly grasped by an old woman and refused to let go.

"I don't care. You are helping the Hu people. You are a traitor! You are the accomplices of the Sogdians! You have to pay me!"

The old woman started to throw a tantrum.

Chang'an today is extremely lively.

The victims of the pyramid scheme case connected with each other and agreed to strike hard against the Sogdians together.

As a result, a group of people rushed to the place in high spirits and found that Huaiyuanfang, where the Sogdians lived, had been "protectively" surrounded by the Wuhou Guards.

The advantages of the Lifang system became apparent.

Huaiyuanfang is surrounded by walls on four sides. As long as the four entrances and exits are blocked, the unruly people will not be able to enter or leave.

From the perspective of the deceived, this is equivalent to the court "turning its elbow outward" and helping the Hu people deceive the Han people.

This is terrible!

Of course, those who have the "capital" and are qualified to act as victims are not proletarians themselves.

It is impossible to let these middle-class people of the Tang Dynasty force their way through the checkpoints on their own.

They skillfully asked the elderly and children in their homes to come out and tie up the soldiers guarding the checkpoint.

I humbly hope that the holy dynasty governs the world with filial piety. Facing these precious children in their seventies and eighties, Wu Houwei cannot beat them or scold them.

In addition, His Royal Highness the Regent issued a strict order not to hurt anyone, which made Su Dingfang and his men feel extremely frustrated.

"Old woman, we have already captured the person, please be patient."

Su Dingfang explained patiently.

It's not that he can't understand the victim's feelings.

But this job is not done by the Wuhou Guards. It is clearly the responsibility of the Wannian County and Chang'an County Government...

He glanced around for help.

However, his soldiers were overwhelmed by a group of old men and women, as well as children, and he was unable to spare any manpower.

"Really? I don't believe it."

The old woman didn't believe Su Dingfang's promise at all, and began to complain again:
“We are all law-abiding citizens, and we all reported the case to the government first.

“Wannian County said that the Sogdians lived in Chang’an County and asked us to find the Chang’an County Government.

"The Chang'an County Government said this was a business dispute and the government would not intervene.

"The ball keeps being kicked around like this, so we can only solve it ourselves.

“As a result, you didn’t care that we were deceived, and you came to stop us when we came to seek justice from the Sogdians.

"You are turning your elbows outward, you are the accomplices of the Sogdians! You have to pay me!"

The old woman was like a tape recorder, going around in circles and bringing the topic back to the beginning.

Su Dingfang had heard this nonsense so many times that his head was about to explode.

He was filled with resentment towards Li Qianyou, the magistrate of Chang'an County.

Damn it, it was that guy's inaction that made him put all the blame on him...

…………

"The deceived suspect that Li Qianyou is colluding with the fraudulent Sogdians?"

At night, Li Ming read Xiao Yu's report and raised his eyebrows.

Brother Xiao Yu had dark circles under his eyes. He resisted the urge to yawn, and his voice was full of fatigue:
"Yes, after the victim reported the case to the government, the county lieutenant in charge of public security was about to go to Huaiyuanfang to arrest the man, but was stopped by the Chang'an Order.

"The next day, the Sogdian scammers were nowhere to be found. Everyone suspected that they had received a notice from the Chang'an Order and were being protected."

Although it was not done in accordance with the Regent's request, all the victims were counted and the whole story of the incident was figured out the next day.

But under heavy pressure, and with the assistance of Zhi Shi Buzhen, Xiao Yu still managed to summarize a report within five days.

In the Tang Dynasty where there was no 12345 hotline, this progress could be considered as lightning fast for a major case that swept away the wealth of the city's upper and middle classes.

"Is the victim emotionally stable?"

Li Ming turned his gaze to the middle-aged and elderly general beside Xiao Yu.

"Your Highness, apart from a few elderly people who fainted due to emotional agitation and woke up after pinching their Ren Zhong, there were no casualties."

Su Dingfang reported in a hoarse voice.

As the general in charge of public security, he attended the short meeting with Xiao Yu.

He looked just as haggard as Xiao Yu.

"Thank you for your hard work, General."

Li Ming thanked Su Dingfang politely.

Unlike the clear hierarchical relationship in the cultural management system, the relationship between him and the Zuo Wuhou Guard, one of the Sixteen Guards, is more like a cooperative relationship.

If Su Dingfang really didn't obey orders, he had no leverage to force him to obey.

We can't ask the nominal General of the Left Wuhou Guard, that is, Brother Li Tai, for help, right?

"I dare not. It is my duty."

Su Dingfang saluted with his arms crossed.

Li Ming noticed that Lao Su's right index and middle fingers, as well as his left palm, were obviously cracked.

"General Su, is this a wound from archery?" he asked casually.

The cracked part of Lao Su is exactly where the wear and tear from archery is the most severe.

The main responsibility of the Zuo Wuhou Guard was to maintain public order in the capital, but Chang'an City had a large population density and there were not many occasions where bows and arrows were used.

"Yes, I was originally a general who led troops. I held a bow all year round, and my hands were covered with calluses. I was favored by your majesty and served as the General of the Left Guard for more than 20 years. As the country was at peace for a long time, I neglected my martial arts."

Su Dingfang recalled the past glorious years, with a hint of resentment in his tone:
"Last year, when I was killing the Turkic rebels by the Wei River, I drew my bow and shot the arrow. Although my arrows hit the target, I tore my cocoons. I am very ashamed."

Last year, we intercepted and killed the Turkic rebels by the Wei River.

Li Ming chewed over these four words, with no extra expression except for a slight raise of his eyebrows.

Su Dingfang thought that His Royal Highness the Regent was not interested in such trivial matters and was asking for trouble, so he stood back in dismay.

Xiao Yu took over the topic and continued to introduce:

"Under the organization and call of the Turkic merchant named 'Zhishi Buzhen', we found documented victims, totaling about 10,000.

"According to the receipts issued by the Sogdian profiteers that they have in their hands, the amount involved in the case is at least a million strings of cash."

Li Ming stared blankly at Xiao Yu's report and did not respond.

"Ahem." Xiao Yu dryly coughed and reminded:

"Your Highness, the amount involved in the case is about one million guan."

"Oh, yes, a million strings of cash, shocking." Li Ming finally woke up from his dream and murmured:

"It's shocking, and it really shocked me..."

The monetary portion of the Tang Dynasty's annual rent, labor service and tribute income was only in the order of "millions of strings of cash".

Therefore, the amount involved in this case was indeed huge, and Li Ming's trance did not arouse the suspicion of the two people.

"After being identified by the victims, the list of Sogdians involved in the fraud is also listed at the end of the report."

Xiao Yu took the initiative to add:
As a newly arrived member of the New Fourteenth Party, Lao Xiao is eager to prove his worth to His Royal Highness the Regent.

Hold on tight to your thighs, or you'll be quietly "eliminated" by your old rival Fang Xuanling.

“Yeah…I get it, thank you for your hard work.

"You two should go back and rest first."

Li Ming nodded slightly and didn't say anything more.

Lao Xiao and Lao Su looked at each other and left together.

Li Ming listened to the footsteps of the two people slowly fading away, and he jumped up like a spring.

"Prepare the car! I want to leave the palace!"

It’s a big deal, it’s a big deal!
One wave is not flat, another wave rises!
Last year, we intercepted and killed the Turkic rebels by the Wei River.

These four words put together just happen to spell out a complete meaning -

Su Dingfang was the direct executor who murdered the remnants of Ashina Jieshe!
Based on the information stolen by Lai Junchen and Di Renjie from the residence of the new spy chief Li Junxian.

During the Jiucheng Palace Incident last year, the remaining members of the society fled to the Wei River, where they were completely wiped out by a mysterious army.

The mastermind behind the silencing was obviously related to the man behind the Jiucheng Palace incident.

It is even possible that the person who gave the order was the mastermind himself.

However, the army that was sent to silence the witnesses was under the name of Qinzhou Military Governor's Office, but in fact, there were no troops from Qinzhou Military Governor's Office there at that time.

The specific person who carried out the silencing became an unsolved case and this clue was broken.

Unexpectedly, this clue was connected again today!

"Did Su Dingfang also participate in the Jiucheng Palace case?
“It’s unlikely that he mentioned it so unguardedly, obviously not realizing the seriousness of the matter.

"He was just a tool, following the instructions of the mastermind behind the scenes and killing a few Turkic rebels at a designated location...

"Who can command him except your Majesty?"

A name popped up in Li Ming's mind:

General of the Left, Li Tai.

…………

"This is a troublesome matter. The scammers have run away with the money, leaving us to clean up their mess."

On the way out of the palace, Xiao Yu kept complaining to Su Dingfang.

"Ah."

Su Dingfang responded with one sentence.

He had been listening to the old man and the old woman complaining for several days in a row and didn't want to listen to an old man's nagging anymore.

At this moment, a carriage passed by them and sped away.

"Who is that?" Su Dingfang was surprised.

Who the hell is so bold as to drive a car recklessly in the Tai Chi Palace?
"Who else is there besides His Highness Li Ming?"

Xiao Yu smiled bitterly.

"Going out so late, is there something urgent?" Su Dingfang was still confused.

Xiao Yu nodded:
"Yes, since taking over as regent, Your Highness has been working until late at night almost every day, and occasionally, like today, he would go out of the palace to inspect in the middle of the night.

“He’s out of the palace today, probably to deal with the case we have on hand.

"After all, the case involves one million guan (a Chinese coin) and more than ten thousand people. It is not a small amount of money."

Su Dingfang looked at the carriage disappearing into the darkness and murmured:

"It is a blessing for the Tang Dynasty to have such a monarch..."

(End of this chapter)