Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 424: The First Domino

For the official Zhao Yuan, the Xiangji Temple assassination was his first domino.

This first card of his was carefully prepared for him by Yang Yuan.

With this card, Qin Hui can be convicted.

If Qin Hui is guilty, then we can overthrow a group of people who are branded with the Qin label and cannot successfully cut off and protect themselves.

With this spirit, they went a step further and redressed the biggest injustice case led by Qin Hui - the Yue Fei rebellion case.

If this case can be rehabilitated, it will increase the momentum and continue to move forward.

By rectifying the censorial system and clearing up the main culprit behind Yue Fei's unjust case, Wanqi Xie, the power of the capitulation faction within the peace camp can be further weakened.

All it takes to reverse Yue Fei's verdict is an opportunity.

This opportunity already exists.

Therefore, overturning a verdict is just a matter of time going through the process. There is no ups and downs at all, let alone reversals and reversals.

This is because, even though Qin Hui threatened to commit suicide and instigated the generals under Yue Fei to testify that Yue Fei was guilty, in the end, they only had confessions and could not produce any strong evidence.

So when Han Shizhong questioned Qin Hui, Qin Hui could only answer him angrily: "It's a false accusation."

If we want to overturn the verdict now, we only need to review the original trial and conviction process again, and we will clearly see how unreliable the original judgment process was.

Therefore, there are no ups and downs in this rehabilitation process.

That thunderous sound could only erupt after General Yue Fei was vindicated.

Now, Zhao Yuan was deliberately controlling the pace of rehabilitation in order to allow time for preparation for his next move.

First of all, he had to complete the adjustment and appointment of a group of officials before Yue Fei was rehabilitated.

Some officials can only be dealt with after General Yue Fei is rehabilitated.

However, some positions will only go smoothly if they are adjusted before Yue Fei is rehabilitated.

This is a struggle strategy.

Because no matter whether you advocate war or peace, as long as you are doing it out of public interest and based on an objective assessment of the enemy and our own situation, then you are offering advice to the court.

Those in power cannot use this as an excuse to suppress dissidents, otherwise they would be no different from Qin Hui.

What we want to crack down on are officials who make the choice of war or peace out of selfish interests and weigh personal pros and cons.

Such an official, even if he is in favor of war, is no different from those who are in favor of peace. They are all treacherous officials who abuse public resources for personal gain.

Wanqi Xie is in an awkward situation now, and this is the opportunity that Zhao Yuan needs to make a round of personnel adjustments before General Yue Fei is cleared of wrongdoing.

Because once Wanqi Xie is convicted and stepped down, and a new prime minister takes office, the candidate who is qualified to take the position in the court will most likely be a peace advocate, and the most likely candidate is Shen Gai.

Shen Gai advocated peace out of public interest, and he had a clear conscience, so he was justified.

Once the emperor wants to adjust the power of the two factions in the court, namely, those who advocate peace and those who advocate war, he can stand up and firmly oppose it on the grounds that he must be punished instead of being taught.

On the contrary, the old thief Wanqi Xie is now sitting in the prime minister's position and is feeling very anxious.

At this time, it would be difficult for him to stand out and oppose some of the adjustments made by the government, so he would have more room to maneuver.

……

Faced with the current situation, Wanqi Xie was naturally unwilling to sit and wait for death.

Qin Hui's death was beneficial to him rather than harmful.

He had been suppressed by Qin Hui for more than ten years and had just been transferred back to the court.

Qin Hui's assassination of the emperor had nothing to do with him.

In this way, he could sit firmly on the Diaoyutai, and even take over all the political legacy left by Qin Hui and become the new leader of the peace camp.

However, once Yue Fei overturned the verdict, he would be able to overturn the prime minister's throne that was not even warmed up under his butt.

Wanqi Xie had no reason to stop this.

Therefore, Wanqi Xie finally found his first domino: the new top scholar - Yang Yuan.

It was during the palace examination that Yang Yuan made his debut in front of all the high-ranking officials of the third rank and above in the capital, as well as 156 newly-appointed Jinshi candidates.

The topic starts with how to deal with the ambitions of the Jin Dynasty, and finally the key to solving the problem is to clear Yue Fei's name.

This triggered a series of changes afterwards.

Wanqi Xie had no reason to prevent Yue Fei from being rehabilitated, but he could find a way to snipe Yang Yuan.

As long as Yang Yuan "falls down", the young official's hot head can be calmed down.

As long as the young and energetic Zhao Yuan, like the young and energetic Zhao Gou in the past, can quickly recognize the huge gap between Song and Jin after suffering a heavy blow and give up the main fighting field, then his position as prime minister will be secure.

Because the government needed him to sit in the position of prime minister in order to show the Jin Kingdom the Song Dynasty's determination to seek peace and thus dispel the Jin Kingdom's doubts.

Letting Yang Yuan fall down, of course, does not mean physically falling down, that would be meaningless.

Letting Yang Yuan fall would only end the political life of this new top scholar.

As long as the emperor succumbed to the pressure from the Jin Kingdom and was forced to sacrifice Yang Yuan, then the three fires that the emperor started when he ascended the throne would at most only end with the rehabilitation of Yue Fei.

Unable to go further and kick him off.

The problem is that Yang Yuan, as his first domino, stands too steadily.

Wanqi Xie launched a censorship movement to attack Yang Yuan, but found that Yang Yuan had nothing to hold against him.

In terms of personal morality, Yang Yuan is in mourning for his deceased brother, and the originally scheduled wedding date has been postponed to August this year, so there is no problem.

As for Dingyou, according to the system, Dingyou only requires mourning when one is in mourning for one's parents, and the requirements for Dingyou are more lenient for military positions.

Yang Yuan had no experience in politics at all, so it is impossible to find any mistakes in his governance.

Up to now, Yang Yuan has worked as a secret agent for ten years, as an imperial agent in the Machine Speed ​​Room for half a year, and as a military officer in the Imperial Dragon Palace for less than a month.

During this period, he did not have any problems. Instead, he solved the Jin court message case, the Arab merchant smuggling case, and the Ma Huang crossbow theft case, and made many achievements.

The only stain was that he fought with his colleague over a woman.

But after Yang Yuan became the top scorer in the imperial examination, this incident was turned into a romantic affair that people talked about with relish, which was outrageous.

In this situation, the more you do, the more mistakes you will make, so Wanqi Xie stopped attacking Yang Yuan after a brief attempt.

After that, he only did one thing: he submitted a memorial to the emperor, stating that Yang Cun Zhong should not serve as Privy Councilor.

His reason was: Yang Cun Zhong had been in charge of the three yamen imperial guards for a long time.

Now the cavalry commander, infantry commander, and palace commander of the Three Yamen Imperial Guards are all his old subordinates.

Therefore, Yang Cunzhong should avoid suspicion.

The emperor kept his memorial and did not send it out, so Wanqi Xie never mentioned it again.

Because he knew very well that the emperor must firmly grasp the military power at this time.

Yang Cunzhong was already so old and had always been loyal to the royal family, so it was impossible for the government to be suspicious of him.

Right now, the government has no other suitable candidate for this important position and will never let anyone touch Yang Cunzhong.

The only purpose of Wanqi Xie's submission of this memorial was to make sure that the court and the public would not ignore the existence of Yang Cunzhong.

Aren't you working to rehabilitate Yue Fei?
Well, don’t forget that Yang Cunzhong was the executioner of Yue Fei.

Yang Cun Zhong originally received an imperial edict to serve as the executioner.

Whether it was out of blind loyalty or because he did not want to be dismissed from office for disobeying the imperial order, he handed over the military power to Qin Hui.

Whether he served as the executioner or not, it could not change the fact that Yue Fei had already been convicted of treason and was to be executed.

But Wanqi Xie was different. He was the Chief Censor at the time and Yue Fei's unjust imprisonment was caused by him.

It was he who falsely accused Yue Fei of reporting false military intelligence and staying in Huaixi, and it was he who sentenced Yue Fei and his son, Zhang Xian and others to death.

Whenever an unjust case is redressed, the judge who sentenced the death penalty is held accountable, and the bailiff who executed the death penalty is never held accountable.

Wanqi Xie's move was just a slight attempt to stir up trouble. His real hope was in the Kingdom of Jin.

The Fifth Disease has returned to the Kingdom of Jin for some time. If the Kingdom of Jin takes any action, news should have been reported back in the near future.

Wanqi Xie can now only use the power of the Jin Kingdom to push down Yang Yuan, the domino.

However, this north wind was blowing too slowly.

……

When Yang Yuan went to the Liu family for a banquet, he thought that although he did not become the "New Year's envoy" to the Jin Kingdom, it was at least a good intention of the Liu family towards him, and he would not go empty-handed.

So, he brought a few boxes of fine roasted tea produced in his own garden, as well as a few pieces of brocade embroidered with exotic patterns.

At the Liu family, Old Master Liu held the banquet in the flower hall.

Firstly, holding a banquet in the flower hall shows that we attach more importance to the guests.

Secondly, there are not many people in the Liu family, so it would be more lively if they sit in the flower hall.

Old Master Liu worked hard for half his life and had six daughters and one son.

It sounds lively, but all the daughters are married and there is only one boy left in the family.

Now that Xiaoliu has been dismissed from the palace and returned to her parents' home, the Liu family has one more member.

Otherwise, the only ones who could accompany Yang Yuan to the banquet would be the old couple and Liu Shangqiu.

Yuyao Nu is a concubine after all, although female family members can also attend family banquets.

But due to her status as a jade waist slave, it is not quite appropriate.

Because in some places and among some families, concubines are used to entertain guests, so in order to avoid suspicion, it is not appropriate to ask her to accompany them.

Old Liu took a look around and saw that everything was ready, so he sat down in the hall.

Old Liu said to his wife, "This Yang Zhuangyuan is Yanran's lifesaver. Yang Zhuangyuan will be here soon.

Ask Yanran to go and greet them, and ask her brother to greet them at the main gate, and Yanran to greet them at the second gate."

Madam Liu rolled her eyes at him and said, "I have reflected on myself and have already told them, so why do you need to worry about it?"

She thought for a moment, and then said to Lao Liu, "Her elder sister sent back a message saying that there is a gentleman who is quite famous in the scholar community. He has been a widower for a year and a half and is only 49 years old this year.

She wants to ask our opinion and see if we should match Xiaoliu up. Xiaoliu is still young, she can't be a widow for the rest of her life, right?"

In the Song Dynasty, imperial concubines could be dismissed from the palace and allowed to marry, which is very modern.

However, despite the rules, officials rarely married concubines of the royal family.

No matter what, she was once the official's woman. It would be very embarrassing for you, an official, to marry her.

If you are not embarrassed, other officials will be embarrassed, and the new emperor will be even more embarrassed.

In order to avoid being upset when seeing you, you basically have no chance of becoming an official who can meet the emperor.

Therefore, if an imperial concubine who was dismissed from the palace remarried, she could only marry someone who did not enter the officialdom.

In that case, among the four classes of scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, the most valuable ones would of course be those who are poets and scholars.

Old Liu glared at her and said unhappily, "Nonsense! No matter what, our Xiaoliu is also the head of the nine concubines and an imperial concubine.

It's only been a short time since the emperor came to power, and we're already planning to marry off our daughter? Isn't that shameful? We should at least wait a year or two before we decide."

Madam Liu said worriedly, “I’m afraid that gentleman may not wait that long.

Our daughter's status is neither high nor low, and it's not easy to find a suitable family. How about we discuss it with them first?"

Old Liu shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, there is no such thing as a wall that is impenetrable.

If we find someone so early, it will be bad for the royal family. Qiu'er is still an official in the court, won't it make things difficult for him?"

After all, the old couple loved their precious son the most. When Mrs. Liu thought about the possible impact on her son's official career, she kept silent.

At this time, news that Yang Yuan's carriage was about to arrive at the gate spread into the mansion.

After hearing this, Liu Shangqiu saw that Liu Yanran was still in her boudoir and had not come out yet, so he shouted loudly: "Sixth sister, Yang's second son is here, let's go and welcome him." Liu Yanran walked to the door, and suddenly her legs went weak.

She held her pounding chest, her mouth slightly open, like a fish out of water, unable to breathe.

Liu Yanran suddenly felt angry and annoyed herself for being useless.

I don't know how many times I have thought about meeting him in private.

It was my idea to invite him to the dinner this time. Why am I so flustered when the time comes?

The more she thought about it, the weaker her legs became. Liu Yanran felt embarrassed and angry, so she had no choice but to say, "Little brother, you...you go and meet him yourself. We will meet in the flower hall."

……

The rose vines are full of fragrance.

Yang Yuan and Liu Shangqiu walked side by side and had already entered the Liu family's inner residence.

Guests who can be entertained in the flower hall are not treated as outsiders by the host.

There are rugged rocks in front, and a spring flows through the rockery. There are winding paths and vines entwined beside.

After walking around it, the view in front of us suddenly opened up to the flower hall of Liu's mansion.

"Dad, Mom, the number one scholar is here."

Before reaching the door, Liu Shangqiu spoke loudly, and the Liu couple came out to greet him with a smile.

When he saw that only Liu Shangqiu came with him, Old Master Liu was slightly surprised.

When Liu Shangqiu saw his father looking at him, he could only shake his head helplessly.

Liu Taigong smiled calmly at Yang Yuan and said, "It is a great honor for my humble abode to have you, the number one scholar."

Yang Yuan hurriedly said: "No, no, how dare I refuse an elder's invitation.

Besides, I and Brother Qingyang hit it off right away and we are very good friends, so I should come and meet the elders."

Mr. Liu laughed out loud, and while bowing his hands to let the guest in, he said with a smile: "It was thanks to Mr. Zhuangyuan's help last time, otherwise my life would be in danger.

But the thanksgiving banquet has been delayed until today, please don’t be offended, Mr. Zhuangyuan.”

Yang Yuan followed him into the flower hall and said with a smile: "Uncle, please stop calling me number one scholar. If you continue to be so polite, I won't dare to visit you in the future."

Mr. Liu gave his wife a look, indicating that she should call their daughter out quickly.

Today's banquet was held in honor of Yang Yuan for saving her life, so there was no reason for her not to be present.

Afterwards, Liu Taigong smiled and said to Yang Yuan, "Since that's the case, I won't be polite.

Ziyue, you and my son are both officials in the same court, and you are also close friends. I hope you can take good care of him in the future."

Yang Yuan hurriedly said, "No, no, Brother Qingyang has always been very caring towards my nephew, and we two should help each other."

Over there, Mrs. Liu signaled her son to follow in, and she went to call her daughter out.

At this time, Liu Yanran had finally prepared herself mentally, and mustered up the courage to take a little maid out of the embroidery building and head towards the flower hall.

When Mrs. Liu saw this, she didn't bother to blame her daughter and hurriedly took her back to the flower hall.

When hosting a banquet for guests, of course they would not set up the banquet immediately as soon as the guests arrived. The servants of the Liu Mansion served good tea first, and several people sat down to drink tea and chat.

As they were talking, Mrs. Liu came in with her daughter.

Madam Liu smiled and said, "My daughter Yanran originally had a status in the palace, so it is not convenient for her to meet the number one scholar.

This is also the reason why this thanksgiving banquet has been delayed until now.

Now that I am free, I will hurry up and make arrangements to thank my benefactor."

Yang Yuan quickly put down the teacup and stood up.

Looking over there, I saw a beautiful lady, wearing a lilac-colored blouse and a goose-yellow silk skirt, walking in gracefully with a charming figure.

Look at her face, with a lively and clear bun tied into a fairy-like bun, and a hairpin with kingfisher pearls, which did not move at all, not even swaying, as she walked gracefully.

Looking at her appearance again, she had an oval face, almost no trace of makeup, her face was fair and smooth, with a precious glow, and especially a noble air.

"My name is Yang Yuan, Yang Ziyue, nice to meet the Sixth Lady." Yang Yuan just took a quick glance and bowed hurriedly without taking a closer look.

After hearing this, Liu Yanran felt resentful.

Since that night, I have never forgotten you, but you don’t even remember what I look like?

Yang Yuan finished his greeting and raised his head. He saw Lady Liu lowering her eyes and bowing to him. She said quietly, "Yanran greets Mr. Zhuangyuan."

"Sixth Lady...you are too polite..."

Yang Yuan was originally talking with a smile, but when he saw the young lady in front of him, she had plump skin, a medium build, cheeks as red as fresh litchis, a nose as smooth as goose fat, and a complexion as fair and soft as fine sheep-fat jade.

But that beautiful and charming figure, why... why does it look a little familiar?
Yang Yuan had never seen Liu Yanran's true face before.

When she was in Xiangji Temple, Liu Yanran was still an imperial concubine. Although she went to the temple to burn incense accompanied by her brothers, she still wore a "shallow exposed" headdress.

However, Yang Yuan remembered that stormy night and that... very smooth woman.

Moreover, it was at the emperor's bedside at that time. How could I forget such excitement?

Seeing Liu Yanran's appearance at this moment, Yang Yuan's mind suddenly flashed with lightning, and he suddenly thought:
She was Liu Wanrong, the most favored imperial concubine. Then the concubine in Funing Palace that day...

brush!
All the hairs on Yang Yuan's body stood up.

It was already April, but Lin'an was still cool and refreshing.

Yang Yuan, however, was sweating through his heavy clothes in an instant.

"He remembered me!"

Seeing Yang Yuan's face change with shock, Liu Yanran knew that Yang Yuan recognized her.

Suddenly, Liu Yanran's nervousness and anxiety turned into satisfaction and calmness.

I don’t know if it was because she saw Yang Yuan’s horrified face that she became bolder.

Liu Taigong smiled and said, "My dear nephew Ziyue, please don't be polite to my daughter. Come on, sit down and talk."

"Oh, yes, yes."

Yang Yuan agreed with a smile, took two steps back and lowered his eyes.

He saw Liu Yanran walking lightly, carrying a faint fragrance, floating past him, and sitting down opposite him with Madam Liu.

Yang Yuan then sat down, picked up the tea, and wanted to take a sip to moisten his throat.

“Tick, tick, tick…”

Yang Yuan held the cup of tea in one hand and the tea lid in the other, tapping it on the cup as if sending a telegram.

Mr. and Mrs. Liu were slightly surprised, but they didn't dare to ask.

Liu Yanran glanced at Yang Yuan, then suddenly smiled and said, "Mr. Zhuangyuan, what's wrong with you?"

"Ah, the water is too hot, haha, the water is too hot." Yang Yuan quickly put down the teacup and said with an apologetic smile.

Old swan! How could it be her!

Yang Yuan cried out in his heart and suddenly felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.

Next, Yang Yuan's conversation with Liu Taigong and his wife and his talk with Liu Shangqiu was completely an instinctive reaction.

When the banquet started and Yang Yuan sat down at the table, he had completely forgotten what he had just said.

During the Song Dynasty, communal dining was already very common.

Although there are still some occasions or some families that adhere to the practice of separate meals for each person that has been passed down for thousands of years.

The Liu family's banquet was naturally eaten together around the table.

Mr. Liu and Madam Liu sat at the head of the table.

Yang Yuan sat next to Liu Taigong, and on the other side was Liu Shangqiu.

Liu Yanran was sitting next to Madam Liu, and Yang Yuan could see her as soon as he looked up. As soon as he saw her, he could find that her bright eyes were secretly looking at him.

If it were a different occasion or a different beauty, Yang Yuan would have been very proud to be so interested in her, but now he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.

But Liu Taigong and Liu Shangqiu were quite enthusiastic towards him. They kept urging him to drink and serve him food, and thanked him for saving his life on behalf of Liu Yanran.

Oh my god, if they knew what I did to Concubine Liu, would they fight me to death on the spot?

As Yang Yuan was thinking about it, he started sweating again.

Fortunately...I recognized her, but she didn't recognize me.

Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to drink even a single glass of wine today.

Yang Yuan secretly rejoiced. He looked at Liu Taigong on the left and Liu Shangqiu on the right, but did not dare to look across.

But Mrs. Liu was very talkative and kept talking to him.

When Madam Liu spoke to him, he could not take his eyes away.

But when he looked at Madam Liu, he saw a stunningly beautiful face and a pair of charming eyes looking at him from the corner of his eye.

Yang Yuan felt so uneasy being stared at that he had no idea what he had talked about with the Liu father and son during the dinner.

"cough!"

Liu Yanran had been listening to her father, brothers and Yang Yuan with a smile, and suddenly cleared her throat and said:
"I remember that the horse was startled and ran away with great force, but Erlang stopped the carriage with his bare hands.

Afterwards, I asked the palace guards, and they said that without a thousand pounds of divine strength, it would be impossible to stop a galloping horse. "

After hearing this, Liu Shangqiu said with great joy: "Sixth sister, you forgot what I told you.

I had witnessed his abilities when Erlang and I went out to sea to capture thieves.

Erlang not only has a thousand-pound strength, but also has extraordinary skills in climbing walls and walking on duckweed and crossing water."

Madam Liu exclaimed in admiration: "Oh, the number one scholar is a master of both civil and military skills. How can there be such a perfect person in the world?"

Liu Yanran smiled and said, "Yes, I remember. Of course I do."

Liu Yanran stood up from her seat, holding the silver pot of wine, and walked slowly around the seat to Yang Yuan, saying softly, "Erlang, for saving my life, I would like to offer you a glass of wine as a token of my gratitude."

"Oh, I don't deserve it. I don't deserve it."

Yang Yuan quickly stood up with a smile, holding the cup with both hands and accepting the wine poured by Liu Yanran.

At this time, the two were very close to each other. Although Yang Yuan bowed slightly, he was taller than Liu Yanran after all. He only needed to lower his eyes slightly to see Liu Yanran's appearance clearly.

Her eyebrows are long and thin, and her eyes are as charming as a fox.

Her nose was as delicate as if carved from ivory, her red lips were slightly raised, and a youthful and beautiful aura was vividly expressed on her face.

When Yang Yuan saw it, he couldn't help but think of that rainy night and that thrilling scene, and his heart was moved.

Suddenly, he felt a touch on the edge of his palm, and something was inserted between his fingers holding the cup.

Yang Yuan looked up in surprise and met Liu Yanran's smiling eyes: "Mr. Zhuangyuan, please."

Liu Yanran drank her cup of wine in one gulp and showed the cup to Yang Yuan.

Yang Yuan had no time to think about it and quickly drank a full glass.

Liu Yanran smiled slightly and turned back to her seat gracefully.

After Yang Yuan sat down, he clenched his palms and felt as if they were a folded piece of paper. Yang Yuan then had a bad feeling in his heart.

After drinking a few more glasses of wine, Yang Yuan hurriedly left the flower hall, using the excuse of going to the bathroom.

As soon as he entered the "Eastern Office", Yang Yuan quickly unfolded the piece of paper and saw a few lines of beautiful small characters written on it:
"Erlang, do you still remember that poor man on that stormy night?
I know that Erlang has the ability to fly high up, and I hope to have sex with you tonight at three o'clock.

I hope Erlang will arrive as scheduled. I believe you don't want my seventh brother to know about this, right?"

PS: Two in one, I have a meeting today~
(End of this chapter)