Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 335
"Tuk Tuk Tuk!"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, followed by Wang Fusheng's voice.

"Your Majesty, urgent news from Chang'an."

"Come in." Li Zhi said.

Wang Fusheng pushed the door open and came in, bowing and saying, "Your Majesty, the Dali Temple has sent an urgent report." He handed over an official document.

Li Zhi took it and looked at it, and found that it was indeed a memorial submitted by Di Renjie himself.

Di Renjie has already identified seven masterminds, and there are several other suspects, so he asked me whether to carry out the arrest.

The seven suspects were all names familiar to Li Zhi.

Xu Ang, Wang Dejian, Yuan Gongyu, Hou Shanye, Zhang Kai, Cheng Zhijing, and Hu Chubin.

They all belong to the pro-military faction.

Di Renjie did not arrest them immediately, but asked Li Zhi for instructions. The reason was very simple.

The Minister of the Central Secretariat Li Yifu and the Prince's guest Xu Jingzong were also under suspicion.

These two people were in high positions and had great power, so Di Renjie also specially wrote down the reason for his suspicion behind them.

The reason for suspecting Xu Jingzong is that his son and son-in-law were involved, and after the incident in the Eastern Palace, he suddenly injured his leg and was recuperating at home, so he was suspected of being the mastermind behind the scenes.

Li Yifu is also a suspect.

Among the five people, Yuan Gongyu, Hou Shanye, Zhang Kai, Cheng Zhijing and Hu Chubin, he transferred four of them back to Chang'an.

However, Di Renjie added that there is currently no direct evidence to prove that the two were involved in this matter, so they were not included in the masterminds.

After Li Zhi finished reading it, he handed it to Empress Wu and said, "Mei Niang, come and take a look."

When Wu Meiniang saw these seven names, a cold light flashed in her eyes. After a moment's hesitation, she said, "Your Majesty, don't worry about me. Just arrest them all. Li Yifu and Xu Jingzong as well."

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "No, the country has its own laws. Since there is no direct evidence, let's not arrest them for now. Just put them under house arrest."

Wu Meiniang said, "That's fine."

Li Zhi immediately issued an edict, dismissing Li Yifu and Xu Jingzong from their posts, and authorizing Di Renjie to act at his discretion and arrest all those involved in the case.

……

There were seven porcelain vases on the table, and seven people were sitting around it.

Everyone was pale and silent.

They all once held prominent official positions and had bright futures.

Even being granted a title of nobility or appointed as prime minister, leaving one's name in history, is possible.

However, at this moment, what awaits them is a fate that will bring disaster to their descendants and be infamous for eternity.

The poison is prepared in advance. The person will die within two quarters of an hour after taking it, and there will be no pain at all.

Since you want to commit such a treasonous act, you must be prepared to die.

Fortune and wealth are sought at the cost of risk. They seek great fortune and wealth, but only at the cost of their own lives and the lives of their entire clan.

To this day, no news has been sent back from Hedong Road.

No news means the plan has failed, and the Dali Temple has already set its sights on them. They have no choice but to die.

It would be easier to die now, but once they are caught by the Dali Temple, they may be subjected to torture worse than death.

Having said that, when faced with death, how many people can actually face the fear of death?
Hou Shanye took the lead and picked up a porcelain bottle, stuffing it into his arms. He said in a deep voice, "This is the last gathering. The Dali Temple hasn't arrested us yet. They must be asking the emperor for instructions. Let's take advantage of this time to take care of the funeral affairs."

After saying this, he was the first to step out of the house.

Cheng Zhijing and Zhang Kai also took the poison and left without looking back.

There is no hope of taking care of the funeral. The whole family will die, and there will not even be anyone to collect the bodies.

However, in the last moments of their lives, they can at least choose a place they like to die.

Hu Chubin suddenly smiled and said in a loud voice: "A man of subtle observation should think twice. We are deceived by wealth and honor, and this is the result."

He didn't even take the poison and strode away, as if he wanted to choose another way to commit suicide.

Only Yuan Gongyu, Wang Dejian and Xu Ang were left in the room.

Yuan Gongyu suddenly asked, "Brother Xu, is it true that your father knows nothing about this?"

Xu Ang glanced at him coldly, said nothing, and strode away. Wang Dejian sighed and followed him.

Neither of them took poison.

Soon, Yuan Gongyu was the only one left in the room.

He put all four bottles of poison into his arms, laughed at himself, and said, "I wonder if taking four bottles in one go will make me die faster."

He walked out of the yard.

This is a small courtyard in Anyifang in the south of the city. Although it is in the city, it is far away from the hustle and bustle.

Yuan Gongyu rode a horse for half an hour before returning to the prosperous area of ​​Chang'an.

He rode his horse quickly and returned to the mansion soon.

He had already sent his family away, and they hid in the deep mountains and forests under an assumed name. There was only an old servant who was blind and deaf in the house.

The old servant opened the door and said to him, "Ah Lang, Mr. Li has sent someone to ask you to come over."

Yuan Gongyu was stunned at first, then he smiled and said, "Mr. Li, Mr. Li, you invited me here yourself, so don't blame me for getting you into trouble."

He mounted his horse again and headed towards Li Yifu's residence.

When he arrived at Li's house, he was led into the study by a servant.

Li Yifu was pacing in the room with a gloomy face. When he saw him come in, he waved his hand to send the servants away.

"Gong Yu, have you received any news about the Eastern Palace recently?" he asked in a low voice.

Yuan Gongyu asked, "What do you mean?"

Li Yifu said in a deep voice: "I suspect that Xu Jingzong was behind the incident in the Eastern Palace."

Yuan Gongyu was surprised and asked, "Why do you think so?"

Li Yifu said, "His son-in-law Wang Dejian is in the Eastern Palace, and his son Xu Ang is in Yongzhou Prefecture, so it would be easiest for him to frame Changsun Quan."

After a pause, he said coldly: "And I feel that someone is watching me recently. It is very likely that the Dali Temple suspects Xu Jingzong and implicates me."

Although the two had broken up, from the outside world's perspective, Xu Jingzong and Li Yifu always had a special relationship.

Yuan Gongyu picked up the teacup, poured himself a cup of hot tea, and said with a smile: "As expected of Mr. Li, you are indeed alert."

Li Yifu noticed something strange in his words, stared at him fiercely, and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Yuan Gongyu said slowly, "This matter is indeed related to the Xu Mansion, but it was not planned by Xu Jingzong, but by his son Xu Ang."

Li Yifu's eyes were blazing as he asked, "How did you know?"

Yuan Gongyu smiled at him and said, "Because I am also one of the participants, how could I not know?"

Li Yifu's face changed drastically and he looked at him in astonishment.

Yuan Gongyu laughed and said, "Are you surprised? Not only was I involved, but Hou Shanye, Zhang Kai, and Cheng Zhijing, who were transferred to Beijing by you, were also involved in this matter."

Li Yifu's body swayed, and he hissed, "Gong Yu, are you telling the truth?"

Yuan Gongyu narrowed his eyes and asked, "Do you think I'm joking?"

Li Yifu took a few deep breaths and finally understood why someone was staring at him. He gritted his teeth and said, "Why did you commit such a treasonous act?"

Yuan Gongyu smiled and said, "Do you really want to hear it?"

Li Yifu was about to speak when he was suddenly startled. He walked to the door and handed the fish token to his confidant outside.

"Go to the Dali Temple immediately and find Di Renjie, the Grand Court Judge. Tell him there's a suspect in the plot to murder the Eastern Palace and ask him to come over."

Then, he called four guards into the house. He was worried that Yuan Gongyu would become desperate and do something bad to him.

Yuan Gongyu smiled and said, "You are worthy of being Prime Minister Li. Even in this situation, you can still respond so well." Then he took out the porcelain bottles in his arms and drank four bottles in one breath.

Li Yifu asked, "What are you drinking?"

Yuan Gongyu put down the last empty bottle and said calmly, "Nothing, just a few bottles of poison."

Li Yifu felt a chill on his back. If Di Renjie came and found that Yuan Gongyu was dead, he would be unable to explain himself.

He turned around and was about to find a doctor, but Yuan Gongyu stopped him.

"Prime Minister Li, this poison was prepared before our plan. Even if Sun Simiao were here, he couldn't save me. You don't have to waste your time."

Li Yifu took a deep breath, slowly turned around and stared at him.

"Yuan Gongyu, I believe I have treated you well, why do you want to harm me like this?"

Yuan Gongyu was silent for a moment, then said, "You shouldn't have transferred me back to Chang'an."

Li Yifu angrily asked, "Before you left the capital, you begged me to transfer you back to Chang'an, and now you blame me?"

Yuan Gongyu lowered his head and said, "Yes, I did beg you at first, but after returning to Chang'an, I regretted it."

"When a person is dismissed from office, he should be demoted to a distant prefecture or county. Only by staying away from the political vortex can he slowly recover from the psychological loss of his official position."

"In my local area, I am still the head of the county. No one dares to humiliate me. I can travel around the famous mountains and rivers, go fishing and hunting, and I can barely make a living."

"But after returning to Chang'an, I will have to face the ridicule and sarcasm of my former colleagues, the extravagance of Chang'an, and the temptation of power."

"In the countryside, I could comfortably be a seventh-rank county magistrate, but in Chang'an, the sixth-rank position of a deputy minister of the Ministry of Works was extremely tormenting and unbearable."

Li Yifu said, "It's because you can't control your desires. Who can you blame?"

Yuan Gongyu said, "Yes, I persuaded myself in the same way at first, and tried my best to endure it. I thought that with your support, I would be able to return to my original position sooner or later." "But you dispelled my fantasy. When the emperor went on tour, you were only concerned with helping Zhang Jianzhi and making plans to accompany him. I visited you every day, but you ignored me and never thought of me."

Li Yifu said, "That's because he is more talented than you."

Yuan Gongyu stared at him and said, "No, to be more precise, he is more useful than me. He can make your position as prime minister more stable."

Li Yifu's expression changed.

Yuan Gongyu said, "I figured it out later. Your Majesty values ​​friendship and loyalty. You transferred us back to Chang'an just to make His Majesty think you're a man who cherishes old ties. Am I right, Lord Li?"

Li Yifu waved his hand and said, "This is just your unfounded speculation because you are dissatisfied with the current situation."

Yuan Gongyu sighed, "Perhaps, but now that things have come to this, I am too lazy to care about it anymore."

Li Yifu saw that he looked listless, and it was obvious that the poison was taking effect and he was about to die.

He hurriedly asked, "Where are Hou Shanye and the others? Why are they plotting rebellion?"

Yuan Gongyu whispered, "Hou Shanye and Cheng Zhijing are about the same as me. Zhang Kaizhi's territory is in Hebei, and you know he loves money. He has made a lot of money in the local area. When he heard that Your Majesty was going to Hebei, he was terrified."

"As for Hu Chubin, he was persuaded by Xu Ang and Wang Dejian. I don't know how they persuaded him."

Li Yifu was startled and asked hurriedly, "Did Xu Jingzong have any involvement in this matter?"

Blood had already begun to seep from the corners of Yuan Gongyu's mouth. He gasped for breath and said weakly, "He probably didn't. But this was all orchestrated by his son Xu Ang. The six of us were actually persuaded by Xu Ang."

Li Yifu was surprised and asked, "Xu Ang? Why would he do this?"

Yuan Gongyu opened his mouth, but found that he could no longer make a sound.

He tried his best to take out a piece of paper from his arms, put it on the table, and muttered something, but Li Yifu could no longer hear it.

Li Yifu looked at his former colleagues who died on the spot, and his heart was filled with sadness for a moment.

He waited until Yuan Gongyu lay on the table and didn't move anymore before he walked over and picked up the paper.

It turned out to be a confession.

Yuan Gongyu explained the whole thing in detail, recording clearly what each person was responsible for, and there was not a single mention of Li Yifu.

Li Yifu was stunned and speechless.

Yuan Gongyu seemed to want to implicate him, but in fact he had already made preparations to help him clear suspicion.

Li Yifu looked up at the ceiling and let out a long sigh.

Not long after, Di Renjie arrived with his men.

Li Yifu cooperated very well and told Di Renjie everything without missing a word, and also gave him Yuan Gongyu's confession.

"Minister Di Si, if you are worried about me, I can go to the Dali Temple with you and cooperate with your investigation." Li Yifu said in a deep voice.

Di Renjie bowed and said, "I dare not. Since Yuan Gongyu has confessed his guilt, I believe this matter has nothing to do with Prime Minister Li. I will take the body away."

Li Yifu said, "Please do as you wish."

The bailiffs from the Dali Temple took Yuan Gongyu's body away.

Li Yuanfang originally wanted to check the crime scene, but was stopped by Di Renjie.

After leaving the Li Mansion, Li Yuanfang couldn't help asking, "Di Siqing, do you really believe that Li Yifu had nothing to do with this?"

Di Renjie sighed, rubbed his hands, and said, "From the current situation, this matter should have nothing to do with him. Even if it does, he is the Prime Minister. Without the emperor's order, we can't arrest him."

Recently, in order to investigate this matter, he has not returned home for several nights, and only sleeps for two hours at night, and is very weak.

Seeing that he looked very cold, Li Yuanfang took off his cloak and put it on him, saying, "The list of people Yuan Gongyu gave out is exactly the same as the one we suspect. Do you think we should just arrest him?"

Di Renjie thought for a moment and said, "Except for Xu Ang and Wang Dejian, we can close in on the others."

Li Yuanfang was delighted and said, "Then I'll arrange it right away."

That night, Li Yuanfang ordered four teams to the Dali Temple to arrest Hou Shanye and his four companions.

It’s a pity that I was still a step slow.

When Hou Shanye was found, he had already committed suicide by taking poison at home.

Hou Shanye loved calligraphy and painting. Before his death, he burned all the calligraphy and paintings he had collected over the years as a burial object for himself.

Cheng Zhijing locked his entire family in a room and then set the house on fire.

When the Dali Temple officials arrived, the place was already a sea of ​​fire.

Hu Chubin committed suicide by jumping into the Wei River. When his body was fished out, it had frozen into an ice stick.

Only Zhang Kai was captured alive.

When he was caught, he was engaging in romantic activities in Chunfeng Tower. When the Dali Temple bailiffs rushed in, he wanted to commit suicide by taking poison, but unfortunately he was a step too late.

As a result, four of the seven people involved died, one was captured, and only Xu Ang and Wang Dejian were left.

Di Renjie knew that if he continued to wait for the emperor's reply, these two people would most likely commit suicide, so he sought out Li Ji and Cheng Zhijie to discuss the matter.

After learning about the situation, Li Ji and Cheng Zhijie unanimously agreed to arrest Xu Ang and Wang Dejian immediately, and even Xu Jingzong should be taken under control.

As soon as Di Renjie received an official document approved by the Ministry of Personnel to search the Xu Mansion, he heard Li Yuanfang report that Wang Dejian had surrendered himself.

Di Renjie asked, "Didn't Xu Ang surrender?"

Li Yuanfang said, "No, Wang Dejian said that he had originally tried to persuade Xu Ang to surrender, but Xu Ang said there was one thing he hadn't done yet. Then, he drew his sword and headed towards Xu Jingzong's residence."

Di Renjie's face turned pale and he said, "Oh no! He wants to kill Xu Jingzong! Arrest Xu Ang quickly!"

……

Xu Mansion, study in the backyard.

Xu Jingzong lay on the chair, humming softly: "I feel deeply for the country of Dai, and I am very happy to feast in Qiaofang. The white water is filled with good air, and the yellow stars gather in Taichang..."

He read a few lines, and Xu Yanbo beside him wrote two lines.

Just then, the door was pushed open with a clang, and a man strode in. It was Xu Ang.

Xu Ang held a sword in his hand, his face filled with murderous intent. He glanced coldly at Xu Yanbo and shouted, "Get out!"

Xu Yanbo was surprised and looked at Xu Jingzong.

Xu Jingzong sat up straight in his chair and shouted angrily, "You evil creature, how dare you come back! It's not Yanbo who should go out, but you!"

A cold light flashed in Xu Ang's eyes. He drew his sword and walked towards Xu Jingzong step by step.

Xu Jingzong said angrily: "Evil son, do you want to kill your father?"

Xu Yanbo rushed over, hugged Xu Ang's legs, and shouted, "Father, please stop!"

Xu Ang kicked him away, walked up to Xu Jingzong, and said coldly: "From now on, the relationship between you and me as father and son is severed."

Xu Jingzong said sternly, "Just for a woman, you are so cruel and crazy?"

Xu Ang laughed and said, "Old man, you still don't seem to understand the situation."

Xu Jingzong's face changed and he asked, "What's going on?"

Xu Ang said, "The official in the Eastern Palace was killed by my sister's husband. We used the crown prince's seal to trick the emperor into returning to Chang'an. We then issued a false decree to have the Ministry of War mobilize troops to coordinate with our own forces in order to carry out the rebellion and assassinate the emperor."

Xu Jingzong's hands and feet turned cold after hearing this. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't even make a sound!
Xu Ang laughed crazily, "It's a pity that the plan failed. I can't escape death anyway, so I might as well kill you and take you with me!"

Xu Jingzong stared blankly at his crazy son, his whole body trembling, his heart filled with infinite regret.

Xu Ang laughed and said, "Actually, when I was executing this plan, I was most afraid of you finding out. Fortunately, you're already old and confused, and you're completely unaware... Haha... Haha..."

At this moment, a group of Dali Temple runners rushed in from outside the door.

Xu Ang just took a glance and said, "You come so fast." He put the long sword in his hand against his neck, and with a "swish", he drank the sword and committed suicide.

Xu Jingzong cried out "Ang'er" and fainted immediately.

When Xu Jingzong woke up again, something was wrong with him.

Di Renjie spoke to him, but he didn't respond at all and just stared blankly at the ceiling.

Li Yuanfang whispered in Di Renjie's ear, "Minister Di, Minister Xu is too old and has been through such a great shock. Let him rest for a while."

They had already interrogated the people in Xu's house, and based on Xu Ang's last words and actions, they were able to rule out Xu Jingzong's suspicion.

Di Renjie nodded, waved his hand, and ordered his men to take Xu Ang's body and return to the Dali Temple.

After leaving Xu's house, Li Yuanfang sighed, "I can't believe a man like Xu Jingzong would raise such a son who even killed his own father. This is truly intolerable."

Di Renjie glanced at him and said, "Yuan Fang, you are wrong. Xu Ang's last action was to get rid of Xu Jingzong."

Li Yuanfang asked, "Leave it aside?"

Di Renjie said, "Wang Dejian came to report the crime, and we went to rescue Xu Jingzong. We arrived just before Xu Ang could make his move. Don't you think it's a coincidence?"

Li Yuanfang suddenly realized, "So, Xu Ang deliberately waited for us to pass by, so that we could see him trying to kill Xu Jingzong, so as to remove Xu Jingzong from suspicion?"

Di Renjie nodded.

Li Yuanfang said, "But since Xu Ang cared about the relationship between father and son, why did he commit such a heinous act of treason? I'm afraid Xu Jingzong can't escape the blame!"

Di Renjie's eyes flickered as he said, "Perhaps only from Wang Dejian's mouth can we know his motives."

At this time, Di Shun suddenly came running from a distance, his face full of joy, and shouted to Di Renjie from afar.

"Ah Lang, the British envoy has sent a message that the emperor has returned to the capital, and you are asked to go to Ganlu Temple to meet him immediately!"

When the two heard that the emperor had returned to Beijing, they were both delighted, and the tension that had been building for the past few days finally relaxed.

Di Renjie immediately parted ways with Li Yuanfang and rode towards the palace.

(End of this chapter)