Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 531 A Lonely Man, Deceited by All

After listening to Prince Xin'an's accusations, the sage's irritation gradually subsided, and his expression turned serious.

While his previous anger was partly due to Princess Yuzhen's tearful complaints, it was also partly a deliberate act.

If at the beginning of the audience the emperor was still somewhat confused about how Princess Yuzhen and Prince Xin'an had gotten together, then as Princess Yuzhen began to explain, he gradually came to understand.

The fact that the princess and the prince joined forces to target a prime minister was, of course, a very serious matter.

Although Princess Yuzhen was his closest relative and he trusted her greatly, Prince Xin'an had been humble and cautious for many years and had made many meritorious contributions after taking up his post in the border town, which also made the emperor appreciate him highly.

However, the fact that the two of them came together to the palace to report on matters that night inevitably aroused the emperor's vigilance. Moreover, precisely because of their special status, the emperor was bound to have more concerns when dealing with their requests, and could not be as casual as he would with ordinary officials.

Therefore, even sages always dodge the question and feign great anger, using strong emotional expressions to maintain control of the conversation, which is actually a way of avoiding the main issue.

It wasn't that he held Yuwen Rong in such high esteem that he couldn't tolerate anyone criticizing or attacking him; rather, it was because he didn't yet have a full understanding of the situation, and naturally couldn't rely solely on one side of the story to discuss whether a newly appointed prime minister was competent or not.

Although the Emperor had already harbored some dissatisfaction with Yuwen Rong after Princess Yuzhen's tearful plea, he couldn't let this emotion show. Only in this way could he control the extent of his reprimand of Yuwen Rong later.

But now that Prince Xin'an has brought the topic to the forefront, he can no longer avoid the issue. He feels slightly embarrassed and even harbors resentment towards Prince Xin'an, feeling that the prince's style of doing things is much more forceful than before, and that he seems to be showing signs of becoming arrogant because of his achievements.

However, since the Prince of Xin'an had already said so, he could only say in a deep voice, "I am not aware of the matter you have mentioned. You have made great achievements on the frontier and your name is known both at home and abroad. Now you have returned to the capital with honors and your reputation is renowned throughout the court and the country. Yet the prime minister is displeased. What is the reason for this? Please tell me in detail, so that I may hear it carefully."

Prince Xin'an naturally sensed the subtle difference in the Emperor's tone, but on the one hand, he was indeed quite annoyed by Yuwen Rong's constant targeting; on the other hand, things had already progressed to this point, and there was no room for retreat.

So he could only continue, "I dare not boast of my achievements, but only wish to serve my lord with loyalty and diligence. I have devoted myself wholeheartedly to whatever I have been entrusted with. However, I have repeatedly heard that censors from the Censorate have criticized my affairs, and Yuwen Rong has even sent former officials to fabricate various charges against me..."

He recounted all the things Yuwen Rong was planning to have impeach him, and after listening, the Emperor's face grew increasingly gloomy. He then asked Zhang Dai in a deep voice, "Zhang Dai, are you aware of all the reports that Prince Xin'an has submitted?"

Zhang Dai knew that the emperor was questioning why Prince Xin'an knew so much, clearly suspecting that someone in the court was in league with him, and Pei Guangting, who also served as the Grand Censor, was the most suspicious target.

Therefore, upon hearing this question, he immediately nodded and said, "I have also heard about these matters. The one who planned this was Li Zhou, the Palace Attendant Censor. He is impetuous, talkative, and fond of making pronouncements."

Not only has King Xin'an been questioned recently, but even I, a junior colleague in the same department, have not escaped punishment. When I returned to the Censorate today, the case had already been dealt with, which is why I had the leisure to be sent by Physician Pei to deliver official documents to the Xianyuan Taoist Temple.

"Li Zhou? Zhang Dai is not mistaken, that is indeed the name?"

Gao Lishi, who had been kneeling on the ground in this position in silence for a long time, immediately raised his head after hearing what Zhang Dai said, looked at him with slight nervousness, and asked in a rapid voice.

Seeing the rich subtle expressions on his face, which showed no trace of acting, Zhang Dai was quite impressed. He suppressed the amusement that arose in his heart and nodded, saying, "How could I possibly be wrong about such a thing? It is indeed Li Zhou without a doubt. Not only me, but all my subordinates in Taizhong know about this. If you still don't believe me, you can send your disciples to ask."

"Is there some problem with Li Zhou again? Does the General perhaps also know of him and his deeds and wish to report to the emperor?"

Seeing Gao Lishi's expression, the sage couldn't help but feel a little curious and immediately asked.

Upon hearing the emperor's question, Gao Lishi immediately turned around and bowed deeply, saying urgently, "If it is Li Zhou who intends to submit a memorial impeaching King Xin'an, then I may have committed the crime of negligence. Last night, there were memorials submitted to the outer court, one of which was submitted by this Li Zhou."

Since there is no memorial submitted by Imperial Censor Pei Guangting, I have temporarily withheld it as it does not conform to the proper procedures for submitting memorials. I plan to submit a new memorial to the Secretariat and Chancellery tomorrow morning before presenting it to the emperor.

When Gao Lishi said this, his expression was not visible because his head was buried between his arms, but one could hear that his tone was somewhat flustered, hurried and uneasy.

The tone and manner of his words were perfectly controlled, conveying a great deal of emotion and information, as if it were truly a careless oversight. Zhang Dai watched and learned silently from the side. To be honest, if he hadn't already heard Gao Lishi say that the memorial had been deliberately suppressed, he might have believed that Gao Lishi's mistake was unintentional.

This also shows that everyone has selfish desires. Although Gao Lishi was loyal to the emperor, it doesn't mean he didn't have his own interests. In matters where he needed to satisfy his own needs without fundamentally disobeying the emperor, he would resort to underhanded tactics and deception.

From this perspective, the emperor was indeed a lonely figure. Because he held unlimited power and could satisfy all kinds of demands and desires, no one would be completely devoted to him or be completely honest with him.

All the personnel information he has access to is presented to him by various people after careful consideration based on their own positions and demands. Not to mention these basic interpersonal relationships, even the entire world is presented to him only after being embellished and decorated by others.

As expected, the sage had no doubts after hearing this, and immediately shouted, "Quickly present Li Zhou's memorial!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Lishi nodded in agreement and scrambled out. After a few dozen breaths, he quickly returned and presented the memorial to the emperor.

When the emperor saw that there was indeed such a memorial, his face immediately became even more gloomy. He took the memorial, turned around and went back to his imperial bed to sit down and read it carefully.

The hall was completely silent. Even Princess Yuzhen, who was of extraordinary status, stopped sobbing and choking.

As for Prince Xin'an, a fine layer of sweat had formed on his forehead, glistening under the lights of the palace. He dared not raise his hand to wipe it away, which showed how uneasy and nervous he was.

Zhang Dai was not deeply involved in this matter, so although he was also trying to keep his composure, he was not too uneasy and still had the leisure to observe other people's expressions.

Seeing that even a renowned general like Prince Xin'an, who was so powerful on the battlefield, was like this, he felt even more the allure of imperial power. No wonder so many people wanted to possess it!

After a long while, the Emperor slowly put down the memorial in his hand. His face showed no change in joy or anger, but his gaze swept over the people in the hall one by one, and finally landed on Zhang Dai.

He first pointed to the memorial, then looked at Zhang Dai and said, "Young man, you really know how to stir up trouble. What kind of business is that tea garden in the south of the city?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai couldn't help but curse inwardly. This Yuwen Rong was truly ruthless. The situation was already so urgent, yet he hadn't focused his firepower on Prince Xin'an and instead wanted to drag him into it as well.

Of course, it's also possible that Li Zhou added his situation on his own initiative, after all, that guy had offended him, and to be honest, he was quite hated by many people.

However, there was nothing to hide about the tea plantation, including the fact that the recruits were all border guards and their families. Zhang Dai not only did not conceal this, but also took the initiative to report it as an important point: "At the beginning of the year, I was granted materials from the official treasury to build a villa. Most of the craftsmen and workers from the south of the city were border guards who had been laid off. Seeing that these workers were in a miserable situation and lacked food and clothing, I wish to share the imperial favor I received with the people..."

"The imperial court provides provisions and rewards to the conscripts, yet it still cannot save them from famine?"

After listening to Zhang Dai's explanation, the sage stopped dwelling on the tea garden issue and instead frowned and asked a question.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you. I do not know about other places, but the border guards I have seen in the capital region are indeed struggling to make a living. Although the court has some benevolent policies, the funds are insufficient. All these policies are just empty words and cannot be effectively implemented."

Upon hearing this, the emperor frowned even more deeply. After pondering for a moment, he continued to say to Zhang Dai, "Now that you have seen the relevant information, please investigate it in more detail and submit a memorial within the month."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai quickly nodded in agreement. Although he chose to bring up this situation at this moment for the sake of the struggle, in order to show that Yuwen Rong's work was inadequate, if it could make the emperor take it seriously and take concrete steps to solve the problem, it would be a good thing that would benefit everyone.

After explaining these matters, the Emperor turned to Princess Yuzhen and Prince Xin'an, and said in a deep voice, "My sister has retreated to a secluded place, untouched by worldly affairs, and no one should disturb her easily! Prince Xin'an has distinguished himself in military exploits and will soon be going to the border again to defend the country and suppress the bandits. I will ensure that you can go in peace without any worries!"

Although the sage did not specify what to do, his attitude was already evident. Upon hearing this, the two quickly kowtowed in gratitude, no longer daring to dwell on the matter, determined to reach a conclusion that night.

(End of this chapter)