Chapter Twelve Conspiracy and Slander

  Chui Yang recounted the details in detail, and Li An became enraged: "These rebels, how dare they! Junior Tutor, what do you think we should do?"

  Lu Jingzhong narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment before asking: "Lord Cui, you said this person doesn't demand the rescue of their own subordinate?"

  Choi Jung said respectfully, 'Yes, Ho Kyung City is not only in no hurry to save people, but seems to want us to kill them instead, so as to avoid suspicion of a relationship between each other in the future.'

  "This person is indeed ruthless and cunning, but this also shows that he is the one from Hoji Castle. I know some things about Hoji Castle from the confessions of those Jinyu Alliance disciples. He comes from a military family and is a collateral descendant of the Li family in Sichuan. When the Li family and the Tangmen fought for control of Sichuan, the Li family was defeated, and the Tangmen were weakened. During the Great Yong's attack on Shu, they were unable to help Shu again. If we had not conquered Shu, many generals would have died from assassination. The Tangmen's hidden weapons and the Li family's Soul Searching Hand are not upright or righteous martial arts, but rather suitable for assassination and ambush. Later, Great Yong occupied eastern Sichuan, while most of central Sichuan belonged to Southern Chu. The Tangmen surrendered to Great Yong, while the Li family surrendered to Southern Chu. However, Hoji Castle was unusual and broke away, establishing the Jinyu Alliance and claiming to want to restore Shu. In recent years, they have indeed accomplished some things, but unfortunately, this person has a narrow mind and is no match for the talented General Lu who guards central Sichuan. Although he is incompetent, he has one good quality: he is ruthless and decisive. Therefore, despite the Jinyu Alliance's repeated defeats, they have managed to preserve their strength. Recently, Southern Chu's situation has been chaotic, and he must have taken advantage of it. However, he suffered a great loss at the hands of the Crown Prince. It's rare for him to come up with this idea. In my opinion, he is sincere and genuine. No matter what happens in the future, this deal is worth doing. He said something that makes sense: who would believe that the Crown Prince would collude with them? If the Crown Prince wants to do business with Hoji Castle, he should immediately execute all the Jinyu Alliance rebels in the Heavenly Prison and then cooperate with Hoji Castle. Even if the Jinyu Alliance becomes stronger, they wouldn't dare challenge Great Yong. If they really rebel, it would be a matter for the King of Yong and the King of Qing to deal with, which would also reduce their military strength. Moreover, Your Highness has been spending more than you have in recent years. This deal is worth it, even if there are unexpected consequences in the future. Your Highness can simply say that the Jinyu Alliance colluded with some officials and then execute a few people."

  Li An fell silent for a moment, then looked at Cui Yang and said: "This matter is too big, if it leaks out, the Ministry of Revenue will probably turn upside down. Can't you, Minister Cui, take responsibility? No, no."

  Choi's gloomy face finally relaxed, and he looked at Li An with gratitude, but although Li An said so, his expression was extremely reluctant.

  Lu Jingzhong smiled faintly and said, "Although the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Liang Jianqian, is Your Highness's confidant, he has ulterior motives. Although he is respectful to Your Highness on the surface, in secret, he has recorded a ledger of the public funds that Your Highness has embezzled from the Ministry of Revenue over the years. I'm afraid Your Highness is not aware of this?"

  Li An's body shook and he hastily asked: "What you said is true? How did you know?"

  "Your Highness, as the saying goes, an old husband with a young wife is most unsettling. Liang Shen's whole life was cautious, but unfortunately, at nearly fifty years old, he took a concubine in her early twenties. It's not easy to deal with this kind of situation. This woman was flirtatious and had an affair with Liang's younger brother-in-law. Unfortunately, they were caught in the act by Liang, who killed the woman in a fit of rage but only chased away the young man. Who would have thought that the concubine would reveal to her lover the matter of the private account book in Liang's possession? The young man harbored resentment and happened to know me, so he came to my estate to inform on him. Today, I originally intended to tell Your Highness about this, but you were enjoying the music and dance, so I hadn't had a chance to report it yet."

  Li An's face was as calm as water, and he asked: 'Do you have any evidence?'

  Lu Jingzhong stood up, walked forward and presented a piece of paper. Li An took it over and looked at it, and indeed it was the account book of his embezzlement from the Ministry of Revenue, with clear records of when he used the money and when he repaid it. Li An rose to his feet in anger, saying: "This old slave is good, this prince will surely take his dog life."

  Lu Jingzhong smiled and said: "This is that little thief secretly copying some as evidence, originally I thought it would be easy to settle this Liang Jianqian, as long as Your Highness has the heart, we can take back the account book, kill him and silence him. But I think it's too cheap for him, now is a good opportunity, let's let Cui Daren handle this matter, but secretly make some arrangements, if the business goes smoothly, that's best, after the event, we'll settle accounts with him, if unfortunately something happens, we'll let him take the blame. At that time, as long as Your Highness arranges it well, he will certainly not be able to speak the truth, and then Cui Daren will naturally be promoted to Shangshu, this Ministry of Revenue is Your Highness's treasury!"

  Li An burst out laughing and said, "Good idea, Lu Ai, you're indeed my trusted advisor." A glint of menace flashed in his eyes as Li An coldly continued, "However, keep a close eye on him. Don't let him suspect my intentions, nor can he be allowed to hand the account book over to anyone else."

  "Your Highness can rest assured, I will take care of it. Don't you trust me?"

  Li An suddenly remembered something and asked: 'What about the informant?'

  Lu Jing said calmly: 'This man is always a troublemaker, I took the liberty of dealing with him first.'

  Li An nodded in satisfaction and said: 'Not bad, this person knows the king's secrets, how can he be allowed to live in the world.'

  Choi heard that he was going to take over as the Minister of Revenue, and his face lit up with joy. However, when he heard the two men talking about framing and killing someone, he didn't show any emotional fluctuations, nor did he feel a chill in his heart. He thought to himself, "I'd better not hear this here, if I knew some secret, it would be worthless to be killed and silenced later." Thinking of this, he hastily said: "Your Highness, Lord Lu, it's getting late, I'll take my leave now. If Your Highness agrees with this matter, I'll go back and wait for Ho Ji Castle to arrive."

  Lu Jingzhong thought to himself that there were still important matters to discuss, and since he was leaving anyway, he said: "Your Highness, it's better if Lord Cui returns now, lest the people of the Jin Yi Alliance come to ask questions. It would be best if Your Highness lets Lord Cui agree to this matter first, and I will go to discuss the details with him tomorrow." As he spoke, he exchanged a glance with the crown prince.

  Li An knew at once that Lu Jingzhong still had some private words to say, and it was not convenient for Cui Yang to know. He smiled and said: "Alright, Cui Yang, you go back first. After the discussion, Lord Lu will go and tell you in detail. However, I have already agreed to this matter in principle. You should think carefully about how to proceed."

  Chui Yang led the order and retreated. Li An looked at Lu Jingzhong, smiled and said: "Is there anything else to say? Are you still hiding from Chui Yang, is it that important?"

  Lu Jingzhong stroked his mustache, sneering: "Your Highness, although the Ministry of Revenue is your domain, but half of the military power is still in the hands of King Yong. That's why we can't do this business ourselves and let the Brocade Alliance run errands for us. But if the military finds out about this, even if the Brocade Alliance is formidable, can they still contend with King Yong?"

  Li An frowned and asked: "Can't this deal be made?"

  Lu Jingzhong shook his head and said, "How can this be? I have an idea. If we can make the King of Yong too busy to pay attention to Your Highness's affairs, wouldn't Your Highness be as safe as Mount Tai? Although if something goes wrong, we have scapegoats, but it would still result in a loss of gold and silver."

  Li An's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said: "Do you have any way to make the King of Yong self-sufficient? If so, even if I don't do this deal, I will be satisfied."

  Lu Jingzhong smiled and said, "This is also a clever thing. Your Highness wanted Xiahou Yuanfeng to be the husband of Princess Chang Le, but the princess has always disagreed. So I asked Consort Lan to ask Consort Ji about the princess's thoughts. Yesterday, when I came to the mansion, Consort Lan told me that the princess seemed not to want to remarry. I thought that if the princess didn't want to remarry, it was fine, and no one would gain an advantage from it, so I didn't put my heart into it. Consort Lan also mentioned a few things: Firstly, Princess Chang Le has no hobbies, but she likes to read poetry and literature, especially the poems of Jiang Zhe, the number one scholar of Southern Chu. She always carries his books with her. Secondly, yesterday, Princess Chang Le went to the mansion of Prince Yong to clear her mind, and when she returned, her mood was very good."

  Li An furrowed his brow and said, "You're saying that Princess Chang Le and that surrendered Southern Chu minister have a private relationship? Nonsense! I know my sister well, she's the most virtuous and would never have a private affair with anyone."

  Lu Jingzhong smiled and said: "I also know that this is something that even a shadow cannot catch, but as long as you add some oil and vinegar to it, naturally there will be people who believe it."

  Li An's expression changed, and he said: 'You're saying--'

  Lu Jingzhong smiled and said, "Of course it's Qin Qing, General Qin. General Qin has deep feelings for the princess, which have not changed to this day. However, when the princess returned to her country this time, she was cold as ice towards the general, completely ignoring their childhood friendship. General Qin is extremely angry about this, so he is very arrogant towards the surrendered officials of Southern Chu. He even publicly humiliated Jiang Zhe in the Ganlu Temple. I heard that King Yong values Jiang Zhe highly, which has already greatly offended King Yong. This is an opportunity for us. Let's send someone to whisper a few words into General Qin's ear, telling him that the princess had a private affair with Jiang Zhe while she was in Southern Chu, and that's why she doesn't care about General Qin anymore."

  Just as he said that, Li An angrily shouted: "Shut up! My imperial sister went to great lengths for the sake of Da Yong and married far away in Southern Chu. Now that she's finally returned, not only does she have no private affairs, but even if she did, you can't tarnish the princess's reputation."

  Lu Jingzhong's face was as cold as a cicada in winter, and he hastily knelt down to apologize. Only when Li An calmed down did he say: "Your Highness can rest assured, even if I had the audacity of heaven, I wouldn't dare harm the princess's reputation. This matter won't leak out. Even if Qin Qing knew about it, would he dare to spread it? General Qin may be reckless, but he can't do such a thing. If my guess is correct, General Qin will definitely find an opportunity to interrogate Jiang Zhe. We've sent assassins to secretly follow him. Since this matter is just a wild goose chase, Jiang Zhe will certainly be able to explain himself clearly. Once General Qin leaves satisfied, we'll kill Jiang Zhe. This plan has great benefits for us: first, regardless of whether Jiang Zhe has any talent or not, killing him now will make the Duke of Yong heartbroken; second, the Duke of Yong will inevitably suspect that Qin Qing killed Jiang Zhe, and even if General Qin can explain himself clearly, the Duke of Yong will still harbor resentment. With the Duke of Yong busy arguing with General Qin about justice, how can he still care about us?"

  Li An's expression changed, hesitating and uncertain. Lu Jingzhong continued: "The people involved in this matter are all high-ranking officials with great power, who would dare to spread rumors? Moreover, even if we say something that should be punished, the princess is a meritorious person, but after all, she is the queen of Southern Chu. On the day Southern Chu was destroyed, the princess became a widow. In the past, Xi Shi had merit in the state of Yue, but was still thrown into a lake by the king of Yue. The princess only suffered from some idle gossip, what's the big deal? Furthermore, the princess and Empress Longsun are inclined towards Prince Yong, Your Highness is not unaware of this, otherwise why would you think of letting Xia Houyuefeng become the princess's husband?"

  Ang Lee remained silent.

  Lu Jingzhong's eyes welled up with tears as he said, "Your Highness is wise and enlightened. After you ascend to the throne, if you can comfort the princess often, then even if the Duke of Yong is not removed, Your Highness will still be safe."

  Li An thought for a moment, then sighed and said: 'You must be careful not to spread it out. If it reaches the ears of the Emperor and the Princess, I will never forgive you.'

  Lu Jingzhong hastily kowtowed and said: "Your Highness, please put your mind at ease. I will never let the rumors spread."

  Li An hesitated for a moment and said: "But this person must be in the Yong Wang Fu at all times, how can an assassin get in?"

  Lu Jingzhong smiled and said, "Your Highness can rest assured, after the 15th, it will be King Yong's banquet to send off the Crown Prince on his journey. According to the rules, this is a must-attend banquet for all officials. Your Highness can rest assured, I will definitely let Qin Qing take the blame for this. As for Jiang Zhe, he can only blame his bad luck, who made him surrender to King Yong?"

  Li An nodded slightly and saw that things had been discussed. He called out loudly: 'Xing Song, Xing Song.'

  The door was pushed open and a middle-aged man with a gloomy appearance walked in, kneeling down on one knee to pay his respects.

  Li An asked faintly: 'Where did Xia Jinyi go, and did he pass on any messages to anyone?'

  Xing Song said respectfully: 'I report to Your Highness, Xia Jinyi first discussed the tune with the music teacher and dancer for a while, then...' As he spoke, Li An's eyebrows furrowed, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent.

  Xing Song continued: 'Then this person went to the back garden and had a private meeting with Xiuchun, the maid beside the queen.'

  Li An felt a sense of relief and decided to keep Xia Jinyi as his guard, partly because of his brother's face and also because he thought it would be easy to control him. However, he soon discovered that Xia Jinyi was humorous, eloquent, and skilled in music and dance, and he found himself liking him more and more each day. But since he couldn't let just anyone stay by his side, Cui Yang had come to investigate the matter, being very secretive about it. If Xia Jinyi were a spy, he would definitely try to gather information, and Zhang Jinxiong was guarding the door outside, making it easy for Xia Jinyi to find an excuse to linger.

  I didn't expect Xia Jin-yi to have any intention of investigating, but instead he was busy having an affair with the maid. If he were a spy, he would be the stupidest spy in the world. Even if he were slightly competent, he wouldn't dare do such a thing. If he were severely punished, having an affair with a maid could result in his death by beating. He thought to himself contentedly that he could keep him by his side from now on. He was indeed a good slave, loyal and interesting, much better than his senior brother.

  As for the affair with the maid, although Li An had some dissatisfaction, it wasn't a big deal. The embroiderer Chun, who was beside the princess, was not particularly outstanding in appearance, and Li An had never paid attention to her before. Just a few days ago, the princess even told him that she wanted to marry off the maids by her side.

  At this time, in the backyard of the prince's mansion, Xia Jinyi was embracing a beautiful maid, whispering sweet nothings to her. He was enthusiastically telling her about his experiences drifting around the world, and the little girl who had never stepped out of the mansion was completely enchanted. As he spoke, he began to get handsy, but as an old hand in the romantic arena, he wouldn't scare the little girl off. He gently kissed her neck, lightly nibbled on her earlobe, and his hands started to wander over her delicate body. Before long, he had easily gotten the inexperienced little girl all flustered and confused. Just as Xia Jinyi was about to make his move, someone suddenly shouted out in a cold voice. Xia Jinyi was startled, and his passion immediately dissipated. He quickly adjusted his clothes, but after a while, there was no movement outside. Xia Jinyi stuck his head out, and saw that it was his superior, Vice Manager Xing Song, standing outside with his hands behind his back, his face cold as frost in the moonlight. At this time, Zhu Chun also came to her senses, hastily adjusting her clothes, and walked out of the fake mountain with her head hung low, throwing herself to the ground, her face filled with shame, crying uncontrollably. Xia Jinyi also quickly knelt down beside her, pleading bitterly: "Vice Manager sir, please spare me this once."

  Xing Song coldly said: "You dare to secretly communicate with the princess's maid, come with me to see His Highness."

  Xia Jin Yi turned pale with fright and said: "I beg of you, sir, to have mercy on me. I am just a rogue, what does life or death matter? Qiu Chun is young, please spare her from this punishment. I swear that from now on, I will never dare to seduce her again."

  Xing Song smiled and said: 'You little scoundrel, get up. Don't do it again in the future. Go back now. If I see you again, I'll skin you alive.'

  Xia Jinyi was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly. It wasn't until Xing Rong's figure disappeared that he realized he had broken out in a cold sweat.

  Cui Yang returned to the mansion, ate something randomly, and then stared blankly under the lamp light. He knew that he and the Crown Prince were on the same line as ants, and if the Crown Prince fell, he would be even more frightened. On the other hand, there was Duke Yong, who had summoned him when he went to deliver grain to the army. At that time, Duke Yong wore a simple yet elegant outfit, handled matters efficiently, and spoke in a gentle and kind manner, making people feel like they were basking in spring breeze.

  The Crown Prince, although being the heir apparent and his brother-in-law, was arrogant and made him break out in cold sweat every time. He always felt like he was walking on thin ice. Thinking of this, Cui Yang almost wanted to betray the Crown Prince, but then thought that the Crown Princess was his own sister, and the Crown Prince's son was his nephew. His desire for fame and wealth finally overcame his conscience and fear.

  Cui Yang stood up, thinking that he had no way back now. Looking at the sky, after a while of contemplation, it had already brightened up. He pushed open the window, and saw that it had snowed lightly overnight. The snow outside was shining brightly. Cui Yang walked out of his room, took a deep breath of the cold air, and just then, the butler came to report: "Your Excellency, the guest from yesterday has come to see you again."

  Cui Yang smiled slightly and said: "Please invite the guest to the study to see me. It's still early, I suppose the guest hasn't had breakfast yet. Send two portions of breakfast to the study."

  A loud laughter came from outside: "The commoner is here again to disturb Your Excellency."

  Cui Yang looked up and saw that Huo Jicheng was wearing a gray robe, with an elegant demeanor, standing in the wind. Cui Yang took a few steps forward, cupped his hands and said: "Brother Huo, no, Brother Ji, please come to the study to chat."

  Huojicheng saw that Cui Yang's expression was somewhat tired, but he couldn't hide his joy, and knew that things had gone well, so he also returned the courtesy: 'Good, then I'll be bothering you.'

  After speaking, the two looked at each other and smiled, as if they had known each other for many years. In the midst of laughter, Huo Jicheng's thoughts flew far away. If he could get enough grain, military supplies, and equipment, then taking advantage of the war between Dayong and South Chu to restore his country and revive his state was just a matter of time. The Tianji Pavilion was something he had to rely on; otherwise, it would be difficult for him to take even a single step in South Chu. If he waited until their relationship deepened, he could think of a way to annex the Tianji Pavilion and put its wealth of tens of millions into his own pocket. Even if restoring his country was not possible, he could still become a wealthy man. Cui Yang's thoughts were much simpler: if business was successful, not only would his pockets be filled with wealth, but he could also gain further trust and favor from the prince, and his future prospects would be bright.