Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 542
Chapter 542 Cross a River and Tear Down a Bridge
Upon hearing the news of King Jin’s disappearance, Eldest Sun Wuji and the others were extremely shocked.
It was understandable that not many of King Wu’s men were ambushed halfway back to the capital. In that case, King Jin, who was heading north to worship the ancestors on behalf of the Emperor, was accompanied by two hundred elite Dragon Guards, three hundred Golden Cavalry Guards, and a hundred personal Baiji Guards!
A total of 600 people had disappeared in a place like Taiyuan, the northern capital. It was shocking!
“General Li, you went to Taiyuan. Where did you find King Jin?” Li Jing asked calmly.
“Naturally, there are government offices, temples, imperial mausoleums, and other places!” Li Junxian replied.
Li Jing asked, “Prefecture officials and the people from the Mausoleum of the Emperor said that King Jin has already left?”
“Yes.”
“There are no traces of King Jin landing at the relay stations along the way?”
“Yes.”
Li Jingyu slightly raised his eyebrows and said, “There is only one possibility-King Jin is still in Taiyuan, the northern capital, or at least in Bingzhou!”
Li Junxian, Eldest Sun Wuji, and the others were both shocked, “How is this possible?”
Li Jing stroked his long beard and said, “As long as five or six hundred people leave the capital and walk on the official road, no matter what, they will leave behind traces.” Could it still disappear out of thin air? At that time, General Li was eager to find King Jin. He thought that King Jin was on the way home and missed it on the way, so he was eager to catch up. It can be seen that at that time, there was a high possibility that he missed an extremely important place and did not look for it! ”
“Where?”
“Bingzhou Military Manor!” Li Jing’s eyes lit up and he said, “No one can make five or six hundred people disappear without a trace at the same time except the army!” And I suspect that either King Jin was taken captive by the army of Bing Zhou; Either that, it was King Jin who deliberately hid there and tightly sealed off the news from the outside world. Otherwise, how could even the governors of Taiyuan not know the exact information about King Jin? ”
At this moment, Fang Xuanling was slightly shocked and said, “The army of the Great Governor’s Mansion of Bing Zhou is the northern barrier of our Great Tang. The Great Governor’s Commander is the Duke of England, Li Ji. However, he led his troops to Mobei to pacify Xue Yantuo’s rebellion and has yet to return. The one staying in Bing Zhou is General Wei Daibian, the son of Wei Ting!”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone broke out in cold sweat! !
“It’s Wei Ting again!”
“Calm down!” Li Jing raised his hand and thought for a moment with his brows furrowed. “As far as I know, although Wei Daijian is from a noble family, he is modest, cautious, and loyal.” When I conquered Tuyu Hun in the early years, he was a Liangmo officer in our army, so I had a good impression of him. This old man is not talented. With my ability to recognize people, Wei Daijin shouldn’t have done such a rebellious thing! Moreover, if he really did cause trouble and hurt Prince Jin, it would be too stupid. The reason for that was because everyone knew that King Jin had gone to the Northern Capital to worship his ancestors, and that he was accompanied by the Imperial Imperial Leader. If he dared to do anything unfavorable to Prince Jin, it would be a clear rebellion. Wasn’t that suicidal? “Don’t say that he is just a small Bing Province Governor-General’s Mansion staying behind. There are only 30,000 to 50,000 troops in his hands. Even if the 200,000 main troops under Li Xu are all his, he wouldn’t dare to do this!”
“Duke Wei’s words are reasonable!” Everyone agreed. Fang Xuanling said, “So King Jin is more likely to hide in the Bing Prefecture? In other words, Wei Daijian did not detain King Jin, but secretly hid him to protect him and prevent him from returning to the capital?”
“Very likely.” Li Jing frowned, “In other words, Wei Daibian-he must have known something!”
At this moment, Eldest Sun Wuji’s face turned ashen as he snorted, “It’s useless for us to keep guessing here! Why don’t we let Chu Suiliang and I lead Baiji to capture Wei Ting first? Or perhaps, we can call King Wei over and ask him a question!”
Everyone fell silent for a moment, thinking that Wei Ting was King Wei’s confidant. If Wei Ting really did make a move, it would be impossible for the King of Wei to say that he didn’t know anything about it. In other words, even if King Wei wasn’t behind the scenes or participated in these defiant actions, he would still have to bear the responsibility of concealing it!
Seeing that no one spoke, Changsun Wuji simply asked Li Jing, “Duke Wei, what do you think?”
“I think it’s best not to act rashly.” Li Jing said, “First of all, we don’t have any evidence. If we take people or interrogate King Wei, I’m afraid we’ll cause more trouble and cause chaos and panic in the government and the public.” “Moreover, the lives of King Wu and King Jin are still uncertain. If these two princes really fall into their hands, we will be in Chang’an, but any unusual movements could endanger the lives of the two princes. That would be terrible!”
“Hateful!” Chang Sun Wuji gritted his teeth until his bones rang, “It’s fine if the invaders cause trouble. I never thought that there would be an internal thief stirring up trouble in the Great Tang today! No matter who it is, it’s unforgivable!”
“Situ, calm down.” Li Jing took out the Tiger Talisman Token for Li Junxian to take a look, and said, “Only today’s plan is to trouble General Li to go to Taiyuan again, there is no need to bring more troops, quietly go to bing military manor to investigate. Be sure to find out about King Jin and ensure his safety. You brought the Imperial Imperial Guild Leader. I’m sure no one in Bing Zhou dares to do anything to you! If anyone dares to make a mistake-Your Majesty’s Tiger Talisman is here! Give your subordinate Baiji the right to kill first and then play second fiddle. Go ahead and capture the thief and the king! ”
“Yes! General Mo will leave immediately!” Li Junxian received the military order and hurriedly ran away with sweat all over his head.
“This place in Chang’an is still loose outside and tight inside.” Li Jing said, “Right now, let’s not release any news. Everything is the same. Let the thieves think that we are still unaware of it. Today, I will go to the Imperial Pass to recruit the 361 government troops and all the Imperial City Imperial Commanders. We will set up tight defenses against the Imperial Capital and the Imperial City. I guarantee that Chang’an will be as solid as gold soup. Your Majesty will be safe!”
“Just as Duke Wei said.” “Then Fang Xuanling and I will still be in charge of the Hongwen Pavilion and preside over the court meetings every day. Chu Suiliang, secretly keep an eye on Wei Ting and step up the investigation of King Wu’s whereabouts!” Chu Suiliang said respectfully to Li Jing as he cupped his hands and said, “Then Fang Xuanling and I will continue to stay in charge of the Hongwen Pavilion and preside over the court meetings every day.”
“Yes!” Chu Suiliang agreed.
Li Jing added, “Saving people is the best!”
“Then let’s split up!”
That evening, Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling were at the Hong Wen Museum, replacing the Emperor’s golden batch with Prime Minister Zhu Pi, and reviewing the memorials reported from all over the country.
Thinking about the princes, Eldest Sun Wuji was unable to calm himself down. He was a little impetuous and could not read the memorial in his hand. Fang Xuanling saw that Sun Wuji’s expression was filled with frustration and frustration. He advised him to relax, but it didn’t work, so he couldn’t say anything else.
Inside the court, there were thieves causing trouble for the prince. It was indeed a huge trouble for Fang Xuanling, Li Jing, and the others, but for Eldest Sun Wuji, it was also a family scandal, and he was hiding the danger of heavenly murder!
Others didn’t know that his eldest grandson, Wuji, didn’t know what the Emperor hated the most?
The shadow of the Black Warrior Sect had always shrouded Emperor Li Shimin’s heart. He had been an Emperor for so many years, and what he was most worried about was his own son. If he didn’t learn the good from the bad, he would follow his example and fight against each other!
If the case between King Wu and King Jin really had something to do with King Wei … then the thing that Li Shimin was most worried about and hated would still happen!
What were the consequences?
I can’t imagine!
With a “pa” sound, Eldest Sun Wuji threw the memorial in his hand and slapped the table, “I can’t help it!-Someone, prepare the car!”
Fang Xuanling was shocked and looked at Eldest Sun Wuji in astonishment, “Where does Situ want to go?”
“I want to go to Prince Wei’s Mansion and ask clearly!”
“No way!”
“Why not?” Eldest Sun Wuji snorted and said angrily, “Mother uncle, today I am not Prime Minister Situ, but his uncle, okay?”
“This” Fang Xuanling immediately frowned. He stood up and walked over to Eldest Sun Wuji and whispered, “What if he alarmed King Wu and King Jin?”
“I don’t think he dares!” Eldest Sun Wuji waved his sleeve and said, “There’s no need to say anything else. I must go and ask Fourth Brother! Don’t say that he is His Majesty’s beloved son, my nephew. Even if he is the Crown Prince or my own son, as long as he is confused at this critical juncture, I, Eldest Sun Wuji, will definitely destroy him righteously.”
Fang Xuanling was stunned. He knew that there was no way to stop Eldest Sun Wuji, so he sighed softly, “Since Situ insisted on going, I can’t stop him. However … no one will admit this great calamity unless we have very strong evidence to prove it.”
Almost as soon as Fang Xuanling finished speaking, a person staggered in from Hongwen Library’s entrance, not even the doorman dared to stop him. After entering the gate, the man ran towards the pavilion office of Eldest Sun Wuji and Fang Xuanling. As he ran, he shouted, “Uncle, save me!”
Eldest Sun Wuji and Fang Xuanling were both shocked. The officials in the other government offices in Hongwen Library were also shocked and ran out. Everyone saw that it was not King Wei!
Changsun Wuji hurriedly scolded, “No onlookers, withdraw from Hongwen Library!”
“Yes” All the officials obediently retreated and closed the door.
Only Eldest Sun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and King Wei Li Tai remained in the room. Li Tai’s face turned pale with sweat and his entire body trembled. He knelt down to Eldest Sun Wuji with a flap, “Li Tai is guilty. He came to confess. Uncle, save me!”
“What’s your crime?” Changsun Wuji scolded.
“I … I was careless for a moment and forgot to inform the Imperial Court about a huge matter. It caused King Wu’s assassination!” Li Tai knelt on the ground and said in panic.
“What big thing?” Changsun Wuji asked with a gloomy face.
Li Tai then told Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling that he had invited Wei Ting and the others to discuss with him that day. If Prince Wu were to be made Crown Prince after returning to the capital, where would we go? At that time, Wei Ting had suggested to King Wei that he should kill King Wu halfway to prevent future troubles.
At this point, Li Tai sadly shouted, “At that time, I was furious and refused. I even angrily berated Wei Ting in front of everyone and drove him out of the manor. I didn’t expect … Wei Ting actually acted on his own initiative and sent out an assassin to halfway kill King Wu!”
Unexpectedly, Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling didn’t show the slightest bit of surprise when they heard this’heavenly news’. Instead, they exchanged glances and sneered at each other.
Li Tai panicked, “Strange, why aren’t they surprised at all?” Could it be that he already knew?
“Your Highness Prince Wei, did you just say that you’intercepted ‘King Wu?” Fang Xuanling frowned and said, “Why didn’t you say that you were kidnapping or assassinating him? Why did you say that you were’intercepting ‘him? Did you know that King Wu had been assassinated?”
“Ah? This … this!” Li Tai instantly sucked in a breath of cold air, “What a crafty Fang Xuanling!”
“Speak!” Eldest Sun Wuji roared angrily!
“Yes, yes!” Li Tai was already kneeling on the ground, sweating profusely and trembling. “My subordinates just reported to me that Wei Ting’s assassin had already … killed King Wu!”
“What?!” “How did you know? Who told you?”
The sweat on Li Tai’s face fell to the ground. He didn’t even dare to raise his head and said, “There is a trusted clerk in Wei Ting Manor. He used to be an editor in my Literature Museum and has a close relationship with me, so he secretly leaked the news to me …”
“Smart words, full of nonsense!” Changsun Wuji couldn’t hold back any longer and finally exploded. He raised his foot to kick Li Tai!
Fang Xuanling was shocked. He hurriedly hugged Eldest Sun Wuji tightly and whispered in his ear, “Situ, calm down! King Wei is the lord, and we are ministers!”
“He’s clearly in a critical moment, betraying his accomplices to protect himself!” Eldest Sun Wuji said angrily, “Otherwise, why would he wait until Wei Ting has succeeded and King Wu has been killed before returning the favor! Isn’t it just to clear the blame and then blame Wei Ting for all the crimes?”
“Uncle, you are wronged!” Li Tai burst into tears, and his head crashed into the ground, crying, “Wei Ting acted on his own initiative. I didn’t know beforehand.” Moreover, he was just casually saying that at that time. I didn’t argue with him. I didn’t expect him to be so dark-hearted. He really made a move! Afterwards, I only learned of the news from the clerks in his mansion! “Tai, you’re so frightened that you don’t know who you are. You hurriedly came to find your uncle to report the case to us!”
“Then why didn’t you write the morning paper?” Changsun Wuji scolded angrily.
Everyone knew that Wei Ting had an old grudge against King Wu, and he drank a lot of wine at the banquet that day. I thought he was just angry and didn’t take it to heart at that time. Moreover … “Li Tai hesitated for a moment and said,” I recall that he is my Venerable Lord and an important official of the Imperial Court. Could he betray him because of a single sentence and bring disaster to the entire family? ” “Tai can’t bear to commit such an unjust act!”
“I forgot that you took Wei Ting’s daughter as your concubine!” Eldest Sun Wuji gritted his teeth and said hatefully, “So far, you’re still putting gold on your face and blaming your father-in-law for all the crimes? Good, good, I’ll take Wei Ting first and let him confront you–someone!”
Li Tai, who was lying on the ground, let out a sigh of relief! He thought to himself, “Let’s confront each other. It’s better to confront each other!” Without confrontation, how can I appear innocent? The assassination of King Wu was indeed done by Wei Ting alone, and it has nothing to do with me! Fortunately, I told Zhao Chong to secretly keep an eye on Wei Ting and find out that King Wu had been killed. Otherwise, everyone in the world would think that I had harmed King Wu, and I would be tragically harmed by him!
Wei Ting, Wei Ting, don’t blame me! If people don’t die for themselves, it’s better for you to die than for me!