Chapter 580 Sitting on the mountain and watching the tiger fight

When Zhang Luan came out of the palace, it was already completely dark.

After all, after having dinner in the palace and chatting with his daughter and son-in-law for a long time, Zhang Luan just felt that he was visiting his daughter’s home. He didn’t feel anything special after coming out. He even talked to Qin Ji who sent him out that the food in the palace was not very delicious, and perhaps it was necessary to ask the imperial kitchen to improve it a little.

“Your Majesty is too frugal. It seems that I should work hard to earn more money for the court to improve the food standards in the palace.” Zhang Luan said in front of Qin Ji.

“…”

Qin Ji was speechless after hearing this.

But I was still moved by Zhang Luan’s straightforward character.

As a father-in-law, he has always been thinking about how to help his son-in-law’s family improve their lives. What a simple thought!
But you want to improve the lives of the royal family on your own?
Doesn’t this seem too ignorant?
The emperor is rich as the world, what difference does he make from you?

“Mr. Zhang, the imperial edict has been drafted. Regarding the case of Minister Li, I’m afraid you won’t get the official imperial edict until tomorrow, so…”

Qin Ji gave a kind reminder.

Zhang Luan asked, “Then… where is Minister Li now?”

“Maybe he went back home… Or maybe he didn’t go back, so he will have to stay at the Northern Pacification Office overnight.”

Tan Ji analyzed.

Zhang Luanzhou frowned and asked, “Before I entered the palace, I thought he was just being questioned, but it turned out to be so serious. Does he have to be detained in the Northern Pacification Office? It’s freezing cold, I don’t know if his body can stand it!”

Qin Ji shook his head helplessly: “You also know that Li Zishengzhi was not involved in the Liang Fang case at the beginning, mainly because there was no witness or evidence to prove that he and Liang Fang had conspired to promote the change of crown prince. At that time, it was you who came forward to mediate. There were some… exchanges of interests, which were not too serious, and they were not taken seriously at all. But now with this letter, everything… is another matter!”

Zhang Luan nodded and said, “I understand. I didn’t say anything. We still have to investigate. But… we can’t deny the efforts made by Minister Li in reporting the secrets and helping the prince overcome the difficulties.

“Think about it, if he had already discussed with Liang Fang about vigorously promoting the Changchu Plan, how could he have said so many good things for the Eastern Palace and even used the earthquake in Ningxia and Mount Tai as an excuse?”

Qin Ji was surprised when he heard this and asked back: “Didn’t he admit it all? All of this was at your instruction, he was just repeating it truthfully…”

Zhang Luan shrugged: “Even if he heard my prediction, if he really has no intention of helping the prince, he can just ignore it and make up a nonsense excuse when the late emperor asks about it… We have to look at the result, not the cause!”

“Yes.”

Qin Ji was slightly stunned and could only nod in agreement.

At this moment, he was thinking in his heart, you are now determined to help Li Zisheng get rid of the crime, so you said this.

But in my opinion, Li Zisheng was most likely betting on both sides, but he didn’t expect you to be so strong and to expose Liang Fang’s conspiracies one after another. The Eastern Palace slowly gained the upper hand in the struggle with its political enemies, so he gradually came to your side.

At the beginning, when the prince was weak, there was no telling what he would do.

Zhang Luan said, “If… I mean hypothetically, if Minister Li is still in the Northern Pacification Office and has not returned home, can I go to visit him?”

“you……”

Qin Ji glared and said, “It’s better not to! You will get the imperial edict tomorrow, and you will be able to see him then, right? Why do you have to rush?”

Zhang Luan shook his head and sighed, “I’m just afraid that he won’t be able to accept it for the time being and will go to extremes… If he is innocent but is imprisoned in the imperial prison, who can bear such a huge gap? I’d better meet him as soon as possible and tell him the specific reasons, so that he can be mentally prepared in advance.”

“Well…”

Qin Ji hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, “It’s still not a good idea. Although he has been invited to the Northern Pacification Office, his house has not been searched yet. If he knows what happened and the evidence is destroyed…”

Zhang Luan was a little angry and asked, “Eunuch Qin, do you mean that I would tip him off? Because I was the only one who met him… In addition, there is a secret letter from Liang Fang that involves promoting the change of storage. Li Zisheng has not destroyed it yet and is just waiting for others to search for it, right?”

“No, no, no, I have absolutely no such intention. Mr. Zhang, please forgive me for my careless words.”

Qin Ji quickly apologized to Zhang Luan, and after wiping the cold sweat off his forehead, he continued, “As for Li Zisheng keeping the evidence and waiting for others to search, I’m afraid he wouldn’t be so unwise given his many years of political experience. Of course, this is just a reasonable analysis. Who knows what the real situation is?”

Zhang Luan no longer had any favorable impression on the people in the Imperial Household Department, including Qin Ji, and analyzed to himself: “How smart is Li Zisheng? Even if he really did it, he wouldn’t leave such obvious evidence. We still have to speak with facts!”

Qin Ji didn’t want to dwell too much on whether Li Zisheng was loyal or treacherous, so he quickly changed the subject: “Li Zisheng has been imprisoned, and someone will definitely bring it up at the court meeting tomorrow. What do you think…”

“I will also attend the court tomorrow morning to hear what the ministers’ opinions are.”

Zhang Luan had no intention of backing down. He looked at Qin Ji with a firm gaze and said with a half-smile, “From my guess, everyone will push the wall down when it falls. I won’t speak for Li Zisheng casually at that time. I am the person in charge of this case, and I cannot be biased because of my personal relationship, so…”

Qin Jixin said, even so, isn’t that partiality?

You applied for the qualification to handle this case from the emperor. Wasn’t the main purpose to exonerate him? Don’t think I don’t know, and don’t think the people in the court don’t know the ins and outs.

Just don’t get yourself into it!
“Mr. Zhang, you can do it yourself. I can’t give you any instructions.”

Qin Ji saw that the palace gate was in sight, so he interrupted the topic he was talking about and said with a smile, “Anyway, you are the chief judge of the case. It is your freedom to decide whether to meet or not, or how to investigate and judge. I can only sit in for a while. See you tomorrow.”

“Okay, see you tomorrow.”

Zhang Luan said goodbye to Tan Ji near the left gate of Chang’an.

……

……

Zhang Luan walked out of the palace gate and soon saw Pang Qing who had been waiting outside the palace wall for a long time.

“Bingkun, you didn’t leave?”

Zhang Luan walked forward quickly, probably because he had eaten too much in the palace before, so he did not walk fast.

Seeing Pang Qing and the carriage parked behind him, he immediately asked curiously.

Pang Qing replied: “If you don’t come out, I don’t even know what to do next. If I leave… it will delay things too much.

“My Lord, what is the situation now?”

The look he gave Zhang Luan was filled with great anticipation.

Seeing his own carriage coming over, Zhang Luan nodded to Chang Shun who was driving, and then said to Pang Qing: “Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission. I have obtained the authority to handle this case.”

“Great.”

Pang Qing was very excited when he heard this, “With you here, there shouldn’t be any problem.”

Zhang Luan frowned after hearing this and asked, “You haven’t even asked why Li Shangshu was brought into the Northern Pacification Office. Do you think it’s okay?” Pang Qing was stunned for a moment, then asked, “What was the reason?”

Zhang Luan shook his head and said in a pretentious manner, “There are some things that I can’t explain to you directly. After all, I am the person in charge of the case appointed by the emperor. If I reveal the situation directly and you destroy the evidence later, wouldn’t I be an accomplice?”

“…”

Pang Qing instantly felt as if he was slapped in the face. His cheeks felt burning and painful.

Zhang Luan casually threw the things his daughter had given him into the carriage of his own carriage, and then asked Pang Qing: “Has Minister Li returned home?”

“No, I just got the news that he was temporarily detained in the Northern Pacification Office. This was information obtained through secret channels, and the family was not informed openly. Now he has been… sent to the Imperial Prison!”

Pang Qing seemed very nervous.

Zhang Luan said in distress, “What a pity! I won’t get the official document until tomorrow. Now I am just a figurehead. Something unexpected may happen during the court tomorrow. I may not necessarily be the one to take charge.”

Pang Qing nodded and said, “Yes, yes, yes. I heard that the new Minister of Personnel Wang Shu has arrived in the capital today. He will most likely attend the court meeting tomorrow morning. By then…”

“What? Wang Shu is here so soon?”

Zhang Luan was somewhat surprised and asked, “Could it be that he has already gone north before the imperial court has issued a formal order? He is really impatient… By the way, what is the attitude of this Minister Wang towards your Taoist master?”

Pang Qing said helplessly: “It should be said that he is hostile to any official who is not from a legitimate background, and I am afraid that includes you, my Lord! When he was in Nanjing, he often impeached people in the court, and he was relatively fair in doing things, which also made him quite prestigious in the court and among the people, so that…”

Zhang Luan frowned and asked, “So others are willing to listen to him and not me, right?”

“That’s what it means.”

Pang Qing warned, “You have to be careful.”

Zhang Luan nodded slightly and said, “I understand… Chang Shun, come here and go back to call Lao Er. I will go to the Northern Pacification Office with him.”

“Ah? It’s already this late, and you’re still going back to ask the Second Young Master to go out?”

Chang Shun seemed very reluctant.

Pang Qing also kindly reminded: “After all, you haven’t received the official letter of appointment yet. If you go directly to the Northern Pacification Office, won’t it seem…”

Zhang Luan said sternly, “I just met the emperor. His Majesty said in person that I should take charge of this case. Could it be false? But I still have to listen to my son’s opinion. If it really doesn’t work, then I will go to see Minister Li tomorrow. It shouldn’t be too late.”

“Yes.”

Pang Qing said with understanding, “It’s good that you go today to give the Taoist a reassurance, but I’m afraid that breaking the rules will be more disadvantageous to him in the future. You are right to listen to the second young master’s opinion.”

Zhang Luan smiled and said, “Hey, you are quite rational. It seems that Minister Li made the right choice by recruiting you as his assistant. You have to step up at the critical moment.”

Pang Qing sighed and said, “There’s nothing we can do about it. If you hadn’t helped me, I’d have been trapped there too. You and I are on the same boat, so there’s no way we can get off the boat midway… My situation is completely different from yours.”

“Okay, I see.”

Zhang Luan waved his hand and said, “You go back first. I’m going to the Northern Pacification Office next. If you follow me… wouldn’t it be inappropriate?”

“Yes, yes, but you…”

“Whether you meet someone or not, I will send someone to inform you tonight… By the way, don’t go back to the Li Mansion yet, in case someone comes to the mansion to arrest people and take you away as well. Minister Li has been locked up, so you must be allowed to run around outside… Let’s agree on a place, and I can pass on the message.”

“Mr. Zhang, you are truly a great man… The best decision I made in my life was to board your ship. I am here to thank you on his behalf.”

……

……

On the way to the Jinyiwei Beizhenfusi Yamen, the carriage that Zhang Luan was riding in was driven by a new person.

He asked Chang Shun to ride a fast horse to inform his youngest son and agreed to meet at the gate of Beizhenfusi.

When Zhang Luan arrived, Zhang Yanling had arrived ahead of him.

“Huh? Is Chang Shun so efficient?”

Zhang Luan asked in surprise.

Zhang Yanling said, “Dad, how could you forget? I was the one who told you to come to the Northern Pacification Office first after leaving the palace, why did you send someone to inform me?”

“I……”

Zhang Luan slapped his forehead and said in annoyance, “Did we agree on this before? Look at my pig brain. I only vaguely felt that I should go see Li Zisheng first after leaving the palace. It turned out that it was you who reminded me…”

Zhang Yanling rolled his eyes at his cheap father and said, “Hey, your visit to the palace took quite a long time.”

“I can’t help it. Your brother-in-law, the emperor, invited me to a family dinner at Kunning Palace. I just wanted to ask him for help. I can’t go against his kindness, right? In addition, your sister knows that I am sick and is very worried about me. This time, I will go to see her and comfort her.”

Zhang Luan explained why he had been in the palace for so long, then pointed to the gate of the Northern Pacification Office and asked, “I wonder if Li Zisheng has come out yet?”

“Dad, did you drink in the palace?”

Zhang Yanling asked worriedly, fearing that something might go wrong next.

“No, I was afraid of talking nonsense when I was drunk and exposing the secrets of my family. I basically never drink in the palace. Mainly because after dinner, your sister and brother-in-law insisted on keeping me to chat about family matters. You said I was in a hurry, how could I listen to them? I just came out without any preparation, and it took nearly an hour.”

Zhang Luan smiled and said, “As you proposed before, I did not ask Li Zisheng for mercy. I just asked His Majesty to hand over the case to me for trial. His Majesty agreed without much hesitation. Strangely enough, Huai En and the others did not object at the time, as if… they had determined that this was the only way.”

Zhang Yanling nodded and said, “This is common sense. According to the current situation, they will definitely not jump out to oppose it.”

“What common sense?”

Zhang Luan asked in confusion.

Zhang Yanling smiled faintly and replied, “Perhaps some people just want you to be involved in the Li Zisheng case. If you come out to preside over the trial and find any partiality, they will accuse you of shielding Li Zisheng, that’s all.”

“what!?”

Zhang Luan’s eyes widened, and he said in disbelief, “No way, is there really someone so insidious? So what you said before, that someone from the Imperial Household Department colluded with Liu Ji to target me, is this what you meant? So, Huai En sat back and watched me get the presiding power so that I would fall into the trap?”

Zhang Yanling sighed, “I suspect that Huai En is not the mastermind of this matter, but just an insider. The mastermind may not have thought it was so complicated from the beginning. After Huai En heard the plan, he thought that you might take the initiative to undertake the case, so he did not jump out to oppose it at the time, but sat on the mountain and watched the tiger fight…”

(End of this chapter)