Chapter 270: East City Assassination
Chapter 270: East City Assassination
In the afternoon, Emperor Yang Jian issued an imperial edict from the inner palace, handing over the Ministry of Revenue to Prince of Jin Yang Guang to act on the emperor's approval. Prince of Han Yang Liang would no longer be in charge of the Ministry of Revenue. At the same time, the monthly fixed expenditure of the Prince of Jin's Palace was increased to 20,000 strings of cash, which exceeded the 15,000 strings of cash of the Eastern Palace.
This news was like a muffled thunder in summer, shocking the court and the public. You should know that seven years ago, when Prince of Jin Yang Guang was about to replace the crown prince, he was in control of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Justice, and at the same time led his army to fight against the Turks.
Now he has come full circle and is back to the starting point. He led his army to conquer Tuyuhun and regained control of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Justice. In particular, his spending exceeded that of the Eastern Palace, which was a landmark event.
People in the court and the public were talking about the possibility that the Prince of Jin would replace the Crown Prince again, and there were already signs of this happening.
Prime Minister Gao Jiong was worried. The emperor was in poor health. At this time, he should focus on stability and ensure a smooth transition of the Sui regime. How could he support the King of Jin at this critical juncture? Wasn't this clearly an attempt to destabilize the regime?
Gao Jiong tossed and turned all night, worried that the Sui Dynasty would fall into war again.
At noon the next day, in the Qingfeng Restaurant in Pingkangfang, Gao Jiong and his husband Liu Shu sat opposite each other and drank together to relieve their worries. Although Gao Jiong was the prince's father-in-law, his position was more or less centrist. He was loyal to the emperor and did not favor anyone. He was just worried that the Sui Dynasty would lose its balance and fall into chaos.
But Liu Shu was different. He started out as a personal guard of the Eastern Palace, and rose to prominence after marrying the emperor's youngest daughter, Yang Awu. Now, less than 40 years old, he has been appointed as the Imperial Court Minister, Minister of War, and Councillor of State Affairs. He is an absolute confidant of the crown prince.
Liu Shu raised his glass and sighed, "Speaking of which, the Crown Prince is indeed a little mediocre. He didn't seize the big opportunity, but always focused on trivial matters. He insisted on fighting with the youngest son of King Jin, and finally got his head broken and bloodied, and lost the Ministry of Revenue. I told him last time that the rise of the Maitreya Sect in Luoyang must have been supported by King Han. If he had taken action against the Maitreya Sect earlier, then the credit would not belong to King Jin, and the Ministry of Revenue could have been taken back. Alas! He didn't listen to my advice!"
Gao Jiong said slowly, "Being mediocre is not a problem. He is the eldest son, the natural crown prince. As long as he does not make any mistakes, the throne is his, and no one can take it away. I am now worried that he will make another mistake. Once he makes an irreparable mistake, his position as crown prince will be over."
Liu Shu nodded. "What the Prime Minister said is right. To put it bluntly, he is now on the edge of a cliff, and he is only one step away from falling into the abyss. We have to find a way to keep him steady, and let him learn to wait and be patient, instead of taking action. The other side of taking action is that it is easy to make mistakes."
At this moment, one of his men hurried over to report to Gao Jiong: "Prime Minister, something big has happened. Wannian County Magistrate Zhao Chu was assassinated on the street!"
Gao Jiong stood up and asked, "Where was he assassinated?"
"Right at the gate of Metropolis City!"
The Wannian County Magistrate was assassinated in the street. This was a big deal no matter what. Gao Jiong could no longer sit still. He said hello to Liu Shu and got up to rush to the metropolitan city.
At this time, the gate of the city was already crowded with people, all of whom were people rushing to watch the excitement.
When Gao Jiong rushed to the scene, he saw that the county magistrate was covered by a piece of white cloth. His heart sank, knowing that Zhao Chu was already dead.
The Wuhouwei soldiers were surrounding the scene in a circle and not allowing anyone to approach.
Xiao Xia has also arrived and is asking about the situation.
At this time, a soldier shouted: "General, Prime Minister Gao is here!"
Xiao Xia turned around and saw Gao Jiong squeezing in from the crowd. Xiao Xia hurried forward to greet him.
Gao Jiong asked, "Is there any hope for Magistrate Zhao?"
Xiao Xia shook his head, "The person is already dead."
"Has the murderer been caught?" Gao Ying asked again.
Xiao Xia still shook his head. "Mr. Zhao was shot through the heart by a poisoned short crossbow arrow and died on the spot. He died before the poison took effect."
"Short crossbow arrows?"
Gao Ying reacted immediately and asked anxiously, "Did the murderer fire from very close?"
"Reporting to the Prime Minister, County Magistrate Zhao came out of the city and was about to get on a carriage. There was another carriage parked next to the carriage. The murderer hid behind the carriage and shot. According to County Magistrate Zhao's driver, it was a short and nimble man. After shooting County Magistrate Zhao, the man ran towards the city at a very fast speed. Now my 500 men are searching the market."
Gao Jiong sighed, "Let the people disperse. There are too many people here, and the murderer may escape in the crowd." Xiao Xia immediately ordered the soldiers to evacuate the people. When they heard that the murderer was in the crowd and had a poisonous arrow in his hand, the people were scared and left one after another. Soon the city gate was empty.
At this time, Xiao Yu, the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, arrived with a large number of Ti cavalry and took over the case. The body was also carried onto a carriage.
Seeing that there was little chance of catching the murderer, Gao Jiong turned around and went back to Taiji Palace.
Soon, Prince of Jin Yang Guang also arrived. The magistrate of Wannian County was a fifth-rank official, and being assassinated in the street was a big deal.
Yang Guang asked Xiao Xia, "Who do you think the murderer is?"
Xiao Xia pondered for a moment and said, "I think it has something to do with the prince!"
"You mean, it's because Zhao Chu secretly surrendered to the King of Han?"
Xiao Xia nodded. "Besides that, I can't think of any other reason?"
Yang Guang pondered for a moment and said, "Could it be that the King of Han framed the Crown Prince?"
Xiao Xia shook his head. "It's unlikely. Unless the murderer is caught on the spot and interrogated and found to be related to the prince, who would know that Zhao Chu betrayed the prince? It doesn't look like a frame-up. I think the prince must have taken action to eliminate the traitor."
Yang Guang sighed, "But there is no evidence!"
"There is really no evidence."
At this time, Yang Guang said again: "Think of a way to kill Wang Qiu for me. I can no longer tolerate someone who betrays me."
Xiao Xia nodded, "This is a piece of cake. I remember he doesn't have a good reputation in his hometown?"
"That's right! His father and brother relied on his position as the Minister of Dali Temple to bully men and women in his hometown and seize land. The people were very angry. Weijun Governor Li Xingjian wrote to me twice to report the incident. It was me who suppressed the matter, otherwise he would have been impeached by the censor long ago."
Xiao Xia smiled and said, "Isn't that enough? Let the censor impeach him for indulging his family and causing trouble to the village, and then he will be dismissed naturally."
Yang Guang hesitated and said, "After all, I promoted him. If he is dismissed, I will also be held responsible for negligence. Besides, it is not easy for me to promote Xiao Yu again. The prince will take the opportunity to place his own people there. After all, the Ministry of Personnel is in his hands."
Xiao Xia thought for a moment and said, "Then let him go home to observe mourning!"
Yang Guang nodded gently, "That's what I mean, go do it for me!"
"Don't worry, father! I will take care of this matter."
Yang Guang smiled and said, "I will treat you tomorrow, you can come too. You are my son, so I don't need to give you an invitation!"
Xiao Xia nodded silently, which was considered as his agreement.
Inside the carriage, Yang Guang felt emotional. The relationship between father and son was still the most important. No matter how disobedient his son was, he was still his son and worthy of his complete trust. This was not the case with outsiders.
If one day I can seize the throne, I'm afraid I will still have to rely on the third son. The eldest son is too kind and honest, and the second son is relatively simple-minded. Only the third son is decisive and ruthless. He is not only brave but also quite strategic. Isn't it that God gave him to me so that I can take the throne?
At this moment, Yang Guang felt that he needed to win over his third son, Xiao Xia.
(End of this chapter)