Huang Fu was restless, tossing and turning but couldn't sleep. This radical approach not only failed to have the desired effect, but might actually make him angry.
Once the matter is exposed, this fire will destroy him.
Damn it, the prince's sudden return to Beijing disrupted the whole plan, and Li Qing's fellow also came back. What to do now... Huang Fu's thoughts were flying, and he was filled with anxiety.
He couldn't sleep anyway, so he comforted himself, "Li Shimian is dead, and the emperor's anger should have gone away. This was done secretly, not many people knew about it, and besides, I wasn't the only one involved. The sky is falling for everyone."
Let’s finish playing together…”
While he was mumbling to himself, he saw a figure outside the window from the corner of his eye. He sat up in shock and turned around and said, "Who?"
The moonlight outside the window is bright and clear, but there are no human figures anywhere.
"Is it an illusion?"
Huang Fu frowned and wanted to verify it, so he put on his shoes and went out of the room.
"Squeak~!"
As soon as the door opened, the soft moonlight entered his eyes, but soon his vision went dark and he fell unconscious.
…
Huang Fu opened his eyes again and found himself in an unknown wasteland with overgrown weeds and buzzing mosquitoes. His buttocks hurt, but his neck hurt even more.
"Wake up."
Huang Fu was startled, turned his head stiffly, and his pupils suddenly shrank, "Li Shangshu?"
"It's me." Li Qing sneered, "Li Shimian has already confessed. It was at your instigation that he deliberately cursed the emperor, causing the emperor to become critically ill."
Huang Fu's expression changed greatly, but he calmed down immediately: "Li Shangshu, you need evidence to speak."
"Here, this is the evidence." Li Qing took out Li Shimian's testimony, "Take a good look at it."
The moonlight was bright, and if you looked closely, you could still see the words clearly. Huang Fu soon began to sweat on his forehead. He discovered that Li Shimian had sold him cleanly.
"I...I..." Huang Fu trembled, fear written on his face.
Soon, he thought of something, suddenly opened his mouth, stuffed the testimony directly into his mouth, chewed it casually, stretched his neck and swallowed it whole.
"Now...ahem...the evidence is gone."
Li Qing smiled indifferently, "It seems you have admitted it!"
Huang Fu also grinned: "So what? Anyway, you have no evidence. The court is handling the case, especially a high-ranking official like me. How can you take people randomly without evidence?"
Li Shangshu, it’s you who should be worried now, haha..."
There was no one around, so he had no worries. Li Shimian was already dead, and now that there was no confession and no witnesses or material evidence, he had nothing to fear.
The momentum of the old minister was revealed again, and the villain's triumphant appearance was fully revealed.
Li Qing smiled: "Do you really think I brought you here to tell you the evidence?"
"Ah?" Huang Fu's smile froze, and he said angrily: "You dare to use lynching?"
"You dare to murder the emperor, so why don't I dare to lynch him?" Li Qingxiao asked: "What do you think of this place as a resting place?"
"You want to kill me?" Huang Fu was shocked.
"Otherwise?" Li Qing asked, "Why don't I mess around with you in the middle of the night?"
"you……"
Now, Huang Fu was really scared. He knew that Li Qing could do it.
Li Qing sighed: "During the Hongwu Dynasty, you served as the chief registrar of two counties. Later, you wrote a letter discussing national affairs. Taizu appreciated it and was promoted to the right minister of the Ministry of Industry. It can be said that you reached the sky in one step;
During the Jianwen Dynasty, he was also highly relied upon. Although he was not as good as Qi Fanghuang, he was much better off than others;
After Taizong was put in trouble, you joined Taizong and Taizong refused to pursue him, but did you know that you were also on the list of traitors?"
Huang Fu looked ugly and remained silent.
Li Qing added: "After Emperor Taizong conquered Jiaozhi, he appointed you as Jiaozhi's Chengxuanzhengshi and Buzhengshi, and also as the punishment and inspection envoy and the inspector-general.
After the emperor ascended the throne, he asked you to also take charge of Zhan Shifu;
Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the four emperors have shown great favor to you, why do you do this?"
Li Qing's tone became cold: "You are really a good hand at playing cards. With your resume, wouldn't you be happy if you retire and return to your hometown one day, and your children and grandchildren will enjoy the blessings?"
He smiled bitterly and shook his head: "People are always dissatisfied. Fighting for favors and enmities are nothing more than this. How many officials were killed in Taizu's dynasty? How many people are like you? If you can reach your level as an official, what else is there?
What about those who are dissatisfied?
Even if you don't return to Nanjing and don't get involved in maritime trade, how can your life be worse?"
Huang Fu was silent. At this moment, he really regretted it, but it was too late.
"Tell me about it." Li Qing said seriously, "Tell the truth and your family will not be affected. I can guarantee this."
Huang Fu remained silent for a long time, then he sighed: "Ask me!"
"Did you tamper with the imperial edict?"
"No." Huang Fu shook his head and asked, "The emperor is not planning to make this matter a big deal, is he?"
Li Qing heard the implication and nodded: "Don't worry, those people will meet the same fate as you. No one wants to murder the emperor, and there are no traitors in the court, so you don't have to worry about your family being retaliated by your accomplices."
"The posthumous edict was done by Liu Guan, the censor of the left capital, and Wang Zhang, the censor of the right capital of the Imperial Procuratorate. This is also their letter of submission to the six ministries." Huang Fu was relieved and said it simply.
Li Qing nodded: "Do you know who the eunuch who gave the edict was?"
"I don't know."
Li Qing asked again: "Who among the six tribes was involved in this matter?"
"There are also two ministers from my Ministry of Works, Zhang Ben, your minister from the Ministry of War, and Guo Zi, your minister from the Ministry of Household Affairs." Huang Fu said.
"Jian Yi, is Xia Yuanji involved?" Li Qing asked a key question.
Huang Fu shook his head: "No, but..."
He asked rhetorically: "Do you think the two of them don't know the details?"
"Yes, that's right." Li Qing smiled, "You are not as good as them. Seeing how many people are good at being officials, you will always win on both sides, at least you will not lose."
Huang Fu smiled bitterly and nodded, with a sarcastic tone: "Jian Yi is just a non-stick pan, Xia Yuanji is talented and has a good reputation, but it is not as glamorous as it seems on the surface. How many clean officials are there?
Not to mention the Ming Dynasty, the Han, Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties, none of them were like this. They were just successful kings and defeated bandits. As long as they did not fall, they were all good officials who served the country and the people. Besides, who doesn't want to make more money?
Jian Yi, Xia Yuanji and the others are just acting at the same time."
Li Qing shook his head slightly: "You can't say that, they still have political achievements. Even you, Huang Shangshu, have also contributed to the country. Whether you are a minister, an envoy, an envoy, or a minister, you have done a good job.
Although you have committed a heinous crime, merit is merit and fault is fault. At least before this incident, I personally admired you, and so did the Emperor."
Hearing this, Huang Fu was completely silent, and his intestines were filled with regret.
"Can you leave me a whole body?"
"Can."
…
Li Qing came out in a hurry and didn't have anything to do with him, so he went back to his house to get a hoe and buried the person. It was almost dawn.
He hid the hoe in the haystack and did not take it away because he would use it later.
~
Li Qing had a bowl of noodles in the restaurant, and then went into the palace as if nothing happened to see the little fat man.
Qianqing Palace, inner hall.
After hearing about the people involved, Xiaopang was more sad than angry. In the end, he just sighed and said nothing.
Zhu Zhanji was furious and said that Huang Fu should be sentenced to death and his clan exterminated because he had taken advantage of him.
"Okay, don't be angry." Xiaopang sighed, "There are enough things going on now, we can't miss important things just because of temporary pleasure."
Li Qing opened the needle box and said: "Your Majesty, it's time for acupuncture."
Xiaopang nodded, got up and lay down on the bed, "Zhanji, you go and do your work first."
"Yes, I will retire."
Li Qing took out the silver needle, sterilized it, and pricked it.
"Government affairs should not be handled for more than an hour, and that was done last afternoon." Li Qing asked while acupuncture, "Let the prince oversee the morning dynasty, and let him handle the government affairs. He has the ability to do a good job."
"Yeah, I understand, Brother Qing." The fat man rested his chin on his arm, with a relaxed look on his face, "Brother Qing, let me tell you a story."
Li Qing smiled and said, "Then let's talk about the Three Heroes fighting Lu Bu?"
"Sure." Xiaopang said with a smile.
Even though he had heard it decades ago, he still wanted to hear it.
…
…
Noon morning.
Xiaopang went to court as promised.
Looking at the emperor who looked good, the ministers were surprised, but their faces were full of joy, at least on the surface.
The atmosphere of the court meeting was peaceful, and the turbulent undercurrent returned to calm.
After the afternoon, the news of Huang Fu's disappearance also spread. Some people with ghosts in their hearts couldn't help but think of something, but they were not sure.
~
It's night.
Li Sin set out again, this time with more targets, so he started faster and was fully prepared.
The Minister of Household Affairs, the Minister of War, the left and right ministers of the Ministry of Industry, and the left and right censors of the Metropolitan Procuratorate were all kidnapped to the wilderness by Li Qing.
Several people were shocked, angry, and even more frightened.
Li Qing looked at them coldly and began to judge: "Censor Liu Du, who was the eunuch in the palace who was involved in the matter of substituting the edict?"
"Li Qing, how dare you..."
"puff……"
A few people only felt a flash of cold light, and when they took a closer look, they saw that the dignified Yushi Zuodu of the Duchayuan was just gone.
The strong smell of blood irritated the nasal cavity, provoked the nerves, and made them feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.
Li Qing raised the knife, shook off the blood stains on it, and asked again: "Censor of the Royal Capital, please tell me."
"Marquis Yongqing, spare your life, I say, I say it all." Wang Zhang said quickly, "It's Xiao Huangmen, Xiao Chenzi, Xiao Liuzi, and Xiao Dezi who are on duty in the Imperial Study Room."
"Any more?"
"No," Wang Zhang shook his head and said, "For such a big matter, the fewer people who know about it, the better."
"Yes." Li Qing nodded, then raised the knife and dropped it.
"Ah... He's killing people, Li Qing is killing people...!" Several ministers cried and howled, their livers and gallbladders split.
Li Qing stepped forward and killed the left minister of the Ministry of Industry who screamed the loudest with a knife, and the screams of the other three people stopped abruptly.
"Master Shangshu, I am your subordinate. You said that you would protect..."
"Poof...!" The head of the Minister of War fell to the ground and died.
The Minister of Household Affairs and the Right Minister of Industry were so frightened that their voices changed their tone, and they said sharply: "Li Shangshu, you ask, you ask..."
"No need." Li Qing shook his head slowly.
"Li Qing, you must die a happy death...!"
"Li Qing, go to hell with your mother...!"
"Puff..."
The two good heads fell to the ground, but the anger simmering in Li Qing's chest could not dissipate for a long time.