“If you don’t see a sparrow in the hedgerow, you will see a harrier that throws itself into the nest.” [Noda Yellow Sparrow Journey]
Yang Xiu knew that he was slightly inferior this time. The emperor still seemed to be convinced by Fa Zheng's views, but how did he know that the emperor had actually had an idea in his heart for a long time. He just saw that Fa Zheng was consistent with his ideas.
He had a reputation as a counselor in later generations, so he was retained to serve as a reference when he would meet with Yang Biao and others later.
Not long after, Yang Biao, Guang Luxun, who had received the imperial edict, and Sima Fang, Jin Wu, arrived hand in hand.
Among them, not to mention Yang Biao, the Hongnong Yang family became extremely powerful under the emperor's favor, with disciples and disciples all over the government and the public.
In comparison, the sudden rise of Jinwu Sima Fang in the court is undoubtedly more eye-catching. According to common sense, Jingzhao Yin Sima Fang, who has been hiding his power and biding his time and not paying attention to affairs, not only escaped after encountering the assassination of the emperor within his jurisdiction.
Liquidation and accountability led to the emperor's mysterious appreciation, and he was promoted and reused again and again.
Everyone only thought that this was because the emperor valued some of Sima Fang's abilities, or to promote some marginal figures to check the growing Hongnong Yang family, but who knew that Sima Fang could be where he is today, all because of his as yet unshown ability.
The second son of Shanlushui.
This was a secret that only belonged to the emperor himself, but it did not prevent outsiders from making wild speculations about it. In particular, Sima Fang himself was frightened and guilty, and did not know what it was about him that attracted the emperor's attention.
Because he didn't know what the emperor liked about him, he couldn't please him, so he would be cautious when doing anything for the emperor, for fear of doing something wrong.
Naturally, he knew the purpose of this summons: "I have not dared to slack off since I received the edict yesterday. After checking the roster of duty for that day and asking the palace gatekeeper face to face, I found out that among the officers on duty that day, Yin Zhong, the doctor on duty,
His behavior is extremely suspicious."
"Shortly after His Majesty left the palace incognito, this person immediately looked for an opportunity to go out, and then returned in a hurry. It is almost suspicious that this person is passing on secrets to the outside world." Yang Biao is introverted, calm and measured, completely different from his son Yang Xiuna.
He relies on his talent and is arrogant, and his behavior is frivolous.
The emperor immediately said: "Is that true? It seems that there is someone behind him who is advising him. This person must be the culprit of palace thieves, assassins and other things."
At this time, Yang Biao and others had also learned from the emperor the latest results of Fa Yan's interrogation in prison. Although Sima Fang was not bothered by the emperor because of the assassination case, he had always been worried about the matter in his heart. He said
: "Now that the rebels are coming to Chang'an in the near future, in order to avoid internal and external conflicts between Yin Zhong and the rebels, your Majesty, please allow me to send Tiqi to capture Yin Zhong and imprison him."
The emperor was able to calm down and said: "Don't rush to arrest him yet. Yin Zhong is just an official. He was not very resourceful in the past and was not valued by Dong Zhuo during his lifetime. How can he preside over the planning of such a major event? There must be someone else behind him.
.After knowing that Mr. Yang has already started to check the duty roster for that day, he will definitely feel guilty and seek the protection of the person behind him. You can send Tiqi to secretly monitor and follow you all the way, so that you can defeat the enemy completely."
Yang Biao and Sima Fang looked at each other and said, "Your Majesty is wise, I will obey your orders."
"I just didn't expect that in the current situation, there are still people who want to overthrow the imperial court and endanger the country." The emperor sighed with emotion: "Li Jue and others are approaching a hundred thousand rebels. I don't know how many people in the imperial court are ready to act, half-hearted, and I don't know if there are any."
How many of Dong Zhuo's remnants have evil intentions like Yin Zhong!"
Seeing that Yang Biao and others were not shy around him, Fazheng had already made suspicions in his mind, but he was still shocked when he heard that the courtiers were colluding with the Yellow Turban thieves.
Since the emperor chose to retain Fa Zheng among many secretaries, he obviously hoped that he could provide some useful insights.
Fazheng could not disappoint the emperor no matter what. After analyzing carefully and racking his brains for a while, Fazheng suddenly had an idea in his mind, and he actually came up with a solution.
"Now that Li Jue and other rebels are powerful, and the imperial court lost another battle in Xinfeng, many people are not optimistic about the upcoming battle under Chang'an City." After receiving the emperor's permission, Fazheng said slowly:
"Seeing the Liangzhou people turn around and become bigger, Dong Zhuo's remnant party, which was forced to stay dormant in the court, will inevitably make a fuss at this time, so that the rebel generals will know their capabilities and gain a foothold in the court in the future.
land."
"They have indeed been making a lot of noise secretly in recent times." The emperor agreed: "When Wang Situ was imprisoned, it caused unrest among the people in the city. They were not behind this to add fuel to the flames, hoping to disrupt the situation and support the rebels outside the city.
Attentiveness.”
Encouraged, Fazheng became even more energetic: "In this case, it is better to give them a chance to take the lead and say that the imperial court is dissatisfied with the generals' rebellion and wants to send envoys to the rebels to show the power of God and order the generals to do so."
Withdraw troops. Those who are dormant in the court, looking forward to communicating with the rebel generals will inevitably nominate themselves and request to be sent to the rebel army. In this way, whether it is Dong Zhuo's remnants or those who are half-hearted, they will take the initiative to jump into the court.
.”
This method of luring a snake out of its hole is really brilliant. Even if it is not necessary to catch the mastermind behind the assassination, it can still take advantage of this opportunity to catch all the speculators in the court and Dong Zhuo's remaining party who are hiding.
Whoever jumps the most actively and jumps the highest is the most suspect.
Yang Biao couldn't help but look sideways. Fa Yan was usually a quiet person, but he didn't expect to have such a good son who was resourceful and decisive. He couldn't help but compare Fa Zheng with his own son Yang Xiu, and finally sighed helplessly in his heart.
, apart from his literary talent and knowledge, Yang Xiu really has nothing comparable to Fa Zheng.
It seems that Fufeng Legalism not only has successors, but will also prosper as a result.
Yang Biao put aside a trace of worry that had surfaced in his mind and said thoughtfully: "Secretary Lang is right. I think that before Li Jue and other rebels have arrived in Chang'an, after they enthusiastically recommend themselves, I can look for opportunities to detain them until the war begins."
We will investigate and deal with it separately."
Sima Fang, who was on the sidelines, had a different view: "It's a good plan, but I'm just willing to send an envoy. How can the court know who is a half-hearted person and who is loyal to the country? If both righteous people and Xiaoxiao are imprisoned, how can it be done?
Isn’t it against the original intention of the country?”
Fa Zheng never thought of this when he proposed this strategy. After all, he was still young and did not think things through very carefully.
Although he apologized to the emperor, Fazheng still insisted on his own opinion: "When the courtiers recommend themselves as envoys, Yin Zhong and others will surely fall into the law. It only needs to be verified by the two to see if they have any contact with each other on weekdays.
It is not difficult to distinguish between a righteous person and a shabby person based on your character."
After finishing speaking, Fazheng looked at the emperor's half-smiling expression, and even though he was confident, he couldn't help but beat his drum in his heart.
Although Sima Fang pointed out the shortcomings, he still believed that this method was very feasible, and there was actually something he did not say.
That is, courageous people in the court appeared as early as when Dong Zhuo took power. Why wait until this critical moment? The remaining ministers in the court may not necessarily have people like this.
The emperor knew that Fa Zheng's uncertain expression was only due to hesitation about whether he would adopt it, rather than lack of confidence in the strategy he proposed, so he made the final decision. He first issued an edict to recruit ministers who volunteered to go to the rebels, and then
Sima Fang sent Tiqi to spy on Yin Zhong and follow the clues to capture the mastermind behind the scenes.