By the next day, the news about Duan Chaoyong's imprisonment spread among the officialdom of the capital. For everyone, this was very unexpected news.
No one could have imagined before that the alchemist Duan Chaoyong, whose status was constantly rising and almost approaching Tao Zhenren, would be imprisoned overnight.
Along with the news of Duan Chaoyong's imprisonment, there must be various reliable or unreliable rumors, allowing people in the court to vaguely see the outline.
The only people who knew the specific situation were the people involved, but there were too few people involved. After all, the matter did not happen at a large-scale court meeting.
Commander Lu Binglu came to the home of Guo Xun, Marquis of Wuding, and was speechless with his host. If Duan Chaoyong's imprisonment had the biggest impact on who, it could be said that it was Guo Xun.
When Duan Chaoyong appeared in front of Emperor Jiajing, it was Guo Xun who recommended him. Later, Duan Chaoyong gained the trust of Emperor Jiajing with his alchemy skills and became a Taoist priest second only to Tao Zhongwen.
Guo Xun placed great hopes on Duan Chaoyong, and he was just waiting for the time to mature to reap the benefits.
Everything was going smoothly at first, but suddenly it capsized. Even after hearing the process from Lu Bing's mouth, Guo Xun still couldn't quite understand what happened.
In other words, if you are not a person who experienced it personally, it is difficult to understand the subtleties of the scene at that time.
Guo Xun asked doubtfully: "Didn't Yan Song and Qin Dewei attack each other? Why did Duan Chaoyong get involved?"
Lu Bing couldn't answer this question. He could only say: "What can we do now? Can we save Duan Chaoyong?"
Commander Lu didn't have a strong sense of crisis, and he didn't think anything would happen to him. He mainly felt that it would be a pity that Duan Chao would lose this chess piece.
In fact, Guo Xun had similar thoughts. Although he recommended Duan Chaoyong to the emperor, what he recommended was the magic of cultivating immortals, not other aspects.
Just because Duan Chaoyong had political ambitions, we couldn't dismiss a hereditary founding marquis who kindly recommended experts to help the emperor cultivate immortality.
After thinking about it, Guo Xun was still reluctant to part with the huge amount of effort he had spent. You know, he had already invested tens of thousands of taels of silver in Duan Chaoyong!
Finally, Lord Guo sighed: "We still have to save him! But we have to ask Mr. Yan Ge to come with us!"
Immediately Guo Xun sent someone to inquire. When he learned that Mr. Yan Ge had a rest tonight, he came to Yan's Mansion again overnight.
When Guo Xun took over the military power and had deep grudges with civil servants, Yan Song was still a marginal figure, so there was no direct conflict between Guo Houye and Yan Song. Now, he can still speak with dignity at critical moments.
Although Yan Song and Guo Xun did not have a deep friendship, they had a lot of sympathy for each other. They were both "victims" of Qin Dewei and had a lot in common.
Seeing that they were both part of the united front against Qin, and that Guo Xun had certain win-win potential, Mr. Yan Ge gave some sincere advice at first:
"Duan Chaoyong has aroused His Majesty's suspicion, so why should Lord Guo not give up? You still have to have the courage to survive by docking your tail."
Guo Xun replied preparedly: "The matter did not have to end like this. The emperor was also angry for a moment and could not distinguish clearly. Duan Chaoyong still has a lot of hope.
First, the emperor always treated his soldiers leniently and rarely punished them severely. Even if they made minor mistakes, he would always treat them with mercy.
In the final analysis, Duan Chaoyong did not commit any heinous crimes. As long as he was forgiven by the emperor, he could easily be forgiven.
Secondly, some people say that Duan Chaoyong plotted against the prince to supervise the country, which is nonsense! You must know that Duan Chaoyong is an alchemist, and only the emperor can trust alchemists!
Therefore, it is completely impossible for Duan Chaoyong to think about the prince's supervision of the country when he is full! Could it be that the prince's supervision of the country can bring more benefits to Duan Chaoyong?
Regarding the gains and losses here, the emperor may have been deceived by a traitor for a while, and he was also suffering from illness, so he missed something.
But as long as the emperor can be prompted to figure out the connection, Duan Chaoyong will naturally be pardoned."
Having said this, Guo Xun stopped.
Yan Songdang also heard the overtone of the words. The person Guo Xun mentioned as the person who could wake up the emperor was not referring to Yan Song, so who was it?
Today, Guo Xun lowered his figure and ran to Yan's Mansion to plead for mercy. Isn't this what he asked for?
Yan Song was also silent, thinking about the pros and cons. If Duan Chaoyong can still be saved, then if the venture capital investment is successful, the benefits will be huge.
Guo Xun further advised: "With Qin Dewei's nature, since he has grasped Duan Chaoyong, he must use this opportunity to try to get hold of Mr. Yan Ge!
I'm not being alarmist, I heard that there were already signs of this during the debate in front of the emperor, isn't Mr. Yan Ge still alert?"
This is true. Yan Song was very cautious in his speech at that time, but he was forcibly bound to Lu Bing and beaten on the spot to become a supporter of Duan Chaoyong.
Seeing that Yan Song did not express any objection, Guo Xun continued to persuade: "Even if Mr. Yan Ge doesn't care about Duan Chaoyong's life or death, he should seek a way to protect himself and cannot let Qin Dewei manipulate Duan Chaoyong!"
Yan Song said in a vague tone: "I know, naturally I won't sit still and wait for death."
After Guo Xun left, Yan Shifan came out from behind the screen and asked Yan Song, "What do you think, father?"
In fact, Yan Ge Lao had similar ideas to Lu Bing and Guo Xun. He didn't have much sense of crisis, and he didn't think Duan Chaoyong could implicate him.
It's just unwarranted. I really have nothing to do with Duan Chaoyong!
So what Yan Song really considers is whether he can make good use of Duan Chaoyong and gain certain benefits from Duan Chaoyong.
After hearing his son's question, Yan Song replied: "I was just thinking about the chances of the emperor pardoning Duan Chaoyong."
Yan Shifan did not continue the discussion with his father and directly expressed his thoughts: "I have been thinking about a question these two days. What are the real and irreplaceable benefits of Qin Dewei's involvement in Duan Chaoyong?
In other words, the benefits that Qin Dewei can gain from his hard work in Duan Chaoyong can be obtained in other ways, so why bother to spend so much effort in Duan Chaoyong?"
After being reminded by his son, Yan Song also fell into deep thought.
This question is actually a very basic question, but it is this very basic question that has been ignored by many people.
Then Yan Shifan said with certainty: "In addition, with Qin Dewei's method, it will not end just by sending Duan Chaoyong to prison. There will definitely be back-ups to prevent Duan Chaoyong from turning around.
There are countless similar examples, which one did Qin Dewei let go in the end? I am the only one who can stand up!"
I felt that what my son said made sense, but Mr. Yan Ge was speechless.
Yan Shifan concluded: "What Guo Xun said sounds good, but it is completely based on Qin Dewei's complete lack of back-ups, but this seems unlikely.
So my suggestion to my father is to let Guo Xun walk in front and give it a try. If Qin Dewei's backhand is triggered, let him die!
If Qin Dewei has no back-up plan, then just follow what Guo Xun said and fish out Duan Chaoyong, and it won't do us much harm."
Yan Song has also been frightened by Qin Dewei over the years, and he completely agrees with his son's idea of preparing for both sides.
However, Yan Song still has further ideas: "If Guo Xun is allowed to try it, I don't know when we will see the results.
And since we are separated by one layer, we are afraid that a lot of important information, such as Qin Dewei's movements, cannot be known at the first time, which may lead to misjudgment."
Yan Shifan thought for a while and said: "There are no ways to do it. We don't necessarily rely on Guo Xun to be the pioneer.
We not only want to wake up the emperor, but also remind the ministers that Qin Dewei will use Duan Dynasty to eliminate dissidents and make the party united and opposed!
If people in the officialdom become panicked and public opinion is used to burn gold and bones, it will also be a huge pressure from public opinion on Qin Dewei.
If Qin Dewei does anything to counter public opinion, his backhand will inevitably be exposed!
By then, I’ll know what to do!”
Regarding his son's intentions, Yan Song could usually guess a lot, but he couldn't guess it here. He asked strangely: "You also have a back-up plan? What is it?"
Yan Shifan said confidently: "Father, there is no need to ask any more questions. I will tell you when the time comes! Let's see how I deal with Qin Dewei, son!"
Yan Song only felt that his son seemed to be inexplicably excited.
While others were wondering whether Duan Chaoyong could be brought back to life and recycled waste, Qin Dewei and Qin Zhongtang had no idea about Duan Chaoyong at all.
In his mind, Duan Chaoyong was already a dead man, so there was no need to waste any time.
Qin Zhongtang only cares about three things: real power, real power, and real power!
Only by seizing more real power can we do more good deeds, and distinguish ourselves from Yan Song and his like. We cannot allow future generations to write biographies by comparing him to Qin Dewei and Yan Song!
When Qin Zhongtang walked into Wenyuan Pavilion, he always felt like someone was pointing fingers at him. At first, he thought it was an illusion.
Then I thought about it, as a celebrity, it is normal to be the center of attention wherever you go and to be pointed at.
It wasn't until Fang You and Fang Sheren came to report on their work that they were still hesitant to speak. Qin Dewei realized that he might be "too cold at high places" again!
Under Qin Zhongtang's questioning, Fang Sheren had no choice but to say: "Every government office outside is spreading rumors that Qin Zhongtang is taking advantage of the emperor's serious illness and using Duan Chaoyong as an excuse to raise a prison and massacre dissidents!
"
Qin Dewei angrily slapped the case and said: "Who is so boring as to spread such gossip? There is no such thing. Rumors only stop with the wise!"
Fang Sheren said again: "What's even more frightening is that many people actually believe it."
Qin Dewei stood up and walked outside without saying a word.
Fang Sheren chased after him and asked: "Where does Qin Zhongtang want it? If you want to lecture, wait until I gather all the people first!"
Fang You thought Qin Zhongtang would summon all the cabinet ministers, but he heard Qin Zhongtang say: "While the rumors are at their most powerful, go to the Ministry of Industry to scare people!"
Fang Sheren: "."
He knew that Qin Zhongtang was a ruthless person, but he didn't expect that he would be even more ruthless to himself, even making use of his own rumors!
It only took a quarter of an hour for Qin Dewei to appear at the Ministry of Works outside the southeastern part of the imperial city and sit opposite Gan Weilin, the Minister of Works.
This is Qin Dewei's first visit to the Ministry of Industry after he was added as the "Left Minister of the Ministry of Industry".
While tea was being served, Shangshu Gan habitually secretly sent someone to call Yan Shifan, otherwise he would have no idea when facing Qin Dewei alone.
After a few words of greeting, Qin Dewei began to ask for money for the Arms Bureau. He expected to triple the size and recruit Yan Shifan as his assistant.
Gan Shangshu felt that Qin Dewei was just here to talk nonsense, how could he agree to such an unreasonable request?
As for why Qin Dewei dared to suddenly come over and make such unreasonable demands, Shangshu Gan also "knows a thing or two". Isn't it a new general struggle situation?
Qin Zhongtang put down the teacup, "Hasn't Da Sikong heard the recent rumors? Remember that rumors are far-reaching predictions, Da Sikong is not afraid that the predictions will come true?"
Although the status of the Minister of the Ministry of Industry is slightly lower than that of several other ministries, he is still one of the six ministers. Gan Weilin couldn't bear it and said:
"It's already the end of the year! You traitorous ministers are actually starting a fight again! Can you guys calm down for a few days and let everyone in the court have a peaceful and happy New Year!"
Qin Dewei was stunned. These words were completely beyond his expectation, and he didn't know how to answer them for a moment.
Just at this time, when he saw Yan Shifan coming in, Qin Dewei said to Yan Shifan: "I wonder if you heard that Shangshu Gan insulted your Majesty as a traitor!"
Yan Shifan: "."
But this matter cannot be elaborated on. Gan Shangshu was angry and mistakenly said "you traitorous ministers" just now. It is difficult to go into detail about who "you" includes.
Qin Dewei suddenly spoke to Yan Shifan again: "I just discovered a problem. Your Ministry of Industry is not afraid of rumors!
It can even be said that you don’t care about rumors at all! For example, Mr. Yan Ge has been suspected of colluding with Duan Chaoyong in front of the emperor. Do you, as a son of a man, dare not care about rumors? "
Yan Shifan took over the stage from Shangshu Gan and said to Qin Dewei: "So what, are you making a fuss just because of some rumors?"
Qin Dewei made a very decisive judgment: "That Zhongtang can only understand that the rumors may have spread from you!
If you dare to spread such rumors that slander the minister, wait for the emperor to punish you!"
For things like political rumors, it all depends on free will. Whether or not there is evidence is not important.
Yan Shifan chuckled a few times: "Even if I, Yan Shifan, told the truth, so what?
Isn't this a rumor? You, Qin Dewei, really don't use Duan Chao to eliminate dissidents? "
Qin Zhongtang sneered: "You don't know how powerful you are! I've already shown mercy!
It has been found that Duan Chao falsely claimed that he knew how to refine weapons and deliberately presented fake immortal weapons to deceive the emperor by saying that using the magical weapons can lead to immortality!
Do you think Duan Chaoyong should die? If he is implicated by Duan Chaoyong."
As soon as Qin Dewei finished speaking, he saw Yan Shifan's figure dwarfing and quickly lowering down.
Originally, Qin Zhongtang thought that Yan Shifan was going to use an old trick to pretend to be stunned, but unexpectedly, Yan Shifan knelt down and saluted: "Qin Zhongtang is in charge of the weapons bureau, and I am willing to do my best!"
Qin Dewei: "."
No matter how hard it is, I still can’t be fooled by Yan Shifan! What on earth is going on in this man’s mind!
In terms of superiority and inferiority, Qin Zhongtang's status is worthy of Yan Shifan's salute. But from the perspective of his father, Yan Shifan generally does not salute ministers!
Yan Shifan sneered secretly in his heart, he was so shameless, let's see what else Qin Dewei can do!
Anyway, after being beaten in public at the Meridian Gate, he became a big joke! He was already shameless in front of Qin Dewei!
Why not continue to be shameless now! My son, the soon-to-be chief minister, has already knelt down. Do you, Qin Dewei, still have the nerve to continue to deal with me? Do you, Qin Dewei, still want the reputation of Shilin?
Yan Shifan knew that Qin Dewei must have a back-up plan, and this was his way to deal with Qin Dewei's back-up plan!
Qin Zhongtang found that he was very rare and found that there was nothing he could do for a while.