Chapter 36 – A Sword in the Bone of an Umbrella

Within a few days, the Imperial Historians of the Metropolitan Inspectorate began to collectively write letters to impeach Chancellor Lin Ruofu for secretly seizing other people’s family properties and plotting against people’s lives. The court was shocked by this incident, but since Wu Bo’an himself was wearing the hat of a Northern Qi spy, generally speaking, public opinion still favored the prime minister’s side.

But then on Wu’s way into the Da Lisi to report the confession, but then met with an assassination for no reason, I do not know is Wu’s life, or the chancellor’s life is too bad, when the second prince is swimming in the street with the King of the King of King of King of King of King of King of King of King of King of King of King, just in time to save.

In this way, the flavor of things began to change a bit.

Rumor has it that the deep palace, His Majesty the emperor once asked the crown prince and the second prince, this matter is actually how to deal with, the crown prince in silence after saying that there is insufficient evidence, and the prime minister in the country’s merit, can not be gullible, the second prince, although the street to save Wu, but also still with the crown prince’s younger brother in general to maintain a silent attitude.

After all, the prime minister is the head of the hundred officials, no matter how to deal with, will cause an uproar.

Just that night King Jing heard from his own son’s mouth, burst into a rage, very rare to go into the palace with his brother for a night of long talks, specifically what to talk about but no one is clear. His Majesty the emperor that night picking through the ten years of the zhangzhi, looking at the Ministry of the household of silver money, looking at those prime ministers adult single-handedly hard to make the political achievements, silent, only a sigh of relief.

“Shandong Road Assassin Peng Tingsheng …… Hey, is eleven years ago in the examination, that time I first boarded the phase, felt that this student is very obedient.” Chancellor Lin Ruofu is in his forties this year, but his face looks a little old and haggard, “But I didn’t think that he would be so obedient, you should know clearly that I didn’t let Peng Tingsheng do these things. Wu Boan is already dead, if I really wanted to take it out on his family, wouldn’t it be so simple.”

“Perhaps Lord Peng secretly speculated on the mind of the Sangha, so he did this confusing thing.” Lin Ruofu’s beloved friend Yuan Hongdao frowned slightly.

“Oh?” Lin Ruofu glanced at him with a smile and said softly, “But Master Peng Ting is not a confused person. If it wasn’t for the orders going out from the Sangha, he would never gamble with his official reputation. What’s more, the day before yesterday, killing someone on the street in the capital, who did this? Why would it be investigated to the Sangha?”

Yuan Hongdao’s expression was a bit wooden, he gently stroked the long beard under his jaw and said, “He Zongwei is a person from the Eastern Palace, but he is just a small pawn, he should not have the guts to do this thing, there must be someone behind him, I just don’t know if it’s the Empress or the Eldest Princess.”

“It’s Yun Rui.” The Chancellor smiled, “Most of her strength in the dynasty is in the Duchy, this is her taking revenge on the old man.”

“Revenge for what?”

“Revenge …… a lot, right?” The chancellor sighed, “Including the matter of Chen’er, including the matter of son-in-law, including the matter between me and her.”

“Actually ……” Yuan Hongdao wanted to speak.

“Say it.”

Yuan Hongdao said with a slight smile, “In fact, it still depends on His Majesty’s meaning, if His Majesty does not believe in it, the position of the phase master will naturally be as stable as a mountain.”

“Such a poor tactic, His Holiness will definitely see it clearly.” The prime minister smiled, “But the question lies in whether His Majesty is willing to see it clearly.”

“Why does the prime minister say this?”

“So many Beijing officials died the other day, as the head of the civil officials, I would have been responsible.” The prime minister closed his eyes and analyzed, “The most crucial thing is that His Majesty doesn’t want me to continue to be this prime minister.”

Yuan Hongdao replied respectfully, “Chancellor, in fact, there is still a chance for things to turn around, please ask Shangshu Fan to speak, the Fan House and the Supervisory Yuan have a close relationship, if Lord Chen Pingping is willing to stand on the side of the Chancellor, then no matter how much the Ducha Academy tosses and turns, His Majesty will also stand firmly on your side.”

Lin Ruofu shook his head, “His Majesty just wants me to get out of the way.”

“Make way for who?”

“To the crown prince, or rather, to the future His Majesty.” Lin Ruofu pondered, “Fan Xian’s momentum is too fierce, if I were still in the court, he would have the Supervisory Court in one hand, the internal treasury in the other, and with this prime minister behind him, I’m afraid that this kind of power is not even comparable to that of the crown prince. The other day I said to Fan Xian, wood shows in the forest, the wind will destroy it ……”

“His Majesty’s meaning is very clear, he wants to cultivate Fan Xian to become a generation of good ministers, so that he can assist the prince who will be sitting in the dragon chair in the future ……Since Fan Xian is going to be on the throne, this prime minister will naturally have to step down.” Lin Ruofu smiled, “If this prime minister is still around, Fan Xian is in danger.”

Yuan Hongdao was slightly startled, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a faint smile hanging from the corners of the prime minister’s lips, as if he was laughing at something.

The sound of Dabao playing with water came from outside the window, and the prime minister’s face expression softened as he stood up and walked to the window to look out, looking at that eldest son of his who was so naive and foolish, his brows moved slightly as he said softly, “Tomorrow, I will ask Wan’er to come and fetch Dabao to the Fan Mansion.”

Yuan Hongdao waited for the Sangha’s next words.

“I will go to the palace to ask for my resignation, and I believe that His Majesty, for the sake of all these years of hard work, will let my old husband have a more peaceful old age.”

Yuan Hongdao was about to say something, but the prime minister coldly waved his hand to stop and turned back to look at him quietly.

After an extremely long silence, Lin Ruofu’s words carried a few hints of gloom, “The letter to Peng Tingsheng was written by you.”

The study was suddenly quiet, and only after a long time did Yuan Hongdao respond in a low voice, “Precisely, even the assassination in the capital this time was done by the guards of the Sangha that I arranged.”

“Why?” The Chancellor frowned, seemingly distressed, “Since I joined the dynasty as an official, you are the only friend I have, and I ask myself that I have great respect for you on a regular basis, so why would you hold back for so many years and suddenly strike, and the moment you strike, you don’t leave me with half a way back?”

Yuan Hongdao had been friends with the Chancellor for half a lifetime, it could truly be called a friend for life, it was actually this man who had set about arranging this much, pushing the Chancellor single-handedly into such an embarrassing situation, he had grasped too many of the secrets of the Chancellor’s residence, and this time he had planted the evidence and framed him, and even Lin Ruofu only had to back down for a moment!

He looked at the chancellor’s somewhat aged face and said with a slight hint of apology, ”Everyone’s existence has his purpose, his intentions. Old friend, I have been hiding in your study for so many years, in fact, for today. I promised someone that when he needs you to step down, I will help him.”

Lin Ruofu looked at this old friend in front of him, the corners of his lips curled slightly, “Just how much favor did Yun Rui promise you to make you sell out your friend.”

Yuan Hongdao shook his head and said, “It’s not selling friends, nor is it seeking glory …… It’s just that His Majesty needs you to return to your old age, and so does the eldest princess, and the court needs you to leave Kyoto. As for seeking glory ……” he smiled bitterly “I had thought …… that if you did not notice what I did, I would accompany you to your hometown and spend the old age together. ”

Lin Ruofu slightly surprised, more and more do not see clearly in front of this follow their own many years of strategist, in the heart of what exactly is thinking.

In the night shrouded Kyoto, Yuan Hongdao in the company of the boy, packed his bag, a slight hint of disappointment, looked back at the closed door of the Palace, sighed softly, and got into a carriage.

On the carriage an imperial inspector of the Du Cai Yuan was looking at him indifferently, “Mr. Yuan, when will you be able to testify at the Da Lisi?”

Yuan Hongdao did not even look at that middle-aged man, his right hand gently stroked the long beard under his jaw, and only after a long time did he say indifferently, “There is no need, Lord Chancellor will go to the palace tomorrow to ask for his resignation, and his majesty will terminate the investigation of this case.”

The imperial censor heard, furious reprimanded: “The evidence is all there, his majesty will be the treacherous prime minister will be taken to prison! If you do not dare to testify in court, beware that you can not get off the hook, you follow the treacherous prime minister for many years, which will be clean?”

Yuan Hongdao gave him a cold look, this strategist who was always known for his elegance, but at this time, his gaze was cold and stern, like two sharp blades, making that imperial historian feel a bit scared.

“I only follow orders from Xinyang’s side.” Yuan Hongdao looked at the poor imperial historian in front of him and said indifferently, “When is it your turn to arrange my work?”

The imperial historian was shocked, and only then did he understand why Lord Chancellor’s beloved scribe actually turned against him at the most critical time, and it turned out that …… the other party was actually also a person of the Princess!

Early in the morning, a carriage rushed out of the western city gate at the first opening of the city gate, hoofed it up the official road and headed in the direction of Xinyang.

Yuan Hongdao pressed down the sharp sword hidden in the handle of his umbrella, his brows slightly wrinkled, his heart calculating how that somewhat crazy Princess should arrange herself, a pawn who had been lurking for many years, when she arrived in Xinyang.

Deep down in his heart, he inevitably had a trace of apology for Chancellor Lin Ruofu, after all, they were old friends for decades, spending a little more time together than even with his family. After so many years of hiding in the prime minister’s residence, he finally fulfilled the promise he made back then, and in the process of the prime minister’s downfall, Yuan Hongdao played the most dishonorable and important role. Lin Ruofu did not kill him, which in itself was something that Yuan Hongdao should be grateful for.

He had dismissed the scribe who followed him, and on this carriage, besides him, there was only the coachman in front of the head. Yuan Hongdao coldly watched the coachman swinging his whip, and realized that the other party’s wrist was extremely flexible, and obviously had extremely high level of martial arts in his body.

After a long time, the vehicle passed the eighteen mile post, entered the deserted mountain road, at this moment, the carriage slowly stopped, the coachman turned back, with a very unusual, extremely sharp eyes coldly looked at Yuan Hongdao.

After a slight silence, the coachman suddenly spoke, “Lord Dean ordered his subordinates to express their gratitude to Mr.” After a slight pause, he added in a deep voice, “Please allow the subordinate to privately express his admiration to Mister.”

Yuan Hongdao said with a slight hint of sadness, “I have very little admiration for myself …… Talk about the plans for Xinyang, I believe that after this matter, the Princess should believe me.”

He was a nail, a nail that had been planted by Chen Pingping by the side of the Chancellor many years ago.