Chapter 232 Gu Quan
After laughing, Wang An, Shao Yin of Bingzhou, ordered his subordinates, "Send some officials to help Duke Wei boost his morale, otherwise he will be unable to enter the palace of the Prince of Qi after making such a fuss for so long."

His confidant immediately went down to make arrangements. One official tried to test him, "Has the prince really apologized to His Majesty?"

Wang An glanced at him and said, "Of course, I can't escape the blame for not reporting the truth. Wei Zheng will certainly impeach me, and Your Majesty will not let me off, so why not resign on my own and be more respectful."

"Alas, what a pity! With the prince's achievements, he will be able to achieve great things after moving to the central government in a few years."

Wang An stroked his beard and smiled, "I was born into a wealthy family, so I don't lack the salary from the court. I am also a lazy person who likes the joy of farming. I was forced to become an official because of my family, not because I wanted to.

Now that I have escaped, I can imitate Mr. Wu Liu, picking chrysanthemums by the eastern hedge and gazing at the southern mountains, which is very joyful. "

"Your Majesty is magnanimous, but I don't know the successors of the nobles in the court. We should do our best to assist them and protect the inheritance of our Bingzhou families."

Wang An was not polite to the goodwill shown by the Bingzhou families: "My nephew is now in the Imperial College. He is very talented in distinguishing the classics and has a promising future. I cannot compare with him."

Everyone was naturally generous with their praises. The Wang family's background was not comparable to theirs, and the same was true of their appetite.

In their eyes, the position of Shao Yin, a fourth-rank official, was already a high-ranking official position, but in the eyes of the Wang family, it could be used for betting, and they would not feel bad if it was lost.

This time it is obvious that the Wang family has reached a tacit understanding with Zuo Pushe. Zuo Pushe represents the retired emperor and is a noble relative of Guanlong, and in this impeachment of King Qi, he may also represent the royal family.

With the promise of Zuo Pushe, the noble son of the Wang family will not be suppressed because of his background. A real position of the fourth rank or above is what the Wang family really needs.

The Wang family, the Shaoyin of Bingzhou, doesn't care at all. They are a prominent family in Bingzhou. Whether there is Shaoyin or not, their influence in Bingzhou will not be shaken.

…………

Wei Zheng went straight to the Prince of Qi's palace and did not drive away the officials who kept increasing behind him. First of all, it was a fact that the Prince of Qi was guilty, and he was here to investigate the matter under the emperor's order. As for the rest, as long as it did not interfere with his official duties, it would be fine.

As for who benefits and who has conspiracy, he doesn't care, he thinks everyone around him is a clown.

When they arrived at the gate of Prince Qi's palace, they saw the guards standing solemnly and looking at them coldly. Some timid officials began to stop and wanted to hide behind, but they just thought so and soon they were more than 20 steps away from Wei Zheng and his party who did not stop at all.

For a moment, it seemed as if Wei Zheng was surrounded. Zhang Xia, the military commander of the Prince's Palace, said to Wei Zheng sternly, "The King of Qi is hosting a family banquet to entertain the King of Chu. We are sorry that we will not receive any outsiders. Please go back!"

Wei Zheng looked at him and said, "I don't want to see the King of Qi, I just want a few people."

"Oh, this is the Prince of Qi's mansion. If you want to take anyone away, you must first ask the Prince of Qi."

Wei Zheng shook his head and said, "This is the territory of the Tang Dynasty, and Bingzhou is not the fief of the King of Qi. I have been ordered to summon several people according to the law. If you dare to stop me, you will be disobeying the order and violating the law. You should be executed.

Send me Zhang Xia, Li Runyu, Wan Lun, Ren Gan and others immediately!"

"you…"

At this moment, Li Yuanji was standing inside the gate of the mansion. He could hear every noise outside the door clearly, and his teeth were almost broken.

"How dare you, Wang An, bully me!"

According to the plan, Wei Zheng should have run into obstacles everywhere in the government office, but now he even knew who was going to be arrested. Li Yuanji clenched his fists, loosened them, and clenched them again. Since Wang An had decided to betray him, he would most likely hand over all the evidence involving the Bingzhou officials to Wei Zheng.

Wei Zheng's group consisted of only a few dozen people. With just one word from him, these people would have died in Bingzhou. If they encountered robbers and were in danger, there would always be a way for them to die.

But he didn't dare to do so. He looked down on the second brother, and even more so on the third and fifth brothers. However, he still respected his eldest brother, especially after he ascended the throne.

Yang stood behind her husband and said, "The imperial envoy died in Bingzhou. Regardless of whether it was Your Highness's fault or not, the court will first hold you accountable and then send someone else to investigate. Your Highness, please think twice."

Li Yuanji turned around and pointed to the gate of the palace: "Whoever wants to harm me, I will kill him first. Without real evidence, who can do anything to me?"

"Your Highness may be able to kill Wei Zheng, but can you kill all the officials in Bingzhou?"

Li Yuanji let out a breath, but still forced himself to walk forward and slap Yang to the ground: "It's not your turn to teach me a lesson!"

Yang endured the pain and climbed up. She didn't cry or turn away, but continued to persuade: "Your Highness is the closest brother of His Majesty, and he will definitely be pardoned. Please don't be stubborn."

Li Yuanji sneered, "Why, are you afraid that I will die, so you can't be the Princess of Qi and enjoy the wealth and honor?"

After saying this, he no longer paid attention to the princess and ordered the door servant to open the door. Zhang Xia, led by a group of guards, hurriedly bowed and made way.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Wei Zheng was not afraid of threats or intimidation at all, and they did not dare to do anything to the imperial envoy representing the emperor.

Li Yuanji invited Wei Zheng into his mansion, but Wei Zheng naturally refused without hesitation. However, Li Yuanji invited him again and again and promised that as long as he entered the mansion, he would hand over those people and allow him to interrogate them.

Wei Zheng entered the Prince of Qi's mansion with a frown, and was then led by the Prince of Qi to a secluded house, where they sat facing each other on their knees on a wooden board.

Li Yuanji suddenly clasped his hands in front of his chest and lowered his head, his forehead touching his hands: "Duke Wei, please consider the overall situation."

Wei Zheng frowned and returned the greeting according to the rules: "Your Highness, there are not so many big things, and you are not the big things. If we really want to say, punishing the officials of the royal family for their wrongdoings is the big thing at the moment."

"I think Wang An has handed all the evidence of my crime to you."

Wei Zheng did not speak, Li Yuanji nodded in understanding: "The current Zuo Pushe and the local Shao Yin have a tacit understanding, isn't this more dangerous than my absurd behavior?
I still have some self-awareness. This is not directed at me, but at my brother, the Emperor, and at Your Majesty. If I am severely punished, the Emperor will certainly be dissatisfied, and the people of the world will also criticize Your Majesty for being heartless and harsh towards his brothers.

If you don't punish me, the noble families will be even more pleased, and the people of the world will still criticize Your Majesty. Is this what Duke Wei wants to see?"

Wei Zheng's expression did not change, but he also hesitated for a moment. Li Yuanji struck while the iron was hot: "The crimes I have committed can be reported to you in secret. Your Majesty will punish me in any way you want. I will not hesitate to say anything.

This way, the overall situation will be taken into consideration, and Your Majesty will not be embarrassed. I will also be punished for my mistakes and will not go unpunished. It is the best of both worlds. Please think twice, Duke Wei!"

Li Yuanji stared at Wei Zheng. As long as he agreed, the matter could be resolved. The worst that could happen was that he would have to stay in Chang'an for a few more years and have some of his salary confiscated.

In a few years, you can still move out and enjoy wealth without constraints.

………………

(End of this chapter)