"How is the investigation going?!" Yu Yanyi asked, sitting on the main seat.
Sitting opposite him was Li Chengguang, the left minister of the Ministry of War.
"Checked! There are garrisons around the capital equipped with Tianji crossbows. The Ministry of War has checked them all. So far, not a single Tianji crossbow is missing!"
Yu Yanyi was not surprised. If he dared to use such a powerful weapon as the Tianji Crossbow, how could he leave obvious evidence?!
"And..." Li Chengguang hesitated before speaking.
Yu Yanyi waved his hand and said, "Zhongming, there is nothing that cannot be said between you and me."
Li Chengguang, courtesy name Zhongming.
After Li Chengguang hesitated for a moment, he said, "Sir, when I was investigating this matter, my brother came to visit and asked me not to get too involved in this matter."
"Master Li, the censor of Zuodu?!"
"yes!"
Li Chengguang's answer made Yu Yanyi frown.
Li Chengguang and Li Weiguang were direct cousins, and there was also Li Haoguang, the governor of Jiaozhou.
Now Li Weiguang actually took the initiative to speak, indicating that the story behind this matter was more complicated than Yu Yanyi imagined.
The censor of Zuodu, the third rank, and the Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of War, the third rank.
If you can make two officials of the third grade keep secret, how many people are there in the court?! It's nothing more than matters involving the Tian family.
"Did Yushi Li say anything else?!"
Li Chengguang said helplessly, "My brother seemed to be afraid and didn't say much!"
"What do you think?!"
Yu Yanyi looked directly at Li Chengguang and asked.
"I have nothing to hide in front of you, sir. To be honest, I don't want to have anything to do with this matter!" Yu Yanyi is fair-minded and has a gentleman's integrity.
Li Chengguang acts fairly and cleanly, but he is unwilling to participate in this kind of struggle.
The only thing that can make his brother fearful is the fight for the right to inherit the throne.
"I know, all you mean is that you don't want to get involved in the turmoil between the princes." Yu Yanyi said bluntly without any hesitation.
Neither the prince nor the King of Chu had anything to show off in front of Yu Yanyi. Even if one of them succeeded to the throne, under normal circumstances, Yu Yanyi's status would not be shaken within ten years.
Therefore, Yu Yanyi dares to say this and can say it.
"But this matter is not a battle for the throne!"
Li Chengguang waited for Yu Yanyi to continue speaking.
"Yang Qingyuan, the young minister of Dali Temple, was ambushed on his way to Wannian County to investigate the case. This Tianji crossbow was left behind by the ambusher."
"Scholar Yang?!" This answer was beyond Li Chengguang's expectation, but it was reasonable.
Yang Qingyuan's Dali Temple has always investigated major and important cases, so it is normal for him to be feared by others.
In addition, Yang Qingyuan's own martial arts is also very strong, so it is reasonable for someone to use the Tianji Crossbow.
"In addition to you, I also sent people to check the scrapping of the Tianji Crossbow and the wear and tear of parts in the past three years!"
Yu Yanyi knew without guessing that these people would never use the Tianji crossbow registered in active service.
Strategic materials such as the Tianji Crossbow cannot be replenished. If you use the Tianji Crossbow in active service, you will be found out immediately.
"Did you gain something, my lord!?"
Yu Yanyi nodded and said, "The Yulin Army Weihe Camp, the Prince's personal guard Chang Linjun, the various parts of the Tianji Crossbow in the army have been damaged by 50% more than usual. Hurry up and catch up with the Longwu Army and Tiance of Yubei." Army!"
Longwu and Tiance were the main defense forces against Daqian and Jiannu. There were constant frictions and conflicts on the border.
Against Jiannu, Tiance, and Longwu, the war is never extinguished.
There are hundreds of wars, big and small, throughout the year in the North.
This time, the wear rate of Tianji Crossbow parts has become extremely high.
The Royal Forest Army's Weihe Battalion is stationed on the edge of Shendu all year round and is responsible for the defense of waterways. Even ordinary crossbows have little chance of being used, let alone the Tianji Crossbow.
Even if the troops change defense, heavy equipment such as the Tianji Crossbow will not be changed.
So there must be something wrong with Weihe Camp and Changlin Army.
"Changlin Army?!" Li Chengguang frowned slightly, now he understood Li Weiguang's intention.
Since the fall of King Chu, Li Weiguang has begun to unequivocally support the prince and has become the backbone of the princeling party!
If it wasn't the heir apparent, then the case investigated by Yang Qingyuan had an unusual relationship with the prince!
"You still have to help Master Yang."
In the previous case of Zhang San...Zhang Muqing, although Yang Qingyuan only enforced the law impartially, for Li Chengguang, he had indeed done him a great favor, and he had to repay the favor.
In the officialdom, people are very particular about relationships.
And Li Chengguang's own morality does not allow it.
You can stand by and watch the fight for the right to inherit the throne, but when it comes to attacking and killing court ministers, Li Chengguang cannot stand by and watch.
You can attack and kill Yang Qingyuan today, but can you also attack and kill Li Chengguang for other reasons tomorrow?! Can you attack and kill Yu Yanyi?!
This is behavior that breaks the political ecology.
"My lord, I understand! I will definitely assist your lord in this matter and get to the bottom of it!"
The Ministry of War, the behemoth of this empire, also began to speed up its operations.
--------------------------
When the Ministry of War traced the Tianji Crossbow, there was nothing gained in Dali Temple.
Zhou Mingsheng seemed to have evaporated from the world, completely disappearing from the divine capital. Ye Jianhan, who was in charge of keeping track of the Zhou Mansion, even sneaked into his mansion, only to find that most of the maids and servants in the mansion had been dismissed. Only one housekeeper and several nursing homes were left.
"Sir, it's been three days, and Zhou Mingsheng is still missing. Could he have escaped from the capital of Gods!?"
Ji Yaohua has also been trying her best to develop the intelligence capabilities of the Broadcasting and Information Department in recent years. Not to mention collecting intelligence from all over the world like Dragon Guard Villa, but the movements of all parties in the divine capital still cannot be hidden from the Broadcasting and Information Department.
But even though the Guangwen Department was operating at full capacity, no trace of Zhou Mingsheng was found, so Ji Yaohua wondered whether Zhou Mingsheng had escaped from the capital.
"I don't think so, but nothing is absolute!" Yang Qingyuan shook his head.
Although he can force the prince to hand over Zhou Mingsheng, Yang Qingyuan does not want to take this step as a last resort. He is not afraid of falling out with the prince, but he still has to consider his brothers!?
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! However, this case cannot be delayed for long. As time goes by, the influence of the case in Wannian County will gradually decline.
"There is no other way! I don't want to fall out with the prince first, but now it seems that this step is impossible!"
Yang Qingyuan took off one side of the black Dali Temple field service uniform and put it on himself.
"Miss Yao! You continue to trace Zhou Mingsheng's whereabouts! I will go to the prince to ask for someone!"
He walked out of the room quickly and said, "Anti-Theft Department, First and Second Brigades, follow me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, within twenty seconds, the first and second brigade of the Anti-Theft Division were ready.
"Follow me and arrest people!"
Yang Qingyuan took the lead to walk through the dark and simple gate of Dali Temple, and then all the detectives from the Anti-Theft Department filed out!
Since Zhou Mingsheng doesn't want to show up, then force him to come out.
Yang Qingyuan led more than 60 agents to the east gate of the Daming Palace.
The East Palace is just a habitual name, and its location is not fixed.
Generally speaking, wherever the prince lives, that is the East Palace.
Now the prince lives in Wude Hall, so Wude Hall is the East Palace.
Wude Hall is located in the outer city of Daming Palace, close to Xing'an Gate, the east gate of Daming Palace.
Although it is only an outer city, it still belongs to the imperial city, and Yang Qingyuan cannot lead people to break into it privately.
As expected, Yang Qingyuan was stopped outside Xing'an Gate.
"Master Yang, what are you?!"
Although the imperial guard guarding the gate stopped Yang Qingyuan, he was still very polite.
Considering Yang Qingyuan's age and official position, it is difficult for him to be well-known in the court.
"Meet the prince!"
The captain was a little embarrassed, "It takes so many people to meet the prince?!"
Yang Qingyuan's face at this moment barely had the words "I'm here to cause trouble" clearly written on it.
Fortunately, they are the Royal Forest Army. If they were the Prince's personal guard, Lin Jun, maybe the two sides would show off directly!!
Yang Qingyuan took out the waistband given by Emperor Zhou from his arms and threw it to the captain.
"I'm the only one going in! This should be fine!"
Although he knew that Yang Qingyuan came with bad intentions, the captain still obediently let his subordinates make way.
Although Yang Qingyuan seemed to be looking for trouble for the prince, this waist card was indeed given by the emperor himself.
The difference between prince and emperor is the difference between king and minister.
Yang Qingyuan came to Wude Hall and was stopped again!
"Who is it?!"
The person who spoke was the prince's personal guard, Chang Linjun.
Changlin's army has a total of three thousand elite soldiers, all of whom are strong men drawn from the twelve guards of the Sixth Army.
On weekdays, the Changlin Army is stationed on the side of the Yulin Army camp to the west of Daming Palace.
That's right, it's exactly the opposite direction to the East Palace.
The original purpose of setting up the Changlin Army was to enable the Prince to know military matters, but it also left a hand for future generations to separate the Prince's East Palace from the Changlin Army's garrison.
Prince Jean could not simply reach Changlin's army.
If the prince can command this Changlin army, it will be a great threat to the capital and the imperial power.
Among these three thousand Changlin troops, three elite hundred-man squadrons will be drawn out to take turns guarding the East Palace.
It was these people who were blocking Yang Qingyuan at this moment.
Yang Qingyuan did not speak, and slowly took out the token given by the emperor from his arms again.
"I want to see the prince!"
"this……"
The leading team hesitated for a moment, then gave way to the passage.
Of course he could create trouble and prevent Yang Qingyuan from entering, but at this time Yang Qingyuan was holding the Emperor's token, which represented the emperor's majesty. He was a small soldier with no backing and connections, and it would be a death penalty for him to despise the power of Heaven.
"Please Master Yang, come with me!"
As soon as Yang Qingyuan stepped into the main entrance of Wude Hall, a eunuch was already waiting there.
"Do you know me?!" Yang Qingyuan asked casually while walking with the eunuch.
"Everyone knows Master Yang's talent! Even though I am just a eunuch, I have heard of Master Yang's talent."
The eunuch appeared to be very respectful, without any breach of etiquette or transgression.
Not long after, the eunuch brought Yang Qingyuan to a garden.
"Master Yang, you came just in time. I have prepared some wine and food. Are you interested in having a drink with me!?"
The prince had already held a banquet in the pavilion in the garden and prepared food and wine. It seemed that he had known that Yang Qingyuan would come.
"Weak minister Yang Qingyuan, please see Your Highness!"
Although Yang Qingyuan was about to fall out with the prince at this moment, he still abided by etiquette.
In this imperial city, the word "property" is far beyond ordinary people's imagination. Yang Qingyuan did not dare to lose his etiquette in front of the prince. If he took the opportunity, he would lose the initiative.
After the salute was completed, Yang Qingyuan sat down opposite the prince.
"Did Your Highness already know that I was coming?!"
The prince smiled and said nothing, poured a glass of wine and handed it to Yang Qingyuan.
Ever since the large group of people from Dali Temple left, the prince had been paying close attention to Yang Qingyuan's movements.
Seeing that the prince didn't answer, Yang Qingyuan took the wine glass from the prince's hand and said, "Your Highness, I have a low drinking capacity. I really can't drink this cup full. Please forgive me."
"It's okay!" Yang Qingyuan was about to put down the wine glass, but was stopped by the prince, "I know Mr. Yang doesn't like wine, so I specially prepared this cedar wine. Although it has the aroma of wine, it is not wine."
Yang Qingyuan raised the wine glass and smelled it. There was indeed no smell of alcohol in it, so he drank it all in one gulp.
As for whether the cup will be poisoned?!
Not to mention that Yang Qingyuan's innate body is immune to most toxins in the world. Even if Yang Qingyuan has no martial arts skills and is an ordinary person, he will not have such concerns.
In the Daming Palace, he poisoned a fourth-rank Shaoqing of Dali Temple and a bachelor of Wenhua Palace with poisonous wine.
The prince is not qualified yet!
If the prince really does this, it will have nothing to do with the throne at all!
"Master Yang is so courageous!"
The prince looked at Yang Qingyuan again. In his heart, he did not want to be Yang Qingyuan's enemy.
Three years ago, it was Yang Qingyuan who took the lead in defeating the Chu King's party members, breaking the balance of power in the court, and allowing him to completely secure the throne of the prince. From this point of view, Yang Qingyuan was even the number one hero of the princeling party.
Moreover, Yang Qingyuan had no clear preference for the succession of the emperor, and he was also the leader of an emerging political force. Winning over such a person would be beneficial without any harm.
Even putting aside all the above, the prince still admires Yang Qingyuan's talent and character very much.
This is a straight minister.
Although direct ministers may not necessarily be lovable, kings of all ages have needed such figures in their court.
Some foolish kings are not forced by others. They can clearly distinguish between loyal and traitors, but they are unwilling to use loyal ministers to punish treacherous ministers.
Just like studying, focus on nothing, study hard, and make progress every day. This is the most correct value in student days. It can be said that everyone knows it.
But not everyone does this!
Because something will continue to tempt people.
Although I know what is the right thing to do, it does not mean that I will definitely do it this way.
The same goes for you.
Most monarchs have no problem with their intelligence, so how can they be indifferent between loyal and evil, good and evil?!
Loyal ministers enforce the law impartially and give remonstrances directly. It is best for the emperor to work for the country and handle government affairs instead of coveting enjoyment.
The treacherous minister is greedy for money and power, and seduces his master, but he will help his master find beautiful women and pay tribute with treasures.
Loyal ministers may be beneficial to the country, but traitorous ministers can make the ruler's life more comfortable.
If you were the emperor, who would you like to use?!
Therefore, since ancient times, those who can be close to virtuous ministers and stay away from villains are the assets of a wise king!
The prince is such a person. Although he does not like personal enjoyment, there are many talents in the East Palace.
Such a prince would naturally appreciate talents like Yang Qingyuan.
If the "first and third parties" headed by Yang Qingyuan can try their best to assist, the prince may not be unable to achieve great achievements!