Hearing the word "King of Han", Li An was struck by thunder.
At this moment, he finally understood why the King of Han had recommended him to be the Minister of Punishment, and why Wang Wencheng was willing to be the steward of the Minister's Mansion.
It turns out that I am just a chess piece, a chess piece that can be abandoned at any time.
Li An stood there stupidly, staring at his toes, like eggplants beaten by frost after autumn, as he walked towards the living room.
Wang Wencheng from behind smiled faintly, without any sympathy in his eyes, and followed.
After that, it’s the Shangshu Mansion, the opening scene.
"Madam and Young Master, I have sent them out of the capital. Someone outside the city will pick them up and send them to the Han Palace in Le'an Prefecture for careful care. Sir, don't worry, there are many princesses in the Han Palace. They can talk to Madam. Young Master's
Homework will not be delayed."
Wang Wenchengyi maintained his attitude as a servant and tried to make his tone sound more pleasant.
Li An smiled bitterly, feeling despair in his heart.
He knew that the King of Han was dissatisfied with his behavior in the past two days, so he detained his wife and children to put pressure on him.
At this time, where does he still have the right to choose?
Li An was like a stone statue, sitting quietly on the chair. His dull eyes were staring at the floor under his feet, as if staring at a hole. He clenched his fists tightly, and his nails dug deeply into his palms. There were drops of blood.
It fell and dripped on the floor, splashing out bloody plum blossoms.
"What does the King of Han want?" Li An seemed to have reached the extreme grief and despair, and Li An gradually regained his senses.
Wang Wencheng smiled faintly, reached into his arms with his right hand, took out a five thousand tael banknote, and placed it on the table next to Li An.
"The King of Han knows that your Excellency has been in charge of the Ministry of Justice for the imperial court for so many years. He has been honest and self-disciplined and has never corrupted the law. The monthly salary is not enough to cover the expenses of the entire Shangshu Mansion. Therefore, from the daily expenses of the Han King's Mansion, he squeezed
Give me five thousand taels of silver to support your life."
Li An didn't even look at the banknotes on the table. Instead, he slowly turned his head and stared at the Hanwang undercover agent who had been lurking beside him for many years. His eyes gradually turned from dull to cold.
"I, Li An, don't have any great abilities, but I still have some self-awareness. I understand that based on my own ability, without the recommendation of the King of Han, I would not be able to sit in the position of Minister of the Ministry of Justice. I will always bear in mind the great kindness of the King of Han.
.Therefore, as long as it does not violate the imperial decree, I will agree to the King of Han's request and will do it."
"As an official in the imperial court, although the monthly salary is only more than thirty taels of silver, it is enough to cover the expenses of the Shangshu Mansion. Please ask Steward Wang to return these silver notes to the King of Han."
Li An's tone was as cold as the ice on the Yongding River, repelling people thousands of miles away.
After taking my wife and children as hostages, do you still regard me, Li An, as a human being? Although I have not made any outstanding contributions to the court, there have been no major mistakes in the days I have been in charge of the Ministry of Justice. I have been honest throughout my life.
, At this moment, the head on the item is only temporarily kept for Dongchang. Are you bringing these banknotes to me, do you want to tarnish my innocence after my death?
Wang Wencheng was stunned for a moment, with a hint of surprise in his eyes, and then he was full of smiles. He held up his hands and bowed his body slightly, assuming a standard master-servant posture.
"Your Majesty, you have misunderstood. These silver notes are the King of Han's recognition of your dedication to the court for so many years. Although the King of Han is far away from the government and the public, this Ming Dynasty is, after all, the Ming Dynasty of his Zhu family. Others cannot see your loyalty, but
The King of Han has always paid special attention to adults."
"Xiao Chen, the purple-robed captain, has no regard for the laws of the country and kills important officials of the imperial court without authorization. If you don't take the lead in holding him accountable, it will be a great shame for him to continue to be at large, whether it is the Ministry of Punishment, the Metropolitan Procuratorate or the Dali Temple.
.”
He raised his head and glanced at Li An's expression with the corner of his eyes. Wang Wencheng continued: "Ziyi has supreme supervisory power, but he does not have the power to kill. Now, the emperor is keeping silent on this matter. He just wants to see the court.
Minister of the Central Government, at this special moment, who can continue to maintain justice and have the courage to make remonstrances. Therefore, your lord, you must seize this opportunity. The Minister of the Ministry of Punishment is one of the most powerful positions in the court. How many people have the power to do so?
I am eyeing this position with eager eyes. If I am accidentally taken advantage of, I will regret it later, and I am afraid it will be too late."
Hearing Wang Wencheng's explanation, Li An's expression relaxed a little.
"Even so, there is no need to suddenly take away all my wife and children. Even for their safety, you should have informed me in advance."
Seeing that Li An's tone was not as cold as before, Wang Wencheng hurriedly walked to the table, turned over the tea bowl on the table, picked up the kettle on the stove, poured a bowl of boiled water and gently pushed it towards Li An.
"This morning, when I was about to go out to purchase daily necessities for the house, I found a few suspicious people wandering around our Shangshu Mansion. After careful observation, when they were handing over, I saw that there were clothes on their waists.
Wearing the belt badge of Captain of the East Factory."
"The King of Han once ordered the villain to ensure the personal safety of the adults, his wife, and the young master. Therefore, the villain could only make his own decision, disguise his wife and the young master, and take him out of the Shangshu Mansion." As he spoke, Wang Wencheng said
Watching the changes in Li An's expression.
It's not that the King of Han is afraid of Li An, or that he really cares about Li An, but at this critical juncture, if the entire plan fails because of Li An's retreat, it will really be a waste.
Taking away his wife and children as hostages was just to put pressure on Li An, urging him to speed up the implementation of the plan. The five thousand taels of silver notes and Wang Wencheng's still respectful and humble attitude just didn't want Li An to jump over the wall and face the battle.
It's just a big deal that's ruined by betrayal.
Although Li An is arrogant sometimes, he is not stupid. At this moment, his wife and children are in the hands of the other party. Although he feels disdain and resentment for this kind of despicable behavior, when he thinks that his wife and children have been controlled by them, if he
If you continue to be tough, I'm afraid it will really lead to death for them.
However, the attitude changes too quickly, which will inevitably arouse the suspicion of the other party. He pretends to be still very angry and says: "Captain Dongchang, can they still rush in and do harm to Madam and Young Master?"
Seeing that Li An had already obeyed obediently, Wang Wencheng raised the corners of his mouth with a look of success on his face.
"With the matter of Mr. Shucang, the Minister of Rites, in front of him, it is true that Xiao Chen does not dare to take action against Mr. However, he is still filled with anger. It is uncertain whether he dares to hurt his wife or the young master to vent his dissatisfaction.
.So, sending the wife and son to a place unknown to Dongchang is an act of superiority."
