Chapter 291 Convicting Wei Yuan on False Grounds?

The news brought by Wang Anshi was very important, and Wei Yuan had to think deeply.

Why did the Liao Kingdom shoot itself in the foot?

"How are you going to investigate?" Wei Yuan asked Wang Anshi again.

The latter smiled bitterly and said: "It doesn't matter how we check. What matters is what kind of results we should give to the world."

In early September of the seventh year of Jiayou's reign.

News of Zhao Zhen's fainting came again in the capital.

Everyone is speculating that the emperor is really dying.

At this time, the medicine and stone were useless. If the famous doctor "Wang Weiyi" hadn't been invited to use acupuncture to prolong his life, I'm afraid it would be difficult for Zhao Zhen to hold on any longer.

Including but not limited to the capital city, the entire sky in the Great Zhou Dynasty seemed to be covered with a layer of haze, and the surrounding air was so oppressive that it seemed impossible to breathe.

Jiangnan, Hangzhou, light rain.

Wei Yuan and Wang Anshi took a boat trip to the West Lake.

The two of them stood together, not wearing raincoats and not allowing the guards to hold umbrellas, letting the fine fresh rain hit their faces.

Apart from the rower, they were the only two people on the small boat.

The surrounding three miles are under martial law by Tiger Guards.

At this time, Wang Anshi was reading a letter written by the prince.

After reading it, he tore the letter into pieces, threw it into the lake, and said in a deep voice:

"The prince said that you should take care of yourself and pay attention to safety when traveling in Jiangnan."

At this point, his tone became heavier again, and he sighed,

"I don't know what's going on with the official family."

Wei Yuan stood with his hands behind his back and looked into the distance, seemingly ignoring the rain falling from the sky.

"The storm is coming. Reply to the prince. If there are changes in the capital, the Danglu Army and Xu Changzhi will obey the prince's orders at any time."

Wang Anshi nodded, "The Liao envoy will arrive in Hangzhou this afternoon. I don't know what kind of excuse they will give."

Wei Yuan frowned, "Ever since the official became seriously ill and I was dismissed from my post, assassinations like this have been happening. I'm afraid the Liao Kingdom did it deliberately because they wanted to provoke a war between the countries."

Wang Anshi stroked his beard and said: "The heroes have the same views. Unfortunately, the officials do not agree to send more troops to Daizhou."

At this moment, the two Qingtian bosses, who could make the entire Zhou Dynasty tremble, felt deeply helpless.

They know what may happen in the future and the potential threats, but they are unable to do anything about it.

Under the emperor's autocratic rule, no one could go beyond him and do important things that benefit the country and the people.

"If you want to compare the West Lake to the West, light makeup and heavy makeup are always suitable. This poem by Su Shi is really good."

"I heard that Fan Chunren transferred Su Shi to the capital again?"

Wei Yuan asked curiously.

Wang Anshi nodded and said: "The father of Su Shi's brothers has a very good relationship with Wen Zhenggong. For their father's sake, our Xianggong Fan had to transfer Su Shi to the capital."

Wei Yuan just nodded slightly and did not respond.

Wang Anshi continued: "Su Shi can write articles and poems well, but he has no talent for governing the country. If this guy is allowed to become prime minister, I am afraid that some of Wen Zhenggong's policies will be overturned."

The Su family and the Fan family have a good relationship, but this does not mean that the two families have the same political views.

This is also a relatively unique scene in the politics of the Zhou Dynasty.

When it comes to policy, everyone in the court is a mortal enemy of each other.

But when it comes to personal relationships, they are close friends.

Wei Yuan thinks there is nothing wrong with this.

"Su Shi is somewhat similar to Li Bai of the previous dynasty. He is also very talented in literature. As you said, the country cannot be left in the hands of such a person."

Wei Yuan suddenly stretched his body and said seriously: "How about I set off for Daizhou after contacting the Liao envoy?"

They all suspected that the Liao Kingdom wanted to start a war.

In this case, Wei Yuan can also make arrangements in advance by going to Daizhou.

However, after careful consideration, Wang Anshi did not agree with Wei Yuan's idea.

"It's great that you can go to Daizhou, but what will the officials think if you go?"

"You made a fortune in Daizhou. A few days ago, you went to Zhazi again and wanted the officials to send more troops to Daizhou."

"So, you can't go."

Wei Yuan sighed, "If you ask the Liao envoy who is assisting you in handling the case to announce a certain result, won't it stop the Liao and Xia countries talking about it?"

Wang Anshi frowned slightly, "I have thought about it, but how can I explain it to the people of Zhou Dynasty? The person who was assassinated was the Marquis of Chao of our country, but in the end, the Liao Kingdom was asked to announce the results of the case. The people will not think there is a problem?"

The assassination of Wei Yuan, fueled by certain forces, has become well known in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Some people speculated that Emperor Zhao Zhen wanted to kill him and deliberately framed it for the Liao Kingdom;

Some people say that he was an assassin sent by the Xia Kingdom, and his purpose was to provoke a war between Zhou and Liao.

Some people are also skeptical.

But no matter which possibility it is, what is undeniable is that this matter has already made a fuss.

If not handled properly, it may cause speculation among the public.

In normal times, the court would naturally not pay attention to it.

But now, Zhao Zhen is dead.

If he dies and some people use this incident to cause trouble, what should we do?

"It was me who was assassinated, and I was also the one who couldn't speak. It's really ridiculous."

If Wei Yuan arbitrarily framed the case on one of Liao and Xia, war might break out, but if he framed it on someone else, the people would either find it impossible or think that he had something to hide.

As for the way to break the situation, there is a way, that is to let Wei Yuan return to his original position and continue to serve as the commander of the front division.

The crux of the problem is that Zhao Zhen wants Wei Yuan to be grateful to the prince, and does not want to re-enable Wei Yuan in his later years.

Of course, the facts and results of the case are actually not important. The most important thing is that if the Liao Kingdom really wants to start a war, when and how they plan to fight, and to what extent they are prepared to fight.

Neither Wei Yuan nor Wang Anshi knew anything about this, and this was what worried them the most.

Afternoon.

Wei Yuan and Wang Anshi met with the Liao envoy.

After the latter saw Wei Yuan, he pretended to be sincere and said: "Marquis Wei, I, Daliao, deeply apologize for your assassination. Although this matter has nothing to do with Daliao, all the evidence points to me, Daliao. Daliao is hard to blame."

Is it hard to take the blame?

apologize?

Has nothing to do with Daliao?

Look, one sentence made Wei Yuan feel that the victim was not himself, but Daliao.

"I wonder who you, the Liao Kingdom, think is the person who assassinated this prince?" Wei Yuan asked bluntly.

The Liao envoy shook his head and said: "I don't know, but I believe that your country's Wang Shangshu can investigate this matter clearly."

All in all, unclear, unaware and irresponsible.

Wei Yuan almost laughed angrily at him, "The thief shouts to catch the thief."

The Liao envoy frowned and said, "Although I can speak Zhou language, I know very little about your country's culture. Who is this thief?"

Wang Anshi pretended to cough and said, "It's not important. We will hold a banquet at the Governor's Mansion in Hangzhou. You all have come from afar, so go to the banquet first."

Jiayou's seventh year, late September.

After Wang Anshi and the Liao envoy jointly investigated, they finally came to a reasonable conclusion.

Some overseas countries were dissatisfied with Wei Yuan's policy when he presided over the Southeast Shipping and the remnants of the coastal Japanese pirates wanted to retaliate against him. They spent thousands of dollars to recruit some Liao assassins to kill people with their swords.

Although this conclusion is a bit far-fetched, at least it gives an explanation to the people of Zhou Dynasty.

However, in early October of the seventh year of Jiayou's reign, the Liao envoy suddenly died in the official post after several days of debauchery.

The sword inserted in the chest of the Liao envoy was a Guandao made by the Forbidden Army.

Weiyuan's Tiger Guard used this improved Guandao.

Except for the Liao envoy, more than ten officials from the Liao Kingdom who accompanied him all died unexpectedly.

Subsequently, there was a rumor among the people that Wei Yuan ordered the killing of the Liao envoy.

Wei Yuan did not immediately provide an explanation for such unfounded rumors.

The next day, it rained heavily.

Wang Anshi, dressed in official uniform and raincoat, came to Wei Yuan in a hurry.

"Follow me back to Beijing, the world will be in chaos!"

He knew very well that the death of the Liao envoy had nothing to do with Wei Yuan.

Now that things have happened, Wei Yuan finally understands what the killing moves of Liao and Xia are.

It was not that he was assassinated.

Rather, once there is an investigation, according to the practice of various countries, the Liao envoy will definitely come.

By then, the Liao envoy died in Zhou Dynasty, and nothing could be said clearly.

Apart from wanting to start a war, Wei Yuan could not find any other reason for Liao and Xia to do this.

"Go back? How to go back? The officials just issued a decree before. Without the imperial decree, I am not allowed to return to the capital."

Wei Yuan sat in the courtyard of the official posthouse, his tone slightly helpless.

The matter has come to this, it is too late to say or do anything.

"If you don't return to the capital, this matter will be even more unclear. As long as you return to the capital, even if the official family is still in a coma and unable to handle the government affairs, as long as the prince is here, we will still have room for maneuver."

Wang Anshi frowned and said.

Wei Yuan shook his head and said: "If the Liao envoy wanted to bring me, the murderer, to justice on this basis, the scholar-bureaucrats in the court would not be willing. It doesn't matter whether I go back or not."

Wang Anshi said seriously: "You are oversimplifying this matter! If you don't return to Beijing, your influence will not be in Beijing."

"If a war really breaks out, it's okay if you win, but what if you lose? You will definitely die!"

Wei Yuan stood up slowly, "I won't lose if I'm here."

Wang Anshi sighed and shook his head, grabbed his arm, and said seriously: "Let's go back to Beijing first!"

Wei Yuan said: "If I really follow you back to Beijing, I will be dead!"

"The people in the south of the Yangtze River will say that I ran away in fear of crime, and the officials and censors in the capital will say that I resisted the decree and returned to the capital."

"Wang Shangshu, at this moment, the person who should return to Beijing the most is you. The prince needs you!"

Wang Anshi looked at him and opened his mouth, not knowing what to do.

After a while, he flicked his sleeves, turned around and left.

Just as he was about to step out of the gate of the official post, he looked back at Wei Yuan. For a long time, only two words came out of his mouth:

"Take care of yourself!"

As soon as Wang Anshi left, Wei Yuan felt a headache due to the envoy from Liao. He simply sat in a sheltered place in the yard and slowly closed his eyes.

In the eyes of Chen Daniu and others, Wei Yuan showed composure.

But only he knew in his heart that he was confused.

Everything seemed to be out of his control and became unpredictable.

It may also be that from this moment on, the advantage of his status as a time traveler no longer exists.

The entire storyline and character arc of ‘Knowledge’ has been completely disrupted.

Could it be that the north's movement to the south is going to happen in advance?

"Master Hou, what should we do?"

After a while, Lin Zhaoyuan came to Wei Yuan and asked.

The latter shook his head and said nothing.

At this time, doing nothing is the best choice.

In early October of the seventh year of Jiayou's reign, Wang Anshi worked hard to tell Prince Zhao Xi everything about the Liao envoy.

Zhao Xi immediately summoned officials to discuss the matter.

Although they all agreed that this matter was framed by the Liao State, no matter what evidence was produced, it would not help.

The Liao Kingdom obviously relied on Wei Yuan.

The officials argued for a long time before they came up with a way to send envoys to Liao.

However, the Liao envoy died in the south of the Yangtze River and in the territory of the Zhou Dynasty.

At this juncture, who dares to go?

If you send someone who is neither a light nor a heavy person, it will be easier for the Liao Kingdom to get a handle on you.

Late October.

Yelu Hongji issued an imperial edict, telling the world that justice would be achieved for the death of the Liao envoy.

At the same time, Da Zhou was ordered to hand over the murderer Wei Yuan in an "order" tone.

Otherwise, millions of lions from the Liao Kingdom will be ready!

Conflicts on the border are increasingly intensifying.

There were even small-scale hand-to-hand combats!

Early November.

In the imperial palace on the border of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Zhao Xi summoned all officials to discuss the matter.

Some officials began to speak boldly,

"Your Highness, I have just had two years of peace in the Zhou Dynasty. Now the officials are in ill health. It is not appropriate to start a war at this time."

"It is a great good to stop a battle by losing one person!"

"If there is a real battle with the Liao Kingdom, I'm afraid that Zhou Dynasty will not be sure of victory, and the official's health is really bad."

"."

When the general heard these remarks, his lungs seemed to explode with anger.

"What do you mean? What does it mean to end a war by losing one person, which is a great good? Do you know who the person you want to harm is?"

"Why don't you go to Liao to die?"

"The death of the Liao envoy had nothing to do with Marquis Zhongyong. If you want to hand Marquis Zhongyong over to the Liao State for this matter, aren't you afraid of chilling the hearts of the people in the world?"

"."

The officials who said they wanted to hand Wei Yuan over were either extremely old or extremely young.

They don't want to see war happen,

"If handing over the old man can stop the war, the old man will be willing to do so!"

"The murder of the Liao envoy really has nothing to do with Marquis Wei? What if it does?"

"This is too bizarre. Apart from the Tiger Guards beside Marquis Wei, who can kill all those Liao envoys overnight?"

"Yeah, what if, maybe, it's related?"

"."

Above the imperial palace.

Both Wang Anshi and Fan Chunren frowned deeply after hearing these voices.

Let’s not talk about whether it is related or not. Even if it is related, Wei Yuan cannot be handed over!

Once it is handed over, I am afraid it will instantly arouse public resentment.

At that time, once the official family suddenly dies, there will be chaos in the Great Zhou Dynasty!

Zhao Xi, who was sitting next to the dragon chair, seemed extremely angry when he heard those voices. At such a young age, his voice was deafening.

"I understand. Do you want to impose unfounded charges on Master Wei, so that he can talk back and quell the anger of the Liao Kingdom?"

"snort!"

Having said this, Zhao Xi changed the subject again,

"Open your eyes and take a look. Whether Master Wei was assassinated or those Liao envoys died mysteriously in our territory, it was all done deliberately by the Liao Kingdom. They were determined to go south and enter. Lord Central Plains!”

"Let's not talk about it. Since the founding of the Zhou Dynasty, we have never killed a minister on unfounded charges. Even if there will be such a thing in the future, under my father and in this palace, there will never be such a thing. It can happen!”

"Don't the Liao Kingdom want an explanation? I will give them an explanation!"

He glanced at the ministers, and when he saw some people's bodies trembling with fear, he couldn't help but snorted again, and finally his eyes fell on Wang Anshi,

"Master Wang, please send someone to tell the Liao Kingdom that there is no need to deal with fraud. If you want to fight, just let them come. I am waiting for them!"

Then, he looked at everyone again,

"To use a sentence from Mr. Wei, they want to cross the Great Wall with two broken knives and a few broken horses? They are wishful thinking!"

"And you, don't think that I don't know about it. Some of you have been bribed by the Liao Kingdom. I put my words here."

"If the Central Plains is shattered and China's land sinks, you traitors will be the first to die!"