Chapter 413: The Bargain Hunter King

"Li Shizhi! Who is Li Shizhi! Get out here for me!"

Before the gate of the Policy Hall, He Changqi sat astride his horse with sword drawn, bellowing at two baton-wielding runners who stood guard at the door, trembling all over and on the verge of fleeing!

No one answered.

Fang Chongyong had previously given instructions that the Six Ministries' offices did not matter, but as for the Policy Hall, if one could avoid entering it, then one should try not to go in.

He Changqi had always observed this prohibition, and upon reaching the gate of the Policy Hall, he did not proceed inside.

"I am Li Shizhi. Are you lot trying to rebel?"

From within the Policy Hall walked out a lean old man who appeared to be nearly sixty, his eyes staring straight at He Changqi.

"Heh, old thief! Finally caught you!"

He Changqi sheathed his sword, stepped forward, grabbed Li Shizhi by the collar, and dragged him along—hauling him like a dead dog—toward the direction of Vermilion Bird Gate.

His methods were extremely brutal!

"Eh? Slow down, what are you—stop, I ask you..."

Li Shizhi turned pale with fright, never expecting that these "rebellious" soldiers would be so utterly unreasonable.

"Brothers! I've caught that dog Li Shizhi! Come on, let's go together, find the Jiedushi and claim credit for a reward!"

He Changqi shouted to the soldiers of the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army who were rounding up people all over the imperial city.

"Reward!"

"Reward!"

"Reward!"

The crowd of soldiers kicked up a raucous fuss, dancing about with glee, as if it were a festival.

They stepped forward, bound Li Shizhi hand and foot with rope, and led him along like livestock, hauling him toward Vermilion Bird Gate.

As it turned out, before the group had even reached Vermilion Bird Gate, they ran head-on into the entourage with Jige in it.

Li Shizhi looked dejectedly at Jige. He knew that his life was finished. Even the descendants of his line were finished.

There would never be a day for them to rise again.

"Sire, it might be best to first send Li Shizhi to the Court of Judicature prison, and interrogate him slowly in a few days. The pressing matter right now is to restore order to the court."

Fang Chongyong clasped his hands in salute and made the suggestion to Jige.

"Mm, someone, escort Li Shizhi to the Court of Judicature prison."

Jige nodded expressionlessly, not even bothering to glance at Li Shizhi, and instructed Gao Lishi.

Toward this person, his heart seemed filled with disgust.

In Jige's view, whether or not Li Shizhi had participated in the ambush against the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army no longer mattered.

The latter had mutinied, and Li Shizhi could not shirk responsibility—it was only a question of what crime to charge him with.

Because failing to maintain order was itself a grand chancellor's gravest error.

This kind of error was one the Emperor could not forgive.

"Sire, to pull off such a deed, one grand chancellor alone would not suffice. There must have been others in the central administration involved."

"I believe that evil must be eradicated root and branch, lest it chill the hearts of the three armies' officers and soldiers, and lest trouble erupt from within arm's reach."

Fang Chongyong continued to advise.

"Lishi, cooperate with the Prince of Pingxi in making arrests. Once caught, send them all to the Court of Judicature prison for slow interrogation."

"I shall wait for you in the Policy Hall."

Jige waved his hand with some weariness and said.

He was getting on in years and had also contracted a strange illness; his energy was already far inferior to before. Today's endless turmoil had long been more than his body could bear—he had only been forcing himself to hold on.

Now that the overall situation was settled, an uncontrollable fatigue surged over him, and Jige could no longer resist it.

"To reply to the Sire, who should be arrested, and who should not?"

Gao Lishi deliberately played dumb and asked.

"The Prince of Pingxi is the Censor-in-Chief; just ask him."

Jige sighed softly. He already understood that the authority of the court's central administration had suffered a heavy blow this time. Restoring its vitality would not be the work of a single day or night!

His birthday was coming up again soon—how could such a wretched thing happen now?

"Sire, this upheaval has not yet spread beyond Chang'an. I recommend that a seasoned, prudent, experienced, and senior court official temporarily serve as Right Chancellor to clean up the aftermath."

"I ask the Sire to decide."

Fang Chongyong could be said to have pulled off a "triple combo" this time—his mouth had not stopped once.

Hearing this, Jige nodded slightly and said, "Indeed. What candidate does the worthy minister recommend?"

"Zheng Shuqing is seasoned and prudent. He is already Vice Minister of Works, with the concurrent rank of Third Rank Under the Secretariat and Chancellery."

"Previously, he trained for many years across the Six Ministries and the Policy Hall, and also served as a prefect dispatched outside."

"It might be well to let him temporarily serve as Vice Minister of Personnel and Secretariat Director, to clean up the aftermath and fill the gaps."

"Once the court situation stabilizes, it would not be too late for the Sire to adjust personnel in the central administration."

"For now, the priority is stability."

Fang Chongyong suggested cautiously.

Old Zheng?

The image of Zheng Shuqing bowing and scraping appeared in Jige's mind, and he immediately laughed: "Zheng Shuqing is steady and reliable as an official, with many years in the court—he is indeed a suitable candidate. Lishi, draft an imperial edict and issue it today, appointing Zheng Shuqing as Right Chancellor."

Fang Chongyong's suggestion and Jige's own thoughts were practically identical—it was just that Jige was slow to realize and had not thought of it yet.

Jige felt that Zheng Shuqing's greatest virtue was that the man had no ambitions whatsoever as an official—whether he was there or not made almost no difference.

Zheng Shuqing's entire person had two conspicuous characters written all over him: lay low!

To govern the Great Tang well, one naturally could not let someone like Zheng Shuqing serve as Right Chancellor. But if the goal was merely to stabilize the court situation, then this person was indeed the most suitable.

And easiest to control.

Because this person doesn't cause trouble.

The key is, everyone else knows that Zheng Shuqing is only an "acting Right Chancellor" who will sooner or later leave. So they won't trip him up instead. This is beneficial for stabilizing the current situation that is on the verge of chaos but not yet chaotic.

"The Prince of Pingxi Commandery has merit in quelling this rebellion. What reward would you like?"

Brother Ji asked casually, not taking it to heart.

"Reporting to the Sage, your humble servant forged an imperial edict. Though it was sudden and unavoidable, it can still be considered deceiving the sovereign.

Your humble servant humbly requests that once the court situation stabilizes, I no longer serve as the commander of the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army and be appointed to an outside post instead. How could I presume to ask for a reward?"

Fang Chongyong bowed and said, his attitude exceptionally humble.

Hearing these words, Brother Ji nodded in satisfaction, then waved his hand and said:

"That's not how it works.

Whether you serve as this commander or not is not for you to say. That is for Us to decide.

If We want you to serve, you must serve even if you don't want to. How can you bargain?"

"Your humble servant is terrified." Fang Chongyong put on a show of being overwhelmed by unexpected favor.

"Enough. Take Gao Lishi with you to clean up the aftermath. We wish to be alone in the Council Hall."

Brother Ji sighed and walked into the Council Hall on his own, heaven knows what he was feeling melancholic about.

After entering the Council Hall, he looked around and found no signs of anyone having rummaged through or searched the place. Only then did his suspended heart settle back into place.

From Fang Chongyong's attitude, Brother Ji felt this should simply be a mutiny by men driven to desperation who then fought back. There had been no specific plan beforehand, no other demands, and it did not involve his fine sons at all.

That was truly a blessing within misfortune.

As for Fang Chongyong recommending Zheng Shuqing, it was also perfectly reasonable. It wasn't just Li Shizhi who feared retribution—Fang Chongyong and the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army also feared someone "reversing the verdict" afterward.

If they didn't push forward someone familiar to serve as chancellor, nail everything down precisely, and put a definitive seal on the matter in public, what if the court came after them in the future?

This seemingly "insignificant" little matter was actually a matter of life and death. Without even appearing to try, Fang Chongyong had eliminated the biggest hidden danger.

If Zheng Shuqing were to turn against Fang Chongyong, who had recommended him as Right Chancellor, then his political credibility and personal morality would go completely bankrupt, making him a despicable villain despised by all.

This move was truly well played!

As Brother Ji paced within the Council Hall, he sighed inwardly that Fang Youde had fathered a good son.

Thank goodness this wasn't his own son—otherwise, this man would surely do what Taizong once did at the Xuanwu Gate!

Of course, Fang Chongyong's surname was not Li, so as long as he didn't collude with the imperial princes, he couldn't make any real waves.

This too was a blessing within misfortune.

This man might not have the intention to cause trouble, but he already had the ability to do so. One must be careful in the future.

Brother Ji silently tagged Fang Chongyong with the label of "a dog that doesn't bark."

"With Ge Nu around, it certainly wouldn't come to this."

Brother Ji couldn't help but let out a long sigh, and began to miss Li Linfu, who had managed the Great Tang for him for so many years.

You don't know the gap until you compare. If Li Linfu were here, he absolutely wouldn't have worried over the matter of rewards, and naturally wouldn't have driven the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army to mutiny.

"The Divine Strategy Army is useless too. Over ten thousand men couldn't defeat three thousand. A bunch of trash.

Alas, the capital just can't produce elite soldiers..."

Brother Ji muttered to himself. His feelings at this moment were just like that line written by Li Yu of Southern Tang:

How much sorrow can one bear? Just like a river of spring water flowing east.

……

"The Sage! I need to see the Sage! Someone! I need to see the Sage!"

Several days after the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army mutiny, in the innermost cell of the Court of Judicature prison, the already disheveled Li Shizhi shouted at the jailers outside his cell.

The two jailers shifted their gaze away, not even bothering to glance at Li Shizhi!

A phoenix that has lost its feathers is worse than a chicken. So what if Li Shizhi used to be a chancellor? Once you enter the Court of Judicature prison, if you're a dragon you coil, if you're a tiger you crouch. Nobody cares how powerful you used to be.

The Court of Judicature prison wasn't a place just anyone could get into! Which of those doing time here hadn't been a major figure beforehand?

The jailers silently sneered in their hearts—they had seen far too many people like Li Shizhi.

Suddenly, footsteps came from afar, growing closer and closer, heading straight for Li Shizhi's cell.

Soon, Li Shizhi saw Zheng Shuqing, wearing a purple official robe, bringing Gao Lishi to the door of his cell.

Zheng Shuqing waved his hand at the two jailers, who tactfully slipped away. Near the cell, only he and Gao Lishi remained, along with Li Shizhi, who didn't know what to say.

"Lord Zheng, General Gao, the Sage—what did the Sage say?"

Li Shizhi swallowed, asking somewhat nervously.

"The Sage shows mercy and gives you two choices."

Gao Lishi said expressionlessly, his attitude exceptionally cold, almost like a completely different person from before when facing Li Shizhi.

But Li Shizhi couldn't be bothered with the other's attitude at this point. His face flushed with excitement, and he gripped the wooden bars of the cell tightly as he asked, "What two choices?"

He was like a drowning man desperately clinging to life, catching sight of the last straw.

"The first one: you and your entire family will be exiled to Lingnan, for generation after generation, never permitted to leave Lingnan."

Gao Lishi stated the first option.

Lingnan in ancient times was nothing like the modern era of Fang Chongyong's previous life. Ancient Lingnan had an unbearably hot and humid climate, venomous insects and snakes everywhere, and miasma running rampant.

It was called an "invisible guillotine."

Tang dynasty officials exiled to Lingnan had an extremely high mortality rate. Many died of illness on the road before even reaching Lingnan.

"Then, what is the second path?"

Li Shizhi asked with some worry. He had almost already guessed the answer.

"The second path is this."

Gao Lishi handed a strip of white cloth in his hand to Li Shizhi.

"The Sage has promised to no longer pursue your family. They may live in Chang'an and remain members of the imperial clan."

It was one man dying to save his entire family.

Or the whole family exiled to die at random.

This choice was truly not an easy one.

Zheng Shuqing stood to the side, stern and unsmiling; outsiders could not tell what he was thinking.

Zheng Shuqing did not dare sympathize with Li Shizhi, nor did he disdain to mock him. He understood very well that the position of Right Minister was not an easy one to hold, and he himself might well be the next "Li Shizhi."

Nowadays, the Great Tang's various hidden troubles emerged one after another, chief ministers changed frequently, the political situation was gradually descending into chaos, and even mutinies among the imperial guards had broken out.

Being a chief minister in the Tianbao era was no easy matter!

"I understand. I thank the Sage for his heavenly grace."

Li Shizhi took the strip of white cloth from Gao Lishi's hand, then knelt on the ground and performed a grand prostration, touching his head to the floor.

"Hurry up. This general still needs to go back and report to the Sage."

Seeing Li Shizhi dawdling, Gao Lishi could not help but urge him, showing no regard for face whatsoever.

Most people do not like to put on an act in front of a dying man. Gao Lishi's earlier coldness was not a performance put on for Li Shizhi.

"Please, General Gao, return and report to the Sage that this guilty minister did not plot rebellion."

Li Shizhi bowed deeply to Gao Lishi.

At his pedantic naivety, Gao Lishi no longer knew what to say!

Seeing this, Zheng Shuqing said to Gao Lishi, "It is a bit stuffy in here. This official will step outside for some fresh air first."

Gao Lishi nodded slightly. Only after Zheng Shuqing had departed and his figure was no longer visible did he speak to Li Shizhi:

"Li Shizhi, oh Li Shizhi, do you still not understand even now? The Sage knew all along that you did not plot rebellion.

If you had rebelled, would he still have spared your family?

Why have you still not figured it out?"

Then why must I take my own life?

Li Shizhi's face was full of astonishment; he could not even voice the question. He had always felt that he had been "misunderstood" by the Son of Heaven, and that as long as he explained the stakes and made clear the reasoning, escaping the calamity of prison would at least not be difficult.

He never expected to be mocked to his face by Gao Lishi.

But Gao Lishi clearly had no intention of saving face for a dying man.

He shook his head and sighed:

"The Yinqiang Xiaojie Army mutinied to demand rewards, and even entered Chang'an, successfully forcing the palace. As Right Minister, you cannot escape blame.

On this point alone, you must die!

The Sage must give an account to the people of the realm, and must give an account to the Great Tang's border armies and imperial guards. The Yinqiang Xiaojie Army fought all the way to the gates of Xingqing Palace—how could this matter end well?

If the hat of rebellion were not pinned on your head, and if in the future other armies clamored for rewards, would not everyone march on Chang'an to demand the Sage uphold justice?

The Sage does not want those troublesome affairs. Since the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army raised the banner of suppressing rebellion by imperial decree and honoring the emperor to punish traitors, then you, the Right Minister, could only become the rebel traitorous minister in their mouths.

Have you still not figured out this reasoning? It seems the Sage overestimated you after all."

Gao Lishi shook his head and sighed incessantly, feeling regret for Li Shizhi's hopeless foolishness.

In the game of "soldiers catching bandits," there must be two people in absolutely opposing positions—namely, the soldiers and the bandits—only then can the story continue to be told.

Since the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army's mutiny succeeded and they defeated the Shence Army, which far outnumbered them, this army had already become the "soldiers." Anyone who said they were not "soldiers" would be hacked to death by them!

No matter who it was, anyone who stood opposite them in the mutiny would naturally become a "bandit."

In other words, without "bandits," the "soldiers'" persona could not stand. The court could not possibly openly declare the Yinqiang Xiaojie Army to be bandits, could it?

In a narrative with a clear banner and conflicting positions, how could there be no villain?

Therefore, someone of sufficient stature within the court had to take the blame for everything and play the villain.

This person had to be either the emperor or the Right Minister.

They could not possibly let Brother Ji bear the blame, could they? So the "villain" could only be Li Shizhi.

That this former Right Minister could not see through this point even now made his fate unsurprising.

Fang Chongyong, on the other hand, this young man, transitioned from mutiny to rescuing the king with exceptional smoothness—one might say he advanced and retreated with ease, handling a heavy burden as though it were light.

It made people see him in a new light.

This young man was truly unfathomable! An old man like Li Shizhi could no longer keep up with the times.

Gao Lishi silently assessed all this in his heart, and at this moment, his gaze toward Li Shizhi was full of pity.

"So it was like this... so it was, like this, how laughable, how laughable."

Li Shizhi shook his head and sighed as he retreated, then suddenly hurled himself violently against the wall of the prison cell.

(End of this chapter)