Chapter 1356: Undercurrents

Yang Guang wanting to clean up Yang Su indicated that Jiangshan was basically stable, the essential work was done, and Yang Su's value had already begun to decline sharply.

However, even though he had hinted to Wang Yan about his intention to eliminate Yang Su, Yang Guang did not rush to act. After all, Yang Su was the current Prime Minister and came from the Hongnong Yang clan; his connections were far-reaching, so he could not simply be killed—it required a process.

During this process, positions of Yang Su's faction were continuously adjusted, slowly stripping away Yang Su's power.

Of course, Yang Su was no fool and would eventually notice, but for Yang Guang, who held military power, there was no need to worry too much; he only needed to resolve key issues that Yang Su could influence in advance.

The reason an Emperor cannot arbitrarily slaughter court officials is that if too many are killed, no one will be willing to work, and court administration will collapse. Of course, this applies only to powerful Emperors.

An Emperor whose power is not concentrated might end up falling into the water himself if he tries to kill others.

But Yang Guang was clearly not such a man; his power was now highly concentrated.

Thus, after six months of adjustments, by the summer of the second year of Daye, on a clear night bright with stars, a fire broke out at Yang Su's residence...

Wang Yan naturally learned the news, as they did not live far apart; with flames shooting skyward and chaos erupting there, it was impossible for the surroundings not to hear the commotion. Yet none of the neighboring households opened their doors to look. Only Yuwen Chengdu led a group of soldiers, pretending to fight the fire.

By the next day, news spread that an old minister, a pillar of Great Sui, had unfortunately perished in the fire. Yang Guang expressed deep grief and issued special instructions to arrange Yang Su's funeral with high specifications, assigning dedicated personnel to handle it.

The court officials likewise expressed grief; together they mourned Yang Su's achievements and delivered a final verdict on his life...

Wang Yan naturally had no part in this; he was a military general, moreover one who rose from the ranks. If he were truly asked to deliver a final verdict on Yang Su, Yang Su—that arrogant, petty nobleman who prided himself on being an upper-class aristocrat his whole life—would probably leap out of his coffin and chase Wang Yan down to bite him.

Of course, that was under ideal circumstances; judging by the merit and karma of killing, Wang Yan bore boundless merit yet stood behind mountains of corpses and seas of blood as a great benefactor. Even if Yang Su had eight times the courage, he would not dare approach Wang Yan, or he would likely be dissolved on the spot.

The impact of Yang Su's death was naturally huge; after all, everyone knew something was amiss. His entire family had died, and not a single servant survived; clearly, this was Yang Guang's doing.

Yang Su's death was also very sudden, leaving many people unprepared.

That afternoon, Wang Yan skipped work again and returned home, where he found Qin Qiong, Shan Xiongxin, Shan Qiu Yingying, a tall fat man, and Princess Yu...

Upon seeing Wang Yan return, the group paid their respects to him.

Wang Yan smiled and waved his hand, saying, "The Princess is quite bold, daring to run back here?"

"My father has already pleaded guilty. I am just a weak woman; I cannot stir up any waves. What more could be expected?" Princess Yu shook her head and sighed.

Yang Lin was indeed quite decent; upon learning of this matter, he brought his personal retainers and troops directly to Yang Guang to plead guilty and expressed his firm determination to follow Yang Guang. Thus, this turmoil passed, and Yang Guang would not make things difficult for Princess Yu.

After all, compared to the life or death of Princess Yu, the allegiance of Yang Lin, who was deeply rooted in Shandong, was far more valuable. As long as Princess Yu did not speak recklessly, she remained relatively safe.

Wang Yan smiled, turned to look at Qin Qiong, and asked, "Why have you come to my place?"

"Lord Wang, I was again ordered by the Prince of Kaoshan to bring birthday gifts to Yang Su. Hearing that Lord Wang had summoned Second Brother Shan, I simply came along. Never did I expect that as soon as we arrived in Jingcheng, we would hear that Yang Su had died in a fire..."

Speaking thus, Qin Qiong could not help but shake his head; he had traveled all this way until his legs were thin, only to find the man dead, feeling deeply that fate played cruel tricks.

Princess Yu asked from the side, "Does Lord Wang know the details of this matter?"

Wang Yan glanced at her without responding, then looked at the foolishly grinning fat man before him and asked Qin Qiong, "Who is this person? Broad-shouldered and round-bodied, truly a fine fighter."

"This is my newly adopted sworn brother, Luo Shixin. He lost his parents when young and is somewhat simple-minded; he acknowledged me as his elder brother."

"Lady, please prepare wine and dishes; I wish to drink heartily with these two brothers." Wang Yan patted Luo Shixin's robust chest, then informed the others before running to the inner quarters to change his clothes.

To speak of it, in the world of the Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the one who most deserved to become Emperor was Qin Qiong.

Wherever he went, he had godfathers and godmothers, uncles and cousins; his reputation spread far and wide across Shandong, and one call from him brought a hundred responses. Indeed, in Shandong, Qin Qiong was even more effective than Shan Xiongxin, the leader of the greenwood.

A whole host of famous figures placed great trust in familial bonds. The Luo Shixin before them was even willing to fight to the death for Qin Qiong, utterly loyal.

Added to Qin Qiong's own formidable combat skills, being proficient in both literary and martial arts, with such personal capability, connections, credibility, and influence, he most deserved to rise to power; by any measure, he appeared to be the protagonist destined by heaven...

A short while later, when Wang Yan changed his clothes and came out again, the household cooks had already served several cold dishes, along with some cooked foods prepared earlier and kept ready.

The women also joined in the meal; the children in the family came over to eat a few bites before leaving to play. It was quite enjoyable for the group to eat, drink, and laugh together.

However, no serious matters were discussed; it was merely a round of flattery regarding Wang Yan's current status.

It was not until the women finished eating and left first, and the somewhat simple-minded Luo Shixin also went out to play with the children, that only Wang Yan, Qin Qiong, and Shan Xiongxin remained to continue drinking.

At this point, Qin Qiong voiced his doubt: "Lord Wang, Yang Su's death is too suspicious; could it not be..."

"Last year's affair—did Princess Yu tell you about it?"

"She did. We must also thank Lord Wang for his protection; otherwise, the Princess would likely have already met disaster."

Wang Yan waved his hand and smiled, saying, "Yang Su's death was not unjust; I can tell you about it. Last year, the late Emperor left a testamentary edict ordering Princess Yu and Gao Jiong to deliver an imperial decree to Yang Yong. Later, Gao Jiong disappeared, and the edict was lost. The one who intercepted Gao Jiong and blocked Yang Yong at that time was Yang Su. So tell me, did Yang Su deserve to die?"

"He was asking for death!" Shan Xiongxin stated simply and directly.

"Indeed, he was asking for death; truly so arrogant he forgot his own surname. There is another matter: Yang Su's son, Yang Xuangan, did not die. He will likely receive the news soon and flee. If you encounter him in the future, just kill him outright."

Qin Qiong said, "None of us knows what he looks like. Great Sui is so vast; it will be difficult to bump into him."

"I am merely informing you; this person cannot hide forever. He takes after his father, both bearing an arrogant demeanor and looking down on the poor. Unlike those from great clans, he despises even the impoverished commoners. This is arrogance deep in his bones; if you meet him, a few words of conversation will reveal it."

Yang Xuangan had a fortunate fate; previously he was an official in the capital, but later he was sent out. This was not because Yang Su sensed danger, but rather a normal promotion; to become a high official, one must have local experience.

Since Yang Xuangan was not killed, and finding people was difficult in this era, while the Hongnong Yang clan itself would conceal him, he was basically untraceable. This constituted a potential disaster; after all, in original history, even when Yang Su died naturally, Yang Xuangan still rebelled. Let alone in this current world of romance, where Yang Su was killed by Yang Guang; Yang Xuangan would definitely cause trouble in the future.

"Understood, Lord Wang. If we happen to encounter him, we will certainly not let him off easy." Shan Xiongxin responded, then turned to ask, "Lord Wang, may I ask why you summoned me to the capital?"

"Now that I oversee the Bureau of Military Secrets, I have introduced several measures. After local troops rotate garrisons, we will crack down on bandits across the regions. You are the leader of the horse bandits; although it is now an empty title, your reputation remains, and I presume you still control some bandit forces.

Others need no reminder; we have made wealth together for so many years, and you are a true hero; it would be a pity for you to die unjustly. This matter must not be known to others, nor appear in letters. When you return, do not breathe a word to anyone; clean up your own operation. Do not remain a bandit bearing an evil name; change your title, find a different trade, and cover your tracks somewhat."

Shan Xiongxin nodded in agreement without further objection. Since Wang Yan had personally tipped him off, what use was there in arguing excessively? He would simply do as told. Even husbands and wives fly apart when disaster looms; let alone a group of so-called fierce men who gathered together bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Let others die while one survives; that principle has never been wrong at any time.

However, there was something slightly off about Qin Qiong's expression; Wang Yan noticed the unusual look in his eyes.

"Shubao, if you have something to say, speak directly."

"I am somewhat confused. Lord Wang condescends to associate with us; should you not detest heroes of the greenwood..."

Wang Yan smiled amusingly and waved his hand: "Shubao, tell me yourself, how many true heroes are there in the greenwood? They are merely a bunch of house-raiders and plunderers. You should be somewhat clear about the inner workings. Which bandit group does not have a great clan behind it? Do they dare rob the great clans?

Bullying small merchants and some pitiful travelers—do they deserve to be called heroes? They are nothing but dogs raised by powerful aristocratic families. Accustomed to acting arrogantly in the mountains, eating meat and drinking wine, calling each other 'elder brother' and 'younger brother,' surely they do not truly believe everyone are sworn brothers willing to sacrifice their lives for one another?"

Qin Qiong realized the implication, understood the meaning behind the words, and cautiously asked, "So, Lord Wang, is this operation targeted at the powerful aristocratic families?"

He was deeply involved with the horse bandits and naturally knew that many bandits indeed had connections behind them; otherwise, how would news of large sums of money and grain passing by emerge? And after a robbery, how could not a single whisper leak out?

There were problems within all of this.

"To protect the realm and ensure the people's peace."

Wang Yan, however, smiled and shook his head. "Bandits cause panic among the people and disturb the populace; harsh measures must be applied to suppress these thieves and restore peace and stability to our people. The rest is merely incidental. Come, let us drink to victory!"

The two men echoed Wang Yan and drank with him, yet both felt his words were merely a pretext; his true aim was still to target the powerful aristocratic families.

This was truly a misunderstanding of Wang Yan, for he genuinely wished to protect the borders and bring peace to the people. Both mountain bandits and great families oppressed the common folk and encroached upon their living space, so naturally, they fell within the scope of his crackdown.

Eradicating bandits was a necessary task, and following the vine to find the melon was also necessary, but that did not mean one had to eradicate bandits specifically to implicate the great families.

Because local troops held the power to define who was a criminal; upon witnessing behavior within the scope of illegality, they could strike. Was it not then the case that whoever was declared guilty was guilty? That whoever was targeted could be dealt with?

Of course, one certainly could not act recklessly; if local armies became arrogant and stirred up such heavenly rage and popular resentment, it would easily trigger a popular uprising. Nor did local troops have the courage to provoke the local great families.

In the end, everything would still come back to Wang Yan.

However, Wang Yan naturally would not argue these points with the two men; having personally summoned Shan Xiongxin to give him a tip-off was already quite generous of him.

The main issue was that he could not allow people to spread rumors blindly; if word leaked out and the aristocratic families directly raised armies to resist, that would be far from ideal...

The group spoke of nothing else; the two men were quite tactful and did not pry excessively into court politics. Although Qin Qiong's inquiry about Yang Su was slightly over the line, Qin Qiong was fully informed, so this matter was a different story.

As for Shan Xiongxin, this man was simply tight-lipped and relatively reliable.

The reason he was willing to bring Shan Xiongxin along was mainly because this man had principles; he would rather die than surrender, possessing bones of steel. To simply label Shan Xiongxin as a good person or a bad person would be meaningless.

Basically, there was not a single good person.

This included Qin Qiong; without ruthlessness, one could not stand firm. Bearing such a massive reputation, he must possess the strength to make others sit down and talk properly, and only then could he display his righteousness that reached the clouds.

The group stayed overnight at the residence; after breakfast the next day, they departed, saying they had felt Daxing City change greatly over the past two years and wished to spend a few more days playing in the city before returning home.

Wang Yan personally stood at the gate to see the group off; as he watched them leave, Xiao Mei approached to speak.

"Husband holds them in high regard."

"They are all capable and useful," Wang Yan said with a smile. "Besides, who does not know that I am Mengchang Lord reborn? Anyone who comes to my residence can eat and drink; given time, I even personally entertain them."

He went over to Qionghua's side: "Did Lady enjoy herself?"

"Sigh..."

Qionghua let out a long breath. "It was just cursing Yang Guang together with Sister Yu; what else could be done?"

She turned away desolately and returned to the courtyard; she would never be able to let go in this lifetime...

Yet time still held great power; if this were last year, Qionghua would already be bathed in tears at this moment, but now, although sorrow permeated her, it ultimately did not overflow.

Wang Yan did not offer excessive comfort; he continued handling the affairs of the Privy Council.

As the highest military institution, there were indeed many matters. Although the Great Sui was generally peaceful at present, many frictions still existed. The Tuyuhun and the myriad tribes on the western plateau, as well as Goguryeo, Lingnan, and other regions, were all witnessing small-scale military operations.

Information regarding these battles arrived daily. At the same time, the optimized logistical supply system was being tested; all logistics were handled by the Transport Bureau, and various situations had to be addressed constantly, ensuring the soldiers at the front lines were never affected in their meals.

Added to this was the current large-scale troop rotation and transfer across various regions; along the way, chaotic matters such as troops violating discipline and harassing the common people all piled up on Wang Yan's desk for processing.

Not to mention the campaign against the powerful aristocratic families, which Wang Yan had hinted at to Shan Xiongxin and which Yang Guang was eagerly anticipating, was currently underway...

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