"Patriarch Fang, please don't say that this Taoist master is helping others to improve their morale and destroying your own prestige."
Indifferent words came from Ji Qingzhi's obscured face, "The six major families, plus Taiping Township, plus all the Taoists in the two capitals and thirty provinces, can't break through the capital of Daqing, let alone the imperial city in the capital... Killing Emperor Yongtai? It's a bit of a pipe dream."
"That's right. We really can't kill Emperor Yongtai in the Imperial City."
Fang Shuyue nodded with a smile, then changed the subject: "But what if he gets out? Out of the imperial city, or even out of the capital?"
"oh?"
Ji Qingzhi's tone was a little curious, and he asked, "Patriarch Fang, do you have a way to get Emperor Yongtai to leave the capital?"
"It's not that I have a solution, but he has already left Beijing."
Fang Shuyue said meaningfully.
“…”
Ji Qingzhi was silent for a moment, and said something ambiguous: "I haven't received any news."
“That’s normal.”
Fang Shuyue continued, "As the great emperor of Daqing, every move is closely watched by all. If he leaves the capital without permission and leaves behind those civil and military officials, I'm afraid the news will spread in a few days... But what if there is another Emperor Yongtai?"
"……What's the meaning?"
Ji Qingzhi's tone became a little cold again.
"You are not from one of the three ancient clans, so there are many things you have never heard of."
Fang Shuyue raised the corner of his mouth, "For example, magical powers."
“…I have certainly never heard of it.”
Ji Qingzhi responded.
"Divine power was born when the world was first created. It is a miraculous method that can be mastered by humans."
Fang Shuyue began to explain, with a barely detectable sense of superiority in his tone, "This method is on the same level as the rules of heaven and earth. Once it is mastered, it can be used without regard to all rules."
"For example, the Imperial Prison of Daqing is known as a forbidden place, but it is also unable to prevent the use of magical powers."
"However, the teaching of magical powers requires the payment of one's lifespan."
“So to this day, the inheritance of magical powers has almost been cut off.”
“In ancient times, there was a magical power called Daoxinzhongmo, which could control millions of lives with a single word. There was also a magical power that could change into thousands of forms, and could turn into a dragon in the clouds, turn into a dragon in the sea, and control everything.”
"There is another way to divide the self into many."
At this point, Fang Shuyue paused and said, "The previous Taoist master, Lin Kuang, mastered this magical power - the incarnation outside the body!"
This time, Ji Qingzhi's silence was even more obvious.
Fang Shuyue felt a little depressed when he didn't get a response.
He came to Taiping Township this time with only one purpose, which was to make Ji Qingzhi believe his words and enter the Spring and Autumn Tomb.
Now it seems that it is not that simple.
Fang Shuyue took a deep breath and began to explain.
“Originally, given the friendship between our Fang family and the Lin family, Lin Kuang has already agreed to pass on his magical powers to the Fang family.”
"But who knows..."
"Then Lin Kuang suddenly went to the capital of Daqing alone to assassinate the tyrannical and incompetent Emperor Wenchang."
"As for the result, it was naturally a failure... Lin Kuang was too arrogant. If it was really that easy, how could he have gotten his turn?"
"In short, everyone thought he was dead. Not to mention our Fang family, even the Lin family didn't have time to obtain magical powers."
"Until recently, Lin Kuang suddenly appeared on the Fang family's ship, hoping to use the Fang family's contact channels to return to the Lin family."
"Given the friendship between the three ancient clans, borrowing the ship is just a small matter."
"But after thinking it over again and again, I feel that there is something seriously wrong here."
"You know, with his status as a Taoist master, he is undoubtedly imprisoned in the Imperial Prison."
"So far, there has never been an example of someone escaping from the Imperial Prison in the entire world."
"Not to mention, he's been locked up for more than twenty years... If there was a way to escape, why would he wait so long?"
"If we allow him to return to the Lin family, the consequences will be disastrous."
"So, I invited him to visit the Spring and Autumn Tomb... At least, the Fang family could be on guard."
Fang Shuyue's words sounded high-sounding and righteous.
The whole process of the incident went from the Fang family coveting supernatural powers to taking the initiative to consider the Lin family.
At this time, Ji Qingzhi finally spoke, but his tone was a little strange: "What do you think is wrong with this Lin Kuang?"
"Submit to the imperial court, or rather, to Emperor Yongtai."
Fang Shuyue replied, "Emperor Yongtai wants to use Lin Kuang as a branch of the Lin family to gradually infiltrate the main lineage, and then exert influence on all Taiping Dao factions in an attempt to completely disintegrate them... However, this is just my initial idea."
"At the beginning? What happened later?"
Ji Qingzhi asked again.
"Later, in order to test him, I asked Lin Kuang to fulfill his promise and pass on his magical powers to the Fang family."
Fang Shuyue continued, "If he wanted to conceal his betrayal of the Taiping Dao, he would have agreed immediately to appease our Fang family... However, not long after he verbally agreed, he suddenly died."
"Dead?"
Ji Qingzhi's voice sounded a little surprised.
"It's a fake death."
Fang Shuyue chuckled, "Lin Kuang probably thought he could hide it from us, but unfortunately... after all, he is just a branch of the Lin family. He doesn't know how deep the foundation of the three ancient clans is, so he can easily identify this fake death."
"After discovering that Lin Kuang's death was faked, I thought of another possibility."
"That is, Lin Kuang is not Lin Kuang, but Emperor Yongtai in disguise!"
“I guess Emperor Yongtai used some unknown means to force Lin Kuang to teach him his magical powers.”
"After successfully cultivating his magical powers, Emperor Yongtai killed Lin Kuang and used the Wuxiang Yi to disguise his clone into Lin Kuang's appearance."
At this point, Fang Shuyue smiled calmly, "Now, he is pretending to be a member of the Fang family, enjoying the resources of the Fang family, and he doesn't know that we have discovered his true identity."
"you mean……"
Ji Qingzhi pondered for a moment and asked, "Let Taiping Township work with your Fang family to deal with this Fang family member who might be the incarnation of Emperor Yongtai?"
"That's right."
Fang Shuyue nodded. "As long as we can capture him, the magical powers and the royal secrets will be within our reach... After all, he is Emperor Qing. His past experiences will make him more afraid of threats than ordinary people."
"What you said makes sense, but I don't quite understand it."
Ji Qingzhi knocked on the armrest of the throne. "In my opinion, the Fang family has no need to share this matter with anyone... let alone with me."
It turns out that it’s not that easy to be fooled.
Fang Shuyue cursed inwardly and continued, "You are right. The most reasonable thing for the Fang family to do is to conceal this matter and take all the benefits for themselves. But the problem is, that is Emperor Qing."
"Although he is alone, as long as there is even a slight possibility that he is the emperor of Daqing, we must not limit our judgment of strength based on sheer numbers."
"Over the long years, most of the time, the emperor of Daqing liked to move around."
"My Taiping Dao group has attempted to assassinate Emperor Qing countless times, but without exception, they all ended in failure."
"The most tragic one was when a person at the peak of the Golden Body Realm, a person at the peak of the Dharma Realm, and more than ten kinds of Dao surrounded and killed Emperor Qing alone."
"In the end, Emperor Qing returned to the capital alive and well, but none of us survived."
"Yes..."
Fang Shuyue suddenly paused and said, "This incident happened after the establishment of the Taiping Dao. You should have records of it."
"Well, it seems that there is..."
Ji Qingzhi thought for a moment, "The Emperor Wankang who loves to travel incognito and sightsee?"
"Yes, that's it."
Fang Shuyue gave an affirmative answer, and then continued: "As for why we are looking for you to cooperate with instead of the Lin and Zheng families who are also ancient clans... The three ancient clans have been together for so many years, not because they are truly of one mind, but because they have no chance to kill each other."
"You're worried that the Lam and Carrie families will harm each other... No, that's not right."
Ji Qingzhi said halfway, his tone suddenly became a little playful: "You want the Fang family to gain magical powers and become more powerful, and destroy the Lam and Zheng families."
"As expected of you, the Taoist master."
Fang Shuyue smiled and did not deny it.
"But there is one more thing."
Ji Qingzhi continued, "How are you going to make me believe that the Fang family shared their magical powers with me afterwards, instead of crossing the river and destroying the bridge and attacking me instead?"
"I am willing to swear on the Tao seed."
Fang Shuyue's face became serious, "The Daozhong of the Ancient Clan leader swore an oath, so he should be worthy of your trust."
For the sake of the family's interests, he has given it his all.
So what if the Tao seeds are covered in dust?
Even if the Tao Seed collapses, it is better than the family being torn apart and the people being killed.
However.
Ji Qingzhi chuckled, "Dao Zhong, there's no need for you to swear an oath. I believe you."
"?"
Fang Shuyue was confused.
Is this true or false?
Do you believe it now?
"You don't have to doubt it."
Ji Qingzhi waved his hand, "Do you remember the words of the founding of the Taiping Dao?"
Words of establishing the Tao?
Fang Shuyue curled the corner of his mouth, thinking that this was another guy influenced by the first generation Taoist master.
So he said without hesitation: "Of course I remember, there is peace and order in the world, and there is no suffering..."
When these eight words "Peace and justice, no suffering in heaven and earth" were completely spoken, the expression on Fang Shuyue's face became dull at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"How foolish."
Ji Qingzhi shook his head contemptuously and said, "Kneel down."
——Plop!
The patriarch of an ancient clan, the person with the highest seniority and status in the Fang family, just knelt down straight.
Next, it’s a question and answer session.
Ji Qingzhi asked, and Fang Shuyue answered.
"Why did you come to Taiping Township?"
"Lure Ji Qingzhi into the Spring and Autumn Tomb."
"It is indeed the case... What is your purpose in dealing with Ji Qingzhi?"
"Seize Baicao Garden and replace the dying Chunqiu Tomb."
"How did you know that Lin Kuang had mastered the magical power?"
"Lin Kuang went to find the Shangfang family's ship, and then..."
Following Fang Shuyue's explanation, Ji Qingzhi gradually began to take it seriously.
He originally thought that Lin Kuang and the clone of Emperor Yongtai were all fabricated by Fang Shuyue based on the Fang family's records of supernatural powers, just to deceive him.
I never expected that Lin Kuang would really show up.
"Tell me the whole story in detail."
Ji Qing gave the order.
"Lin Kuang is imprisoned in a pavilion on the mountainside, blocked by a lightning net controlled by Fang Lezhong..."
Fang Shuyue began to narrate everything in detail.
After a long time.
Ji Qingzhi shouted to the outside world: "Qingwu."
A middle-aged man in black came in and bowed at the steps: "I am here."
"Later, you will go back to the Spring and Autumn Tomb with him and spread the demon seeds to every member of the Fang family."
Ji Qingzhi ordered, "Then... wait for an opportunity to lure them!"
His tone suddenly changed at this moment, full of cruelty, tyranny, and madness.
It can be said that it is countless times more chaotic than when Xu Chong was in the ninth level of cleansing and was haunted by his inner demons.
"I obey your orders."
The middle-aged man in black nodded, and without waiting for Ji Qingzhi to speak again, he floated away.
Ji Qingzhi looked at Fang Shuyue and said, "Stand up."
Fang Shuyue stood up obediently.
"When there is peace and order, there is no suffering in heaven and earth."
This time it was Ji Qingzhi who said it.
As soon as the eight words fell, Fang Shuyue's expression suddenly changed and returned to the state before he was controlled.
And the memory just now seemed to be completely erased from his mind.
"Since you have agreed, gather your men immediately and follow me to the Spring and Autumn Tomb."
Fang Shuyue said naturally.
"I promised, but I didn't say now."
Ji Qingzhi said calmly, "I will arrange for someone I can trust to go back with you."
"I can trust it..."
Fang Shuyue frowned and said coldly, "This is too much of a joke. If you are not sincere, just let it go."
In his opinion, as the patriarch of an ancient tribe, he still has to have the proper attitude.
Being too humble may arouse suspicion.
"Why, I even forgave Daozhong for swearing an oath, but you are still fussing about it?"
Ji Qingzhi said meaningfully, "Could it be that you are plotting against me, and not Emperor Yongtai?"
"But the question is, what role can one of your men play?"
Fang Shuyue had a sullen face and was about to walk away.
"Of course not by one subordinate."
Ji Qingzhi shook his head. "I asked him to go to replace Li Xiangxue and continue the previous deal. He only wanted to use up the remaining hundred times of time. When Li Xiangxue comes back, he will naturally explain the situation of the Spring and Autumn Tomb to me... In my opinion, this is more useful than the Dao Seed Oath."
"...This trip back and forth, wasted more than a month?"
Fang Shuyue was still somewhat dissatisfied.
"The clone of Emperor Yongtai has not noticed anything unusual so far... That's what you said."
Ji Qingzhi laughed, "It's only a month or so. I believe the Fang family can still hold on."
"Is that so..."
Fang Shuyue remembered what Fang Manxia had said to him.
"Lin Kuang's roar before his death was most likely heard by Li Xiangxue..."
When he first said this, Fang Lezhong had not yet reported the matter to Emperor Yongtai.
He and Fang Manxia's consideration was to delay Li Xiangxue's departure from Chunqiu Tomb to prevent Lin Kuang's affairs from being leaked.
But now.
It seems like it can be used to reassure Ji Qingzhi?
Thinking of this, Fang Shuyue nodded, "In that case, I will ask the side branch to send someone over. When you decide to go to the Spring and Autumn Tomb, you can ask him to notify me."
"If you want to take this opportunity to unite the Zheng and Lin families..."
"Believe me, even if they believe your words, the first partner they will consider is still the Fang family, not you."
Fang Shuyue looked at Ji Qingzhi deeply, then turned and walked out.
Things have come to this point, and he has done everything he can.
Although Ji Qingzhi's attitude was always somewhat ambiguous, since he tried to verify what he said, it meant that he was indeed interested.
Maybe he is not interested in Emperor Yongtai, but in supernatural powers.
Hope you'll take the bait.
Fang Shuyue thought so and left Taiping Township with Qingwu in black.
Ji Qingzhi in the hall was talking to himself.
"Release the felon privately."
"Dou Tianyuan, you are so brave..."
…
…
Capital city.
It's another grand court meeting.
The consequences of Lou Youzhi's indulgence of the prince finally broke out on this day.
"If you have something to report, please submit it. If you have nothing to report, please leave the court."
A voice without any emotion spread out from Tianji Palace.
With these words, everyone felt relieved.
However……
"Your humble servant, I am Hou Rang, the Minister of Personnel! I have a memorial to submit!!"
A tall, thin, middle-aged man with a goatee stepped out and shouted loudly.
"Present it before the Emperor."
Lou Youzhi said indifferently.
Hou Rang held the memorial high in both hands and spoke as he walked:
"Your Highness, I respectfully submit your report!"
"In the eighth year of Yongtai, the sea in Binzhou was boiling..."
As soon as he opened his mouth, the officials' expressions suddenly changed and they all looked over.
In fact, after the secret manipulation of Crown Prince Jiang Xinghe, now almost all officials and common people in Beijing have "remembered" or "learned" about the natural disaster.
But it is impossible for everyone to be Du Qianchuan.
He is stubborn and full of resentment for his deceased wife, and he also has to carry out the mission given by Lou Youzhi.
So much time has passed, and no one has really stood up until now.
The timid don't dare.
The indifferent are disdainful.
Those who keep silent are calculating and planning in secret.
But today, Hou Rang stood up.
"Until the 19th year of Yongtai, the number and duration of vacancies of officials in Yongzhou in Daqing were the highest among the 30 provinces!"
"Then in April, locusts filled the sky..."
"…In the 19th year of Zhengfeng, Daqing had 8.8 million shi of grain in reserve, and Leizhou had a population of 19 million."
"In the 20th year of Zhengfeng, there was a skyfire in Leizhou."
"At the end of the 20th year, the population of Leizhou will be reduced to 12 million, and Daqing's grain reserves... still have 6 million shi!"
From the shoring of officials to the places where natural disasters strike, to the changes in grain reserves in disaster years, to the lack of relief when disasters occur.
These were exactly the same words that Du Qianchuan had said when he first submitted his memorial.
Except for the name of the person who submitted the memorial, there was no change in it and Hou Rang recited it aloud.
"All of the above comes from Du Qianchuan's impeachment of the late emperor. I have the ability to remember it once I heard it, so I am repeating it here."
"Other!"
"Although all the relevant records of the Imperial Observatory, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Revenue have been destroyed, I have checked the local chronicles of thirty provinces and found that they are exactly the same as what is described above, which can serve as evidence!"
"Today! I, Hou Rang, impeach the previous emperors Wenchang, Jingsheng... Zhengfeng, etc. for the crime of plotting to murder the people!"
"I beg your Majesty..."
Hou Rang stood at the entrance of Tianji Hall, just like Du Qianchuan did at the beginning, with his head held high and his chest puffed out, and took a step inside: "Remove his honorific posthumous title, and expel him from the Imperial Ancestral Temple, to comfort the countless innocent souls who died!!!"
It’s true!!!
It really is an impeachment of the late emperor!!!
Those officials who were unaware of the situation were left with cold hands and feet and were at a loss as to what to do.
They knew that this matter, just like the memories of Du Qianchuan that were awakened to them, must be secretly masterminded by someone.
But they don't know what this person wants to do.
Do we really have to force Your Majesty to remove the previous emperors from the Imperial Ancestral Temple? !
The key is.
The previous Du Qianchuan is dead.
What if there is another Hou Rang?
The importance of the Li Ke Jieshi Zhong is even greater than that of Du Qianchuan, right?
A group of officials thought so.
However, they soon realized they were wrong.
Because this time, it’s not just Hou Rang.
"Hahahaha... After all the fussing, it's better to be direct."
The doctor of the Ministry of Rites laughed and stepped out, clasping his fists and bowing: "I second the motion!"
"Someone got there first."
The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War shook his head, stood up with some regret, and also clasped his fists: "I second the motion!"
"I second this motion!"
The Left Secretary of the Dali Temple stepped out.
"I second the motion!"
The Left Councillor of the Ministry of Public Administration stepped out.
In this way, officials came out one after another and loudly seconded the motion.
Hou Rang's eyes were moist as he swept his gaze across the faces of these people one by one.
He did not discuss this matter with anyone; it was a completely spontaneous act.
However, even under this premise, there were still people who followed me and stood up.
There were about forty people in total.
The lowest was a minor official of the ninth rank, and the highest was Shi Zheng, the Left Censor-in-Chief.
"Daqing people, these are the real Daqing people..."
Hou Rang muttered to himself, and the next moment, he shouted at the top of his lungs: "I beg Your Majesty! Remove his honorific posthumous title and expel him from the Imperial Ancestral Temple to comfort the millions of innocent souls who died!!!"
After these words, there was silence in the hall for a long time.
All the officials were waiting for Emperor Qing’s reaction, and Emperor Qing... was waiting for Lou Youzhi’s reaction.
Lou Youzhi's eyes swept across the faces of these people, noting them one by one, then turned around and bowed to the curtain: "I dare not comment on this matter, please let your majesty decide."
What may seem like cowardly excuses may sound extremely tough when heard by smart people.
You know, when Du Qianchuan did this, Lou Youzhi at least asked him to obtain evidence.
This time you don't even mention the evidence, and just let His Majesty make the decision?
What's the meaning?
Directly determine whether the evidence is effective?
The officials' eyes flickered and they kept communicating with each other.
"Lou Youzhi..."
Emperor Yongtai's voice finally came from behind the curtain, "What exactly do you want to do?"
When these words were spoken, all the officials were startled and thought to themselves, as expected!
Sure enough, the person behind the scenes was Prime Minister Lou!
This shouldn't be the only time, right?
Now it seems that the last Du Qianchuan was also the work of Prime Minister Lou.
"Your Majesty has misunderstood."
Lou Youzhi remained calm and said, "I didn't know about this before."
"Is that so..."
Emperor Yongtai did not comment, and said: "If that's the case, then drag them all away, and execute them like Du Qianchuan for treason."
The extremely indifferent tone made everyone feel cold.
Especially Lou Youzhi.
He understood the meaning of this better than anyone else.
You know, this is different from last time.
Last time, it was only Du Qianchuan, and it was Yan Fang who first proposed the crime, so Emperor Yongtai just said "approval".
Although the meaning is the same, the significance is completely different.
This means that Emperor Yongtai no longer has any patience for this matter and has decided to start a massacre.
The crime of treason is punishable by the execution of nine generations of the clan. If it spreads to the clansmen behind more than 40 officials, that would be tens of thousands!
"His Majesty……"
Lou Youzhi clasped his fists and wanted to say more.
But he was interrupted before he could finish his sentence.
"Why, my will is no longer effective?"
Emperor Yongtai said coldly, "The dragon throne is right in front of you, how about you sit on it and I will abdicate the throne to you?"
“…”
Lou Youzhi's expression kept changing. After a while, his back, which was still slightly bent, gradually straightened.
Since Emperor Yongtai could not leave the back hall, he didn't need to worry about so many things.
It's nothing more than changing from a powerful official in secret to a powerful official in the open.
The price is just to bear eternal infamy.
Just memorize it.
Lou Youzhi's expression turned completely cold. "Your Majesty is ill and should not attend to state affairs. The court will be held from today..."
"Father!"
A voice suddenly sounded, interrupting Lou Youzhi's fierce words.
The Crown Prince of Daqing, Jiang Xinghe.