Chapter 29: Aristocratic family? Just a rat! A dying struggle!

The cells in the Tianlao were also divided into different grades, based on the rank of the officials being interrogated by the Court of Justice.

But the treatment is good. It is called a prison, but you can treat it as a luxury inn. Except for the lack of personal freedom, the other treatments are not bad.

No punishment shall be imposed on scholars and officials!

This is the privilege of officials, and maintaining the personal dignity of the scholar-officials is written into the rites and laws of the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, torture is impossible for these people!
There were Jinyiwei monitoring outside Yuan Wei's cell, but people have urgent needs, and somehow this happened so often that it gave someone an opportunity to take advantage of him.

It was during this gap that Yuan Ji met Yuan Wei!

"Uncle, after the incident, I have destroyed all correspondence and sent messages to Benchu ​​(Yuan Shao) and Gonglu (Yuan Shu), as well as the core students and former officials of the Yuan family... What should we do now?"

Yuan Ji reported very quickly.

The power of Yuan's followers is not only huge, but Yuan Ji had already received wind of the news and took action before the Jinyiwei raided the property. Now he even risked his life to come to Tianlao to meet Yuan Wei. He is so courageous!
I guess no one could have imagined that he would take such a risk, and they thought he would hide like a rat crossing the street.

But this is the principle of "darkness under the lamp". The Yuan family can be said to be composed of elite children, who are well versed in the art of war.

Yuan Wei was unharmed, and there was even a pot of top-quality tea on the table. To say that he was in prison was more like being under house arrest.

There was some approval in his eyes. Yuan Ji's performance showed quick wit and courage!

"Take my token immediately, contact Wu Kuang and Niu Fu, and instigate them to revolt. Remember to strike a balance. We are rebelling against His Majesty's stubbornness and trying to make him withdraw his order, not actually plotting to usurp the throne."

"Uncle, didn't the Xiliang army already turn against your majesty in the middle of the battle? Will they surrender and then rebel again?"

Yuan Ji was suddenly a little surprised and confused.

As for Wu Kuang, he was the captain of the fifth infantry battalion of the Northern Army... Now we should say he was the former captain of the infantry. He seemed to be an old subordinate of He Jin, but in fact he had a close relationship with the Yuan family and was also an ambush of the Yuan family.

Today, Wu Kuang's confidants were "pretending to compete for merit" outside Yongmen in order to lead the five generals of the Northern Army to "kill each other". Although he has been dismissed, his former subordinates are still in the five infantry battalions of the Northern Army.

And when He Jin was killed by the eunuchs, Yuan Shao joined forces with Wu Kuang to attack the palace and kill all the eunuchs. At that time, Yuan Shao, or the Yuan family, actually controlled the five schools of the Xiyuan Army + the Northern Army!

Without their consent, how could Dong Zhuo dare to enter the capital? !

"Dong Zhuo's direct subordinates will never betray us. What they have done is a heinous crime that will lead to the confiscation of property and extermination of the clan.

"Especially during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Dong Zhuo deliberately lost the war at my behest, nurturing the enemy and allowing the Yellow Turban rebels to grow stronger. This was a heinous crime that implicated all nine clans!
"This is also the reason why Dong Zhuo's son-in-law Li Ru chose to attach himself to us after Dong Zhuo's death! I am the superior of their superiors! I am also the judge who controls their life and death!
"You are not in the court and don't know the current situation. Today, there have been many unexpected events, and my uncle has fallen into trouble. The generals of the Western Liang Army are just hiding from the limelight because they see the situation is not good!
"Retreat is also a form of progress. This is called retreat in order to advance! Just wait and see. Even without our warning, they will clear their positions, gather their troops and prepare for battle!"

Yuan Wei was somewhat disappointed that Yuan Ji's political awareness was not as good as Yuan Shao's.

But perhaps it was out of habit, or perhaps it was because Yuan Ji was the eldest son and heir, and he taught him by example, hoping that this heir of the Yuan family could grow up quickly!

"Nephew, I understand!!! Listening to your uncle's words is better than reading ten years of books!!!"

Yuan Ji was shocked, and he finally came to his senses!

During the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Lu Zhi, the Northern General, was in charge of the northern Jizhou front and was clearly winning battles one after another. The Yellow Turban leader Zhang Jiao was defeated and retreated to Guangzong with no way out.

Why was Lu Zhi suddenly dismissed from his post and investigated? He was escorted back to the capital in a prisoner car for interrogation? In the end, Dong Zhuo was appointed as the General of the Eastern Army, took over Lu Zhi's military duties, led the brave and combat-savvy Xiliang Army, and still suffered defeat after defeat? !

because--

This is the real purpose of their Yuan family, or the aristocratic family represented by the Yuan family!
They did not want to wipe out the Yellow Turban rebels, but just wanted to use the Yellow Turban rebels' momentum to force the court to delegate military power!

He is nothing more than a pawn in the struggle between the aristocratic families and the imperial power!
They even fanned the flames behind the scenes!

This is a heinous crime that will implicate nine generations of your clan!
Although the Yuan family was the main culprit, Dong Zhuo and his direct subordinates from the Western Liang Army who participated in the war, such as Niu Fu, Li Jue, Guo Si and other generals, were also to blame!

They acted recklessly and Your Majesty was forced to pardon them? Who knows if they will be punished later?

Not to mention the heinous crime of punishing the entire clan, would the Xiliang army be so naive as to side with the imperial power? !
"In addition to the five schools of the Northern Army and the Western Liang Army, the Bingzhou Army can also be used. Lü Bu killed Ding Yuan and then recklessly deposed and enthroned him, which is also an unforgivable crime. Although Lü Bu is a brave general, he forgets his principles when he sees profit, so he can definitely be used.

"Generals Wei Xu, Song Xian, Hou Cheng and others in the Bingzhou army are obviously traitors, and they can be bribed with money and promised benefits...

“In addition, we can contact our Yuan family’s allies to take action, not only militarily, but also politically and economically, to encircle Your Majesty and deal a violent blow to the capital!

"I want to show His Majesty that without me, Yuan Wei, the Han Dynasty will be in a long night!!!
"You're going to execute my entire Yuan family in three days? He dares?!!! At that time, I will ask His Majesty to personally revoke his order and beg for my forgiveness!!!"

Yuan Wei looked at Yuan Ji approvingly, and then told him the whole plan.

In fact, he was caught off guard. He thought that the dethronement and enthronement today was a sure thing, but who knew that he would be overturned in the gutter in the end. He had to teach Yuan Ji by words and deeds in the cell.

Yuan Ji nodded repeatedly. At this moment, the sound of dogs barking was heard outside the prison!

"Wang Wang Wang-"

The barking sound was getting closer and closer. A one-eyed prison warden approached hurriedly: "Sir, the wind is strong, leave as soon as possible!"

Yuan Wei gave Yuan Ji a jade pendant as a token of trust, and Yuan Ji left with Yuan Wei's expectations.

The one-eyed warden took Yuan Ji away, and some jailers hurriedly fastened his chains on him.

Before Yuan Ji left, he looked back and found that Yuan Wei had regained his composure and was drinking tea from the teacup.

Yuan Wei's "remaining calm in the face of major events" gradually calmed Yuan Ji, and he followed the warden and escaped from the cell.

"Wang Wang Wang-"

Not long after they left, the sound of dogs barking rang out in the cell. Soon a black dog came to the outside of Yuan Wei's cell, circled in front of the cell door, wagging its tail and barking wildly at the cell.

"Da da da--"

A captain of the Jinyiwei led five Jinyiwei to approach. They were panting and sweating profusely. It was obvious that they had been following the black dog all the way here without stopping, and they were a little exhausted.

"Who's on duty now?!"

The one-eyed warden had returned and was approaching with his jailers, looking fawning and flattering.

But the captain of the Jinyiwei ignored him and was even a little angry because he did not see the Jinyiwei agent who was supervising him.

In the eyes of the Jinyiwei, only their own family members can be trusted!

"it's me."

A Jinyiwei came running over, holding his stomach. The Jinyiwei captain just took a look and his heart skipped a beat. He said in a deep voice to a Jinyiwei agent behind him:
"Report this to the commander immediately. Something may have happened in the prison!"

"promise!!!"

After the man left, the captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard asked in a deep voice.

The Jinyiwei on duty did not dare to neglect their duties, let alone leave their posts. However, he ordered a jailer to replenish the water source once, which was salt water.

Because of today's battle to depose and enthronize the emperor, the Jinyiwei are exhausted and everyone is injured. Salt water can replenish physical strength and relieve muscle fatigue and injuries.

Then I started having diarrhea.

"big eater!!!"

The captain of the Imperial Guards scolded, "At such a critical moment, you have to keep an eye on Yuan Wei even if you poop in your pants, do you understand?!"

"My subordinate neglected his duty!"

Having said that, the Feiyu Clothes and Embroidered Spring Swords of the Jinyiwei were worth thousands of gold in the Han Dynasty when there was no textile technology or cotton. They would not have been willing to spend money on trousers!
The captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard looked gloomily at Yuan Wei in the cell. He did not act rashly. He just stared at Yuan Wei and protected the scene.

Yuan Wei didn't care much about it and was unaware of it. He just drank his tea.

"Whirl, hurl, hurl—"

Soon Qinglong and Zhuque brought their people to the Heavenly Prison. The Jinyiwei guards hurried forward to greet them and reported everything.

"Why is there only one person monitoring? Isn't there anyone on duty?" Suzaku asked with a frown.

"Reporting to Commander Suzaku, there were originally two people, but the other Jinyiwei Li Si was seriously injured, so Zhang San asked him to take a rest, which led to an accident..."

As he was talking, another Jinyiwei on duty, Li Si, also came over. Zhuque took a look and saw that he had a bandage on his forehead and could smell the blood behind the bandage. It was not difficult to see traces of a bloody battle on his body.

Today, the imperial guards suddenly rose up and fought to the death with the Xiliang army, resulting in heavy casualties. Later, there were many trivial matters to deal with, so there was no time to rest, and there was a serious shortage of manpower, so they went into battle with injuries.

"This matter has nothing to do with Zhang San. It was caused by my exhaustion and sleepiness. Please punish me, commander!" Li Si said.

"Commander, today the Chongde Palace suddenly launched an attack. Li Si fought bloody battles and was seriously injured. I took the initiative to let him rest. I dare not escape the crime and am willing to share the punishment!"

Zhang San also hurriedly confessed his guilt, holding his stomach and looking very anxious.

The Jinyiwei also had humanity. When they saw their colleague was seriously injured, they felt sorry for him and let him rest for a while. However, they gave the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of them.

"We'll talk about this later. You can go down and relieve yourself first." "Thank you very much, Commander." Zhang San was very grateful and staggered away.

Zhuque observed the surroundings of the cell. After Zhang San came back, he asked some more details, but there was no anger in his expression.

In fact, they were not afraid of Yuan Wei escaping from prison.

The evidence of the city gate captain 'Wu Qiong' is, after all, just evidence, and there is a possibility of destroying the evidence. But if Yuan Wei escapes from prison, he will be guilty and expose his weaknesses, and there will be no room for maneuver.

Therefore, they only sent two Jinyiwei to take turns to monitor.

Unexpectedly, Yuan Wei did not escape from prison. Instead, Yuan Ji was so bold that he used the psychological tactic of "the most dangerous place is the safest place" and actually went deep into the Tianlao!

I don't know what the uncle and nephew said? !

Of course, it is still impossible to be sure whether Yuan Ji really came here. After all, the barking of a dog alone is not evidence at all. If it is a false alarm, wouldn’t it be a waste of time and a misunderstanding?
However, Jinyiwei Inspector Zhang San suddenly had diarrhea. Something must be wrong!
While the Jinyiwei were negotiating, Yuan Wei stayed quietly in the cell, drinking tea and reading books, and paid no attention at all, as if he was "turning a deaf ear to the outside world and focusing on reading the books of sages"!
At this time,

However, Zhuque noticed that the chain on Yuan Wei's cell door had been moved.

It was the Jinyiwei who personally escorted Yuan Wei into the Tianlao. The keys to the prison door were in the hands of the Jinyiwei. Zhuque remembered that the ways of chaining were obviously different, one was to the left and the other to the right.

The Jinyiwei on duty would naturally not contact Yuan Wei, so someone opened the prison door? Was it to let Yuan Ji in?

Does this mean that there is actually a backup key?

So many coincidences, it’s not a coincidence!

"Prison warden, open the cell door."

Zhuque suddenly said while observing. The one-eyed prison chief subconsciously wanted to wave his hand, but he quickly came to his senses and smiled flatteringly:
"Angel, the keys are in the hands of the Jinyiwei. I hope you can give me the keys to open the prison door."

Angel, envoy of the emperor!
Suzaku glanced and saw that Qinglong's blade was already at the throat of the one-eyed prison chief, which immediately made his back cold and his hair stand on end. He begged for mercy in fear, his legs went weak and he wanted to kneel down, but he was afraid that the blade would hurt his throat.

Behind the one-eyed warden, the jailers were terrified and trembling with fear.

They wanted to resist, but the pressure of the "imperial privilege" and the "martial arts" of the Jinyiwei made them dare not resist!

It’s okay to let them oppress the good and embezzle!

Zhuque looked at Yuan Wei who was unmoved in the cell, but asked the warden:

"The chain on Yuan Wei's cell door has been moved. Who entered Yuan Wei's cell just now? You only have one chance to report the truth!"

"No, no one has entered! It's unfair!!!"

The one-eyed warden lied without hesitation, and there was nothing unusual in his eyes or expression. For these wardens, who were from all walks of life and lived at the bottom of society, he was so smooth that there was no sign of performance.

Zhuque said coldly: "Yuan Wei is guilty of treason. He is an accomplice for bending the law for personal gain. Behead him!"

Qinglong's blade directly separated the prison head's body, and blood spurted out immediately, spilling all over the prison door.

The jailers immediately howled in fear and knelt on the ground and kowtowed. Thinking that the next body to be dismembered might be their own, many of them were frightened to death!
Perhaps it was because Qinglong was under proper control, the blood fanned out into the cell, splashing a little near Yuan Wei. At this time, Yuan Wei finally put down his book, turned around and looked over, unable to bear it, he said:
"Although you have the special permission of His Majesty, you are so careless about human life and killing innocent people. You are simply disregarding the law. It is because of you treacherous flatterers that His Majesty was deceived, resulting in loyal ministers being imprisoned and treacherous officials running rampant!"

"What time is it now?"

Suzaku smiled but did not answer, instead he asked.

A Jinyiwei reported: "Commander-in-chief, it is three quarters past midnight! (Around eleven o'clock at night)"

"Master, you are so elegant. You are still drinking tea at this hour? I'm afraid you don't want to sleep tonight?"

Yuan Wei's eyes fluctuated slightly, but Zhuque ignored him and looked at the jailer with a gentle smile but a stern tone:
"I still say the same thing. I'm only giving you one chance to tell the truth! Who entered Yuan Wei's cell just now?"

The jailers begged for mercy in fear and trepidation, but there was struggle in the eyes of some of them, which could not be hidden from Suzaku's observation ability.

Zhuque then sneered and said, "Oh, right! I forgot you have a family. Someone come here!"

It was like the last straw that broke the camel's back!
"I, I said..."

Immediately, some of the jailers were unable to hold back. They were not assassins, but were just taking money to help others get rid of disasters. "But we don't know him, only the warden knows him."

"Bring me Yuan Ji's portrait."

It happened that the Jinyiwei had drawn a picture to hunt down Yuan Ji and other members of the Yuan family. When the picture was brought out, the jailers immediately revealed everything.

"It's him! It's him!! It's him!!!"

"..."

Zhuque looked at Yuan Wei and asked with a smile:

"Master, are you in jail? Or are you hiding behind the scenes and giving orders remotely?
"Just like you ordered Dong Zhuo to depose and enthrone the emperor? Just like you insisted on deposing and enthrone the emperor after Dong Zhuo's death? Just like you ordered the city gate captain Wu Qiong to stop the five schools of the Northern Army from coming to rescue the emperor? Just like you secretly instigated the rebels in the five schools of the Northern Army to throw them into disarray?
"You, Yuan Wei, have the nerve to call yourself a 'loyal minister'? I think you are worse than this dog, right?!"

"Wang Wang Wang-"

The little black dog seemed to express its dissatisfaction and started barking. The dog-faced dog ignored Yuan Wei in the cell, then came to the Suzaku, wagging its tail, and circled around, trying to please him.

A complete bootlicker!
Yuan Wei's expression finally turned gloomy!
Zhuque looked at him, but said with a smile: "There is a curfew tonight, and the Xuanjia Army is on guard and patrolling. Yuan Ji left in a hurry, so there is no way he didn't leave any clues. Keep tracking him down!"

"promise!!!"

The Jinyiwei took the little black dog away, and the dog still barked at Zhuque with reluctance. Unfortunately, Zhuque looked at Yuan Wei with a smile on his face and ignored the dog's flattery.

Yuan Wei also looked at Suzaku coldly!

This is a stare-eye contact and also a confrontation!
Finally, Suzaku and Qinglong turned and left.

"Send me more people to keep an eye on Yuan Wei all the time. Don't let even a fly get in!"

"promise!!!"

The Embroidered Uniform Guards received the order and decided to keep a constant eye on Yuan Wei for 24 hours for the next three days.

Yuan Wei also withdrew his gaze, picked up the book and continued reading, but he just couldn't concentrate!

Suzaku's performance made him see his wisdom!
Qinglong's performance made him see his martial arts skills!
The performance of the Jinyiwei showed him that they were loyal to their duties!

Yuan Wei was puzzled. How could Liu Bian, the Han emperor who was just a puppet and was under house arrest in the palace, cultivate and support such a force? !

To be honest, if Yuan Wei had known that Liu Bian had such a hidden weapon, or even knew that Liu Bian was not as timid as he appeared, he would not have ignored the Han emperor but would have gone all out!

Yuan Wei will not underestimate any opponent!
But who would have thought?
Emperor Shaodi Liu Bian, who had been on the throne for only four months, was like a child under the rule of Empress Dowager He, cried when he saw the Xiliang Army, and was like a puppet after Dong Zhuo took over the capital...

He turned out to be the real mastermind? !
What kind of acting is this?! Even an old fox who has been pretending to be a man in the government for decades was fooled?!

What kind of means and ability is this? ! Can such a terrifying force be supported in secret? !
How to recruit people?!
Where do the food and supplies come from? !

Think of Cao Zhengchun who defeated Lu Bu, and think of Qin Qiong and the Black Armor Army who defeated Li Jue and the Flying Bear Army...

That fully armed "Armored Cavalry"!
The Han Dynasty, with an empty treasury and insufficient taxes, cannot even train one!
How did Emperor Shao Liu Bian support and cultivate him? !

Do they live on wind and dew?! Do they bring their own dry food?!

Yuan Wei’s heart was no longer calm!
Because of the unknown, he capsized in the gutter when he was performing the dethronement and enthronement ceremony!
Because of the unknown, he has always been targeting Empress Dowager He behind Liu Bian, but ignored the real opponent!
Because of the unknown, he actually felt a sense of panic and awe towards Liu Bian!

Is there really no problem with my command and planning for Yuan Ji just now? ! Can Yuan Ji successfully form alliances? !
"No!!! It must be possible!!!"

Perhaps Yuan Wei was comforting himself, or perhaps they could no longer bear the failure, and his eyes gradually changed from unknown and awe to determination:

"My Yuan family has three officials in four generations, and our students and former officials are all over the world! My Yuan family is the leader of the aristocratic family and a model for civil officials. Don't they know that the rabbit dies and the fox mourns?!

"This is not a confrontation between my Yuan family and Your Majesty!!! This is a confrontation between the aristocratic family and the imperial power!!! This is a confrontation concerning the survival of the family!!!

"I am not fighting alone. I have groups of like-minded people fighting side by side. I am not alone!!! We will win!!!"

The light from the candlelight illuminated Yuan Wei's hideous face!
dong dong dong-

The night watchman's voice echoed: "It's dry, be careful with fire!"

It’s midnight, twelve o’clock in the morning!
In the Deyang Palace, under the light of candles, Liu Bian, who had closed his eyes to rest, suddenly opened his eyes, revealing his sharp edge!!!
"Ding dong."

"The host has obtained a chance to draw a lottery."

“Will there be a lottery?”

……

(End of this chapter)