Conspiracy Part II

After thinking everything through, Lu Gaosheng sat down, tapping his fingertips on the table, and began to ponder the undercurrents currently surging in the royal court.

Lu Gaosheng said, "Now when I think about it again, those big granaries in the south had long become empty shells. The high-ranking officials in the royal court were afraid of not knowing about this.

It seems this is also why when the grain was seized from Hanwu Commandery, the court only went to the south to collect grain after the situation had developed to this stage. However, Right Chancellor Tang Li personally took action, and took so much grain in one go!"

It was known that those southern aristocratic families, with generations of honor and influence, had complex networks of power. Even though Tang Li was born in a prestigious family and was hailed as the leader of the scholar-officials, to ask those families to prepare over 200,000 shi of grain, such a huge amount, would be very difficult even for Tang Li.

Yet the reality was, the prominent scholar-official families of the south had readily taken the order.

Did Tang Li really have that much influence?

Lu Gaosheng thought that, as Tang Li had said, there must have been great costs paid in secret behind the scenes for this incident, even though on the surface it was Tang Li rallying everyone with one call.

"Tang Li should have also noticed something. If he really wanted to help the commoners of Hanwu Commandery that much, he would have went to collect grain earlier. In my opinion, what he truly wants is to help Wang Juebu Bai. That's the truth," said Lu Gaosheng coldly.

By helping Wang Juebu Bai, Tang Li could suppress Song YanShi’s power, so that Tang Li as the Right Chancellor could continue contending equally with Song YanShi in the court. Therefore, even if Wang Juebu Bai was not of Tang Li’s faction, Tang Li still had no choice but to save him.

The more Li Xing thought about this, the more he felt Lu Gaosheng’s words were right. According to Lu Gaosheng’s explanation, everything that had happened recently now had reasonable explanations.

Lu Gaosheng had told him before:

Interests are the best mirror that can reflect every truth clearly.

Li Xing looked at the letter on the table from Song YanShi, and said, "The reason why Song YanShi sent this letter was definitely that he wanted to make trouble with this batch of grain. If the first batch of relief grain in Hanwu Commandery was lost..."

Could it be that he wanted to thoroughly incite the commoners of Hanwu Commandery to revolt!?"

Lu Gaosheng smiled and said, "That's right, Song YanShi now has no choice but to make his move. Think about it, if Wang Jue really gets through this crisis, with Wang Jue’s military power, even if he can’t find solid evidence, he can still find clues. By that time, Wang Jue would either confront Song YanShi with full force or completely join Tang Li’s camp!"

"So Song YanShi must make Wang Jue fail. And with Song YanShi’s ruthless personality, I'm afraid that he does not have much hope that the allied forces of the Five Kingdoms can defeat Wang Jue's grain-sufficient army. If it was me, I would also definitely use this cruelest and most decisive move."

He didn’t even need 500,000 commoners to revolt. As long as several ten thousand, or even 100 thousand people really charged out of the north passes and caused trouble in the rear of Wang Jue’s defense forces, looting grain...

At this moment, Lu Gaosheng could even guess Song YanShi’s thoughts:

No matter how well you can fight, Wang Jue, and how superior your military strategies are, so what? In this kind of battle situation, once the rear descends into chaos, even if Bai ShiXuan came back to life, defeat would still be inevitable!

By that time, with the commoners revolting and the army defeated and land lost, you would have to bear this crime whether you want to or not!

Li Xing also thought of these scenarios, but he turned his thoughts and noticed something amiss. He asked, "But sir, do the commoners of Hanwu Commandery really have such courage?"

Lu Gaosheng retorted with a question. "Could it be that you truly believe that after Hanwu Commandery’s grain was seized, within a short few days, while the court had clearly ordered that the news be sealed off, all kinds of rumors were still flying everywhere, and there was even news of people secretly organizing militias reported by several prefects. Can all this happen without anyone making arrangements behind the scenes?"

Li Xing was immediately shocked and suspicious. "Does sir mean..."

Lu Gaosheng said indifferently, "Remember this. Sometimes man-made disasters can be dozens or hundreds of times more sinister than natural disasters!"

Li Xing asked, "Then sir, what should we do now?"

Lu Gaosheng immediately replied, "Go investigate the grain transport team. Find out which general is leading the convoy, how many men are in the team, what their route is. I want every detail crystal clear. However! Remember, all of these are to be reported only to me. As for whether or not I should tell Song YanShi, I need to think more about that."

Li Xing immediately accepted the order and quickly left.

Leaning back in his chair, Lu Gaosheng could roughly understand why both Song YanShi and Tang Li were eyeing Tian Ge Prefecture at this moment.

Because in the fastest few routes from the south to gather and unify grain shipments to Hanwu Commandery, all of them passed through Tian Ge Prefecture.

Otherwise they would have to circle past a few tall mountains, adding at least an extra month of time! But considering Hanwu Commandery’s current circumstances, waiting another month would be too late.

But Tian Ge Prefecture belonged neither to Tang Li’s nor Song YanShi’s spheres of influence. Tian Ge Prefecture’s Prefect in the court had always been an independent old fox, able to spend everyday comfortably by bribing some top officials every year with large amounts of silver.

In normal days it would be carefree, but now storm clouds were gathering above Tian Ge Prefecture.

Blood would probably stain this land for hundreds of li soon.

...

...

Time passed until night time, Lu Gaosheng sat alone in the main hall.

With doors and windows shut, the room felt somewhat stuffy from the heat of the burning stove inside.

When alone, time always passed more slowly than usual.

Lu Gaosheng was planning every possibility regarding the 30 thousand shi of grain, when suddenly in this moment of solitude, that annoying voice actually rang out again in his ears.

"Lu Gaosheng, what are you thinking about?"

"Why did you make Li Xing investigate that 30 thousand shi of grain? What are you trying to do!?"

Lu Gaosheng clutched his forehead, feeling extreme headache. But the voice at his ear made him subconsciously retort, "Lu Qingming, shut up! Do you think you can compare with me, Lu Gaosheng?"

Lu Gaosheng had indeed thought everything through clearly today.

Crisis, sometimes, was also opportunity.

What Lu Gaosheng saw was precisely a possibility for him to personally send Song YanShi to the executioner's blade!

To personally send Song YanShi to the executioner's blade!

When these words floated up in his mind, he couldn't even control the excitement rising up within him anymore.

Because simultaneously appearing along with these words was also an exquisite visage.

Bai Fang.

Back then he'd promised that it would probably take a few more years, until he got promoted again from Prefect to enter the cabinet, before he'd have the chance to fulfill that promise.

But now, that chance had come!

Lu Gaosheng recalled how in the imperial capital back then, Song YanShi had said one sentence to him.

"I do not deny your abundant talents and learning, a top graduate in the three categories of the imperial exam. Indeed you achieved fame and success. But Lu Gaosheng, remember that in front of me, Song YanShi, don't try to show off your cleverness! You were a top graduate, and decades ago I Song YanShi was the same. What I can give you, I can take back anytime I want."

Yet now Lu Gaosheng just gave a cold laugh.

Is that so?

Can take back anytime you want?

Or rather, it'll be me, Lu Gaosheng, taking away all that is yours, including your old life, holding it within the palm of my hand?