Chapter 313: Catching Spies (4)

"However, all my sons are so outstanding; it's really a headache to think about who should inherit the position of Grand Historian."

Having too many excellent sons seemed to be not such a good thing, especially when your things could only be passed on to one person.

The Premier did not speak, he just smiled slightly. He was well aware that the sons of the Grand Historian's family were all quite remarkable. After thinking about it, the Premier said, "Why not pass it on to the eldest son first, then instruct him not to marry or have children, and pass it on to the second eldest, and so on, until it reaches your youngest son?"

The position of Grand Historian was hereditary, and theoretically, it could be passed to a younger brother before the older one. However, there were exceptions. When the Grand Historian had no direct heirs, it was permissible for a brother to inherit the position. If there were no brothers either, then they could only elect a new Grand Historian.

"F*ck your mother!"

Du Qian's face darkened, expressing strong disdain for the Premier's suggestion.

With a black face, he asked, "Are you going back or not?"

The Premier shook his head, "Tired. There's no point going back to listen to them cursing."

Du Qian did not say anything, just left with a dark expression, forcefully closing the door behind him.

The Premier looked towards the closed door and smiled.

Then he turned around and re-entered the room.

A man in a blue robe was waiting for him here.

The Premier glanced at him without saying a word.

"If I remember correctly, you should have entered the court during the Zhi Ling era."

The man in the blue robe spoke, "The last year of Lingzong, a full eighteen years, it cultivated many pillars of the present-day Great Liang Dynasty."

During the final years of Emperor Lingzong's reign, he was particularly concerned with grooming talents. Originally, these were supposed to be the most valuable assets he would leave behind for the deceased Crown Prince. However, with the premature death of the Crown Prince, these assets became the inheritance of the deposed emperor. If it were not for that decisive battle, with these outstanding ministers, even if the deposed emperor was unable to stand firm against the foreign cultivators and the demon race, it would still have created a prosperous era for Great Liang.

However, the final outcome was often unexpected.

The Great Liang Emperor rose to power and won that war. The imperial city was set on fire, and a large number of court officials refused to submit. As a result, many people died in their homes, and in front of the Heavenly Dedication Hall, countless court officials were killed on the jade stone steps, staining the vast expanse of jade with blood, taking a considerable amount of time to clean up.

At that time, most people in the court felt that even if the Great Liang Emperor ascended the throne, he would be helpless when facing this world. After all, governing the world was not solely reliant on the generals under his command.

However, no one could have anticipated that the Great Liang Emperor, by relying on those court officials who submitted, and then promoting some previously neglected and disgraced ministers, forcefully persisted until the first imperial examination during the Tianjian Year. Subsequently, a new generation of talented officials emerged like bamboo shoots after the rain, quickly supporting this vast dynasty.

The Premier before him was one of those disgraced ministers.

Looking at the man in the blue robes who remained unchanged for so many years, the Premier sighed emotionally and said, "Lord Song, the last time we met was probably during the court session convened by Emperor Lingzong, where he announced the appointment of that emperor as the imperial heir?"

The man in the blue robe remained silent, he just looked at the Premier indifferently.

The Premier sighed, "At that time, you were at the height of your power, Your Excellency, while this old man was just an idle official. How could Your Excellency remember me?"

The blue-robed man replied, "Time and fate. If there hadn't been that sudden turn of events, perhaps you would have been an idle official for your entire life. How could you have risen to become the foremost among the civil officials?"

After a moment of silence, the Premier shook his head, saying, "Your Excellency, why don't you believe in the idea that all that is gold will shine?

The blue-robed man shook his head, "You're naturally a capable person, but among the many talents back then, how many do you think were stronger than you?"

The Premier understood what this man meant, so he fell silent.

The blue-robed man continued, "Self-awareness is a good thing, but I wonder if you also cherish the grace of Emperor Lingzong."

"The current Emperor is also Emperor Lingzong's son."

The Premier sighed, his words left unfinished, but in reality, he conveyed his attitude.

"Uncle killing his nephew, such an act, he's unworthy to be Emperor Lingzong's son, unworthy of the imperial bloodline!" The blue-robed man looked at the Premier, speaking calmly.

The Premier inquired, "This old man is already occupying the position of premier, even if I help you, what can I get?"

In this world, everything might change, but the unchanging factor was the word 'interest.'

The blue-robed man said something.

The Premier chuckled self-deprecatingly, "It's indeed difficult to refuse."

The blue-robed man awaited the Premier's response.

The Premier continued, "Lord Song, I have another question."

The blue-robed man raised an eyebrow.

"If His Majesty has already passed away, I presume that His Majesty's descendants won't be able to ascend the throne either. Then, after overthrowing His Majesty, is Lord Song planning to sit on the throne?"

The Premier was talking about how there were no surviving heirs of the deposed emperor.

The blue-robed man frowned and said, "How do you know that the deceased Crown Prince doesn't have any surviving heirs?"

......

......

Having received the list, Chen Chao did not hesitate and quickly returned to the Left Guard's office. While he needed to organize the task of capturing people, he did not necessarily have to personally carry out the operation.

Weng Quan held the list. After taking a few glances, he became nervous and asked quietly, "Commander Chen, are the names on this list all truly spies?.

Chen Chao glanced at him and said, "I don't know. Anyway, if one of them isn't, and we happen to make a mistake, it'll be troublesome."

Weng Quan felt somewhat troubled and then became rather anxious. Hence, he could not resist cussing, "Damn it, all the names on this list are officials from leisurely government offices, and several of them are great scholars. If we make a mistake and catch the wrong person, wouldn't the entire Divine Capital fall into chaos?!"

Chen Chao replied, "Indeed, that's the case. However, I trust the person who gave me the list."

"It's precisely because people like them are hard to be discovered as spies. So, I guess finding evidence in their mansions should be easy, and there shouldn't be any trouble."

Chen Chao looked at Weng Quan with some sympathy and said, "But obviously, you'll encounter troublesome situations."

Weng Quan was puzzled and did not understand the meaning behind this.

Chen Chao said, "Some people we can't deal with directly, and we can't touch them either. You don't have a way with words, so you're definitely going to suffer."

Weng Quan felt even more confused, looking at Chen Chao with a mournful face, "Commander Chen, you clearly know that this subordinate didn't receive an education, yet you treat me like this?"

Chen Chao snorted coldly, "Saying it like I've received an education before!"

After saying this, Chen Chao left the Left Guard's office with large strides.

Weng Quan helplessly called over a Left Guard official and said, "Start by investigating Scholar Xie's residence."

The official was stunned and immediately asked, "That Scholar Xie?"

Weng Quan cursed, "How could it be that Scholar Xie? It's the other one!"

The conversation between the two was somewhat confusing, but the official breathed a sigh of relief. However, he immediately said worriedly, "That Scholar Xie is also very troublesome. He studied in the academy before, and I heard that the Dean praised him highly. If something goes wrong, it might be hard to clean up the mess."

In the Great Liang Dynasty, there were two Scholar Xie. One naturally belonged to the Xie Family, just by having the Xie Family behind him, it would be difficult to touch him. Given the current situation, dragging the Xie Family into this could bring even more trouble.

Even if the other one had no relation to the Xie Family, he was still one of the prominent scholars in the court; highly respected and esteemed. In his earlier years, he had studied at the academy, and now, many of his close friends were teaching in the academy, with many of his students in the court.

Weng Quan frowned and said, "This is not a discussion; it's the Commander's order."

The official smiled bitterly and wanted to say something, but seeing Weng Quan's expression, he could only lower his head and comply.

"What are you afraid of? I'll go with you. If something really happens, we'll die together."

Weng Quan sighed, thinking that in the past, he would not have been involved in such matters. It was only because he was now regarded as Chen Chao's confidant in the Left Guard that he found himself in this predicament. Being considered a confidant was giving him a headache.

......

......

The officials from the Left Guard quickly barged into a small house in the west of the city. This area was not bustling and, naturally, not expensive either. However, the owner of the house did not choose this location because of its affordable land prices. Scholars enjoyed tranquility, and that was the reason on the surface.

However, most of the officials from the Left Guard were uneducated and boorish people. Without any hesitation, they arrived at the front door and kicked it open the wooden door.

Following the shattered wood splinters and the loud noise, the officials from the Left Guard entered the small courtyard through the broken door and the snow.

The elderly man who was currently reading a book while warming himself by the fire under the eaves, suddenly stood up. He looked at the menacing officials from the Left Guard and said angrily, "What are you trying to do?!"

The old man wore a thick cotton coat. As he stood up, many sparks appeared instantly in front of him. Some fell onto his graying beard, creating a slightly burnt smell.

This thin and elderly man was none other than the great scholar in the court, Scholar Xie.

Weng Quan walked in, looking at this Scholar Xie who had considerable prestige in court. After a moment of silence, he said softly, "Search!"

His voice was not loud but unusually firm.

The officials received the order and began to rush towards the small number of houses.

When he saw this scene, how could Scholar Xie not understand what was happening? He looked at Weng Quan with even more anger and demanded, "Who are you? Has the Left Guard become so lawless now?!"

Weng Quan ignored him, maintaining a cold expression. In reality, even if he felt uneasy. if they did not find evidence later, he would probably have to bear more than just the wrath of Scholar Xie.

Scholar Xie held a high reputation in the court. Even the Premier treated him with respect and spoke to him in an amiable manner. However, this group of people before him stormed in and began searching his residence in silence. This naturally angered Scholar Xie. Seeing Weng Quan remaining silent, he pointed at him and angrily cursed, "You uncultured martial artists!"

Hearing these words, Weng Quan's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. He inexplicably thought of the verbal battle between Chen Chao and the academy students at the South Lake.

At this moment, Weng Quan wanted to say something.

But before he could speak, Scholar Xie's thin body, somehow fell onto the snow.

His face still bore an expression of extreme anger.

But those pair of eyes no longer had any light.

He was dead.

His vitality had faded away and he could not be saved anymore.

Weng Quan's expression became exceptionally ugly, and the officials who were still searching also halted their actions.

No one had anticipated such an outcome before they came.

Soon, a woman rushed out of the house. Seeing this scene, she instantly screamed, tears pouring down like rain.

"Father!"

As the woman cried out, two young children also ran out. They were Scholar Xie's two grandsons.

The courtyard suddenly became chaotic.

Before Weng Quan could react, the commotion outside grew even louder.

The events in this courtyard not only disturbed the snowstorm but also stirred up the entire Divine Capital.