“Your Highness, rest assured, I will dispatch someone to inform Grand Commandant Liang immediately!”
Under Madam Zhu’s appeasement, Crown Prince Zhao Huan finally calmed down.
When he walked out of the Eastern Palace again, although he still looked very flustered, at least he could now speak in complete sentences.
At this moment, he truly hated Tang Ke to death. How could such a thing be sent to him?
However, with things having reached this point, no matter how much he regretted it, he could only brace himself and go through with it.
***
“Master, the Crown Prince and Grand Commandant Liang have both entered the palace!”
While Han Mo and Yuan Xingchi were chatting, the coachman quietly entered and said in a low voice.
“Guess what our Minister Tang is thinking right now?”
Upon hearing this news, Han Mo couldn’t help but ask with a smile.
“I don’t know what Minister Tang is thinking, but I guess the Crown Prince probably wishes he could bite him to death right now!”
Yuan Xingchi also couldn’t help but laugh.
“Finally, a breath of fresh air. That old fellow truly showed no regard for our past favors!”
Speaking of this matter, Han Mo let out a cold sneer.
If it hadn't been for his idea, Tang Ke would have probably had to wait until the next life to secure the position of Transportation Commissioner of Hebei Circuit.
Yet, after arriving in Hebei, not only did this fellow have no intention of getting along peacefully with Xu Churen and the others, but he also made things difficult for Han Mo at every turn.
He even resorted to assassination to deal with Han Mo.
“I really want to have a chat with that Lord Fan, but it’s a shame I can’t get out right now!”
Tang Ke’s affairs were merely a minor interlude for Han Mo.
Since he could already predict the outcome, he had lost much interest in this matter.
With Liang Shicheng present, the Crown Prince's position should still be secure. However, the influence the Crown Prince had painstakingly cultivated in recent times would likely vanish into thin air.
Compared to watching their misfortunes, Han Mo was more eager to have a proper conversation with Fan Zhengguo.
“Why should you be in a hurry, Master? Since this Lord Tang is about to be finished, this task will ultimately fall to you!”
After Tang Ke’s downfall, someone would definitely have to clean up his mess. After all, the imperial army had already been dispatched and was on its way.
Provisions before troops; with the current prices in Bianliang city, it would be a ghost who dared to take on this task!
“Then, according to you, my false accusation will soon be cleared?”
Although both Cai You and Wang Fu were unwilling to let Han Mo off the hook so easily, thus allowing Li Bangyan to escape unscathed, if the Emperor directly expressed his stance, given their intelligence, they would certainly not continue to dwell on this matter.
Of course, if such a situation occurred under any other emperor of the Northern Song dynasty, the emperor’s expressed stance would likely be rebuffed by the chancellors.
This was because those chancellors never took official positions lightly.
However, Wang Fu and Cai You were different. They were at most sycophants.
Of course, if they insisted, this matter could indeed drag on for a long time, even up to a year or two.
After all, this was within the purview of the chancellors, and even the Emperor could not interfere.
But the problem was, while the Emperor could not resolve the problem, he could remove the person who raised the problem.
The Emperor indeed had no way to interfere with the chancellors’ authority, but he could decide whether a chancellor stayed or went.
Both Yuan Xingchi and Han Mo understood this, so neither of them took Han Mo’s current legal case seriously.
“I’m starting to get curious, I wonder what pretext the Emperor and Grand Commandant Liang will use to send this task to you, Master?”
As one of them spoke, Yuan Xingchi suddenly looked at Han Mo with curiosity.
“Pretext? Does such a thing require a pretext? If I’m not mistaken, Prince Xin will be arriving in the capital soon!”
“So soon?”
Yuan Xingchi couldn’t help but frown.
“The situation is urgent, and the Emperor can no longer delay. However, after this battle, the court will likely erupt in conflict again…”
As Han Mo spoke, he couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
With Shi Dao personally leading the troops, coupled with a current prince handling local affairs, winning this battle was a certainty.
Once this battle concluded, Prince Xin would become another strong contender for the position of Crown Prince in the Song Dynasty’s officialdom, following Prince Yun.
At that time, the original struggle for succession between two princes would escalate into a three-way melee.
This also meant that from then on, the close relationship between the Crown Prince and Prince Xin would be completely over.
And it would depend on their own efforts to borrow Liang Shicheng’s connections from then on.
At the very least, until they could completely suppress Prince Yun, Liang Shicheng would not allow any danger to befall the Crown Prince.
“Only in troubled times do heroes emerge. If the court isn't in turmoil, where will there be so many positions for Prince Xin?”
As Yuan Xingchi spoke, he reached out and poured Han Mo a cup of tea.
“You are quite optimistic, Master. I probably won’t be staying in Liangcheng for much longer. I estimate that in about a month, I will be heading southeast. I will have to trouble you with matters in Bianliang city!”
“Yuan Xingchi is honored to serve Master!”
Hearing Han Mo’s words, Yuan Xingchi also smiled and raised the teacup in front of him.
Both Han Mo and Yuan Xingchi understood that their grand strategy, at this point, had reached a bottleneck in Bianliang city. To find a way to break through, they had to go to the southeast.
***
“Thank you, Grand Tutor, for your protection. Zhao Huan will never forget this kindness!”
Having finally emerged from the imperial palace, Zhao Huan felt his legs were somewhat weak.
“Your Highness should act with more caution. However, the position of Minister of Revenue is likely one that Your Highness will no longer have a chance to touch from now on…”
Looking at Tang Ke, who was like a walking corpse, Liang Shicheng said meaningfully.
“Grand Commandant’s teachings are correct…”
Although the Emperor had only removed Tang Ke from his position as Minister of Revenue, kicking him out of Bianliang city and transferring him to become the prefect of Haozhou, both Liang Shicheng and Zhao Huan understood that his position as prefect of Haozhou was merely a stop on the road of demotion. It was likely that this position would be further demoted before long…