His position as Prime Minister was far from secure, and yet these Lin father and son were already digging his grave.
"Why are you shouting so loud? That's my own brother. You can't just stand by and do nothing! You're a Chancellor now, are you really going to watch your own brother-in-law be falsely accused of rebellion and branded a traitor?"
Seeing Li Bangyan's look of disgust, Madam Li could barely contain her frustration.
"You know nothing! Setting fire to the county yamen is tantamount to murder and rebellion, what need is there for an accusation? To brazenly storm into the county yamen and set it ablaze in broad daylight, how am I supposed to save him, how am I supposed to save him!"
Unable to restrain himself any longer, Li Bangyan, no matter how good his temper, exploded in fury.
After years of swallowing his pride, his temper had naturally begun to flare up ever since he became Chancellor not too long ago.
Old grudges and new resentments seemed to erupt all at once.
Hearing him speak like this, Madam Lin truly felt a pang of fear.
"Think of something, just think of something! You can't just stand by! If he really becomes a rebel, then..."
According to the laws of the Great Song, rebellion was punishable by the extermination of the entire family.
"What can be done? What else can be done! The man has been thrown into death row, what other measures can be taken!"
After finishing his words, Li Bangyan slammed the door shut and left.
Even Madam Lin, who had been assertive for most of her life, was now utterly at a loss.
Returning to his study, Li Bangyan gradually began to calm down.
Once calm, Li Bangyan began to ponder, the entire affair, from beginning to end, seemed to exude an unusual aura.
He knew his own brother-in-law's character quite well.
The man might be a bully in the local area, he might oppress the common people, but Li Bangyan absolutely refused to believe he would dare to storm a county yamen and commit acts of rebellion.
However, the news from Neihuang suggested otherwise, and it didn't seem like a fabrication.
After all, it happened in broad daylight. If it wasn't a solid case, the magistrate of Neihuang wouldn't have dared to blow it up so drastically...
"Someone!"
Thinking of this, Li Bangyan frowned and called out towards the outside.
"Master, you called for me?"
Hearing Li Bangyan's summons, the old butler hurried in.
"Immediately take some capable men and rush back to our old home in Xun County tonight. Investigate thoroughly if any strange people have appeared around Da Lang recently."
"Master, are you suspecting..."
"It's just a speculation. I hope my guess is wrong. Investigate carefully, don't let anyone slip through, and especially look into their lodgings and see if they're carrying anything unusual!"
"Unusual things?"
The old butler looked at Li Bangyan with some confusion, unsure what he was referring to.
"The Manichaean cult is causing a great deal of trouble in Liangzhe. We must ensure he doesn't get entangled with such things..."
As Li Bangyan spoke, even the old butler couldn't help but shiver.
Those guys who ate vegetables and worshipped demons, their minds were all as if possessed by madness. In the entertainment districts of Bianliang, these Manichaean fanatics were now being talked about as jokes.
"Yes, sir!"
With such a major incident involving Li Bangyan, Wang Fu, his greatest rival, naturally received the news immediately.
Of course, Li Bangyan was, after all, the Prime Minister of the realm. Dragging him into this matter would not be easy.
"This county magistrate of Neihuang is indeed quite interesting..."
"Master, should we covertly offer him some assistance?"
Hearing Wang Fu speak, Qin Hui whispered from the side.
"Isn't it too early to help him at this juncture? Since that young man has stirred up this matter, I imagine we aren't the only ones interested, are we?"
Wang Fu chuckled as he spoke.
Up to this point, this was still just an ordinary case of rebellion.
Although it occurred within Neihuang County, it sounded quite alarming, as Neihuang County was only a few hundred li from Bianliang City.
However, to make this matter escalate further would be rather difficult.
Moreover, Li Bangyan was known for his high-profile demeanor. Apart from having good relations within the Hanlin Academy, he had also offended quite a few people in the officialdom.
Rather than directly engaging in a fight at this moment, it would be better to wait for others to make their move and then reap the benefits.
"Master is correct. I was being short-sighted!"
Since Wang Fu had said so, Qin Hui could only follow suit.
"Alright, let's just sit back and watch the tigers fight. I wonder who will be the first to jump out this time!"
If Wang Fu could receive the news, the Emperor would naturally not be kept in the dark.
"This young man is truly interesting. If it were anyone else, wouldn't they quickly suppress this matter and then seek a reward from Prime Minister Li?"
In Fufeng Hall, upon hearing about this matter, Zhao Ji not only didn't get angry but looked at Liang Shicheng with great interest.
"He has been doing quite well in Hebei. Judging by this matter, he doesn't seem to have any intention of joining any faction!"
Liang Shicheng did not directly answer the Emperor's question but instead smiled and said.
"What do you think this young man's mind is made of? If you hadn't brought these things today, I would never have known that this young man had accomplished so many great things in Neihuang County!"
"It's just a coincidence. I saw the reports from the subordinates and thought that Your Majesty would certainly enjoy reading them, so I specifically extracted them for you!"
Recently, Bianliang City had been a cauldron of intrigue. The series of events surrounding the Prime Minister's position had not only kept the nobles on edge but had also caused Zhao Ji, the Emperor, to lose sleep.
Having finally found an excuse, Liang Shicheng naturally had to present all of Han Mo's recent deeds in Neihuang County to commend him.
As expected, after reading all the memorials, the Emperor was more than pleased.
"In just under a month, he has cleared out so many bandits. This young man truly has some skills. And this matter of repairing the river dikes, this young man is too cunning!"
Seeing the Emperor's smiling face, even Liang Shicheng couldn't help but marvel.
For a mere county magistrate to attract such attention from the Emperor, even he couldn't help but give Han Mo a thumbs up.
"If you ask me, it's all due to Your Majesty's blessings. With the meager forces he had, he dared to charge headfirst into the bandit camp! Anyone else would have died eight times over!"
"Now that you mention it, this child truly put in a lot of effort!"
Having been together for so many years, Liang Shicheng naturally knew what the Emperor liked to hear.
With a few casual words, while seemingly flattering the Emperor, he also easily painted a picture of the danger Han Mo faced at the time.
"He did put in effort, but this child is still too straightforward. If he had considered himself at all in this matter, he wouldn't have reported the case so rashly!"
Seeing that the Emperor's train of thought was beginning to shift, Liang Shicheng spoke with a smile again.
In just a few sentences, a noble image of someone skilled in governing the nation but clumsy in managing personal affairs was thus established.
"You speak the truth. It seems I really should reward him with something. Such a promising talent should not be wasted like this..."
After listening to Liang Shicheng, Zhao Ji spoke while lost in thought...