"I am about to leave my post as Prime Minister, so I'm afraid I won't be able to help you, my lord!" Yu Shen said, taking a sip of tea calmly.
"Let me clarify things for you first. If, after I've explained, you feel it's not worth your effort or that you are unable to help, then you can pretend I said nothing, how about that?" Mr. Yuan asked with a smile.
"Interesting. In that case, it seems I have nothing to lose!" Yu Shen's interest was piqued. He had never met such a peculiar person before.
"Prime Minister, please look at these expired documents from the Imperial City Directorate!" Without waiting for Yu Shen's agreement, Yuan Xingchi casually reached into his robes, pulled out a thin envelope, and handed it to Yu Shen.
"The Imperial City Directorate?" Yu Shen's pupils contracted involuntarily upon hearing these words. After a moment's hesitation, he tore open the envelope. After all, he had been defeated so utterly and inexplicably. He always considered himself a master of political maneuvering, yet he had been utterly routed without even knowing who had made the move. More than losing his position as Prime Minister, this blow was something he found unbearable. His current dejected state wasn't really about losing the premiership. After all, that position had fallen into his lap from the heavens, and its loss was inevitable. What he cared about more was who had schemed against him from behind the scenes and what tactics they had employed.
However, upon reading the contents of the envelope, he was stunned. The documents didn't mention any specific events. They only recorded the number of carrier pigeons that had taken flight from his residence and their directions, on a specific date and time. He flipped through seven or eight sheets, only to find that they all contained this same information. But what could these things possibly signify?
"Your methods are truly remarkable, to have obtained documents from the Imperial City Directorate!" Although he didn't understand the meaning of these documents, their very origin was enough to send a shiver down his spine. The Imperial City Directorate, known for its pervasive reach, actually had someone on its payroll? Under whose command would such a person be? The paper might be forged, but the Directorate's special seal and unique signature style were undeniable. As Prime Minister, even for just a few months, he had seen some of the Directorate's documents.
"It's merely some unrefined trickery, and I apologize for making the Prime Minister look foolish. However, do you see anything from them?" Mr. Yuan asked, smiling.
"What can this possibly prove? I truly don't understand!" In these times, it was not uncommon for wealthy families to keep pigeons. He served as an official in Bianliang City, but his ancestral home was in Fujian, and his sons were officials in distant provinces. Communicating with them via carrier pigeon was quite normal. He couldn't even recall if the dates recorded here were accurate or not. But could such trivial matters become evidence of the Emperor's distrust?
"Perhaps this alone isn't enough to be called evidence, but Prime Minister, look at this!" As Mr. Yuan spoke, he took out another envelope from his sleeve and placed it before Yu Shen. Though unsure of the man's theatrics, Yu Shen obediently opened the envelope. It contained similar slips of paper with the same information, but this time, the owner was Cai Jing instead of Yu Shen. This immediately sparked an ominous suspicion in Yu Shen's mind. Could it be...
"This is a list I compiled of important court affairs. Prime Minister, please compare this list with these slips of paper!" After giving him another deep look, Yu Shen accepted the documents he offered. These major court affairs were mostly handled by him, and he was intimately familiar with each of them. He might not recall the exact dates, as his days were filled with countless matters, leaving him no time to record such details. However, he had a general sense of the chronological order. After a quick glance, he immediately determined the reliability of these documents.
Comparing the contents of the three stacks of paper, he quickly discovered the anomaly. It seemed that after every significant event in court, a carrier pigeon would fly from his residence, and after a day and night, another pigeon would land at Cai Jing's residence. Furthermore, two days before he made a decision, a carrier pigeon would fly from Cai Jing's residence, landing at his own home a day later!
"Where did these documents come from? Who is trying to harm me!" If Yu Shen couldn't understand what was happening by this point, then his tenure as Prime Minister would have been in vain. This was clearly a frame-up, someone falsely accusing him of colluding with Cai Jing, of consulting Cai Jing on everything! Indeed, he had been a firm supporter of Cai Jing's faction. However, after Cai Jing resigned, he not only disdained Cai Jing's chosen successor but also looked down on Cai You. Coupled with his own sufficiently high position, which didn't require him to rely on anyone, he had essentially cut ties with Cai Jing's faction. From the day Cai Jing left Bianliang City, he had no further contact with him. It could be said that the fact that the premiership fell to him was partly due to this very reason.
"Regarding the origin of the documents, I must beg your pardon, but I cannot reveal it. However, if you're asking who is plotting against you, can't Prime Minister guess?" Yuan Xingchi asked, a playful smile on his face.
"Wang Fu! Prince Yun!" In an instant, he deduced the mastermind behind the scheme. In the current court, besides Wang Fu, there was likely no one else capable of such elaborate machinations. And for Wang Fu to achieve this, it wouldn't have been easy, as the Imperial City Directorate was not easily infiltrated. However, if he had Prince Yun's backing, then everything would fall into place.
"Prime Minister is indeed wise!" Although Yuan Xingchi didn't explicitly confirm it, his demeanor indicated everything.
"Well played, Wang Fu, and well played, Your Highness Prince Yun!" Yu Shen snorted, his eyes flashing with a trace of ferocity.