Recently, a team of silk merchants arrived at Dongmen. The registered personnel are thirty-four people, which is the only team that the guards did not carefully inspect.

  Chang'an is the capital of the Great Tang Empire, and many merchants come and go. The city gate guards cannot check every single person, so generally when they encounter a merchant with a permit, they count the number of people and let them pass immediately.

  Moreover, under observation, during this period of time, there were only thirty-three people coming and going, one less than the number on the document. The black-clad guard's eyes were icy cold.

  The leader, You Han, said: "Bring him over and interrogate him directly."

  This group of peddlers were in the west part of the city that afternoon. They noticed a woman among them, wearing a white flower on her head and looking sorrowful.

  "This woman's husband died of illness on the way to Chang'an. In other words, her husband did not follow her into the city at all."

  Now there's no cat, but it still smells like one.

  It was originally a trick played by Zong Chuke to save his only son when he mixed into the merchant team and left the city.

  "What should we do? Should we tell the grown-ups?"

  The black-clothed leader's eyes were somber and deep, "Ask clearly first."

  The woman was already frightened, surrounded by three to five masked men, and immediately said everything. The man who topped the identity mixed with the business crowd was just a stranger they met outside the city, and that stranger begged the leader of the business group to take him into the city, which led to what happened later.

  When the killers told everything to Zong Chuke, Zong Chuke's reaction was still calm.

  At first, the killer was holding only Fan Wenjun's portrait, it is very likely that they killed the wrong person.

  If it was indeed an assassin who killed the wrong person, then it can be explained.

  "Sir, at first we had the hitman disfigure Fan Wenjun's face to prevent anyone from recognizing him just in case. But what if he was killed by mistake?"

  Now dead without a witness, even the assassin who carried out the task at that time should not be able to remember the exact appearance.

  What's most troublesome is that they ordered the destruction of the corpse's face, and now even they themselves can't be certain.

  Zong Chuke said coldly: "Pei Tan took advantage of your mentality."

  The leader couldn't help but say, "Sir, today we also met people from the Liu family on the street, and they are also following that 'Fan Wenjun'." Moreover, the people from the Liu family have also found that merchant.

  "What's it to me?" Zhong Chuke replied indifferently.

  The leader blocked, silently knelt on the ground without a word.

  "The ten thousand taels of silver from the Liu family are only enough to buy his number one scholar title, but not enough to make this official bow his head and listen to him."

  The Liu family thought that by relying on the powerful Wei family, they could boss around the Shangshu Fu at will, but didn't realize that Zong Chuke also only treated them as the Wei family's dogs.

  The Liu family couldn't sit still any longer, they were indignant at Zong Chuke's inaction. As the imperial examination approached, they became increasingly restless, with the number one scholar honor within reach, who would let the meat that was already in their mouth fly away?

  The Liu family decided to take matters into their own hands.

  "I'll prepare the carriage, I will personally go visit Chancellor."

  Now only Wei Xiang can handle this matter. The Liu family has promised a large sum of money to obtain a position in the imperial court, and it is unbelievable that the Wei family would not take care of it at this time.

  Liu Pinzhuo sat on the carriage, all the way drafting a memorial to the throne. Zong Chuke, due to his own hatred for Pei Tan, implicated Liu's family as well, causing them to suffer together. This old scoundrel, indeed, had become senile.

  After arriving at the Prime Minister's mansion, Liu Pinzhuo never expected that he would be stopped outside the door.

  "The Prime Minister is receiving guests, please wait a moment, Master Liu." The servant at the door said politely but distantly.

  Liu Pinzhuo stared with his eyes wide open: "Tell Lord Xiang, I have an important matter to report."

  Liu Pingzhuo directly stuffed a gold ingot into the servant's hand.

  The servant's face showed a difficult expression: "This is not good, Master Liu."

  Liu Pingzhuo's face sank: "You just need to pass on a message for me, will the Prime Minister really not see me?"

  The servant looked at him and saw that the face of this descendant of the Liu family was already somewhat unsightly.

  Think about it, not long ago Zhang Bao won the championship, and the whole street was praising this Liu Gongzi for being gentle as jade, talented beyond the sky. Now look at his current appearance, tsk.

  The eunuch put the gold into his sleeve and calmly prepared to go in and report.

  Just then, the servant caught a glimpse of a figure emerging from the courtyard and approaching the gate.

  The servant's face changed immediately, and he smiled obsequiously: "Young Master Pei, you're coming out now?"

  Liu Pinzhuo's eyes almost popped out of his head.

  Pai Tan walked slowly from the Prime Minister's mansion, strolling to the gate. When he saw Liu Pinzhuo, he only slightly nodded his head in greeting. "Liu Gongzi."

  Liu Pinzhuo is now at the top of the list, with a reputation that fills Chang'an, but after all, he still doesn't have an official position, and his identity is at most just the young master of the Liu family. When facing Pei Tan...he naturally falls short by more than just a little bit.

  Liu Pinzhuo's eyes blazed with fire as he said in a sarcastic tone, "What brings Temple Master Pei to this place?"

  This remark was arrogant and seemed to imply that no one else in the world except for the Liu family could enter the Prime Minister's residence.

  Pei Tan said: "A small matter, let's discuss it with Wei."

  How could Liu Pinzhuo be willing to believe that it was just a small matter? He stared at Pei Tan, wanting to see something on his face.

  "Lord Pae is in charge of Dae Temple, what kind of matter would require the Prime Minister's attention?" Ryu Bun-hui raised his voice.

  This would have made other high-ranking officials blush with anger long ago.

  But it's just a scholar who has just received his exam results, how dare he be so presumptuous.

  Pei Tan stared at Liu Pinhuo for a while, "Liu Gongzi can go ask Wei Xiang, I still have something to do, so I'll take my leave first."

  He spoke and directly passed him by, walking towards a horse carriage parked at the entrance of the Chancellor's mansion.

  Just now, Liu Pinzhuo was slightly attentive and would have seen that there was a horse-drawn carriage here, and then judged that someone had already entered the prime minister's mansion to visit.

  But his eyes were all staring at himself, and he wouldn't notice others naturally.

  Pei Tan got on the horse carriage, and the driver was his family's cold-faced Pei County guard. As soon as Pei Tan sat steadily, he raised the whip, loosened the reins, and the horse carriage galloped away.

  "Mr. Liu, are you going in?" The gatekeeper asked with a smile.

  These servants are all opportunistic and quick-witted, having obtained a gold ingot they were overjoyed.

  Liu Pinzhuo's sensitive nerves had been stirred up for a long time, and in his opinion, Pei Tan's question to him about Wei Xuanzhen was ridiculing him.

  Liu Pingzhuo pushed away the servant and strode into the Prime Minister's mansion.

  Wei Xuanzhen sat idly in the courtyard, with two or three beautiful maids by his side, and a wine set before him.

  Liu Pinzhuo walked over and found that Wei Xuanzhen didn't look at him much, so he couldn't help but hold back a sigh in his chest.

  "Lord Weisheng."

  Wei Xuanzhen took the clear wine from Mei Bi's hand and asked, "What about Liu Gongzi?"

  Liu Pinshuo trembled slightly, "Master Xiang, why did that plague from the Pei family come to your place just now?"

  Wei Xuanzhen's wine cup paused, and he glanced at Liu Pinzhuo with a sudden narrowing of his eyes: "Liu Gongzi, Pei Daren is a third-grade official of the Great Tang Dynasty, serving as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. How dare you address him in such a manner? Whose influence has Liu Gongzi been listening to?"

  Liu Ping's face turned ugly. His complexion changed.

  "Your Excellency, I..."

  Wei Xuanzhen stopped him from continuing, this courtyard only had him and Mei Bi, so Liu Pinxiao thought he could act recklessly.

  Just now he said that, without realizing it would cost him his head.

  Wei Xuanzhen said slowly: "As a member of the Liu family, a prominent clan, you should have sought help from your own family first. Instead, you recklessly ran to the Ben Xiang Fu and even collided with an official at the gate. Have you considered your identity and the consequences?"

  Liu Pinzhuo was almost stunned, the air in his chest seemed to have been violently sucked out, and he suddenly shuddered.

  The whole of Chang'an now knows that the Liu family is the leader, at this time Liu Pinzhuo alone came to find Wei Xuanzhen, it's simply like a effortless self-slap in the face, but he ignored the hint of the doorman and insisted on rushing in after meeting Pei Tan.

  "However, Prime Minister, a person named Fan has appeared on the east alley..."

  Wei Xuanzhen said coldly: "Liu Gongzi, I thought you were just pretending to be muddle-headed, but it turns out that you are really muddle-headed."

  Liu Pinzhuo's face was completely wooden.

  Wei Xuanzhen's eyes revealed a hint of mockery. Since the restoration of Emperor Zhongzong, the Wei family had been on the rise, and not only the Liu family but also other powerful families that once dominated the scene were suppressed to the point where they couldn't lift their heads. They finally understood that the only way to maintain their family's standing was to cling to the Liu family tree.

  Among them, the only exception is Pei's family.

  The Pei family has been noble for five generations, and even Wei Huancheng doesn't dare to offend them openly. This Liu family is truly a foolish one.