Chapter 373: Is Lin Beifan a Traitor?
“Your Majesty, regarding this marriage matter, I can make the decision myself, so you don’t have to trouble yourself,” Lin Beifan said diplomatically.
The Empress became excited: “No! As the current Prime Minister and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, marriage is not a trivial matter. It concerns the court and the stability of Great Wu. Therefore, I must make the decision for you!” Lin Beifan was sweating: “Your Majesty, it really isn’t necessary, it’s not that serious…”
The Empress interrupted: “I’ve made up my mind!”
Lin Beifan: “…”
In the end, he had to reluctantly accept the imperial decree.
Meanwhile, after several days, the third prince of Great Yan, Yan Xinghe, had already retreated to Great Yan and brought back a reply from Great Wu, either to fight or withdraw, with no third option. Great Yan’s forces were not willing to withdraw, but they also didn’t dare to engage in a hasty battle.
So, the two armies continued to stand in a tense standoff. After completing the official business, the third prince hurriedly went to a luxurious mansion.
“Teacher of the Nation, I’ve come to see you!” With a swoosh, a chubby Taoist priest appeared, who was none other than the long-lost Empty Void Daoist.
After being expelled from Great Wu by Lin Beifan, he had arrived in Great Yan with his disciple. Using his alchemical skills and mystical abilities, he quickly gained the favor of the Great Yan Emperor and the court officials, becoming the Nation’s Master with great influence and respect.
“Your Highness, you’ve come back, did you obtain the Dragon Bone?”
Naturally, the third prince smiled proudly and said, “Of course! I, Yan Xinghe, cannot return empty-handed, can I?”
The Empty Void Daoist was delighted, “Where’s the Dragon Bone? Let me see!”
“Master, please have a look!” The third prince carefully took out a box, then opened it to reveal a jade bottle containing the Dragon Bone.
The Empty Void Daoist cautiously opened the bottle, revealing a bit of fine powder inside, carefully examining it and nodding, “This is indeed Dragon Bone. Please tell His Majesty.”
The third prince eagerly asked, “Master, there are 2.5 taels of Dragon Bone in this bottle. Together with what Father gave you earlier, it’s a total of five taels of Dragon Bone. Can we use this to refine the Elixir of Immortality?”
The Empty Void Daoist rolled his eyes inwardly. He also wanted to refine the Elixir of Immortality, but the problem was, he didn’t know how! However, he was a seasoned charlatan and remained calm, shaking his head and saying, “It’s not that easy, you know? For countless years, how many emperors have tried to refine the Elixir of Immortality, and how many have succeeded? None! It’s only now, with the appearance of the precious Dragon Bone, that there’s a glimmer of hope.”
The third prince chuckled, “That’s true!”
“Don’t worry, Your Highness. With the Dragon Bone and the national efforts to gather heavenly treasures, we have a much better chance now. If we have all the necessary ingredients, I have a 50% chance of refining the Elixir of Immortality! Even if it’s not the Elixir of Immortality, I can still create some longevity elixirs!”
The Empty Void Daoist made reassuring promises.
The third prince was overjoyed, “Then, we’ll rely on Master!”
“But, the Dragon Bone is still too little,” the Empty Void Daoist lamented, “If we could obtain a few more catties of Dragon Bone, I could start alchemy and produce the divine medicine you need.”
“Master, we have our ways,” the third prince said confidently.
“What ways? Can you share them with me?” The Empty Void Daoist’s eyes gleamed.
The third prince hesitated, but he wanted the Empty Void Daoist’s help in obtaining the Divine Elixir, so he couldn’t offend this knowledgeable figure.
“Master, this involves a secret of our dynasty, and it absolutely cannot be leaked! However, since you are one of us, I won’t hide it from you. But after you hear it, you must promise to keep it a secret!”
The Empty Void Daoist solemnly replied, “Your Highness, rest assured, I swear before the Three Clear Divine Beings that I will not divulge this.”
“Thank you for understanding, I will tell you now,” the third prince whispered. “Our Dragon Bones, all of them, were obtained from Lin Beifan, the Prime Minister and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Great Wu! In reality, he is our inside man arranged within Great Wu!”
The Empty Void Daoist’s pupils contracted!
This news was incredibly explosive and shocking!
Who could have imagined that Lin Beifan, the Prime Minister and Supreme Commander who was an immensely powerful figure, would be an inside agent for Great Yan!
An inside agent at his level was truly an earth-shattering revelation!
People would be burning incense at their ancestral graves over this!
“Really? You’re not deceiving me, are you?” The Empty Void Daoist asked once more.
“How could I deceive you, Master?” the third prince laughed. “Master, it’s indeed hard to believe, but it’s true! Because Lin Beifan is a very greedy person with no principles whatsoever. As long as you offer him money, he’ll do anything!”
“In the beginning, we spent four million taels of silver to obtain the knowledge of crafting the Hot Air Balloon from him! Later, we spent five million taels of silver to learn the secrets of making the Air-cushion ship! Even the Dragon Bones we have on hand were purchased from him for a whopping fifty thousand taels of silver. He’s truly ruthless!”
“However, if he weren’t greedy, we wouldn’t have had an opportunity! What do you think, Master? Haha!”
“Indeed,” the Empty Void Daoist chuckled.
Not long after, the third prince left for other matters. In the room, only the Empty Void Daoist remained, restless and excited, pacing back and forth.
“Lin Beifan, never in a million years did I think you’d be such a person! It’s truly heaven’s blessing. The Three Clear Divine Beings have shown their favor, giving me a chance for revenge. Haha!”
You see, Lin Beifan had expelled him from Great Wu, and he had swindled away all the wealth he had accumulated. It left him deeply resentful and seeking revenge.
Moreover, the fact that Lin Beifan knew the secret of the Divine Elixir made him a significant threat that needed to be eliminated.
Now, he finally had an opportunity.
“Lin Beifan, this time, I’ll see if you live or die!”
The Empty Void Daoist summoned his young disciple and gave him a significant sum of money to carry out a task.
Before long, a rumor quickly spread from Great Yan, sweeping through Great Wu. “Do you know that Lin Beifan, the current Prime Minister and Supreme Commander of Great Wu, is actually a traitor!”
“He’s already in an incredibly high position, favored by the Empress, living in luxury. How could he possibly be a traitor?”
“This is likely true! I heard that this information leaked from within Great Yan, and Lin Beifan has long been a traitor! For his own benefit, he leaked the manufacturing secrets of Great Wu’s Hot Air Balloon and Air-cushion ship to Great Yan, allowing them to create these two great weapons!”
“Even Great Yan’s Dragon Bones were leaked by him!”
“Think about it, whether it’s the manufacturing secrets of the two great weapons or the Dragon Bones, only he had the opportunity to access them. Who else could it be?”
“It’s entirely possible; he’s a corrupt official who would do anything for money!”
“We never expected him to be like this! It’s shameful to betray one’s country!”
The news spread like wildfire, and many people demanded an investigation of Lin Beifan to root out the traitor. Some individuals who held grudges against Lin Beifan, as well as high-ranking officials, added fuel to the fire, hoping to use this opportunity to bring him down.
In no time, Lin Beifan went from being a highly respected Prime Minister and Supreme Commander to a traitor despised by the public.
This matter quickly alarmed the court.
In the court, the Empress was furious. “This is absurd! Such baseless rumors have caused such a huge commotion. Clearly, someone is plotting against us, slandering loyal officials, and attempting to subvert our Great Wu court with malicious intent! Sir Lin, your loyalty is beyond question, I believe in you, do not take this to heart!”
“Your Majesty is wise, I won’t take it to heart!” Lin Beifan proclaimed loudly.
At this moment, an elderly minister stepped forward, speaking thoughtfully, “Your Majesty, this matter indeed seems somewhat premeditated! However, where there’s smoke, there may be fire…”
The Empress’s anger flared again. “Are you implying that Sir Lin is not innocent?”
“Your Majesty, Prime Minister Lin is undoubtedly innocent! However, this matter has escalated, stirring public anger. My suggestion is not to go against public sentiment but to conduct an investigation in accordance with it. This way, we can prove Prime Minister Lin’s innocence and calm the people’s anger. I respectfully implore Your Majesty to consider this!”
“Please consider it, Your Majesty!” the officials chimed in.
They might not know whether Lin Beifan had committed treason, but this was starting to look like a power play, an attempt to weaken Lin Beifan.
And if an investigation were conducted, even if he were innocent, he would still be affected.
The Empress was furious again. “Is there a need to investigate such a matter? It’s been circulating for three days already! In the past, three of my uncles also accused my trusted minister baselessly with malicious intent, like Zhao, and it was proven that my minister were innocent!”
“So, these groundless rumors should be ignored! Spread the message that anyone who continues to gossip, slander loyal officials, or disturb the court will be thrown into the dungeons and face punishment!”
“And you, if you continue to meddle in these affairs, accusing the loyal and upright, I will also hold you accountable!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” The officials trembled.
Under the Empress’s authoritarian rule, these rumors and gossip were quickly quelled.
Lin Beifan remained the Prime Minister and Supreme Commander, with his position unshaken.
In the Great Yan Dynasty, the Empty Void Daoist learned about this news and was dumbfounded. “How could this not have worked?”
“Master, it’s said that this matter caused quite a stir in Great Wu and even reached the court, but the Great Wu Empress chose not to investigate. She ordered the arrest of anyone spreading rumors or slandering loyal officials, and that’s how the matter was silenced!”
The Empty Void Daoist was filled with frustration.
He had expended such great effort, and yet, Lin Beifan remained unharmed. It was truly frustrating! Normally, he enjoyed having a puppet ruler, but right now, he was particularly annoyed.
“This Empress is truly a puppet ruler, trusting treacherous officials! What a foolish Empress!” Helpless, he decided to let the matter rest for now and look for another opportunity for revenge.
Meanwhile, at this moment, Lin Beifan squinted at the message that had just arrived: “This rumor… came from Great Yan?”
Zhao Gao, Wade-Giles romanization Chao Kao, (born, Zhao state, China—died 207 BCE, China), Chinese eunuch who conspired to seize power on the death of Shihuangdi, first emperor of the Qin dynasty (221–207 BCE). His action eventually led to the downfall of the dynasty.
