Han Zong shook his head and said, "That Zhao Jun was the one who dared to surround Kaifeng Prefecture. If the people inside throw dirty water on you, as long as the evidence is solid, you will lose half your life if not death. You must have gained a lot from Kaifeng Prefecture over the years."

Ma Zhongfu was speechless and said, "Brother Han, don't be ridiculous. Haven't you made a lot of money in Kaifeng Prefecture over the years? You're talking as if we're the only ones who got it."

Han Zong said with a slightly grim expression: "So we are in the same boat now."

"Brother Han, do you have any ideas?"

Ma Yuan asked.

Han Zong said in a deep voice, "There are two ways. One is to immediately sever ties with those people, burn all correspondence with them, abandon them, and write a letter of apology, saying that it is unfortunate that a scoundrel has appeared in our family. The government will be lenient and will probably not do anything to us."

Ma Yuan and Ma Zhongfu's faces suddenly turned gloomy.

The one who was abducted from the Han family was just Gao Dingyi, a son-in-law from the side branch. It was no big deal if he was abandoned.

But the ones who were arrested were the direct descendants of the Ma family. Ma Yi was Ma Yuan’s younger brother, and Ma Liang was their uncle, so they were much closer.

So the Han family can choose to sacrifice pawns to save the chariot, but they are sacrificing the chariot to save the king, which is completely on the same level.

"Brother Han is very courageous, but my brother and I have a deep bond. How can I abandon him?"

Ma Yuan directly refused and said, "Is there any other way?"

Han Zong said, "Secondly, see if we can find Zhao Jun, meet him, and discuss the terms. I believe that no one in this world would refuse something."

"you mean?"

"Some people are greedy for money, some for fame, and some for sex. If you refuse, it only means you didn't give enough."

"Um."

Ma Zhongfu pondered and nodded.

Zhao Jun acted too quickly and ruthlessly. With the evidence provided by Lao Fan, he directly arrested the person and then made it public.

Now all the people in Bianliang know that Kaifeng Prefecture has become a den of thieves, and in just two days, the Censorate and the Court of Remonstration have changed their statements. The Han and Ma families are not rats crossing the street, but some people have already vaguely felt that they are the masterminds behind the scenes.

Given their current situation, even if they wanted to do something behind the scenes, it would probably be difficult to succeed. In addition to the Imperial City Bureau keeping an eye on them, many people from the Censorate and the Court of Remonstration were also watching them.

Under such circumstances, they had few options left. Seeking Zhao Jun for peace was the simplest and most practical solution.

The problem is that Zhao Jun is elusive, and every time he goes out, there are hundreds of people following him, openly or secretly.

Firstly, they couldn't find a suitable opportunity to approach him. Secondly, Zhao Jun's power in the Imperial City Division was growing, and the Imperial City Division's Imperial Guards were the emperor's personal army. It was taboo for ministers to approach the Imperial Guards in private, so they didn't have the courage to contact them.

But at this point, there is no other way.

Ma Zhongfu said, "But Zhao Jun lives in seclusion and rarely goes out. He's rarely seen on weekdays. It's said that he's often at the Imperial City Office. The people sent to follow him were caught by the police, and all they know is that he lives on Qingtai Street. What should we do?"

Han Zong smiled and said, "It's okay. I already know where he lives. It just happened that I saw him once when I was having dinner at Xiangdinglou. I asked someone and found out where he lives."

Zhao Jun lived on Qingtai Street, so his neighbors naturally knew him. Someone sent to follow him would definitely be found, but if he asked his neighbors, they would definitely be accurate.

Ma Yuan said, "It would be great to know his address. Why don't we prepare some gifts and have Brother Han come with us?"

Han Zong shook his head and said, "We still need to be cautious about this matter. I plan to ask my father to come forward."

"If my husband is willing to come forward, that would be the best."

Ma Yuan was overjoyed.

Han Zong said in embarrassment: "Unfortunately, this matter is not easy. My father still has no solution. So it may take some time. Let's wait for my father to get good news before we can talk about it."

Ma Yuan was immediately displeased when he heard this. He was about to ask when Han Yi would be able to show up, but Ma Zhongfu patted his hand to comfort him, then stood up and said, "In that case, we will take our leave first and wait for good news from your husband."

"I'll see you two off."

Han Zong said he was seeing him off, but in fact he only saw him off to the living room door.

Er Ma came out of Han Zong's house.

After they were a little further away, they did not immediately get into the sedan chair to leave, but stood under the wall outside the Han family and discussed in a low voice.

"What does this Korean variety show mean?"

"What can that mean?"

"His family members have also been arrested, and it doesn't sound like there's any urgency at all."

"The one arrested in his family is just a son-in-law from a side branch, not a legitimate son, so there's naturally no need to rush."

"Then why is he playing tricks on us now?"

"What do you think?"

"Could it be that we go as spies first and test Zhao Jun's attitude?"

"I'm afraid he's testing the government."

"What's the meaning?"

"Do you think ordinary people would be so bold as to surround Kaifeng Prefecture?"

"Of course not."

"Don't forget, the power of the Imperial City Bureau originally comes from the government."

"Are you saying that the Han family is worried that this is the government's behind-the-scenes investigation, so they want us to test the government's attitude?"

"Alas, the world has become so cruel since my father died."

Ma Zhongfu sighed.

His father Ma Liang had been dead for five years, and people had forgotten about him. The Han family still had a big boss above them, but their family was just an empty shell, so their status was naturally different.

What's more, the ones arrested were direct descendants of their family, so the Han family was definitely not in a hurry, so it was normal to use them as cannon fodder.

Ma Zhongfu guessed that Han Zong's so-called gathering of information was basically just asking them to find out.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!