Chapter 139 Yuan Li's Shock

"Zhao Jisi, please follow me. Mr. Yuan is currently handling some matters and has ordered me to invite you to the inner hall first."

The person who came out to greet him was a young imperial censor.

He led Zhao Duan in, talking as he walked, still looking at him curiously, as if he was quite curious about this favorite of the empress who had recently become famous.

"Thanks for showing me the way."

Zhao Duan smiled and nodded, tidied his appearance, and walked along a small path towards the back yamen.

The Censorate is also a complex of buildings. Perhaps because the work has not yet ended, there are not many people on the road.

After Zhao Duan entered the inner hall, the young censor left.

He had waited for less than a quarter of an hour when he saw a familiar figure in blue slowly walking out of the courtyard outside the hall.

In the dog days of summer, the brilliant sunshine makes the figures in the courtyard appear clearly.

Yuan Li wore a sky-blue double-breasted robe and an official hat. His elegant and handsome face had deep and reserved eyes, which seemed to contain the vicissitudes of life washed away by time.

At this moment, he walked over alone with a smile on his face.

"Mr. Yuan! I haven't seen you for a long time, and you're still as charming as ever."

The moment Zhao Duan saw Yuan Li, he stood up to greet her and instinctively uttered words of flattery.

The then Imperial Censor, the "Qingliu Party Leader" Yuan Li shook his head and laughed, jokingly saying:

"I haven't seen you for a long time, and Zhao Jisi is still as slick as ever."

If outsiders saw this scene, they would be shocked.

It was surprising that two people with such different reputations could be so familiar with each other even though they shouldn't be in the same situation.

It was also because in front of all the officials, the dignified and graceful Da Qingyi would actually joke with a junior who had a huge gap in status.

As for the two of them, although they had not seen each other for several days, the slight unfamiliarity was quickly dispelled by just this one warm greeting.

"I don't deserve the name 'Zhao Jisi'. Lord Yuan, just call me 'Xiao Zhao'."

Zhao Duan blinked and invited him to sit down.

Can’t float!

Although he has become famous recently, it is all empty fame, and there is still a huge gap between him and the Imperial Censor in front of him.

Xiao Zhao... Yuan Li couldn't help but smile, and walked into the hall and took a seat.

The wide sleeves hung down, making her look particularly casual and natural, but she did not speak. Instead, she looked at him carefully for a moment.

Immediately, the man in blue clothes, whose stomping of his feet could make Dayu tremble, sighed with emotion:

"The last time I saw you, you were still a small envoy fighting with the Zhang brothers. In the blink of an eye, you've become the 'little king of hell' who can bring down the princess. And how long has it been? The young are truly formidable."

He still remembered that in the "overthrow Pei" case, Zhao Duan, who was originally just a chess piece, used a brilliant strategy of sowing discord and participated in the vortex of the temple party struggle as a mere envoy, and successfully got a share of the pie.

At that time, Yuan Li was already surprised.

Afterwards, fulfilling his promise, Yuan Li sent Zhao Du'an a gift, and petitioned the empress to transfer Zhao Du'an from the Baima Prison to the Imperial Court.

At that time, he even made a bet with the empress in the palace, but he didn't expect that both he and Xu Zhenguan underestimated him.

"Mr. Yuan, thank you for your praise," Zhao Duan said respectfully with a serious expression.

"I was able to enter the imperial court thanks to Mr. Yuan's recommendation. I will never forget this favor."

Yuan Li waved her hands and scolded with a smile:

"It's good that you don't blame me. It's your own ability to gain a foothold in Lihua Hall. Besides, if His Majesty doesn't agree, my recommendation will be useless."

Zhao Duan agreed:

"Your Majesty has treated me with such kindness that I have been reborn. As your subjects, we should do our utmost to help you and share your worries."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Li said with a half-smile:

"You're saying something with a hidden meaning. Tell me, why did you come to my house so suddenly?"

As he was speaking, the woman in blue clothes raised her hand to take the teacup. Zhao Duan handed it to her with a sharp look, but did not answer.

Instead, he covered it up with his movements, observing the other person out of the corner of his eyes, and said:

"Why don't you take a guess, Mr. Yuan?"

Guess? Yuan Li sat leisurely and calmly accepted the teacup offered by Zhao Duan with both hands.

The senior official, who had experienced many ups and downs in the officialdom for many years, smiled. How could he not hear his testing intention?

Bad temptations are offensive, but good temptations are not.

Zhao Duan is an expert in this field and knows when and how to test the waters safely.

As expected, Yuan Li showed no sign of anger. He pretended to be silent for a moment and then said with a leisurely smile:

"You can't be here for Zhou Cheng, right?"

Zhao Duan was genuinely surprised: "Mr. Yuan knows?"

He only said the word "know", but did not specify anything. This was the second temptation.

Yuan Li was not fooled and asked with a smile:

"What should I know?"

Zhao Duan blinked his eyes but said nothing, his brain working fast, thinking about how to respond.

I complained in my heart that those who could reach this position were indeed very smart.

I didn't ask anything, and instead the other party took over the initiative.

While hesitating and thinking, Yuan Li suddenly laughed out loud, dully:

"Forget it. I'm too lazy to tease you. Your Majesty is asking you to investigate Zhou Cheng. I know about that."

Zhao Duan was both surprised and not surprised. After all, as far as he knew, Zhou Cheng and Li Yanfu had a close relationship.

At the current stage, it is obvious that the Empress and Yuan Li are working together to weaken the "Li Party".

He deliberately let out a long breath, looking embarrassed:

"Mr. Yuan knew it a long time ago..."

Showing timidity in moderation is also a subtle form of flattery.

Yuan Li praised:

"Being cautious isn't a bad thing. Serving His Majesty is the proper thing to do. Now, let's get down to business. Why are you coming to me instead of investigating Zhou Cheng? Are you at a loss as to where to start? Can't you find any flaws in him? So you're trying your luck with me?"

This guess is not difficult to make.

Although the Censorate was only a supervisory agency and was not good at "investigation", Yuan Li, as the leader of the Qingliu Party, naturally knew all the important officials in the court.

Pei Kaizhi was like this back then, and so is Zhou Cheng today.

Yuan Li frowned and said:

"Zhou Cheng is a man of great skill. When the eunuch Wang Zhen was in power, he was able to establish a relationship with him and was transferred back to the capital from the post of Governor.

This kind of person is also extremely cautious, and it is indeed difficult to find sufficient evidence to prove his worth. In this respect, he is no less cautious than Pei Kaizhi.

But Pei Kaizhi has relatives and children who can give you leverage, so it would be difficult to replicate that against Zhou Cheng."

Zhao Duan asked curiously:

"Even though Lord Yuan is in charge of the Censorate, doesn't he have any leverage over Minister Zhou?"

Yuan Li shook his head and laughed, raised his finger and pointed at him, scolding him:

"You are actually making a subtle sarcastic remark about me. You are really quite courageous."

Zhao Duan smiled playfully, knowing that he was not angry.

Sure enough, after Yuan Li laughed and scolded, she sighed softly and said:

"It's not that there haven't been any, but they were all minor matters... Anyway, now that His Majesty has entered the new dynasty, it's not appropriate to bring them up again."

Zhao Duan's heart moved, and he heard some hidden meaning, as if there was something else going on.

But Yuan Li obviously didn't want to say, so he didn't rush to ask.

Seeing that he was silent, Yuan Li thought he was worried and could not help but comfort him:

"You handled the case so quickly earlier, but that was probably due to some favorable circumstances and favorable relationships, or perhaps it was due to others underestimating your abilities, or perhaps it was due to Pei Kaizhi's youngest son not being on guard against you...

In the end, it’s all the result of your bad reputation accumulated over the past year, but you can’t always rely on it. Now that you’re blocked, it’s not a bad thing…”

"Ah?" Zhao Duan raised his head and said with a smile:

"Mr. Yuan misunderstood. I'm not worried about not being able to find a breakthrough."

"Oh?" Yuan Li was surprised: "Then you are..."

Zhao Duan smiled and said:

"I, an official, have just obtained evidence that Prime Minister Zhou violated laws and discipline and unjustly killed a high-ranking official. I have the audacity to come to your door to report this to Lord Yuan."

Yuan Li was stunned.

…

There is no time, I updated in a hurry, so it is a little short

(End of this chapter)