Chapter 144 Showdown!

Zhao Duan!

Upstairs in Hele Building, beside the wine table, Zhou Cheng and Wang Shan's expressions changed noticeably when they saw him.

Why is he here?

Especially Wang Shan, who was fat and beardless with red eyes, his hand trembled, and the teacup in his hand rolled down, splashing the wine.

Guiltily avoiding Zhao Duan's smiling gaze.

What’s it like when the real culprit shows up just as you’re planning something out loud?

"Sir..." At this time, a group of Dali Temple officials also staggered up the stairs.

The head of the group, the green-robed temple secretary He Zheng, had a dark complexion:

"He brought some people here and wanted to go upstairs, but I refused to allow him to do so. So this group of people resorted to force their way in."

three times!

During this short period of time, He Zheng was beaten three times. Even a clay man would get angry.

But Zhao Duan didn't need to speak, the Houren behind him suddenly grinned and raised his scabbard, ready to chop:

"A good dog doesn't block the road. You've repeatedly obstructed my master from handling cases. You never learn your lesson. You deserve a beating!"

He Zheng and the group of Dali Temple officials behind him who were not good at fighting retreated in fear and hid in a corner of the second floor.

“That’s enough!!”

Suddenly there was a loud shout.

Beside the table, a high-ranking official in a crimson robe and a black gauze hat slammed the table in anger, causing the wine cup to shatter onto the ground.

Zhou Cheng's face turned ashen and he was furious.

Beating the subordinates of the Dali Temple in front of him was tantamount to slapping him, the chief officer, in the face from a distance.

A similar scene happened a few days ago.

You can have one but not two.

"Zhao Duan! How dare you commit treason?!" Zhou Cheng shouted angrily.

"Haha, Lord Tingwei, don't joke," Zhao Duan said with a smile, and gave a look. Hou Renmeng and others laughed and withdrew their hands:

"The people below are ignorant and are joking with He Sicheng and the others. I will punish them when I return."

joke?

Zhou Cheng was almost so angry that he laughed.

He took a deep breath and maintained the composure of a high-ranking official of the imperial court.

Upon seeing this, He Zheng and others hurried to the side of the Dali Temple Minister.

For a moment, the two gangs seemed to be confronting each other.

Zhou Cheng's face was as gloomy as water. He didn't bother with the conflict among his subordinates and asked in a cold voice:

"Zhao Du'an, do you really think that just because you narrowly escaped death last time, you can act lawlessly? Or are you leading these dogs and horses today to capture me under the order of His Majesty?"

Hey, you actually guessed it right...

Zhao Duan smiled, but did not answer immediately. Instead, he walked slowly towards the wine table.

He Zheng and the others were startled and hesitated whether to step forward to protect him or retreat to save their lives.

Wang Shan tried his best to lower his head and retreat into the crowd, trying to pretend to be invisible.

Zhou Cheng said nothing. Zhao Duan came closer, glanced at the dishes on the table, and exclaimed:

"It's quite sumptuous. I would like to advise Master Zhou that at your age, you should not eat rich food. These should be reserved for young people."

As he spoke, he raised his hand, pulled out a chair, and sat down carelessly.

He looked around, as if searching for chopsticks, and saw Wang Shan hiding in the crowd. He couldn't help but smile and wave:

"Brother Wang, why are you hiding so far away? Come closer, otherwise it would be a shame for me to come looking for you so early in the morning."

Looking for me?

Wang Shan's heart skipped a beat and he looked at Zhou Cheng.

Zhou Cheng's eyes fixed on him as he saw Zhao Duan turn around, cross his legs, and said to him:

"Master Zhou, please don't misunderstand me. I am only a sixth-rank police officer. How dare I attack the Supreme Court?

I came here today because of a case that involves Brother Wang, so I came to ask him to cooperate with the investigation.

I went to my brother's house first, but found nothing there. I had no choice but to chase him back, but unexpectedly, I saw the court official feasting with him again...

Tsk, the last time we arrested Marquis Xia Jiang, it was exactly the same. So, I think you and I are truly destined to be together."

This reason again!

Zhou Cheng laughed angrily:

"What case could Wang Shan be involved in? I'd like to know."

Zhao Duan stared at him and said faintly:

"I have a friend named Qin Qu. We had agreed to meet in the past two days, but he suddenly disappeared.

"I am concerned about my friend's safety. After inquiring, I learned that he seems to have gone to Brother Wang's residence. Lord Zhou, do you think he should be suspicious?"

Nonsense!

Wang Shan's face changed. Qin Qu is missing? What does it have to do with me?

He was about to explain, but suddenly he was alert. How did Zhou Cheng find him?

Did they kidnap Qin Qu?

If so, then Zhao Duan's sudden arrest can be explained.

He must have learned that Qin Qu was missing, and even learned through the Zhaoya's intelligence network that the kidnapper was Zhou Cheng.

With a little imagination, it is not difficult to guess Zhou Cheng's purpose.

Only then did I think of myself.

If this is the case...

Doesn't this mean that Zhao Duan's purpose in arresting him was to shut him up and prevent him from defecting to Zhou Cheng and threatening himself?

Zhou Cheng's pupils contracted. Zhao Duan's hint was so obvious that he had of course thought of this.

I couldn't help but secretly curse He Zheng for his incompetence.

I kidnapped someone, and he discovered it within just one day.

He had just reached an "agreement" with Wang Shan and was preparing to make a big fuss about it.

Zhao Duan rushed over to arrest the person and his reaction was very quick.

"absurd!"

Zhou Cheng sneered and rebuked:

"How can the Imperial Court handle cases so casually? They arrest a former commander based on nothing more than baseless suspicion? And he's even an old subordinate of yours?

Besides, a friend is missing... Oh, when did this come under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Court? Your Majesty raised you, not to serve a few individuals!"

He swept his sharp gaze over the officials at Lihua Hall. With his authority, he only needed to scold them and the low-level officials would be terrified.

But the troublemakers in Lihuatang looked relaxed and didn't care at all.

"Master Zhou, are you trying to obstruct my investigation?"

Zhao Duan's smile faded and he said mockingly:

"Or are you going to say that Wang Shan has already surrendered to your Dali Temple? For the same reason as Marquis Xia Jiang?"

Zhou Cheng was not fooled. Wang Shan was invited by him. His situation was completely different from that of Xia Jianghou that day. He just said coldly:

"I'm reminiscing with an old friend today. Do you still want to take me away?"

After a pause, he also looked sarcastic:

"Or is Ma Yan hiding in the dark again? Why not show up and see him?"

Zhao Duan had no expression.

Zhou Cheng's eyes were cold, as if he was looking down at him from a high position.

"Without Ma Yan's support, who are you? How dare you act so presumptuously in front of me?"

On the opposite side, the officials of Lihua Hall glared at them, but they also felt powerless in the face of a third-rank official.

The four words "treason" have never been a light charge.

Zhou Cheng is in the capital and has nothing to fear.

Even if he is the empress's favorite, if he dares to hurt him, all the officials in Dayu will stand behind him to protect their own status.

That is the "ritual and law" that even the imperial power cannot resist.

The atmosphere in the building was tense and frozen for a moment.

Zhao Duan, however, looked unusually calm:

"So, Master Zhou is determined not to let him go?"

Zhou Cheng reached out and took out a "Tingwei" badge from his waist, calmly placed it on the table, with a sarcastic look on his face:

"Young man, you must learn to be respectful. You are a smart person and should know the rules of the court. Your cards are not as powerful as mine, so you can't take me away."

Wang Shan breathed a sigh of relief silently, with the corners of his mouth curled up.

He Zheng and others straightened their backs with arrogant expressions.

Hou Renmeng, Chen Juan and other Lihuatang officials had no expression on their faces, and they held the hilts of their swords tightly, yet they felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

After all, the officialdom operates based on rules. Anyone who enters this system and benefits from it must abide by these rules.

If you don't comply, you will become an enemy of everyone.

Zhao Duan lowered his eyes, staring at the third-rank court judge badge on the table, and said softly:

"Whose card is bigger..."

In full view of everyone, he suddenly reached into his arms and slowly took out a purple waist jade in the shape of a waist badge with two fingers.

It is a work of exquisite craftsmanship, with golden ears hanging underneath, which seem to be stained with the faint fragrance of fairies.

When he took out the jade token, the others present did not react and looked confused.

Only Zhou Cheng, who was sitting opposite, had his pupils suddenly narrowed.

Of course he recognized this jade token.

He had seen it hanging around the empress's waist many times and knew that it was Xu Zhenguan's personal token.

Why... would it appear on Zhao Duan?

What does it represent?

How could a mere gigolo who served in the imperial bedchamber be qualified to hold the Empress's token?!

“Bang!”

Zhao Duan placed the empress's waist jade on the table and said with a smile:

"Sorry, my cards seem to be bigger."

Zhou Cheng said nothing.

The people around were stunned and didn't understand what was going on.

Zhao Duan slowly stood up, walked back to the side of Lihuatang's men, turned his back to Zhou Cheng, and suddenly reached out to pull out the standard sword from Chen Juan's waist.

Holding it upright in his hand, this action immediately alerted a group of people, and He Zheng shouted angrily:

"What are you going to do...ah!"

The next second, Zhao Duan shook his wrist, and a violent and powerful energy poured into the blade.

With a "bang", the several-foot-long blade shattered into pieces, turning into a violent storm, wrapped in energy, whistling in all directions.

Sitting in the big chair, Zhou Cheng, who was wearing a red robe, was stiff all over and felt the strong wind blowing on his face.

A thin blade passed through his temple and pierced through the black hat on his head. The kinetic energy of the fragments wrapped around the black hat and broke away from his scalp. With a "thud", it nailed to the window frame!

The rest of the blades either pierced into the floor or were nailed to wooden pillars and window frames, causing countless exclamations.

Immediately, there was deathly silence!

As soon as Zhao Duan let go, the bare knife handle in his hand fell to the ground and rolled several times.

He slowly turned around and looked at the frozen faces opposite him, headed by Zhou Cheng, and smiled apologetically:

"Alas, the swords in the Armory are too fragile. They can't even withstand the Qi. I'm sorry to have frightened you all."

Chen Juan's cheek twitched and he tried hard to control the upward curve of his mouth corners, but he couldn't do it.

"What are you laughing at? Why don't you take the person away quickly to avoid disturbing Lord Zhou's meal?" Zhao Duan scolded with a smile.

Upon receiving the order, Chen Juan and other officers rushed forward like wolves and tigers, captured Wang Shan, whose face was as pale as earth, and took back the waist jade left by Zhao Duan.

No one obstructed during this period.

"Master Zhou, Master Zhou..."

Wang Shan tried to call for help, but after meeting Zhou Cheng's extremely gloomy gaze, he shut his mouth.

After a while, everyone in the imperial yamen left.

All that was left was a dilapidated restaurant and people outside who were looking in from afar to watch the excitement.

"Sir...are we going to let him go now?"

In the dead silence, He Zheng stepped forward cautiously, pulled the black gauze hat off the window frame with both hands, and bowed to hand it to Zhou Cheng.

Next second.

“Bang!”

A slap landed on his face, and Zhou Cheng stood up, his chest heaving with anger, scaring a group of Dali Temple officials to their knees.

"Zhao...Du...An!"

(End of this chapter)