Chapter 56 Yuan Li's Bewitching

"No... no... I..."

At this moment, Lu Liang, who is famous for his "mouth cannon", was incoherent for a moment.

The scene before my eyes was simply too magical.

The recent elation and the fantasy of revenge on Zhao Duan seemed to be ruthlessly shattered by the protruding jade ruyi.

On a deeper level, there was a sudden surge of fear.

Ironically, when Zhao Duan became the empress's lover, Lu Liang was not afraid at all.

It was a rule established during the time of Taizu that those who spoke frankly would not be punished. Therefore, no matter how he criticized Zhao Du'an, as long as he was right, he would not be punished.

Especially since Xu Zhenguan had just ascended the throne and was surrounded by wolves, the empress did not dare to punish the censors at will.

But when he found out that Zhao Duan’s new identity was “Mr. Yuan’s guest of honor”, ​​he felt fear instead.

The empress would not execute censors, but the censors could.

Especially when he did something wrong and was caught by the other party, like now.

"Why is Censor Lu speaking so incoherently?"

Zhao Duan said calmly:

"Just now I heard you mention that I had an affair with that female thief and that I had threatened the officers. I'm curious where these rumors came from. Why don't you bring the relevant people here now and confront them openly?"

Beside him, Yuan Li said with a leisurely smile:

"I just want to be a witness."

Confrontation? How could that be possible!

Lu Liang shuddered. The arrest warrant was fake, and the affair was just a figment of his imagination. There was no way to cover it up.

He immediately realized that it was pointless to argue and resist, and immediately knelt down and said:

"Since Lord Zhao has said so, I believe I must have mistakenly believed the rumor and caused a misunderstanding."

Before the two could react, Lu Liang turned around angrily and gave orders to the officer beside the prisoner car:

"Send the prisoner back to the government office immediately. Everything will continue as usual without further delay!"

The change in tone was so rapid, like a tornado, it completely dazzled the group of officials...

They were standing far away and could not hear the conversation next to the car.

I only saw Censor Lu being called in for questioning, and after a few words, the order was reversed.

"Sir Lu, didn't you say that you wanted to give the female thief to Zhao..." The official who had just been flattering hesitated.

Lu Liang's face darkened and he said loudly:

"I was deceived by rumors and nearly misjudged Envoy Zhao. Now that the truth has been cleared up, why don't you send him back?"

He was scolding loudly one second, and slapping you in the face at the speed of light the next second.

The people around couldn't keep up with Lu Liang's pace and looked at each other in confusion.

The officers did not dare to disobey and immediately turned the prison van around.

Yunxi was stunned for a few breaths before she understood what had happened.

It seems that after this dog official was scolded by the thief Zhao, he... was fine?

Her emotions were mixed: relief, joy, self-blame, anger, and loss... Yunxi suddenly realized that she wasn't that brave after all.

Fear of death, living a miserable life.

And her burden became heavier due to Zhao Duan's care.

A strong sense of shame surged in her heart. Yun Xi stood on tiptoe and tried to shout out the lines that she had practiced countless times in prison to refute Zhao Duan's views.

“Wu…Wuwu!!”

Yunxi was stunned for a moment, her eyes red with anger. She even forgot that she had a ball gag in her mouth.

Zhao Duan and Yun Xi faced off in the second round, and were KO'd.

…

The prison van drove away, accompanied by the girl's unwilling sobs.

Lu Liang bent down and ran back to the car, looking ashamed:

"Please punish me, Lord Yuan."

However, the man in blue holding the jade ruyi looked at Zhao Duan and said:

"You decide how to punish him."

Zhao Duan said calmly, "It's all up to Lord Yuan."

What a joke! I actually wanted to strip him of his official robe, but you would definitely disagree... Zhao Duan thought to himself.

He knew that this mistake alone was not enough to do anything to the other party, and Lu Liang's response measures were perfect.

Yuan Li smiled and casually ordered:

"Because of your fault, the people have suffered under the scorching sun. I punish you by making you stand until sunset. Do you accept this?"

Lu Liang took a deep breath:

"I… am convinced!"

Yuan Li laughed, lowered the curtains, and the four carriages set off again, as if all this was really just a chance encounter.

Only the prison carts that were moving away and the people who were about to disperse were left.

And the iron-mouthed censor who stood like a nail in the scorching sun, his hands in a bowing posture of apology, motionless.

It is conceivable that after today, Luliang's reputation will be greatly damaged.

And all this was just due to a casual remark made by the Imperial Censor.

…

…

In the carriage, when the hustle and bustle faded away.

Zhao Duan finally couldn't help but speak:

"Mr. Yuan, what happened today was not accidental, was it?"

He really couldn't accept that the other party was so fond of his script just because they met once in the Imperial Garden.

Unless the other party is a homosexual... Thinking of this possibility, Zhao Duan shuddered, sat further away silently, and looked alert to protect his anus.

Yuan Li: “…”

Zhao Duan: "..."

a long time.

Yuan Li finally threw Yu Ruyi away in a bad mood:

"If I wanted to harm you, would I have gone to such great lengths?"

That may not be the case... Zhao Du is a very cozy person and is highly wary of any unprovoked kindness.

His face was relieved, and he said worriedly:

"I am just worried that if today's incident gets out, it will affect your reputation."

The elegant and easy-going powerful official exudes domineering power:

“Who will spread the word?”

He had said this once at the gate of the imperial city, and this was the second time.

When I first heard the song, I didn't understand the meaning, but when I listened to it again, I became one of the characters in the song. It seemed that in his eyes, Lu Liang would never dare to gossip about him.

After a pause, Yuan Li added lightly:

"Besides, I've never pursued or cared about so-called fame. It was like that when I was young, and it's still the same today. Those who pursue a good reputation will be burdened by it and eventually lose it. Those who do practical things, even if they are temporarily misunderstood by outsiders, will naturally praise and admire them when everyone in the world truly benefits. Why seek it outside?"

Zhao Duan said sincerely:

"Mr. Yuan's state of mind is far inferior to mine."

Yuan Li suddenly laughed and said:

"Given your current bad reputation, if you were to return to your roots, it would be much easier for you to gain a good reputation than Lu Liang."

I know that all a bad person needs to do to become a Buddha is to lay down his butcher knife... Zhao Duan said with a smile:

"I think a bad reputation is sometimes more useful."

The reason why he maintained his original character to the outside world was largely because he saw the advantages of playing a bad guy.

Yuan Li smiled, and the two smiled at each other.

The two people with different identities and opposite reputations actually developed a certain mutual identification because they both didn't care about the word "reputation".

Just like sniffing out one's own kind in a crowd, it has nothing to do with external factors such as identity. Lu Liang will never understand this in his life.

Stop laughing.

Yuan Li suddenly asked: "Do you think that my punishment for Lu Liang is too light?"

Zhao Duan shook his head seriously:

"Mr. Yuan and I are not related in any way, but I am deeply grateful for your help and protection."

Yuan Li smiled and said:

"So, you're still not satisfied. You want to deal with him? Just like you took down the Zhang family?"

Zhao Duan nodded calmly: "I do."

When the whole court impeached him, Lu Liang was the vanguard. Now they are trying to trap him. Even a clay Buddha would be angry, let alone Zhao Duan.

"How are you going to do this?"

"I haven't figured it out yet. Let's catch him doing something wrong first."

"Lu Liang is a man who values ​​his reputation very much. He made some minor mistakes, but they are not significant. It is difficult to dig out any negative information about him." Yuan Li shook his head.

Zhao Duan blinked and asked, "What advice do you have for me, Lord Yuan?"

The elder Qingyi said calmly, "If you want to remove the twigs, you can cut off the main trunk."

Zhao Duan smiled bitterly:

"You're joking. Behind Lu Liang is the entire Li Party. I can't chew it with my teeth."

Yuan Li shook his head and said:

"I'm not asking you to deal with Li Yanfu. Do you know why Lu Liang was able to work under the banner of the Ministry of Justice? It's because his wife is the fourth daughter of Pei Shilang, the Minister of Justice."

Assistant Minister of Justice!

A third-rank official, the next step up is Shangshu.

Although she is not as powerful as Yuan Li, for Zhao Duan, she is already a powerful figure whom he dare not offend.

"You mean..." Zhao Duan's breathing became slightly tight.

Yuan Li smiled and said:

"Since you want to make a name for yourself, instead of focusing on the small fry, why not try something big?"

After a pause, he said leisurely:

"Bite off a piece of the Minister's flesh. Do you... dare to do it?"

(End of this chapter)