That damn thing just died! The intelligence network I painstakingly built has been paralyzed in an instant, and it will take at least a month or two to get it back up and running!
Sima Lie's old face trembled, his heart filled with hatred and anger, and he was seething with rage!
"What are you doing in the Ministry of Justice? How can prisoners commit crimes right under your noses? Are you all incompetent?"
Sima Lie was furious and questioned Xing Jun in a stern voice.
Xing Jun looked miserable; at this moment, he could only try to shift the blame.
"Prime Minister, I had no idea Zhang Shichang was drunk and acting recklessly! He even chased away the jailers guarding Li Geng, probably intending to torture Li Geng to death. But who would have thought that the barbarian Li Geng would turn the tables and kill him!"
"Your Excellency, as you know, that beast Li Geng is notoriously tall and strong; he could kill a bull with one punch. General Zhang really shouldn't have been so careless..."
In just a few words, Xing Jun almost completely absolved himself of responsibility, shifting all the blame onto Zhang Shichang.
In short, it seems that Zhang Shichang brought it all upon himself; he simply courted death!
Sima Lie slammed his fist on the table, wanting to curse him a few more times, but just then, Qiu Beiming spoke up in a hoarse voice.
"Prime Minister, please calm down. Zhang Shichang was just a pawn. Let him die and be done with it. Do not cause any more trouble because of this."
Qiu Beiming glanced coldly at Xing Jun and continued speaking to Sima Lie, "Now that Zhang Shichang is no longer in the Imperial Guard, we must be even more vigilant towards Zhu Fei. After all, the Imperial Guard is the last line of defense for the palace, and absolutely no mistakes can be made!"
After speaking, Qiu Beiming tapped the table lightly a few times, paused, and said, "I suggest that we immediately send someone to bring Zhu Fei here! In the shortest possible time, we should assign all the Jinyiwei spies under Zhang Shichang's command to him. Only in this way can we have a smooth transition."
Qiu Beiming's words immediately jolted Sima Lie awake.
In his anger, he almost forgot the most crucial question.
He slammed his hand on the table and said, "Yes! Quick! Go and send someone to fetch Zhu Fei for me."
"Yes, this old servant will go right away."
The butler acknowledged the request and then hurriedly left.
...
Before long, the steward had someone carry the drunken Zhu Fei to Sima Lie's study.
Sima Lie and Qiu Beiming had been waiting for a long time.
Even from a distance, the strong smell of alcohol emanated from him. Sima Lie frowned and asked, "What's going on? How much did he drink in the middle of the night? Did he go to a brothel again?"
"Prime Minister... General Zhu didn't go. It was the brothel that sent the courtesans to your door. When I arrived at the Zhu residence, there were two sedan chairs waiting at the gate..."
Upon hearing this, Sima Lie's old face darkened, and he shook his head repeatedly in disdain.
Zhu Fei collapsed into a limp heap, unable to get up, muttering, "Help me up, I can still drink, I can still drink..."
Zhu Fei muttered to himself, and after a long while, he seemed to realize that he was in the Prime Minister's residence.
"Prime Minister? Prime Minister, would you like to drink with me as well?"
Zhu Fei shook his head, looking at Sima Lie in front of him with a blank expression.
Seeing his expression, Sima Lie's lips twitched slightly: "Zhu Fei, Zhang Shichang is dead..."
He finished speaking coldly, then carefully observed Zhu Fei's reaction with his eyes.
"Who died?" Zhu Fei asked, completely bewildered.
After a long while, he seemed to suddenly realize something, and his eyes widened.
"Brother Zhang is dead? Who the hell did this? Who!" Zhu Fei suddenly erupted, roaring, "Which bastard killed Brother Zhang? I will tear him to pieces and grind his bones to dust!"
The steward rushed forward to help him up: "General... General, please accept my condolences. The Prime Minister is still questioning you..."
"Damn it!" Zhu Fei, drunk and emboldened by the alcohol, slapped the steward across the face, his fat face contorting in pain. "Brother Zhang just owed me two hundred thousand taels of gambling money. Now that he's dead, who am I supposed to pay him back!"
"I'm really angry right now!"
Upon hearing this, Sima Lie's face darkened even more, and he could only coldly say, "Enough! Fatty Zhu!"
"Li Geng did this!"
"Li Geng?!"
Zhu Fei was taken aback at first, then flew into a rage and said, "Fine! It's that beast Li Geng! Bring me a knife! I'm going to the prison right now to kill Li Geng and avenge Brother Zhang!"
Zhu Fei's loud and boisterous manner irritated Sima Lie, igniting a nameless anger within him.
Sima Lie, suppressing the burning flames in his chest, slammed his fist on the table and said, "Shut up! Zhu Fei! You don't need to worry about revenge! From now on, you will keep a close watch on this tyrant and be loyal to me. Once you discover anyone suspicious, arrest and interrogate them immediately!"
"Furthermore, Zhang Shichang's intelligence network within the Embroidered Uniform Guard will also be handed over to you! As long as you perform your duties well, I will not skimp on your rewards!"
Seeing Sima Lie's outburst, Zhu Fei immediately shrank back, but upon hearing what he said next, he immediately seemed to have heard some great news.
With a face full of excitement, he pledged his loyalty, saying, "Prime Minister, rest assured, I will swear to serve you to the death. If you tell me to go east, I will never go west. If you tell me to beat a dog, I will never chase a chicken!"
Seeing Sima Lie's increasingly impatient expression, Zhu Fei quickly covered his mouth with his hand, but soon released it again, putting on a fawning look, and said, "By the way, Prime Minister, this humble general happens to know some news about a tyrannical emperor, which will definitely be of use to you!"
Sima Lie raised his eyebrows, signaling him to continue.
Zhu Fei cleared his throat and said, "Prime Minister, according to my humble opinion, there is a maid named Yuzhu by the Emperor's side recently. This woman is wicked and has been deliberately trying to seduce the Emperor. In my opinion, she wants to compete with Consort Jing for the Emperor's favor. We must be wary of her. Also..."
Zhu Fei lowered his voice, and his expression became very serious, as if he was about to reveal a shocking secret.
“Prime Minister, I have also discovered that this Yuzhu often whispers with the eunuchs at the palace gate. I suspect she has some ulterior motive.”
Zhu Fei became more and more excited as he spoke, as if the credit was within his grasp. He even rubbed his hands together and looked at Sima Lie with a smile.
Sima Lie's eyes flickered. He stared at Zhu Fei for a long time, then smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "The information you mentioned is very useful to me."
He didn't tell Zhu Fei that Yu Zhu was someone he had arranged, since Yu Zhu had already gained the emperor's favor, and this important person couldn't be seen by others.
However, he was quite satisfied that Zhu Fei had reported this matter to him.
Firstly, it shows that he genuinely wanted to do things for him; secondly, the fact that he noticed Yuzhu also shows that although this guy is utterly depraved, he still has some skills!
Zhu Fei then feigned a joyful expression and said happily, "It is a great honor for this humble general to be able to serve the Prime Minister."
Sima Lie waved his hand, signaling him to stop.
He pondered for a moment, then instructed, "Just keep an eye on that jade bead, but don't take any rash action against her."
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