Chapter 88 Zhao Duan: Anyone who steps out of this door will die!
Seeing Zhao Duan sitting upright, Zhou Cang had no choice but to walk over and stand beside him.
After a while, there were sounds of disorderly footsteps approaching, and several people came in from outside the hall.
The one leading the group was the female official who had just gone to call people. She clasped her hands together and said in a serious tone:
"Reporting to Chief Zhao and Captain Zhou, all the investigations at Lihua Hall are in place."
It is worth mentioning that the hierarchy in the imperial court is strict, with the governor holding great power and commanding nine officials.
Under the Jisi, there are about ten "jishi officials" who are treated as the same as the military officers of Dayu, so they are usually called Jinyi officers.
Well, he is at the same level as the abandoned Erlang of the Zhang family.
Further down, every investigator had several accompanying officials, also wearing brocade clothes, who were clerks.
If we include the clerks who are responsible for daily labor and clerical work, the number of people in the entire imperial yamen ranges from one thousand to three thousand.
Zhao Duan raised his eyelids and glanced at the people coming down the hall.
Following closely behind Qian Kerou was a young man with a sturdy build, thick eyebrows, big eyes, bronze skin, and an expressionless face.
There was a look of arrogance and impatience between his brows, and his calloused hands hung beside the scabbard. He must be a martial artist who had practiced swordsmanship diligently.
His appearance and temperament are very similar to Li Yuanfang in "Detective Di Renjie".
Zhou Cang whispered:
"This man's surname is Hou, and his reputation is fierce. He used to work for the number one-ranked Peony Hall. He was very capable, but he refused to obey the rules and had many violent conflicts with his colleagues, so he was forced to come here."
Hou Renmeng...it would be perfect if his last name was Park...Zhao Duan labeled him a "monkey" in his heart.
Behind the young man, leisurely walking, was an old official in his fifties or sixties.
He was not tall, had slightly bald hair, held a large ceramic teacup in his hand, and had a roll of official newspaper tucked under his arm.
After entering the door, he smiled at Zhao Duan first, then found a chair and sat down familiarly.
“…”
Zhao Duan looked at Zhou Cang, as if asking: Are you sure you haven't retired at this age?
Zhou Cang looked embarrassed and whispered in his ear:
"This is an old man in the government office. His surname is Zheng. He will retire in a year. He has a lot of experience and is one of the few who took the initiative to apply to come to Lihua Hall."
Haha, just tell me directly that you are a scoundrel who is here to take care of the elderly... Zhao Duan had no expression on his face.
Behind the old officer, there was finally a young man in brocade clothes, who was about a few years older than Qian Kerou, with noticeable dark circles under his eyes and a lazy look.
When walking, his steps are loose, in stark contrast to the fierce Hou Renmeng.
Zhou Cang explained:
"This person's name is Chen Juan. His family has some wealth and he has no worries about food and clothing. However, he is idle and his performance is at the bottom."
I get it, the second generation of idlers who are lying low in the workplace... Zhao Duan sighed, thinking that they are indeed talented.
Looking again, I saw a young man coming in late from outside the hall.
Unlike others, he was not wearing a uniform, but a satin shirt. He had a good appearance and fair skin.
But his drooping eyelids and pouting mouth corners give him the impression of a noble and aloof gentleman.
In his hand, he was holding a birdcage, which contained a precious shrike.
"Li Lang?" Zhao Duan guessed his identity.
Zhou Cang nodded and said:
"Lihuatang is not yet fully staffed. Currently, there are only these five investigators."
Well, Zhao Duan sighed and formed a preliminary impression of the five people:
The princess's son is the playboy Li Lang.
The new girl Qian Kerou in brocade clothes.
Old man Zheng who is retired and enjoying his retirement.
Hou Renmeng is a prickly and unruly man.
The weariness of just playing around and idling away your time.
This team cannot be said to be full of talents, but it can only be said that it is a disaster at the beginning. Yuan Li, you old thief... you are so cruel... Zhao Duan is silently holding a grudge.
…
The five people sat down one after another. Zhou Cang coughed and announced:
"The relevant notice was issued yesterday by the Governor. I won't waste any more words. The person next to me is the new official appointed by His Majesty to temporarily take over the post of Lihua Hall's Inspection Division. He is also the White Horse Supervisor, who has made many great achievements recently. Envoy Zhao."
The playboy kept by the empress as rumored?
He was impeached by all the civil and military officials in the court, but he managed to escape unscathed and defeated the Zhang brothers.
The person who recently replaced Yuan Gong and was suspected to be the despicable, arrogant, conceited, and extravagant pretty boy who bit Pei Kaizhi in the "party struggle"?
Everyone had a different expression, but they were all familiar with the name "Zhao Duan".
I was shocked when I heard the notice yesterday.
After seeing her true appearance today, I can only say that the empress has really good aesthetic taste.
But such a notorious lackey and scumbag was suddenly parachuted into the position of immediate superior?
Even the newbie Qian Kerou felt a little dissatisfied.
Perhaps, like Li Lang, he was here to take up a sinecure and gild his resume, the female official thought silently.
The other four people had similar ideas and had no respect for their new boss.
Seeing the silence, Zhou Cang was about to say something, but waved his hand to Zhao Duan:
"Alright, Captain Zhou, go ahead and do your work. I'll discuss the follow-up matters with them."
"Well... okay, if you have anything, you can come to the Governor's Hall to find me." Zhou Cang reported directly to Ma Yan and did not belong to the Nine Halls sequence.
…
After watching Zhou Cang leave, only his own people were left in Lihua Hall.
The captains in embroidered uniforms who had just been sitting upright with difficulty suddenly relaxed.
Li Lang, a member of the royal family, stood up first, picked up the birdcage, and said with a mocking look on his face and drooping eyelids:
"Let's go back and continue playing cards. Ha, it's such a small matter, but you still have to go through all this trouble."
Wang Chenjuan yawned, his butt felt heavy, and he glanced at the female official and said with a smile:
"Sister Rou, please take my place. I'm really sleepy. I'll lie down for a while."
Newbie Qian Kerou let out an "Ah!", sat up straight, waved her hands frantically, and glanced at Zhao Duan, her meaning obvious:
The Chief of Police is still here, it's inappropriate for you to do this! !
Beside him, the prickly Hou Ren crossed his arms with a look of disdain.
He has always looked down on people like Zhao Duan who curry favor with the powerful, so he also wanted to leave.
Only Old Zheng was calm and collected. He blew on the hot tea in the pot, squinting his eyes, as if watching how the new boss would respond.
However, Zhao Duan was sitting calmly in the main seat, as if he was not surprised by his subordinates' behavior.
He did not get angry, but said calmly:
"sit down."
Hou Ren, who was about to leave, suddenly stopped, as if he also wanted to see the quality of his new boss, and did not leave.
He didn't avoid or evade the defiant look in his eyes, as if he wasn't afraid of the power of the empress and her favorites.
There are always some people in the world who are not afraid of these things, and he happens to be one of them.
As a result, the only one walking out was the domineering young man Li Lang, who was wearing silk clothes.
Li Lang seemed to have not heard anything and continued to walk out.
"I said, sit down."
Zhao Duan folded his hands on his abdomen, his voice still calm, but his tone was a little heavier.
Li Lang finally stopped and turned back indifferently, his eyebrows drooping and a hint of mockery on his lips as he said:
"Zhao Duan, we are all here to make a living and gild ourselves, there is no need to act pretentiously and show off, right?
I've heard about you, and it's said you're having an affair with my sister? Haha, you're not bad looking, no wonder you're a male concubine... But you have to understand your own identity.
I heard that you relied on your favor to run rampant in the capital, and mixed in the Beijing circle, hanging out with that Qin Qu. I don’t hang out in that circle, but I also know what kind of people you are..."
The "sister" he was referring to was naturally the current empress, Xu Zhenguan.
It also emphasizes that his mother is Princess Yunyang.
The faces of the people in the hall were all strange. They didn't expect that Li Lang would not give the New Investigation Division any face at all and would just pretend to do it.
But, who can blame them for being royal relatives?
Although a princess who is married off is like spilled water, he also took the surname of his husband and could not be included in the genealogy of the Xu Dynasty in the future.
But... in the final analysis, we are still a family.
The royal family and the outsiders are two different classes after all. Others are afraid of Zhao Duan, but Li Lang is not afraid at all:
“So, don’t think that just because you’ve become His Majesty’s favorite and landed a lucrative position, that’s all that matters.
If you know your place, just be a nobody in Lihua Hall and keep everything as it is. I won't bother to fight you. If you're sensible, I might even take you out to play and meet the real sons of the rich and powerful. Do you understand?"
After saying this, the young man in gorgeous clothes turned around and continued to walk out the door in a swagger.
While teasing the bird in the cage, he meant something:
"Come out with me to play cards. Birds are more obedient than people. They know not to sing when they shouldn't."
Swish—the four people in the hall instantly looked at Zhao Duan.
The sun was shining brightly, but for some reason, the atmosphere was quietly tense.
In the almost frozen atmosphere, Zhao Duan narrowed his eyes and raised the corners of his mouth slightly, as if he was a beast seeing its prey.
The next moment, a thin line of golden light suddenly flashed in the Pear Blossom Hall.
Before everyone could come to their senses, there was a loud bang!
Inside the hall, two huge floor-to-ceiling vases were torn apart by the powerful energy and shattered instantly, with porcelain fragments and water droplets flying everywhere.
At the door, the expensive bird cage that Li Lang was dragging was cut in half by some extremely sharp weapon, and the broken end was as smooth as a mirror.
The bird in the cage was left with only a pool of hairy, bloody flesh.
His right foot dangled over the threshold.
He was only one step away from taking a leap, but he was forced to stop in mid-air, unable to move forward an inch!
Everyone stood up in shock, only to see that a palm-sized golden flying knife had been hovering between the brows of the domineering young master.
The flying knife hummed and vibrated, as if it had a soul and was eager to shed blood. The blade had penetrated a little into the center of the eyebrows, and a drop of bright red blood slowly slid down.
quiet.
In silence.
The new Chief of Police, Zhao Duan, who sat in the main seat and did not move at all from beginning to end, said indifferently:
"Anyone who steps out of this door will die."
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P.S. The author has opened a public account. You can find it by searching [Shiwancaituan] on WeChat. Readers can follow it. If I have the chance in the future, I will write something there that cannot be posted on Qidian.
(End of this chapter)
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