Chapter 114 Help
"Is this really true?" Inside the box, the two friends' faces turned pale, realizing the thorny nature of the problem.
When Feng Ju falsely accused Li Yanfu, any discerning person could see that something was amiss.
With a little more investigation, it is not difficult to guess the role Zhao Duan played in orchestrating the whole thing.
However, all the officials instinctively believed that this was just another little game between the empress and the prime minister, and everyone saw through it but did not say anything.
It was not surprising that Xia Jianghou knew about this.
But no one expected that the past, which had long been settled, would be brought up again.
"Why is this? Did Zhao Duan offend Marquis Xia Jiang?"
The slightly fat scholar wondered:
"I have never heard of any intersection between the two sides."
The middle-aged man wearing a futou said in a deep voice:
"Have you two forgotten Princess Yunyang? Coincidentally, before I came here at noon, I heard from a friend that Zhao Duan's car was forced to stop on Zhuque Street this morning by the Grand Princess's sedan chair. Marquis Xiajiang seemed to be there too.
At first I thought it was a rumor, but now I think it might be true."
The slightly plump scholar was surprised:
"Brother Changfeng, are you saying that Marquis Xiajiang took action against Zhao Duan in order to please Princess Yunyang?
Yes, Xia Jiang Hou has always been described as a nobleman, arrogant and ruthless, and is said to have done many dirty things. This is indeed something he could do."
The middle-aged man with a bun analyzed:
"Zhao Duan has made many contributions recently and is favored by the Saint. It will not be easy for Marquis Xiajiang to deal with him.
The lawsuit against the Prime Minister is an opportunity. If we force our elder brother to bite back, overturn the verdict, and make it public that it was Zhao Duan who deliberately framed him, then the Li Party will definitely help. Coincidentally, there's already a feud between the two sides... In this way, with solid evidence of his guilt, even Your Majesty will find it difficult to openly take sides."
Feng Ju's face looked extremely ugly and he said nothing.
Obviously, he had thought this through as well.
The slightly plump scholar said:
"But if the verdict is overturned, let's not even talk about whether Marquis Xiajiang will abide by his promise and release the victim intact. My brother would offend both the Dead Sage and the Prime Minister. Not to mention Zhao Duan, who is rumored to be vindictive... In this case, is there any hope for survival?"
Dead end!
All three of them were smart people, and after a simple analysis, they realized how bad the situation was.
If Feng Ju disobeyed, his biological daughter would be gone.
If you obey, you will become a complete abandoned pawn, and the ending will not be good either.
This is the helplessness of the little people, they don’t even have a chance to survive in the cracks.
Feng Ju's eyes were red, and he said in a low voice:
"My mind is in a mess right now, and I don't know what to do. So I'm urgently looking for you two brothers to meet me and help me think of a solution..."
The two good friends looked embarrassed. The three of them were acquaintances, but like Feng Ju, they were of low status, with no power and no big family behind them.
How to fight against a hereditary marquis?
Even if you want to find connections, give gifts and beg for mercy, you can't find a way!
There was a moment of silence.
The slightly plump scholar thought for a moment and said:
"Since you have already joined the imperial party, why don't you seek the protection of the saint?"
Feng Ju smiled bitterly and shook his head:
"With our status, how can we possibly speak to His Majesty? Furthermore, I have no evidence of kidnapping. I only know that my daughter is missing, and Marquis Xiajiang only sent a message through a servant. How can I prove this?"
He hadn't said anything more:
It involves a hereditary marquis and a eldest princess... Will the members of the royal party he knows really offend them for him?
I’m afraid that the news will never be delivered to the palace and will be lost along the way.
The slightly plump literati were outraged:
"In my opinion, why not go directly to the government office and report to the Dali Temple? A sixth-rank official is also an official appointed by the court. How can you threaten a nobleman without any official title at will? Where is the face of the court?"
The middle-aged man with a bun haircut smiled bitterly:
"Brother Zigu, please don't say such angry words. How dare the government accept this? As for the Dali Temple, don't forget that the Dali Temple Minister and the Prime Minister are also very close. In my opinion, if we really need to find someone, there is one person who can do it."
"Who?" They both looked at the same time.
"Zhao Duan!"
The middle-aged man with a bun spit out this name and looked at Feng Ju:
"Brother Bo, don't forget that you and he are tied together in this case. If you overturn the verdict, he will also suffer. And ultimately, this matter was caused by him, so he should resolve it."
Feng Ju's eyes suddenly lit up!
Yes, if Zhao Duan is willing to help, with his connections, as long as he passes a word to His Majesty, his predicament will be resolved.
He was so angry and confused just now that he didn't think of it.
Beside him, the slightly plump scholar shook his head:
"But will Mr. Zhao help? I heard he's a ruthless, cruel man, not a good person.
Even if he went to ask for help, he could have made other preparations after learning about this, or even turned against me and thrown my elder brother into the imperial prison, or tied him up and sent him to Marquis Xiajiang in an attempt to mend their relationship...
What can't that kind of traitor do? On the contrary, rescuing him is both laborious and useless, and there's also the worry that my elder brother will defect to Marquis Xiajiang and continue to act recklessly..."
Feng Ju's eyes suddenly dimmed.
Yes, considering Zhao Duan’s character, would he help him?
Or should he turn ruthless and kill him directly to avoid the risk of overturning the verdict?
It’s hard to say.
All I can say is... while Zhao Duan enjoys the benefits of being a "villain", he also inevitably carries the negative buff of not being trusted.
In the box, the two friends each had their own opinion, but both had their reasons.
Feng Ju's expression changed constantly. Finally, he gritted his teeth, slammed his fist down on the table, and said:
"I'll go ask Zhao Duan for help!"
Feng Ju, who loved his daughter dearly, could not afford to delay any longer:
"Compared to Marquis Xiajiang's reputation, I'd rather bet on Zhao's mercy!"
Seeing this, the two friends fell silent for a moment, and the slightly plump scholar stopped talking.
The middle-aged man with a bun hat reminded:
"If you go, remember not to threaten him or say things like, 'You're in the same boat, and if you're in trouble, he'll suffer too.
There is no need to ask him to go find His Majesty, just explain the situation clearly and ask him to take action.
By the way, it's best to meet in private, or send a letter. Marquis Xiajiang will definitely send people to secretly monitor your every move, so remember to be careful."
Feng Ju stood up and nodded heavily:
"I see."
With his intelligence, he shouldn't need to be reminded.
But now my emotions are running high and my rationality is declining, so I need the advice of my two good friends.
…
…
Afternoon, Lihua Hall.
Zhao Duan did not take a nap, but instead looked through the information of "Marquis Xiajiang" from the government office.
Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.
Compared to the eldest princess who had no real power and only knew how to control men, he felt that this marquis was a greater threat.
"Tsk tsk, it's really not that simple."
After reading the information, Zhao Duan was deeply moved and understood why this guy was so arrogant.
According to internal archives, Xia Jianghou entered the realm of martial arts gods ten years ago.
Although he was suspected of asking a strong man for initiation and assistance to break through the barriers, he was what the empress called a "fake warrior".
But his realm is there, his foundation is good, and he is not short of powerful martial arts.
"No wonder you dare to stop me in the street, you must have the confidence." Zhao Duan shook his head slightly.
In addition, the archives also record that Xia Jianghou was suspected of controlling the gang industry in the capital.
He is the boss behind the Red Flower Society, the largest gang in Beijing.
Where there is light, there is darkness.
When Zhao Duan read history in his previous life, he was curious about why gangs were so rampant despite repeated bans. Not to mention the famous "Cao Gang" and "Salt Gang" in history... because of the huge interests involved.
There are countless local gangs in various places.
Later I realized that the feudal dynasty had weak control over the grassroots, and the imperial power could not reach deep into the streets and alleys.
However, the operation of society does require "governance" at the grassroots level to maintain a certain order.
The countryside is controlled by clan forces, while the densely populated cities provide space for gangs to survive.
Although it is a bit counterintuitive, the existence of gangs is certainly driven by human nature and interests, but conversely, the people also need a gang to establish order.
Even bad order is better than chaos.
When there is a vacuum of light, the king of darkness will come into being.
"He's got aristocratic status, but he also has his own thugs... He acts so high and mighty in front of me, like he's above the world, but behind the scenes, he's actually a shady guy."
Zhao Duan secretly complained.
He pondered silently whether he could start with the Red Flower Society and trick Xia Jianghou.
It's not his style to just take a beating.
Anyone who has been in a group fight knows that if you squat down with your head in your hands, hoping that the besieging enemies will lose interest and leave, you will only be bullied to death.
The correct way is either to call people back or to catch the leader of the opposing team and fight back. Knock the leader down, and the rest of the brothers will retreat.
Princess Yunyang has a special identity, so it's not easy to move around for the time being.
But it shouldn't be a big deal for a hereditary marquis with no real power to do something about it, right?
"It's a bit difficult to handle. It seems difficult to make a big deal out of the faction's feudal nobles accepting tributes and providing protection. It's just a certain degree of unspoken rule... Unspoken rules like this shouldn't be exposed unless there's a major problem..."
"How about creating some big problems?"
Zhao Duan was trying to think of something to do, but he had no idea what to do.
Suddenly, confidential secretary Qian Kerou walked into the hall:
"Sir, a messenger from our hall has handed over a letter. He says it's from Feng Ju, the director of the Ministry of Personnel's Selection Department. He has something extremely important to tell you."
Feng Ju?
Zhao Duan was stunned, recalling the beginning of his time travel, when he took advantage of the power of others on the black-sailed boat to deceive the leader who looked like a scholar.
Hearing that he was commended by the Empress, and that he would surely rise to great heights in the future, he stopped paying attention to him.
What does the other party want you to do?
Why not come in person?
He even took a roundabout way and asked his subordinates to deliver the letter.
Zhao Duan had a good impression of Feng Ju, even though the other party was deceived.
But the reason why he was able to turn the tables and survive the Zhuang Xiaocheng case was that Lao Feng's attack played a crucial role.
Zhao Duan was a man who cherished old friendships. Although Zhu Kui betrayed him, he still gave him a decent ending.
If Old Feng encounters any difficulties, Zhao Duan doesn't mind helping him.
He immediately took the wax-sealed letter, tore it open and read it.
A moment later.
His expression changed slightly, he was startled at first, and felt a chill on his back.
"Overturning the verdict... what a trick... If he really succeeds, even if nothing serious happens to me, I'll definitely suffer a lot."
Immediately, Zhao Duan flicked the envelope thoughtfully.
He realized that the breakthrough he needed to counterattack Xia Jianghou seemed to be right in front of him.
"Kidnap the family of an imperial official, even a marquis wouldn't be able to stand it, right?"
…
Typos should be corrected first and then replaced
Thanks to Zhizhu Zaiwu for the 500-point reward~
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
