Chapter 118 We are all adults, who cares about the rules?
"What did you say?!" Xia Jianghou was almost speechless and was highly skeptical about the news.
Princess Yunyang also pursed her red lips.
The servant said anxiously: "Indeed, he is coming..."
He relayed the news again, and it was accurate.
Xia Jianghou's still handsome face turned pale, a sign of rage.
"Okay, okay, it's just as the rumors say. How brave!"
As a marquis who has always been proud of his "aristocratic" status, he has a natural sense of superiority over commoners like Zhao Duan who have climbed up from the bottom by relying on their looks.
With the support of the entire noble group, he has always maintained a cold-eyed and indifferent attitude towards the disputes in the court.
Even the notorious Zhao Yamen was a great deterrent to the officials of Dayu, but it rarely took action against nobles.
Therefore, even though he knew that "Master Meng" was arrested, Marquis Xia Jiang still did not think that Zhao Duan dared to touch him.
What's more... it's just a police station.
Where did they get the power to arrest him?
"My Lord, calm down."
Beside her, Princess Yunyang spoke at the right moment:
"He made such a blatant move, Ma Yan must have known about it."
"Princess, what you mean is... he got Ma Yan's tacit approval? Indulgence?" Xia Jianghou was incredulous.
Princess Yunyang said softly:
"I can't be sure about this kind of thing, but if he really came with the imperial order from Ma Yan to arrest you, and if the Marquis impulsively resisted, it would be very troublesome."
Xia Jianghou calmed down instantly.
Yes!
Zhao Duan is a treacherous and cunning villain. Although he is arrogant and domineering, he is not stupid.
They made such a big fuss and arrested me beyond their authority. Is there really no basis for them to do so?
Was this a setup? Was it a deliberate attempt to lure him into a fight back?
"What the princess said makes perfect sense!"
He nodded and frowned:
"But can I still surrender?"
Princess Yunyang said nothing, but just silently played with the empty wine cup in her hand.
Sure enough, Xia Jianghou didn't really ask her, but was trying to find a way out for himself.
As a man, you always have to save face. Many times, the so-called anger is just pretending to show off to others.
Seeing the princess handing him the steps, he slid down the pole and said thoughtfully:
"If the Zhao guy is deliberately trying to provoke me, I'm afraid I'll fall into his trap if I resist. That's all..."
Xia Jiang Hou ordered the servant:
"Prepare the car and go to Dali Temple."
Then he turned to the woman behind him and bowed regretfully:
"Princess, I will go take care of the aftermath and come back to find you."
"Haha, my lord, just go and do your own thing." Princess Yunyang smiled.
After watching him leave in a hurry, she slowly put down the wine cup.
Beneath her jet-black hair, a thoughtful look appeared on her foxy face.
At this moment, the last ray of afterglow in the sky outside the building fell. She exhaled lightly, twisted her waist and stood up, stuffed her bare feet into the embroidered shoes, and walked down the restaurant.
He got on his luxurious sedan chair and said:
"Go back home."
Six people lifted up the sedan chair and returned to the Prince Consort's residence.
Princess Yunyang looked through the shaking curtain of the sedan chair at a flock of startled birds at the end of the long street and sighed softly:
"What a cruel person... Haha, I have to stay out of the spotlight too."
…
…
After a while, a group of cavalry in brocade clothes rushed to the end of the long street.
Sitting on the tall horse in the lead, Zhao Duan pulled the reins and looked at the deserted building in front of him, raising his eyebrows:
"Go ask."
Behind him, Shen Juan jumped off his horse, ran into the restaurant, and returned after a while:
"Your Excellency, they have already fled. They parted ways after drinking. Princess Yunyang should be returning home. As for Marquis Xiajiang..."
"explain."
"The waiter at the restaurant said that before Marquis Xia Jiang left, he told him that if you, my lord, come later, he should tell you that he is waiting for you at the Dali Temple."
Dali Temple! ?
Zhao Duan's heart moved. Obviously, Xia Jianghou had learned the news in advance and avoided fighting.
But he took the initiative to tell where he was going, which was obviously a silent provocation.
"Sir," Zheng Laojiu whispered behind him:
"The other party is confident and fearless. I'm afraid they have already made preparations. We..."
"Old Zheng," Zhao Duan said calmly while riding on his horse.
"You know my style."
Zheng Laojiu shut his mouth.
Hou Renmeng's eyes lit up, he uttered a "Hey" and cursed with a smile:
"I haven't really tried to arrest anyone at the Dali Temple."
Zhao Duan pulled the reins:
"Let's go. They've invited us. If we don't go and show us our respect, wouldn't that be disrespectful to the Marquis?"
…
As the only government office among the three judicial departments with complete and independent authority to investigate, arrest, and judge cases, the Dali Temple is located in the southwest of the capital.
It is not far from the Ministry of Justice Prison.
The last time Zhao Duan came here, he set a trap for Lu Liang and, by the way, staged a fake "committing a crime in front of the husband" with Pei Siniang.
When the Lihuatang group arrived at the main gate of the Dali Temple, it was already dark.
At the entrance of the yamen, a plaque hangs high above the towering stone beast guarding the yamen.
The big red lanterns are hung high, which is very magnificent.
Even the steps are higher than those of other government offices, highlighting the ruthlessness of the law.
"Zhao Duan, the police officer of Lihua Hall, is here to arrest the suspect. Tell Xia Jianghou to get out."
Zhao Duan was not polite at all and gave orders to the clerk guarding the gate.
The clerk was also shocked and didn't understand what was going on. He turned around and went in to report it.
After a while, a familiar middle-aged civil servant in a green robe and with an awe-inspiring look of justice walked out, followed by a group of petty officials armed with guns and sticks.
Dali Temple Cheng, He Zheng!
It was in the morning that he confronted Chen Juan, but was later slapped in the face in public by Zhao Duan, who then ran away in disgrace.
"Haha, Zhao Jisi, we meet again."
He Sicheng had a fake smile on his face, and he looked extremely jealous when he met his enemy.
Zhao Duan also laughed:
"Is Dali Temple deserted? Why do I keep running into you wherever I go?"
He Sicheng had a cold face and was too lazy to argue with him. He said:
"Why is Zhao Jisi coming here so aggressively? Is he planning to destroy our Dali Temple?"
It’s not impossible... Zhao Duan said with a smile:
"My court received a report that Marquis Xiajiang was involved in a serious crime. I came to ask him to return and cooperate with the investigation, but I didn't expect to learn that he had come to your court..."
Oh, don't say he's not here, that would be pointless. He Sicheng, can you please help me? Call him out, I won't make things difficult for you today."
He Sicheng said calmly:
"Marquis Xiajiang is indeed here, but unfortunately, you are a step too late."
"Oh?" Zhao Duan was surprised.
He Sicheng said calmly:
"My Dali Temple is also investigating a case involving the Red Flower Society. We have made some progress today and suspect it is related to Marquis Xia Jiang, so we have detained him.
The interrogation of the Red Flower Society members just now revealed a serious case involving the so-called "Mr. Meng" who secretly kidnapped the family members of officials...
The Minister of the Temple has learned of this and has personally investigated the case. The case is currently under investigation. Zhao Jisi, please go back first. According to the law and regulations, wait until our case is completed before sending the person over."
When these words were spoken, everyone in Lihua Hall was stunned.
The Dali Temple took the lead and arrested the person?
Is this also a case involving the Red Flower Society?
Even Feng Lianlian's matter is involved?
However, in He Zheng's description, he characterized it as the personal behavior of "Meng Ye".
Zhao Duan's heart suddenly sank.
He really didn't expect that Xia Jianghou would play this trick.
He did not choose to resist stubbornly or use his noble status to pressure others and deny his guilt.
Instead, he took the initiative to hand himself over to the Dali Temple.
Just happened to be arrested one step earlier? Bullshit!
It must be that Marquis Xiajiang is in collusion with the people from the Dali Temple.
With this operation, the case fell under the jurisdiction of the Dali Temple.
As for the final trial result of the case, the power to determine whether Feng Lianlian was kidnapped will be dominated by the Dali Temple, not the Imperial Court.
"...I have to admit that I underestimated him a little." Zhao Duan sighed softly.
He Zheng pretended not to understand, looked arrogant, and said with a flick of his sleeve:
"Everyone, please go back."
The situation is reversed.
In the morning, people from the Dali Temple came to rob Zhao Duan, but he fought back on the grounds that it was against the rules.
At night, it was Zhao Duan who came to rob the people from the Dali Temple. This time, it was He Zheng's turn to confront him in the name of "regulations".
Zhao Duan didn't move, and the troublemakers from Lihuatang behind him didn't move either.
The atmosphere changed subtly.
He Zheng narrowed his eyes:
"What do you mean, Zhao Jisi? This time, everything is done according to the rules. Are you going to hit someone again?"
There was a sneer in his tone.
Although there is still a huge gap in military strength between the two sides.
But the territory has changed.
A conflict between people from two yamen in the private residence of a rebel and a conflict in the Sanfashi Yamen are two completely different things.
He Zheng didn't believe that Zhao Duan dared to take action here.
It’s not that he underestimated Zhao Duan’s courage.
But in his opinion, there are better ways to catch people, such as going to the empress or playing by the rules of the game in officialdom.
From any perspective, fighting is the worst option.
Since Mr. Zhao is a smart man, he should understand the principle of retreating in order to advance.
"You may have misunderstood one thing." However, Zhao Duan shook his head slightly.
He Zheng frowned: "What did I think wrong?"
Zhao Duan suddenly turned over and dismounted, and everyone in Lihua Hall behind him also dismounted at the same time.
There was a certain power in the uniform movements.
Zhao Duan took a step forward and climbed the stairs. The men in brocade clothes behind him followed him, like a rising tide, engulfing the reefs.
He Zheng's eyelids twitched wildly, his body subconsciously frightened, and he wanted to retreat.
But he held himself back and stood proudly.
It's like the image of a hero who faces evil forces, remains upright and unyielding.
Zhao Duan stopped in front of him, the two of them were only an inch apart, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly:
"This is a notification, not a discussion."
He Zheng widened his eyes: "You are going to do..."
"Peng——"
The next second, Zhao Duan's palm pressed gently towards him, and the inverted galaxy taught by Taizu himself reappeared in the world in the most peaceful posture.
There was a strong wind.
The green-robed civil servant was like a leaf, lifted by the wind, floating backwards and falling directly into the flower bed.
The group of strong officials holding sticks behind him were all blown down, like ears of wheat prostrating themselves before a hurricane.
There was a burst of exclamations.
Not only the other party, but even the officials of Lihua Hall were shocked by their master's decisiveness.
Zhao Duan slowly withdrew his hand, stepped over the threshold of the Dali Temple, and the big red lantern above his head slowly lowered.
"Tsk, we're all adults now, who's talking to you about rules? You're childish."
Thanks to godess-moon for the 1500-point reward!
(End of this chapter)
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