Chapter 128: Your Majesty, the leader of the rebel party has been executed this morning
"Your Majesty, the Shadow Guards' spies are scattered across the Jianghu, delivering news to the capital, and inevitably experience delays along the way. I'm afraid Gao Li has already infiltrated the city."
Mo Chou said with a serious expression.
Xu Zhenguan moved his green jade fingers, threw the secret letter on the table, nodded slightly, and said:
"Do you think they will cause trouble in the near future?"
The first female official said "yes" and pondered:
"With the new helmsman in office, there will inevitably be some action. Gao Li... was arrogant back then, but was defeated by Ma Yan. This time he returns, and it just so happens that the two men at Tiechiguan have been captured. I'm afraid..."
Xu Zhenguan's eyebrows furrowed:
"You are worried that Kuang Fu She Hui will take on Ma Yan... No, with Ma Yan's cultivation level, he is a tough opponent. Then, he will cause trouble for the entire imperial court, or target Zhao Duan."
Thinking of this, Queen Dayu felt something in her heart.
She secretly decided that when Ma Yan summoned the young imperial guard into the palace later, she would give him some advice in person.
But just reminding him isn't enough. To be on the safe side, maybe we should give him a "talisman"...
Things are different now. The pretty boy back then is no longer worth being targeted by the rebels.
But after the "insider" incident, Zhao Duan was inevitably targeted by those with ulterior motives.
At this moment, a eunuch came running in from outside:
"Your Majesty, Envoy Zhao is outside requesting an audience."
He is so fast?
Xu Zhenguan was slightly surprised, and nodded happily:
"Call him in."
…
After a while.
Led by the eunuch, Zhao Duan came to the imperial study again.
The first time is strange, the second time is familiar, the third and fifth times are like a warm bed... Zhao Duan is still far from climbing onto the dragon bed, but he is no longer nervous about meeting the emperor.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
Zhao Duan stepped over the threshold with a calm demeanor.
Looking up, he saw the empress in white sitting behind a large desk, her thick black hair draped over her waist, and a large lump of ice shaped like a "light bulb" standing beside her.
Xu Zhenguan looked at him with a smile and said jokingly:
"I ordered Ma Yan to look for you, and you arrived right after me. When did you develop this amazing skill?"
No... You have no idea what I've been through... Zhao Duan seemed calm and composed, but he had actually been through the gates of hell, so it would be a lie to say he wasn't afraid.
From Changjie to Wumen, I held on with one breath.
It was not until this moment, when he saw the White-robed Empress, one of the "Four Celestial Beings" today, that his tense heartstrings finally relaxed.
He took a deep breath and said with a smile:
"The Governor explained to me yesterday that Your Majesty had already made arrangements. I only now realized that Your Majesty's favor is so deep and I have no way to repay it. Therefore, I came to the palace early this morning to thank Your Majesty for your grace."
Well...it's impossible to tell the truth.
You can't just answer honestly and say that you're worried and want to see how that bastard Xia Jianghou dies, so you come here early in the morning to join in the fun, right?
Secretary Zhao’s EQ can’t be that low!
After hearing this, Xu Zhenguan felt happy.
No one in this world really likes to "give silently".
It is human nature to ultimately hope that the good things you do for others will be seen and receive positive feedback.
This will shake your head and laugh:
"Mo Zhaorong said you were good at sweet talk, and it seems to be true."
You are saying bad things about me again... Zhao Duan glanced at the light bulb and found that Da Bingtuozi was looking at his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose, pretending not to hear.
After the pleasantries, we got down to business.
Xu Zhenguan did not mention Princess Yunyang first, but threw the secret letter on the table to him:
"You've come just in time. I just happened to have something to tell you. Look, the Kuangfu Society has infiltrated the capital with a new leader. You have to be careful."
Zhao Duan took it subconsciously, opened it and glanced at it, his expression became very strange.
Xu Zhenguan said in a serious tone:
"You must have heard of Gao Li. He was quite famous back then, and was even praised by the late emperor. Although he retired to seclusion after his defeat, he should not be underestimated..."
Zhao Duan's expression became increasingly strange. Seeing that the empress hadn't finished speaking, he didn't want to interrupt her, so he could only stop talking.
Xu Zhenguan pondered and said:
"Now that he has infiltrated the capital, and you've become quite famous these days, and have repeatedly thwarted his plans, I'm afraid he'll be targeting you."
It’s not just fear, it’s already… Zhao Duan opened his mouth and wanted to speak:
"I don't think it's that..."
beside.
Mo Chou, who had been standing there in silence, suddenly spoke. The "First Female Official," who had a rather neutral beauty and always gave people the impression of a woman dressed as a man, said quietly:
"Nothing? Lord Zhao, don't underestimate the enemy. Don't let your recent victories get to your head. Remember, there are always people who are better than you.
The lesson that traitor Zhuang Xiaocheng taught you that day must have been profound enough. Anyone who can lead the Kuangfu Society, even if it's just a branch, is definitely not an ordinary person."
No... Can you two, one by one, let me finish my sentence...
Zhao Duan was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and said with a folded hand:
"Your Majesty, I have come here to report something concerning this new helmsman."
Xu Zhenguan and Mochou were both stunned, wondering if he already knew about this?
Well, that's possible.
The shadow guard's message was limited by the distance and was a bit slow after all. It was not surprising that Lihuatang noticed it.
However, Zhao Duan's next words made the two women completely unable to sit still.
He just cupped his hands and said:
“In fact, this morning, when I was rushing from home to the Imperial Palace, I happened to be ambushed by Gao Li. Fortunately, I was well prepared and managed to escape with my life and kill him.
The swordsman Gao Li has also been executed, and his body has been sent to the imperial court. The confiscated Frost sword has also been brought into the palace as evidence.
It is now stored at the main entrance of the palace. If Your Majesty wishes to see it, please have someone bring it here for inspection."
quiet.
At this moment, you could almost hear a pin drop in the imperial study.
Mo Chou looked up in surprise, her eyes widened, staring at Zhao Duan, suspecting that she had heard it wrong.
Gao Li ambushed him, but was killed in return?
The new helmsman who just took office burned himself to death with his first fire?
However, Zhao Duan, the "assassination target", was standing there intact, without any wounds or even a scratch on his body.
How dare I believe it?
Behind the desk was a bright yellow silk carpet, a pen holder and inkstone were placed, and memorials were piled up like a mountain.
Xu Zhenguan was also stunned and stared at Zhao Duan quietly.
The empress, with eyebrows as dark as distant mountains and eyes as rippling as autumn water, had a moment of confusion in her beautiful eyes as black as ink above her icy skin.
What did she hear?
Zhao Duan, a mere mortal of average caliber, actually killed the once-famous genius swordsman in the capital?
She had reason to suspect that the very existence of this thing challenged common sense.
If we say that Zhao Duan went to the palace to report on the progress of the case several times in the past, the empress's underestimation of him was the reason why her impression of him was repeatedly refreshed.
This time, it's a bit outrageous.
Xu Zhenguan's gaze fell uncontrollably on the secret memorial on the table, which had been rushed over a hundred miles, costing manpower and material resources, and was delivered to her desk overnight from a distant place.
It was clearly a steaming hot, freshly prepared memorial, how could it have expired in the blink of an eye...
"You... say it again." Xu Zhenguan asked expressionlessly.
"yes……"
Zhao Duan had no choice but to describe the whole process in detail without missing any details.
In addition to the origin of the "Divine Talisman"
——He only said that Jin Jian gave him the talisman and provided help in order to repay the favor he owed him last time.
…
A moment later.
After hearing the whole story, the two women slowly came to their senses.
So that’s how it is.
Even though we knew the whole story, the whole thing still seemed unreal. However, the tone was so convincing, and there were witnesses and evidence, so it was obviously not fake.
"So, Gao Li is dead. The Kuangfu Society in the capital has lost its leader again." Xu Zhen seemed to be talking to himself.
Then, without waiting for Zhao Duan's answer, she said in an unclear tone:
"Have the rebels of the Kuangfu Society dared to assassinate an official of the imperial court right under my nose?"
After the empress's initial astonishment, the expression on her fair face was replaced by anger.
In fact, although the rebels had been fighting the empress for two years, they did not often use assassination methods before that.
This is especially true in the capital.
Firstly, assassination is likely to expose oneself. There are many hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the capital, and those who have reached a certain level of practice and fighting are easily detected.
It's a style of fighting where you kill one thousand enemies but lose eight hundred of your own.
Secondly, it would not be very meaningful to assassinate ordinary officials, but important officials like Yuan Li might have strong bodyguards or means to protect their lives, so it would be quite difficult.
Of course, there is a more important reason.
This is what the Kuangfu Society wants. It is not to overthrow Dayu, but to seize power.
If the capable ministers were assassinated, the ruling system of Dayu would collapse, which would do more harm than good to the Kuangfu Society.
Moreover, the act of assassination is bound to make all officials feel insecure and hostile to the Kuangfu Society... Therefore, the rebel party mainly uses the "infiltration strategy" to gradually corrupt and win over the court.
In order to shake the authority of the empress, he instigated various forces in the court to become enemies of the "imperial party".
Perhaps it was because in the past two years, the empress had not fallen, but her position had become increasingly stable, which led to the increasingly radical behavior of the Kuangfu Society.
This is why a few days ago, Zhuang Xiaocheng personally joined the game and tried to deal with Ma Yan's "game".
But that time, they also lured people outside the city to take action, just like today, they ambushed and killed the empress's close friends inside the city.
It is undoubtedly a huge provocation.
"Don't worry." Xu Zhenguan's tone suddenly turned cold.
"I'm here." Mo Zhaorong responded.
Xu Zhenguan said in a cold tone:
"First, send a message to the Beijing camp to conduct a thorough investigation of recent entries into the city. All suspicious individuals must be investigated. No suspicion should be overlooked. Do not offer excuses like there are too many people entering the city, a mixed bag, and it's difficult to distinguish. I only want results."
"Second, send a message to the Yulin Guard, Jinwu Guard, Qianniu Guard... including the six major imperial guards, commanding the Imperial Court. From now on, dig up the capital city three feet deep. Gao Li brought in more than one person. Can the rest of them really leave no trace?"
"Third, tell Ma Yan to hang Gao Li's body on the city gate tower. I want to see if those self-proclaimed righteous and heroic people in the Kuangfu Society have the courage to jump out and retrieve their leader's body."
"Fourth, order the Nine Daos and Eighteen Prefectures Shadow Guards to disperse and behead all the rebels they have captured. Leave no one alive!"
Murderous! !
Each of the four decrees was more ferocious and murderous than the last.
Zhao Duan was stunned.
At this moment, he seemed to see the Third Princess who swept through the army with a sword during the Xuanmen coup, killing people so that blood flowed like a river and heads rolled like rolling hills.
"Your Majesty, this..."
Mo Chou's expression also changed, and she hurriedly advised:
"Screening and searching is fine, but hanging the body at the city gate...wouldn't this method give the rebels something to criticize?
Those traitors have been spreading rumors, trying to portray Your Majesty as a tyrant. Wouldn't this be fulfilling their wish? It's detrimental to your reputation.
As for beheading... aren't you planning to win over and incite those rebels to defect?
You also said that not all the rebels are hopeless. Zhuang Xiaocheng has bribed and corrupted officials, and we can also bribe and support members... If we behead him now, wouldn't all our previous efforts be in vain?"
She was worried that the empress was being swayed by her emotions and making an irrational decision.
Zhao Duan also advised:
"Your Majesty, calm down. You must think twice before you act on this matter."
However, Xu Zhenguan shook his head.
She stood up and walked to the window, letting the lake wind blow her long hair. Her eyes were clear and she said calmly:
"I am not blinded by anger, I just want to understand some things.
In the past, I was concerned about my reputation, so I held back. But in reality, some people are really willing to push their limits, like those fake teachers who talk about morality but are full of thieves and prostitutes.
They fabricate a list of rules that a benevolent ruler should follow, but they themselves never follow them.
Since they don't follow the rules, there's no need for me to follow them."
After a pause, the Queen of Dayu suddenly smiled, looked at the two of them dimly, and said softly:
"Tell me, do Zhuang Xiaocheng and his gang really think that I... can't wield a sword?"
(End of this chapter)
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