Chapter 132 Investigating Zhao Duan
I feel better now!
After slapping someone, Zhao Duan felt refreshed. He ignored the eldest princess who was sitting on the mat behind him and walked out.
Although the suggestion of "making Li Lang's mother apologize" was quite exciting, it was such an obvious pit that even if he was blind, he knew not to step into it.
"Squeak."
Zhao Duan pushed open the door and walked out. He saw the prince consort Li Shuping pacing anxiously beside a red-painted wooden pillar in the corridor.
Perhaps attracted by Zhao Duan's laughter, he looked over, his expression changed, and he lowered his head and looked away.
"Leave."
Zhao Duan shook his head, too lazy to talk nonsense with him. He waved his hand and led the two eunuchs back to report.
The eunuchs who stayed behind remained silent. They were responsible for supervising the implementation of the order.
They must take the eldest princess to a nunnery by today at the latest.
"Yunyang, what did the man surnamed Zhao say to you alone?"
Only after Prince Consort Li Shuping and others left did he breathe a sigh of relief, hurried into the room, and then froze.
All I saw was his wife sitting sideways on the mat, holding a pillow embroidered with mandarin ducks.
She hid the side of her face that was beaten to the other side, her red gauze skirt was disheveled, her shoes were taken off and placed aside, and she remained silent.
Li Shuping was stunned when he saw this, and his breathing became faster.
"He treated you..."
Thinking about the possibility of something happening between the man and woman in the room just now, besides being angry, he felt a strange excitement in his heart.
Yun Yang sneered, turned around, and looked at him with disappointment and contempt:
"Useless thing."
Li Shuping enjoyed it like honey.
…
…
Zhao Duan left the Prince Consort's Mansion and did not return to the palace.
He bowed to the two eunuchs and rode his horse towards the Tianshi Mansion.
On the way there, he saw five waves of imperial guards sweeping across the long street with murderous intent, and the atmosphere in the capital also changed.
Obviously, the empress's decree has been issued, and the capital has entered a new round of crackdown on the rebels.
"The new leader died just a few days after taking office. I believe that no matter how crazy the people in the Kuangfu Society are, they should be cautious and lay low. At least until the headquarters makes the next appointment, these rats in the gutter will not jump again."
"Oh right... I still have a rebel on my side, I almost forgot."
Zhao Duan thought of Yunxi, the female disciple abandoned by Zhuang Xiaocheng who had been imprisoned for several days.
A few days ago, after Zhao Duan had gained a firm foothold in the imperial court, he issued a transfer order, ordering people to take Yunxi from the government jail to the imperial prison.
To prevent the last Luliang robbery incident from happening again.
Although Keren moved to his own territory, Zhao Duan ignored her.
"Oh, if the little girl knew that the new helmsman was chopped down by me again, I wonder what her expression would be."
Zhao Duan shook his head and said, "Forget it, let's talk about it later."
I've been too busy lately and too lazy to visit her.
The Tianshi Mansion is an independent building complex surrounded by square walls, with Taoist temple-like buildings inside.
The most eye-catching thing is the big clock placed on the high building in the center.
Every time it rings, the heavy bell can be heard outside the city
——He heard the bell on the day he traveled through time, but it was his first time here.
There are Taoist priests guarding the main gate. Those who are not wearing priest robes are not practitioners, but servants in the Tianshi Mansion.
After Zhao Duan politely gave his name, the Taoist looked at him in surprise:
"Please wait a moment, my lord. I will go and inform you."
After a while, Jin Jian yawned and floated out like a ghost, as if he had just climbed out of bed.
"Yawn~ Are you here?"
No...it's almost noon...Zhao Duan opened his mouth, thinking of himself staying up late in his previous life.
He goes to bed at four and wakes up at seven, and the King of Hell praises him for his good health.
"Priest, excuse me for a moment."
Zhao Duan indicated that there was an outsider and wanted to go in and talk.
The girl with pale skin, delicate features and unfocused eyes shook her head and said:
"Unless under special circumstances, outsiders are not allowed to enter the Tianshi Mansion."
Then he waved his hand, and a faint light flashed:
"Okay, our conversation won't be overheard."
Am I not special... It turns out that in your heart, I am just an ordinary outsider... Zhao Duan complained in his heart, feeling disappointed, and bowed his hands with a proper posture:
"I was in a hurry before, so I came here to thank the priest for helping to cover it up."
What he was referring to was the matter of the divine talisman.
Jin Jian raised her little hand to cover her mouth:
"Yawn~ You're welcome, I was asked to do this as well."
Zhao Duan suddenly realized:
"Is it that tall and powerful official? Speaking of which, he's been looking for me so many times. Was it Priest Jin Jian who introduced him to me? Is he familiar with you?"
Jin Jian looked at him strangely, said "yes" without comment, and said:
"Very familiar."
Sure enough! Zhao Duan confirmed his guess and asked curiously, "May I ask his name?"
Jin Jian was silent for a moment, then said, "His last name is Wang."
Old Wang... When you have time, you can ask someone to find out which powerful official in the Tianshi Mansion has the surname Wang... Zhao Duan took note and said tactfully:
"Please, Priest, please help pass on a message to me. Tell me that I have accepted his favor this time. I will not charge you for the words I gave him last time. If you want them again in the future, you can come to me and exchange them for talismans or something similar. I will give you a discount if you buy in large quantities..."
Jin Jian: "...Okay. Anything else? If not, I'm going to sleep. Yawn~"
Zhao Duan's heart moved, and he suddenly said:
"By the way, I remember that our Tianshi Mansion also runs a lot of businesses, such as shops and so on."
Places like Tianshi Mansion and Shenlong Temple have stood for many years, and it takes a lot of resources to support so many unproductive priests.
The sale of pills, medicines and the like only accounts for a small part.
Most of the operating funds depend on their respective industries, such as large amounts of land, shops, etc.
Jin Jian nodded stupidly:
"yes."
Zhao Duan took out the ice-making formula from his pocket and explained it, saying:
"I wonder if the Priest, or Old Wang... ahem, Official Wang Sanguan, would be interested in purchasing my formula and selling it through the Tianshi Mansion's shop. I'm sure we can make a fortune."
Zhao Duan's action had two intentions.
First, make money.
The Tianshi Mansion has a complete sales system, and since it makes elixirs and medicines, it has a large amount of cheap saltpeter.
Second, we can use business cooperation to deepen our relationship with Lao Wang and Jin Jian.
He even decided that he would rather make less money and give more benefits to the other party, but he had to maintain this network of contacts.
Especially, the girl in front of him is the legendary disciple of the Heavenly Master.
If it works out, wouldn't it be a big profit if I could get in touch with the old Taoist priest later?
A mere Old Wang can come up with such a good thing, let alone the legendary Zhang Tianshi.
make money!
Jin Jian's eyes lit up and he was no longer sleepy. His scattered gaze then focused.
She likes money. This was clearly demonstrated in the case of Prince Jing's Mansion. She said suspiciously:
"Can saltpeter really make ice?"
Zhao Duan patted his chest:
"If it's genuine, come find me if you can't make it."
Jin Jian stared at the recipe eagerly:
"How much is this?"
Zhao Duan silently calculated the approximate profit he could make and extended his index finger.
After thinking for a while, he put his thumb up, made an "eight" sign, and said:
"The price is ten thousand taels of silver. I'll give you a friendly price of eight thousand taels. Take the formula."
Jin Jian shuddered with fear, took a big step back, and waved his hands repeatedly, saying:
“I don’t have that much money!”
Huh? Is a disciple of the Heavenly Master so poor?
I have already lost a lot of money and given up a huge profit... Zhao Duan said:
"How many do you have?"
Jin Jian lowered his head, and used his ten slightly stubby fingers to pick at the pouch on his waist. Then he raised his head cautiously, and said with a guilty conscience:
"Eighty taels, okay?"
Goodbye!
Zhao Duan took a deep breath, resisted the urge to run away, and said:
"I have another idea, which is to invest in technology... You don't need to spend money to buy it, and when you sell it, you can get dividends based on the proportion of the proceeds."
Hearing that it was free, Jin Jian was very satisfied and smiled innocently:
"It's a deal then! Don't worry, I won't treat you unfairly. We'll split the profits equally."
Alas... this silly child, you can earn more by just paying the price, but you insist on giving me money... Zhao Duan nodded with tears in his eyes:
"By the way, if I need anything later, how can I contact you? Should I come to your house?"
Making money is secondary, getting the contact information under the guise of business is the real thing.
Jin Jian did not suspect anything and handed him a short yellow incense stick:
"As long as you are in the capital, light this incense and I will come over. But you'd better find me at night. I need to catch up on sleep during the day, so I will be slow to come... yawn~"
…
Deep inside the Tianshi Mansion, in a small courtyard.
Jin Jian came back yawning, his expression excited:
"Master, I've already told him."
Under the big banyan tree, Zhang Yanyi lay in a rattan chair, holding a palm-leaf fan:
"very good."
Jin Jian asked curiously:
"But why didn't you tell him your true identity? And how did you know him? Master, you didn't go looking for him secretly without telling me."
The girl was a little suspicious that the "young friend" that her master mentioned was Zhao Duan!
But she had no evidence, and how could a mortal warrior say something that could be included in the "Heavenly Book"?
She scratched her head but couldn't figure it out.
The old Taoist priest, who was tall, with white hair and eyebrows and a ruddy face, smiled and said slowly:
"The secret of heaven cannot be revealed."
"Tsk, forget it."
Jin Jiankun's eyelids were drooping and she yawned continuously. She paid little attention to anything other than cultivation and making money.
Zhang Yanyi asked curiously:
"By the way, what are you so happy about?"
Jin Jian took out the recipe, explained it, and then thought:
"Master, what do you think about me working with you to sell ice cream?"
Zhang Yan was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter:
"Okay, but when you make money, don't feel bad about the dividends."
Jin Jian was puzzled. She thought to herself, how much money could she make from selling ice cubes? How could Zhao Duan dare to ask for eight thousand taels? She would not be fooled.
…
…
That night.
The news about the conflict between the Dali Temple and the Imperial Court in today's court, and the fate of Marquis Xiajiang and Princess Yunyang, spread like wildfire in the official circles of the capital.
For a time, countless people were discussing it heatedly.
No one could have imagined that the emperor would be so partial that, for the sake of a male favorite, he would send his own aunt to a nunnery to be accompanied by the ancient Buddhas and green lamps.
As for Marquis Xia Jiang, when his evil deeds were exposed, the people were outraged, and many people secretly cursed him for having died a good death.
However, more attention is still focused on royal gossip.
Zhao Duan, on the other hand, had some free time.
As for the incident of the rebel leader drinking blood, it was not known to the public because not many people knew about it.
Instead, it was the empress's series of thundering measures that made people feel a chill in the hottest days of summer.
However, for most people in Beijing, the killing in the martial arts world is not very noticeable.
What is even less known is that on this very night, another drama was being played out in the residence of Zhou Cheng, the Minister of Dali Temple.
"Sir, you're looking for me?"
In Zhou's house, inside a main room.
He Zheng, the Dali Temple Secretary, closed the door and respectfully saluted his boss who was sitting on the Huanghuali armchair.
Last night, he was knocked unconscious by Zhao Duan and it was already dawn when he woke up.
He didn't suffer any serious injuries, but compared to the superficial injuries, the loss of face in public was more unbearable for him.
I took a day off and stayed at home, but unexpectedly, I was called in the evening.
At this moment, the middle-aged civil servant in a green robe and with a bruised face and nose slowly raised his head and looked upwards curiously.
I saw a Dali Temple official who was about sixty years old, with a square face and deep "chuan" wrinkles on his eyebrows. He was wearing casual home clothes and was playing with a vase in his hands.
Next to him, on the coffee table, were two opened valuable boxes, padded with soft silk.
One of them was empty, and in the other box, there was another vase.
"Is your injury feeling better?"
Zhou Cheng asked calmly, but his eyes were always glued to the extremely precious blue and white porcelain vase from the previous dynasty.
He Zheng said respectfully:
"Your Excellency is concerned about me. My injuries are not serious and I have asked a doctor to examine me."
"That's good." Zhou Cheng said calmly:
"It just so happens that I have an errand for you to do."
He Zheng was surprised: "May I ask what it is that requires your Excellency to personally instruct me?"
Zhou Cheng spoke in a calm tone, but what he said startled He Si Cheng.
"I want you to investigate Zhao Duan's guilt. It's rude not to reciprocate. This time, our Dali Temple has completely lost face. If we don't do something, how will the other officials view us? Where is our dignity?"
Investigate Zhao Duan!
He Zheng was surprised and said in embarrassment:
"Sir, that Zhao is a favorite of His Majesty and is deeply favored. Marquis Xiajiang is near death, and even Princess Yunyang has been sent to a nunnery. We..."
Zhou Cheng paused, then slowly turned his head. His cloudy old eyes looked down at him, his dignity evident without any anger.
"Are you scared?"
"No!" He Zheng said solemnly:
"This humble official was publicly humiliated by that Zhao. How could I not want to bring him down? But Your Majesty..."
Zhou Cheng said calmly:
"The reason this man has been acting so recklessly lately is simply because he's taking advantage of the Saint's favor. However, the things he's been doing have already displeased the officials at court. In other words, if we can make him fall out of favor with the Saint, it will be easy to get rid of him."
Fall out of favor?
He Zheng was curious: "Does your Excellency have a solution?"
Zhou Cheng glanced at him unhappily and said:
"If I had evidence, would I still need you? But there is indeed a way.
This man has been hanging around in Beijing for over a year now, and I don't believe he's never touched another woman. Oh, a young man full of blood and power, once he enters the world of pleasure, how can he control himself?
He Zheng's eyes lit up:
"Your Excellency, what you mean is that although Mr. Zhao appears to be indifferent to women and does not linger in prostitutes, and only admires saints, he must be having an affair with other women in private.
Given the temper of our Majesty, once he finds out that Zhao Duan is messing around behind his back, he will definitely lose his favor towards him. Then, without a supporter, he will naturally die."
Zhou Cheng smiled and nodded:
"That's why I told you to investigate. If you find evidence, that little thief will die."
He Zheng was overjoyed: "I understand. I will start the investigation tomorrow."
Zhou Cheng nodded in satisfaction: "Remember to be more discreet and don't let him notice."
"Yes, I will take my leave now."
"Wait. Take these loose pieces out and throw them away."
Zhou Cheng suddenly called him, and then looked at the green-robed civil servant in astonishment.
As soon as he let go, the extremely precious blue and white porcelain vase in his hand, which was given by someone unknown, fell to the ground.
With a "bang", it fell to pieces.
"Sir, this..." He Zheng looked so distressed:
"If I'm not mistaken, this is a tribute from the previous dynasty, right? There are only two twins from this kiln in the world. Now one is destroyed, what a pity!"
Zhou Cheng smiled, and the corrupt official who had accepted a lot of bribes privately shook his head.
Pointing to the remaining bottle on the table, he said:
"These two bottles are indeed rare, and they are the only two treasures in the world. However, you must know that rarity makes things valuable. I destroyed one, so the remaining one is truly a unique piece."
He Zheng was stunned, then suddenly said:
"Your Excellency's wise words are profound, and I appreciate your guidance."
Zhou Cheng laughed and waved his hand:
"Go ahead. Remember, be careful. I don't want to see Zhao Duan survive this autumn."
Thanks to Jiu Miao for the 500-point reward!
(End of this chapter)
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