Chapter 141 "Evidence" in Hand
"Anything else you need? As long as it's within the scope of our agreement, I can give it to you."
Yuan Li stood in front of the hall with his hands behind his back, turned his head and said to him.
Zhao Duan shook his head: "Mr. Yuan's help is more than enough."
After a brief pause, he asked curiously, "However, there is still one question that puzzles me."
"explain."
Zhao Duan asked doubtfully:
"Lord Yuan previously said that it's difficult to pursue the minor details of Prime Minister Zhou. May I ask what you meant by that?"
Yuan Li glanced at him, not surprised, and said after a moment of hesitation:
"Do you know why His Majesty suddenly ordered you to cause trouble for Zhou Cheng?"
...Isn’t it because he is the Prime Minister’s man?
Zhao Duan subconsciously wanted to speak, but suddenly remembered the scene when the empress gave him instructions by the lake, and shook his head:
"I don't know."
Yuan Li sighed:
"Because he is one of the Nine Ministers and was once a minister in the cabinet during the reign of the previous emperor. More importantly, before the Xuanmen coup, he was also one of the 'ministers of state' entrusted by the previous emperor with the care of his son."
A minister of state? Him? Zhao Duan was surprised.
Yuan Li recalled:
"That day, the late emperor suddenly became critically ill and urgently summoned the Three Dukes, Nine Ministers, and cabinet ministers to the palace to serve as regents. Zhou Cheng was originally not qualified, but because of Wang Zhen, he was able to become one of the eight 'regents', assisting the crown prince after the late emperor's death. But..."
But the prince is dead... Zhao Duan silently complained:
"Is there anything special about the Minister of Regent?"
Yuan Li explained: "According to the old system of Dayu, ministers who are in charge of the imperial court will not be investigated unless they have committed a serious crime."
I see!
No wonder he has a little secret, but it's hard to delve into it... This regent is a weakened version of a death-free ticket... But in my past life, regents always seemed to die miserably...
Zhao Duan suddenly realized and said:
"So, if Your Majesty wants to replace the old ministers with new ones, you can only order me to find a serious crime?"
Yuan Li sighed lightly, glanced at him, and reminded:
"Your Majesty has been preparing to form a new cabinet, but this is something that Li Yanfu, Zhou Cheng and others do not want to see. Zhou Cheng is particularly vehemently opposed to it."
New cabinet?
Zhao Duan was overjoyed and habitually threw out a flattering compliment:
"When the new cabinet opens, Lord Yuan will definitely be able to join and replace Li Yanfu!"
Yuan Li was at a loss for words and cursed:
"Stop flattering me. The new cabinet is different from what you imagine. It's mostly composed of young scholars. I can't get in. Go back to your business. Don't be a military officer and pry into the affairs of scholars. It has nothing to do with you."
Who are you talking about, a military officer? I was a serious secretary in my previous life... I'm also a writer, with a lot of poems and articles I haven't copied yet...
Zhao Duan became more and more curious about the so-called "new cabinet".
…
…
Outside the Censorate, in the shade on the other side of the street.
"Zhao Duan has been in there for quite a while, why hasn't he come out yet?"
Haitang, who is heroic, has a melon-shaped face and a bright teardrop mole at the corner of her eye, leaned against the carriage, hugged her shoulders and muttered.
He looked towards the gate across the street.
"Lord Yuan is so busy with affairs of state that it's hard to imagine him meeting you. Even if he agrees to see you, given his connection to Your Majesty, he'll still have to wait for quite some time."
The king of rolls, Zhang Han, made a calm analysis, and the driver, Xiao Wang, nodded frequently.
Haitang sighed. Because the sun was glaring, she raised her hand to create a "pergola" in front of her forehead and looked eagerly:
"It's almost noon, and we're just going to wait here like this? If I had known, I should have grabbed him. He's so audacious to ask for help from Mr. Yuan. Why doesn't he go to Li Yanfu for help?"
Zhang Han didn't say anything, but he didn't have any hope of getting help this time.
Even Lord Yuan had to be extremely cautious when making an enemy of Zhou Cheng. Zhao Duan was used to using his power to suppress others, but he couldn't suppress Yuan Li.
"Hey, the master is coming out." The coachman Xiao Wang exclaimed.
The two were shocked and saw Zhao Duan take a step, walk out from between the two white jade lions, and return straight to this side.
"How was it? Did you meet Mr. Yuan?"
Haitang teased, looking forward to seeing the other person's frustrated look.
Zhang Han also looked over and comforted him:
"It's normal that Mr. Yuan doesn't help. We can think of other ways."
Xiao Wang also said attentively:
"Sir, I know a good restaurant nearby."
Trying to soothe the boss's lonely heart with delicious food.
Zhao Duan looked at them with a mixture of laughter and tears:
"You guys have so little faith in me? Mr. Yuan has already promised to help us gather clues and send them to us by tomorrow. If we delay, something bad might happen. You two, it looks like we'll have to work overtime tonight."
"I told you not to..." Haitang's teasing words got stuck in her throat, and she stared at him blankly:
"Can you say that again?"
Zhang Han also showed an expression of disbelief, and Xiao Wang widened his eyes even more.
Mr. Yuan... agreed to lend a helping hand?
Unbelievable.
…
The rear court of Dali Temple.
This was the place where Xia Jianghou and Zhou Cheng had tea and traded that day.
"So, you pried open Qin Qu's mouth and learned about this?"
The Dali Temple official, wearing a crimson official robe, a black gauze hat, a square face, and a deep "chuan" wrinkle between his eyebrows, lowered his eyes with a slightly turbid gaze, locking onto his subordinates.
He Zheng, who had changed back into his official blue robe, flattered him as if seeking credit:
"Sir, it is indeed so. Qin Qu has been thrown into solitary confinement. If you wish to see him, you can bring him in for interrogation at any time."
"That's not necessary. I'm confident in your work." The Dali Temple Minister, who was over 60 years old, smiled and nodded as a token of praise.
He Zheng was greatly encouraged and said eagerly:
"Sir, since Wang Shan resigned from his official position after the death of Eunuch Wang, he has been hanging out with the children of the powerful in Beijing, and has been connected with many people, both openly and covertly.
He knew that Zhao was the Empress's favorite concubine, yet he still sent her a woman... He must have some agenda. I believe he has evidence in his possession. If you want it, I'll get it right away."
Zhou Cheng glanced at him but said nothing. Instead, he was thinking and weighing the pros and cons.
In her hands she slowly twisted a pair of precious large "dragon eye" pearls.
The large pearls from Binhaidao are one pure white and one pure black, both are perfectly round and extremely rare. I wonder where they came from.
“No rush…”
Zhou Cheng spoke slowly:
"Wang Shan is an old acquaintance of mine. If you rashly go there, he'll probably blame me for being ruthless. So, I'll write a letter, and you can have someone deliver it secretly..."
…
…
After leaving the Censorate, Zhao Duan and his party went to the restaurant recommended by Xiao Wang to fill their stomachs. When they returned to the imperial court, it was already afternoon.
"Are we really just going to wait? Should we investigate Wang Shan first, or even invite him over?"
Haitang leaned back in her chair, trying to relieve herself from the fatigue of running around for half a day, and couldn't help but speak.
Zhao Duan did the same thing, loosening his belt slightly to relieve his bloated stomach, and said lazily:
"No rush. He's in the capital, and he can't get away anytime soon. We've already made a lot of moves today, and if we go to investigate him, we'll probably alert the enemy."
Zhang Han also nodded to show his agreement.
At this moment, the three of them were sitting in the "inner hall" of Lihua Hall.
The empty chairs on both sides of the huge long table were occupied by three people.
Qian Kerou, the "confidential secretary" with a round face and clear, foolish eyes, came in with a tea tray and poured tea for the three people in turn. There were also three pears on the tea tray.
"Sir, the pears in the yard are ripening. Please try them." Qian Kerou said softly.
Zhao Duan's eyes lit up, he picked up one and took a bite, the rich and slightly sour juice filled his mouth, and his eyes lit up.
He waved his hand and was about to order the secretary to leave, but suddenly thought of something and said:
"You stay on duty tonight and send someone to look for this person. Tell them I'm looking for him and ask him to come over here."
Zhao Duan handed over a piece of paper with Qin Qu's name and address written on it.
He never ignored the memories of Wang Shan that emerged in his mind during the day.
On the way back, he was reminiscing and vaguely remembered that he had been to Wang Shan's mansion with Qin Qu.
So he prepared to find this lackey to ask him.
Wait for Qian Kerou to receive the order and leave.
Zhao Duan then looked at his two colleagues:
"Once the information that Mr. Yuan has helped to find arrives, we'll have to rely on the two detective masters to find clues from it."
Haitang ate a pear and rolled her eyes:
"That's provided you're telling the truth."
Although Zhao Duan was confident in his words, she and Zhang Han were still cautious and skeptical about Yuan Li's help.
However, this suspicion was dispelled at night. The three of them waited quietly in Lihua Hall until it was dark and the lights were turned on. Qian Kerou, who had left her duty, ran in:
"Sir, someone is looking for you."
Zhao Duan was shocked and hurriedly asked her to come in.
After a while, an unfamiliar servant of Yuan Mansion bowed:
"Meeting Zhao Jisi. My master ordered me to deliver what you requested."
As he spoke, the other two servants behind him each put a box on the table with a "bang", opened the buckle, and inside was surprisingly filled with documents.
Has it really been delivered?
Haitang and Zhang Han stood up, each holding a box. They looked through it quickly, their eyes lighting up. It was exactly what they needed.
"Thank Mr. Yuan for me."
Zhao Duan smiled and said, "It's so quick to collect so much."
The servant shook his head and said:
"This is only the first batch. There are more to come. Lord Yuan was worried that you might be getting impatient, so he ordered me to deliver it first."
The first batch? Zhao Duan was also stunned.
After seeing him off, he turned around and saw that in the hall, "High Ponytail" and "Paradoxetic Face" had already lit candles. The candles were placed in the middle of the table, and lanterns were swaying under the eaves.
The night outside was quiet, but the hall was brightly lit.
The case was of great importance and required confidentiality. To be cautious, the two men did not plan to call on their subordinates for help, but immediately rolled up their sleeves to search and check.
Zhao Duan, who had become a hands-off boss, diligently cut lantern flowers for the two of them, claiming he had no knowledge of the case.
For a moment, the rustling of papers in the room and the sounds of whispered conversations and hurried discussions drowned out the night.
And this is just the beginning.
That night, the servants of the Yuan Mansion brought information every hour, and the large table in Lihua Hall was piled with information like a mountain.
As more and more documents were delivered, the details of the case gradually became clear.
It was not until early morning that Zhao Duan, who was sitting in a big chair and taking a nap with his eyes closed, was suddenly awakened.
"Has more information been delivered?"
He lifted the coat covering his face, opened his sleepy eyes, and asked vaguely.
I vaguely saw the sky gradually brightening, and the night had passed.
"There is no information."
Haitang, who had not slept all night, looked down at him expressionlessly, her eyes full of disgust for his hands-off approach.
Then, the corners of his mouth rose slightly:
"No more information is needed."
Why... Zhao Duan was a little drowsy in his sleep and his thinking was slow.
The king of papers, Zhang Han, was in high spirits, having worked overtime late into the night. He also stood up with a smile and said:
"We found what we need!"
Thanks to Zhizhuzaiwo for the 500-point reward support!
(End of this chapter)
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