Chapter 197 Meeting with Li Yanfu
Zhao Duan!
In the narrow alley, Zhao Duan's smiling face came into view.
The young cabinet minister, the son of the prime minister, felt dizzy.
Strictly speaking, this was the first time the two parties met officially, but each other's appearance and portrait had already been imprinted in their hearts.
It's not Ma Yan...it's Zhao Duan...
Today, the mastermind behind the trap he had set was actually this lackey of the empress who had repeatedly attacked the "Li Party".
Li Yinglong found that he was not surprised at all.
That's because he had already guessed it after seeing the officials from the imperial yamen.
Also, in the past few months, the skills and style displayed by Zhao Duan have already been tainted with a certain strong color.
This kind of scheming is indeed something that someone with the surname Zhao can do.
At this moment, Li Yinglong suddenly regretted why he listened to his father and temporarily gave up targeting this person after his last failure.
It is clear that Zhao Duan's reputation as a vindictive person has long been deeply rooted in people's hearts.
Yes, I was too confident after all. I didn't think Zhao Duan would dare to attack me, especially at this time.
"I'm honored that the young minister still remembers me." Zhao Duan raised the corners of his mouth, as if he was flattered.
Li Yinglong forced himself to calm down, took a deep breath, and said calmly:
"Master Zhao is not working at the government office. What is his intention in bringing so many people with him?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"I learned that some rebels were here, so I came to investigate. However, I didn't find them, but I caught the young minister in the act."
Li Yinglong stared at him with deep eyes and said slowly:
"What does Zhao Jisi mean by this? I don't understand."
At this point, he can only play dumb and remain unchanged in the face of all changes.
There are both witnesses and evidence, and the key is that there is a concubine upstairs, so the secret meeting is likely to be confirmed.
It seems that the best explanation is that he was deceived, but since Zhao Duan had painstakingly planned it, he must have been prepared in advance.
If he could get away with it by simply saying "I was cheated", he would be underestimating the enemy.
"Don't understand? Haha, it doesn't matter. There is a quiet place in the imperial court. Young Lord, go there and sit down. I believe you will be able to remember many things." Zhao Duan said lightly.
Li Yinglong narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "What if I don't go?"
Zhao Duan said, "I'm afraid that's beyond your lordship's control."
Li Yinglong's face was gloomy and he questioned:
"You're just a sixth-rank cultivator. What right do you have to arrest me? Do you have Ma Yan's backing?"
Zhao Duan shook his head and corrected seriously:
"First, I'm not arresting you, I'm just inviting you. I'm asking you to come sit in Lihua Hall. I have no other intentions. Second, I don't have anyone behind me, only a sincere and innocent heart."
Then he said calmly:
"What are you still standing there for? Why don't you invite the young minister to come sit down with you?"
The marquis suddenly bared his snow-white teeth, stepped forward, and was about to attack.
"...Zhao Duan, you are very good."
The corner of Li Yinglong's eye twitched, his eyes were like an eagle's, and at this moment he looked a little like his father:
"Don't bother your men. I'll leave on my own."
After saying this, he didn't bother to argue anymore and turned to the officer behind him and said:
"Still not leading the way?"
Zheng Laojiu looked at Zhao Duan, and after seeing him nod, he led Li Yinglong out of the alley.
The two teams jointly "escorted" Li Yinglong to the imperial court.
…
"Tsk... it's harder to deal with than I thought..."
Zhao Duan looked at his departing back, feeling somewhat disappointed.
He expected Li Yinglong to rebel in anger or say something without thinking.
But in fact, apart from being tricked into a trap, Li Yinglong's response from beginning to end was not good, but he did not make any big mistakes.
He was caught in the act, but if we investigate further, there is still room for maneuver.
After all, there was really nothing else going on between the two of them.
Li Yinglong didn't know how much Zhao Duan had arranged and how much he had mastered, so the best strategy was to keep quiet and cooperate.
Wait for the "Li Party" to get the news and provide rescue.
"Brother Zhao, what is going on?" At this time, the confused Dong Da finally spoke.
Just now, Priest Jin Jian suddenly said, "It's OK."
He disappeared without a trace, and then Zhao Duan led him here and ran into the young elder.
"Brother Dong, please be patient." Zhao Duan smiled and comforted him, leading him to the alley entrance. After waiting for a while, he saw a carriage slowly stop.
The driver was Shen Juan: "Sir, the person has been brought here."
"You didn't disturb me, did you?"
"Of course I wouldn't."
Zhao Duan nodded and waved his hand, and all the Lihuatang officials retreated, isolating the area.
Only he and Dong Da were left.
Zhao Duan bowed towards the carriage and said, "I am Zhao Duan from the Imperial Court, greeting Her Majesty the Concubine Yuan."
Princess Yuan? Dong Da was shocked.
Then, a scene that shocked him even more happened. Zhao Duan raised his hand and opened the car curtain.
Inside, there were two figures sitting on the left and the right. One was naturally the distraught Princess Yuan, who was dressed as a man.
The other one was the maid who was waiting downstairs to watch for her and was trembling with fear.
"Lord Zhao..." Concubine Yuan trembled subconsciously, and then forced out an ugly smile, but she no longer had the arrogance and dignity of the past.
There was a hint of unnatural flattery in his expression.
This was also the first time the two met, but they were not strangers to each other.
Princess Yuan had heard of his reputation too many times and had also seen his portrait.
As for Zhao Duan...
"She looks so much like Madam Lin... No wonder Li Yinglong is so strong that he wants to be stronger than her. No, Madam Lin is even younger." Zhao Duan sighed in his heart.
He said politely, "I'm sorry that I came late to help you and frightened you."
Concubine Yuan didn't know how to respond and just smiled stiffly.
Zhao Duan said to himself:
"We have come all this way to hunt down the rebels, but we didn't expect... something like this to happen. We will now escort the Empress back to her residence."
After all, Concubine Yuan was the late emperor's concubine. As an outsider, Zhao Duan was absolutely not allowed to touch her. This was a matter of nature.
After saying this, without waiting for Princess Yuan to refuse, he gave her a look.
Chen Juan volunteered, thought for a moment, and then handed over the jade pendant from his arms:
"Yes, sir. But she burned the letter."
"It's okay, it should be burned anyway." Zhao Duan nodded calmly and put away the "evidence".
Princess Yuan was in a daze and was about to be sent away when the woman, who was not very bright, suddenly lifted the curtain and said:
"Master Zhao, it was you who delivered the letter, right?"
He actually became smarter... Zhao Duan said seriously:
"I don't understand what your Majesty is saying."
Princess Yuan smiled bitterly and closed her eyes.
…
After the carriage left, Dong Da could no longer bear it. His face changed slightly and he whispered:
"Brother Zhao, why are Concubine Yuan and Minister Li here? Could it be that you are..."
"Brother Dong, be careful with your words!"
Zhao Duan interrupted him, put his hands in his sleeves, looked like a gentleman, and repeated the prepared speech.
Generally speaking, he obtained clues about the rebel party and happened to catch Li Yinglong having a secret meeting with Princess Yuan. Because it involved the reputation of the royal family, he made an emergency decision and asked the young cabinet minister to go back to investigate.
After hearing this, Dong Da looked at him with an expression that said, "Are you kidding me?"
"Brother Zhao, although my talent for poetry is mediocre, my brain is not bad," said Sun Dalang, the head of the Dong family, seriously.
Then, he lowered his voice:
"You invited me here today just to see these?"
Dong Da already understood that it must be Zhao Duan who set up the trap secretly and directed this drama.
Considering that he was not shooting without purpose, he had guessed that Li Yinglong was probably indeed having an affair with Princess Yuan.
What a big melon.
Zhao Duan put his arm around Dong Da's shoulders and whispered:
"Brother Dong, please don't speak out. You saw what happened today, and you are a witness. I just want to ask Brother Dong to keep this matter to yourself for now and not tell anyone else. Remember not to spread it. I will explain it to you tomorrow at the latest."
Dong Da looked at him for a long time, and finally smiled bitterly:
"I remember what Brother Zhao said."
There is no need to explain many things too clearly.
Zhao Duan invited Dong Da over today just to have a witness as an extra layer of insurance.
As the grandson of Dong Xuan, Dong Da is an absolute royalist, so his stance is correct and he will never favor or fear the Li family.
This is the person he carefully selected.
For example, Yuan Li is also a very influential third party.
But firstly, his every move will be watched, which may easily alert the enemy. Secondly, once Yuan Li finds out, it may not be Zhao Duan's turn to perform in this scene.
"Zhao Duan, what you want."
Suddenly, a petite figure floated down from above their heads, but it only hovered at the shoulders of everyone and did not fall any further.
Jin Jian's figure was half real and half virtual, his face calm. He threw a recording scroll to him and said:
"I have something else to do."
Then it disappeared without a trace.
No... why are you running so fast? I feel like something is weird today, as if you're afraid that I'll ask you for money... Zhao Duan clutched the scroll and complained in his heart.
Then something came to my mind:
Yes, the dog days of summer are over, and the ice business is almost over, and the dividends from the Tianshi Mansion will soon be paid out.
"Brother Zhao is really well prepared."
Dong Da had a complicated expression. He knew what the scroll recorded without even looking at it.
Zhao Duan smiled, stuffed the scroll into his sleeve, and cried poorly:
"I owe you a huge favor. After all, Li Yinglong must have a treasure that can counter the recording of magical instruments. I can only ask for help..."
Dong Da nodded in understanding, thinking that it must be very expensive to ask the Heavenly Master's direct disciple to take action.
If he knew that Zhao Duan had paid nothing at all and had only forced the helper in without any explanation, I wonder what kind of expression he would have.
…
Dong Da left with a heavy heart.
The only one left nearby was a small group of Jinyi soldiers led by Qian Kerou.
The secretary walked into the alley and whispered:
"The driver, Li Yinglong, ran away. He's a martial artist, and we couldn't stop him."
Zhao Duan was not surprised at all and said with a smile:
"It's okay, everything is going according to plan."
Qian Kerou looked surprised, thinking to herself, could it be that even this person's escape was part of her master's plan?
"What's wrong?" Zhao Duan asked curiously when he saw the round-faced female warrior hesitate to speak.
Qian Kerou hesitated for a moment, then whispered:
"Sir, the Princess Yuan will be implicated..."
As one of the people observing the operations of Zhaodu Security Department, she felt a little uncomfortable.
I was amazed at my master's methods, but also felt that... some of his actions were a bit out of line.
If it is said that Xu Hanlin attacked you first and wanted to kill you, then retaliating by drowning you in the river, or any other treatment, would be considered tit-for-tat.
It's all your own fault.
Madam Lin's voluntary sacrifice is an equal exchange.
The Princess Yuan was the only pure victim in this incident, and could be said to be a tool of Zhao Duan's conspiracy.
Hou Renmeng and others are men and don't care about such things, but Qian Kerou, as a woman, can't help but sympathize.
"Haha, Xiaorou, do you think I'm too ruthless?" Zhao Duan asked with a smile.
Qian Kerou said nothing.
Zhao Duan didn't explain, but just patted her shoulder and said:
"It's not over yet. The real key scene hasn't even begun yet. If you want to comment on a play, you have to wait until it's over. Let's go to the next place."
Qian Kerou asked doubtfully:
"My Lord, where are you going? To see the Governor? Or to the palace to see the Emperor?"
She felt that Li Yinglong's "evidence" of guilt was already in her hands, and the next step was to present it.
However, Zhao Duan shook his head, walked out of the alley, looked at the thick clouds rolling in the narrow strip of sky above his head, and said:
"No, I'm going to meet someone."
"who?"
"Prime Minister, Li Yanfu."
(End of this chapter)
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