Chapter 298 Arrest of the Imperial Envoy
"Yes! Sir!"
The old man in plain robe outside the hall was stunned for a moment, then he was about to leave.
The man with a sword next to him said first:
"It's such rough work as cutting bamboo, why bother Master Lu? I can just go there."
As he spoke, he drew his sword from its sheath and strode out.
The old scholar's face changed when he heard this. He cherished the black bamboo as if it were his own children and grandchildren. How could he bear to let this rough man cut it down?
He immediately stood up and tried to stop it.
"Master, there is no need to lead the way yourself. By the way, the matter of those young Cuju boys in the manor who clashed with me just now has not yet been settled.
I wonder which one is more skillful at chopping bamboo, these young men or the bamboo forest?
Zhao Duan said with a smile.
His words made it seem as if killing was as easy as eating and drinking.
That is the almost natural indifference of the children of the powerful and wealthy towards ordinary people.
Mr. Song shook his body.
He didn't know whether this mysterious young man really dared to kill Zhuangzi.
But he knew that the person who could make Lu Qingfeng bow down to him and be his servant must be a very powerful person.
Judging from the official language he spoke, he might be the son of a great noble in the court.
Although he held a high status in Taicang County, Song Juren, who had seen the real world, knew that his mere title of "juren" was just like an ant in the eyes of the powerful in the capital.
In other words.
Even if the other party really killed Xiaowu and the others, they could get away with it as long as they found a crime.
Compared with human lives, cutting down black bamboo is a trivial matter.
"This young man! Miss!"
The voice of the old scholar, who was nearly fifty years old, was almost pleading.
Instinctively pleaded with Xu Junling, a woman:
"I dare not lie to you two. If you want something, you can take whatever we have on the farm. However, Mr. Song has nothing to do with my Song family..."
As he said this, this distinguished scholar seemed to be about to kneel down.
Since Xu Junling came in, he has been watching the show attentively.
But now he was a little unsure of what Zhao Duan meant.
I couldn't help but look at him, wanting to say something but stopping myself.
Then he was stunned.
Zhao Duan's expression was extremely calm, and his eyes contained an almost emotionless scrutiny, as if he was peeking into the old scholar's heart.
When the knife-wielding man was about to leave the yard, Zhao Duan finally spoke:
"Come back."
Then, the indifference on his face disappeared, turning into a warm spring breeze, and he gently helped Mr. Song up.
"This... Young Master..."
The old scholar, who was on the verge of collapse, was really at a loss this time.
Xu Junling pursed her lips and smiled, a sincere smile also appeared on her sweet face:
"Please sit down, old man. He was just joking with you."
joke?
The old scholar who returned to the world from hell couldn't believe it.
Zhao Duan personally helped him sit down.
Then, he no longer had the lazy attitude just now, but sat up straight and said with a smile:
"Let's get to know each other again, Mr. Lu. You and Mr. Song are acquainted. Let me tell you about it."
Lu Qingfeng stood outside the door and said with a smile:
"The person sitting before you is Zhao Duan, the Imperial Envoy sent to Taicang to investigate a case by imperial order, the White Horse Guard of the capital, the Lihua Hall Investigation Division of the Imperial Court, the Fourth Rank Commander of the Divine Machine Camp, an External Scholar of the Xiuwen Academy, a member of the Imperial Family, the victor of this year's Buddhist-Taoist duel, and a person trusted by the current emperor. That's Lord Zhao."
After saying this long list of titles in one breath, looking at Mr. Song again, he was shocked.
He looked at the nobleman in front of him in disbelief:
"You...you are Imperial Envoy Zhao?"
Although he lived in the countryside, he had close contacts with scholars in the capital, so he was no stranger to Zhao Duan, who had become famous in the past six months.
I know that this person is a new powerful official who is very popular beside the empress.
Zhao Yanwang is a ruthless and vindictive man, and is said to be feared by everyone.
Handsome...arrogant...the features match!
Zhao Duan spoke in a gentle tone:
"Is there another Zhao Duan in the world?"
“No… no…”
Mr. Song was somewhat incoherent:
"I heard that the imperial envoy entered the city yesterday, but I didn't expect..."
Zhao Duan reached into his bosom, took out a secret letter and the official document of the imperial envoy's appointment and dismissal, and gently placed them on the coffee table:
"Song Tiju mentioned in his letter that he would entrust all the evidence of the corrupt officials to you.
"On my arrival yesterday, I learned that both Song Tiju and Wang Chusheng, the Taicang County Magistrate, had mysteriously disappeared. Fearing someone was behind the disappearance, I came here incognito. I just tried to investigate and found myself guilty."
Temptation?
You should have told me earlier... The old scholar's face was still filled with shock.
He picked up the secret letter on the table tremblingly, confirmed the handwriting of his relative, and believed it in his heart.
Zhao Duan was also helpless.
He didn't dare to let the "fake imperial envoy" come, for fear that the action would be too big and the news would leak out in advance, causing something unexpected to happen.
It is difficult to verify the identity of a private individual.
I am not sure whether Mr. Song is reliable.
This is directly related to the credibility of the evidence in his hands.
After Song Tiju disappeared, the old scholar who had the evidence of his crime must have been nervous and fearful.
If Mr. Song had been careful to tell the truth to the court, he would not have easily revealed the truth even in the face of threats.
Because once the evidence falls into the hands of someone other than the imperial envoy, the entire Song family may face the fate of being silenced.
On the contrary, if Mr. Song had problems and faced threats, he would most likely show a different reaction.
At this moment, the handwriting of the secret letter was identified correctly, and many of the characteristics matched.
Mr. Song no longer hesitated and stood up and left.
A moment later, a tightly wrapped box the size of a jewelry box was brought in and placed on the coffee table:
"Please look, Imperial Envoy. The things here are sealed with mud and remain intact. I don't know the specific contents."
Zhao Duan opened the sealed box and saw a thick stack of documents inside, which was surprisingly full.
"Did Song Tiju say anything?" Zhao Duan asked.
The old scholar replied:
"He said that he had long noticed that the Taicang County Magistrate was not doing right and had secretly made many moves, even having spies in the Mining Tax Administration Bureau. He had been secretly investigating for a long time and wanted to collect evidence to present to the Taicang Prefect Sun Xiaozhun.
But the more he investigated, the more he realized that this was not a simple matter. He was even more surprised to find that Wang Chusheng had many accomplices...
He said that after he investigated, he discovered something serious and he no longer dared to report the matter to the officials in charge of the embassy.
Moreover, he said that he might have been targeted, and he dared not delay any longer, so he decided to report the matter to the capital and to the then-official Yuan Gong..."
As the old scholar spoke, his voice lowered, and he became solemn and nervous:
"When I learned of this, I was reluctant to get involved, fearing that my family would be implicated. However, I also wanted to be loyal to His Majesty..."
Zhao Duan glanced at him:
"Could it be that the secret letter first said that the things should be left with you, and Song Tiju would come to find you after the secret letter was sent to the capital?
In this case, you have no choice but to help him.
Because if you refuse, and the imperial envoy from the capital comes to ask for evidence, and you say you don't have it... that would be a disaster."
The old scholar was speechless and remained silent, actually agreeing.
Xu Junling was greatly surprised, and looked at Zhao with surprise in her beautiful eyes:
"How do you know this? Is it also written in the letter?"
"Oh, it's not written in the letter, I guessed it," Zhao Duan picked up the piece of paper on top of the evidence in the box and said casually:
"If I were Song Tiju, I would definitely do the same thing."
Xu Junling: “…”
Mr. Song: “…”
At this time, Zhao Duan had already unfolded the paper in his hand, feeling excited.
Since Song Tiju said that he had found the accomplices behind Wang Chusheng, they must be mentioned in these evidences.
As each word came into view, Zhao Duan's pupils suddenly contracted.
…
…
The other side.
When Zhao Duan and his group broke into Songjiazhuang.
In a supervisory office near the Taicang Silver Mine.
The Taicang County Magistrate who had been in charge here recently was also awakened by the voice of the county magistrate outside.
"What happened? Why are you so flustered?"
Inside the government office room, the eighth-rank county magistrate, who was thin, had a mustache, and a shifty look, frowned.
As Wang Chusheng's deputy, after the county magistrate disappeared, the county magistrate temporarily took over and temporarily assumed the duties of the county magistrate.
During this period, the county magistrate, who also had the surname Wang, was suffering a lot.
I couldn’t eat or sleep well, and I was often awakened from my dreams, which would make me break out in cold sweats.
The phrase that comes to mind most often is:
"What sin have I committed? I followed Magistrate Sun to Taicang as an official. It's only been a year, and before I even got my foot in the door, I've been embroiled in this. I'm an eighth-rank county magistrate, but I'm holding a seventh-rank position. How could my fate be so miserable..."
At this moment, County Magistrate Wang, who had just caught up on a nap, stared at the Dianshi who came in with dark circles under his eyes.
The latter hurriedly said:
"County Magistrate, this is bad! Miners saw some suspicious strangers wandering around the mine. They said they were in two carriages, with a young couple and several servants. They were pointing and talking at us near the silver mine..."
Tell me, at this critical moment, which young master or young lady in the capital city would run around here like crazy?
It's not nice to look at the scenery... The prefect has said that if we find anyone suspicious, we will report it to you."
County Magistrate Wang's sleepiness suddenly disappeared.
He stared at his men and pressed for details:
"Which way did they go? How long have they been walking?"
"They said they went to Songjiazhuang. They were gone in less than an incense stick."
Songjiazhuang... County Magistrate Wang, with his shifty eyes, pondered for a moment and said in a deep voice:
"Well, hurry to the county government office and have the captain lead a quick squad to Songjiazhuang. If you find those people, find a pretext to bring them back to the government office!"
The Dianshi was shocked: "Just arrest him?"
"Nonsense! We can't afford any mistakes at this critical moment! The imperial envoy is in the city and may come for an inspection at any time today. We absolutely cannot let anything go wrong! Take him back first!"
"But those people look either rich or noble..."
"Oh, no matter how rich he is, he is just a young master. How can he be more powerful than the prefect or the imperial envoy?"
After a pause, County Magistrate Wang stroked his mustache, his small eyes gleaming with shrewdness.
"When you give orders, be vague. If you offend someone, you can just blame it on the subordinates. What does it have to do with you and me?"
(End of this chapter)
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