Chapter 299: The Imperial Envoy Summoned! The Iron Cavalry Flooded Out of Taicang
A list!
The inner residence of Songjiazhuang.
Even though he was mentally prepared, Zhao Duan's heart still skipped a beat when he saw the names on the paper!
On the top layer of white paper in the box of evidence was a list of people suspected to be accomplices of the Taicang County Magistrate, which was investigated by the missing Song Tiju!
Behind each name, the identity is clearly written and the index is marked.
That is, on which page of the stack of documents is the evidence of this person's guilt located?
This was clearly a list of criminals involved in the silver mine corruption case... Among the dozen or so people on the paper, at the very top were three names circled in ink:
Provincial Governor Gao Lian
Censor Liu Ji
Sun Xiaozhun, the prefect of Taicang
Next to the names of the three people, there is a line of handwriting, which roughly means:
The person behind Wang Chusheng is most likely one of these three people.
As for who exactly it is, or how many there are, according to what Song Tizhu left behind, his ability is not enough to find out.
The reason why he narrowed down the suspects to these three people was because he found out that the Taicang County Magistrate was suspected of having a certain "interest transfer" relationship with all three of them.
"The worst has happened..."
Zhao Duan's pupils narrowed and he sighed in his heart.
Before leaving the capital, Zhao Duan had a conversation with Yuan Li.
The result of the discussion between the two at that time was that it was not something that ordinary people could do if they dared to get involved in the silver mine.
Wang Chusheng was able to conceal his secret for a long time without being exposed. His backer was not in Taicang Prefecture, but in Linfeng Road.
It was precisely because of this suspicion that he went to such great lengths to implement the "secret attack" strategy.
Now, the list provided by Song Tiju confirmed his guess...
"So... the situation is now basically clear. Song Tiju, the head of the Mining Tax Administration, noticed that Wang Chusheng, the county magistrate who also served as the mining supervisor, was suspected of embezzling mining silver under the guise of 'fire consumption'. He secretly continued to investigate, and the level of involvement became increasingly high."
"The old scholar said that Song Tiju once wanted to present the evidence to the Taicang prefect, but later stopped...
Was it because he suspected that the prefect, Sun Xiaozhun, was also involved in this corruption? And because the two chief officials of Linfeng Road were also suspects... he could only secretly report it to the capital..."
"I made the urgent report because I realized my investigation might be discovered...
So, after the secret letter was sent, he was targeted by the real big tiger behind the scenes. The so-called "disappearance" is most likely to be silenced? Or secretly arrested..."
"The 'disappearance' of County Magistrate Wang Chusheng was a desperate attempt to survive..."
At this moment, many thoughts flashed through Zhao Duan's mind, and his eyes flickered.
Once again, he wrote down all the dozen or so names on the list.
The most valuable part of this list is not the suspicions of Gao, Liu and Sun, but the rest of the names.
These people are all Wang Chusheng's indirect accomplices.
Wang Chusheng fled urgently, but these people may not have disappeared...
Well, even if they escaped in advance, with so many people around, even if the "big tiger" behind the scenes had the advantage of location, time was running out and it would be difficult to do anything.
As long as we follow these clues and conduct investigation and tracing, we may be able to identify the real culprit.
"Lord Zhao?"
Inside the hall, seeing him clutching the paper with a changing expression, Xu Junling called out softly, unable to conceal his curiosity:
"What's on the paper?"
The princess can't see the content from this angle.
Zhao Duan quickly calmed down, a smile reappeared on his lips, and he teased:
"Do you really want to see it? I've heard the saying, curiosity kills the cat. Some things, once seen, are no longer the same."
What a weird saying... The dignified and reserved Princess Huai'an, dressed in a low-key dress, rolled her eyes and snorted:
"If you don't want me to see it, then I won't see it."
"Your Excellency the Imperial Envoy... look..." At this moment, the fifty-year-old scholar with a long beard opposite spoke cautiously.
Zhao Duan closed the box and, like a magic trick, put it into the silver scroll in his sleeve, saying seriously:
"I will take the things away now and will not disturb you any more. I hope you will keep your mouth shut. I will finish the Taicang case in the next two days and I will count it as a contribution to your family."
"I dare not, I dare not ask for anything. It is our Song family's blessing to be able to serve Your Majesty." Mr. Song stood up to see him off.
I just want to distance myself from this matter and stay as far away from the so-called credit as possible.
Xu Junling's attention was focused on the three words "these two days", and he couldn't help but be surprised.
Judging from what Zhao Duan said, he seems to be confident that he can solve the case in a short time?
Is this true or not...
The three people in the hall stood up and were about to go out.
But just after taking a few steps, Lu Qingfeng and his companions looked towards the courtyard across the courtyard wall, and heard noisy sounds accompanied by shouts.
"This..." Mr. Song looked at the imperial envoy in confusion.
Zhao Duan also frowned.
The next second, a group of people rushed through the courtyard and arrived at the backyard. A servant shouted anxiously:
"Master! The county magistrate is here, saying they want to search for the thief..."
As the servant was shouting, Zhao Duan saw a group of about twenty clerks in the uniforms of constables, holding scabbards and rushing in with ferocious looks.
The one in the lead was dressed slightly differently; he was the captain of the police.
He walked in with a fierce look on his face, his eyes fixed on Zhao Duan and the others.
The way he held the hilt of the knife became more exaggerated, his chin raised, his expression scrutinizing:
"We are officials from the Taicang County government. We've received reports from the public that you were acting suspiciously around the mine. Please come back to the government office with us."
Everyone was stunned.
Zhao Duan and Xu Junling looked at each other with strange expressions.
Mr. Song was also confused and doubtful for a moment: "I'm afraid this is just a misunderstanding..."
"Mr. Song,"
The county constable naturally recognized this gentleman and spoke in a more polite tone.
The words could not be refused, and he clasped his fists:
"Now that the imperial envoy from the capital has arrived in the prefectural city, the silver mines are under strict supervision. I would like to ask Mr. Song to go to the yamen with him. When the county magistrate returns, he will investigate thoroughly and then release him."
"..." Mr. Song was stunned for a moment, and looked at Zhao Duan's expression with some suspicion.
He suddenly felt a little unsure whether this was the imperial envoy.
"Sir, please come in." The captain made a "please" gesture with an expressionless face.
The constables behind him folded in a fan shape, as if ready to capture him at any time.
Xu Junling's expression remained unchanged.
Lu Qingfeng rolled up his sleeves, his brows lowered, and the man holding the knife held the handle, his eyes looking arrogant, as if to stop him.
——He can overthrow a few young constables in just two breaths.
"Okay," Zhao Duan smiled and gave them a look, asking them to stay calm.
"I was just thinking of going to the county government office to sit down."
As he spoke, a folded yellowed paper slipped from his sleeve behind his back into his palm. It turned out that words had been written on that special communication "talisman" at some point in time.
At this moment, with the traction of the Qi, the two ink words "Come quickly" on the brown-yellow paper quickly dried and disappeared.
"Now that we have the evidence, there's no need to cover it up."
Soon, the group left Song's house under the surveillance of the county detectives.
The Song clan members were left with anxious and ugly expressions.
"What should I do?"
Mr. Song's wife and children were in a panic. The young master of the Song family suddenly grabbed Coach Xie and said:
"Please, Master, please go in person and inform Magistrate Sun of the news that my father has been taken away."
The old scholar was a guest of honor of the prefect Sun Xiaozhun, and the panicked Song family instinctively sought his help.
"Yes!" Coach Xie ran away. The young boy Xiaowu rolled his eyes and seized the opportunity to redeem himself:
"Master, I'm going too!"
…
…
In the city, inside the post station.
In the separate courtyard where the "Imperial Envoy" lived, the imperial guards from Lihua Hall sat in the courtyard in groups of three or four, bored and killing time.
The round-faced female warrior Qian Kerou walked back from the front yard.
Pushing the door open and entering the room, he took a quick look and saw Hou Renmeng sitting cross-legged on the bed, wiping a knife with a rag.
Shen Juan, who was disguised as an imperial envoy with a "mask", lay down at the table to catch up on his sleep in a very ungraceful manner.
"Sleep, sleep, sleep, all you do is sleep. What if someone comes in and sees us?"
Qian Kerou kicked Chen Juan in annoyance.
Chen Juan, the well-known tanking king of Lihuatang and addicted to staying up late, yawned, got up, and didn't care:
"There are so many brothers guarding outside, who can get in? Well, what's going on outside?"
Qian Kerou folded her arms, leaned against the wall, and said:
"Censor Chen is discussing a case with that Magistrate Sun. I'm dizzy listening to them."
"Only talking about the case? Didn't Chen Hong spread the word about bribery yesterday? These people are so ignorant?" Chen Juan looked puzzled.
The man sitting on the bed, who was busy cleaning his knife, sneered and said:
"My Lord, have you forgotten how I demanded a bribe in the government office and then detained someone?
I guess these people are afraid of being ripped off. Besides, we're here to investigate corruption. If they really give us gifts, wouldn't that be courting disaster?
I think your trick has long been seen through."
Qian Kerou said contemptuously:
"You're just a rough-and-tumble guy, and you're trying to figure out what the adults are thinking? You're on the first floor, and the adults are at least on the fifth floor..."
Chen Juan watched the two quarreling and tried to persuade them:
"Alright. You tell me, how long do we have to keep pretending? Even though I'm being aloof with Censor Chen standing in my way, these officials aren't fools. I estimate it'll only take two or three days before they get suspicious."
Qian Kerou had a stern face. As a confidential secretary, she felt like a squad leader.
"We just need to wait patiently for the next instruction. The Lord has a long-term plan and must have made some arrangements. Maybe there will be instructions soon..."
After he finished speaking, Chen Juan suddenly raised his hand to signal for silence, and took out a folded yellow-brown paper from his arms.
On the paper, a ray of fire appeared, and the words "Come quickly" slowly emerged.
"The Lord is calling us over!"
Shen Juan perked up and stood up.
Qian Kerou's eyes lit up:
"I'll go gather the men! Tell General Yuan to set off!"
"Haha, I'm dying of suffocation! I can finally get out!"
The unruly Hou Ren snapped his fingers and flicked the blade, causing a buzzing sound.
The man flew out.
The words "Come quickly" were a signal agreed upon in advance. Once issued, it meant that the entire imperial envoy team was on the move.
By relying on the positioning between the two brown and yellow paperweights, you can roughly sense the direction within a certain distance.
…
The front yard of the post house.
Chen Hong, the dental censor who was chatting with Magistrate Sun, heard the noise in the courtyard. His eyes moved, and he stood up slowly and said with a smile:
"Taiwanese Prime Minister Sun, the imperial envoy is out on tour. I'll be leaving first."
After saying that, he left without any explanation.
Because of his decisiveness, the prefect Sun Xiaozhun, who came early today to report the case on behalf of the high-ranking officials in the city, was confused.
The prefect, who was as thin as black iron and had a strong temperament, stood up and chased out of the courtyard in a few steps. His crimson official robe fluttered in the autumn wind.
He was horrified to find that hundreds of cavalrymen swarmed out from the side of the post station.
The leader was none other than Yuan Xingjun, the newly appointed deputy general who had entered the city yesterday carrying the flag and wearing black armor and an iron helmet.
“Rumble, rumble, rumble…”
The sound of horse hooves was like thunder, waking up the entire city a day later.
Sun Xiaozhun was stunned for a second, his face changed drastically, and he grabbed a close follower beside him, his eyes red:
"Hurry and inform Gao Fantai and Liu Nietai!"
After saying this, the prefect picked up his crimson robe and strode towards the imperial envoy's team:
"Imperial Envoy, wait for me..."
(End of this chapter)
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