Chapter 307 Return to Beijing (Two in One)
But is it enough?
The atmosphere at the crab feast froze for a moment, and everyone's astonished eyes were focused on Wang Chusheng, who had been missing for many days.
After a brief silence, the officials present could no longer remain calm and an uproar broke out.
"Wang Chusheng! He's the Taicang County Magistrate!"
"The imperial envoy actually captured the person? Why is there no news?"
"What's going on? Didn't they say they searched extensively but couldn't find him, and suspected he had escaped from Linfeng?"
Inside the seats, the Governor Gao Lian, who had been calm and composed and leading the charge, was stunned on the spot. At that moment, his pupils shrank into a small dot, as if he had turned into a stone sculpture.
The exhausted Censor Liu Ji stood up, his face flushed with excitement:
"It's you...it's really you..."
Prefect Sun was stunned, and suddenly turned his head to stare at Zhao Duan's profile, his eyes filled with astonishment, surprise, confusion, fear, emotion, and awe...
"Master Zhao, this is..."
Is this your work? What does it really mean to accomplish everything in one fell swoop?
...Xu Junling was in a trance.
Although she didn't know the truth, she already understood that Zhao Duan really didn't care about the so-called counterattack from the Linfeng officialdom.
Because he had already prepared everything.
"Quiet."
Zhao Duan waited for a few breaths to give everyone time to digest the situation, then raised his hand and pressed it down in mid-air.
In an instant, the noisy banquet became quiet.
He paced around the hall with a smile on his face, and his voice reached the ears of the local officials:
"I know you must be confused and curious right now, wanting to know what exactly is going on. But the process is actually not complicated. I believe many people here know that I appeared at the Taicang County Government Office a few days ago.
Well, outsiders may not know, but you definitely know.
Simply put, when I entered the city, I divided my troops into two groups. I ordered someone to pretend to be an imperial envoy to attract public attention, while I went to Songjiazhuang first and retrieved the evidence that Song Tiju had painstakingly collected after his investigation.
“Why go to all this trouble?
This is because the mining and silver corruption case is definitely not something a mere county magistrate can handle, because the order from the capital has not yet been issued, and two key figures have mysteriously disappeared, and because you... have been resisting my strict defense!"
When Zhao Duan said this, he swept his fingers across the table.
Wherever he passed, officials turned their eyes away, not daring to look at him, no matter how high or low he was.
"Ha!" Zhao Duan sneered, his eyes full of mockery:
"The facts have proven that this is the right thing to do. If not, perhaps even the last bit of things left by Song Tiju would not have fallen into my hands! However, this alone is not enough.
The evidence that a mere supervisor can obtain cannot touch the core of the matter. Fortunately, I have a third group of people. From the moment I stepped into Taicang City, the troops were divided into three groups instead of two.
It was thanks to my public actions that I attracted the attention of certain people and that I was able to apprehend Wang Chusheng."
Divide the troops into three groups!
The officials present were stunned upon hearing this simple, uncomplicated, yet surprisingly effective answer.
Prefect Sun and Censor Liu suddenly realized what was going on. They didn't know that Zhao Duan had used a similar method once when he dealt with the Minister of the Dali Temple.
However, that time the troops were just divided into two groups.
There were three teams. The fake imperial envoy at the post station was there to cover up for the real imperial envoy. But on that day, Zhao Duan took the initiative to reveal his identity.
It's also to provide cover for the shadow guard team.
When Zhao Duan took the initiative to reveal the "real and fake imperial envoy", local officials would subconsciously think that this was all.
But I never thought there was another layer.
The so-called strategy never needs to be complicated. The more complicated it is, the more likely it is that there will be problems with the entire process, leading to a greater probability of failure.
Just like the fake coup: it was carefully planned, laid out step by step, and ultimately a victory by a brilliant move.
A real coup is to invite people to dinner, ambush a few of your close associates, and then kill them when they are off guard.
As for the specific method of finding Wang Chusheng that Zhao Duan deliberately left vague,
Prefect Sun and others had some guesses that perhaps, just like the disguise, some extraordinary means were used.
It doesn't matter anymore.
What really matters is...
Everyone came to their senses, looked at each other, their hearts beating like drums, and suddenly in the quiet hall, the sound of people swallowing saliva was heard.
An atmosphere of tension and anticipation gradually spread.
Since the key figure in the case, Wang Chusheng, has been arrested.
So……
Does it mean that the people behind him will also come to light?
Furthermore, combined with Zhao Duan’s previous words, today’s “crab feast” seemed to have been premeditated.
Gathering all the prominent officials and gentry in the city in the Chrysanthemum Terrace, when the army in the city is approaching, is like closing the door to fight the dog.
"Imperial... Imperial Envoy... You are Zhao Du..."
At this time, the Taicang County Magistrate, who had crawled out of the sack and sat on the ground, and had surrendered after being tortured by the shadow guards, finally spoke tremblingly.
The dark eyes were fixed on Zhao Duan, and his thinking seemed slow.
Next to him, the frail scholar-like shadow guard quietly placed a hand on County Magistrate Wang's shoulder, causing the latter to shudder.
"You're calling the Imperial Envoy by his name. It seems you haven't understood the current situation."
"No... no..." Wang Chusheng's face turned pale, fear swept over his heart, and he kowtowed suddenly: "Master Zhao, I am... no, I am here to see the Imperial Envoy..."
"Don't scare people."
Zhao Duan said it lightly, first "warning" the shadow guard, then smiled warmly, looked down at the other party, and said quietly:
"I summoned you here for one thing only. Please identify which of the people here who are backing you?
Confess and be lenient; be the mastermind or an accomplice; execute the ringleader or punish the entire clan; it all depends on your decision, Lord Wang."
"I say!" Wang Chusheng was tied up like a worm. He sat up with difficulty without any hesitation.
During the interrogation in the past few days, he had already confessed the truth and signed his name. His appearance today was just to repeat it.
Immediately, Wang Chusheng raised his head and glanced at the familiar people in the hall. Anyone who looked at him looked away, fearing that they were being stared at.
Finally, his gaze stopped at someone, his eyes filled with resentment and the madness of dying together:
"Master Gao, I'm sorry."
Many people present changed color slightly.
Wang Chusheng had already spat out the name: "Report to the Imperial Envoy, the one who ordered this villain to commit such a grave offense was him! The Temporary Provincial Governor, Gao Lian!"
Boom!
In an instant, the eardrums of the guests in the Chrysanthemum Terrace seemed to be dizzy from the sound of a drum.
Countless eyes, in shock, focused on the smooth, wrinkle-free crimson official robe!
Focus on Gao Lian's neatly trimmed, elegant and calm face!
"It's you?!" At this moment, Censor Liu and Magistrate Sun turned their heads at the same time and looked at their colleague with extremely complicated eyes.
Before anyone could react, Wang Chusheng's face was almost distorted, and he accused with a broken jar:
"Everyone in Linfeng knows that although I work in Taicang County, I used to work in Linfeng Prefecture. I have been doing dirty things for Gao Lian for many years. The mine silver case is just one of them!
It was he who asked me to embezzle silver in the name of fire consumption, send it to the Taoist temple designated by him as a donation to launder the money, and then put it into the money shop. After this incident, it was also he who asked me to hide and avoid the limelight, saying that as long as the people sent from the capital could not catch me, he could make light of the matter!
Not only this, the gangsters who protected me were also sent by him. In fact, they were there to monitor me. The ones who colluded with and raised gangster killers to help him eliminate his enemies were all this Mr. Gao!
From what I know, he has no less than ten lives on his hands!
He was also the mastermind behind the corruption scandal at the Linfeng Weaving Bureau three years ago. He also fabricated and murdered the Linfeng silk merchant Li Jia because they refused to work for him anymore and he was afraid that the truth would be revealed...
Furthermore, the women of the Luo family whose property was confiscated didn’t commit suicide, but were raped by this beastly old villain… and…”
At this moment, Wang Chusheng, a subordinate who had worked for Gao Lian for many years, blurted out all the charges he knew in one breath.
It immediately caused an uproar in the room.
Even Zhao Du'an was stunned. He didn't expect that among the nine governors of Dayu, there were so many evil deeds hidden under the official robes of the well-known and honest officials that it was difficult to list them all.
"What evidence do you have? Just your words?"
Finally, an official in the hall questioned, "Wang Chusheng! You said you were assigned by Governor Gao, so why did they keep you here? And let you live?"
This news was so explosive that many officials present found it difficult to accept.
"Evidence? Of course I have it!"
There was a cold expression on Wang Chusheng's scarred face.
He stared at Gao Lian, who sat in the hall like a clay sculpture or wooden carving, and said in a mocking tone:
"Master Gao, you never thought that I would reveal all these things about you. Isn't this what you asked for?
That day, I noticed that Mr. Song was investigating, so I had to ask you for permission. I waited and waited until you came to see me privately. That day, you brought people here. You actually wanted to silence me, right? But I'm used to seeing all your dirty tricks, so how could I not have a backup plan?
He shifted his gaze to look at Zhao Duan, with a faint, almost crazy smile on his lips:
"Master Zhao, if I work for someone like him, wouldn't I be afraid of being abandoned?
So, I have been secretly collecting evidence of his crimes over the years. Like Mr. Song, I am also afraid that I will be killed suddenly one day, so I prepared several copies of the evidence of Gao Lian's crimes and placed them in the hands of extremely reliable relatives.
So, when Gao Lian came to see me that day, I told him that if I died, or disappeared for a long time, then after a while, my relatives would directly hand over the evidence of his crimes to the Capital Censorate...
We are like grasshoppers on the same rope. Unless he wants to die with me, he must protect me.
He had no expression at the time, he just tried to comfort me, saying I was being overly suspicious and that he wouldn't harm me, but do you think I believed him or not?
Zhao Duan glanced at him, then looked up at the two shadow guards. The armored woman nodded:
"Sir, the things he mentioned have been obtained."
Wang Chusheng seemed to have understood that he could not escape death, which made him seem a little neurotic.
He sneered and stared at Gao Lian, who was expressionless in the hall, his eyes filled with provocation and hatred:
"Master Gao, please don't look at me like that. If you had treated me better, I wouldn't have sold you out. But you're unkind, so don't blame me for being unjust. I'm going to die anyway, so you and those people behind you, don't even think about living! Let's die together! Let's all die together! Haha, let's all die together!"
Zhao Duan frowned, not interested in the feud between the two. He said coldly:
"Wang Chusheng, what happened to Song Tiju's disappearance? Do you know where he is?"
After Wang Chusheng vented his anger, he no longer felt any fear, but instead had a touch of compassion, almost like a monk who had attained enlightenment:
"I don't know. I only know that he disappeared before Gao Lian came to find me. Gao Lian even asked me where he had gone. How would I know?"
Perhaps Song Tiju also realized that his betrayal had been discovered, so to protect himself, he fled early and hid himself. Or maybe he was killed by Gao. Who knows?
Disappeared early?
Hiding, running away?
Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows. He had always been curious about the "Song Tiju" whom he had never met.
But now is not the time to look for this person.
Zhao Duan finished the interrogation, turned around, and said coldly, "Gao Lian, do you have anything else to say?"
Gao Lian, wearing an official robe and with his black and white hair neatly arranged, had no expression on his face. He seemed to have just come to his senses. He shook his head and said:
"It's just a little slander."
After saying this, he closed his eyes, as if he knew that any argument would be futile at this moment.
"A little slander... what a little slander..."
Zhao Duan seemed to laugh out of anger, but in the blink of an eye, his expression turned as cold as winter:
"Whether it is slander or not, we will take you back to the capital for trial. The sage will make the final decision."
The crime of a second-rank provincial governor is not something that the imperial envoy can determine.
He must, and had no choice but to, be escorted back to Beijing.
"Come here! Strip Gao Lian of his official robes! Take him into custody immediately! Prevent anyone from coming into contact with him! Return to the capital with me tomorrow!"
Zhao Duan said in a deep voice.
"Yes!" The Lihuatang Jinyi people who were standing at the back as a background board and were ready to fight rushed forward like wolves and tigers and pressed Gao Lian, who had a mortal body, on the table.
"I almost forgot to say it," Zhao Duan turned around as if he had just remembered something, glanced at the faces, and said with a smile:
"Those soldiers outside the city are currently arresting the lower-level officials, gentry, and merchants implicated in the evidence left by Song Tiju. I believe they have all been apprehended by now."
Zhao Duan took out a list from his pocket, looked at the seated Sun Zhifu, who had a complicated expression, and said with a smile:
"The city cannot be without a leader for a single day. Effective immediately, all official duties will be restored to Prefect Sun Xiaozhun. Some of the people on this list are also guests at the Chrysanthemum Terrace today. Prefect Sun will detain and interrogate some of these lackeys."
Sun Xiaozhun stood up, took the list with both hands, and said calmly:
"I will definitely live up to your trust."
Zhao Duan patted his shoulder, and their eyes met, and everything was said without words.
At this moment, Sun Xiaozhun understood that the empress's favorite minister in front of him had understood the hidden meaning of his words that day.
Zhao Duan smiled at the nervous local officials and said:
"Furthermore, I came here on the Emperor's orders to execute only the ringleaders. Gao Lian and Wang Chusheng have both been apprehended, and a dozen related suspects are temporarily in custody. I will return to the capital tomorrow to report. I hope you will all take this as a lesson and work together with Governor Sun to protect the country and its people. Do not let down the Saint's trust."
After these meaningful words were spoken, all the local officials breathed a sigh of relief.
I understand what the imperial envoy meant, which is that only this group of people will be arrested, and no one who has nothing to do with the case will be implicated.
At the same time, the four words "protect the territory and the people" mean that the people who are asking for orders should stop making trouble.
With just this one sentence, the ironclad solidity that Gao Lian had worked so hard to build shattered into pieces.
Since the imperial envoy said that he would not pursue the matter any further and would only punish the main culprit, why should officials like them make things difficult for Zhao Duan?
A crisis was thus resolved.
"Hey, Lord Zhao, I... and I..." Zhao Duan made a decision and was about to leave.
Finally, Censor Liu couldn't hold it in any longer and stood up to call out, forcing a flattering smile onto his good-natured face:
"Prefect Sun has recovered, so I..."
Zhao Duan didn't turn around. He didn't bother to deal with this old official who just wanted to keep things quiet and wait for retirement. "Reflect on yourself at home for a month, then we'll talk."
Liu Anchashi opened his mouth but didn't dare to bargain. He wiped his sweat, sighed, and said to Sun Zhifu:
"You said Mr. Gao, is it really..."
Sun Xiaozhun glanced at him and distanced himself from him: "I don't talk to people who have been suspended."
Liu Ji: ...
…
…
The crab feast is over.
However, the aftershocks of this event, which swept across the entire Taicang Prefecture and shook the vast Linfeng area, have not yet shown their power.
The cavalry that had been roaming throughout the city returned one after another and arrested all those involved in the case who had no time to react.
The government prison was overcrowded.
Zhao Duan believed that Sun Xiaozhun could handle the next thing.
He returned to the inn, sat in his own courtyard, and took care of the follow-up matters.
"Sir, this is your magical weapon."
The armored woman took out the patterned Fengyue Baojian and presented it with both hands. Under the mask, a pair of eyes looked at him curiously through the holes.
Zhao Duan sat on the stone bench, happily took it, and said with a smile: "Is there something on my face?"
The armored woman didn't understand humor and shook her head honestly:
"No. I just heard that you defeated Monk Tianhai."
Tsk, could it be that I already have a crush on someone in Shadow Guard? The champion of a competition really does increase popularity, haha. Speaking of which, I wonder how the Paris Olympics went before I time-traveled... It's a shame I only watched the opening ceremony before I time-traveled...
Zhao Duan complained in his heart, showing an idol smile: "It was just luck."
"Yes. I understand." The female shadow guard wearing a bronze visor nodded sincerely.
“…”
Zhao Duan took a deep breath, thinking that this fangirl was a little too honest, and Shadow Guard's overall emotional intelligence needed to be improved.
“Ahem…”
Next to him, a scholar with a frail body but unusually white hands interrupted the awkward atmosphere and held out a thick file:
"Sir, this is the evidence Wang Chusheng hid that accuses Gao Lian."
Zhao Duan's face turned serious. He took the book and flipped through it, his expression visibly ugly.
Although Wang Chusheng had already orally narrated it once in the classroom, I only listened at that time and didn't feel much.
At this moment, as Zhao Duan flipped through the pages of paper recording the events, he felt that the thin paper had become extremely heavy.
Frame-up, wrongful killing, silencing, rape, corruption, and fostering enemies...
"Gao Lian..."
The upright face of the governor emerged in Zhao Duan’s mind. Who could have imagined that he was a beast in human clothing?
"Heh... everyone says I'm a treacherous minister, cruel and ruthless, and anyone can kill me. But in comparison... I'm as clean as Hai Rui..."
Zhao Duan laughed at himself and closed the file.
Suddenly losing interest in chatting with these two gold medal shadow guards, he waved his hand:
"Thank you for your hard work. When I return to Beijing, I will recommend you for your contribution."
The armored woman's eyes lit up, she was satisfied, and a smile appeared on her face.
He glanced at the Fengyue Baojian on the table with reluctance, thinking that this thing was very useful, and it would be great if it could be given to him.
"Thank you, sir. We will not bother you any more." The scholar, who saw what his colleague was thinking, said goodbye and left with his female colleague.
I felt extremely helpless: Would the famous "King Zhao Yan" be easy to get along with?
You still dare to take credit for it... With such a stubborn personality, if you weren't good at killing people, how could you have gained a foothold in the Shadow Guards?
Zhao Duan had just put away his precious mirror and files.
Then a lady in a silk dress floated in, and Xu Junling, a lady from a noble family, walked towards them.
Following behind him were the maid Lu Shui, the old man in plain robe Lu Qingfeng, as well as the big man with a knife, the female knight with a sword, and other guards.
"Princess?" Zhao Duan came back to his senses from his inexplicable emotions and smiled.
Xu Junling stared at him with his bright black eyes and said:
"This princess is ready to leave first."
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, then nodded:
"Indeed, I should be returning to the capital tomorrow. It is indeed time to say goodbye. Haha, I thought the princess would leave tomorrow, or stay in the city for a few days to enjoy the scenery."
Xu Junling said bitterly:
"I don't have the heart to admire it anymore. I've been away from the palace for a long time. It's time to go back. I didn't expect that this small silver mine would be involved in such a big event."
She suddenly said seriously, "Gao Lian is from a Jiangnan aristocratic family, and his wife's family is from an even more prominent family in the south."
Zhao Duan laughed: "I know, so?"
Xu Junling said angrily:
"So, Gao Lian is also a member of the Li Party. Moreover, as a second-rank provincial governor, he is a powerful figure in the local area. To some extent, he is much more important to the Li Party than many officials in the capital.
If you tie him up and take him back this time, Li Yanfu will not sit idly by. Even if he doesn't want to care, he must do something. Otherwise, not only will Li Yanfu's men not agree, but the big families in Jiangnan will not agree either.
Just like what Wang Chusheng said, they are all on the same boat. Wang Chusheng can be treated as a pawn, but Gao Lian is different.
Zhao Duan didn't care much and said:
"My princess, are you advising me? But I have also brought down more than one high-ranking official of the Li Party."
Xu Junling sighed:
"One or two is fine, but not three. Today we'll retreat one city, tomorrow we'll retreat five... Never mind. I won't tell you anymore. In short, think carefully about whether you want to wade into this muddy water."
After saying that, she turned and was about to leave.
"Wait a minute," Zhao Duan suddenly called her and handed her the "Taicang Geography" on the table.
"I don't have any gifts, so take this book with you to entertain you on your journey. It's just a parting gift."
Xu Junling almost laughed out of anger, thinking, are you so stingy?
Give me your worn-out book as a gift.
After hesitating for a long time, she took it and turned away:
"Take care of yourself. I'll treat you to crabs when you come to Huaishui next time."
(End of this chapter)
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