Chapter 316 The Witness Dies
In his previous life, Zhao Duan had seen a psychological condition called "Scheherazade Complex," named after the heroine of "One Thousand and One Nights":
The emperor summoned a young girl into the palace every night and killed her the next day.
In order to stop the killing, the prime minister's daughter Scheherazade took the initiative to enter the palace. She told the emperor a story every night and omitted the key plots. Therefore, in order to hear the follow-up, the emperor had to spare her life.
The next night, he continued to tell the story to himself, and then stopped at the next chapter... He told it for a thousand and one nights, and finally moved the emperor and gave up killing.
At this moment, Zhao Duan adopted the same strategy.
Taking into account that every practitioner dreams of becoming an immortal, and considering that stories with obvious allusions and inappropriate backgrounds like Journey to the West should be eliminated, and that it also needs to be a long story... he finally chose this one.
Although he certainly couldn't remember the original text, he remembered the general plot.
Even if you forget some things, you can still write a paragraph based on your rich reading experience... In short, it is enough to "cater to their tastes".
"…To hear what happens next, please listen to the next chapter."
After Zhao Duan finished his story, he opened his eyes and saw the female sorceress in golden armor and wedding dress sitting on the eaves above his head, pretending to listen to an opera.
Look into each other's eyes.
Pei Niannu woke up from the story, staring at him with cold eyes, and said in a broken voice: "Continue... continue..."
We can communicate indeed!
Zhao Duan was delighted and smiled, bowing and saying, "Senior, please allow me to tell you more later. I came here to..."
Pei Niannu sneered, and a long rainbow suddenly flashed across the suspended beam beside him.
"puff!"
Zhao Duan's eyebrows were pierced, his body stiffened, and he fell straight down. Just before he was kicked out of the "Six Chapter Sutra", he only heard the other party's voice:
"Come again...next time."
——
"Huh..." In the courtyard of Baima Prison, Zhao Duan suddenly woke up with sweat on his forehead, cursing in his heart:
"This is different from what we agreed on. Is she so cruel that she even skipped the step of locking me up in the small dark room? Oh, yes, she might know that she can't lock me up in the small dark room..."
"What's wrong?" At this time, the old supervisor came back after finishing his work and asked curiously.
"It's nothing, just a nightmare." Zhao Duan said helplessly.
Well, considering that this method worked, he decided to persevere and try again.
The reason why the other party did not take the bait may be that what he said was too short and not attractive enough, just like reading only a few chapters of a novel and then stopping will not have a strong reaction.
But after reading hundreds of thousands of words and being immersed in it, then stopping will be effective... Well, the premise is that you don't get beaten to death by an angry senior...
Zhao Duan silently summed up his experience.
"No more words, I'll take my leave."
He got up and rushed home, ready to write more, accumulate enough manuscripts, and complete the guide as soon as possible.
"…irritable."
Sun Lianying opened his mouth, then shook his head helplessly with his hands behind his back, thinking to himself, you kid owe me the osmanthus wine, and you haven't paid yet.
…
In the next few days, the changes in the court were exactly as Sun Lianying had expected.
The gentry in the south of the Yangtze River began to lobby continuously, and the trial by the three courts gradually fell into a stalemate.
On the third day, a sudden revelation emerged, claiming that Wang Chusheng had long harbored a grudge against Gao Lian because of a certain incident, and that there were several doubts in the evidence he provided.
The meaning is clear: it is believed that Wang Chusheng was fabricating the information and framing the governor.
On the fourth day, new doubts arose in the case, this time about the whistleblower "Song Tiju".
Some people questioned how Song Tijiu was able to obtain so much evidence and why he disappeared mysteriously. His motive for reporting remained a mystery for a while.
On the fifth day, rumors began to spread, vaguely questioning the "Imperial Envoy" Zhao Duan.
Someone presented evidence that after Zhao Du'an arrived in Taicang Prefecture, he demanded bribes from local officials such as Gao Lian, but to no avail.
Therefore, Zhao Duan, who failed to extort bribes, was suspected of revenge and personal vengeance...
As soon as the news came out, the capital was in an uproar.
Especially after several verifications, it was discovered that it was true. For a time, many people who had originally insisted on convicting the criminal became wavering.
Start to re-examine the "evidence" brought back by Zhao Duan.
In the Imperial College, more and more students raised questions, while the voices of those criticizing Gao Lian gradually decreased.
In a strange atmosphere and driven by some people, both overtly and covertly, public opinion was reversed within a few days.
Voices supporting Gao Lian began to emerge.
"How could this happen? How could they confuse right and wrong like this?"
Inside the Lihua Hall, the young secretary Qian Kerou angrily slammed a copy of the capital's official newspaper on the table, her round face flushed with anger.
Hou Renmeng, who was hugging his shoulders, and Chen Wan, who was staring at the dark circles under his eyes, also looked unhappy.
"What's wrong? Are you so angry?" Zhao Duan smiled and picked up the official newspaper, taking a look. "You can't stand it just like this?"
Qian Kerou's eyes were red:
"We released the bribery news to paralyze the enemy, but how come these people are calling it retaliation? With the honor and favor you enjoy in front of His Majesty, would you do such a thing for the sake of so-called filial piety? These people are simply... simply..."
"Unreasonable." Hou Renmeng said the word for her.
“That’s right!”
Several Jinyi captains who had followed them to Taicang Prefecture were also filled with righteous indignation and felt that they were being slandered.
Zhao Duan's expression was very calm. He put down the newspaper with a smile and said:
"People's words may frighten me, but I have nothing to fear. If a mere slander could hurt me, would I still be alive today?"
Just a little bit of wind and frost...
Chen Juan couldn't help but say, "Your Excellency, you can ignore the rumors, but I'm afraid that if public opinion changes, it will be difficult to convict Gao Lian. Wouldn't that give the Li Party an excuse to try to overturn the verdict?"
Zhao Duan said calmly:
"You must remember that the true battlefield of the game is never these public opinions. Well, that's not to say it's unimportant, but it's never decisive. Your Majesty wants him dead. If Li Yanfu only has these means, they can only delay time, but they still can't change the outcome. Relax and get back to work."
The people in brocade clothes then dispersed.
Although he said so, at noon, Zhao Duan still went to the Censorate to find Chen Hong to find out the situation.
In the living room.
"The situation is not good," said Censor Chen, who had silver teeth inlaid on his face, with a wry smile. After not seeing him for a few days, the deputy imperial envoy looked much more tired.
Zhao Duan narrowed his eyes and said in surprise:
"Is it because of those voices of support? Or is it because of the rumors?"
Chen Hong shook her head and whispered:
"Master Zhao, you may not be aware that today, urgent documents have been sent to the capital from various prefectures, especially from Jiancheng, Huaishui, and Linfeng. These are memorials from local officials pleading for Gao Lian's life.
Well, regarding the Linfeng Road, it was mainly some officials from Linfeng Prefecture who submitted the request. Taicang Prefecture was not a big deal. In addition, the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Liu Ji resigned and returned to his hometown... The key point is not this, but the request from the local officials. You know what this means."
Zhao Duan's expression also grew serious: "Is this really true?"
He originally thought that the lobbying of the southern gentry and the arguments on evidence were the limit, but he didn't expect that the local officials would jointly submit a letter... This would have a completely different meaning.
The empress may not care about what the officials in Beijing say, but she cannot ignore the memorials from local officials.
The former is right under our noses, while the latter is out of reach.
Chen Hong sighed, "Furthermore, today's trial didn't go smoothly. Gao Lian insisted he was being slandered, and the evidence Wang Chusheng provided was also found to have flaws."
Zhao Duan frowned and said, "We verified it once before returning to Beijing. Although not all of Gao Lian's crimes have been proven, there is solid evidence for several important ones."
Chen Hong said bitterly:
"That being said, Wang Chusheng's words aren't entirely flawless. Some of his accusations lack sufficient evidence, or the clues have been destroyed, or he's exaggerating, or he's working for Gao Lian and doesn't know the full story...
In short, after being criticized, Li Yanfu's people insisted on their accuracy, saying that since so much of the evidence was false, how could they prove that the other evidence was genuine? They demanded a re-verification.
But if the southern gentry continue to operate in this way, I am afraid that the evidence in our favor will become less and less.
Moreover, Li Yanfu is currently deliberately directing this matter towards the rebels, claiming that framing Gao Lian and forcing infighting within the court is a conspiracy of the rebels and cannot be allowed to proceed as planned."
As he spoke, he shook his head, then cheered up again and said:
"However, Lord Yuan just told us that we currently have two advantages. One is that His Majesty has only given us a ten-day deadline. As long as we can hold out, Li Yanfu will not be able to turn the tables in the remaining few days, and the situation will still be under our control.
Secondly, as long as County Magistrate Wang Chusheng is around, Li Yanfu will be unable to confuse right and wrong."
Zhao Duan nodded, feeling a little relieved.
But my heart was inexplicably covered with dark clouds, feeling heavy and giving me a bad premonition.
I always feel like things are not going to go well.
However, this matter was not within his jurisdiction, so he could only leave it to Chen Hong and others to negotiate.
…
At night, at Zhao's house.
In the bedroom, Zhao Duan finished washing up and entered into meditation again.
Appeared outside the ruined temple.
These days, he has focused all his attention on conquering Pei Niannu. He enters the "Six Chapter Sutra" on time every day and tells stories to the woman in golden armor.
As the story progressed and went deeper, although he was stabbed to death by the scale bar every time, he clearly felt that Pei Niannu's hostility and coldness were weakening.
Just like constantly warming a piece of ice, water dripping through a stone will always cause changes.
This time, when Zhao Duan stood in the courtyard, he finished telling the climax of the plot and left a sequel.
He opened his eyes, pretended to be ready to die, and thought to himself: Come on, I'm ready.
However, the expected pain did not come.
The sorceress in wedding dress sitting on the eaves was in a daze, as if she was still immersed in the story of cultivating immortals and couldn't extricate herself.
Although her facial mask prevented her from seeing her expression and she could only glimpse a small part of her fair chin, Zhao Duan could tell from the gentle swaying of her legs that:
"This woman is so happy to hear this..."
Sure enough, a moment later, because the plot that had been held back for a few days was finally finished, Pei Niannu, who was satisfied with the story, lowered his eyes and looked down at Zhao Duan below. Mercifully, he did not stab him to death, but nodded slightly and said:
"……very nice……"
Although the world of immortal cultivation described in the story is quite different from reality and seems to be a set of practice methods conceived by ordinary people, Pei Niannu still enjoyed listening to it.
Better than any story she had ever heard.
"As a...reward..."
Before Zhao Duan could express his gratitude, Pei Niannu uttered two more words.
Then she raised a finger and pointed it at Zhao Duan's eyebrows.
A wisp of white flame suddenly penetrated into Zhao Duan's eyebrows!
Along with the burning touch, at this moment, Zhao Duan felt as if a torrent exploded in his mind.
He was not unfamiliar with this. When Old Xu taught him martial arts, he had a similar experience, but it was far less brutal and rude than this...
"This technique... is called 'Spirit Flame'... It can burn the soul of others... leaving no marks on the flesh... The burning of the heart fire is like the torture of flaying, which is particularly cruel to men and does more harm than good... For women, besides the pain, it has benefits."
There were intermittent voices in my mind.
"Reward...next time, continue."
Pei Niannu finished teaching the Dharma, and the scale beside him flew out like a flying sword.
puff!
…
Zhao Duan suddenly sat up from the bed and opened his palms blankly. A white flame faintly appeared in the palm of his hand and then disappeared.
"The magic of the Divine Chapter Realm... As a warrior, I can use magic that is driven by the warrior's Qi..."
Zhao Duan's eyes flashed with surprise, he finally mastered the first technique of the Divine Chapter Realm.
"Senior Pei is quite generous... I've found the correct way to open the Six Chapter Sutra..."
Zhao Duan was about to try out his new skill when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the door, followed by a knock:
"Knock, knock, Master, someone's looking for you outside. It's an imperial censor who calls himself Chen Hong."
Censor Chen?
What is he doing at my house so late at night?
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, then stood up, put on his shoes, put on his coat, and walked out with his slightly tired body. He saw Chen Hong waiting at the door with an extremely ugly expression in the night.
"Imperial Censor Chen, what happened?" Zhao Duan's heart sank inexplicably.
Chen Hong looked at him, moved her lips, and uttered a word: "Wang Chusheng, dead!"
(End of this chapter)
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