Chapter 322 The Master Asked Me to Bring You a Message
Imperial Court.
Zhao Duan and Mochou parted ways and after walking for a while, they arrived at the yamen.
He did not go to the entrance of Lihua Hall, but walked straight into the Governor's Hall.
Crossing the threshold, the layout of the Governor's Hall is in the shape of a Chinese character "品", and the innermost "main seat" is Xiao Ma's office.
The two "kou" characters on the left and right represent the "duty rooms" of the officials in the hall.
There is a patio in the middle, and in the middle stands a square "flower bed" filled with white stones.
"Zhao Jisi? Why are you here?"
At this moment, a group of Jinyi officers in the duty room looked at him in surprise. In the "office", there were not only them, but also two police officers who had also rushed here and were on duty at night.
Ma Yan was also in the room, hurriedly putting on his coat - he lived in the yamen.
"Censor Chen came to my house to inform me about Wang Chusheng's situation. I couldn't let it go, so I came to see him." Zhao Duan stepped into the house, briefly explained, and said:
"Do you know who killed him?"
Everyone shook their heads.
He said that he and others gathered here after hearing the news.
The case falls under the jurisdiction of the Three Judicial Departments and has nothing to do with the Imperial Court, but Ma Yan is worried that the empress will give a temporary order tonight and mobilize the Imperial Court's Jinyi to do something.
That's why we waited here patiently, but it was obvious that a group of people were just sitting there doing nothing.
Well, the news is several versions behind me... Zhao Duan complained and said seriously:
"I did learn of some new developments."
Ma Yan instantly raised his head, and everyone's eyes gathered around him: "What's the progress?"
No one is indifferent to the direction of this case and the outcome of the court game.
Zhao Duan said seriously, "On my way here, I ran into Mo Zhaorong by chance. She told me the news that Gao Lian was dead."
He then briefly described the encounter.
As expected, everyone's expressions changed when they heard the explosive news, and the clear night sky outside seemed to have suddenly changed.
"Dead...dead..." Ma Yan's long, thin, and stern face was stunned for a moment, then he stared at him: "You said it was Mo Zhaorong who found out? She took people to the Ministry of Justice Prison?"
Zhao Duan helplessly spread his hands: "That's what she told me."
This kind of thing cannot be concealed. As expected, the eyes of the Jinyi soldiers changed. They guessed that the empress was angry and might send people to counterattack.
They were all waiting for instructions, but His Majesty just sent someone from the palace to kill them...
"Something's going to happen." A police officer swallowed hard, sensing a storm was coming.
Not necessarily... After talking with Mochou and learning about the big game, Zhao Duan became unusually calm.
Think that the worst possible scenario will not happen.
"Sir...something has happened..." At this time, two men in brocade clothes rushed in from outside.
One said with a serious face: "Gao Lian is dead!"
Then I was surprised to find that the people in the room were calm as if they had known it before.
Ma Yan looked past him and looked directly at the second Jinyi: "What about you?"
The man said, "The Prime Minister has gone out, riding in a carriage, and it seems he is heading to the palace!"
Boom!
Everyone's heart sank again. Ma Yan stood up and paced back and forth in the room. Finally, he chose to remain silent and said to everyone, "Go back and rest. It seems that it won't be our turn to work tonight."
Li Yanfu has entered the palace, which means that even if something unexpected happens, it will be the palace guards who will handle it.
"I'll tell you the specific news when I come back from court at dawn." Ma Yan said cautiously.
Zhao Duan didn't say anything because Mo Chou provided cover and by chance, no one thought that he would be the one to kill Gao Lian.
He had no interest in jumping out, so he just yawned, thinking about the undercurrents that might be happening in the palace. Suddenly, he turned his head and looked into the dark night again.
Thought:
"The Shen family should have received the news as well."
…
…
After the second master of the Shen family came to Beijing, he lived in a house purchased by his family in the city.
Tonight, after returning from the Prime Minister's Mansion, he went straight back to his residence. Instead of sleeping, he spread out rice paper and wrote to calm his mind.
Even though he was neither humble nor arrogant in the Prime Minister's Mansion, and even showed his claws in front of Li Yanfu, but when facing a powerful official who had experienced the ups and downs of officialdom, how could he be as calm as still water?
Only he himself knew that his back was wet with sweat when he left the Prime Minister's Mansion.
"Fortunately, everything is going according to plan." Mr. Shen wrote quickly, but his mind was wandering as he pondered the aftermath of this murder.
According to his estimation, even if Li Yanfu was angry, he could only resist because he was tied to the chariot of the "Southern Gentry".
"Haha, the Empress is still a woman after all, and anger easily takes over her mind. She will definitely vent her wrath on Li Yanfu, at the latest by the morning court, and she might even have already made some moves...
Li Yanfu took the blame and could only try his best to rescue Gao Lian and grab the support of the remaining nobles...
"Brother-in-law, if you can come out, that would be great. If you can't, don't blame me for being ruthless. We are all for the longevity of our family business. What's the harm if you and I sacrifice a little?"
Master Shen felt emotional, and when he thought about how he could actually check and force Li Yanfu, and even clamp down on the current empress, he felt quite proud and could hardly hide his heroic spirit.
"Second Master, this is bad!"
Suddenly, the family attendant outside rushed to open the door, without even knocking, and without waiting for him to ask, he took the initiative to say:
"Gao Lian is dead! I'm afraid he was killed by someone in the palace!"
Then he told the news he had received.
Master Shen's expression changed several times. He took a deep breath and calmed his mind. Although he guessed that the empress would take action, he didn't expect that she would be so straightforward and cruel.
"This leaves no room for maneuver." Master Shen's eyes flashed, he threw down his pen, and ordered in a deep voice: "Call everyone, prepare the car and get ready to leave the city!"
Gao Lian's murder meant that the intensity of the game in the city had exceeded his expectations.
"yes!"
Not long after, the back door of the house opened, and Mr. Shen took his belongings and got into the carriage. The group took advantage of the night and rushed towards the city gate.
The capital city is different from other places. The soldiers guarding the gates at night are extremely strict. It is difficult to leave the city without special status.
Mr. Shen couldn't leave the city at night, so his plan was to wait near the city gate.
It was already late at night. In two hours at most, at dawn, the city gates would open.
“Lulu…”
The wheels turned on the street, and the sound of horse hooves was particularly crisp in the silent atmosphere. Everyone lowered their voices and the horses' mouths were locked, for fear of alerting the soldiers on night patrol and causing extra trouble.
Amidst the slight bumps, Mr. Shen moved forward nervously and anxiously, silently calculating the speed of the car.
Suddenly, the carriage stopped, the driver tightened the reins, and said nervously:
"Second Master! Someone is blocking the road!"
Mr. Shen's heart sank, but he forced himself to calm down and got off the carriage.
The accompanying tribal guards also held down the weapons wrapped in cloth or hidden in bundles.
Under the moonlight, the long street was covered with a veil, and there were no expected imperial guards patrolling the city on horseback with torches.
At the front of the street, in the middle, stood a person whose face could not be seen clearly, wearing ordinary clothes.
He stood motionless, blocking the direction of the carriage.
“Who’s standing there?!” Mr. Shen had also seen a lot of storms, and although he looked calm on the outside, he scolded in a domineering manner.
The man didn't answer, but just walked towards him step by step. In the moonlight, his face was ordinary and had no memorable features.
Ordinary people are like the waiters doing odd jobs in a restaurant, or the laborers carrying sacks at the docks.
The other party, not holding any weapons, walked over in cloth shoes, staring at him calmly: "Jiancheng, the second master of the Shen family? My master asked me to bring you a message."
Master Shen frowned, "Who is your master? Stand still and don't move."
However, the next second, the man's figure flashed, and in front of the second master in an instant, under the frightened gaze of several guards.
Almost stuck together.
This warrior, who looked like a family servant, patted Master Shen's shoulder gently and said:
"My master said that the Shen family's century-old foundation was not easy to build, but it is harder to maintain a business than to start one. Future generations must not follow the wrong person, otherwise they will end up with their property confiscated and the family exterminated. That would be bad."
Mr. Shen's whole body was stiff, not daring to move, and beads of sweat were already oozing from under his melon-shaped hat.
Just when he thought that the mysterious warrior would attack him, the other party moved, distanced himself again, turned around and disappeared into the night.
It’s like stopping a car on the street, it’s really just about passing on a message.
"Second Master, Second Master, are you okay?"
At this moment, the servants nearby came to their senses. The two guards, who were considered to have extraordinary martial arts skills in the martial arts world, felt ashamed and horrified in their hearts. The capital city was truly full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, and was full of masters.
"It's okay, it's okay." Master Shen said tremblingly.
However, he had no idea that the man had silently shattered the life bridge in his body by tapping him on the shoulder twice.
There is no problem at the moment, but within a month, he will be infected with the disease, and within three months, he will be terminally ill. Even if he takes precious elixirs to keep alive, he will only have half a year to live at most.
In the darkness, I watched Mr. Shen and his group get on a car and continue to flee towards the city gate.
A man with ordinary appearance, one of the palace attendants trained by Eunuch Hai, leaped up like a hawk, jumping between the roofs of the buildings in the capital, each time leaping a very long distance.
When he returned to the palace, he lowered his head and half-knelt outside the side hall, and said to the figure of the empress reflected on the window paper:
"Your Majesty, it's done."
"Go ahead." Xu Zhenguan said casually.
In the room, after the outside offerings had left, Xu Zhenguan smiled and looked at Li Yanfu, who was sitting opposite him: "Prime Minister, are you sure you want to remove Li Yinglong from his duties?"
Li Yanfu glanced at the window paper silently, then retracted his gaze and bowed, saying:
"The Taicang Silver Mine is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works. My son is the Minister of Works, so he should bear the responsibility."
Xu Zhenguan's smile deepened. "Prime Minister, you are too kind. Well, I'll ask you to repeat it later at the morning court."
Li Yanfu heaved a long sigh of relief, realizing he had escaped a disaster: "This old minister obeys your order."
However, under the seemingly harmonious scene between the emperor and his subjects, the existing rift eventually became even bigger.
…
The same night.
While the empress was playing chess with Li Yanfu, Zhao Duan was sitting there waiting for news.
Thousands of miles away, Jiancheng Road, Prince Jing's Mansion.
"Your Highness, Zhuang Xiaocheng has sent another letter."
…
Thanks to the book friend Mi Chong who is repeating the grade for his 10,000 points of support!
(End of this chapter)
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