Chapter 347 Zhao Duan: It’s been a long time since anyone dared to talk to me like this
Zhao Duan's heart sank suddenly, thinking, this can't be such a coincidence?
He first glanced at the "God of War" who was chewing a sweet potato next to him, then his face darkened: "What's going on?"
Hou Renmeng rushed back and noticed the Privy Councilor next to him, and seemed to want to say something but stopped himself.
"Go ahead." Zhao Duan said calmly.
Hou Ren nodded vigorously, took out a letter, held it up with both hands and handed it over, explaining:
"When we were doing roll call this morning, we noticed three people were missing. At first, we didn't think much of it, thinking they were late. But then, someone delivered this letter, asking you to pick them up."
Zhao Duan took the letter. There were only a few words on the paper, no content, only an address and a signature:
Xu Zudi.
Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao will appear... Zhao Duan clutched the letter tightly with an expressionless face, turned his head to Xue Shence, exhaled, and said with a wry smile:
"Master Xue's reminder is really timely."
Xue Shence swallowed the last piece of sweet potato and asked, "Xu Zudi?"
"Well, it seems that my people have been detained by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and he wants me to redeem them." Zhao Duan sighed and took the initiative to hand over the letter in his hand.
Xue Shence took it, glanced at it, and frowned. He seemed to have not expected that the other party's revenge would come so quickly.
He reminded Zhao Duan only as a reward for helping him deliver the message.
But the timing happened to be so coincidental that his "reminder" suddenly became a bit awkward.
"Master Xue, it seems I have to excuse myself from the banquet later."
Zhao Duan bowed his hands. His men had been detained and he had to go over and deal with it immediately.
Xue Shen pondered for a moment, then suddenly said:
"It's still early, so I'll accompany you. He's the Crown Prince of Heng after all, and it won't do you any good if things get too awkward."
Now it was Zhao Duan's turn to be surprised. In such an obviously muddy situation, this military official was the first to take the initiative to get involved?
Xue Shence seemed to see what he was thinking and smiled calmly:
"I can't eat your sweet potatoes for free. Lihuatang is under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Guards, and they are also my subordinates. If the general goes to rescue the soldiers, it doesn't matter where they are placed."
Return a favor?
Or should he take advantage of this opportunity to confront Prince Heng, make his stance clear to the Empress, and repair the distrust caused by the mole within the Privy Council?
Zhao Duan's thoughts were in a mess for a moment, and he was not sure what Xue Shence was thinking.
But no matter how you think about it, it's not a bad thing. If Xue Shence wants to accompany him, then a large group of generals will definitely follow him.
With the entire Military Merit Group as their backing, suppressing a prince who has not yet inherited the title is really like using a cannon to kill a mosquito... Zhao Duan smiled and did not refuse. After a moment of hesitation, he said:
"Since you are so kind, I will not refuse. However, this is a personal matter. Please allow me to go and meet Xu Zudi first, while you, sir, lead the charge from behind. How about that?"
Xue Shence nodded with a smile.
Zhao Duan immediately spurred his horse and took Hou Renmeng with him to rush towards the distant city gate.
Xue Shence fell behind and waited for a while before a large group of generals followed him.
Shi Meng asked curiously, "Privy Councilor, what is Zhao Chenshi doing..."
Xue Shence glanced at the generals and said calmly:
"No need to ask any more questions, just follow me and join in the fun."
…
…
ahead.
After running a distance, Zhao Duan slowed down his horse, looked at Hou Renmeng with a serious expression, and asked, "What exactly happened?"
By observing the old man's words and expressions, he could tell that Old Hou had not let go and was holding back in his words.
Hou Renmeng also pulled the reins, moved closer, and reported back:
"When that person came to deliver the message, he told me the reason for detaining the person."
He then described the situation:
Those who were detained were three ordinary Jinyi captains from Lihua Hall, the kind whose names Zhao Duan could not remember.
According to the other party, after finishing their shift last night, the three of them went to Yanzhi Hutong to drink. During the meal, they fell in love with a beautiful prostitute at the next table and asked her to come over to accompany them. The guests at the next table were naturally unwilling, and an argument broke out between the two sides.
Afterwards, the three Jinyi captains took advantage of their drunkenness and rushed over to beat the man up severely. The man was injured and fled.
The three captains didn't care and continued to stay and drink, but they didn't expect that the other party would call people over and kidnap them all.
"The other party said that the drunkard who was beaten was a relative of the son-in-law Li Shuping. After being beaten, he went to the son-in-law's mansion and the Prince of Heng who was there learned about it. The people sent to arrest him were also the prince's entourage." Hou Renmeng explained.
Zhao Duan listened expressionlessly, rubbed his eyebrows, and said calmly:
"Do you think this was intentional or a coincidence?"
Hou Ren thought for a moment and said honestly:
"It's hard to say, it's a bit of a coincidence. But those three guys are definitely capable of doing something like this."
Implications:
Given the general quality of Jinyi Xiaowei, it is not surprising that they would resort to violence to cause trouble...
After a pause, he added:
"The premise is that what the other party said is true and not fabricated."
Zhao Duan said nothing.
In fact, it doesn’t matter whether this matter is true or false. What matters is that the other party is using this excuse to target you.
After all, the imperial guards are not good people, and if you want to find any black spots on them, you can find a lot of them.
"Forget it, let's talk about this later. Let's go meet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince first."
Zhao Duan sneered, "It's enough for the two of us to go, so as not to make a fool of ourselves in front of other sects."
"yes."
Hou Renmeng felt a little ashamed. He was embarrassed to say that the three people who were arrested were his subordinates.
…
The location on the envelope was a large house with white walls and black tiles in the city.
It was also where Xu Zudi and his party stayed after entering the city.
When Zhao Duan arrived at the door of the house, he found two soldiers wearing soft armor guarding the door.
According to the etiquette and laws of Dayu, every prince can raise a specified number of private soldiers. Xu Zudi also brought some men with him when he entered the capital this time.
"Stop!"
Two Qingzhou private soldiers held the hilts of their swords and stepped forward to intercept them.
Zhao Duan dismounted and said calmly:
"Zhao Duan, the Chief of the Lihua Hall, requests an audience with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
A private soldier looked him up and down with a strange look on his face, surprised at the man's age and appearance.
On the other hand, Zhao Duan came all the way here, wearing a military officer's light armor. With his delicate skin and tender flesh, he looked like a young general in the army, and it was difficult to associate him with the head of an institution like the Zhaoya.
"Show me your badge to verify your identity." The private soldier said coldly.
Zhao Duan was stunned and frowned.
Was he doing this on purpose? To embarrass himself? Or was he simply a stranger who didn't recognize his face?
"How dare you, little bastard, yell at my master? Verify your identity? Do you think you're worthy?"
Hou Renmeng was furious. He was already full of anger and was about to explode.
"Old Marquis!" Zhao Duan raised his hand to stop his subordinate. His expression remained calm, and there was even a warm smile on the corner of his mouth. He said to the gatekeeper whose face had turned cold:
"I came in a hurry and did not carry my police badge. I will pass on a few words, and your heir will know."
The two soldiers were already showing anger. Perhaps they were used to bullying others in Qingzhou, and they thought about the support of the prince of the royal family. They sneered and said:
"Without a badge, you are just an outsider. Do you really think that Your Highness has the leisure time to disturb anyone who comes to visit? Want to come in? Go back and get your badge first."
The domineering tone made Zhao Duan a little dazed.
Ever since he became famous in the capital, how long has it been since anyone dared to speak to him in this tone in this area?
Right, this is the treatment that time travelers receive. They will be given cold faces and ridiculed wherever they go.
The taste is right.
Thoughts flashed through his mind, and Zhao Duan said seriously:
"Just now, my subordinate spoke hastily and was rude. How about I apologize on his behalf? I'd also like to ask you two to pass on the message so as not to delay the important matter."
The two soldiers stood on his left and right like door gods, not bothering to pay any attention to him.
The humble and polite smile on Zhao Duan's face finally faded slowly.
I'm so polite, so I can't blame myself for that.
He glanced calmly at the man beside him and said:
"What are you still standing there for? Do you want me to personally show you how to open the door?"
Hou Ren was stunned for a moment, then a sinister smile appeared on his face. He drew out his long sword with a swish, and the powerful aura wrapped around the blade. He chopped at the two stunned private soldiers who didn't expect that someone would actually dare to attack him!
"If you don't want to die, get out!"
The tightly closed courtyard door was blasted open by the sword energy, and two armored soldiers fell in screaming, their bodies covered in blood.
Staring at the door in disbelief.
Zhao Duan stepped over the threshold without even looking at them, and walked straight around the screen wall into the depths of the courtyard.
Entering the courtyard, I could faintly hear the sound of stringed instruments and orchestras in the front, and many followers in the house also came out after hearing the sound.
Among them were several private soldiers, who looked at Zhao Duan with surprise and suspicion as he walked leisurely with his hands behind his back.
When they caught sight of Hou Renmeng's bloody blade behind him, they all looked away in panic.
"Zhao Duan is here to pay a visit, where is Prince Xu?!"
Zhao Duan introduced himself loudly, and the guards of the palace who were ready to take action suddenly stopped.
The sound of music playing in the house ahead also suddenly stopped.
Zhao Du'an didn't wait for anyone to answer. He led Hou Renmeng and walked straight into the back hall surrounded by people.
The door was open, and there were clusters of bright golden chrysanthemums in the corridor.
Zhao Duan lifted a hanging curtain and saw the scene inside the room clearly.
Inside the spacious room, the floor was shiny enough to let one see a mirror. In the middle of the room, there was a dancer with her skirt on, and around the corners, there were several musicians playing.
There is a long table in the main seat of the house.
A young man in his thirties with red lips and white teeth rested his head on the white legs of a plump concubine, who gently pressed his temples with her ten fingers.
As expected, it was Xu Zudi, the prince of Prince Heng.
Below Xu Zudi, there was a zither on another long table. The person playing the zither was a woman in her thirties, whose temperament was very different from that of the musicians and dancers.
Her hair was jet black, dotted with white pearls, and she had a face that reflected peace and prosperity. Her dark blue silk horse-face skirt was draped over the ground.
In the corner of the room, there was an old man standing quietly, his hands reaching down to his knees, which could be overlooked if one was not careful.
The moment Zhao Duan stepped into the room, the old man locked his eyes on him implicitly.
Besides, behind another low table, holding a wine glass, was another nobleman. But now he stared at him with sinister eyes, his expression slightly twisted, mixed with excitement:
"Zhao Duan! You really came!"
Zhao Duan glanced at this almost forgotten guy and raised his eyebrows:
"Li Lang? Your leg is healed, so why are you running around now instead of staying at home? Be careful not to cause trouble for your mother again."
(End of this chapter)
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