Chapter 348: Drinking Punishment and Drawing a Knife
"Zhao Duan!"
Li Lang was stunned for a moment, as if he was touched by the teasing meaning in Zhao's words, or perhaps the word "mother" revealed an unpleasant memory.
The eldest princess's son's face was visibly red, and he was furious: "Say it again!"
He hated Zhao Duan deeply, not only because he had humiliated him in public at Lihua Hall.
Moreover, after Princess Yunyang was placed under house arrest, he, a nobleman who was once flattered by others, suddenly became the laughing stock of the entire capital.
In the past six months, he had heard others secretly talking about him countless times, and the entire Prince Consort's Mansion was low-key and depressed.
It was not until Xu Zudi arrived that Li Lang straightened his back again.
He felt like he was okay again!
"Heh," Zhao Duan laughed. In his eyes, words like 'say it again' showed cowardice in itself.
"Cousin."
At this time, the prince who was sitting in the main seat with his head resting on the beautiful maid's thigh slowly sat up and gently scolded Li Lang.
The latter glanced at his cousin and then reluctantly shut up.
Xu Zudi looked down at Zhao Duan, impressed, and said with a smile:
"This prince has heard of the great name of Zhao Shijun from the capital since I was in Qingzhou. Now that I see him today, I can see that he is indeed a good-looking man. No wonder he is so popular with the imperial sister."
After saying this, he glanced at the servants rushing over from the courtyard at the door, waved his hand and said lightly:
"Didn't you see a guest was coming? Why didn't you hand a chair to Envoy Zhao? Don't let people say that this prince doesn't know how to entertain guests."
As soon as he finished speaking, a servant brought over a mahogany chair, and the dancer on the carpet in the middle of the hall quietly retreated and walked out of the room with several musicians.
Zhao Duan gladly accepted it, handed the sword at his waist to Hou Renmeng, and then sat down, saying:
"I've long heard in the capital that Prince Heng is a refined man. Seeing him today, I can see that he's indeed elegant."
This is just a random remark, but listening to music and watching dance at home in broad daylight is indeed a pleasure.
Xu Zudi laughed heartily, but he sat on the Hu bed in a casual manner. The maidservant silently massaged his shoulders, then narrowed her eyes and said:
"Fang Cai, there seems to be some movement outside?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"The gatekeeper under the Crown Prince refused to inform me and insisted that I go to get the badge. My brother got a little impatient and couldn't bear to see me humiliated, so he resorted to violence. In fact, I still have to apologize to His Highness the Crown Prince."
Xu Zudi's smile faded, and he said indifferently:
"Lord Zhao is truly as overbearing as the rumors say."
Zhao Duan shook his head and said:
"Your Highness, you are joking. I am just a small military officer, but I am not as domineering as you. At the foot of the capital, I arrested the official without hesitation, and I, your superior, had to redeem him."
Xu Zudi raised his eyelids, looking displeased:
"Master Zhao, please don't put the blame on me. My people only knew that it was the drunkards in the brothels who were causing trouble. They were not wearing brothels and dragon-shaped clothes at that time, and they were not on duty.
Besides, he used force to snatch a woman and even beat up my cousin's relatives. Even in the Golden Palace, this wouldn't be justified, would it? Or is this just a subordinate trained by Lord Zhao? I've heard that the officials in the imperial court are tyrannical and domineering, and today I've finally seen it."
beside.
Li Lang, who was filled with anger, sneered:
"Cousin, you're not in the capital, so naturally you don't know. This Zhao Duan is nicknamed 'Little King of Hell' in the officialdom. As the saying goes, what goes up, what goes down. It doesn't matter if the people below are arrogant and break the law. Perhaps he's the one who allows it."
Hou Ren's face twitched violently, he felt a little embarrassed and said angrily:
"Li Lang, stop slandering me!"
Zhao Duan raised his hand, signaling that they should stop arguing. He did not dwell on this matter and said calmly:
"Where are my people?"
Xu Zudi glanced at the open door and raised his voice slightly: "Bring the person here."
"yes."
The servants outside the palace responded and walked towards the woodshed.
In a moment, three officers, tied up with cowhide ropes, with rags stuffed in their mouths and bruised faces, were brought in and thrown at the door, where they knelt neatly on the ground.
The three men hadn't slept all night and were now sober. When they saw Zhao Duan, their eyes lit up and they struggled with a whimper.
Xu Zudi smiled and said, "Master Zhao, why don't you ask me if what I said is true or false?"
Zhao Duan turned his head and looked at the three subordinates at the door, and said calmly:
"The prince said, did this happen to you last night?"
He repeated the other party's argument.
The three subordinates knelt on the ground, lowered their heads silently, and stopped struggling, as if they had agreed.
This kind of thing is too easy to investigate, and they dare not lie in front of the police.
Hou Renmeng, his direct superior, blushed and cursed, "Useless thing, all you know is causing trouble for me!"
The three of them shrank back and didn't dare to look up.
Zhao Duan sighed, turned back, looked at Xu Zudi, and said seriously:
"I am not strict with my subordinates. I would like to trouble the prince to discipline them on my behalf."
Xu Zudi smiled and generously expressed his willingness to help.
Zhao Duan changed the subject and said:
"But the country has its own laws, and the hall has its own rules. My subordinates did something wrong, and they deserved to be beaten. I won't say anything, but I don't think it's reasonable to withhold it from others."
Xu Zudi waited for the next words: "So?"
After saying that, he frowned and scolded, "You're too strong."
The beautiful maid behind him shuddered, like a frightened little animal, and kept apologizing, and her technique became much gentler.
Zhao Duan paused and said:
"I came here today to take the man away. Once I bring him back to the government office, I will punish him severely and show no mercy.
They assaulted someone, causing damage, including medical expenses. I will personally compensate them. As the officer in charge, I should also bear some responsibility and apologize to the injured on their behalf."
After saying that, Zhao Duan stood up again.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he walked to the long table filled with fine wine and food, picked up the wine jug, and brought over a large wine jar, filled a large cup, and said as he put down the pure silver wine jug:
"As for alarming the Crown Prince, I will punish you with a glass of wine. What do you think, Your Highness?"
Drink a penalty!
Hearing this, Hou Renmeng and the three captains kneeling on the ground were stunned, and then became anxious.
Under normal circumstances, drinking as a penalty is nothing, and it is just a joke among a few good friends, and no one cares. However, in different occasions, the meaning of many things is different.
In the upper class, face is much more important than money. Today, Zhao Duan was willing to drink for his subordinates and bow to the prince.
Before tomorrow, this matter will spread throughout the officialdom, and everyone will know that the Prince of Qingzhou has surpassed Zhao Duan.
This is a matter of face.
"Sir!" Hou Renmeng was in a hurry and stepped forward to grab the wine cup. "I am their direct leader. I will drink this wine!"
The three people tied up in the hall also had their eyes wide open, with expressions of shame and red eyes.
Xu Zudi said nothing, as if he was thinking.
Li Lang, who was standing nearby, jumped up first and pointed at Hou Ren, cursing fiercely:
"Who do you think you are? Are you worthy enough to talk to my cousin?"
He stared at Zhao Duan with a gloomy face again, and said angrily:
"Just drinking a fine? You're dreaming. If you're really sincere, why don't you kneel down and let me break one of your legs?!"
"Li Lang!" The Prince of Qingzhou said in a deep and unhappy voice. This time he called out his name directly and glared at this useless cousin.
The folding fan in his hand suddenly blocked Zhao Duan's hand from grabbing the wine jar.
Xu Zudi leaned forward slightly, looking across a long table at Zhao Duan, who was dressed in military uniform, and said with a smile:
"Lord Zhao, you're too polite. Now that things have come to this, how can this prince be so unreasonable? You can take the person away. As for the compensation, no matter how much, it doesn't matter. This prince wouldn't do anything like extorting money. As for the penalty drink..."
He paused for a moment and said with a smile:
"That's not necessary. This prince has a game. If Lord Zhao agrees, this matter will be over. How about it?"
"Game?" Zhao Duan slowly withdrew his hand, walked back to his previous seat, and asked in confusion.
It's a bit hard to tell what the other party's intentions are.
Xu Zudi stood up and got off the bed. He bent down, reached out, and picked up a red apple from the luxurious fruit plate on the table.
"When I was in Qingzhou, I heard that Lord Zhao was an excellent knife thrower. Coincidentally, I usually enjoy watching jugglers perform knife throwing at home. It's much more exciting than the tepid singing and dancing of the dancers."
Xu Zudi took a step forward, paced on the carpet, and walked towards the woman behind the pipa zither.
He slapped his head and laughed:
"Look at my brain, I actually forgot to introduce her. This person is the female head of the Xiao family of Donghu, a famous family in Qingzhou."
When Zhao Duan entered the room, he noticed this woman whose temperament and demeanor were very different from those of the others.
Especially when the musicians and dancers left, she never moved and did not participate in the conversation just now. She was as quiet as a large vase decorating the room.
Unexpectedly, it was the legendary female head of the family.
The dignified patriarch of the Xiao family of Donghu is actually here, playing the piano for the prince?
Even though King Heng is powerful, generally speaking, he wouldn't humiliate the head of a big family like this, right?
"Xiao Dong'er, greetings to Envoy Zhao."
The woman with black hair, a round and majestic face and a good appearance, wearing a dark horse-faced skirt, slowly stood up and saluted him.
He has a rather humble and submissive attitude.
Zhao Duan nodded, his expression unchanged: "It turns out to be Madam Xiao, I have heard a lot about you."
Xu Zudi didn't give the two of them room to exchange pleasantries. He smiled and said, "As for the game, it's quite simple."
He handed the apple in his hand to Mrs. Xiao. The woman in her thirties opened her mouth and took a bite of the apple.
Xu Zudi smiled and said, "Master Zhao, please stand still and use your flying knife..."
He used his finger to gently tap the apple in Mrs. Xiao's mouth: "Shoot it in."
He added with a smile:
"As long as it penetrates, but doesn't hurt Madam Xiao. Even if you win, let's forget about this matter today, how about that?"
At this moment, Hou Renmeng and others were obviously stunned. They did not expect the other party to make such a strange request.
"Great! This game is great! Oh, and you're not allowed to use your skills!"
Li Lang stood up and clapped his hands in applause. There was an almost perverted light in the eyes of this dandy boy.
The words "I want to see rivers of blood" were almost written on his face.
Zhao Duan silently met the gazes one after another, looking at Madam Xiao who was standing in the distance with an apple in her mouth and her brows lowered. Suddenly, the corners of his mouth curled up and he said softly:
"That's interesting."
He raised his right hand and flipped it, and an ancient and exquisite Golden Crow Flying Knife appeared out of thin air in his palm.
Zhao Duan held the throwing knife and pretended to aim, and the surroundings became quiet.
Everyone held their breath and concentrated. With the perception of the Divine Chapter Realm, he could clearly see that Madam Xiao looked a little nervous, her slender neck was covered with goose bumps, and her breathing was slightly rapid.
In full view of the crowd, Zhao Duan made a gesture as if he was gathering strength to try to throw.
one two three……
Just when everyone thought he was about to throw the flying knife, Zhao Duan suddenly tightened his grip on the knife handle, smiled, and shook his head at the prince:
"Interesting game. Unfortunately, I'm not in the habit of performing juggling tricks for others."
The moment he finished speaking, he turned his wrist and poured vigorous and violent energy into the Golden Crow Flying Knife.
Next second.
The dark golden flying knife turned into a dazzling thin line and shot towards Xu Zudi's face in a flash!
(End of this chapter)
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