Chapter 384 The Dust Settles (Two in One)
"Sigh."
Outside the main gate of the Jiangnan Garden with white walls and black tiles, Zhao Duan tightened the reins and did not dismount. He just sat on the horse and looked ahead.
Behind him, a group of Jinyi officers and imperial guards came ashore and rode on horses. They followed him with murderous intent like wolves and tigers. They first drove the private soldiers of the palace guarding the gate into the palace and reported.
Afterwards, the bodies of the assassins were fished out of the lake and thrown on the ground.
"Sir, are you really not going to wait for Hai Gongsheng and the others to come back? If we break in like this, will the other party..." Chen Juan, who was the most thoughtful person in the Pear Blossom Hall, came over worriedly.
Zhao Duan glanced at him, smiled and shook his head:
"Relax, if Prince Jing had the guts to openly renege on me, he wouldn't have secretly arranged an assassination outside the city. Don't underestimate a powerful hero's ability to endure humiliation. How could someone who achieves great things not be able to withstand such a provocation from us?"
After he led his men back to the city, he first encountered Xu Qian, Xu Junling and the maids and servants who came out to greet them, and followed his brother away.
After Zhao Duan marched through the streets with great fanfare, he sent someone to inform Feng Ju, and he himself led the crowd straight into the garden where Prince Jing was staying.
The purpose is simple, to vent anger, expand the victory, and completely settle this game related to "opening the market".
After pacifying his subordinates, Zhao Duan gathered his energy and shouted loudly.
After counting ten breaths silently, he saw a group of people walking out of the mansion, led by Prince Jing and his son.
"Zhao Duan!"
Prince Jing's face was filled with rage, and he walked as if carrying thunder and lightning. Before anyone arrived, he shouted angrily:
"What do you mean?!"
Zhao Duan was on horseback, whip in hand, looking down at the powerful prince in gorgeous clothes with an indifferent and sarcastic expression:
"Your Highness is finally here. I thought you would avoid me."
Prince Jing, with a righteous demeanor, glanced at the corpses and frowned:
"Zhao Duan! I'm asking you! What are you trying to do by breaking into my residence?!"
This is pretending to be ignorant when knowing the truth... Just looking at his indignant and puzzled expression, Zhao Duan couldn't help but admire him and wanted to give him an Oscar trophy...
"Prince Jing, I was assassinated outside the city not long ago and almost lost my life. Did you know that?" Zhao Duan asked coldly.
Prince Jing frowned and said, "I just heard something, but I don't know the details."
Zhao Duan laughed: "What a fool you are to know the details, old marquis, tell the prince."
"yes!"
Hou Renmeng was a complete troublemaker. He was not afraid of Xu Wen at all and immediately recounted the assassination attempt in a loud voice.
Zhao Duan waited until he finished speaking before his face darkened. He pointed at the father and son with his whip and said arrogantly:
"Your Majesty, don't you think you should give me an explanation?"
Prince Jing frowned and said:
"The traitors of the Kuangfu Society dared to assassinate you in broad daylight. How audacious! And yet you come to me for an explanation?"
Zhao Duan narrowed his eyes and said softly:
"Your Highness, do you think it was the work of the rebels? But the one who appeared with the rebels was Duan Shuiliu. And as everyone knows, before I entered the city, this Jianghu traveler had troubled me. At that time, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was right beside me. If I remember correctly, he kept saying that they were friends."
Xu Jinglong's expression changed and he said angrily:
"Zhao Duan, stop your slander! This prince is acquainted with Duan Shuiliu, but there are many others who know him, many in the capital. He was defeated by Hai Gongsheng that day and fled long ago. He hasn't been seen in the past few days. Who would have known that he was connected to the rebels?"
As he spoke, he suddenly realized:
"Are you deliberately framing me to take revenge on me?"
Zhao Duan looked down at the father and son's performance, and his smile widened:
"Oh, so Duan Shuiliu acted on his own? Then were these assassin corpses also arranged by the rebels?"
"Otherwise?" Prince Jing's face darkened. "If you're not a rebel, how can you be involved with me?"
Zhao Duan sighed softly and said:
"I've seen them. These people are very clean, with nothing on them that could reveal their identities. I originally wanted to capture a few alive, but they all bit themselves to death... What a group of brave men! It's a pity that they didn't meet a wise leader, and instead served a bunch of gutter rats, ugly scum, working for such treacherous and evil people, cowards who have the heart of a thief but not the courage. Your Highness, do you think they deserved their death?"
Prince Jing's hands, hanging in his sleeves, were clenched so tightly that the knuckles turned white, and his face was as gloomy as water.
Zhao Duan persisted, looking serious:
"Why don't you say anything, Your Majesty? Could it be that you sympathize with these traitors?"
Prince Jing took a deep breath and smiled:
"Master Zhao is right. He deserves death. A mere rebel dared to assassinate an official of the imperial court. His death is not a pity."
"Your Majesty is indeed sensible," Zhao Duan's smile faded.
"However, although I trust Your Highness, we must always proceed with caution when dealing with a rebel group. After his defeat, Duan Shuiliu seems to be heading this way. Considering that he is acquainted with the Crown Prince, he might choose to hide here. Your Highness, do you mind if I search for him?"
After saying this, without waiting for the other party to respond, Zhao Duan waved his hand:
"Come here, search the house to see if there are any traces of the rebels hiding!"
"yes!"
Hou Renmeng took the lead and rushed forward with his sword drawn.
"How dare you..." Xu Jinglong's eyes were bloodshot as he tried to stop them, but suddenly Prince Jing beside him grabbed his arm. Prince Jing said calmly, "Just let him search."
"But..." Xu Jinglong was anxious and wanted to remind the princess in the harem.
But when a group of officers and soldiers rushed into the house like wolves and tigers, they searched and smashed everything, even the bed in the prince's bedroom was chopped up with knives by the marquis. When they returned, they found nothing.
Not surprisingly, with Lu Yaner's cultivation level, it was not difficult for her to hide.
"Is Lord Zhao satisfied? If you are still not convinced, would you like to take my father and me away for questioning?" Prince Jing said with a smile.
Zhao Duan looked regretful:
"Your Highness, that's not right. I was just angry and said something inappropriate. Please forgive me, Your Highness. Please don't take it seriously. I am following the law. The Dayu Law does not allow me to arrest a member of the royal family for interrogation. Please don't force me to make a mistake."
Prince Jing was almost amused by his hypocrisy: "Okay, okay."
Zhao Duan changed the subject again and said:
"I'm unfamiliar with Huting. Honestly, you, Your Highness, are familiar with this place. I'd like to trouble you to hang these corpses on the city walls to deter the rebels."
Still without waiting for his response, a group of Jinyi officers from Lihua Hall came forward with grins on their faces. Each of them picked up one or two corpses and threw them carelessly into the courtyard of the house.
Every time a corpse fell in, there was a "bang" sound, splashing a pool of blood, and a cry of surprise could be heard from the servants in the mansion.
The expressions of the father and son outside the door became even uglier.
Finally, Xu Jinglong couldn't bear it anymore. He suddenly took a few steps forward, pointed at Zhao Duan and started to curse.
Zhao Duan suddenly swung the whip in his hand, and with lightning speed, the tip of the whip hit Xu Jinglong's face.
“Bang!”
The loud crack of whips rang out, and all around was silent for a moment.
Xu Jinglong covered his swollen, bleeding facial wound in disbelief, seeming to be stunned. He didn't expect that Zhao Duan would actually dare to attack him.
"Sorry," Zhao Duan took back the whip, looking apologetic.
"Not long after the assassination attempt, I was still in shock. When someone suddenly approached me, I instinctively retaliated. I didn't expect to accidentally injure His Highness. Upon returning to the capital, I will apologize to His Majesty. What do you think, His Highness?"
Xu Jinglong was panting like a cow and could no longer maintain the demeanor of a graceful nobleman.
Prince Jing, who was also stunned by the whip, could hardly hold back the smile on his face and uttered a word in a low voice:
"roll!"
"Haha, let's go." Zhao Duan laughed loudly, waved his hand, rode his horse and led a group of men away along the long street.
All that was left was the ruined Prince Jing's residence and the prying eyes nearby, some near and some far away.
It is conceivable that it won’t be long before what happens here spreads throughout the city.
…
…
The other side.
Wu Ling, dressed as a gangster, quickly returned from the noisy street and quietly disappeared into a secluded alley.
After knocking on the door, he entered the temporary residence of the small team of Kuangfu Society in the city.
"What's the situation? Is thief Zhao dead?!"
As soon as Wu Ling entered the room, he was surrounded by the passionate young people in the room.
Kou Qichi, a young man as restless as a little tiger, had a particularly scorching gaze.
Wu Ling took off his bamboo hat, shook his head solemnly, and said:
"We failed. The thief Zhao has led his troops back to the city and appears to have only suffered minor injuries. Our operation has failed!"
The light in the eyes of the group of young people dimmed and the atmosphere became dull.
"Bang!" Kou Qichi angrily hammered his fist against the wall, not caring about the flesh on his hand. "Why don't good people live long, and why does this evil villain have to be in power? He can't be killed?"
The others also cursed and were very disappointed.
Wu Ling glanced around the room and frowned, "Lin Yuebai isn't back yet?"
One person said, "Senior Sister Lin went to the agreed place outside the city to meet Qi Yuchun. General Qi hasn't returned yet."
Just as he finished speaking, there was another regular knock on the door outside the courtyard, followed by Lin Yuebai's voice:
"It's me."
Everyone rushed out to meet them. When the door opened, a sorceress, Lin Yuebai, dressed as a man, walked in. She looked at Wu Ling with a serious expression and sighed:
"It seems you already know."
Wu Ling said solemnly, "The Zhao thief is not dead, what about General Qi?"
Lin Yuebai shook his head:
"Commander Qi was seriously injured, but luckily he escaped. He was worried that the government in Huting City would launch a large-scale manhunt, so he left first and asked me to come back and lead everyone to evacuate as quickly as possible according to the designated route!"
The atmosphere in the room was depressing.
Seeing that everyone was dejected, Lin Yuebai adjusted his mood and encouraged them:
"The Zhao thief is not immortal, but his time has not come yet. Although he failed this time, there will be opportunities in the future. Besides, it's not completely hopeless."
Seeing Wu Ling and others looking up at me.
Lin Yuebai smiled and said:
“Commander Qi said that during this assassination attempt, a Bodhisattva from the Buddhist sect was also present nearby, but he did not show up.
Furthermore, the Buddhist ancestral temple in the Western Regions has sent people to the capital. In short, the situation will be very complicated, and the pseudo-emperor will face a difficult problem. If the Buddhist sect fails to handle it properly, the situation may turn in our favor.
Were there any Bodhisattvas involved in this assassination?
Why didn't it show up?
Wu Ling was completely confused.
As for the Western Regions monks coming to Dayu, he knew about it in advance, and he also knew that the Buddhist Bodhisattva Nagarjuna and Master Dajing had already left their temples...
"Is it Nagarjuna or Mahavira who comes to Huting this time? It can't be the female Bodhisattva Prajna, right?" he asked curiously.
Lin Yuebai shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.
Then he urged everyone to get up and evacuate immediately.
…
…
Humble Administrator's Garden.
When Zhao Du'an returned to the garden in a swagger, he found that Feng Ju had already led a large group of officials, waiting anxiously in the hall.
"Master Zhao!"
"Envoy!"
"I heard that you were assassinated..."
A group of officials swarmed over and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that he was fine.
What followed was a period of self-examination, as if he was asking for forgiveness.
"Haha, my Lords, there's no need to be like this. I'm an official in the same court as you, and my rank is lower than yours. I don't deserve this."
Zhao Duan smiled brightly, comforted everyone first, and said that he would not blame them for this matter. Only then did the group of civil servants feel slightly relieved.
"Doctor Feng," Zhao Duan sat in the main seat, picked up the blue and white tea bowl, took a sip, and then said lightly:
"There are a few things for you to do next."
"You say!"
"First, immediately conduct a city-wide search for the rebels, paying particular attention to places like the clinic. If there are any suspicious injured individuals, do not alert them and report immediately."
"Second, summon the imperial merchants to the Humble Administrator's Garden. I will personally meet with them to reassure them."
"Third, I just went to where Prince Jing is staying. You can ask Hou Renmeng and the others what I did specifically. Then, announce this to me. I want the whole city to know about this by tonight."
Zhao Duan stared at him again. "One last thing. Tomorrow's Lake Pavilion meeting will begin as usual. I will wait for the results in the Humble Administrator's Garden."
The officials looked at each other in bewilderment. A group of smart people understood something, stood up and said yes, then left in a hurry to do their work.
After everyone left, Haitang, who was left alone to look for Madam Xiao, came over quietly and said:
"Did you leave me in the city on purpose?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said to his female colleague, "How could that be?"
Haitang was indignant: "That's right! I'm not weak! If I were there, maybe I could have stopped Qi Yuchun!"
You're Lao Hai's descendant... If I take you into such a dangerous situation and it doesn't affect the overall situation, wouldn't that mean I'm being naive? Jianghu isn't just about fighting and killing, it's also about the ways of the world...
Zhao Duan was secretly complaining in his heart.
Haitang frowned and took out a bottle of medicine and bandages. Just as she was about to speak, she heard a noise outside the courtyard. It was the old eunuch in the python robe who came back with Jiyue and Lang Shiba.
The three of them had obviously learned that Zhao Duan was safe, so they were quite surprised when he walked in.
"We are scared to death by you."
Eunuch Hai was wearing a low-key cotton robe, with beads of sweat oozing from his graying temples.
After entering, he looked at him for a moment, threw the Frost Sword to him, sat down unhappily, and called his granddaughter to massage his shoulders.
"Hehe, who would have thought there was a killer."
Zhao Duan smiled playfully and briefly explained the matter, saying that he had a backup plan. Eunuch Hai was an old and experienced man, so he didn't ask any further questions.
Ji Yue and Lang Shiba breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that he was fine, and went to recuperate quietly.
Several people talked in the hall for a while, and Zhao Duan also talked about what happened after he returned to the city and went to Prince Jing to cause trouble.
"Today's incident is a blessing in disguise. It will force Prince Jing to accept my punishment, and those neutral factions will be further shaken."
Zhao Duan sighed.
What I was thinking about was still the change in Prince Huai'an's position, but what specific choice Prince Huai'an would make would be revealed tomorrow.
After hearing what happened, Haitang's face turned pale and she was indignant:
"Your Majesty should have killed these princes. On the battlefield, you always have to capture the leader first. If you kill them directly, why would you be afraid of their insidious tactics?"
I didn’t realize that you are so extreme, Xiaohai... Zhao Duan glanced at her.
Eunuch Hai felt his granddaughter's shoulder massage service, but when he heard this, his eyelids drooped and he said unhappily:
"Don't overthink it. Your Majesty is now being smeared by the rebels and charged with fratricide and patricide, but at least he didn't do it. Prince Jing is your uncle after all. As long as he doesn't do anything out of the ordinary, even if he's ruthless in private, will they find a reason to kill him? Do you really want Your Majesty to bear the eternal infamy?"
After scolding his great-granddaughter, Eunuch Hai sighed again, "Besides, can you kill her just because you want to?"
"Your Majesty, isn't he in the Heavenly Man Realm?" Haitang said stubbornly, "Is there anything you can't kill?"
Eunuch Hai shook his head and sighed:
"Your Majesty is in the capital, blessed by the Emperor's dragon energy, and is naturally a celestial being. But outside the capital, it's a completely different scene."
Zhao Duan didn't say anything, knowing that Lao Hai was referring to the word "pseudo" in "pseudo celestial being".
Since it is fake, there must be drawbacks.
The empress traveled too far from the capital, and her realm declined, which was a disadvantage.
Haitang asked in surprise, "Now that Your Majesty has left the capital, will the dragon energy weaken?"
Eunuch Hai nodded, pondered for a moment, and added:
"It was like this before, so I couldn't leave the capital. But as long as I can sit on the throne for a while longer, maybe next year, I can go out a little. Once the whole world is completely united and the throne is firmly in place, there will be no distinction within the territory of the Dayu Dynasty."
Zhao Duan suddenly had an idea:
If the empress could go out of the capital for a while next year, would that mean that the world situation would undergo further changes?
Eunuch Hai's wrinkled hands gently patted his great-granddaughter's young hands and sighed:
"Without the Heavenly Man Realm, why would His Majesty kill anyone? Even if he did kill one, killing one would only force the others to immediately start a riot... The imperial court can no longer afford to stop this bunch of people from causing trouble. There are so many bandit problems that we can't suppress them all, let alone the vassal kings..."
Zhao Duan smiled and said, "After the market opens, the court's fiscal deficit will be greatly alleviated next year, and we will have the confidence to suppress the rebels."
Eunuch Hai glanced at him and asked, "Do you think the market can be opened?"
"Seven or eight out of ten."
Zhao Duan gave an answer, looked up at the winter day outside, and said softly:
"We'll just have to wait and see."
…
On that day, officers and soldiers in Huting City went through the streets and alleys, searching for the rebels everywhere, and the city was in a murderous atmosphere.
At the same time, the news that Zhao Duan had been assassinated but returned safely, and that he had whipped and thrown the body at Prince Jing's residence, spread like wildfire. It took only one night for it to spread throughout the entire Huting.
That night, countless people were completely unable to sleep.
…
The next day, Huting opened for business.
Zhao Duan got up at dawn and did not leave. He just ate quietly in the Humble Administrator's Garden. Then he moved a chair and sat in the courtyard to bask in the sun, waiting for the result.
He has done everything he can.
There is really no need to attend this meeting.
Time passes by little by little.
There is only the sound of birds singing in the Humble Administrator's Garden. Today, Huting City is particularly quiet, as if something is brewing that can change this corrupt dynasty.
I don’t know how long it took.
Zhao Duan, lying in a chair with his face covered by an open book, heard the chaotic footsteps coming from a distance.
That was Feng Ju who had hurried back. This low-ranking but powerful doctor was wearing an official robe, his face flushed, and he almost trotted to the Humble Administrator's Garden.
Perhaps he ran too fast, and fell flat on his face when he got close, but he didn't care at all. He just almost knelt on the ground, looking up at Zhao Duan excitedly:
"Sir...sir..."
Zhao Duan raised his hand and slowly took the book off his face. He looked at the rows of birds flying across the azure sky and the glaring winter sun, and said, "How is it?"
Feng Ju said excitedly:
"With the Xiao family head of Qingzhou leading the charge, the other neutral merchants and powerful families with close ties to the Huai'an Palace also changed their stance... The market opened, and it worked! A resounding success!"
Zhao Duan's mouth curled up slightly, and he turned over lazily, listening to Feng Ju's uncontrollable laughter, muttering contemptuously:
"Look at you, you bear."
…
Dafeng Tower.
Rooftop.
Prince Huai'an listened to the reports from his son and daughter behind him. The pot-bellied and gluttonous prince stood with his hands behind his back, looking towards the direction of the city gate, where a convoy was leaving the city and returning towards Jiancheng Road.
That was Prince Jing who had already left.
"Father, according to your instructions, our people should have been in charge today, but unexpectedly, that widow from the Xiao family in Qingzhou took the first prize. I don't know when she became the imperial merchant."
Xu Junling said with some regret.
Prince Huai'an smiled and sighed:
"Talented people emerge in every generation. It seems that I, your father, have underestimated Zhao Duan."
"Father, then, we and His Majesty..."
"Everything remains the same. Business is business, and positions are positions. Anyway... let's wait and see. There will definitely be changes next year."
"Yes... By the way, Father, something seems to be amiss with the Buddhist sect. Not only are the monks of the Western Region Tantric Buddhism coming to Dayu, but our people have also reported seeing the Buddhist Bodhisattva Nagarjuna and Master Dajing in Huaishui and Linfeng."
…
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(End of this chapter)
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