Chapter 412 I would like to ask the Duke to submit a letter of surrender
Zhao Duan moved his hips back and sat back in his original position, and the corner of the curtain that was opened also dropped down again.
"Is this what Your Majesty meant?" He fixed his eyes on the other person across the small stove in the car.
Yuan Li held the jade ruyi and gently tapped the wrench on the side of the furnace. Suddenly, air rushed in and the fire in the furnace became brighter: "Yes."
Zhao Duan took a deep breath and leaned forward slightly: "Why?"
The elder Qingyi said calmly, "Zhao Shixiong, who was stationed at Yunfu Road during this New Year's Eve, did not return."
This statement sounded incoherent at first, but Zhao Duan was very perceptive and understood the underlying meaning immediately:
"Your Majesty, are you worried about the generals leading the troops at the border?"
Yuan Li neither admitted nor denied, but just said:
"Her Majesty summoned me to the palace today, saying that she had a meeting with Duke Cao and hoped that the Duke would transfer his two sons serving in the army back to the capital for training.
But Duke Cao did not agree. Well, you may not know yet, Duke Cao only brought his adopted son back to the capital this time, but not his biological son.
hiss……
Zhao Duan's pupils narrowed, realizing that this was a very dangerous signal.
When the empress first ascended the throne, due to the turbulent times, she saw enemies everywhere and lacked direct supporters, so for a long time she adopted a strategy of appeasing the important officials of the old emperor's time.
But this is only temporary. As the situation changes, these ministers who hold military power but are far away from the emperor must express their attitude.
Returning to Beijing at the end of the year is a test.
"Is it because Zhao Shixiong's prevarication and refusal to return that Zhenbao realized this matter couldn't be delayed any longer? Or is it also because Cao Mao's sudden arrest of Lang Shiba, a subtle attempt to force the emperor to abdicate, that made Zhenbao certain that Cao Mao was unreliable?
So, you want him to pay more tribute? Leave your offspring in the capital as a 'hostage'?"
"Although Cao Mao didn't choose to return like Zhao Shixiong, he didn't return completely... It's normal when you think about it. His actions of arresting Lang Shiba and forcing Zhen Bao to abdicate were like dancing on the edge of a knife.
Relying on his deep roots in Jubei City and his status as a "Duke", the court could tolerate even a slight deviation from the norm, but it was clear that Cao Mao's confidence was not that strong...
He was worried that if he did this, he would be detained by Zhenbao, so he left his other descendants in the Northern Army. This was also an additional insurance for his own safety...
However, as the saying goes, if one's stance is not firm, then one has no stance at all... Is Cao Mao too conceited and thinks Zhen Bao dare not touch him, or does he really have ulterior motives?"
Zhao Duan’s thoughts raced.
Yuan Li continued:
"Also, Your Majesty is saying that the royal guards in the north have reported back that Duke Cao is no longer fit to lead the army."
This sentence is very implicit... So, Cao Mao did indeed behave in a restless manner?
So this forced Zhenbao to make up her mind and take action?
Zhao Duan considered it for a moment and said, "What does Your Majesty want to do?"
Yuan Li said softly:
"If you want Duke Cao to step down, you need a pretext. Lang Shiba's case is a good starting point. Your Majesty suggests that you can use this case as a starting point to implicate Cao Mao in some of his past shady deeds, thus providing a pretext for his removal."
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment and said:
"And then? Convicting Cao Mao isn't difficult, but deposing a powerful duke... shouldn't be easy."
This is a general with military power!
Do you really think that just convicting someone is enough?
Once Cao Mao is targeted, will the interest groups that have interests with this Duke just sit there and wait for death?
Or to put it more pointedly, once Cao Mao is deposed, how can we ensure that the generals who defend the North City will behave themselves?
Obey the court's orders obediently?
How can it be that easy?
The most crucial thing is how to resolve the crisis that may be caused by overthrowing Cao Mao.
"Your Majesty has naturally already made a plan. Please take a look at this." Yuan Li took out a memorial from his sleeve and handed it to Zhao Duan.
The latter opened his eyes with the help of the firelight, his pupils narrowed slightly, he looked up in astonishment and stared at Yuan Li:
"this……"
Yuan Li smiled slightly and said, "This is top secret, please don't tell anyone else."
Zhao Duan's face became slightly excited. He closed the letter and said:
"Did His Majesty ask Lord Yuan to come to me?"
Yuan Li shook his head and said:
"No. So you can choose to stay out of it."
Zhao Duan pursed his lips and said after a moment:
"What is Lord Yuan's plan?"
Yuan Li smiled and said:
"If we can get Cao Mao to voluntarily give up his military power, it will undoubtedly be less risky than forcibly removing him. To avoid a falling out, we must make Lang Shiba's case a big deal, letting everyone know what Cao Mao did. In other words, we need public opinion to give Your Majesty a chance to publicly review the case and expose the truth to the world."
"Next, those with inside information will complain to the government. Some of the most resolute censors in our Censorate will, in order to gain reputation, impeach Cao Mao one after another. But the censors' voices alone are not enough. We also need the voices of the people to form a wave of public opinion.
It would be best if we also need support from soldiers in the army.
Besides, Cao Mao is a nobleman. If something happens to him, those nobles in the capital who don't usually show up will probably take action. This is also a target we need to find a way to dismantle."
After listening, Zhao Duan asked, "When?"
"The sooner the better."
"I understand," Zhao Duan handed the top-secret booklet back to him.
But Yuan Li simply used the jade ruyi to open the lid of the stove and threw the booklet into the already dim charcoal fire. The flames jumped out and wrapped it.
Zhao Duan opened the curtain and walked out, leaving behind a sentence:
"Mr. Yuan will handle the affairs of the Censorate, and leave the rest to me."
Yuan Li was stunned for a moment, his eyes following the former: "I'll leave it all to you?"
Zhao Duan jumped off the carriage, turned around and smiled at Da Qingyi, revealing a mouthful of white teeth in the darkness:
"I have helpers too."
…
…
“Da da da…”
Under the cover of night, on the street outside the imperial court, a horseman broke through the cold wind and stopped outside the Pear Blossom Hall.
Zhao Duan dismounted and entered the government office. Following the light in the duty room, he pushed open the door and saw a group of Jinyi officers working overtime, copying documents.
"Sir? Why are you back again?"
Qian Kerou looked up in surprise and asked blankly.
Zhao Duan calmly nodded to Chen Juan to come out, and then went into another empty room. He then quickly filled a piece of paper and handed it to the latter:
"You were the one who dealt with the Red Flower Society last time, right?"
Staring at the dark circles under his eyes, Shen Juan nodded: “Yes.”
Zhao Duan nodded. "Very good. Go and tell the Red Flower Society to do all this on paper. Tell them it's my idea."
Shen Juan took the paper blankly, glanced at it, and his expression suddenly changed:
"Your Excellency, you want to..."
Zhao Duan stared at him: "Don't ask questions, just do it."
Chen Juan's eyes lit up, and he clasped his hands together and said, "I obey your command."
After saying this, he went out to change his clothes, then walked straight out of the Pear Blossom Hall, leading his horse into the night.
As an officer in the imperial court, he was very familiar with the headquarters of the largest underground gang in the capital.
Soon we arrived at a wealthy area.
Knock on the door.
"who."
The back door of the low-key four-story mansion was opened a crack, and a middle-level gang member spoke in a deep voice, then choked and stammered, "Master Shen?"
Chen Juan walked straight into the mansion and said expressionlessly:
"Tell your boss to come out and see me, immediately."
After a while.
In the main hall of the house, Shen Juan, who was sitting with his horse and sword in his arms, saw a bald middle-aged man jogging hurriedly outside the door.
In the middle of winter, he was only wearing thin pajamas. He hurriedly buttoned his outer robe while walking, and his shoes were not even tightly pressed. It was obvious that he had received news and hurriedly got out of a woman's bed.
The current leader of the Red Flower Society rushed into the room, and the dignified underground gang boss bowed his head in flattery:
"Master Shen, why are you here suddenly?"
Chen Juan didn't even bother to glance at him and said, "My master wants to tell you a few things."
The Red Flower Society leader's expression turned serious. "What are your instructions, Lord Zhao?"
Chen Juan took out a piece of paper and said, "Tomorrow, my master wants this news to spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital."
The leader of the Red Flower Society picked it up and took a look. In the middle of winter, cold sweat instantly broke out on his bald head. He stared at the words "Duke Cao" in a daze.
Shen Juan glanced at him: "Why? Don't you dare to do it, or can't do it?"
The leader of the Red Flower Society, who was considered the underground emperor in the capital and commanded tens of thousands of followers, bowed deeply.
"We will do our best to serve Master Zhao."
It is certainly a headache to offend a duke, but compared with Zhao Yanwang, he naturally knows which side to stand on.
…
…
The residence of Duke Tang.
The night wind blew across the clean and spacious streets, and the two red lanterns under the lintel of the mansion swayed slightly.
"Lord Zhao?" The doorman opened the door and looked at Zhao Duan who came to visit unexpectedly in surprise.
"I'm here to visit the Duke. Could you please let him know?" Zhao Duan smiled.
The doorman was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly welcomed him in and called the servant to inform him.
Soon, Zhao Duan was led into the study in the mansion.
When he opened the door, he saw Duke Tang, wearing loose and soft casual clothes, sitting behind the table. He slowly put down the brush he was practicing calligraphy with, looked up at him with a hint of surprise, and said with a smile:
"The envoy arrived quickly, but he didn't send a message in advance, so he missed dinner."
Zhao Duan apologized:
"I apologize for the inconvenience of visiting you at night. However, I do have an important matter that I wish to discuss with you."
Duke Tang, who looked like a wealthy man, smiled and asked him to sit down: "Oh, what's the big deal?"
Zhao Duan got straight to the point and said, "I'd like to ask the Duke to submit a letter of surrender."
Duke Tang paused and slowly narrowed his eyes.
…
In the courtyard of the Duke's Mansion.
The brother and sister who came after hearing the news met outside the study. The cold wind was blowing, and they hugged each other's arms and leaned against each other. They looked at the shadows of the two people in the room reflected on the closed door of the study with complicated expressions.
Young Master Tang Ping smacked his lips:
"Second sister, you said that Lord Zhao suddenly came to our house and had been talking with Dad in the study for such a long time. What was it all about? It couldn't be a complaint, right? Didn't we talk about what happened this morning?"
The straightforward and tough female general Tang Zhao, with dark wheat-colored skin, also crossed her arms, rolled her eyes, and said:
"You ask me, who should I ask?"
After waiting for a long time, suddenly the two figures reflected on the window paper stood up at the same time.
Then, with a creaky sound, the study door opened. Duke Tang smiled and sent Zhao Duan away. He then looked at his two children, who were like curious babies, with a flash of his eyes:
"You've come just in time. I have something to tell you."
——
The next chapter will be updated at midnight. My butt is a little numb from sitting for a long time. I wrote this chapter while kneeling in front of the computer... It's so tiring to write in this posture...
(End of this chapter)
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