Chapter 42 You don’t think that a despicable person like me would keep his word, do you?
Colluding with Zhuang Xiaocheng? Tipping off the enemy?
Before Zhao Duan said this, Zhang Changji's muscles were tense, but after he said it, they relaxed.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
He seemed to have heard something ridiculous, and with rage he pointed at Zhao Duan and said:
"You said I was colluding with that traitor Zhuang Xiaocheng?"
Zhao Duan said sincerely:
"It's just a suspicion. You can go to the Imperial Prison to explain."
Zhang Changji was so angry that he laughed, his whole body trembling. He suddenly turned his head, stared at Zhou Cang, and said:
"Captain Zhou! I don't know what nonsense he said to you, but this matter has absolutely nothing to do with me!
I admit that I have an old grudge against him. A few days ago, a new grudge was added. Zhao Duan wanted to take revenge on me, so he framed me. Brothers in the Zhaoya, don't be fooled by this man! "
He felt that he understood.
Zhao Duan, this bastard, was vindictive. Not only did he injure him, he was also shameless enough to drag him into the rebel party.
It's purely a frame-up against him.
Facing Zhang Changji's accusations, Zhao Duan acted as if to say, "I am just framing you," and "What can you do to me?"
It's almost as if the word "intentional" is written on his face.
beside.
After a brief moment of shock and confusion, Zhou Cang turned his head to look at Zhao Duan, and suddenly remembered what happened when he was about to enter the door.
The former reminded, "All things are subject to my orders."
Blessings came to his mind, and he said expressionlessly:
"Whether it's a false accusation or true, we won't know until after the trial."
He added:
"My family's governor already knows about this matter. It's useless for you to tell us."
Was it Ma Yan who sent you here?
Zhang Changji was stunned, his eyes widened, and he almost blurted out the word "conspiracy".
He felt that Zhao Duan bribed Ma Yan and the two were in cahoots, but he had no evidence.
"Okay, let's talk about it in the Imperial Prison," Zhao Duan said lazily.
"Do you want to go by yourself, or do you want us to tie you up and walk with you?"
Zhang Changji's expression changed drastically, as if he was hesitating. After a moment, he suddenly took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and said:
"Envoy Zhao, can we have a few words in private?"
As soon as the word "Envoy" was uttered, everyone present looked strange.
Zhao Duan glanced at him with a hint of surprise and sneered:
"You want to trick me into going to the house alone and do it to me?"
Zhang Changji raised his right hand, which was still wrapped in gauze like a dumpling, and said:
"Is the envoy afraid?"
"Ha, what a crude provocation," Zhao Duan said with disdain.
"But I really do buy into it."
He put his hands behind his back, his expression calm:
"Captain Zhou, could you please wait outside for a while?"
Zhou Cang smiled and said, "Your Excellency, please go on your own."
…
…
Backyard, inner hall.
The maid brought her some cold tea and fruits, then bowed and closed the door.
In the room, only two people were left, seated as host and guest.
Well—the one sitting in the host seat is Zhao Duan.
"The weather is hot, please try some herbal tea to cool down."
Zhang Changji took the opportunity to put on an outer robe, which restrained his violent temper and made him act like a hospitality guest.
It can be seen that although this soldier has a hot temper, he can also see the situation clearly and know when to advance and retreat.
"Haha, forget it. I don't dare to taste it. Who knows if there is poison in the tea?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said immediately:
"Now it's just you and me here, if you have anything to say, just say it directly."
"Okay." Zhang Changji didn't want to be polite with him, and his expression turned cold when he saw this. He said:
"You should know that this kind of low-brow accusation is meaningless. There is no real evidence, and it's just based on words.
Once my elder brother and my uncle find out, they can naturally get me out. Even if it comes to the attention of His Majesty, I won’t be afraid.”
Zhao Duan said lazily:
"Whether it makes sense or not, you'll have to try to find out. Even if you go in today and get out tomorrow, I'll be happy if I let you suffer a little."
Having said that, let’s make it clear.
Zhang Changji took a deep breath, stared at him, and said:
"It's true that we have a grudge. But my eldest brother was grounded and suffered a setback, and I went to your house to cause trouble and got hurt. Now you've even brought people to attack us... No matter how you look at it, you haven't suffered any loss. Isn't this enough?"
Zhao Duan's face darkened when he heard this, and he said:
"It seems you really don't understand. You brothers suffered losses because of your own fault. You did something wrong and offended someone you shouldn't have offended. This is the price you should pay. Do you think this is fair? What a joke!
If we really want to be even, you can bring your wife here and tease her for me while you watch... If you can do that, then we'll be even, how about it?"
"Zhao!" Zhang Changji was furious.
"Don't go too far!"
Zhao Duan stood up coldly:
"If you're like this, there's nothing to talk about."
As he said this, he pretended to walk out.
"etc!"
Zhang Changji's hands, which were pressed on his knees, were bulging with veins, but he finally called out to him.
Zhao Duan's lips curled up into a smile, and he sat down again leisurely:
"Can we have a good talk now?"
Zhang Changji was silent for a moment, and said stiffly:
"Tell me what you really want."
In the end, he chose to compromise!
It was not because he was afraid of Zhao Duan, or because he was afraid of the punishment in the imperial prison.
In fact, he firmly believed that with the Zhang family's connections and power, he would not suffer too much even if he was thrown into the imperial prison.
Although "Ma Yanwang" is cold-blooded, he still has to give his uncle some face.
If he had been like that, he would rather go to the imperial prison for a stroll and then walk out in a swagger, or even take the opportunity to make a big fuss and attack Zhao Duan in return, rather than bow to him.
But he had another concern:
The disappearance of the firearms craftsman from the Beijing Camp.
He knew very well that the imperial court was investigating the case, and if he was arrested at this juncture, it would be very troublesome.
Firstly, it would be easy to attract attention and expose suspicion. No one was watching him originally, but what if these people noticed some flaws while framing him?
Secondly, once he is arrested, it will easily touch the sensitive nerves of some people who have contact with him.
By then, who knows what changes may occur.
Zhang Changji didn't dare to gamble.
There was no need for him to put himself and even his entire family at risk of being confiscated and executed just to get angry with Zhao Du'an.
At the same time, after he confirmed that Zhao Duan was simply framing him.
I realized that the best solution was to swallow my anger temporarily.
Pay some price and reconcile with Mr. Zhao.
As for today's humiliation, the worst that can happen is that I can get back at it later.
Although he is not smart, he is not stupid either.
This is why he asked for a private conversation.
When Zhao Duan heard his words, a bright smile also appeared on his face.
Hey, this idiot took the bait!
"So, you want to negotiate with me?"
Zhao Duan had a victorious smile on his face and was almost crossing his legs.
Zhang Changji had no expression on his face:
"Yes. You name the price. How can we settle it?"
After a pause, he added, "Don't mention my wife's affairs!"
"Haha, don't worry, my last name is not Cao, and I'm not interested in other people's wives."
Zhao Duan smiled, thought for a moment, and said with embarrassment:
"I've been a bit tight on cash lately, and I wonder if Brother Zhang has enough money to lend me. Last time you came, you said you owed me money, so why don't you just make it a fact?"
What Cao... Zhang Changji automatically ignored the first half of the sentence, which he didn't understand, and contempt appeared in his eyes:
"Okay, name your price. How much do you want?"
He is indeed a greedy villain!
Zhao Duan slowly raised a finger.
"One thousand taels?"
Zhang Changji frowned, and although it hurt, he nodded:
"Okay, I'll ask the accountant to get it for you right away."
"No, no, no," Zhao Duan said slowly, "It's ten thousand taels of silver."
Zhang Changji was stunned when he heard this number, then he could no longer hold back and stood up angrily:
"Don't go too far! Ten thousand taels, why don't you go rob the national treasury! I sold everything in this house, and I still can't find ten thousand taels!"
In the capital of Dayu, a mansion with a prime location, area and other aspects has a market price of around five thousand taels.
How many people work hard all their lives but still cannot afford a toilet in the capital.
Although the Zhang family has some wealth, it belongs to the entire family.
After Zhang Changji separated his family, he, a low-ranking military officer in the Beijing camp, only saved a little over a thousand taels, a considerable portion of which was given by his father when the family separated.
Of course, this does not include the black money earned from helping the "people in the south".
"Why are you so excited?" Zhao Duan frowned. "Business needs to be negotiated. Talk about anything."
Zhang Changji was appeased and his expression eased a little: "At most one thousand taels!"
"Eight thousand taels."
“…One thousand five hundred taels!”
"Five thousand taels."
…
The two of them bargained fiercely for a long time.
In the end, the transaction price of "three thousand taels" was reached with Zhao Duan standing up again and about to push the door open to leave.
Although he estimated that this should not be Zhang Changji's limit, his goal was to solve the case and make meritorious service, and just make money.
There is no need to push people to the limit, as you may end up losing the big picture for the sake of the small.
"Wait here." Zhang Changji's face was already ashen. He used the last bit of his rationality to force himself to remain calm.
"I'll get the money."
"Go ahead." Zhao Duan smiled happily. With Zhou Cang and others outside, he was not worried that he would play tricks.
Thoughts in my heart:
"This way, the family's financial hole can be filled, and we can finally have money to provide living expenses for Eugene and her daughter.
Well, look at how hard they are living, they can't even afford clothes, it's really not easy, with this money, they can improve their lives."
Not long after, Zhang Changji came back and presented a large stack of silver notes totaling three thousand taels.
His expression was extremely ugly: "Now, is it okay?"
"Okay, okay." Zhao Duan smiled and put the banknote into his arms.
Zhang Changji said:
"Then please take Zhou Cang and his gang away. I need to rest."
Zhao Duan was surprised:
"Aren't you coming with us?"
Zhang Changji was stunned. "What? Where are we going?"
He had a bad feeling in his heart.
Zhao Duan stood up leisurely:
"As a suspect, follow me to the Imperial Prison. What else can you do?"
Zhang Changji couldn't believe it: "Didn't we already have a deal..."
"What to talk about? Stop making random accusations and falsely accusing others. What can I have to talk about with a suspect?" Zhao Duan said unhappily.
Then, he said sarcastically:
"You can't believe that a despicable person like me would keep his word? Childish!"
He shouted in a deep voice: "Someone come!"
Bang!
Zhou Cang and others who were guarding outside the door broke the door open with knives, looking ferocious and vicious.
Zhao Duan was righteous and said, "Arrest the suspect and bring him to justice!"
…
3,000-word chapter, no additional chapters
(End of this chapter)
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