Chapter 48 Zhang Changshuo's Collapse
The night wind blew in through the opened car curtains, and Zhang Changshuo felt the "biting cold wind" as if he had fallen into an icy cave.
The boiling blood and the fantasy of revenge seemed to be shattered by the call of "Brother Zhang".
"Zhao..."
He was stiff, his throat was blocked, and his eyes were wide.
He saw that the servant driving the carriage had fainted and fallen limply to the ground, and the slow horse was shaking its tail anxiously.
"What? You didn't expect me to catch up?"
Zhao Duan smiled gently, lifted the curtain to the roof of the carriage, letting the moonlight in, and then slowly sat down in the carriage.
Zhang Changshuo's lips turned pale, he suppressed his fear, and said in a stiff tone:
"I'm going out to relax. Do I need to report to you?"
He didn't even notice that his voice was trembling.
...Zhao Duan was speechless, feeling both amused and annoyed, and shook his head.
"Brother Zhang, you're an ostrich. There's no one here, so who are you pretending to be? Or do you think that as long as you keep a tough face and deny that you were the one who tipped off, nothing will happen?"
He sighed softly: "Is it interesting to deceive yourself?"
Zhang Changshuo remained silent!
Yes, so many Jinyi captains witnessed it with their own eyes and can serve as witnesses. He can no longer pretend to be stupid and get away with it.
How could he not know?
But people, when death is approaching, always refuse to accept their fate.
I would rather weave stupid fantasies than wake up.
Resist with force?
The thought only arose for a moment before he extinguished it.
Unlike Erlang, he is just a weak scholar, and his strength lies in his mouth. If he uses violence, he will only bring humiliation upon himself.
"Where's Ma Yan? Or maybe the other thousand-household officials in the imperial court."
Zhang Changshuo took a deep breath, closed his eyes and said:
"I only talk to the leader."
As a man of letters, he tried to retain his last dignity.
Are you making a movie?
Being captured and made a prisoner, you still have to wait for an important person to see you in person before you are willing to speak... Zhao Duan laughed in anger, as if he saw through him, and said:
"I know what you're thinking. You think this whole situation was set up by Ma Yan, and I'm just bait to make you lose your guard?"
"Perhaps, you still firmly believe that the last time I was able to escape from danger unscathed, it was also orchestrated by a saint?"
Zhang Changshuo opened his eyes and stared at him:
"Isn't it?"
Zhao Duan sighed softly, his eyes full of pity, and he chiseled words into the other person's heart:
"Accept your fate. There is no other leader. I am the only one leading this case. Today's plan and the crisis a few days ago were all planned and solved by me alone."
"No! Impossible!"
Zhang Changshuo, who was trying to remain calm and maintain the demeanor of a scholar-official, suddenly turned ferocious:
"You're just a piece of shit with nothing but a pretty face! How are you better than me?! How are you better than me?"
He's broken through!
With his intelligence, he understood from the moment Zhao Duan led the team to arrest that what the other party said was probably true.
He just didn't want to believe it and couldn't accept that he would fall into the hands of a "foot soldier" whom he despised from the bottom of his heart.
The defeat was not due to force, but to intelligence!
Zhao Duan had an expressionless face, and he was calm, even almost cold, as he watched the other party vent his anger, as if he was looking at a trapped beast in a desperate situation.
After a moment, he said, "Are you done?"
This moment.
Zhang Changshuo, who was originally baring his teeth and glaring at him, as if he was ready to fight him, suddenly seemed to have his bones pulled out.
His eyes turned red and he fell to his knees in the carriage with a thud.
No longer possessing the reserve and arrogance of a scholar-official, he said almost pleadingly:
"Please let me go. I'll be more useful to you if I stay. You like money, right? If you throw me into jail, you won't get a single penny. If you keep me, I'll give you whatever you want..."
If Zhao Duan hadn't seen it with his own eyes, it would have been hard for him to imagine.
A person can make a 180-degree turn in attitude in an instant.
He touched his collar, feeling a little melancholy. He thought that lighting a cigarette would be more appropriate to the atmosphere.
"In fact, the hatred between you and me is not that great.
It's just that you're too greedy, always thinking that I'm blocking your path to the Saint, so you're trying every possible way to deal with me, even gathering evidence to kill me in front of the temple."
Zhang Changshuo burst into tears and spoke in a humble tone:
"It's my fault. I was blinded and blinded by greed, so..."
"No, you are not." Zhao Duan shook his head and said:
"What's wrong with wanting to advance? Court struggles, from ancient times to the present, have never been heartfelt. They've always been a game of stepping on one another. Whether you're forced to protect yourself or driven by ambition, since you and I are both players, what's wrong with abiding by these rules?"
Zhang Changshuo was stunned and didn't understand what he meant.
Zhao Duan continued:
"Including you just now, you were planning to escape, right? I guess you're even thinking about how you'll take revenge once you surrender to Prince Jing and he comes back one day."
"No! I didn't..."
"No need to deny it. I told you, there's nothing shameful about this," Zhao Duan smiled.
"Even me, dealing with you is also for a better future. So, you should understand what I want."
I want a future, not money... Zhang Changshuo was stunned for a moment, then a light bulb went off in his head, and he blurted out:
"You want to know who else is in the capital from Prince Jing's Mansion?"
Very smart... Zhao Duan gave a look of approval.
Zhang Changshuo, who had long lost his temper, did not hesitate and immediately revealed the information he had - he could not bear the punishment anyway, and he would tell it sooner or later.
"So, you're saying that those people from Prince Jing's Mansion found Zhang Changji, and he was only responsible for one small step, and the more critical procedures were handled by someone else?" Zhao Duan frowned.
Zhang Changshuo nodded:
“The firearms maker may seem small, but he is actually very well-guarded. My brother is just a military officer, working for a big shot.
For example, moving things around, finishing things off, killing a few untouchables, cutting off the investigation leads, etc. As for the higher-level people involved, we don't know who they are, we only know that they should be in the Privy Council."
When he talked about killing a few untouchables, his tone was completely normal.
But when the word "Privy Council" was mentioned, his face was full of awe.
The Privy Council... Zhao Duan knew that this was an office in the court of Dayu, independent of the six ministries.
Whenever there is a war, the Privy Council is responsible for deploying troops, arranging battle formations, and making all kinds of strategic decisions.
The Ministry of War is responsible for logistics, distribution of food and wages, registration, etc.
The current person in charge of the Privy Council is named Xue Shence.
It is said that he is a powerful person in the field of martial arts, and he is skilled in using a spear.
It actually involves the Privy Council?
Yes, firearms and the Beijing Camp were originally areas under the joint jurisdiction of the Privy Council and the Ministry of War.
Seeing Zhao Duan thinking without saying anything, Zhang Changshuo became anxious and added:
"I know this little bit of information isn't enough, but if you're willing to put in a few good words for the emperor and help me escape this disaster, I'm willing to report Zhang Changji and my uncle. Zhang Changji doesn't carry much weight, he's just helping you vent your anger, but my uncle is a doctor in the Ministry of War, so he's more than enough..."
At this moment, Zhao Duan was stunned. He looked at Zhang Changshuo with a cold and disdainful look, and said quietly:
"Your Excellency is truly willing to sacrifice your own family for the sake of justice."
For some reason, he suddenly lost interest in talking to this person.
Even if the other party is tougher and takes all the blame to protect his family, even if he can't stand the torture in the end, Zhao Duan still respects him as a man.
As for now...
Oh.
Zhao Duan stood up and walked out of the car, ignoring his former colleagues who were frightened behind him.
Just then, I saw a group of officials in embroidered uniforms running towards me.
Under each person's armpit was a bound infantryman from Prince Jing's mansion.
The leader was Zhou Cang. When he saw Zhao Duan, his eyes lit up and he said with a bow:
"Fortunately, we have fulfilled our mission! We have captured all those who escaped, except for the sorcerer and Zhang Changshuo."
"The Warlock has been sealed..."
Zhao Duan briefly explained how he was taken away by Jin Jian.
Zhou Cang breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and a smile appeared on his face.
Then I caught a glimpse of the people in the car behind me and was even more surprised:
"Your Excellency not only captured the mastermind, but also this traitor?"
With a wave of his hand, Jin Yi rushed forward like a wolf or a tiger and tied up the trembling Zhang Changshuo.
The latter continued to call out "Envoy", but Zhao Duan ignored him and waved his hands irritably:
"Gag this man and throw him into the Imperial Prison to keep him company with his brothers.
You are familiar with torture and forced confessions. I don’t care how much you can dig out.
Oh, and tell Zhang Changji that his brother betrayed him and said that all the blame was on him alone."
Zhou Cang was stunned for a moment, and the corners of his mouth twitched.
It was as if I foresaw the scene of brothers killing each other in the imperial prison and the elder brother being beaten by his younger brother.
However, since both brothers were bad guys, he didn't bother to care:
"Sir, what should we do next?"
Zhao Duan stretched lazily and looked at the bright moon hanging high above his head. It was already late at night.
After a hard night, it’s time to reap the rewards.
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly and he said:
"Go back and rest. Tomorrow morning, follow me into the palace... to see the Emperor!"
(End of this chapter)
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