Chapter 553: Stop pretending, you are Zhao Duan
"Release him?!"
After hearing Sun Lianying's words, Zhao Duan had not yet reacted, and several subordinates around him could no longer sit still.
Their expressions changed at the same time.
I was thinking about the game in the court, did His Majesty choose to give in?
The people we finally caught were released just like that? Doesn't that mean the purge operation has failed?
"I obey your order." Zhao Duan's expression was unusually calm, as if he had expected this. He turned to his secretary and others and instructed:
"You hear me? Go and free the innocent part."
The innocent part... Qian Kerou and the others' eyes lit up, realizing something. She asked uncertainly:
"Your Excellency, you are talking about..."
Zhao Duan reminded: "The newly added half of the list."
Back then, when Lihuatang launched a large-scale arrest campaign against the Qingliu Party, Zhao Duan had handwritten a bunch of names at the end of the suspect list and arrested them all.
Although these people suffered some minor injuries in the past two days, they were not actually treated as traitors.
The Jinyi soldiers were always wondering why their master had brought in an extra group of people. Until this moment, they suddenly understood something. Surprise appeared in their eyes, and several of them turned around and ran away immediately.
Sun Lianying looked at this scene in surprise and suddenly laughed:
"Would you like me to sit in your house for a while?"
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Supervisor Sun, please come in."
The two of them immediately walked towards the inner hall.
The eunuchs who followed him did not move and remained standing where they were.
When there were only two people in the inner hall on a autumn day, Sun Lianying dusted off his robe and sat down, folding his hands and watching with interest as the white-faced customs officer handed him a washed pear.
The old eunuch suddenly smiled and said:
"It is an honor for our family to have the great Governor Zhao personally wash the pears and present them to us."
Zhao Duan's movement of bending over to hand over the pear faltered, and he raised his masked face, showing surprise and just the right amount of confusion:
"What do you mean by that, Supervisor Sun?"
Sun Lianying said angrily:
"Stop pretending. You may be able to fool those people outside, but you can't fool my old eyes.
When will you come back?
I was wondering when such a powerful figure emerged from the Imperial Guards. I searched my mind but couldn't find the right person. Only after seeing you did I finally confirm it.
Zhao Duan's face fell, he raised his hand and grabbed at the air, the door slammed shut, he took off his mask and said with a wry smile:
"How did you know that? Did His Majesty sell me out?"
Sun Lianying looked at the familiar face under the mask, and was slightly dazed. It seemed that he finally confirmed it, and he smacked his lips and said:
"How many people have the guts to cause such a big commotion and even make Yuan Li back down?
Besides, the attitudes of your subordinates just now clearly reveal why the troublemakers of Lihuatang would bow down to a boss who was parachuted in.
Zhao Duan smiled awkwardly, not surprised.
In the entire capital, the person who knows him best is the old man in front of him.
Although Zhenbao was distant from him, they did not spend much time together.
On the contrary, it was Sun Lianying who saw everything from the beginning when she supported the original owner to the entire transformation of Zhao Duan's personality later. Moreover, she knew the people in the palace very well and could see through their identities, which was reasonable.
"I haven't been back for too long. To be precise, I haven't been back completely yet."
Zhao Duan briefly explained how he was able to split himself into two places with the help of a talisman:
"I realized this time that the Qingliu Party was a problem, so I took action. As for this disguise, it won't be concealed for long."
Sun Lianying suddenly realized and sighed:
"The country is in turmoil, and those who are capable must work harder. It's just that you have worked hard and received a lot of criticism."
Zhao Duan smiled nonchalantly and said:
"I'm a notorious treacherous minister and a pretty boy lover throughout Dayu. How could I care about this? But what happened at the court this morning?"
Mention business.
The old supervisor recounted the situation during the morning court session.
It's not complicated, pretty much as expected.
As the leader of the Qingliu Party, Yuan Li led his ministers in a game of chess with the empress. Grand Tutor Dong dragged his old body to the palace to mediate.
In the end, both sides took a step back. Those who had irrefutable evidence of treason would be dealt with according to law, and those without sufficient evidence were agreed to be released by the empress.
"You don't seem surprised. What do you mean by the new additions to the list?" Sun Lianying asked curiously.
Zhao Duan explained with a smile:
"Nothing. When we first arrested the first group, we arrested a few extra people to make up the numbers. Now we just happened to let them go."
This sentence is light and does not seem to have any weight, but if it falls on the outside, it will surely surprise countless people.
Sun Lianying's breath hitched, and she stared at him: "Did you do this on purpose?"
Zhao Duan sighed softly, his eyes looking deep as he said:
"Eliminating the traitors is not difficult. The difficulty lies solely with Yuan Li."
"The real difficulty is how to catch the traitor without damaging Yuan Li's status and reputation as 'party leader'."
"After much thought, I think the only way to preserve both Your Majesty's dignity and Yuan Li's prestige is to make Yuan Li furious and lead his ministers to fight Your Majesty. After a fierce battle, both sides can retreat and rescue some of the people.
"But this wasn't a fair fight, so I had to give Yuan Li a fair reason to end her life... It's like a play. Since the goal is to get things done without making a big fuss, someone has to play the good cop and someone has to play the bad cop."
Sun Lianying was stunned for a moment, and suddenly a light burst out from her cloudy eyes:
"So, all this was planned by you?
When you first took office, you rashly broke into the Censorate and arrested people in an illegal manner. Your purpose was to make Yuan Li legitimately stand up for the people below.
And you deliberately left them with a loophole, giving the Qingliu Party an excuse to impeach you and, in turn, a reason to fight Your Majesty?"
Zhao Duan nodded.
Sun Lianying took a deep breath and continued quickly:
"And after you came back, you arrested a bunch of extra officials to make up the numbers. You were waiting for this moment. These extra people were originally intended to be released later, to show the entire capital, to give an explanation to the Qingliu Party, and to give Yuan Li a way out?!"
Zhao Duan smiled and nodded:
"It's like two armies at war. If Yuan Li is completely defeated and can't save a single person, how can he maintain his position? How can his subordinates obey him?
On the other hand, once this group of officials was released, Yuan Li would become the leader of the party that snatched food from His Majesty's tiger's mouth. Even if only one group was rescued, it would be enough to shut up those who questioned him.
Everything is afraid of comparison. When Li Yanfu faced the capture of his men, he could only retreat step by step, but Yuan Li was able to save a group of people... At least he is better than Li Yanfu.
As for His Majesty, his goal has been achieved. By eliminating the traitor and letting the innocent go, he can demonstrate magnanimity...
The only one who should be sacrificed in this drama is me. However, I'm just an 'acting detective'. Once this is over, if anyone insists on complaining, I can just ask His Majesty to take my position away from me...
Well, it’s okay to kill me, I’m just a substitute now anyway.”
After a pause, he added calmly:
"Of course, all of this is based on the assumption that Yuan Li is innocent. Fortunately, after our interrogation, there is currently no evidence to suggest that Lord Yuan is colluding with the rebel king."
After saying this.
There was nothing but amazement in Sun Lianying's eyes.
Such a tricky situation was actually solved by Zhao Duan using this method, and the whole process took only a few days.
In contrast, when Zhao Duan overthrew Pei Kaizhi, Zhou Cheng, and dealt with the young cabinet minister Li Yinglong in the early days, he sought help everywhere, risked his own life, and won the victory with great difficulty.
Now, when he uses his skills, he feels more at ease and does things with ease.
With a wave of his hand, he stirred up the turmoil in the court.
How is he even a little bit similar to the favored minister who rose to power overnight and was hated by everyone?
"If I hadn't witnessed your growth with my own eyes, I would have questioned who you were." Sun Lianying exclaimed.
...Zhao Duan was silent for a moment, then handed the pear over:
"At all times, I am the White Horse Guard's messenger and your subordinate, sir."
The old eunuch was amused: "You, you..."
Laughing and laughing, I felt a little moved:
"I am old and can't help His Majesty. With you and Mo Chou by His Majesty's side, His Majesty won't have to work so hard."
No...don't compare me to a eunuch...Zhao Duan complained.
At this moment, Zhao Duan suddenly heard footsteps outside. He picked up the white mask on the table, put it on, and waved his hand.
The door creaked open by itself.
Qian Kerou and the others came back: "Sir, the person has been released."
"Okay, the matter is over, and it's time for us to return to the palace to report." The old eunuch wiped the corners of his eyes with the sleeves of his robe, stood up, flicked his whisk and said with a smile.
Zhao Duan hurriedly said, "I'll see you off, father-in-law."
The two walked outside.
The yamen looked desolate in autumn, with yellow leaves scattered on the ground.
The two walked in front, and several eunuchs and Lihuatang brocade clothes followed behind.
Sun Lianying looked at the golden autumn wind and suddenly thought of something and said:
"Recently, people have been comparing you to Xue Shence. A group of people are openly praising you but secretly criticizing you. We heard that the Golden Autumn Gathering is about to be held, and they may invite you to attend."
Golden Autumn Gathering? Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, thinking it sounded familiar. After straining his brain to recall it, he remembered that this was the common name for the mountain climbing gatherings in the capital every autumn.
Climbing high places in autumn, or "traveling in autumn", or reciting poems and essays, or gathering to play games... are the customs of the Yu State.
Even though war is raging everywhere, the capital city of Beijing remains stable. In order to reassure people, the imperial court does not interfere with such autumn gatherings and even encourages them.
Last autumn, Zhao Duan missed a number of literary gatherings in Beijing because he went to Taicang to investigate the "silver mine case".
Zhao Duan frowned and said:
"Remember, the Golden Autumn Gathering is mostly attended by scholars. Why would they need me, a police inspector?"
Sun Lianying glanced at him:
"Since you sit in this position, many people have already judged you to be a lackey of 'Zhao Shaobao'. Do you really think that the scholars who have been scolding you these days are only referring to you?"
Good man, I have become my own lackey... Zhao Duan was amazed.
Sun Lianying sighed:
"You're a prominent figure in the entire capital now. Countless people want to know your background. Even if the Qingliu Party incident has had a satisfactory outcome for now, those scholars haven't let out their anger yet and will still keep their eyes on you."
Zhao Duan said with a smile: "At worst, I won't go."
At this time, the two walked out of the yamen and ended their conversation.
I watched the old eunuch ride to the palace.
Zhao Duan stretched his waist and said to the secretary:
"Prepare the car, I also need to go to the palace."
Now that this power struggle had come to an end, he breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to go to the palace to see Zhenbao.
At the same time, he also needed his soul to return to Linfeng to arrange the second step of the plan against Xu Jingtang and Zhao Shixiong.
Soon, Hou Renmeng and Shen Juan brought out a carriage, and the young secretary got into the carriage with a bunch of pears in her arms as snacks for her master.
Just as the group turned the corner, Zhao Duan suddenly turned his head and looked at a large carriage parked on the opposite street.
Zhao Duan paused for a moment, then retracted his gaze and continued walking away.
…
Inside the carriage.
Yuan Li, dressed in blue, held a jade ruyi in her hand, opened the curtains a little, and watched the "white-faced police officer" walk away and disappear in the crowd.
In the distance, Censor Chen Hong came back, got into the carriage, and reported:
"Mr. Yuan, the Imperial Prison has released a large number of people. As you suspected, this new investigation department seems to have been prepared. Do you want to find a way to investigate this person's identity?"
Yuan Li put down the jade ruyi, the tired look on his face eased a little, and he sighed softly:
"A good white face."
He turned his head and looked at Chen Hong with gentle eyes:
"Anyway, this mess has come to a passable conclusion, hasn't it? Why create further complications? Besides... there are already enough people in the capital who want to investigate this person's identity. Let's go."
The driver cracked his whip.
The carriage started moving.
Chen Hong remained silent, having a hunch in her heart that it was not that Mr. Yuan did not want to investigate, but that he already knew the identity of this white-faced police officer.
But who is it?
The image of a person flashed through Chen Hong's mind, but was immediately cut off by his shaking head.
That person is in charge of Linfeng, with countless eyes watching him, so it is impossible for him to appear in the capital.
The carriage went along Zhuque Street to the Censorate.
Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves was heard in the distance, and the people retreated to both sides of the street.
Yuan Li also asked the driver to pull over, lifted the curtain and looked out. He saw a messenger running from the direction of the city gate, carrying a flaming red banner. He rode his horse at a slow pace, shouting as he ran:
"Great victory on the Eastern Front! Privy Councilor Xue led his troops to crush the Jiancheng rebels! And crushed the traitor Prince Jing!"
Inside the car, Yuan Li was stunned for a moment, with a look of surprise in his eyes.
Chen Hong was overjoyed:
"Lord Yuan! Great victory on the Eastern Front! The imperial court has won another victory! Privy Councilor Xue is truly worthy of being the military god of Dayu. How long has it been? And already there's good news?"
Yuan Li stroked his beard and nodded, commenting calmly:
"With Xue Shence's combat prowess, combined with the new firearms of the Shenji Battalion, the Three Thousand Battalions, the Shenji Battalion, and the Linfeng Military Headquarters' troops, it's no surprise that he can defeat Prince Jing. It all depends on how much victory he achieves and how much territory he recaptures."
The people on both sides of the street were also shocked and cheered.
Someone shouted "God of War!"
Win the approval of everyone.
A victory can resolve many internal conflicts. For the entire court, which had just experienced the turmoil of purging the Qingliu Party, it was time to crave victory.
…
Another street.
Zhao Duan's carriage was also forced to stop.
"Sir, we have won the battle on the eastern front!" Qian Kerou was surprised.
Inside the carriage, Zhao Duan, leaning against a soft pillow, smiled:
"It stands to reason. If Xue Shence couldn't defeat Prince Jing with so many troops, we should really doubt his character. Hey, why aren't you happy after winning the battle?"
The secretary said with a bitter face, somewhat resentfully:
"People have been comparing you to Xue Shence. Now that we have achieved a great victory on the Eastern Front, but you haven't made any significant moves on the Western Front, it's understandable that there are definitely people who want to use this to belittle you, sir."
…
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(End of this chapter)
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