Chapter 7 Politicians are born actors
"Apologize? Bribery is more like it."
After a brief moment of daze, the old supervisor with gray hair and sunken eye sockets said in a cold voice.
The disappointment in his eyes grew stronger.
In his opinion, Zhao Duan's behavior was undoubtedly insincere. He knew that he had caused a big trouble this time, so he tried to bribe him, which was a common practice in officialdom.
The innocent little imperial guards were eventually corrupted by the big dye vat of officialdom, becoming despicable and no longer what they used to be.
"Take it away! This is a fine thing, but we are not worthy of it." The old supervisor waved his hand to drive the man away.
However, Zhao Duan's next words really surprised him.
"You misunderstood. This folding fan is stolen property presented by me." Zhao Duan said shockingly.
The old supervisor frowned: "What do you mean?"
Zhao Duan said calmly:
"Some time ago, the Ning'an County Magistrate, who was acting as a broker, found me and promised me a generous gift, asking me to help reduce the sentence of an official detained by the Ministry of Justice..."
He immediately told the whole story truthfully.
This was the purpose of his meeting the other party tonight.
In the original owner's memory, the old eunuch in front of him was the empress's true confidant, and was the direct descendant who had followed her since the time of the third princess.
After taking charge of the White Horse Prison, although he was extremely low-key and had a weak presence, he was an ear and a pair of eyes planted by the empress in the yamen.
He highly suspected that the old eunuch was one of the few people who knew that he was not the empress's "male favorite".
The appearance of Zhang Changshuo added many variables.
Zhao Duan could only respond hastily and chose to report what he was going to do in advance.
In this way, as long as he "files a record" in advance, Zhang Changshuo's power will be greatly reduced if he wants to make a fuss about this matter later.
You want to tell tales on me?
Oh, I reported myself in advance.
"...Because I haven't replied to him yet, Wang Xian invited me to meet and discuss this matter today." Zhao Duan paused and said:
"I promised him."
Inside the room, the oil lamp burned quietly, the light gradually dimming.
The old eunuch, wearing a loose robe, had a blank expression throughout:
"You want to use Wang Xian to find out who's behind him?"
As people grow older, they become more shrewd. There is no need for nonsense when wise people talk.
"yes."
The old supervisor sat up straighter, and Zhao Duan quickly lit the lamp for him.
The lights are back on.
...The old supervisor glanced at him, sat back in his armchair, and said:
"You want to redeem yourself for your crimes? To offset the damage you've done? To survive this impeachment?"
Without waiting for his answer, the old man shook his head and said sarcastically:
"It's too late. Not to mention that you've made many enemies in the past, your identity alone makes you prone to disaster."
These words were very subtle. With the original owner's intelligence, he would not be able to understand the deeper meaning.
But Zhao Duan had already thought of this as early as when he left the palace in the afternoon, and only then did he feel like he was facing a formidable enemy.
For the real bigwigs in the temple, they would not be jealous of a pretty boy who sold his looks, just like Prime Minister Li Yanfu, who was too lazy to even look at him.
But this does not mean that the bigwigs will not target him.
As he was familiar with in history, in certain dynasties, it was not uncommon for groups of civil officials to impeach the emperor's concubines, appoint crown princes, and elevate the emperor's family affairs to the safety of the world.
Is it because of hatred? Not necessarily.
It may also be to check and balance the imperial power.
The game between court officials and the empress usually does not lead to a falling out, but rather to a confrontation over a chess piece.
Zhao Duan is very suitable to be a chess piece.
Powerful officials like Li Yanfu did not mind taking this opportunity to depose Zhao Duan. In this way, it would be equivalent to winning a small victory in the confrontation.
The old supervisor had long seen through this, so he repeatedly warned the original master to keep a low profile.
But good words cannot persuade a damned ghost.
"I know," Zhao Duan said with a self-deprecating smile, "but we have to do something."
The old supervisor looked at him, shook his head and said:
"Even if you can accomplish something and catch those people, that's not enough. The fact that they're asking for help from you means the person behind it isn't that powerful."
It hurts my heart...
Zhao Duan's eyes dimmed, and after a moment of silence, he said:
"Even so, I want to investigate further. Just as a token of my gratitude for your care."
He forced a smile:
"After all, I am also a member of the government. Even if I can't change anything, if I have made any contribution, it will also be a contribution to you, sir. I have caused a lot of trouble for the prison, so this is a small reward."
The old supervisor was stunned and a little dazed.
After Zhao Duan finished speaking, he turned around and left, counting one, two, three in his mind.
"etc."
The old man's complicated voice came from behind:
"Fan, take it away."
Zhao Duan never looked back:
"It's hot, I'll keep it to fan you."
After saying that, he disappeared into the darkness outside the door.
In the quiet house, only the elderly man was left, silently watching his disappearing figure. After a long moment, he sighed softly:
"If you had done this earlier, you wouldn't be in this situation today."
Immediately, he raised his hand and pushed aside an account book on the table, revealing two letters hidden underneath.
The letter on the left was sent from the palace, in which the saint asked him about his evaluation of Zhao Duan.
On the right was a memorial he had just written, with eight words on it:
Arrogant and domineering, notorious.
After a moment of silence, the old supervisor tore up the memorial and threw it away. He then took out a blank memorial and wrote a new eight-character comment:
"If a prodigal son returns, he may be forgiven."
…
…
It was late at night, and the imperial guards were patrolling the city walls surrounding the palace.
The Yangxin Hall, the empress's residence, was also brightly lit.
In the corridor, a palace maid walked forward in small steps, carrying a tray filled with lotus seed soup cooked in the imperial kitchen. When she arrived outside the imperial study.
I saw a figure walking towards me.
"Your servant greets Mo Zhaorong." The little palace maid stopped and saluted.
The young female official, honored as "Zhao Rong" and in charge of the Six Shangs, who held the rank of Fifth Grade, said "Yes" and took the tray.
"Let me do it."
After saying that, the young female official knocked on the door.
In the imperial study.
Dressed in white casual clothes, the graceful and elegant Empress Xu Zhenguan of Dayu was handling government affairs at her desk.
In the candlelight, her crystal clear skin was covered with the luster of ivory warm jade.
Her thin black eyebrows were slightly frowned, with a hint of barely perceptible fatigue.
"Your Majesty," the young female official placed the lotus seed soup on the table and called softly.
Xu Zhenguan then looked up and said in surprise:
"Why are you the one delivering it?"
"I bumped into him when I came here," the young female official said, stirring the spoon with her bare hands. She handed it to him and looked at the pile of memorials, saying with heartache:
"Your Majesty, why bother yourself so much? You will never be able to finish it all."
Xu Zhenguan poured the soup into his mouth and drank it for a while, and his fatigue was slightly relieved.
Turning his head, he looked at the most respected female official in the palace, who was known as the "female prime minister" in the court and the public, and said with a helpless smile:
"I certainly don't want to rest, but I don't know how many people in this world are watching me. Since this year, disasters have occurred frequently in various provinces, and the mess left by my father and my second brother also needs to be dealt with...
There are internal and external troubles, and if something goes wrong, they will put the blame on me, a woman."
Outsiders only saw the Korean side of Xu Zhenguang, who ascended the throne as emperor as the winner of the "Xuanmen Coup".
But only those around her know how much pressure she has been under in the past two years since she ascended the throne.
The late emperor left behind an empty treasury.
The second prince's coup d'état involved the replacement of a large number of ministers, causing instability in the court and leaving behind remnants to stir up trouble behind the scenes.
The various "princes" who were granted the nine prefectures and eighteen counties of Dayu were watching covetously.
The major cultivation forces are waiting for an opportunity to take action...
The Queen of Dayu looked around and saw that the dynasty, which seemed to be thriving, was actually fraught with crises.
However, there are only a few trusted confidants who are truly capable of making important contributions.
"Let's not talk about this anymore." Xu Zhenguan swallowed the lotus seed soup, resisted the urge to suck on his slender fingers, put down the porcelain bowl, and said with a smile:
"You came so late, you wouldn't just come to tell me to rest, would you?"
The young female official took out a letter from her sleeve:
"The White Horse Supervisor just sent someone to deliver this review of Zhao Duan."
He... A handsome face appeared in Xu Zhenguan's mind. Putting aside his character, Zhao Duan's appearance was indeed impeccable.
"What does the supervisor say?"
"I have not yet opened it, so please open it yourself, Your Majesty."
At this moment, Xu Zhen looked at the memorial in front of him and suddenly hesitated.
(End of this chapter)
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