Chapter 73 People all over the world have misunderstood Mr. Zhao for a long time
Zhao Duan?
Inside the house, upon hearing this name, Yuan Li was stunned, then frowned:
"The messenger from the White Horse Prison?"
When there were outsiders present, Yuan Li deliberately pretended to be unfamiliar with them.
"Yes. He said he was working for His Majesty on an important matter and wanted to see Lord Yuan." The servant added.
The Empress's personal servant requested an audience? And she even claimed she was here on orders?
The officials present were surprised and extremely surprised.
Yuan Li also frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "Take him to the flower hall."
Then he stood up and said to everyone, "I will be back soon."
The officials responded hurriedly and discussed the matter curiously after the people left.
Given Mr. Yuan's status, he shouldn't have bothered with a notorious gigolo.
The reason why he went to see him in person must be for "Your Majesty", which is not surprising.
…
"What did he say he came to do?"
In the corridor, Yuan Li asked, his clothes swaying.
The attendant who brought the news, who was also the servant who invited Zhao Duan to the carriage outside the imperial city gate that day, said:
"I don't know. He just rode up and there was a man tied up on his horse. He had his head covered with clothes, his mouth blocked, and his outer clothes stripped off. I don't know what he was."
What he said just now, "I came here on the emperor's orders", was just a lie, an excuse to fool the officials in the room.
Yuan Li was stunned, thinking to himself, could it be that this casual move actually produced something?
A little unexpected, but not exciting.
After all, the entire Qingliu Party had been making trouble for a long time, but the few pieces of evidence they produced did not satisfy him.
Zhao Duan was a small and weak man, and only a few days had passed, which was too short a time.
Even if there is some progress, it is likely to be some small bit of black information, or even not necessarily obtained. It is just some clues that people come to claim credit for.
"After all, you are still too young and eager to achieve success."
Yuan Li shook his head and didn't think Zhao Duan had made any significant gains.
This judgment was based on reason, but he still decided to meet him and praise him in the hope of achieving good results.
In the flower hall.
Zhao Duan sat for a while before he saw a familiar figure outside the door and immediately stood up:
"This humble official greets Lord Yuan."
Yuan Li smiled like a spring breeze and joked:
"You come to my house at night, you don't want me to sleep well."
Zhao Duan said seriously:
"Everyone knows that Lord Yuan worked tirelessly for the Great Yu, rising early and staying up late, never having to attend court. I, too, strive to emulate the virtuous."
Yuan Li waved his hand and scolded with a smile: "Stop talking so smoothly. Tell me, what brings you here tonight?"
The host and the guest took their seats and got down to business.
Zhao Duan said seriously:
"Last time, I was favored by Lord Yuan and had the honor of participating in the 'overthrow of Pei' case. Now, several days have passed, and I heard that the court is in turmoil, so I dared to come and ask if there have been any breakthroughs."
This was a bit rash, but Yuan Li trusted her employees and did not hide anything:
"All we lack is the east wind."
"Mr. Yuan hasn't found any strong evidence yet?"
"Pei Kai's golden body is very strong. It is difficult to deal with him without force." He gave a cryptic answer.
You guys can’t do it either…Zhao Duan complained.
But he knew in his heart that he had to be a member of the Qingliu Party to succeed. They had already opened up the most difficult links. He was simply inheriting the original owner's dandy "legacy" and taking advantage of it.
"Can't I just kill him by force?"
Having watched too many historical dramas, Zhao Duan had the impression that the emperor would execute ministers with a wave of his hand, easily and casually, and no one dared to disobey.
Yuan Li was at a loss for words: "If Your Majesty had been on the throne for thirty years, then yes. But now it's only been less than three years."
If she were to take the throne for thirty years, I'm afraid she would be too weak to stand up... Zhao Duan complained, saying:
"This time, I was lucky enough to get a piece of evidence that might be useful."
Yuan Li was not surprised at all and pretended to be surprised:
"So quickly, you've achieved something? Indeed, young people are indeed resolute and decisive."
A qualified boss must know how to give positive feedback to his subordinates. This is the way to manage people, and the Imperial Censor is well versed in this.
Can you be more hypocritical? If you don’t believe I can come up with something good, just say it directly… Zhao Duan complained in his heart, his expression as usual:
"It was just luck, and the evidence I have is definitely not as good as that of the other officials under Lord Yuan. I am so afraid to present it to you, fearing that you will make Lord Yuan laugh."
Yuan Li smiled faintly, thinking that you kid has a lot of nice words to say, just to give yourself a way out in advance.
He raised his hand and picked up the teacup, saying casually:
"Just say it."
He didn't mind listening to it, even if it was useless or overlapped with existing evidence.
However, the next second, Zhao Duan said calmly:
"What I have found is that Pei Kaizhi abused his power for personal gain, interfered with the imperial examination, and rigged the exam papers!"
Interfering with the imperial examinations...the crime of cheating...
Yuan Li's hand holding the teacup suddenly stopped. After a moment of silence, the blue-robed Imperial Censor slowly raised his head, his deep eyes slightly bewildered.
"What?"
Zhao Duan had no choice but to repeat it again.
I heard right... Yuan Li's expression became visibly solemn, and the knuckles holding the porcelain cup unconsciously exerted force:
"Do you know what you're talking about? Matters of this magnitude require concrete evidence to count. Suspicions and suspicions don't count at all."
Zhao Duan said:
"I have brought witness Lu Liang to your residence. Censor Lu is willing to testify in person that his father-in-law's power interfered with the imperial examinations. He also has evidence in his hands that he would like to present to Lord Yuan."
Lu Liang is at home?
The person he kidnapped was Lu Liang?
Yuan Li was startled, his expression suddenly changed, and he said in a deep voice:
"You know, testimony obtained through coercion is unreliable!"
The tone was stern.
In his opinion, Zhao Duan most likely used force to kidnap Lu Liang and threaten him to testify, which is consistent with the character of the empress's lover.
But what is the use of such accusation?
Reckless! Stupid!
For the first time, he doubted his own judgment of others. However, amidst his rage, the leader of the Qingliu Party suddenly calmed down, staring at Zhao Duan's calm face, and said suspiciously:
"Not a threat?"
"Of course not," Zhao Duan smiled, "it's alienation."
Yuan Li's eyes lit up slightly, and he leaned forward: "Speak clearly!"
"yes!"
Zhao Duan was not in a hurry. He explained how he obtained clues and made a plan, using Pei Si Niang as a breakthrough point to get the opportunity to talk to Pei Kaizhi.
The story also tells the story of how Pei Wulang forced Pei Kaizhi to give up his son-in-law.
“I know full well that with Pei Kaizhi’s cunning and ruthlessness, I can either feign compromise, demote him first, and then bring Lu Liang back.
Otherwise, they would have cut the grass and wiped it out completely… Lu Liang and his father-in-law had long been at odds with each other and distrusted each other, so I took advantage of this and used Pei Si Niang to set up a trap, sending a death row prisoner and a killer to create the illusion of silencing her…
After this incident, Lu Liang knew there was no way out. If he wanted to survive, his only option was to join Yuan Gong.
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"Even if he came to his senses later and realized he'd fallen into a trap, from the moment I led him out of the Ministry of Justice and into Yuan's mansion, Lu Liang had completely lost the trust of the 'Li Party' and there was no turning back...
This is a conspiracy turned into an open one. One wrong step leads to another. He has no way back and can only join forces with us to kill my father-in-law."
quiet.
The flower hall fell into silence for a moment, and Yuan Li remained silent for a long time.
The look he gave Zhao Duan was as if he was looking at a good-looking little fox with smooth fur.
He suddenly exclaimed in admiration: "People all over the world have misunderstood you for a long time."
…
…
Pei Mansion.
The lights in the study are bright.
Pei Kaizhi, who is already old and has white hair and beard, cannot sleep tonight.
Even after taking Yaozhitang's tranquilizing pills, my eyelids still twitched wildly and I always felt like something was happening.
"Someone come!" Pei Kaizhi paced around the room for a long time and called the servants:
"Go to the prison cell of the Ministry of Justice and see why no one has reported it yet."
"Yes!" The brown-robed servant responded and left, not daring to delay even a moment.
When he came back in the daytime, Pei Kai ordered the legs of two servants to be broken, as if to vent his anger, and the entire Pei Mansion was silent.
However, before he even left the mansion, he saw the head of the Ministry of Justice rushing in, sweating profusely:
"Quick! Take me to see the Minister!"
After a while, Pei Kaizhi, wearing only a single layer of clothing, saw the breathless chief official in the study. The old man's eyes were gloomy, and he had sensed something was wrong:
"What happened?"
The head of the Ministry of Justice wailed:
"This is terrible! Zhao Duan drugged us and took the opportunity to kidnap Censor Lu. I'm afraid he has evil intentions!"
Pei Kaizhi felt a buzzing sensation, and his heart suddenly sank to the bottom of the river.
"I've fallen into a trap..."
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(End of this chapter)
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