Chapter 95: Step 2 of the Plan: Accepting a Bribe of 10,000 Taels
"A trial? Why a trial?"
Zhao Duan sat upright in a big chair. Above the weapon rack behind him, there was a magnificent ink painting hanging on the snow-white wall.
When these words were spoken, the four subordinates were stunned.
Qian Kerou said bewilderedly, "Sir, didn't you say..."
Zhao Duan interrupted her and said seriously:
"With so many people, how tiring would it be for me to interrogate them one by one?
Besides, it's almost time to go on duty. Do I have to work overtime and hurt myself for just 58 officials? I'm sure they will understand if I detain them for a while."
Understand God... The four of them complained silently, and Chen Juan held his forehead and said:
"But sir, if we don't find some evidence as soon as possible, I'm afraid it will be difficult to resolve the situation tomorrow when public opinion is in an uproar."
One can imagine how exciting tomorrow morning's court session will be.
The empress would probably be at a loss facing the accusations from all the civil and military officials in the court, right?
Zhao Duan waved his hand and said:
"Even if the sky falls, His Majesty will hold it up. Why are you so anxious?"
He believed that since the empress had entrusted him with such an important task, she had sent Mo Chou to express her opinion.
Then, Xu Zhenguan could always withstand the pressure from just 58 minor officials for him.
Well, according to the plan, as long as the empress can block the pressure for him for three days, it will be enough.
The four subordinates looked at each other, suddenly having a bad premonition. Qian Kerou said nervously:
"Sir, you don't have any evidence against these people, do you?"
Girl, why do you always tell the truth? No, why do you slander someone's innocence out of thin air?
Zhao Duan said righteously: "Don't say such words that are detrimental to unity in the future."
Huh? The newbie girl Jinyi didn't understand.
Zhao Duan sighed and said:
"Anyway, just do what I tell you to do and don't ask any questions.
Your next task is to spread the word that the reason why Lihuatang arrested this group of people is because of my retaliation.
But as long as the families of these officials are sensible and come to pay a little tribute, they will be released."
Four people: "..."
Zhao Duan frowned: "Why don't you do it?"
"……yes."
The four of them responded and walked out of the hall side by side. Chen Juan muttered:
"So, what exactly is our boss up to? Is he trying to extort money?"
Zheng Laojiu spat out a mouthful of tea leaves. The experienced Jinyi captain's eyes were sharp:
"Let's wait and see. I have a feeling this is just the beginning."
…
…
"Have all these fifty-eight people impeached him?"
Inside the Peony Hall, the female inspector named Haitang was stunned for a moment before she realized:
"So, the Zhao guy is taking revenge?"
The others looked at each other in confusion. They argued and speculated for a long time, but the truth might be extremely simple.
The King of Volumes Zhang Han said calmly:
"I've investigated him thoroughly, and I believe you've done the same. He's always been vindictive. Lu Liang, the censor who was the main force behind the impeachment of Zhuang Xiaocheng, has now been exiled to Lingnan. The other Zhang Changshuo, along with the entire Zhang family, was nearly destroyed. This is a testament to his actions."
Everyone was horrified.
Yes, these are all publicly available records.
From a certain perspective, what Zhao Duan has been doing in the past two months has been revenge.
First it was the Zhang brothers, then Lu Liang. Now after being promoted to the Chief of Investigation, he has even more power. He is finally impatient and begins to settle accounts with the remaining enemies.
"Hiss... Judging from this man's style, it's really possible. If he had greater authority, I wouldn't be surprised if he arrested the Prime Minister." One person sighed.
A vindictive villain, this is Zhao Duan’s external personality.
Tie Chiguan frowned and said in a loud voice:
"But does that make sense? Although our imperial court has the power to arrest people, it doesn't have the power to judge. Even if he wanted to frame someone and attacked fifty-eight people at once, the officials in the court would have to be completely blind to turn a blind eye.
At tomorrow's morning court, all parties will surely accuse the Saint. Even if the Zhao family is favored, they cannot be lawless."
These words were recognized by everyone.
Although the imperial yamen had great power, it was also subject to severe restrictions.
Not to mention a mere police officer, even a governor would not be able to withstand such pressure.
"By the way, what did the governor say?" Haitang suddenly asked.
Zhang Han shook his head:
"The Governor won't intervene. Haven't you noticed? He's completely letting Lihuatang do what it wants. Because Zhao Duan is backed by the Sage, not him. So even if someone with the surname Zhao needs to be punished, only the Sage can do it."
After a pause, he shook his head and said:
"But in my opinion, Zhao Duan has already committed suicide. He thinks he has won favor through meritorious service and has Your Majesty's support, so he acts recklessly.
He's so arrogant and reckless! If he doesn't rein himself in within three days, His Majesty will surely send someone to punish him. Perhaps he'll become the police chief with the shortest tenure in history... We don't need to interfere, just wait for him to destroy himself."
Finally, he summarized it in eight words:
"If virtue does not match one's position, disaster will surely follow."
Everyone nodded, agreeing deeply, and looking forward to the day when Zhao Duan would fall.
…
…
That night, two pieces of news began to spread wildly in the official circles of the capital.
The first one was that the empress's favorite was promoted. After entering the imperial court, he arrested dozens of officials in one day, covering all the government offices.
The second reason was that Zhao Duan did this in retaliation. All the officials who were arrested were the ones who had written letters of impeachment.
At the same time, it was revealed to the families of the arrested officials that if they wanted Lord Zhao to show mercy, they would have to be sensible and offer money as a tribute.
Otherwise, even if it is finally released under pressure, finding an opportunity to catch it every few days would be fatal.
No one doubted the authenticity of the news.
This is due to the fact that Zhao Duan’s character is deeply rooted in people’s hearts.
In particular, the successive downfalls of the Zhang brothers and Lu Liang also proved Zhao Gou's nature of being a "vindictive villain."
As expected, almost every family member of the arrested officials began to raise money after being shown the "clear path".
It is obvious which is more important, a few yellow and white things or the safety of the pillar of the family.
What's more, if he could resolve his grievances with the big shot next to the empress by spending just some money, it would be the best possible outcome.
The next day, when Zhao Duan arrived at Lihua Hall.
Qian Kerou immediately reported that there were already many people queuing outside the hall, wanting to meet Lord Zhao and have a private talk.
"Tsk, you're very quick," Zhao Duan said with a smile.
"That's right. Call them one by one on a first-come, first-served basis."
Qian Kerou went to call for help with a complicated expression.
What happened next was extremely simple. Every time a family member of a convicted official came in, Zhao Duan would act in a pretentious manner, saying that things were difficult to handle.
The family members will then offer varying amounts of "tea money".
Claiming that it was hot, he invited Lord Zhao to have tea as a small token of his filial respect, but it was not a sign of respect.
Zhao Duan's reaction varied depending on the amount of the tea money, either a pleasant expression or a blank expression.
As for the charging standards, they are based on the rank of the offending official, whether he works in a lucrative or underpaid government office, and the size of the family behind him.
The final answer was unusually consistent:
Go home and wait for news.
"A bunch of corrupt officials, all of them are filthy rich!"
Zhao Duan couldn't help but curse inwardly as he looked at the increasingly thick pile of silver notes and land deeds in front of him.
If he were an honest official, relying solely on his salary, he would not be able to pay the ransom so quickly even if he had to borrow money.
As a result, everyone gave money readily, which made Zhao Duan heartbroken and he wondered what was wrong with the officialdom of Dayu.
If the water is too clear, there will be no fish, but the water cannot be so turbid that you can't see the bottom.
During this period, a small incident occurred:
The family member of a certain imprisoned official was actually a beautiful young woman. After meeting him, she kept flirting with him and stuck to him, ignoring her husband in prison.
Finally, he could not resist Zhao Duan's bribery, so he took out the warm silver bills from his bellyband and shyly asked him to keep the man in custody for a longer period of time.
It's absolutely amazing.
"Next."
Zhao Duan was busy until noon, and drank some tea to moisten his throat.
He casually threw the box of precious snow mountain ginseng and jewelry and jade he had just received into the box under the table.
Said to the confidential secretary.
In just one morning, the value of the bribes he received had already exceeded ten thousand taels of silver, enough to buy an entire commercial street in the outer city.
Qian Kerou whispered a few words to him with a nervous look on her face.
"Someone from the Prince Consort's Mansion is coming?" Zhao Duan was stunned.
Only then did he remember that Li Lang was still imprisoned in the imperial prison.
However, he only arrived after being detained for two days. This speed is even slower than that of the families of these petty officials.
"Please come in." Zhao Duan said.
After a while, a figure came into the courtyard. It was a middle-aged man with a gentle appearance.
He wore gorgeous clothes and a jade belt, his hair was combed meticulously, and his beard was also well-groomed.
Unfortunately, there was a faint bruise on one side of his face, from the corner of his eye to his temple, along with some minor wounds, as if he had been hit by a blunt object.
Zhao Duan had good eyesight and immediately recognized the person. It was Princess Yunyang's husband, the son-in-law Li Shuping.
Li Lang's nominal father.
The two were not familiar with each other, but they knew each other because the original owner was active in the Beijing circle and had contact with him.
Zhao Duan's impression of this man is that he is extremely henpecked. He is submissive at home but aggressive outside.
"Master Zhao is so impressive!"
Prince Consort Li Shuping spoke in a cold and sarcastic voice:
"Everyone who wants to see you has to queue up. You are indeed a favorite of His Majesty."
Zhao Duan laughed heartily, his attitude enthusiastic, but he didn't even move his butt:
"How come the Prince Consort has time to visit? I'm sorry for not welcoming you."
Li Shuping's eyes twitched and he sat down.
Zhao Duan waved his hand, ordered Qian Kerou to serve tea, and then went to wait outside.
The prince consort didn't exchange pleasantries and said directly:
"My son seemed to have offended Zhao Jisi the other day and received a punishment.
When his mother found out, she was furious. She wanted to come in person, but worried about the impact, so she decided to come instead. "Now that Zhao Ji has punished him and put him in jail for two days to reflect on his actions, it's time to release him."
Zhao Duan pretended to be annoyed, tapped his forehead lightly with his fingers, and said with a smile:
"Look at my brain. I'm so forgetful. I almost forgot that your son is still in prison. I'm so sorry to bother you, Your Highness, to come to my house in person."
Li Shuping resisted the urge to correct his wording, and his expression softened slightly:
"Then please ask the police to send my son out so I can take him back and let his mother rest in peace."
Zhao Duan pretended to be surprised and looked at the other party's empty hands:
"Did the Prince Consort come here empty-handed?"
The corners of his mouth turned up into a smile:
"Today, so many people came to visit me, asking me to release the person. They were all sincere."
Li Shuping was stunned, as if he couldn't believe it.
The day before yesterday, Princess Yunyang sent a letter to the palace after learning the news, but was gently dissuaded by Xu Zhenguan.
So, he waited patiently for two days before coming to ask for the person.
He originally thought that, given his status as the empress's uncle, Zhao Duan would at least give him some face.
But I didn't expect that this traitor would be so bold.
Li Shuping's eyes twitched, and his face showed anger:
"Zhao Duan, are you asking for a bribe from this prince consort? You're so bold!"
When Zhao Duan heard this, the smile on his face gradually faded. He slowly stood up, walked around the table and approached Li Shuping.
The frightened and polite prince consort subconsciously wanted to stand up and step back, but suddenly an iron hand held down his shoulder!
Unable to move!
Zhao Duan pressed the shoulders of the Grand Consort Yu, clutching a stack of banknotes in his sleeve with his other hand. He gently fanned Li Shuping's injured cheek and said softly,
"If I'm not mistaken, the scar on Prince Consort's face was caused by a beating from the princess, right?"
He sighed softly and said:
"When I was hanging around in Beijing, I heard Qin Qu say that the Prince Consort was a cuckold and was used to swallowing his anger. I didn't really believe it then, but I do believe it today.
She was clearly there to save her son, but she kept calling him 'his mother'.
What? Are you worried that if you don't use Princess Yunyang to put pressure on me, I won't be able to control myself?
So, you do have some self-awareness, but unfortunately, you're not very smart. I'm giving you two choices today."
He raised a finger:
"First, like everyone else, if you want your son, you have to pay money to redeem him."
After a pause, he shook his sleeves and gently stuffed the palm-sized Golden Crow Flying Knife into the prince consort's wet palm.
Then she put more force on him, helped him close his five fingers, and said softly:
"Second, take this knife and stab it here."
He pointed to his heart and said with a smile:
"Stab me, the empress's favorite and favored minister, to death, and then carry my head out. Don't worry, no one will dare to stop you from rescuing me. But... do you dare?"
Do you... dare?
Zhao Duan's voice rang in his ears like a devil.
The prince consort, who had just been full of anger and scolding loudly, was stunned.
The veins on his forehead bulged and his face became increasingly ferocious.
The hand holding the Golden Crow Flying Knife kept shaking and did not move.
Seeing this, Zhao Duan simply pressed his other hand on the knife handle and made him hold the knife with both hands.
He even took the initiative to put the tip of the knife to his heart and said with a smile:
"Come on, you want someone but you won't follow the rules? Then be a real man and kill me, come on!"
A loud shout.
“Dang!”
The Golden Crow Flying Knife fell to the ground, its dark golden blade more dazzling than the sunlight.
The prince consort was trembling all over and remained silent.
Zhao Duan picked up the flying knife in disappointment and returned to his seat with a cold tone:
"Go away! Next time, call someone who can make the decision."
Li Shuping glared at him.
Finally, he left without saying anything.
After everyone left, the villain look on Zhao Duan's face disappeared. He shook his head and closed his eyes.
"Do you think I went too far just now?"
Outside the hall.
Qian Kerou walked in biting her lip, with a complicated look on her pretty face:
"Sir, I don't understand. Although Li Lang has offended you, he has also received the punishment he deserves. Now that the prince consort has come to visit you personally, he is giving you face. Why..."
Zhao Duan sighed deeply and said with emotion:
"Because our Princess Yunyang is deliberately taking revenge on me."
(End of this chapter)
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