Chapter 132 Investigating Zhao Duan
Chapter 132 Investigating Zhao Duan
I feel better now!
After slapping someone, Zhao Duan felt refreshed. He ignored the eldest princess who was sitting on the mat behind him and walked out.
Although the suggestion of "making Li Lang's mother apologize" was quite exciting, it was such an obvious pit that even if he was blind, he knew he couldn't step into it.
"Squeak."
Zhao Duan pushed open the door and walked out. He saw the prince consort Li Shuping pacing beside a red-painted wooden pillar in the corridor with an anxious look on his face.
Perhaps attracted by Zhao Duan's laughter, he looked over, his expression changed, and he lowered his head and looked away.
"gone."
Zhao Duan shook his head, too lazy to talk nonsense with him. He waved his hand and led the two eunuchs back to report.
The eunuchs who stayed behind remained silent. They were responsible for supervising the implementation of the imperial edict.
They must take the eldest princess to a nunnery by today at the latest.
"Yunyang, what did the man surnamed Zhao say to you alone?"
He breathed a sigh of relief only after the Prince Consort Li Shuping and others had left. He hurried into the room and then froze.
All I saw was his wife sitting sideways on the mat, hugging a pillow embroidered with mandarin ducks.
She hid the side of her face that was beaten to the other side, her red gauze skirt was disheveled, her shoes were taken off and placed aside, and she remained silent.
Li Shuping was stunned when he saw this, and his breathing became faster:
"He treated you..."
Thinking about the possibility of something happening between the man and woman in the room just now, he felt a strange excitement in his heart besides being angry.
Yun Yang sneered, turned back, and looked at him with disappointment and contempt:
"Trash."
Li Shuping enjoyed it like honey.
……
……
Zhao Duan left the Prince Consort's Mansion and did not return to the palace.
He bowed to the two eunuchs and rode his horse towards the Tianshi Mansion.
On the way there, he saw five waves of imperial guards sweeping across the long street with murderous intent, and the atmosphere in the capital also changed.
Obviously, the empress's decree has been issued, and the capital has entered a new round of crackdown on the rebels.
"The new helmsman died just a few days after taking office. I believe that no matter how crazy the people in Kuangfu Society are, they should be careful and lie low. At least before the headquarters makes the next appointment, these rats in the gutter will not jump again."
"Oh right... I still have a rebel on my side, I almost forgot."
Zhao Duan thought of Yunxi, the female disciple abandoned by Zhuang Xiaocheng who had been imprisoned for several days.
A few days ago, after Zhao Duan had gained a firm foothold in the imperial court, he issued a transfer order, ordering people to bring Yunxi from the government jail to the imperial prison.
To prevent the last Luliang robbery incident from happening again.
Although Keren moved to his own territory, Zhao Duan ignored her.
"Oh, if the little girl knew that the new helmsman was chopped by me again, I wonder what her expression would be."
Zhao Duan shook his head. "Forget it, let's talk about it later."
I've been too busy lately and have no time to visit her.
Tianshi Mansion is an independent building complex surrounded by square walls and containing buildings resembling Taoist temples.
The most eye-catching thing is the big clock placed on the tall building in the center.
Every time it rings, the heavy bell can be heard outside the city.
——He heard the bell on the day he traveled through time, but it was his first time here.
There are Taoist priests guarding the main gate. Those who are not wearing priest robes are not practitioners, but servants in the Tianshi Mansion.
After Zhao Duan politely gave his name, the Taoist looked at him in surprise:
"Please wait a moment, sir. I will go and report."
After a while, Jin Jian yawned and floated out like a ghost, as if he had just climbed out of bed:
"Yawn~ Are you here?"
No...it's almost noon...Zhao Duan opened his mouth and thought about himself staying up late in his previous life.
He goes to bed at four and gets up at seven, and the King of Hell praises him for his good health.
"Priest, excuse me for a moment."
Zhao Duan indicated that there was an outsider and said he wanted to go in and talk.
The girl with pale skin, delicate face and unfocused eyes shook her head and said:
"Unless there are special circumstances, outsiders are not allowed to enter the Tianshi Mansion."
Then he waved his hand, and a faint light flashed:
"Okay, our conversation won't be overheard."
Am I not special... It turns out that in your heart, I am just an ordinary outsider... Zhao Duan complained in his heart, feeling disappointed, and bowed his hands in a proper manner:
"I was in a hurry before, so I came here to thank the priest for helping to cover it up."
What he was referring to was the matter of the divine talisman.
Jin Jian raised her little hand to cover her mouth:
"Yawn~ You're welcome. I was asked to do this by someone."
Zhao Duan suddenly realized:
"Is it that tall and powerful official? Speaking of which, he has come to see me many times. Is it because of the introduction of Priest Jin Jian? Is he familiar with you?"
Jin Jian looked at him strangely, said "yeah" without comment, and said:
"Quite familiar."
Sure enough! Zhao Duan confirmed his guess and asked curiously, "May I ask his name?"
Jin Jian was silent for a moment, then said, "His last name is Wang."
Old Wang... When you have time, you can ask someone to find out which powerful official in the Tianshi Mansion has the surname Wang... Zhao Duan wrote it down and said tactfully:
"Please help me pass on a message to the priest. Tell him that I have accepted his favor this time. I will not charge you for the words I gave him last time. If you want them again in the future, you can come to me and exchange them for talismans or something. Large quantities will be given a discount..."
Jin Jian: "...Okay. Anything else? If not, I'm going to sleep now. Yawn~"
Zhao Duan's heart moved, and he suddenly said:
"By the way, I remember that our Tianshi Mansion also runs a lot of businesses, such as shops and so on."
Places like Tianshi Mansion and Shenlong Temple have been standing for many years, and it takes a lot of resources to support so many unproductive priests.
The sale of pills, medicines and the like only accounts for a small part.
Most of the operating funds depend on their respective industries, such as large amounts of land, shops, etc.
Jin Jian nodded stupidly:
"correct."
Zhao Duan took out the ice-making formula from his pocket and explained it.
"I wonder if the priest, or Old Wang... ahem, Wang Sanguan, would be interested in purchasing my formula and selling it through the Tianshi Mansion's shop. I would definitely make a lot of money."
Zhao Duan's action had two intentions.
First, make money.
The Tianshi Mansion has a complete sales system, and since it makes elixirs and medicines, it has a large amount of cheap saltpeter.
Second, we can use business cooperation to deepen our relationship with Lao Wang and Jin Jian.
He even decided that he would rather earn less and give more benefits to the other party than not want to maintain this network of contacts.
Especially, the girl in front of him is the disciple of the legendary Heavenly Master.
If everything goes well, wouldn't it be a big profit if we can get in touch with the old Taoist priest in the future?
A mere Old Wang can come up with such good stuff, let alone the legendary Zhang Tianshi.
make money!
Jin Jian's eyes lit up and he was no longer sleepy, and his scattered gaze became focused.
She likes money, which was clearly demonstrated in the case of Prince Jing's Mansion. She said suspiciously:
"Can saltpeter really make ice?"
Zhao Duan patted his chest:
"If it's genuine, come find me if you can't make it."
Jin Jian stared at the recipe eagerly:
"how much is this?"
Zhao Duan silently calculated the approximate profit he could make and extended his index finger.
After thinking for a while, he put his thumb up again, made an "eight" gesture, and said:
"The price is 10,000 taels of silver. I'll give you a friendly price of 8,000 taels. Take the formula."
Jin Jian shuddered with fear, took a big step back, and waved his hands repeatedly, saying:
“I don’t have that much money!”
Ah? Is a disciple of the Heavenly Master so poor?
I have already lost a lot of money and given up a huge profit... Zhao Duan said:
"how much do you have?"
Jin Jian lowered his head, and used his ten stubby fingers to pull at the pouch on his waist. Then he raised his head cautiously and said with a guilty conscience, "Eighty taels, is that okay?"
Farewell!
Zhao Duan took a deep breath, resisted the urge to run away, and said:
"I have another idea, which is to invest in technology... You don't need to spend money to buy it, and when you sell it, you can get dividends in proportion."
Hearing that it was free, Jin Jian was very satisfied and smiled innocently:
"It's a deal then! Don't worry, I won't treat you unfairly. We'll split the profits equally."
Alas... this silly child, you can earn more by paying me a flat price, but you insist on giving me money... Zhao Duan nodded with tears in his eyes:
"By the way, if I need anything later, how can I contact you? Should I come to your house?"
Making money is secondary, getting the contact information under the name of business is the real thing.
Jin Jian did not suspect anything and handed him a short yellow incense stick:
"As long as you are in the capital, light this incense and I will come over. But you'd better come to me at night. I need to catch up on sleep during the day, so I will be slow to come... yawn~"
……
Deep inside the Tianshi Mansion, in a small courtyard.
Jin Jian came back yawning with an excited look on his face:
"Master, I'll tell him."
Under the big banyan tree, Zhang Yanyi was lying in a rattan chair, holding a palm leaf fan:
"very good."
Jin Jian asked curiously:
"But why didn't you tell him your true identity? How did you know him? Master, you didn't go looking for him secretly without telling me."
The girl was a little suspicious that the "young friend" that her master mentioned was Zhao Duan!
But she had no evidence, and how could a mortal warrior say something that could be included in the "Heavenly Book"?
She scratched her head but couldn't figure it out.
The tall old Taoist priest with white hair and eyebrows and a ruddy face smiled and said leisurely:
"The secret cannot be leaked."
"Tsk, forget it."
Jin Jiankun's eyelids were drooping and she yawned continuously. She paid little attention to anything other than spiritual practice and making money.
Zhang Yanyi asked curiously:
"By the way, what are you so happy about?"
Jin Jian took out the recipe, explained it, and then thought:
"Master, what do you think about me working with you to sell ice cream together?"
Zhang Yan was stunned for a while, then laughed:
"Okay, but when you make money, don't feel bad about the dividends."
Jin Jian was puzzled. She thought to herself, how much money can she make from selling ice cubes? How dare Zhao Duan ask for eight thousand taels? She would not be fooled.
……
……
That night.
The news about the conflict between the Dali Temple and the Imperial Court in today's court, and the fate of Marquis Xiajiang and Princess Yunyang, spread like wildfire in the officialdom of the capital.
For a time, countless people were discussing it hotly.
No one thought that the emperor would be so partial that, for the sake of a male favorite, he would send his own aunt to a nunnery to live with the company of Buddhist monks and eunuchs.
As for Xia Jianghou, when his evil deeds were exposed, people were outraged and many secretly cursed him for having a good death.
However, more attention is still focused on the royal gossip.
Zhao Duan, on the other hand, had some free time.
As for the incident of the rebel leader drinking blood, it was not known to the public because not many people knew about it.
Instead, it was the empress's series of thundering measures that made people feel a chill in the dog days of summer.
However, for most people in Beijing, the killing in the martial arts world is not very noticeable.
What is less known is that on this very evening, another drama was taking place in the residence of Zhou Cheng, the Minister of Dali Temple.
"Sir, are you looking for me?"
In Zhou's house, inside a main room.
He Zheng, the deputy minister of the Dali Temple, closed the door and bowed respectfully to his superior who was sitting on a Huanghuali armchair.
Last night, after he was knocked unconscious by Zhao Duan, it was already dawn when he woke up.
He didn't suffer any serious injuries, but compared to the superficial injuries, the loss of face in public was more difficult for him to bear.
I took a day off and stayed at home, but unexpectedly, I was called in the evening.
At this moment, the middle-aged civil servant in a green robe and with a bruised face and nose slowly raised his head and looked upward curiously.
I saw a Dali Temple official who was about sixty years old, with a square face and deep "chuan" wrinkles on his brows. He was wearing home clothes and was playing with a vase in his hands.
Next to him, on the coffee table, were two opened valuable boxes, padded with soft silk.
One of them was empty, and in the other box, there was another vase.
"Is your injury better?"
Zhou Cheng asked in a calm tone, but his eyes were always glued to the extremely precious blue and white porcelain vase from the previous dynasty.
He Zheng said respectfully:
"Your Excellency is concerned about me. I am not seriously injured and have asked a doctor to see me."
"That's good." Zhou Cheng said calmly:
"It just so happens that I have an errand for you to do."
He Zheng was surprised: "May I ask what is the matter that requires you to personally entrust me with this?"
Zhou Cheng spoke in a calm tone, but what he said startled He Si Cheng.
"I want you to investigate the evidence of Zhao Duan's crime. It is impolite not to return the favor. This time, our Dali Temple has lost face. If we don't do something, how will the officials see us? Where is our dignity?"
Investigate Zhao Duan!
He Zheng was surprised and said in embarrassment:
"Sir, the man surnamed Zhao is a favorite of His Majesty and is deeply loved. Marquis Xiajiang is not far from death, and even Princess Yunyang has been sent to a nunnery. We..."
Zhou Cheng paused, then slowly turned his head, looking down at him with a pair of cloudy old eyes, intimidating without even getting angry:
"Are you afraid?"
"No!" He Zheng said solemnly:
"I was humiliated in public by Zhao, so how could I not want to overthrow him? But Your Majesty..."
Zhou Cheng said calmly:
"The reason why this man has been so unscrupulous recently is simply because he is relying on the favor of the Saint. However, the things he has done have already displeased the officials in the court. In other words, as long as he loses favor with the Saint, it will be easy to get rid of him."
Falling out of favor?
He Zheng was curious: "Does your Excellency have a solution?"
Zhou Cheng glanced at him unhappily and said:
"If I had evidence, would I still need you? But there is indeed a way.
This man has been hanging around in Beijing for more than a year. I don't believe that he has never touched other women. Oh, a young man full of blood and power, entering the world of flowers and girls, how can he control himself?"
He Zheng's eyes lit up:
"Your Excellency, what you mean is that although Zhao appears to be aloof from women and only loves saints, he must be having an affair with other women in private.
Given the temper of our Majesty, once he finds out that Zhao Duan is messing around behind his back, he will certainly lose his favor towards him. By then, without someone to rely on, he will naturally die. "
Zhou Cheng smiled and nodded:
"That's why I told you to investigate. As long as you find the evidence, that little thief will die."
He Zheng was overjoyed: "I understand. I will start the investigation tomorrow."
Zhou Cheng nodded in satisfaction: "Remember to be more discreet, don't let him notice."
"Yes, I will take my leave now?"
"Wait. Take these loose pieces out and throw them away."
Zhou Cheng suddenly called him, and then looked at the green-robed civil servant in astonishment.
As soon as he loosened his grip, the extremely precious blue and white porcelain vase in his hand, which was given to him by an unknown person, fell to the ground.
With a "bang", it broke into pieces.
"Sir, this..." He Zheng felt distressed:
"If I am not mistaken, this is a tribute from the previous dynasty, right? There are only two twins from this kiln in the world, and now one is destroyed, what a pity!"
Zhou Cheng smiled, and the corrupt official who had accepted a lot of bribes privately shook his head.
Pointing to the remaining bottle on the table, he said:
"These two bottles are indeed rare, and they are the only treasures in the world. However, you must know that things are valuable because they are rare. I destroyed one, so the remaining one is truly a unique piece in the world."
He Zheng was stunned, and suddenly said:
"Your Excellency's opinion is profound. I appreciate your advice."
Zhou Cheng laughed and waved his hand:
"Go ahead. Remember, be careful. I don't want to see Zhao Duan survive this autumn."
Thanks to Jiu Miao for the 500 points reward!
(End of this chapter)