Chapter 141 "Evidence" in Hand
Chapter 141 "Evidence" in Hand
"Anything else you need? As long as it's within the scope of our agreement, I can give it to you."
Yuan Li stood in front of the hall with his hands behind his back, turned his head and said to him.
Zhao Duan shook his head: "Mr. Yuan's help is enough."
After a brief pause, he asked curiously, "However, there is still one question that I am puzzled about."
"explain."
Zhao Duan asked doubtfully:
"Prince Yuan said before that it's hard to pursue some of the little evidence against Prime Minister Zhou. May I ask what you mean by that?"
Yuan Li glanced at him, not surprised, and said after a moment of hesitation:
"Do you know why His Majesty suddenly ordered you to find trouble with Zhou Cheng?"
...Isn’t it because he is the Prime Minister’s man?
Zhao Duan wanted to speak subconsciously, but suddenly remembered the scene when the empress gave him instructions by the lake, and shook his head:
"I don't know, my subordinate."
Yuan Li said with emotion:
"Because he is one of the Nine Ministers and was once a minister in the cabinet during the reign of the previous emperor. More importantly, before the Xuanmen coup, he was also one of the 'ministers of state' entrusted by the previous emperor to look after his son."
Minister of State? Him? Zhao Duan was surprised.
Yuan Li recalled:
"On that day, the late emperor suddenly became critically ill, and he urgently summoned the three dukes, nine ministers, and cabinet ministers to the palace to serve as regents. Zhou Cheng was not qualified at first, but because of Wang Zhen, he was able to become one of the eight 'regents' and assist the crown prince after the late emperor passed away. But..."
But the prince is dead... Zhao Duan silently complained:
"Is there anything special about the regent?"
Yuan Li explained: "According to the old system of Dayu, all ministers who are in charge of the imperial court will not be investigated unless they have committed a serious crime."
That's it!
No wonder he has a little secret, but it's hard to delve into it... This regent is a weakened version of a death-free gold medal... But in the history of my previous life, the regent seemed to have died a miserable death...
Zhao Duan suddenly realized and said:
"So, if your majesty wants to replace the old ministers with new ones, you can only order me to find a serious crime?"
Yuan Li sighed lightly, glanced at him, and reminded:
"Your Majesty has been preparing to form a new cabinet, and this is something that Li Yanfu, Zhou Cheng and others do not want to see. Zhou Cheng is particularly vehement in his opposition."
New cabinet?
Zhao Duan was overjoyed and habitually threw out a flattering remark:
"When the new cabinet is opened, Lord Yuan will be able to join the cabinet and replace Li Yanfu!"
Yuan Li didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and cursed:
"Stop flattering me. The new cabinet is different from what you imagined. It is mostly composed of young scholars. I can't get in. Go and do your business. As a military officer, don't pry into the affairs of scholars. It has nothing to do with you."
Who are you talking about? I was a secretary in my previous life. I am also a writer. I have a lot of poems and articles to copy.
Zhao Duan became more and more curious about the so-called "new cabinet".
……
……
Outside the Censorate, in the shade on the other side of the street.
"Zhao Duan has been in there for quite a while, why hasn't he come out yet?"
Haitang, a heroic girl with an oval face and a bright teardrop mole at the corner of her eye, leaned against the carriage, hugged her shoulders and muttered.
Look towards the gate across the street.
"Mr. Yuan is so busy that it's hard for him to meet you. Even if Mr. Yuan agrees to meet him based on his 'relationship' with Your Majesty, he will have to wait for a while."
The king of papers Zhang Han analyzed calmly, and the driver Xiao Wang nodded frequently.
Haitang sighed. Because the sun was glaring, she raised her hand to create a "shade" in front of her forehead and looked eagerly:
"It's almost noon, and we are just waiting here like this? If I had known, I should have grabbed him. He has a wild idea, asking Yuan Gong for help, he is really bold, why not go to Li Yanfu for help?"
Zhang Han didn't say anything, but he didn't hold any hope for help this time.
Even Lord Yuan had to be extremely cautious when it came to being an enemy of Zhou Cheng. Zhao Duan was used to using his power to suppress others, but he couldn't suppress Yuan Li.
"Hey, the master has come out." The coachman Xiao Wang exclaimed.
The two were shocked and saw Zhao Duan take a step, walk out from between the two white jade lions and return straight to this side.
"How is it? Did you meet Mr. Yuan?"
Haitang teased and joked, looking forward to seeing the other person look frustrated.
Zhang Han also looked over and comforted him:
"It's normal that Mr. Yuan doesn't help. We can think of other ways."
Xiao Wang also said attentively:
"Sir, I know a good restaurant nearby."
Trying to soothe the boss's lonely heart with delicious food.
Zhao Duan looked at them with a mixture of laughter and tears:
"You guys have no confidence in me? Mr. Yuan has promised to help us collect clues and send them to us by tomorrow. If we delay, something bad may happen. You two, it looks like we have to work overtime tonight."
"I told you not to..." Haitang's teasing words got stuck in her throat, and she stared at him blankly:
"Can you say that again?"
Zhang Han also showed an expression of disbelief, and Xiao Wang's eyes widened even more.
Mr. Yuan... agreed to lend a helping hand?
Incredible.
……
The rear court of Dali Temple.
The place where Xia Jianghou and Zhou Cheng drank tea and traded that day.
"So, you pried open Qin Qiu's mouth and learned about this?"
The Dali Temple official, wearing a scarlet official robe, a black gauze hat, a square face, and a deep "chuan" pattern between his eyebrows, lowered his eyes with a slightly turbid gaze, locking onto his subordinates.
He Zheng, who had changed back into his blue official robe, flattered as if seeking credit:
"Sir, that's true. Qin Qu has been thrown into prison and is being kept in solitary confinement. If you want to see him, you can take him out for interrogation at any time."
“That’s not necessary. I’m confident in your work.” The Chief Justice of the Dali Temple, who was over 60 years old, smiled and nodded as a token of praise.
He Zheng was greatly encouraged and said eagerly:
"Sir, since Wang Shan resigned from his post after the death of Eunuch Wang, he has been hanging out with the children of the rich and powerful in Beijing, and has been connected with many people, both openly and secretly.
He knew that Zhao the thief was the favorite of the empress, but he still sent a woman to him... He must have the intention to capture him. I think he must have evidence in his hands. If you want it, I will go and get it."
Zhou Cheng glanced at him but said nothing. Instead, he was thinking and weighing the pros and cons.
In his hands, he slowly turned a pair of precious "dragon eye" pearls. The pearls were from Binhaidao, one was pure white, the other was pure black, both were perfectly round and extremely rare. I wonder where they came from.
"Not urgent……"
Zhou Cheng spoke slowly:
"Wang Shan is an old acquaintance of mine. If you go there rashly, he will blame me for being ruthless. So, I will write a letter and you can have someone deliver it secretly..."
……
……
After leaving the Censorate, Zhao Duan and his party went to the restaurant recommended by Xiao Wang to fill their stomachs. When they returned to the imperial court, it was already afternoon.
"Are we really just going to wait? Do you want to check on Wang Shan first, or just invite him over?"
Haitang leaned back in her chair, relaxing from the fatigue of running around for half a day, and couldn't help but speak.
Zhao Duan did the same thing, loosening his belt slightly to relieve his bloated stomach, and said lazily:
"No rush. He's in the capital, and he can't get away anytime soon. We've already made a lot of moves today, and if we go to check on him, we'll easily alert the enemy."
Zhang Han also nodded to show his agreement.
At this moment, the three of them were sitting in the "inner hall" of Lihua Hall.
The empty chairs on both sides of the huge long table were occupied by three people.
Qian Kerou, the "confidential secretary" with a round face and clear, stupid eyes, came in with a tea tray and poured tea for the three people in turn. There were also three pears on the tray.
"Sir, the pears in the yard are ripening. You can try some." Qian Kerou said softly.
Zhao Duan's eyes lit up, he picked up one and took a bite, the rich and slightly sour juice filled his mouth and his eyes lit up.
He waved his hand and was about to order the secretary to leave, but suddenly he thought of something and said:
"You stay on duty tonight and send someone to look for this person. Tell them I'm looking for him and ask him to come over here."
Zhao Duan handed over a piece of paper, on which was written Qin Qiu's name and address.
He never ignored the memories of Wang Shan that emerged in his mind during the day.
On the way back, he was reminiscing and vaguely remembered that he had been to Wang Shan's mansion with Qin Qu.
So he prepared to find this lackey to ask him.
Wait for Qian Kerou to take orders and leave.
Zhao Duan then looked at his two colleagues:
"Once the information that Yuan Gong helped to find is delivered, we will have to rely on the two detective masters to find clues from it."
Haitang chewed on a pear and rolled her eyes:
"That's provided that what you say is true."
Although Zhao Duan's words were certain, she and Zhang Han were still cautious and skeptical about Yuan Li's willingness to help.
However, this suspicion was dispelled at night. The three of them waited quietly in Lihua Hall until it was dark and the lights were turned on. Qian Kerou, who had left her duty, ran in:
"Sir, someone is looking for you."
Zhao Duan was shocked and hurriedly asked her to come in.
After a while, a strange servant of Yuan Mansion bowed:
"Meet Zhao Jisi. My master ordered me to deliver what you want."
As he spoke, the other two servants behind him each put a box on the table with a "bang", opened the buckle, and revealed that it was filled with documents.
Has it really been delivered?
Haitang and Zhang Han stood up, each holding a box. They looked through the box quickly and their eyes lit up. It was exactly what they needed.
"Thank Mr. Yuan for me."
Zhao Duan smiled and said, "It's so quick to collect so much."
The servant shook his head and said:
"This is only the first batch. There will be follow-up. Lord Yuan was worried that you might be impatient, so he ordered me to deliver it first."
The first batch? Zhao Duan was also stunned.
After seeing him off, he turned around and saw that "High Ponytail" and "Paradox Face" had already lit candles in the hall. The candles were placed in the middle of the table, and lanterns were swaying under the eaves.
The night outside was quiet, but the hall was brightly lit.
The case was of great importance and needed to be kept confidential, so for the sake of caution, the two men did not plan to call on their subordinates for help, but immediately rolled up their sleeves to search and check.
Zhao Duan, who had become a hands-off manager and claimed that he did not know how to investigate the case, diligently cut the lantern flowers for the two of them.
For a moment, the rustling sound of papers turning in the room, the whispered conversations and hurried discussions drowned out the night.
And this is just the beginning.
That night, the servants of the Yuan Mansion brought information every hour, and the large table in Lihua Hall was piled with information like a mountain.
As more documents were delivered, the details of the case gradually became clear.
It was not until early morning that Zhao Duan, who was sitting in a big chair and taking a nap with his eyes closed, was suddenly awakened.
"Has more information been delivered?"
He lifted the coat covering his face, opened his sleepy eyes, and asked vaguely.
I vaguely saw the sky gradually brightening, and a night had passed.
"There is no information,"
Haitang, who had not slept all night, looked down at him expressionlessly, her eyes full of disdain for his hands-off approach.
Then, the corners of his mouth slightly raised:
"No more information is needed."
Why... Zhao Duan was a little dazed and his thinking was slow in his sleep.
The king of the roll, Zhang Han, was in high spirits, and even more energetic because of staying up late to work overtime. He also stood up with a smile and said:
"We found what we need!"
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(End of this chapter)