Chapter 290: 1 Order to mobilize troops, Zhao Duan leads his troops to break the city

Chapter 290: 1 Order to mobilize troops, Zhao Duan leads his troops to break the city

Chapter 290: A mobilization order, Zhao Duan led his troops to break the city
"Princess, please be careful with your words. When we talk, we should avoid such words."

Zhao Duan's face suddenly changed. He acted like a gentleman and a loyal licker to the empress. He took a step back and said seriously:
"I'm afraid your majesty will misunderstand!"

"..."Xu Junling, who had a sweet appearance and skin as smooth as silk, froze in smile.

Feeling the strange gazes from all directions, she took a deep breath, clenched her hands tightly in her sleeves, maintained the elegance and demeanor of a "talented woman", and smiled:
"Master Zhao is joking."

After Zhao Duan said this, he was too lazy to pay attention to her and looked around.

Outside the capital, the scenery becomes noticeably more spacious.

A long official road running from north to south, with leaves on both sides turning yellow and falling one after another, a scene of decay.

Although there is still some green left on the treetops, there is not much left.

The gray "tea flag" of the tea stall looked listless, drooping on a flagpole rooted in the loess road.

At this moment, as this small team stopped, the accompanying personnel also became busy.

Or feed the horses, or look for wooden stakes to tie the carriage.

Zhao Duan did not bring many people with him on this business trip, less than ten in total, including his direct descendants in Lihua Hall.

Qian Kerou, Shen Juan and Hou Renmeng were the leaders, and there were also several Jinyi uniform captains.

As for Zheng Laojiu, he stayed in Beijing to look after the house.

In addition, there is an imperial censor from the Censorate who serves as the imperial envoy's deputy.

He was a middle-aged man with a woman's name, Chen Hong.

At this moment, the middle-aged censor Chen Hong poked his head out of the carriage, revealing a weathered face with two silver false teeth, and smiled brightly:
"Master Zhao, please take your time to rest. I will not get off the carriage."

Yuan Li's men are indeed a bunch of cowards... Zhao Duan nodded with a smile, but he was complaining madly in his heart.

This deputy censor was fine when he left the capital.

But one day, the princess suddenly inserted herself into the team without anyone noticing. Since then, Lao Deng caught a cold that day and reduced the number of times he left the carriage, as if he didn't want to get involved.

As for the remaining two carriages, they naturally belonged to the daughter of King Huai'an.

Xu Junling and his maid Lushui were in a car.

The swordsman master "Master Lu" who was raised in the palace and fought against Prince Hai that day was another person from the tall and rough man and the mediocre female warrior who pretended to challenge him on the ring that day.

At this moment, the owner and the waiter of the roadside tea stall saw the clothes of this group of people and did not dare to be careless at all.

He wiped the table and arranged the chairs flatteringly and greeted us with a smile.

He even wiped the best table twice, and asked Zhao Duan and Xu Junling, who were the "hosts", to sit down:
"Master, Madam, please come in."

Zhao Duan rolled his eyes. He was too lazy to explain because he had been misunderstood too many times along the way.

Xu Junling, who was wearing a brightly coloured silk garment that looked expensive, sat down opposite him with a smile on his face. He waited for the waiter to pour tea and leave before he whispered:
"Aren't you afraid that the emperor sister will misunderstand you this time?"

Zhao Duan, with a big horse and a golden sword, sat on a bench and took a sip of the tea bowl.

Blowing the slightly cool autumn breeze, he stared at her helplessly and sighed softly:

"Princess, you are playing with fire. I came here on a mission under the Emperor's order. Why don't you go back to your Huai River and follow us? What's going on?"

Fortunately, I have Censor Chen to testify for me, otherwise I would have lost my good reputation for the rest of my life."

Qingming... Hehe... Xu Junling's mouth twitched slightly. He had already developed resistance to Zhao's shamelessness and said with a smile:

"I am just going home, back to the Huai River Road. I have to pass through Linfeng Road on the way. Besides, I have finally made the trip north. How can I miss the opportunity to discuss poetry and essays with a talented scholar like Lord Zhao?"

Just talk nonsense... Zhao Duan was too lazy to expose her.

……

In the past few days, Xu Junling did often talk to him in the name of "discussing poetry and prose".

The reasons given are very plausible:
At the Zhangtai Banquet that day, Zhao Duan drank and wrote poetry, leaving behind a famous piece that has become a legend.

Others are concerned about the gossip behind the poem, but Xu Junling, a "talented woman from Jiangnan", is more interested in the talent revealed in the poem itself.

These days, every time I stop to rest, I talk to him about it.

She is just like an ancient version of a literary young woman.

But Zhao Duan was not stupid. He could tell at a glance that this scheming little princess was using this excuse to get to know him better.

Xu Junling did not deny this either.

From her point of view, she should have a good relationship with this powerful official who is bound to rise... at least she should understand his character.

However, admiration and curiosity about his poetic talent do exist.

Xu Junling still can't figure out how this guy, who has almost no education experience in his resume, could write such poems.

Unfortunately, no matter how she tried, Zhao Duan did not reveal any more poems.

For a moment, she doubted Zhao Duan's true abilities.

Or is it just to gain fame and reputation, and to buy poems and essays in advance with money?

"As long as the princess is happy,"

Zhao Duan shook his head and pointed ahead seriously:

"However, the city of Taicang is ahead. I need to investigate a case here. Once we enter the city, we will part ways."

Xu Junling said "Oh", not caring much, and said lightly:

"This is also my first time in Taicang Prefecture. I am thinking of staying in the city for a few days to enjoy the autumn scenery. If Lord Zhao doesn't mind, I am also quite interested in the silver mine."

Zhao Duan looked at her deeply:
"If the princess wants to stay, I can't stop her. But, isn't the princess afraid of getting into trouble?"

Xu Junling smiled sweetly, with a graceful manner:
"I have nothing to hide, so I'm naturally not afraid. My Huai'an Palace has never been involved in the silver mining business, and I have never extended my hand to Linfeng. What is there to be afraid of?
Besides, the affairs of the Imperial Sister are my affairs. How can I sit back and watch someone embezzle my Xu Family's money?"

In the small tea stall, the two sat opposite each other, neither avoiding nor avoiding each other's gaze.

One frown, one smile.

Zhao Duan was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled brightly:
"If the princess has this intention, I'm sure His Majesty will be very happy too."

He didn't mind that this scheming princess joined in the fun.

It is always better to get involved openly than to sneak around in secret.

Besides, he never underestimated the power that this princess could mobilize.

Apart from anything else, the old man named Lu beside her is also a good helper.

As for conflicts of interest... it is highly likely that there are none. On the one hand, if the Taicang incident is related to Prince Huai'an, then if the princess follows him, it will only increase suspicion.

In addition, the King of Huai'an, who was extremely wealthy and controlled several merchant ships, really looked down on this petty corruption.

"What are you looking at?"

Xu Junling glanced and saw Zhao Duan took out a booklet and was flipping through it.

"See which local tyrants are there in this territory, which ones are poisonous and which ones are not."

Zhao Duan said casually, and a name appeared on the booklet in his hand.

The governor, the provincial governor, the commander... these were officials of the "dao" level, officials of the third rank and above. Well, they corresponded to the provincial officials he was familiar with in his previous life.

Then, it was the prefect of Taicang City, Sun Xiaozheng.

Here we have to mention the administrative divisions of Dayu. There are nine "daos", and each "dao" is quite large, with a large number of county towns in it.

Because the area of ​​a "Dao" is large, two "Fu" cities will be divided as the primary and secondary centers, roughly corresponding to the city.

Thus, there came the saying of nine provinces and eighteen prefectures...which did not include the capital city.

Linfeng Road is adjacent to the capital city. To the south is the Huaishui Road, and to the southeast is Jiancheng Road - that is, the location of Prince Jing's Palace.

To the west is Xiping Road, where Eugene Hua’s parents’ home is.

There are two prefectures in Linfeng, one is "Linfeng Prefecture" and the other is "Taicang Prefecture".

Taicang County, where the silver mine is located, is where Taicang Prefecture is located.

“The documents from the imperial court arrived many days earlier than mine, so at this moment, the officials who were conferred the title must be waiting for me, the imperial envoy, to arrive in the city ahead.

Haha, the post station we stayed at last night sent out a message early. At this time, those officials are probably lining up at the city gate to welcome us."

Zhao Duan said casually.

Xu Junling nodded slightly, not surprised at all.

From her perspective, she often talked with officials at the level of provincial governor when she was in Huaishui, so she thought it was normal.

At this moment, he couldn't help but curl up the corners of his mouth and said teasingly:

"You have walked headfirst into someone's lair. Even though you are an imperial envoy from the capital, but you have come to someone else's territory with just a few people... hehe.

These bigwigs who are in charge of a region may be polite to you on the surface, but secretly, the situation is that the enemy is strong and we are weak.

How about it, have you figured out how to establish your authority? Otherwise, please beg me, my Huai'an Palace is still..."

Zhao Duan smiled, did not respond, closed the booklet, and stared quietly at the tea bowl on the table.

"What are you looking at?" The ignored princess raised her eyebrows.

Zhao Duan stared at the slightly rippling water in the bowl and the face reflected in the water, and murmured, "Everything is ready, only the east wind is missing."

"What?" Xu Junling became more and more confused.

But Zhao Duan picked up the tea bowl and drank it all, then said with a smile: "The princess wants to go into the city, please stay behind, the imperial envoy team has to go first."

……

……

Dozens of miles away is Taicang City.

Early in the morning, the yamen runners urged the people to clean the streets and suppress the gangs and other eyesores in the city in advance.

A group of high-ranking officials who were to be appointed in the city put on their official robes, wore black hats on their heads, and led a group of local officials to line up at the city gate, waiting anxiously.

Finally, two carriages and horse-drawn vehicles arrived on the official road, with a yellow silk cloth hanging from the roof of the carriages as a sign.

"The imperial envoy is here!"

Sun Xiaozheng, the dark, thin, and resolute prefect, said in a deep voice.

At this moment, all the officials present felt a sinking feeling in their hearts.

The Governor Gao Lian and the elderly Provincial Surveillance Commissioner also raised their chests.

Wait until the carriage team stops at the city gate.

Gao Lian, who had an elegant demeanor and whose official robes were ironed to be wrinkle-free, led the crowd to greet them. He laughed loudly, stepped forward and bowed:

"Is that Imperial Envoy Zhao in front?"

The thick curtains of the two carriages were lifted one after another.

The first person to come out was the imperial censor in a green robe with silver-encrusted false teeth, and then came Zhao Duan, who was leisurely invited out by Qian Kerou.

Zhao Duan had an indifferent expression and a disdainful look in his eyes. He was wearing the unique official robe of the White Horse Supervisor, which he had changed into on the road.

His eyes swept over the smiling faces of Gao Lian and other local officials, and finally stopped at the face of the leading civil servant, and smiled:
"I have long heard of the great name of Gao Buzheng. Seeing him today, I can see that he has an extraordinary demeanor."

Gao Lian laughed out loud:

"You are too kind, Imperial Envoy. I have long heard of Lord Zhao's reputation in the capital. It is said that he is handsome and handsome. Seeing him today, I can see that his reputation is well-deserved. No wonder your Majesty trusts him so much."

The censor, who had a good-natured face, also smiled and said:

"Gao Buzheng is absolutely right."

Even Prefect Sun, who had made outstanding political achievements and often dared to slam the table in opposition to his superiors, had a big smile on his face and looked eager, and was generous with his praise.

Led by these three, other local officials spoke up one after another, praising his appearance.

The imperial envoy's team is full of shrewd people, and they will gradually hear something different.

This group of local officials seemed to be praising Zhao Duan, but they did not mention any of Zhao Duan's achievements or abilities at all, and only praised his appearance.

The sentence "No wonder Your Majesty relies on me" is even more ironic.

Implying that he relied on a gigolo to get to the top.

The smile of Censor Chen Hong gradually faded, and the expressions of the imperial guards in Lihua Hall became unhappy.

When facing the imperial envoy, local officials would not confront or conflict with him openly, but this kind of soft sarcasm made them even more infuriated, but they had no way to vent their anger.

However, Zhao Duan seemed to be completely oblivious to the sarcasm and ridicule in the group's words. His smile was still warm and he even looked particularly graceful.

This appearance made the local officials headed by Gao Lian a little surprised. They wondered whether this imperial envoy was a cunning man who never showed his emotions, or he was really a fool who lived up to his reputation.

Well, if it's the latter, that would be best.

"The imperial envoy has been traveling a long way. We have prepared an inn and a banquet to welcome him. Come on, why don't you lead the way?"

After the greetings, Gao Lian smiled and invited them to enter the city gate.

Zhao Duan smiled but did not move, saying, "Master Gao, please wait a moment, everyone is not here yet. Also, I wonder if the post station you have prepared is spacious enough?"

Everyone was stunned, what do you mean?
Is there anyone left behind?
Gao Lian suddenly felt uneasy and said with a smile: "The posthouse is naturally spacious. Although the Taicang government office is not rich, it is more than enough to receive the imperial envoy team."

"Is that so? Then I'm relieved," Zhao Duan smiled shyly, seeming a little embarrassed, "I brought a lot of people with me."

How many? How many can there be?

The local officials didn't care much.

However, the next second, the earth roared without warning.

The local officials headed by Gao Lian were stunned. They were attracted by the noise and looked up into the distance.

Then the pupils all narrowed!
I saw a group of cavalry rushing out in the distance, stretching out in a black line that seemed to have no end.

Amid the flying dust, armored cavalrymen approached brazenly. The general in the lead was carrying a large, waving flag with the words "Linfeng" inscribed on it, fluttering in the wind.

Zhao Duan smiled slightly: "My people are here."

(End of this chapter)