Chapter 324: The Great Yu Imperial Master Returns, Zhao Duan Urgently Summoned to the Palace

Chapter 324: The Great Yu Imperial Master Returns, Zhao Duan Urgently Summoned to the Palace

Chapter 324: The Great Yu Imperial Master Returns, Zhao Duan Urgently Summoned to the Palace (Two in One)

Early in the morning of that day, the hottest "topic" in the officialdom of the capital city in recent times, namely the arrest and conviction of the governor Gao Lian in Beijing based on corruption in Taicang Prefecture, finally came to an end.

When the news that Wang Chusheng and Gao Lian both died suddenly in prison last night came out, as expected, it caused an uproar throughout the capital.

"Two people died suddenly at the same time? Do you think I believe it?"

"How could this happen? How could people die at the same time in prison? I don't understand!"

"I heard that Gao Lian left a confession before his death. Maybe he committed suicide!"

For the vast majority of people, they don’t know the inside story and are simply extremely surprised.

And soon after, more "rumors" began to circulate.

Among them, the most eye-catching one is the one where Miss Mo led the imperial guards out of the palace and entered the Ministry of Justice prison late at night.

Everyone who heard it was shocked, and then they kept it a secret and fell silent.

Combined with the struggles and games in the court, many people speculated that the "Li Party" silenced the witnesses and the empress killed people in return.

Just when people were getting anxious and thinking that another round of bloody storm was about to begin, the story that happened at the morning court today caught everyone off guard.

It is said that Li Yanfu spoke in court, claiming that Gao Lian had confessed his guilt in prison and was sentenced to death, and the charges against him were proven. Li Yinglong, as the Minister of Works, was responsible for negligence, and requested that he be removed from office and punished.

Xu Zhenguan readily agreed.

The young minister was tragically sacrificed and became the victim to quell the dispute.

After Li Yanfu stepped forward, all the "Li Party" officials who had been cheering for Gao Lian also stopped their activities, after all, the person was dead.

Things can only come to an abrupt and unsatisfactory end in this way.

To the outside world, they only said that one died suddenly and the other committed suicide out of fear of punishment. As for how to appease the Jiangnan gentry and how to accept this matter, it was no longer a topic that Zhao Duan was concerned about.

"Your Majesty is so awesome." Qian Kerou said with reverence in Lihua Hall.

The rest of the Jinyi nodded in agreement: Yes, yes.

Everyone thought that it was Zhenbao who killed people and forced Li Yanfu to admit defeat... Zhao Duan slumped in the "office chair", holding his chin and listening to his subordinates chattering.

No one knows that the real murderer of Gao Lian is Lord Zhao who is beside him.

However, Zhao Duan would not expose it himself. Over the next two days, the aftermath of this incident in the capital gradually spread and calmed down.

The storm has come to a temporary end.

Zhao Duan suddenly had some free time, and he spent every day pondering over the plot of a novel about cultivating immortals, so that he could use it to please Pei Niannu in his "dream".

Even after being promoted to the God Chapter, his spiritual power surged, and many memories of his past life became exceptionally clear, and he could recall a lot of things.

But it is still difficult to reproduce it completely. Fortunately, although Pei Niannu loves listening to books, his taste is not picky.

Zhao Duan used his memory as the blueprint, and wrote the forgotten plots himself, which could satisfy the appetite of this senior. However, the fixed daily updates made Zhao Duan feel the hardship of being a coder...

As for the relationship between the two, there was no substantial breakthrough.

Ever since that day when he was bestowed with the magic of "Spirit Flame", Senior Pei regained his aloof attitude. Whenever Senior Pei talked too much, he would lift up his skull. Only storytellers would not be killed.

Zhao Duan gradually figured it out:
Pei Niannu's temper is that if she is happy with what she hears, she will give him some benefits.

However, he did not seek more skills, but decided to use the rare opportunity of "guidance and learning" to fight with Pei Niannu to improve his martial arts.
——After deliberately lowering her strength, the golden-armored sorceress finally stopped killing him instantly.

Soon, no one mentioned Gao Lian's case anymore. In addition to making up stories and practicing daily, Zhao Duan made rapid progress in the Divine Chapter Realm.

It is to arrange Lihuatang to investigate the rebel party of Kuangfu Society and find a breakthrough.

He did not forget that he had taken on the task of capturing Zhuang Xiaocheng. Seeing that it was already late autumn, he decided to make an effort in this regard.

"How can the imperial court passively accept repeated provocations from the rebels? We should take the initiative to attack!"

Zhao Duan said this during a meeting in the hall.

I was wondering whether I could completely wipe out the intelligence network of the Kuangfu Society in the capital and complete this year's KPI ahead of schedule.

……

……

"Whoosh-"

Early in the morning, on the martial arts training ground of the Zhao Mansion, Zhao Duan swung out a bamboo stick in his hand, splitting the air and making a sharp whistling sound.

With a puff, the ink-black bamboo stick flew out of his hand, like a sharp short spear thrown by a general on the battlefield, and pierced a hole through the target standing at the foot of the wall.

"it is good!"

Nearby, several maids cheered and rushed forward with basins of water and towels to wipe the sweat off Zhao Duan, who had gotten up early to practice martial arts, showing their emotional value and service to the fullest.

This was what he learned from the grand ceremony of Zhen Bao practicing Taoism in the imperial palace.

Well...it's not that he is greedy for enjoyment, but as the future emperor, he should adapt to the life in the palace in advance!
Zhao Duan opened his arms and closed his eyes, letting the morning light from the east shine on his naked body.

When he practiced martial arts, he wore only a pair of long pants and cloth shoes. His smooth and strong muscles were covered with a layer of oil due to beads of sweat, making them shine brightly.

This made the maids in the Zhao mansion very envious. They would boldly pinch it when wiping it, thinking that it was no wonder that His Majesty was fond of their own young master. Who wouldn't be jealous?

Every time she saw this scene, the head maid Mian Tao would glare and turn around to scold the newly summoned servants to abide by the rules.

The phrase that Miantao often says is:
"You are lucky to have come here at a good time. If you had come here a year ago and dared to be so presumptuous, the young master would have made things very unpleasant for you."

It can only be said that Zhao Duan’s original bad image at home has now been completely reversed.

"Okay, go down." Zhao Duan put on his coat, sent away the servants, and walked to the dining hall.

I saw my stepmother and sister were waiting here, and Eugene Hua was telling the servants something.

Seeing him coming, her eyes turned into a line of smiles, and she greeted him enthusiastically. She glanced at the thin coat her stepson was casually wearing, and reached out to tighten the open collar for him, saying:

"It's so cold now. You should wear more clothes when practicing martial arts. Sweating makes you more susceptible to illness."

Perhaps due to his improvement in cultivation, Zhao Duan has grown a little taller recently. He looks fashionable in his robe but it is not obvious. He still has the elegant and feminine demeanor of a young man.

But even with just a thin coat on, he actually looks a bit "burly".

This is especially evident when compared with the woman in front of him who was straightening his clothes.

Zhao Pan, sitting at the table with her waist straight, was tearing a persimmon with her ten fingers, and said with a pout:
"Mom, my brother is now at a level where he is no longer afraid of the cold."

Well, this is what Zhao Duan said to her last night. Now that the girl recounted it, she felt inexplicably good, as if she was sharing a little secret that her mother didn't know.

Zhao Duan smiled and took his seat. Zhao Pan had just torn off the last persimmon peel and handed it to him with his smart hands, smiling:
"Brother, eat persimmons. They were just picked from the tree yesterday."

I missed the Mid-Autumn Festival when I went on a business trip to Taicang Prefecture. Now the leaves in the capital are falling, and the persimmon trees are bearing bright red persimmons.

Like lanterns.

Zhao Duan took the persimmon, thanked him, took a bite, and tasted the sweet juice mixed with a hint of bitterness. He smiled and said:
"It's a good sign. It looks like something good is going to happen today."

……

After dinner, Zhao Duan walked out of the house and found the coachman Xiao Wang waiting outside.

On the way to the yamen, the autumn wind blew through the streets, dead leaves swirled on the ground, and the branches along the way also showed signs of withering.

For some reason, he felt an inexplicable pressure on his heart.

This strange premonition reached its peak after arriving at the yamen.

"What are you all doing here? Is it time to roll?"

When Zhao Duan entered the Lihua Hall, he saw a group of men in brocade clothes gathered inside the hall, discussing something. The atmosphere was a bit weird.

"Sir? You are here," the secretary Qian Kerou turned around. Her round face no longer had the usual smile, but a hint of autumn coolness, and her eyes were complicated:
"You should go to the Governor's Hall. The Governor has ordered that all the police officers from the various halls should go there when they arrive."

Zhao Duan was stunned and wanted to ask what happened, but the words rolled back to his throat when they reached his lips. He nodded and said, "Okay."

He turned around and headed for the Governor's Hall. The Jinyi officers he met along the way all looked unhappy. They gathered in groups of two or three and talked in low voices, creating a depressing atmosphere in the entire yamen.

When Zhao Duan entered the meeting room of the Governor's Hall, he saw that many people were already sitting in the hall, including Ma Yan, Haitang, Zhang Han and other familiar people. "Governor, are you looking for me?" Zhao Duan asked.

Ma Yan had a serious expression on his thin face. He motioned for him to sit down and said, "Do you understand?"

What do you know... Why have they all become riddlers... Zhao Duan shook his head.

Ma Yan pointed to a piece of paper that looked like a visiting card or an invitation in the middle of the table and said:

"This thing appeared on the gate of the government office this morning."

Then, Haitang next to him added seriously:

"Not only in our imperial court, but also in the six ministries, the Censorate, and several other important courts, the same thing has appeared, and the contents inside are exactly the same."

Zhao Duan reached out, picked up the visiting card, and unfolded it with both hands. On the red card, there were four big characters written in black calligraphy:

"I am back."

Apart from this, there is only the signature, a square seal with a black eye in the center and decorative patterns around it.

Zhao Duan was stunned. He felt that the seal looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where it was. He put the note down and asked in confusion, "What is this?"

"You don't know?" The dashing female detective with a high ponytail and a teardrop mole at the corner of her eye was stunned for a moment, then slapped her forehead and said in annoyance:
"Now I remember that you were just a nobody in the Imperial Guards before, so it's not surprising that you don't recognize the seal, but if I talk about the owner of the seal, you will definitely know."

Across from him, Zhang Han, who had a paralyzed face, said calmly, "National Master. It's the dead demon Taoist national master who has returned."

Zhao Duan was stunned, at first he was bewildered, and then the memories of the original owner came back to him.

National Division!

Of course he knew this name, and it was very well-known!
That was a figure from the reign of the old emperor. Zhao Duan was just a small soldier at that time. Although he worked in the palace, due to his status, he was not qualified to get in front of the nobles at all.

But we also know that a few years before the old emperor's death, he had a premonition that his life was coming to an end, so he was keen on ways to prolong his life.

He ate a lot of elixirs from the Tianshi Mansion and medicinal herbs from the Shenlong Temple.

But a person’s life span is too short to be forced to stay, and the old emperor also suspected that the Tianshi Mansion and the Shenlong Temple were just being perfunctory and unwilling to help because they wanted to check the imperial power.

So he sent people to try to find a capable alchemist in the world.

It was at that time that the Imperial Master entered the palace. He called himself an unknown sorcerer at the time, and the deity he cultivated was a god from outside the territory of Dayu. Although he could not change fate, he could prolong people's lifespan.

The old emperor was already ill at the time, and he was desperate to seek medical help from all over the place, but all the sorcerers he had consulted before were helpless.

After the unknown sorcerer took action, the old emperor became radiant in just one night.

The old emperor was overjoyed and immediately gave him a generous reward. He also begged him to stay in the capital and accompany him. For this, he even gave him the title of "Master of Dayu".

As soon as this title came out, the little-known national teacher was immediately pushed to the forefront.

Zhang Yanyi naturally didn't care about these things and was too lazy to pay attention to them, but some people in the Tianshi Mansion were dissatisfied. They thought that it was really arrogant for a foreign demon to dare to call himself the national teacher.

I don't even think that anyone can reverse their life span. It must be some evil method used by some demon.

But no matter how he investigated, he couldn't find any problems with the old emperor.

When Bian Ji of Shenlong Temple saw this, he also contacted him. After a conversation, Bian Ji said frankly that the national teacher was extraordinary and indeed had unique qualities.

For a time, the reputation of the National Master of Dayu soared, and he became a guest of honor among celebrities in the capital, and countless people were proud to invite the National Master to be their guest.

Zhao Duan vaguely remembered that at that time, the Second Prince Xu Jianwen was very close to the Imperial Master and had invited him to be his guest many times... Well, the Second Prince had always liked to make friends with talented people, so it was not surprising that he had cultivated the team of the Kuangfu Society.

According to rumors, when the Xuanmen coup took place and the second prince broke into the palace, Master Dayu was in the bedroom of the deceased old emperor - he was urgently summoned to prolong the life of the late emperor.

But it is worth mentioning that although the national teacher has extraordinary means, he is notoriously not good at fighting.

So, during the Xuanmen coup, he died in the chaos...his body was shot into a hedgehog by arrows, and his head was cut off.

After the empress crushed the rebellion, the list of rebels was made public and Master Dayu was listed as well, which meant that he was also a member of the Second Prince's army at that time.

However, the imperial teacher who was favored and rewarded by the late emperor turned out to be a rebel... This was somewhat of a slap in the face to the late emperor.

In addition, the person had already died in the coup, so no one mentioned this name soon after.

As a result, three years later, Master Dayu has almost disappeared from people's memory, and is only regarded as a dead "historical figure".

Available today.

The dead National Master Dayu actually came back?
"Master Du, is what Zhang Han said true? How is that possible?"

Zhao Duan was surprised. He was really surprised and understood why the atmosphere in the government office was so strange on the way here. "Just based on a sentence and a seal?"

He now remembered that this seal pattern was the personal seal of Master Dayu.

"This thing, if you give me a carrot, I can forge it." Zhao Duan spread his hands, thinking it was ridiculous.

However, Ma Yan's expression remained serious. He shook his head and said:
"It can't be forged. The seal of the demon is extremely unique and has a special verification method. After I got it, I compared it with some official documents with seals left by the demon in the government storehouse. It was indeed made by the same person. This involves the level of magic, including the handwriting is the same.

Of course, putting aside the seal, it may indeed be forged, but the point is that we suspected at the beginning that this demon was not completely dead! The demon who died in the palace on the day of the Xuanmen coup was probably not his real body! "

Meng feed!

Zhao Duan sat up straight at once. This information was beyond the reach of an unknown person like him.

He murmured:

"I remember that the Imperial Master... Bah, after this demon Taoist died, there was indeed a rumor in the capital that he had escaped and it was not him who died in the palace. There were also rumors that the reason why the previous emperor died was because of the evil hand of this demon Taoist...

But these stories were just rumors, and they were just one of many. I just treated them as rumors.”

Ma Yan shook his head and said:
"Most of the rumors are indeed fabricated. People love to discuss the affairs of the palace and are more interested in novelty, so it's not surprising. But it is also true that this evil Taoist may not be completely dead... This was your majesty's original judgment.

However, in the past two or three years, there has been no trace of this demon, including in the Kuangfu Society. We thought that he was indeed dead, but..."

Speaking of this, as an eyewitness of the Xuanmen coup and a master who fought bloody battles at that time, Ma Yan stared at the visiting card on the table without saying a word.

But Zhao Duan had already prepared for him in the next game: "But he's back."

Yes.

A ghost who was supposed to have died in the palace three years ago has returned again.

Was he pretending to be someone? Or was he really not dead? But he escaped from the capital? Was he hiding?
no one knows.

But Zhao Duan knew very well that the return of a rebel who had once stirred up trouble in the capital and was in league with the Second Prince Xu Jianwen was definitely not good news.

Moreover, he announced it so openly, obviously trying to tell everyone of his return.

"Does Your Majesty know?" Zhao Duan's heart sank and he asked a meaningless question.

At the same time, I felt bitter and complained to myself, thinking that I was such a bad person, luckily it happened...

"After I got the letter, I went to the palace immediately. On the way, I learned that other government offices had also received it and submitted it to the palace, so I returned first."

Ma Yan said calmly.

As a government office specifically established to deal with rebels, the return of the imperial teacher clearly falls within the business scope of the imperial government.

This led to this early morning meeting.

Zhao Duan also understood that their next goal was to wait for the empress's next instructions. At the same time, Ma Yan had already sent people out in advance to search for the whereabouts of the imperial teacher.

But it's obvious that this is doomed to be futile.

"Master Ma, His Majesty has given an order!" At this moment, a young eunuch hurried in and said, "His Majesty has summoned you to the palace for a meeting. Bring Lord Zhao with you."

It seems that things are getting serious... Zhao Duan stood up, looked at the eunuch, and said, "Your Majesty only summoned us?"

"Oh, where is Lord Zhao?" The eunuch bowed first and then said:

"If others ask, I dare not tell them, but since Lord Zhao has spoken, I will not hide it. His Majesty has summoned many members of the imperial party to the palace and also ordered people to go to the Tianshi Mansion. You two dare not delay, the matter is urgent, hurry up!"

Zhao Duan and Ma Yan looked at each other, and their hearts sank at the same time.

(End of this chapter)