Chapter 298 Arrest of the Imperial Envoy

Chapter 298 Arrest of the Imperial Envoy

Chapter 298 Arrest of the Imperial Envoy
"Yes! Son!"

The old man in plain robe outside the hall was stunned for a moment, then he was about to leave.

The man with a sword next to him said first:
"It's a rough job like cutting bamboo, why bother Master Lu? I can just go there."

As he spoke, he drew his sword from its sheath and strode out.

The old scholar's face changed when he heard this. He loved the black bamboo as if it were his own children and grandchildren, so how could he bear to allow this rough man to cut it down?
He immediately stood up and tried to stop it.

"Master Juren, you don't have to lead the way yourself. By the way, the matter of that group of Cuju boys in the manor bumping into me just now has not been settled yet.

I wonder which one is better at chopping bamboo, these young men or the bamboo forest? "

Zhao Duan said with a smile.

In his words, it seemed as if killing was as easy as eating and drinking.

That is the almost natural indifference of the children of the powerful and wealthy towards ordinary people.

Mr. Song shook his body.

He didn't know whether this mysterious young man really dared to kill Zhuangzi.

But he knew that the person who could make Lu Qingfeng bow down to him and be willing to be his servant must be a very powerful person.

Judging from the official language he spoke, he might be the son of a great noble in the court.

Although he held a high status in Taicang County, Song Juren, who had seen the real world, knew that his mere title of "juren" was just like an ant in the eyes of the powerful in the capital.

In other words.

Even if the other party really killed Xiaowu and the others, they could get away with it as long as they found a crime.

Compared with human lives, cutting down black bamboo is a trivial matter.

"This young master! Miss!"

The voice of the old scholar, who was nearly fifty years old, was almost pleading.

Instinctively pleaded with Xu Junling, a woman:
"I dare not lie to you two. If you want something, you can take whatever we have on the farm. But Song Tiju has nothing to do with my Song family..."

As he said this, this distinguished scholar seemed to be about to kneel down.

Since Xu Junling came in, he has been watching the show attentively.

But now he was a little unsure of what Zhao Duan meant.

I couldn't help but look at him, wanting to say something but stopping myself.

Then froze.

Zhao Duan's expression was extremely calm, and his eyes contained an almost emotionless scrutiny, as if he was prying into the old scholar's heart.

When the knife-wielding man was about to leave the yard, Zhao Duan finally spoke:
"come back."

Then, all the coldness on his face disappeared, turning into warmth like a spring breeze, and he gently helped Mr. Song up.

"This... Young Master..."

The old scholar, who was on the verge of collapse, was really at a loss this time.

Xu Junling smiled, and a sincere smile appeared on her sweet face:

"Please sit down, old man. He was just joking with you."

joke?

The old scholar who returned to the world from hell couldn't believe it.

Zhao Duan personally helped him sit down.

Then, he no longer had the lazy attitude just now, but sat up straight and said with a smile:
"Let's get to know each other again, Mr. Lu. You and Mr. Song are acquainted. Let me tell you about it."

Lu Qingfeng stood outside the door and said with a smile:

"The person sitting in front of you is the imperial envoy who was ordered by the emperor to go to Taicang to investigate the case, the envoy of the White Horse Prison in the capital, the Lihuatang Police Department of the Imperial Court, the fourth-rank commander of the Shenjiying, the external scholar of the Xiuwenguan, the imperial family attendant of the Imperial Palace, the winner of this Buddhist and Taoist competition, and the person that the current emperor relies on. That's Zhao Duan, sir."

After saying this long list of titles in one breath, looking at Mr. Song again, he was shocked.

He looked at the nobleman in front of him in disbelief:

"You...you are Imperial Envoy Zhao?"

Although he lived in the countryside, he had close contacts with scholars in the capital, so he was no stranger to Zhao Duan, who had become famous in the past six months.

I know that this person is a new powerful official who is very popular beside the empress.

Zhao Yanwang is a cruel and ruthless man who will never let go of any grudge. It is said that everyone fears him.

Handsome...arrogant...the features match!

Zhao Duan spoke in a gentle tone:
"Is there another Zhao Duan in the world?"

"No... not..."

Mr. Song was somewhat incoherent:
"I heard that the imperial envoy entered the city yesterday, but I didn't expect..."

Zhao Duan reached into his bosom, took out a secret letter and the official document of the imperial envoy's appointment and dismissal, and gently placed them on the coffee table:
"Song Tiju mentioned in the letter that he would entrust all the evidence of the corrupt officials to you.

When I arrived at my post yesterday, I learned that Song Tiju and Wang Chusheng, the Magistrate of Taicang County, had both disappeared mysteriously. I was afraid that someone was secretly causing trouble, so I came here in disguise. I just tried to find out a few things, but I was offended."

Test?

You should have told me earlier... The old scholar still looked frightened.

He picked up the secret letter on the table tremblingly, confirmed the handwriting of his relative, and believed it in his heart.

Zhao Duan was also helpless.

He didn't dare to let the "fake imperial envoy" come, for fear that if the action was too big, the news would leak out in advance and something unexpected would happen.

It is difficult to verify one's identity if one comes privately.

I am not sure whether Mr. Song is reliable.

This is directly related to the credibility of the evidence in his hands. After Song Tiju disappeared, the old scholar who had the evidence must have been nervous and fearful.

If Mr. Song had been careful with the court, he would not have easily revealed the truth even in the face of threats.

Because once the evidence falls into the hands of someone other than the imperial envoy, the entire Song family may face the doom of being silenced.

On the contrary, if Mr. Song had problems and faced threats, he would most likely show a different reaction.

At this moment, the handwriting of the secret letter can be identified correctly, and many features match.

Mr. Song got up and left without any hesitation.

After a while, a tightly wrapped box the size of a jewelry box was brought in and placed on the coffee table:

"Please look, Imperial Envoy. The things here are sealed with mud and have not been moved. I don't know the specific contents."

Zhao Duan opened the sealed box and saw a thick stack of documents inside, which was completely filled.

"Did Song Tiju say anything?" Zhao Duan asked.

The old scholar replied:

"He said that he had long noticed that the Taicang County Magistrate was not doing right, and had secretly made many moves, even having spies in the Mining Tax Administration Bureau. He had been secretly investigating for a long time, and had wanted to collect evidence to present to the Taicang prefect Sun Xiaozheng.

But the more he investigated, the more he found that this was not a simple matter. He also unexpectedly discovered that Wang Chusheng had many accomplices...

He said that after investigating, he discovered something serious and he no longer dared to report the matter to the officials in charge.

Moreover, he said that he might have been targeted by someone, and he dared not delay any longer, so he decided to report the matter to the capital and to the then Yuan Gong..."

As the old scholar spoke, his voice lowered, solemn and anxious:
"When I learned about this, I didn't want to get involved, fearing that my family would be implicated, but I also wanted to be loyal to Your Majesty..."

Zhao Duan glanced at him:
"Could it be that the secret letter first said that the things were to be placed with you, and Song Tiju came to find you only after the secret letter was sent to the capital?

In this case, you have no choice but to help him.

Because if you refuse, and the imperial envoy from the capital comes to you to get evidence, and you say you don’t have it… then it will be a disaster.”

The old scholar was speechless and remained silent, actually agreeing.

Xu Junling was greatly surprised, and looked at Zhao with surprise:

"How do you know this? Is it also written in the letter?"

"Oh, it's not written in the letter, I guessed it," Zhao Duan picked up the top piece of evidence in the box and said casually:

"If I were Song Tiju, I would definitely do the same thing."

Xu Junling: “…”

Mr. Song: “…”

At this time, Zhao Duan had already unfolded the paper in his hand, feeling excited.

Since Song Tiju said that he had found the accomplices behind Wang Chusheng, they must be mentioned in these evidences.

As each word came into his sight, Zhao Duan's pupils suddenly contracted.

……

……

the other side.

When Zhao Duan and his group broke into Songjiazhuang.

In a supervisory office near Taicang Silver Mine.

The Taicang County Magistrate who had been in charge here recently was also awakened by the voice of the county yamen registrar outside.

"What happened? Panic?"

Inside the government office room, the eighth-rank county magistrate, who was thin, had a mustache, and a shifty look, frowned.

As Wang Chusheng's deputy, the county magistrate was replaced by the county magistrate after the magistrate disappeared.

During this period, the county magistrate, whose surname was also Wang, was suffering a lot.

I couldn’t eat or sleep well, and was often awakened from my dreams, which would make me break into cold sweats.

The phrase that is most often mentioned is:
"What sin have I committed? I followed Magistrate Sun to Taicang to serve as an official. It's only been a year, and before I could even get a stable seat, I've been involved in this. I'm an eighth-rank county magistrate, but I'm serving as a seventh-rank official. How could my life be so miserable..."

At this moment, County Magistrate Wang, who had just caught up on a nap, stared at the Dianshi who came in with dark circles under his eyes.

The latter hurriedly said:
"County Magistrate, something bad has happened. A miner saw a suspicious stranger wandering around the mine. They said there were two carriages with a young couple and several servants. They were pointing at us near the silver mine...

Tell me, at this critical moment, which young master or young lady in the city would run around here like crazy?

It's not nice to look at the scenery... The prefect has said that if we find any suspicious people, we will report them to you."

County Magistrate Wang's sleepiness suddenly disappeared.

He stared at his men and asked for more details:
"Which way did the person go? How long did he go?"

"They said he went to Songjiazhuang. It's less than an incense stick of time."

Songjiazhuang... County Magistrate Wang thought for a moment and said in a deep voice:

"Well, you go to the county government office immediately and ask the captain to lead the express team to Songjiazhuang. If you find that group of people, find a reason to bring them back to the county government office first!"

The Dianshi was shocked: "Just arrest him?"

"Nonsense, at this critical moment, we can't afford any mistakes! The imperial envoy is in the city and may come to inspect at any time today. We must not let anything go wrong! Take him back first!"

"But those people look either rich or noble..."

"Oh, no matter how rich he is, he is just a young master. How can he be more powerful than the prefect or the imperial envoy?"

After a pause, County Magistrate Wang stroked his mustache, his small eyes shrewd and shrewd:
"When you give orders, be vague. If you offend someone, you can just blame it on the subordinates. What does it have to do with you and me?"

(End of this chapter)