Chapter 414: The capital is Mr. Zhao's territory
Chapter 414: The capital is Mr. Zhao's territory (new January monthly ticket request)
The flames licked the paper on which the information was written, quickly carbonizing it.
Sun Lianying, wearing a loose cotton robe, stretched out her hands to warm them above the brazier and said calmly:
"Although Cao Mao has not been in the capital for many years, he is still a nobleman with military power and his status is extraordinary. After noticing the direction of public opinion, he will definitely mobilize his forces to block and suppress it. Have you thought about how to deal with it?"
Zhao Duan's tone was calm and he did not answer immediately. Instead, he turned his head to look at the Lihua Hall Jinyi who came to report the news and asked:
"Have you arranged for the greetings you guys have made?"
The man in brocade clothes bowed and said:
"It has already been done. Don't worry, sir. The capital is not Jubei City. This is our territory. With your order, we want to see who in the entire capital dares to work for Duke Cao."
Zhao Duan waved his hand in satisfaction, asking the latter to leave. He then turned around and smiled at his old leader:
"Is this appropriate?"
"You." The old eunuch seemed to shake his head helplessly, gently put down the chess piece, and looked relieved.
A year ago, who would have thought that Zhao Duan would have the power he has today?
……
……
Kyoto government office.
On this day, the prefect learned that Cao Kedi, the deputy general of Jubei City, was visiting him, so he immediately and politely welcomed him into the back hall to entertain him.
After a brief exchange of greetings, Cao Kedi stated his intention:
"Today, someone in the city fabricated rumors and spread them among the people, attacking the laws of the court. The Duke was very angry when he heard about it, so he urged me to come here and ask the prefect to stop the rumors and prevent them from spreading. Find out who is so bold."
"Is this really true?" The prefect of the capital was shocked and slammed the table in anger:
"How can we allow Duke Cao to be slandered under the feet of the emperor? Please tell the Duke that I will order the government office and several county offices in the capital to deal with the matter."
Cao Kedi smiled and said, "Thank you, Lord Prefect."
"Haha, it's just my job." The prefect of the capital smiled and personally escorted Cao Ke Di out of the government office.
After the people left, the smile on his face faded. He turned around, dragging his somewhat fat body against the cold wind, and returned to the warm back hall.
The head constable of the government office came over cautiously and asked, "Sir, should I do it right away?"
The prefect glanced at him and said coldly, "What do you want to do?"
The captain was stunned for a moment, then said, "Duke Cao entrusted me with this..."
The prefect snorted, waved his hand irritably, and said:
"Let's put it off for now. Wait until tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, and then find a few ruffians to take the blame and give the Duke's Mansion an explanation."
He did not want to offend Cao Mao. If it was something else, it would be fine. However, King Zhao had sent someone to say hello before.
"How many days can a commander at the northern border stay in the capital throughout the year? Cao Mao is so smart that he wants me to offend that Zhao guy with just a few words of thanks."
The prefect secretly complained in his heart and pondered the matter secretly. He vaguely sensed an undercurrent surging and felt that a good show was about to begin.
"Don't get involved in this matter. If you intervene without understanding the situation, you may end up getting burned."
……
Imperial Court, Peony Hall.
"Duke Cao wants to entrust us to help him investigate the source of the rumor? To stop it?"
Zhang Han, with a paralyzed face, looked at a Northern officer in front of him with a strange look in his eyes.
The officer nodded and said seriously:
"Zhang Jisi is the best among the nine halls. In terms of the ability to investigate cases and handle affairs in the capital, the Mudan Hall is second to none. As long as this matter is handled, the Duke will not forget Zhang Jisi's hard work."
Zhang Han looked at the man expressionlessly for a moment, then shook his head and said, "The imperial court is doing things for your majesty. This matter does not involve the rebels, and it was not ordered by the governor. I'm sorry that I cannot interfere."
"This..." The officer from Jubei City was stunned. He didn't expect the other party to be so disrespectful and unwilling to say even a little polite words, even if you were a little more tactful...
His face darkened: "Duke Cao is..."
Zhang Han interrupted the man and served him tea, saying, "I have something else to do, so I'm sorry I can't see you off."
The Northern officer opened his mouth, took a deep breath, stood up and left the table angrily.
After everyone left, Haitang, who was standing outside the door with her arms folded and looking like a melon-eating spectator, walked in and said with interest:
"This duke is quite interesting. Is he used to being a tyrant at the border? Or is he old and confused? He actually came to you to give orders."
Zhang Han shook his head and said calmly:
"They didn't go to Zhao Duan, but came to me. This shows that they are not too stupid. Maybe they heard that the nine halls were fighting each other, and thought that I would be happy to get close to Duke Cao."
Hearing that there was something exciting to watch, Haitang, who had come all the way over to eat the melon, was amazed and said:
"Although I don't know what happened, based on my understanding of Zhao Duan, this Duke is in trouble."
……
The headquarters of Red Flower Society.
The "White Paper Fan", the largest gang in the capital, personally came out to welcome the arrival of the steward of Duke Cao's mansion.
The so-called White Paper Fan is not a name, but a title. Its status is similar to that of a gang's "military advisor", and its status within the Red Flower Society is only second to the leader.
"Oh, what a coincidence, the gang leader is not at home right now. I wonder if you have any instructions? I will convey it to him." The tall and thin Baizhishan said politely.
As a seventh-rank official in the prime minister's office and the chief steward of the Duke's Mansion, he is already a big shot for this group of societies.
"You, the Red Flower Society, are familiar with the market, so you should have heard the rumors against the Duke. I will give you one day. I want to know where the rumors came from."
The butler gave his orders with an arrogant look on his face, then stood up and left.
Baizhishan sent the person away with a smile on his face, watched him leave, and spat softly.
He turned around and ordered several gang thugs to guard outside. He returned to the house, walked to the door of a room in the back house, and pushed it open with both hands.
Looking at the bald middle-aged man pacing in the room.
"Boss, the person has been sent away. It's just as expected. We need to complete it within one day."
The leader of the Red Flower Society had a sinister look on his face and sneered:
"It is said that we may seem to be in a good position, but in reality we are nothing more than the chamber pots of the big shots, and we only pick them up when we remember..."
Baizhishan hesitated and said, "Then let's..."
The leader of the Red Flower Society said with a straight face: "Do I need to tell you how to deal with it?"
"Yes. Then spread the news..."
"Send more people and make things worse. If King Zhao is not satisfied, neither you nor I will live until next year. Think about Master Meng!"
Lord Meng was the former leader of the Red Flower Society. He committed a crime against Zhao Du'an and died tragically in the imperial prison.
In a sense, Zhao Duan's deterrent power on underground gangs is much stronger than that of the emperor in the palace.
……
At the same time, similar scenes took place in every corner of the capital.
The network of contacts of a duke is enough to extend to all the government offices of all sizes in the capital. However, compared with Cao Mao's orders, no official dared to disobey Zhao Duan's "invitation".
Even the "Li Party" which was hostile to Zhao Duan maintained an attitude of indifference and non-interference in this matter.
"It seems that this Zhao Duan is more capable than I expected."
Somewhere in the capital, in a carriage, Duke Tang looked out the window at two groups of people, one belonging to Zhao Duan and the other to Cao Mao, who entered a government office almost one after the other, and sighed softly.
Inside the carriage, Tang Zhao looked depressed.
She was good at fighting, and she really didn't understand this kind of intrigue.
Even now, she didn't know what Zhao Duan and his father talked about in the study last night.
"Okay, let's go." Duke Tang looked at his daughter who was brave but not wise, and shook his head helplessly, "Don't be late."
Today, Duke Tang handed visiting cards to the royal relatives and nobles of higher seniority in the city, and will go to pay a visit.
This was not surprising for a general who returned to Beijing after guarding the border.
But only a few people knew that the purpose of Duke Tang's trip was to remove Cao Mao's arm in this killing game.
According to what Zhao Duan said last night: "This is part of the plan."
……
In a blink of an eye, two days passed.
In the streets and alleys of the capital, the news about Cao Mao not only did not decrease, but became more and more intense.
Criticizing a duke is inherently risky, but if more people speak out, it will make people bolder.
In particular, a case involving Duke Cao was reported in the Dali Temple, which gave even people in official circles an excuse to discuss the matter publicly.
Since the day when the censor Chen Hong was refused entry into the palace, more than a dozen censors came to the palace to impeach within two days, and the momentum became increasingly intense.
Duke Cao's Mansion.
"Why are the rumors still spreading?! Two days! Two whole days! The rumors outside are getting bigger and bigger. I can hear them at home. How do you do things?! Huh? Are you all mute? Speak!"
Cao Mao's hair and beard stood on end, and he roared angrily at several subordinates who were standing side by side in the room, venting his anger.
The atmosphere in the room was tense and everyone was silent. Cao Kedi stood with his hands down, saying with shame:
"Foster father, it's not that we don't work hard, it's just that those people in the city pretend to be nice to us, but in fact they don't work hard and just perfunctorily deal with us. After all, the capital is not the north, we..."
The others also complained bitterly.
After Cao Mao finished venting his anger, he leaned back and threw himself heavily into the armchair, holding his forehead with his hand:
"Forget it, forget it. As the old saying goes, a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake. After all, I have been away from the capital for too long. I didn't expect that in just one year, a biting snake would grow up."
Cao Kedi was surprised and said, "Godfather, you mean..."
"Zhao Duan," Cao Mao gritted his teeth and spat out the name:
"I was wondering why this man wanted to go to the Ministry of Justice and clash with you, just because the Northern Blood Blade had been his bodyguard for a while? It's ridiculous. Now it seems that he came here for me."
Cao Kedi frowned and said, "Father, are you saying that those government offices are unwilling to make efforts because Zhao Duan has warned them?"
Cao Mao wanted to say something, but suddenly drove the others out of the house. When there were only two people left in the house, he said with a gloomy face:
"I have never had any dealings with Zhao Duan. How could he go against us for no reason and over such a small matter? I'm afraid he is just a lackey."
Cao Ke Di probed:
"Could that be Master Tang? He and my adoptive father have always been at odds..."
Cao Mao shook his head, his eyes dim and he said:
"Yes, Your Majesty. The rumor spread among the people could be said to be the work of my political enemies, but the case in the Dali Temple came too unexpectedly. The most important thing is the group of censors in the Metropolitan Censorate... Hehe, I'm afraid that Your Majesty is not happy with us and wants to punish us."
Cao Kedi looked anxious:
"Foster father, if it was really His Majesty who did it, what should we do..."
Cao Mao glanced at him with dissatisfaction and said unhappily:
"Why are you throwing yourself into disarray? I have many noble allies at home, and a hundred thousand troops outside to defend the northern city. How many years has your Majesty been on the throne? This is nothing more than a warning."
Although the situation was very serious now, Cao Mao was only shocked and angry, but not panicked.
Because in his opinion, the empress absolutely did not have the confidence to turn the table over and take real action against him.
At this moment, the butler's voice suddenly came from outside the room: "Duke, someone is coming to the palace!"
The father and son looked at each other and both understood the meaning of each other's eyes: Here it comes!
A few moments.
A eunuch holding a whisk came to the door with a smile, greeted him, and then said:
"In recent days, the public opinion in the city has been surging, and they have been spreading rumors about the Duke. Your Majesty naturally does not believe them, but he cannot stand the repeated impeachments from the Censorate, so he cannot just ignore them.
Therefore, Your Majesty hopes that the Duke will come to court tomorrow morning to explain in person, so as to calm the dispute."
Cao Mao was not surprised at all, and even felt proud of his guess. He said casually:
"Your Majesty, I will attend court tomorrow."
As he expected, it would be nothing more than a confrontation with the censors in court. As long as he expressed a little respect for the empress and made the empress save face, and then gave her a mild warning, the matter would be over.
"What courage does a woman have to claim to be an emperor? It's nothing more than bringing the fighting in the harem to the court."
Cao Mao launched a spiritual victory method, but he inexplicably felt uneasy.
——Your Majesty, is this really all you have?
However, thinking of the northern border troops that he had firmly controlled, he calmed down again.
……
……
That night, a cold wave swept through the capital and the temperature dropped sharply.
After the Western Regions delegation left Beijing, the sky, which had been clear for a while, was covered by dark clouds again. In the second half of the night, light snow began to fall slowly.
early morning.
When Zhao Duan pushed open the door, what came into view was snowflakes fluttering like confetti under the pale sky.
In the courtyard, the servants were already sweeping with brooms.
Zhao Pan actually got up, which was a rare occurrence. However, judging from the way he shivered, he must have been woken up by the cold.
She and her Pekingese would squat by the stove, warming their hands (paws).
Her bright eyes were still looking out longingly. When she saw Zhao Duan approaching, she said happily:
"Brother, this snow is so heavy. We should be able to build a snowman this afternoon."
Well, this little girl is already thinking about what kind of snowman to make... Well, although the last round of snowfall was sparse for a long time, it was not thick.
Zhao Duan recalled the Internet celebrities he saw in his previous life, who made snowmen into various cool shapes, such as carving them into dragons. They were so cool...
"Close the door quickly, aren't you afraid of getting sick?"
Eugene Hua walked in from outside with a few maids, carrying trays of food, looking disappointed.
Goose-feather snowflakes fell on the beautiful woman's coiled hair, creating a sharp contrast between black and white.
"Oh." The girl closed the door in disappointment, and the temperature in the room slowly rose. Zhao Duan shook his head and smiled, chatting with his family at the dinner table.
Eugene Hua excitedly reported to him how much New Year's goods the family had purchased.
"The end of the year is coming soon. I wonder what the lantern show will be like on this year's New Year's Eve." The beautiful stepmother's eyes are full of longing.
In the Dayu Dynasty, New Year's Eve was a major festival, and people would attend the lantern festival despite the cold wind.
Of course, it won't be cold on New Year's Eve. Even if the weather is bad, the great priests of the Tianshi Mansion will work together to change the celestial phenomena.
——This is also one of the rare times when the priests will intervene in the weather, except in the event of a major natural disaster.
Unfortunately, due to the influence of the Xuanmen coup in the past two years, the atmosphere in the capital city became grim and turbulent, the festive atmosphere was greatly reduced, and the New Year’s Eve Lantern Festival was in name only.
This year, the Empress's regime has gradually stabilized and there are signs of recovery.
Zhao Duan was a little distracted.
After meal.
He changed into his official uniform, picked up the Frost Sword and left the yamen. The coachman Xiao Wang was already waiting outside.
"Brother seems to be worried today and goes to the government office extra early." Zhao Pan muttered curiously while holding the Pekingese.
Eugenia, wrapped in thick furs that concealed her plump figure, said:
"Men always have important things to do. Women just need to take care of the household."
Zhao Pan curled the corners of his mouth. He understood his mother's feudal remarks but did not accept them.
……
The time for the morning court in winter was delayed a lot. When Zhao Duan went out, it was not yet time for the court.
But he guessed that the court officials had already rushed to the Meridian Gate one after another.
He was not planning to go to the Throne Room today because he had more important things to do, or rather, in his and Yuan Li's plan, the impeachment in the Throne Room was the first half.
Yuan Li is in charge.
What Zhao Duan has to take charge of is the second half.
"Sir, are you waiting here?"
Xiao Wang stopped the carriage at an intersection and asked.
Zhao Duan pulled open the car curtain and nodded, but without lowering the curtain, he just looked at the heavy snow falling outside.
At this time, the entire street was covered with a layer of white, and there were far fewer pedestrians on the street than usual.
Yesterday, the Imperial Observatory posted a notice that there would be a heavy snowstorm today, but it would only happen in the afternoon so the snow was not very heavy at the moment.
How should I put it? In a world with gods and magic, the weather forecast is indeed more accurate than in my previous life...
"drive!"
Suddenly, a carriage came from the opposite street of the intersection and stopped when passing the intersection. The curtain was lifted, revealing the faces of Tang Ping and Tang Zhao, a brother and sister.
"Lord Zhao!" Tang Ping jumped off the carriage, walked to the outside of the carriage, bowed, and performed the etiquette of a subordinate meeting his superior.
Tang Zhaoze was not very willing, so he followed and just nodded.
Zhao Duan did not get out of the car. He smiled through the window and said:
"How are the preparations going?"
Young Master Tang Ping patted his chest vigorously, indicating that the things were inside. There seemed to be dancing flames in his eyes, which was a kind of excitement and excitement of participating in a big event:
"It has already been settled. My father also asked me to tell you that the nobles have also reached an agreement."
Zhao Duan nodded and smiled:
"Thank you for your hard work. The court session is about to begin. Go to the palace quickly and don't miss the time."
Rouge Ma Tang Zhao blinked. She did not bring her own lance today, and was wearing a thick red cloak. She asked curiously:
"Aren't you going with us?"
Zhao Duan waved his hand and said with a smile: "I'll be waiting for you outside."
Weird... Tang Zhao, who had wheat-colored skin, muttered to himself, turned around, got into the car with his brother, and headed straight for the palace.
Zhao Duan watched the siblings go away, lowered the curtains, leaned back against the soft car cushion, closed his eyes, and said calmly:
"Come on, let's go to the next stop."
……
Correct typos first and then correct them
(End of this chapter)