Chapter 436 In the early summer of that year, people stood like minions in the palace (5k)
There was silence.
The cool spring breeze bypassed the hem of Zhao Duan's official robe from outside the gate and blew on the faces of the officials in the palace.
The expressions on everyone's faces seemed to be frozen, and some even raised their hands to cover their eyes, as if to block the strong light pouring in from outside.
Zhao Duan... Zhao Duan... isn't he already dead? Why does it appear here?
Resurrection from the dead?
The moment this absurd idea arose in the minds of many ministers, they were cut off and they all realized the truth:
"Fake death!"
Yuan Li, the censor's doctor, moved his lips and uttered these two words. His face turned slightly red at first, and he looked excited.
Then there was a look of "sudden realization" in his wise eyes. He turned his head and glanced at Luan Cheng. Seeing that the prefect looked calm as expected, he became more and more sure of his judgment.
That's right... He had felt that Zhao Duan's death was unexpected before. Although anything could happen in the overseas struggle, perhaps the impression Zhao Duan left on people in the past year was too deep for Yuan Li to accept, so he just So dead.
However, during these days, neither His Majesty's reaction nor the Zhao family's grief made him notice anything strange.
Now it seems that he really hid it from everyone in the capital...
Fake death... fake death... In Li Yanfu's deep eye sockets, his pupils suddenly shrank to a small dot, and he subconsciously took two steps back. His hands in his sleeves trembled, and the good mood during this period was instantly ruined.
Realize that you have been deceived.
Not only him, but also the entire Jinluan Palace, headed by Li Dang, the officials who had been celebrating the occasion in recent days, were getting colder and colder, and their moods fell to the bottom.
"Zhao Shaobao...are you still alive?"
"This...could it be that there was a mistake in the summons?"
"Your Majesty, may I ask what this is..."
The ministers were in an uproar, and they all rushed to speak.
Zhao Duan, on the other hand, walked straight forward, like a sharp knife splitting the tide, and walked to the front of the hall under the gaze of officials on both sides.
At this time, the officials also noticed that there were two people following him.
Astonishingly, it was Haitang, the master of Narcissus Hall of Zhaoya, and Zhang Han of Peony Hall.
As for the senior brothers and sisters of Tianshi Mansion, as well as Ji Yue Yunxi and others, they were not suitable to appear here, so they did not follow.
Haitang and Zhang Han, one on the left and the other on the right, carried the heavy box. The three of them entered the palace early and pulled Zhuang Xiaocheng over from Eunuch Hai to complete this public ceremony.
"Everyone is silent."
Empress Dayu looked down at the commotion among the ministers with a smile, waited for a while, and then spoke softly.
The eunuch on the side raised his whip and struck it hard on the shiny marble floor, making a crisp sound.
When the ministers closed their mouths, Xu Zhenguan smiled and said:
"I know that all of you, dear friends, are wondering why Zhao Shaoban is still safe? Let Zhao Qing tell you about this."
Zhao Duan handed over his hand: "I obey the order."
After finishing speaking, he raised his head and did not rush to tell. Instead, he slowly walked around and walked to the big box on the ground. He smiled and said:
"Before I tell you, there is an old 'friend' who needs to be brought out to meet with your colleagues."
After saying that, before anyone could react, he pulled up the ring and opened the box as heavy as a coffin with a bang!
The old man in the box was exposed, with the talisman on his forehead and in a comatose state.
"Zhuang... Zhuang Xiaocheng! It's Zhuang Xiaocheng! The rebel leader!"
One of the nearest censors was horrified and shouted.
The ministers who had finally calmed down once again started to commotion.
And this time, the noise was even greater than the one just made!
"Zhuang Xiaocheng!"
Who would be unfamiliar with this name? As the leader of a rebel bandit, he seemed to be the most troublesome enemy of the imperial court after the "Xuanmen Coup".
People have been sent to arrest him numerous times, but all failed.
This is also the reason why Zhao Duan caused such a big stir when he "let go" of Zhuang Xiaocheng - his identity is too special.
But at this moment, Zhuang Xiaocheng, who had been "missing" for three years, appeared in the hall again. How could he not make all the officials moved?
"Yes, as you can see, this thief is the leader of the rebel bandits, the former Taifu Zhuang Xiaocheng." Zhao Duan said loudly.
He put his hands behind his back, looked at Li Yanfu in the crowd, and raised the corners of his mouth:
"Three months ago, on New Year's Eve, the Prime Minister once again brought up the old matter. I said at that time that within three months, I would capture the rebels who had let go. Now, fortunately, I have not broken my promise."
Li Yanfu stared at him without saying a word, only his beard trembled slightly.
Li Yinglong, the "little pavilion elder" who was also in the hall, stepped forward and helped his father to prevent him from losing his composure.
"Haha," Zhao Duan did not chase after him fiercely, he smiled lightly and said:
"The reason why I discussed with Magistrate Luan and sent the news of his death was to escort the thief back to the capital safely..."
Then, he talked eloquently and narrated the entire arrest experience.
and explained why.
After everything was narrated, the officials finally knew everything.
After understanding what happened, I realized that Zhao Duan had probably returned to Beijing early and was waiting to go to the palace today to slap Li Yanfu in the face.
"Wait..." Someone suddenly recalled the empress' suppression of Li Dang during this period, and his expression suddenly became exciting.
If the empress had known that Zhao Duan was not dead, wouldn't those suppressions have been intentional? Li Dang suffered a dumb loss?
Thinking of this, Yuan Li and other members of the Qingliu Party immediately cast "sympathetic" glances at a group of sworn enemies.
"Good...good means..."
Li Yanfu took a deep breath, closed his eyes, opened them again, and stared at the high-spirited Zhao:
"What a fake death, what a plan."
Zhao Duan looked at him with a smile:
"Your Majesty Xiangguo, thank you very much. Speaking of which, I would also like to thank Xiangguo for urging me. Otherwise, I might not have been able to arrest this thief so quickly."
Li Yanfu remained silent.
Haitang and Zhang Han found it interesting. It was rare to see Xiang Guo embarrassed in public.
"As Zhao Shaobao said, the leader of the traitorous bandit was able to be captured and brought to justice today. The men led by Zhao Shaobao made a great contribution, and the Prime Minister also took the greatest credit."
Xu Zhenguan said with a chuckle. This sentence was more teasing than complimentary, and it was like a slap on Li Yanfu's face.
However, today's purpose is not to target Li Yanfu after all.
The empress stopped when it was time, and began to list Zhuang Xiao's crimes, and publicly rewarded Haitang and others who participated in this battle and made meritorious deeds.
The only exception is Zhao Duan - because in name, his meritorious service this time is "atonement for his sins".
As for whether there is compensation in private, the ministers don't know.
In the end, the empress announced in public that Zhuang Xiaocheng and other rebels would be put on trial in public. After the case process was completed, they would be beheaded together at Caishikou.
Baiguanshan shouted long live, and no one raised any objection.
……
After leaving the court.
Zhuang Xiaocheng continued to be taken away by Ouchi masters to ensure that he would survive until the day of beheading without any accidents.
Zhao Duan walked among the crowd and went out of the Meridian Gate together.
Unconsciously, the ministers separated with a tacit understanding, leaving him and Li Yanfu behind.
One is too young and one is too old.
Two officials from the old and new imperial courts walked down the white jade steps little by little, and the sunlight cast their shadows on the ground.
"Master Xiangguo, do you still remember the scene when you and I first met at the Meridian Gate?" Zhao Duan put his hands in his sleeves and walked down the long steps, asking softly without squinting.
Li Yanfu remained silent.
Zhao Duan thought to himself and said:
"It was the time when Pei Kaizhi was deprived of his official status. At that time, I stood at the Meridian Gate. I was not yet qualified to go to court, so I watched the officials walk down after the court. At that time, the Prime Minister didn't care much about me.
I joked with Pei Kaizhi, and he was so angry that he vomited blood. Only then did the Prime Minister turn around and look at me. ”
Li Yanfu remained silent.
Zhao Duan continued:
"But before that, what impressed me most about the Prime Minister was the afternoon when I 'let go' Zhuang Xiaocheng. I went into the palace to apologize to His Majesty. At that time, the Prime Minister was discussing state affairs with His Majesty in the study.
When you walked out of the study, I stood in the corridor with a group of female officials and called you. You didn't even look at me. ”
Li Yanfu walked to the last step and took a deep breath.
Zhao Duan stopped, hunched his hands to face the sun, raised his head slightly, and showed a bright smile:
"From the time you turned a deaf ear to me, to looking back at me, to the time you saw me as a thorn in your side in the Jinluan Palace... it took me nearly a year to go through these changes."
He turned his head and looked down at Li Yanfu, who was walking down the steps and walking straight forward. The corners of his mouth turned up and he said teasingly:
"How many decades did it take for the Prime Minister to reach this position?"
Li Yanfu paused, his slightly rickety body trembling slightly, as if he was trying to suppress his anger, and his gray hair trembled in the spring breeze.
"Don't be complacent for too long!"
He uttered these words, walked away, and disappeared outside the palace gate.
Zhao Duan stood on the steps with his sleeves rolled up, looking disappointed.
It's a pity that this old thief is far less crispy than Pei Kai.
"Then... let's see."
……
……
After Zhao Duan dispersed from the court, he and his two "alive" colleagues went straight to the imperial office.
As expected, it caused a stir.
The Jinyi people in Lihuatang went from sadness, to dullness, to ecstasy. In just half an hour, they experienced ups and downs. Fortunately, the same explanation had been given several times, and the situation was explained with ease. The originally leaderless and listless group of thornheads immediately became radiant.
Zhao Duan waved his hand and sold hundreds of taels of silver in his own name. He ordered Qian Kerou to prepare a banquet and congratulate his colleagues later.
As for the "bonuses" of the Jinyi people, they were allocated from the account, and the whole hall was filled with joy for a while.
……
"What happened to the prisoners who were escorted back?"
After Zhao Duan arrived at the Governor's Hall, he asked Ma Yan.
As the sharpest knife in the hands of the empress, although Ma Yan did not go to court today, he had learned the information that Zhao Duan was alive earlier.
And last night, Yun Xi was sent to prison according to Zhao Duan's arrangement
——This time it is not to imprison him, but to persuade him to surrender.
"According to the list you provided, all the prisoners who have bad records and are hopeless will be tortured to extract as much information as possible. As for those who are expected to be turned into spies, they will be detained separately, but I heard that this group of people is quite If you are stubborn, trying to persuade them to surrender alone will have little effect.”
Ma Yan sat in the entrance of the hall, holding a teacup, and answered.
Zhao Duan thought for a moment and said:
"Let me go and see for myself."
……
……
Lin Yuebai woke up from a nightmare.
She opened her eyelids, sat up suddenly, and shouted "Seven feet!?"
In the cell next door, young Kou Qichi stared at his messy chicken coop-like hair and threw himself at the railing:
"Sister, I'm here!"
Lin Yuebai gasped for breath. In the dim dungeon, a look of fear appeared on her face. She raised her chained wrist, wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, shook her head and said:
"It's okay, it was just a dream."
In the dream, Kou Qichi was dragged out by the jailer, thrown on the execution platform and skinned, and his screams echoed throughout the dungeon.
Lin Yuebai shook her head to clear her groggy mind. The Confucian robe that she wore when she was pretending to be a man was gone, replaced by a tattered prison uniform with a bad smell.
There were several people imprisoned in the entire cell. The others were awakened by this moment and were looking at her with either indifference or concern.
No one spoke.
Everyone is waiting for the torture to come.
Since being detained last night, they have been "disrupted" and detained. They don't know what happened to their other companions, but they can hear the screams that lasted the whole night.
What really depressed this group of people was not the fear of torture, but more confusion.
On the way, they learned that the Taifu and Zhao Thief had died together.
The death of Zhao Thief was certainly gratifying, but the death of Taifu left this group of people without their "guiding light" and at a loss.
Lin Yuebai could only keep comforting the others:
Princess Wen is still there, the prince is still there, and core members such as Qi Yuchun and Ren Kun are still there.
The brothers and sisters of Kuangfu Society are still fighting in various places.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, there was the sound of the cell door opening in the corridor, and along with the sound of footsteps, several jailors walked in and scanned everyone: "Lin Yuebai, come out."
"Sister!" the boy next door yelled heartbreakingly.
But unable to stop it, Lin Yuebai was roughly dragged out by the jailer.
When the sorceress looked empty and prepared to be tortured, she found that the jailers did not take her to the torture chamber.
Instead, we came to a quieter area.
In the dungeon corridor illuminated by a brazier, Lin Yuebai, who was shackled, saw Wu Ling and Qingniao, one on the left and one on the right, guarding an interrogation room like door gods.
"It's you! Traitors! Court lackeys!" Lin Yuebai glared angrily and cursed the two traitors.
Wu Ling was too lazy to say anything. Bluebird's eyes were filled with pity and there was a sneer on his lips:
"I hope you will be the same when you come out later."
Lin Yuebai was pushed into the interrogation room with a slight daze.
……
There was only one table and a few chairs in the room.
At this moment, sitting in the interrogator's seat were a man and a woman, and the other was Lin Yuebai's former friend Yun Xi.
The other one... put his feet on the table, leaned back in his chair, and flipped through the information in his hand, with a condescending look in his eyes.
"Zhao! Zhao thief?!"
Lin Yuebai's eyes widened as if struck by lightning, staring in disbelief at the traitor Zhao Duan who was smiling at him.
She had secretly seen Zhao Duan's appearance in the crowd, and was no stranger to him.
"Lin Yuebai, right? According to the information, you are in charge of a small branch in the club, and you also participated in Huting's assassination of me? Haha, interesting... In the battle of Fengcheng, when you were threatened by the blue bird, you had to fight with the people within the club. The rest of the people clashed and fought with each other...Tsk, tsk, it’s more interesting..."
Zhao Duan threw the booklet in his hand on the table, folded his hands, and stared at her with interest:
"Are you interested in changing your mind and turning over a new leaf? For the sake of Yun Xi's recommendation, as long as you abandon the dark side and turn to the bright side, I can forget about your original assassination."
Yun Xi glanced at him: So direct?
"You... aren't you dead?!" Lin Yuebai was at a loss and leaned against the iron door, as if he had seen a ghost.
Yun Xi's face was expressionless and she quickly explained the matter briefly.
After hearing this, Lin Yuebai's eyes suddenly lit up: "So, Taifu is still alive?"
"Death is not far away," Zhao Duan said lazily:
"In a few days, Caishikou will be beheaded. As long as you accuse Zhuang Xiaocheng in public, I will..."
"Bah! Dog Officer! I will never give in!"
Zhao Duan was not surprised. Looking at this familiar reaction, he seemed to be seeing Yun Xi who had been trained by him in a daze.
He sighed softly and took out a video recording scroll from his sleeve:
"After reading this, I hope you can still curse."
Then, a piece of light and shadow appeared on the scroll, which was especially clear in the dark dungeon.
That was the scene where the empress and Zhao Duan interrogated Zhuang Xiaocheng in the Zhao family study.
"What Taifu is busy with is how to oppose me all day long, how to fabricate history, pour dirty water on me, whitewash Xu Jianwen's evil deeds of rebellion, and deceive people's hearts?"
"I work for you as a swordsman and as a fish..."
The original conversation also echoed in the interrogation room.
Zhao Duan arranged for Gongshu Tianyuan to secretly take photos outside. The empress probably guessed what he was thinking, so she did not stop him.
During the entire conversation, although Zhuang Xiaocheng didn't say much and looked like he was begging for death, he also didn't reply when faced with the questions from the empress and Zhao Duan.
It's the default attitude.
And many times, the default itself means a lot.
Lin Yuebai was stunned. When the scene in the scroll finished playing, she still couldn't believe it: "This is..."
Yun Xi sighed softly and sneered:
"Otherwise, why do you think I turned my back to the court? Do you think I was weak? Or was I forced by power? No, it was me who saw clearly the face of old thief Zhuang and tore through the lies..."
Then, she told her about her experience of enlightenment, and showed her a lot of information prepared on the table that could prove Zhuang Xiaocheng's hypocrisy and lies.
At the end, Zhao Duan’s eyes showed pity:
"You should have noticed that too many people in the Kuangfu Society do not uphold the concept of Kuangfu Sheji. There are also too many people who knew that Zhuang Xiaocheng was lying, but just maintained this lie tacitly."
He stood up and walked out:
"You are a smart man. Think about it for yourself. I hope you make the right choice."
Zhao Duan walked out of the interrogation room and stared at the dust floating in the light by the window at the end of the corridor. He suddenly touched his pocket, regretfully thinking that a cigarette would be enough at this time.
About two-quarters of an hour later, the interrogation room door opened. Zhao Duan did not look back and continued to look at the light coming from the fence on the wall.
"How?"
Behind him, Yun Xi walked over and said calmly:
"She was convinced by me and promised me to go back to the cell, help instigate more people to rebel, and stand up to expose the hypocrisy of the old thief."
Zhao Duan was not surprised: "Just follow the method I demonstrated and keep doing it."
He sneered:
"Actually, these people are not stupid, so during this period of time, they must have pondered in their hearts and understood that they were treated as abandoned by Zhuang Xiaocheng. Whether they don't want their faith to collapse or the opinions of their companions around them, they will hold on to the end. Just keep it.
Facing this group of people, there is no need to punish them, as long as they attack their hearts and give them a reason to confidently surrender to the court and become 'traitors', they will naturally change their stance..."
One of the reasons why Zhao Duan divided the prisoners into two parts was to create artificial divisions.
And he screamed all night long to strike fear into the hearts of Lin Yuebai and the others.
"Everyone is afraid of death. Few people are not afraid. They are just trapped by some nihilistic moral shackles and cannot get out."
"It's like a foreign race attacking a city. Even if you don't want to be blamed, you have to hold on. But if the foreign race picks up a puppet emperor of your own, the defenders along the way can surrender with peace of mind."
Zhao Duan said without emotion, he was as cold as a cold machine.
He had seen too many similar things in history books.
Yun Xi thought thoughtfully: "What they lack is just an honest reason to change their stance?"
"Otherwise," Zhao Duan turned around and pinched the girl's face:
"Do you really think that those rebels are just like you, thinking about death all day long?"
Hmm... Yun Xi's eyes widened in anger, but she was too timid to say anything.
Zhao Duan laughed and walked past her to the outside of the prison:
"The rest of the people are left to you. Those who have been persuaded to surrender can still be turned into spies, so they will be left to you and Wu Ling to lead. After that, you have to continue to clear out the remnants of the rebel party and atone for their crimes. Heh, I want to just rebel for a while. It would be too beautiful to just wash away all the sins on your body.”
Thank you book friend 2022...6910, the 100 rewards for Kenshin Kyoto Fire.
(End of chapter)