Chapter 455 The Arrival of the Crown Prince (5k)
The wind blew through the white paper lanterns hanging in the mourning hall.
At this moment, the light in the courtyard dimmed with the word "congratulations".
Congratulatory gifts naturally mean congratulations and congratulations, but if they are given to the family doing the funeral, doesn't it mean to say: "Have a good death"?
"Zhao Duan! You are going too far!" In the crowd, a person in charge of the third room of the Shen family suddenly cursed and pointed at him, shaking with anger.
"Huangkou kid, how dare you..." The beard of an elder in the clan trembled.
"You are not welcome here!" Someone also echoed loudly.
As the head of a wealthy family, the Shen family was a local emperor, but they still feared and respected Zhao Shaobao, who had risen to fame.
But Zhao Duan would point his finger at them and scold them, which immediately made this group of people with a strong sense of clan honor and disgrace furious.
The old lady, who had a majestic and mean face and gray eyes, also had a dark expression. She hit the ground hard with the dragon-headed crutch in her hand, making a "dong" sound, and the yelling tribesmen shut up at the same time.
Immediately after hearing this old man who was almost like a "Queen Mother" said in a deep voice:
"Zhao Shaobao, have I, the Shen family, ever offended you?"
Zhao Duan said lightly:
"Why should the old lady ask questions knowingly? Yesterday, the Japanese official asked the Governor to send a letter, inviting the Shen family to come to meet. I waited all night, but didn't see a single person. Today I went to the door in person and sent a family of servants to stop it. Do you think it's okay? Is it considered an offense? ”
The old lady's expression did not change, she turned to the eldest son beside her and said, "Is this the case?"
The nominal patriarch also pretended to be confused, summoned his servants and asked in low voices for a moment, then came back and said:
"Let me tell my mother, the concierge did receive a letter yesterday, but because it was late, he didn't deliver it. As for the housekeeper who stopped it, he was just acting according to the rules."
"Haha, what a rule," little secretary Qian Kerou assisted again:
"What is the status of my lord? When you enter the palace to meet the saint, you only need to announce it. The lintel of your Shen family is higher than that of the palace."
Hey, Xiaorou, you are a bit fierce today, please give me more credit... Zhao Duan nodded appreciatively.
When Mrs. Shen heard this, she also frowned and said coldly:
"Where is the butler?"
"Dead." Zhao Wuji stood on the edge of the crowd, holding the Yanyue Sword, and said.
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"My subordinates were a little rough in their work and accidentally killed someone. I think the old lady won't mind."
"... This servant doesn't understand etiquette and does things that violate the rules. It's natural that Zhao Shaobao cleans up the house for me." The old lady couldn't see the anger, and said without being humble or arrogant:
"Where is the porter who received the letter but did not deliver it? Bring him here."
"Yes."
Not long after, a servant was brought over, and he knelt on the ground with a thud, loudly begging for mercy.
The old lady didn't even look at it and said, "If you don't do things well, break your legs and throw them out of the door as punishment."
"Yes!"
A home nurse picked up a stick and smashed it down.
"Wait a minute..."
Zhao Duan raised his hand to stop him, but heard a "click" and the servant's legs were broken. He screamed and fainted.
He was carried away quickly, as if he had practiced it.
Or similar things have happened countless times in the big family, and everyone is not surprised.
The old lady suddenly smiled and said:
"I think Zhao Shaobao won't mind if I punish the slaves. Is this a satisfactory treatment?"
Zhao Duan narrowed his eyes and looked at this frail, elderly, silver-haired old lady with a much more serious look.
After a moment, he laughed heartily:
"The old lady expressed her position like this. If I continue to pursue this matter, it will be my fault."
The old lady's expression remained calm, and she suddenly said:
"Now that this matter has been revealed, I still have something to do. I would like to ask Shaobao for help."
"Oh? Can you please help me?" Zhao Duan showed a strange expression: "I would like to hear the details."
The old lady's eyes were sad, and she pointed at the dark coffin in the mourning hall with her dragon-headed crutch:
"My grandson, I went to Beijing to play last year and fell ill after returning home. After diagnosis and treatment by a famous doctor, it was because my grandson suffered from a martial arts master who cut off the bridge of life with cold poison. Counting the days, It was when I was in Beijing that I was attacked.
It's a pity that my Shen family is rooted in Jianning Mansion, but I don't know much about the capital. Therefore, I would like to ask Ambassador Zhao to help find out what kind of vicious person he is, who ruined my grandson's life? ”
Zhao Duan was "surprised":
"Is this happening? Oops, as an official of the imperial court, I am supposed to protect the people of the capital, but I have neglected my duty. Could it be that I rebelled against the party?"
Then, without waiting for the Shen family's reaction, he suddenly slapped his head, remembering something, and turned to look at the worshiper Song Jinxi behind him:
"Speaking of which, what is this cold poison?"
Song Jinxi understood the idea and explained with a smile:
"My lord, I don't know. This cold poison is beyond the control of ordinary martial artists. It requires specializing in a type of Yin-Cold Palm Technique.
However, the person who cut off the bridge of life was not fatal on the spot. Instead, he crossed several state capitals alive and fell ill only after returning home. To be able to grasp the timing of the onset of illness so exquisitely, to the smallest detail, he must be proficient in assassination and have at least a divine seal or above. Do it. ”
Zhao Duan asked curiously: "Who in Beijing can do it?"
Song Jinxi said seriously:
"Although there are crouching tigers and hidden dragons in the capital, as far as I can think of, there is only one person in the capital who has the ability to do this."
"Who?"
"Exactly my subordinate." The young eunuch pointed at himself with a smile.
Zhao Duan said "Ah" and looked at the old lady helplessly:
"Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do to help. It seems that this killer is indeed hiding deep."
No one here is stupid.
The two sang in harmony, almost a double act, and the answer "The person who will kill your grandson is right in front of you" was almost confused on the faces of the Shen family.
Mrs. Shen's hand holding the dragon-head crutch turned white from exertion, her energy and blood surged up, her body swayed slightly, and she hurriedly helped her maid, Miss Hong, to support her:
"Old lady... calm down."
Everyone in the Shen family blushed, staring at Zhao Duan and Song Jinxi with selective eyes.
insult!
ridicule!
provocative!
The Shen family has stood in Jianning for more than three hundred years and has been prosperous for more than three hundred years. How noble is it? To say "live as long as the country" is an exaggeration, but it is also a very important person with a high status and dignity.
How many years has it been since no one dared to be so frantic in their face?
If Zhao Duan hadn't been surrounded by experts and his identity was too sensitive, they would have taken action long ago.
"I'm okay...it's okay..."
The old lady's eyes darkened with anger. After taking a few breaths, she finally regained her balance. She looked at Song Jinxi with cold eyes, and then looked at Zhao again with a concerned look on his face:
"Since it's hard to find, I won't bother you, so I'll be careful. Today... I'm in ill health, and I didn't receive you well. I looked at it and gave you gifts, so it's time to..."
She's still maintaining the situation.
Zhao Duan said seriously: "That's it, it's me who disturbed you, so I'll leave after I finish talking about the business."
Business? What else do you have to do?
Zhao Duan sighed and said sadly:
"Yesterday the Japanese officials came into the city and bumped into Caobang He Xiaolou..."
He briefly talked about the kidnapping of the governor's family, and then changed the subject:
"Then He Xiaolou confessed that the person behind the kidnapping was the head of the Shen family!"
He raised his hand and pointed at the middle-aged man wearing sackcloth and mourning, with an astonished look on his face.
He said in a deep voice: "Therefore, I am here today to ask the head of the Shen family and me to go back to the Yamen to check everything!
Alas, I was worried about the dignity of the Shen family, and I didn’t want to come here to seize someone like this. However, I gave you the opportunity last night, but the head of the Shen family failed to seize it...
Kidnapping and threatening a second-rank official of the imperial court, seizing his home and beheading him were serious crimes. As an envoy appointed by the emperor, how could I condone this? Come on, please take Master Shen for a visit! ”
Everyone in the Lihua Hall and the Martial Arts Hall are gearing up to take someone.
This turn of events caught the Shen family off guard and gave rise to a strong sense of absurdity.
"Wait!"
The old lady stepped forward excitedly, stood in front of her eldest son, and said in disbelief:
"Zhao Shaobao! Don't go too far! How about Governor Ning's family? What does it have to do with our Shen family? What kind of status does my Shen family have to associate with a group of Cao gang thugs?"
At this moment, she even suspected that it was Zhao Duan who directed and acted on his own and found an excuse to frame him.
But something feels wrong...
Zhao Duan said coldly: "Does it matter? We won't know until the trial. Is the old lady going to openly resist the law?"
After a pause, he stepped forward and walked in front of the old man. He smiled, bowed his head, and put the end of the dragon-head crutch against his forehead with two fingers.
From a close distance, he smiled and looked into the old lady's gray cloudy eyes, and said with a chuckle:
"Or, you keep trying to use this crutch given by the late emperor to beat me, a traitor? Maybe you can stop me."
The old lady held the crutch with both hands and said in a trembling voice:
"Do you really think I don't dare to hit you?"
Zhao Duan's smile grew brighter: "I can bear it, so come on."
The old lady was shaking with anger, but the crutch in her hand seemed to be worth a thousand pieces of gold.
At this moment, a voice suddenly came from the direction of the door: "His Royal Highness Prince Jing has arrived!" A shout broke the tense atmosphere.
Xu Jinglong is here?
Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, turned around and looked back, and saw a young man wearing rich clothes, with a falcon on his shoulder, followed by a large number of servants, and his appearance was 60-70% similar to Prince Jing, walking arrogantly.
Old acquaintance.
The "lost dog" who ignores ethics and covets the body of Zhenbao, Prince Jing!
"See His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"
The Shen family members were the first to react and spoke one after another.
Xu Jinglong strode forward, full of energy and smiling:
"There is no need to be polite. Today, my eldest son is here to pay homage to Brother Shen, and to visit the old lady on behalf of my father... It just seems that he has come at an unlucky time. Hey, isn't this Master Xiao Zhao? When did I come to Jianning Mansion? The prince didn’t know.”
Bah... you don't know, I ate the coffin in the mourning hall... Zhao Duan slandered and said sarcastically:
"Ever since we parted ways at the Lake Pavilion, I have missed the prince dearly. However, I came here to pay homage, so why are I empty-handed? I even bought a gift."
Xu Jinglong's smile faltered.
Of course he didn't arrive by chance, but he had been staring at Zhao Duan since yesterday.
Read the error-free version at 69 Book Bar! 6=9+Book_Bar debuts this novel.
As a result, early in the morning, I learned that Zhao Duan was out of the city, and he quickly led people to chase him. Where could he buy something?
However, Xu Jinglong reacted quickly and said displeasedly:
"My prince and Brother Shen were good friends during their lifetime, and they had a deep friendship with each other. Wouldn't giving a gift tarnish this friendship? Wait, is it a congratulatory gift from you?"
He's kind of down.
"Yes, otherwise." Zhao Duan said confidently.
Xu Jinglong: "No..."
"Your Majesty, you are here just in time," the old lady coughed a few times and interrupted the two of them. The old woman looked sad and immediately told about Zhao Duan's arrest.
Xu Jinglong was "shocked" and said displeasedly:
"Master Zhao, isn't he doing this right? How many ministers have the Shen family produced in the past? What kind of lintel? How can a mere Cao Gang thug be bitten and slandered by just a few words? Even if we want to investigate, there should be ironclad evidence. Is there any reason to arrest people based solely on their testimony?”
Zhao Duan looked at the defeated dog for a moment, then suddenly got a little closer:
"What does the Crown Prince mean?"
Xu Jinglong was happy and not afraid: "Please go back, Mr. Zhao. I am here and will not let you take people."
A strange smile appeared on the corner of Zhao Duan's mouth:
"What if I insist on taking it? Can you stop me? Just because you are the only one who defeats me? Or is Duanshuishui hiding around?"
Xu Jinglong's expression changed slightly: "This is Jiancheng Road, not the capital."
"Last time, you said something similar, Prince, don't you remember?" Zhao Duan leaned a little closer.
Xu Jinglong subconsciously took a step back, then realized Lu Qie, and felt annoyed. He simply stepped in front of the Shen family and sneered:
"Mr. Zhao is a man of great authority. Well, if you want to take someone, it would be best if you take me with you."
Zhao Duan's eyes flickered and he was about to speak when suddenly another voice came from outside the door:
"The Governor of Water Transport has arrived!"
Outside the crowd, Ning Zechen, who hastily put on his official robe and arrived on horseback with several personal entourage, came in panting.
Seeing the scene of the three-party confrontation in the mourning hall, I couldn't help but feel numb.
"Governor Ning? Why are you here free?" Zhao Duan smiled.
Don't you have any idea why I came... Ning Zechen didn't want to talk.
He was alone in Jianning Mansion like a nail, nailed here. The reason why he could stand firm and continue to promote the New Deal was all due to his courage and flexibility.
As a "pragmatic and capable minister", Governor Ning does not have the so-called character of a great scholar in the court, and he does not mind "complicit" in order to achieve his goals at the right time, and he tolerates and compromises appropriately.
Only those useless people who stand up and talk empty talk naively think that local problems can be solved as long as the force is strong enough or they are righteous.
Only doers understand the correct way to deal with complex situations.
"Governor Ning came just in time," Xu Jinglong's lips turned up:
"Master Zhao said that your wife and daughter were kidnapped by people sent by Cao Gang He Xiaolou, and they were also said to be the mastermind of the Shen family. Is this possible?"
Ning Zechen was silent for a moment and said:
"It has not yet been found out. The Shen family may have suspicions."
The old lady squinted her eyes and said:
"So, the Governor is also here to arrest my son and interrogate him in prison?"
Ning Zechen shook his head and said: "We haven't found out yet, so we should be cautious. How can we arrest people randomly?"
After saying that, he turned around and cupped his hands towards Zhao Duan, saying apologetically:
"Your Majesty arrived at Jianning Mansion for the first time yesterday. When he learned about the suffering of my wife and daughter, he was indignant and wanted to inquire with the Shen family leader out of impartiality. However, there may be a misunderstanding...Here, after all, it is the second young master. In the mourning hall, I hope you can give Ning some face..."
Qian Kerou was not happy: "You don't know what is good and what is good, my Lord..."
"Xiaorou."
Zhao Duan interrupted her, smiled, looked around at the Shen family and Prince Jing's family, and said:
"Since the Governor has pleaded for mercy, let's forget it for now. However...it involves an important case. Governor Ning understands the general situation and takes the overall situation into consideration, so he may not want to go into the details. But I will continue the investigation. During this period, I hope that the head of the Shen family will not leave Jianning Mansion. , available for summons at any time.”
After a pause, he suddenly walked up to Xu Jinglong. The two of them were very close, seemingly brushing off the dust on his shoulders. His lips were close to the prince's ear and he whispered softly:
"I know that it was Prince Jing's Mansion who gave the instructions to He Xiaolou, right?"
Xu Jinglong's eyelids twitched and he remained calm:
"Master Zhao's imagination is as amazing as ever."
Zhao Duan laughed, turned around and waved: "Let's go!"
Immediately, he led a group of men and left in a mighty manner.
The old lady closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said calmly:
"You guys should also clean up the house."
"Yes."
The Shen family left in response, but no one was left behind.
Seeing this, Xu Jinglong sent his men away: "You also go and see Zhao Duan off."
Only the old lady and Xu Jinglong were left outside the mourning hall.
The silver-haired old woman stared at the prince with gray eyes and said:
"The matter was probably done by Prince Jing's Mansion."
Xu Jinglong said in surprise: "Why did the old lady say this?"
The old woman snorted coldly and said quietly:
"In the entire Jianning Mansion, the only one besides me, the Shen family, who can assign He Xiaolou to do such a thing is Prince Jing."
Xu Jinglong smiled:
"Whatever the old lady thinks, this matter has nothing to do with the palace. But...actually, it doesn't matter who did it, does it?
Even if there was no such incident, Zhao Duan would still find other excuses to make use of the topic. You should have noticed that this person has no intention of getting along well with us when he comes here this time. Either he dies or we die. ”
The old lady said: "What does the prince want to say?"
Xu Jinglong said seriously:
"What my father means is that if the Shen family is unable to deal with the traitors Lang Zhao, I, Prince Jing's Mansion, can provide a helping hand."
The old lady pondered for a moment, then turned and walked into the mourning hall: "I thank the prince on my behalf. The Shen family can handle this matter by ourselves."
How can the help from Prince Jing's Mansion be given in vain?
Xu Jinglong was not in a hurry and said with a smile:
"That's fine, but the door of the palace is open to the Shen family at any time. Whenever you need help, just send a letter."
After a pause, he added: "That Zhao Duan is not easy to deal with."
The old lady closed her eyes, faced the coffin and the incense candle, clasped her hands together, and said calmly: "I don't need to worry about it, Your Majesty."
Humph... The old guy won't cry until he sees the coffin... Xu Jinglong shook his head, turned and left.
Only the white lanterns fluttering in the mourning hall were left.
……
……
Zhao Duan and his party left the Shen family's house and returned to the city.
The Bodhisattva was squeezed out of the carriage in which he was riding. Governor Ning sat in the carriage and looked at Zhao Duan who was resting his head on his head. He hesitated to speak: "Your Majesty..."
"Governor Ning, there is no need to say more. I understand that you are also working hard." Zhao Duan waved his hand and didn't care.
"...What are you thinking about?" Ning Zechen asked.
Zhao Duan said quietly:
"I was wondering when the Shen family would send someone to kill me and how they would kill me."
Ning Zechen was stunned for a moment: "No way, the envoy is a popular person in front of His Majesty, how dare they..."
Zhao Duan shook his head and looked at the governor with a smile in his eyes:
"Would you like to make a bet?"
……
Typos should be corrected first
(End of chapter)