Chapter 128: Your Majesty, the rebel leader has been executed this morning
"Your Majesty, the secret agents of the Shadow Guard are scattered all over the rivers and lakes, delivering news to the capital. There will inevitably be delays on the way. I think Gao Li has already sneaked into the city."
Mochou said with a solemn expression.
Xu Zhenguan moved his green and jade fingers, threw the secret fold on the table, nodded gently, and said:
"Do you think they will cause trouble in the near future?"
The first female officer said "En" and said thoughtfully: "When the new helmsman takes office, he is bound to take some action. Gao Li... was proud and arrogant back then, but he was defeated by Ma Yan. This time The return coincides with the arrest of the two men from Tiechuguan, I'm afraid..."
Xu Zhenguan frowned: "You are worried that if you help society treat Ma Yan... No, with Ma Yan's cultivation level, it is difficult to bite. Then, you will cause trouble for the entire Zhao Yamen, or Targeting Zhao Duan."
Thinking of this, Empress Dayu's heart moved.
She secretly decided that when Ma Yan called the little imperial guard into the palace later, she would give her a few words in person.
But just reminding him is not safe enough. To be on the safe side, maybe he should be given a "talisman"...
Today is different from the past. The pretty boy back then had no value in being targeted by those who rebelled against the party.
However, after the "ghost" incident, Zhao Duan was inevitably targeted by someone with malicious intentions.
At this moment, a eunuch suddenly came outside:
"Your Majesty, Ambassador Zhao is outside asking for an audience."
Is he so fast?
Xu Zhenguan was slightly surprised and nodded happily:
"Call him in."
…
A few moments.
Under the guidance of the eunuch, Zhao Duan came to the imperial study room again.
The first time he was alive, the second time he was familiar, the third time and the fifth time he was on the hot bed... Zhao Duan was still far away from climbing onto the dragon bed, but he no longer felt nervous about meeting the saint.
"My lord, see your majesty."
Zhao Duan stepped across the threshold with a calm demeanor.
When he raised his head, he saw the empress in white sitting behind a large table, with thick black hair hanging around her lower back, and a large "light bulb" made of ice beside her.
Xu Zhenguan looked at him with a smile and joked:
"I ordered Ma Yan to look for you with my front foot, and I will arrive with my rear foot. When did you practice this light skill?"
No...you have no idea what happened to me...Zhao Duan seemed calm and composed, but he had actually walked away from the gate of hell, and he was lying if he said he was not afraid.
From the Long Street to the Meridian Gate, I always rely on one breath to hold on.
It was only at this moment that the tense heartstrings finally relaxed after seeing the white-clothed empress, one of the "Four Heavenly Beings" today.
He took a deep breath and said with a smile: "The governor told me yesterday that your majesty had already made arrangements. Only then did I know that your majesty's holy family is deep and there is nothing to repay, so I came to the palace early in the morning. To thank the Holy Grace.”
Well...it's impossible to tell the truth.
You can't answer honestly, saying that you are worried and want to see how that bastard Xia Jianghou dies, so you come here early in the morning to join in the fun, right?
Secret Zhao’s emotional intelligence can’t be that low!
Xu Zhenguan felt happy after hearing this.
No one in this world really likes to "pay silently".
Human nature ultimately hopes that the good deeds we do for others can be seen and receive positive feedback.
This will shake your head and laugh:
"Mo Zhaorong said that you are good at talking sweet words, and it seems to be true."
You said bad things about me again... Zhao Duan glanced at the light bulb and found that Dabing Tuozi looked at his nose and his nose, pretending not to hear.
After the pleasantries, let’s get down to business.
Xu Zhenguan did not mention Princess Yunyang first, but threw him the secret fold on the table:
"I came just in time. I just have something to tell you. Look, Kuang Fu She has sneaked into the capital with a new helmsman. You have to be more careful."
Zhao Duan subconsciously took it, opened it and glanced at it, his expression became very strange.
Xu Zhenguan said in a solemn tone:
"You should have heard of Gao Li. He had a great reputation back then. The late emperor also praised him when he was still alive. Although he was defeated and retired to the world, he should not be underestimated..."
Zhao Duan's expression became increasingly strange. Seeing that the empress had not finished speaking, he could not interrupt her, so he could only hesitate to speak.
Xu Zhenguan muttered:
"Now that he has sneaked into the capital, you have become famous these days, and you have repeatedly thwarted his plans. I am afraid that he will target you."
It's not just that he's afraid, it's that he's already... Zhao Duan opened his mouth and wanted to speak:
"I don't think that's the case..."
beside.
Mochou, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke. The "first female official" who had a rather androgynous beauty and always gave people the impression of a woman pretending to be a man said quietly:
"Nothing? Mr. Zhao, don't underestimate the enemy and get carried away by the victory during this period. You must know that there are people outside the world, and there is a sky outside the world.
The lesson that the traitor Zhuang Xiaocheng taught you that day is profound enough. Anyone who can serve as the helmsman of Kuangfu Society, even if it is just a sub-rudder, is by no means an ordinary person. "
No... you two, one by one, can you let me say a complete sentence...
Zhao Duan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, he cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, when I come here, I happen to have something to report, which is related to the new helmsman."
Xu Zhenguan and Mochou were startled at the same time, wondering if he already knew about this?
Well, that’s possible.
The Shadow Guard's message transmission was limited by the distance. After all, it was a bit slow. It was not surprising that Lihuatang noticed it.
However, Zhao Duan's next words completely made the two women unable to sit still.
I saw him cupping his hands and said: "Actually, early this morning, when I was rushing from my home to the palace, I happened to be ambushed by Gao Li. Fortunately, I was well prepared. By luck, I managed to survive. Counterattack.
The swordsman Gao Li has also been executed, and his body has been sent to Zhao Yamen. The Hanshuang sword was seized and brought into the palace as evidence.
Now it is stored at the main entrance of the palace. If your majesty wants to see it, you can order someone to send it to you for screening. "
quiet.
At this moment, you could almost hear a needle drop in the royal study.
Mochou raised his head in shock, his eyes widened, staring at Zhao Duan, suspecting that he had heard wrongly. Gao Li ambushed him, but was killed instead?
The new helmsman who just took office burned himself to death in the first fire?
As for the "assassination target", Zhao Duan was standing here perfectly fine, with no scratches on his body, not to mention wounds.
How dare you believe it?
It is covered with bright yellow silk, with a penholder and inkstone, and memorials stacked like a hill behind the table.
Xu Zhenguan was also stunned and stared at Zhao Duan quietly.
Her eyebrows were as dark as distant mountains, and her eyes were like the waves of autumn water. Her beautiful eyes, as dark as ink, were at a loss for a moment on her ice-skinned skin.
What did she hear?
In front of me, Zhao Duan, who was just a middle-class mortal, actually killed the genius swordsman who was famous in the capital in the past...?
She had reason to suspect that the very existence of this matter challenged common sense.
If we talk about the past few times, when Zhao Duan went to the palace to report on the progress of the case, his impression was repeatedly refreshed because the empress underestimated him.
Then this time, it was somewhat outrageous.
Xu Zhenguan's gaze uncontrollably fell on the secret document on the case, which had been expedited for hundreds of miles and was sent to her desk overnight from far away places, spending manpower and material resources.
It was obviously steaming hot, and a memorial that had just been released had expired in the blink of an eye...
"You...say it again." Xu Zhenguan asked expressionlessly.
"yes……"
Zhao Duan had no choice but to describe the process carefully without missing any details.
In addition to the origin of the "imperial talisman" - he only said that it was Jin Jian who gave the talisman to help him in order to repay the favor he owed last time.
…
Russian qing.
After hearing the whole story, the two women slowly came back to their senses.
It turns out that it is so.
But even after knowing the cause and effect, the whole thing still seems illusory, but with such a conclusive tone and the presence of both witnesses and material evidence, it is obvious that it cannot be faked.
"So, Gao Li is dead. The Kuangfu Society in Beijing has lost its leader again." Xu Zhen seemed to be talking to herself.
Then, without waiting for Zhao Duan to answer, she said in an unmistakable tone: "Have the rebels from Kuang Fu Society dared to assassinate an official of the imperial court under my nose?"
After the initial shock of the empress, the look on her fair face was replaced by a scowl.
In fact, although the rebels had been fighting the empress for two years, assassination methods were not commonly used before that.
This is especially true in Beijing.
First of all, the act of assassination can easily expose oneself. Crouching tigers, hidden dragons in the capital, and those who have reached a certain level of practice and fighting can be easily detected.
It is a style of play that kills one thousand enemies and damages oneself eight hundred.
Secondly, it is of little significance for ordinary officials to assassinate, but for important ministers such as Yuan Li, who may have strong bodyguards or have means to save their lives, the difficulty is not low.
Of course, there is a more important reason.
This is what Kuang Fu She wants, not to overthrow Dayu, but to seize power.
If the capable ministers were assassinated, Dayu's ruling system would collapse, which would do more harm than good to Kuangfu Society.
Moreover, the act of assassination will inevitably make all officials feel in danger and become hostile to Kuang Fu She... Therefore, the rebel party mainly uses the "infiltration strategy" to gradually corrode and win over the court.
Supplemented by shaking the authority of the empress, he instigated various forces in the court to become enemies of the "imperial party".
Perhaps it is because in the past two years, the empress has not only not been defeated, but has become more secure in her position, which has led to the increasingly radical behavior of supporting the society.
Only then did Zhuang Xiaocheng intervene in the game a few days ago to try to deal with Ma Yan's "game".
But that time, he also lured people outside the city to do something like this, intercepting and killing the celebrity next to the empress in the city.
It is undoubtedly a great provocation.
"Don't worry." Xu Zhenguan's tone suddenly turned cold.
"My slave is here." Mo Zhaorong responded.
Xu Zhenguan spoke indifferently: "First, send an order to the capital camp to strictly check the records of recent entry into the city, investigate all suspicious persons, and do not let go of any doubts. Don't give me excuses about too many people entering the city, and there is a mix of good and bad. It’s hard to tell, I just want the result.”
"Second, I ordered the commanders of the Yulin Guard, the Jinwu Guard, the Qianniu Guard, and the six imperial guards, including the Zhaoyamen, to dig three feet of the ground for me from now on. Gao Li brought in more than one person, and the rest Can people really not leave any traces?"
"Third, tell Ma Yan to hang Gao Li's body on the city gate tower. I want to see if those people in Kuangfu She, who claim to be righteous and heroic, have the courage to jump out and take back their helms. The body of the Lord.”
"Fourth, order to disperse the shadow guards of the Nine Paths and Eighteen Houses, and behead all those who have rebelled against the party. No one will be spared!"
Murderous! !
The four wills are more fierce than the last, and the killing intent is stronger than the last.
Zhao Duan was stunned.
At this moment, he seemed to see the three princesses who had wielded a sword and swept through thousands of troops during the Xuanmen coup, killing rivers of blood and heads.
"Your Majesty, this..."
Mochou's expression also changed, and she hurriedly advised:
"Screening and arresting are all necessary, and the body can be hung at the city gate... Isn't this method contrary to the party's words?
Those traitors have been spreading rumors and trying to portray Your Majesty as a tyrant. In this way, aren't they fulfilling their wish? Bad for your reputation.
As for beheadings... aren't you ready to win over and instigate rebellion against those rebels?
You also said that not all those who rebel against the party are hopeless. Zhuang Xiaocheng wooed and corrupted the court officials, and we can also woo the members who supported the society... If we behead him now, wouldn't all our previous efforts have been in vain... …”
She was worried that the empress was momentarily swayed by her emotions and made irrational decisions.
Zhao Duan also advised: "Your Majesty, calm down, you must think twice before taking action."
However, Xu Zhenguan shook his head.
She stood up, walked to the window, let the wind on the lake blow her long hair, her eyes were clear, and she said calmly:
"I was not carried away by anger, I just wanted to understand something.
In the past, I was worried about my reputation, so I was restrained. But in fact, some people are really willing to push themselves to the limit, just like those fake teachers who talk about benevolence, righteousness and morality, but are full of men stealing and women prostitutes.
They concoct rules that a benevolent king should abide by, but they never follow them.
Since they don't follow the rules, there's no need for me to follow them. "
After a pause, Empress Dayu suddenly smiled, looked at the two of them faintly, and said softly:
"Tell me, Zhuang Xiaocheng and his gang, do they really think that I...can't wield the sword?"
(End of chapter)