Chapter 138 Reporting to Yuan Qingyi
"Wang Shan? Are you talking about Eunuch Wang's adopted son? When did he get involved with Zhao Duan?"
He Zheng was stunned for a moment, recalling this person.
After the Xuanmen coup, the princes died in the rebellion. After the new emperor ascended the throne, there was a great change of blood in the court.
Wang Zhen's tree fell and the hozens dispersed, and the network of power he had worked so hard to weave during his lifetime collapsed in an instant.
Wang Shan, the nameless person, had no support, so he voluntarily resigned and took over the "legacy" business left by his adoptive father.
There is no such figure in the Yu court, but in the circle of powerful people, things are flourishing.
The subordinate reported:
"After Zhao Duan gained momentum last year, he was led by Qin Qiu and entered the circle of the powerful and powerful disciples in the capital.
One time, he went to visit Wang Shan at his residence. According to Qin Qiu's confession, Wang Shan held a banquet and invited Zhao Duan to eat and drink. In order to make friends with someone named Zhao, he deliberately prepared a beautiful concubine.
After the banquet, Wang Shan personally led Zhao Duan to see the beautiful concubine. Qin Qiu had no chance to enter. He only knew that Zhao Duan came to look for him the next morning and left the king's house. When he left, his face was pale and his steps were empty.
But after that, for some unknown reason, he rarely interacted with Wang Shan. "
"Oh?" He Zheng's eyes lit up, he subconsciously groped his beard with his fingertips, and said with a smile: "This is normal. What kind of friendship? Wang Shan is only afraid of trying to get Zhao Duan's advantage, so to speak. , Zhao Duan slept with that beautiful girl."
He couldn't hide his excitement.
In this way, as long as we get the evidence from Wang Shan that Zhao Duan slept with a woman, we can complete the task assigned by Lord Tingwei.
"Sir, are we going to arrest Wang Shan now?" the subordinate asked for instructions.
He Zheng shook his head: "That's inappropriate."
As a close subordinate of Zhou Cheng, he knew to some extent that Zhou Cheng and Wang Shan both worked under the prince and had a close friendship.
Although it is said that the tea is cold when people leave, but to be on the safe side, it is better to report to Zhou Cheng first.
"Throw this Qin Qiu into the prison of Dali Temple, and don't let the news leak out."
The green-robed civil servant is very proud:
"Go back and see Lord Tingwei."
…
"Wang Shan?"
Dongcheng, the back house of the Xue family's private school.
Upon hearing this name, Zhang Han and Haitang didn't react much, but Zhao Duan's pupils suddenly shrank.
In his mind, some dusty memories were touched, and messy pictures, like randomly edited movie shots, were tumbling in his mind.
This name... seems so familiar... Wait, 'I' seem to have seen him before, and even drank with him? Such a vague memory, it seems that not long after ‘I’ gained power...
Zhao Duan pressed his thumb between his eyebrows, trying his best to obtain effective information from the messy and fragmented memories.
In a daze, he seemed to see 'himself' and Wang Shan arm in arm, leaving the banquet hall drunkenly and walking along the corridor.
Finally stopping outside a bedroom, Wang Shan smiled and opened the door, and then... forgot.
"What’s wrong with you?"
Haitang, who had an oval face and a teardrop in the corner of her eye, looked at him suspiciously.
"Nothing, I think this name sounds familiar." Zhao Duan forced a smile to cover up his gaffe.
"It sounds familiar. Although this person has retired from the temple for several years, he is still somewhat famous among the dandy circles in the capital." Zhang Han pointed out.
So, was it 'I' who used to hang out with him when he was a dandy in the capital? A friend similar to Qin Qiu? No... Zhao Duan looked a little embarrassed.
I can only lament that the world is really small.
Haitang asked a few more questions, and Xue Xuan answered them all, but as she said, that's all she knew.
He ordered Xue Xuan to go out and wait. After the door was closed, "Juan King" Zhang Han looked at his two colleagues: "
What do you think? Is what she said true or false? "
Haitang said:
"It may not be completely true, but it must be true in general. Besides, she couldn't make up such a complicated case even if she wanted to.
I think it is an excellent breakthrough. As long as we can get more evidence, this case will be enough to make Zhou Cheng irrecoverable. "
After saying that, the two of them looked at Zhao Duan together, waiting for him, the "organizer", to speak.
Zhao Duan also agreed with the two people's views and nodded slowly: "It is indeed a good breakthrough."
Haitang was very excited and entered the reasoning state: "However, relying solely on Xue Xuan's testimony is meaningless, and the relevant files have been lost. It is extremely difficult to overturn the case. Maybe we can start with this Wang Shan ”
Zhang Han shook his head and had a different opinion: "Wang Shan is the key person in this case and is indeed our target. But looking at the entire case, even if Wang Shan reveals the truth, Zhou Cheng can still claim that he He handled the case impartially but was deceived by false testimony.”
Haitang rubbed her sharp chin, her face slumped: "It makes sense. So, what can really identify him are the lost files, physical evidence, or the person in charge, but those things have long been Let him erase it."
Zhang Han shook his head and said: "It is not necessarily eradicated. Just imagine, this case was no small matter at that time. There were many people involved, and both the Third Division and the Imperial Office were involved in it.
Even if Zhou Cheng has great power, it is almost impossible to make all the insiders and physical evidence disappear without attracting the attention of the temple. "
Haitang perked up and analyzed: "In other words, there must still be evidence, but the problem is how to find it. Even if the remaining evidence is still there, I am afraid it is still in the Metropolitan Procuratorate or the Ministry of Punishment, and will not Show us easily.
The people involved in the case have now been promoted or demoted, and are scattered in various yamen. It is even more difficult to ask them. "
The female detective stood up and paced in the main room.
Anxiety appeared on the beautiful face: "Although we have the power to supervise hundreds of officials, if we want to order all the major yamen, including the Sanfa Division, to cooperate, I'm afraid that even the Governor's intervention may not be effective. What's more, that will inevitably gain momentum. Isn’t it so vast that it might scare the snake away?”
Zhang Han also frowned and said nothing.
Dead knot!
Two detectives who are good at investigating crimes found themselves in a dead end.
They seriously underestimated the difficulty of overturning a major case that occurred thirteen years ago.
"Well, that is to say, as long as there is someone strong enough who can pass between the various yamen unimpeded, obtain the files, and can get many people involved in the case to speak, and someone who can conceal the movement to help, then that's enough, right?"
in an anxious atmosphere.
Zhao Duan, who was drinking tea leisurely, not impatient or irritable, looking like a bystander, suddenly asked.
The two people who were immersed in discussing the case suddenly remembered him and turned to look.
Haitang said angrily:
"You sound like you think this is very simple. In the entire court, there are only one person who can do what you said. No, even less than that! Wait, you don't want to report it to a saint. Bar?"
Zhang Han also thought of this possibility and wanted to dissuade him. It was really inappropriate for them to alert the empress and start a war just after they found the clue.
What's more, in the position of the empress, every move she makes is watched by countless pairs of eyes, making it difficult to cover up the movement.
Zhao Duan smiled and spat out the inferior tea stems with a relaxed expression. He didn't bother to explain, so he stood up and said:
"Don't worry, I'm talking about someone else. It's getting late. Come with me."
The two were confused and could only follow. When they walked out of the back house, they saw Xue Xuan waiting quietly.
As she passed by, Zhao Duan stopped in front of her and suddenly showed a bright smile:
"We will meet again."
Xue Xuan's heart trembled. He did not dare to look at the infamous "Zhao Shijun" and lowered his head humbly.
"Miss, they're gone." After a while, Uncle Fu came over and whispered.
Xue Xuan slowly raised his head, his eyes full of sadness.
"Miss, are these people trying to find out what happened back then to overturn the case for me?" Uncle Fu suddenly asked.
Overturn the verdict? Xue Xuan shook his head and said with a sad smile: "
Do you think that a despicable villain like Zhao Duan would fight against a third-grade official for the sake of those innocent souls that have no value at all?
Presumably, they just happen to be It's just investigating something involving this old case. Even if he learns the truth, he will pretend not to know.
Overturning the verdict... I had this delusion back then, but I no longer have that kind of dream. "
Uncle Fu was speechless, remembering Zhao Duan's bad reputation, he shook his head and sighed, picked up the flower basket on the ground, and went out to buy paper flowers and candles.
When walking out of the courtyard, the sound of children reading aloud could be heard again in the private school.
…
…
"Don't tell us that the helper you are looking for is Mr. Yuan."
Outside the building of one of the Three Legal Departments, once named "Yushitai" and later renamed "Duchayuan".
On the street, Haitang tightened her grip on the reins, expressionless, and looked at Zhao, who was looking lazy in the carriage.
"What if?"
Zhao Duan yawned and got out of the car slowly, with a matter-of-fact look on his face:
"Zhou Cheng judged this case when he was in the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Most of the relevant files, witnesses and material evidence, and the handlers were in the Metropolitan Procuratorate. If the Metropolitan Procuratorate is willing to give its full help, tighten the The evidence back then must have been much simpler than ours.”
Haitang's expression was full of bewilderment. She opened her mouth and was speechless for a moment.
Even Zhang Han's paralyzed face had a strange look on his face, and he finally managed to say: "That's Mr. Yuan."
Yuan Li!
The leader of the Qingliu Party, his influence covers half of the court, and he is a powerful figure who rivals Prime Minister Li Yanfu.
Haitang frowned and said: "Are you going to use His Majesty's name to ask Mr. Yuan to help you? Let me remind you that not everyone can be driven and threatened by you."
After a pause, her tone softened and she tried to persuade:
"I've also heard that you once worked for Mr. Yuan, but..."
She wanted to say:
With our status, we are not worthy of asking to see him. The level difference between the two parties is too big and there is a gap.
Yes, in the Pei Kai case, only a few people know about the personal relationship between Zhao Duan and Yuan Li.
In the eyes of almost everyone, the only intersection between Zhao Duan and Yuan Li was that they were in the same camp during the "Beheading Pei" operation.
That's all.
As for "friendship"? What is that?
Haitang and Zhang Han couldn't even imagine that the first person Zhao Duan was looking for was the imperial censor, a first-class courtier!
Even the coachman, Xiao Wang, although he didn’t know the specific situation, looked at the gate of the Metropolitan Procuratorate with some trepidation:
"Sir, I'm afraid Mr. Yuan won't see us..."
"..." Zhao Duan was repeatedly criticized by several people, and he couldn't laugh or cry: "Mr. Yuan is not a scourge, why are you doing this. Forget it, if you don't want to go, then just wait at the door."
With that said, he jumped out of the carriage, patted his butt, left behind a few useless pig teammates, and walked straight between the two majestic stone lions of the Metropolitan Procuratorate. He showed his identity, and someone came in immediately to announce.
After a while, an official rushed out and said something. Zhao Duan stepped forward, stepped directly into the gate of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and disappeared from the sight of the three people.
(End of chapter)