Chapter 191 Changing the Courtyard
Night, Jinjiang Embankment.
The last time Zhao Duan came to this place, he was invited by Pei Kaizhi. At that time, he was just an envoy from the White Horse Prison.
But this time, when he came again, his identity had changed dramatically.
"Things change and people change." Zhao Duan stretched his waist and sat back on a chair with a back made of fabric.
A lantern hung beside him, and a fishing rod was set up in front of him. The front part was fixed with a Y-shaped support frame, and the end extended straight into the dark river water.
The dim starlight and the broken moon are reflected on the water.
Tonight, Zhao Duan decided on a whim and chose this place for night fishing.
Behind him, Lihuatang's trusted officials looked around vigilantly, wary of possible outsiders.
"Sir, we've brought it here." After a moment, Hou Ren stepped forward and whispered.
With a wave of his hand, the captain behind him threw a torn sack on the shallows of the river bank and untied it.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"
Xu Mingyuan, whose hands and feet were bound and his mouth was gagged, rolled out in embarrassment, still not understanding what happened.
"Haha, you better not scream, otherwise you will know the consequences."
The Hou Ren plucked off the rag from his mouth, and then used a dagger to easily cut off the hemp rope on his body.
"call--"
As an aristocrat of the Hanlin Academy, Xu Mingyuan was a scholar who came and went. He once ranked second in the imperial examination in the past. Although he was not as famous as Korean Congee in the Hanlin Academy, Xu Mingyuan gasped for breath.
His eyes darted around warily, feeling uneasy.
He didn't know where this group of people came from, but since he knew his identity, he must not be afraid of his background.
Therefore, he did not speak harshly foolishly.
At this time, with a quick glance, his eyes passed over the plainclothes officers who were stuck in the darkness like javelins.
The mysterious man sitting leisurely on a chair fishing next to a lantern is frozen in the frame.
Realizing that this was the real owner, but the darkness was too thick, he couldn't see clearly for a while, and he said warily: "Who is your Excellency? Has Xu ever had a grudge against you?"
The mysterious man did not answer immediately, but still looked at the gray river quietly. The dog days had passed, and the capital city at night had become slightly cooler.
Now the wind on the river ruffled the weeds, and the paper lantern swayed, casting furtive shadows.
This extremely quiet river beach seems to be isolated from the bustling world. It is not like being in the bustling capital, but more like being in some wilderness.
Just when Xu Mingyuan became more and more uneasy.
The mysterious man finally chuckled: "Is Xu Hanlin so forgetful? We only met you not long ago."
This voice... so young... Xu Mingyuan was stunned.
Then it felt familiar, but I couldn't remember it for a while.
Until Zhao Duan, who was wearing a bamboo hat and holding a fishing rod, turned his head, his handsome face illuminated by the shadowy lantern.
Xu Mingyuan's head suddenly buzzed, and his eyes suddenly widened. It was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured down on his whole body, and the remaining drunkenness disappeared in an instant!
“It’s you!”
Zhao Duan!
The person who kidnapped him turned out to be the empress’ lackey that he was still cursing in Zuixianju an hour ago!
At this moment, Xu Mingyuan felt cold air running up his spine, and he felt a sense of fear that he was being watched.
Could it be that what he said was known to the other party?
Come to take revenge?
That's right, everyone in the capital doesn't know that the White Horse Zhao family is famous for being a shameless villain...
He originally thought that he had gone to prison and the matter was over, but he didn't expect that Zhao Duan appeared in front of him like a ghost.
Thinking of Zhao Duan's terrifying reputation in the past, Xu Mingyuan retreated almost instinctively, and said with a fierce expression: "What are you going to do? Do you want to overthrow the government and kidnap the Hanlin bachelor, but..."
Zhao Duan turned around and said, "Slap your mouth."
On the side, Shen Juan, who looked lazy and had dark circles under his eyes, smiled and took out the scabbard. The wooden scabbard struck Xu Hanlin accurately on the face with clever force.
The sound of "Pa!" was extremely harsh.
"Ah..." Xu Hanlin cried out in pain and was unexpectedly kicked back by Zheng Laojiu. His legs went weak and he knelt on the grass.
Two captains next to him came forward. One held him down and blocked his mouth, while the other fired his bow left and right.
"Pa", "Pa", "Pa"...
"That's almost it. It won't be good if it disfigures the face and delays the adults' business."
Qian Kerou said quietly, and then added: "Prick the bone with a needle and sew it, it will pierce the bone, leaving no trace on the surface."
Xu Mingyuan was so beaten that stars appeared in his eyes. Hearing these words, he was so frightened that he looked at Zhao Duan with a whimper, wagging his tail and begging for mercy.
"Oh, don't scare people. Xu Hanlin is a scholar, different from us vulgar warriors."
In the darkness, Zhao Duan's teasing voice came, "Xu Hanlin, do you think so?"
As the official let him go, Xu Mingyuan covered his burning face. Although he was extremely unwilling, a scholar pays attention to a flexible bottom line. This will suppress humiliation and lower his eyebrows:
"Master Zhao, Xu misunderstood the rumor last time, so he was very disrespectful to Master Zhao. He was..."
Zhao Duan smiled and said: "Oh? Did you believe the rumors? I am curious, whose rumors did you listen to, and whose instructions did you receive?"
Xu Mingyuan closed his mouth and remained silent.
Although he was still a little dizzy, he also knew what to say and what not to say.
Zhao Duan sighed softly:
"It seems that Xu Hanlin is still not sincere."
Next to them, the officials from Lihuatang were preparing to take action again.
Xu Mingyuan's expression changed.
While he was struggling internally, he saw Zhao Duan, who was sitting in a chair and fishing in a bamboo hat, waved his hand, and the group of eagles and dogs, who were like wolves and tigers, and had evil intentions, stopped.
"Don't use violence in everything you do. You should be gentler when dealing with scholars. Do you understand?" Zhao Duan said calmly.
Everyone in Lihuatang lowered their heads in shame:
"My subordinates know."
I thought that he was worthy of being a grown-up, with such a broad mind, yet he treated such villains with courtesy. Seeing the sight, Xu Mingyang couldn't help but straighten his back and thought to himself:
It seems that although this Zhao thief is fierce, he is still wary of his Hanlin identity.
My heart has calmed down a bit, and my courage has rarely recovered.
Zhao Duan didn't look at him, he just held the lantern closer to him, adjusted the angle of the fishing rod, and sighed softly: "Actually, even if Xu Hanlin doesn't tell me, I also know , it’s nothing more than Li Yinglong causing trouble behind his back.
Your Majesty also told me and taught the Li family and his son a lesson. Originally, I was not a petty person, so I didn't care about it anymore.
But in the past two days, after hearing what happened to you, Hanlin, I felt quite sorry for you. "
Are you upset for me? Xu Mingyuan was not sure what kind of medicine this traitor was selling.
Zhao Duan sighed: "As far as I know, Xu Hanlin worked hard for the Li family. If something went wrong when the rice was changed to mulberry, the Prime Minister knew that His Majesty was not happy, and he also presented the so-called dilemma. The explanation seems to be written by Xu Hanlin.
I was in the imperial study room at that time, and I learned about this from His Majesty. I sighed with emotion, Xu Hanlin really contributed a lot, and would rather be a chess piece for the Li family. If he really does things this way, he will definitely end up with a big trap. By then As long as the Prime Minister throws away the Hanlin who proposed this plan, everything will be fine...
Well, speaking of it, did Hanlin think of the method himself, or did he submit it for someone else? Haha, no need to answer, I don’t really care about the truth. "
Xu Mingyuan's expression changed.
Zhao Duan continued:
"Fortunately, Your Majesty did not pursue this matter too closely, but he didn't expect that this time Hanlin was used as a pawn by Li Yinglong again. He was smart and hid behind him the whole time. This way, if something happened, the fire would not burn him.
Well... I originally thought that this time the Li family should not look at merit but rather hard work and promote Hanlin, but that doesn't seem to be the case. "
Xu Mingyuan was heartbroken by the knives, and said calmly: "Whatever Mr. Zhao wants to say, just say it."
"Okay, I like cheerful people." Zhao Duan looked at him for the second time with a smile:
"You know, I have a grudge against Li Yinglong. As for you, you must not be happy in his hands. Why don't you defect to me? Hehe, if you nod, I can forget the offense I've made against you."
Xu Mingyuan was stunned, and then almost laughed.
I wonder if this bitch is crazy?
In just a few words, you want to change your family?
What a joke.
Li Yinglong is indeed not a good person, but you, Zhao, have no shame in talking about Mr. Xiaoge.
Although he felt dissatisfied, he was still with the Li family. With his relationship with his teacher Chen Zhengru, he was able to gain a foothold with the Li Party.
And Zhao Duan? The hatred between the two is real, and he would only seek refuge if he was crazy.
"Master Zhao is joking. If I surrender to you, will I be required to imitate Feng Ju and bite the elder of the small pavilion, or even bite the prime minister?"
Xu Mingyuan said calmly:
"If you have the intention of using me to deal with the Prime Minister, then it can only be said that your efforts are in vain. Although Xu is a scholar and cannot stand up to the swords in your hands, he still has some backbone."
Zhao Duan looked at him with a strange expression, and then smiled meaningfully:
"What a tough-minded scholar, so you refuse me?"
Xu Mingyuan stiffened his neck and closed his eyes:
"Please forgive Xu for not agreeing."
He was already convinced that Zhao Duan's previous actions were to scare him.
Regardless of whether he was tied up or slapped, to put it bluntly, it was just a superficial injury, not even a serious injury.
No matter how crazy the other party is, he will definitely not dare to murder an Hanlin official in the capital.
Therefore, Xu Mingyuan firmly believed that even if he refused, he would probably be beaten.
This is not necessarily a bad thing. If he goes to Li Yinglong with an injury, the other party will definitely help him.
Otherwise, Party Li’s people will be disheartened.
"Well, in that case, there's nothing more to say,"
Zhao Duan's expression also became cold and he said calmly:
"Come here, send Hanlin down. Just in time, my bait is not sweet enough, and I need some supplement to feed the fish."
"yes!"
Xu Mingyuan was stunned for a moment, feeling vaguely uneasy.
But he saw that the Lihuatang officials had already stepped forward. One blocked his mouth with a rag, and the other tied his hands and feet again, then pushed him into a sack and dragged him towards the river.
"Move to the side, don't scare the adults' nest." Qian Kerou said, crossing his arms.
Hou Ren grinned suddenly and pulled a rope to drag Xu Mingyuan, who was tied in a sack with only one head barely exposed, farther and farther away.
By the river, Shen Juan came over carrying a large stone tied with a rope, and tied the other end of the rope to the sack.
Xu Mingyuan's eyes widened in horror, and he finally understood something. He struggled whiningly, but was kicked over by Hou Ren, and the binding became stronger:
"What are you calling for? Don't be afraid, you won't feel it after a while." ”
As he spoke, he used his strength to kick the big stone into the river.
With a thud, the rope suddenly tightened, quickly dragging Xu Mingyuan into the cold river water, and then quickly sank to the bottom of the river.
"Whoa! Whoa!"
Xu Mingyuan struggled wildly, feeling the water gradually engulfing his neck, trying his best to push off the rag with his tongue, and shouted in horror:
"You can't kill me...you can't kill me..."
In his field of vision, Zhao Duan was no longer visible, and he could only vaguely see the bright lantern in the darkness in the distance.
Like the last rays of the setting sun in the evening.
"Help……"
"Master Zhao...I...will..."
"Gurgling..."
The last sentence was swallowed by the river, and Xu Mingyuan's vision was shrouded in darkness.
(End of chapter)