Chapter 217 Lure the snake out of its hole
A loud roar broke the solemn and dull atmosphere in the courtyard.
Zhao Duan stopped and looked up to see a group of people, both men and women, rushing in through the hanging flower door.
The leader was a handsome man, and his appearance was quite similar to that of the deceased.
Holding an iron rod in his hand and with red eyes, he barged in fiercely, followed by a crying woman who wanted to stop him.
"Who?!"
Before a few people could make a move, the imperial officials who were guarding the courtyard swarmed up and worked together to control the opponent and pin him to the ground.
A Jinyi gave him a heavy elbow with a straight face.
"Bang!"
The strong man knelt down on one knee and dropped the iron rod into the dirt. He stared at Zhao Duan and cursed.
Ma Yan frowned and Haitang looked at Zhao.
Zhao Duan shook his head and said he didn't know the situation:
"What's going on?"
Next to him, the green-robed official from the government office looked ugly and explained in a low voice:
"This is the brother of the dead flag officer. In grief, he rushed to the master. Don't pay attention."
Zhao Duan walked up to the man and said indifferently:
"It was a traitor who rebelled against the party and assassinated your brother. Why do you want me to pay for it with my life?"
The man who was being escorted and kneeling on one knee stared at him with bloodshot eyes like spider webs: "My eldest brother has never interacted with the traitors. If you hadn't made enemies with the traitors and offended them to death, what would you have done? How could the New Deal lead to Wuwu’s assassination? You said it had nothing to do with you! Why is it not you?”
Zhao Duan almost laughed out of anger, not to mention that this logic was indeed true from a certain perspective.
The green-robed official's expression suddenly changed and he shouted angrily: "That's nonsense! Come on, take this man away..."
Zhao Duan waved his hand and said:
"Let him go. This stupid coward is like a chained dog that barks loudly but has no guts to bite."
The man seemed to be insulted: "You..."
Zhao Duan stood with his hands behind his hands, with a mocking look on his face: "What are you? Not to mention, anyone with a normal mind can see that it is someone who goes against the party and is provoking conflicts. According to your logic, if I don't If you anger the rebels, they will not come to kill...
His Majesty's name is still written on the blood book. Why don't you go to Jinluan Palace to cause trouble for His Majesty?
You dare not anger His Majesty, but you dare to anger me... It seems that even if you are so angry, you still know who can be provoked and who cannot be provoked... But..."
He sighed softly, his eyes pity:
"Why do you think I can mess with you?"
The man was speechless and unable to refute for a moment.
Zhao Duan ignored him and followed Ma Yan and Haitang outside.
After the three people left, the remaining imperial officer laughed ferociously, kicked the man in the heart, and spat:
"There are idiots every year, but there are so many this year...lock them up and take them away to let them reflect on themselves so as not to upset the adults."
Zhao Duan could downplay it and say let him go and not care about the little people.
But the officials below would not really do this.
Seeing this, the green-robed official shook his head and sighed.
…
outside the door.
Zhao Duan was not in a happy mood after solving the small episode.
The eunuch Ma Yan looked at him, his slender face expressionless:
"What do you think?"
He would ask Haitang when investigating a case, but Ma Yan would ask Zhao Duan for his opinion on how to deal with more complex incidents.
Zhao Duan sighed softly, with a complicated expression:
"The good side is that the rebels are finally getting impatient. The bad side is that they are getting impatient.
The other party chose to assassinate a small flag official, and the implicit message revealed was mostly to send a signal, rather than actually killing someone. Otherwise, the first attack would be aimed at a big figure in the imperial party.
Killing only minor officials now will not really make the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty hate Kuangfushe, but it will make the lower-level officials panic... And the New Deal just needs the lower-level officials to run it..."
He said "ha" and said:
"It seems that assassination is a stupid move, but if the other party does this, it will really be effective.
Important figures in the royal party may have treasures to defend themselves, or they may have expert guards, or they may have high status, which is a talisman... But for the officials below, it is difficult for the court to fully protect them.
For now, the only way is to catch the leader of the thieves as soon as possible to serve as a warning to others.
After all... Although there are many simple-minded idiots in Kuangfu Society who claim to be righteous, those who are really capable of threatening assassination must consider whether it is worth their lives to kill some insignificant officials...
Moreover, we can also take advantage of this. If they dare to kill, we dare to publicize it, not to officials, but to the people...
Oh, haven't these traitors been slandering and vilifying His Majesty?
Now that we have provided evidence, we can also turn around and vilify them... When Kuang Fushe discovers that the benefits gained from the assassination are not worth the notoriety it brings, they will naturally stop. "
Ma Yan and Haitang's eyes lit up slightly.
I want to play scheming tricks, this kid is really good at it.
Ma Dugong nodded and agreed with this plan, but then said:
"But the most urgent task right now is to solve the next assassination first, that is, to capture the Thousand-Faced God."
Detective master Haitang said bitterly: "It's easier said than done? The Thousand-Faced God is very good at disguise. Unless he is a very familiar person, you may not be able to recognize him even if he stands in front of you. Millions of people in the capital are like a vast ocean. , he hides in it, like a drop of water...unless..."
The female detective suddenly looked at Zhao Duan.
Ma Yan also frowned and looked at Junior Brother Biian with a meaningful expression.
"..." Zhao Duan was stared at with horror, and he said helplessly:
"Don't try to fish with me, will the other party be so stupid? The last time the Frost Sword dealt with me, I was counterattacked, how could this Thousand-faced God Lord do it? Unprepared? Would you think that I might use my body as bait?”
After a pause, he picked up the blood letter, shook his head and said:
"Furthermore, you can see that the other party listed my name with His Majesty this time, as if it was intentional."
Ma Yan frowned: "You mean, killing someone with a borrowed knife?"
After speaking, he shook his head and rejected: "It's useless."
Zhao Duan squinted his eyes and laughed at himself:
"Is it really useless? Didn't the deceased brother in the courtyard just take the bait?
Don't underestimate the stupidity of some people. In other words, when a loved one is killed, a person's sanity will plummet in anger... and they will do some unbelievable things. "This paper says that I, the traitor, should be eradicated." Guess what will happen to my bad reputation once word spreads about it?
Oh, you don’t even need to propagandize against the party. In the capital, those who have enmity with me and are hostile to me will take the initiative to spread the word and guide the assassination of those who rebel against the party to me...to complete the transfer of conflicts. "
He sighed faintly, as if he saw the coming "future":
"Compared to the terror of the traitor who is like a ghost, hiding in the dark, and always ready to kill people, I, the treacherous official who appears on the surface, , wouldn’t it be easier to bully?”
Ma Yan shook his head and said:
"But it's useless. A few words can't hurt you."
Because my reputation is already very bad, I don’t care if it gets worse, right... Zhao Duan complained, shook his head and said:
"Don't underestimate public opinion. This Thousand-Faced God is very smart. He knows that once the assassination is carried out, the officials will panic or be angry, and this kind of emotion needs an outlet. If the officials dare not be angry at His Majesty, they will just Hatred of rebels...
But now that the rebels have added my name, people's anger will be directed at me...
Did you see it? It’s a very simple but very practical way to transfer hatred.
It is true that public opinion cannot kill me, but it will make me uncomfortable. Moreover, as long as I am at the front, even if they carry out an assassination, people will not completely hate them, but will hate me.
I think all this is caused by me.
Just like a robber comes to the village to kill people, the villagers will hate the robber, but if the robber comes to kill people and says that he came to kill people because someone in the village has offended them...
The villagers will hate that person. "
Haitang couldn't help but said:
"How could it be? There may be a few people who think this way, but most people wouldn't be so stupid. They don't hate enemies, but they hate compatriots?"
Zhao Duan glanced at her and suddenly said:
"Don't overestimate human nature."
Seeing that the atmosphere was serious and dull, he took the initiative to smile and lighten the atmosphere: "Well, the situation is not that bad. At least my reputation is also very bad. Those people, even if they hate me, can only curse me behind my back. Death, but you don't dare to really cause trouble for me, the 'little king of hell'.
Therefore, since the rebels need me to be at the forefront and share their hatred, they will not come to kill me...Using me as bait will probably not catch anyone. "
Ma Yan sighed, feeling that it was difficult.
As a warrior, he was never afraid of his opponents in the open, but he hated the sneakiness in the dark the most.
I didn't realize it before, but after Zhao Duan's in-depth and simple analysis, I was shocked to realize that there were so many calculations behind the seemingly reckless "assassination" of the Thousand-Faced God Lord.
However, with Zhao Duan's wisdom, he could not think of a countermeasure for a while.
"Let's go and report to the Holy One first."
Ma Yan made a decision, and the three of them rode horses and left quickly.
…
…
At noon that day.
An oral edict came from the palace and was delivered to the desks of various government offices in the capital.
After careful consideration, the empress did not choose to suppress the case and pretend that nothing happened, but decided to make it public.
The general meaning is that Kuang Fushe rebelled against the party and was crazy, assassinating the imperial officials and trying to destroy Yu.
Her Majesty the Empress has ordered the Beijing Forbidden Army, together with the entire Beijing camp, to step up patrols, and the capital has entered a third-level state of martial law.
All officials, especially those below the fifth rank, need to be more vigilant.
The royal party moved to the Yamen as much as possible and sent imperial troops to guard it.
At the same time, at the entrance of the nine halls of the imperial edict, all efforts were made to search for the "Thousand-faced Divine Lord", and some practitioners from Tianshi Mansion and Shenlong Temple were even invited to cooperate.
It's a pity that the "high-level officials" of the two major cultivating forces adhere to the principle of not participating in power struggles, and the warlocks they send can only reach the Shenzhang realm.
As soon as the news came out.
The officialdom in the capital was solemn.
As August has already entered, the slightly cool autumn atmosphere in the city suddenly becomes intense.
For a time, the princes in the court were furious, and the lower-level officials were in danger.
And that very night.
On his way home, another imperial official was taken to a secluded place by the Thousand-faced God disguised as a "car driver" and tortured to death.
It is said that his death was miserable and his skin was partially peeled off.
At the scene, on the wall, similar sentences were once again written in blood, claiming that the murder was for the sake of the common people in the world, demanding that the puppet emperor withdraw his "evil government" and severely punish the traitor Zhao.
Then, there was the third incident.
The fourth time...
For a time, people were panicked.
And just as Zhao Duan expected, gradually, some people in the capital began to be hostile to him.
It is believed that he provoked the rebels, causing the sounds of killings to begin.
However, due to Zhao Duan's display of skills in the past few months, these voices only remained in private discussions.
As well as many officials, their attitudes towards Zhao Duan have changed.
But no one really impeached him.
"A bunch of sheep in a nest!"
Zhao Duan sneered, Li Yanfu's metaphor was just right.
…
This day.
In the dining room of their new home, the three members of the Zhao family ate together.
Zhao Duan, who had been chasing the Thousand-Faced God for several days, was in vain. Zhao Duan, who seemed to be very worried, hunched over his meal and had a bad appetite.
Suddenly, the beautiful stepmother, who was holding the rice bowl and taking small bites, hesitated again and again and said:
"Dalang..."
"Huh?" Zhao Duan cast a confused look, "Auntie, is there something wrong?"
Eugene Hua hesitated for a moment and said with a timid expression: "The Youzhande family sent another invitation to my family during the day. I want to invite you to dinner and apologize in person."
(End of chapter)