The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 32 Hunting Zhang Jia Erlang
"Zhao Duan? Senior sister, are you talking about the pretty boy kept by the empress?" a priest asked in surprise.

Jin Jian thought about it and nodded slightly: "It's him."

The priests looked at each other, surprised that Senior Sister Jin Jian, who was simple-minded and indifferent to the mundane world, would suddenly mention this person.

"This person...has a bad reputation, which is shameful," a priest frowned and asked, "Why is Senior Sister paying attention to him?"

Another person said:

"I heard that this person recently committed a crime. It seems that he is related to the rebels wanted by the court. It has caused a big fuss."

"Yeah, I heard that too, but I didn't pay much attention to it."

The priests of Tianshi Mansion are all devoted to spiritual practice and are indifferent to the twists and turns in the temple. The academic atmosphere is strong.

However, people love to listen to gossip, especially those involving "palace secret history" and "harem scandals", and even sorcerers find it difficult to resist the temptation.

Therefore, Zhao Duan's popularity in the cultivation circle is much greater than that of important state officials such as the prime minister and the chief censor.

Of course, the reputation is still very bad and is an object of collective contempt.

At this time, a group of sorcerers were talking at once, exchanging the dirty laundry and gossip they knew about Zhao Duan, and they were having a great time chatting.

When they thought of the golden tablet again, they were shocked to find that their senior sister had left without them knowing.

……

The stars and the moon are hazy.

Jin Jian floated between the buildings of Tianshi Mansion like a ghost. Her black robe made her body translucent, and the priests along the way ignored her.

Deep in the Tianshi Mansion, there is a special courtyard.

There is a big banyan tree planted in the yard. Its lush leaves are green all the year round, emitting fluorescent light at night and the cicadas chirp in summer.

Jin Jian walked through the courtyard gate and saw a rocking chair under a big banyan tree, with an old man lying leisurely on it.

He was tall and straight, with a long beard and eyebrows, narrow eyes, a gentle face, and a black priest robe hanging softly.

He looks ordinary, but his background is terrifying. He is the old Heavenly Master of Tianshi Mansion and one of the four "Heavenly Men" today, Zhang Yanyi.

"How come you are free tonight to come and see your master?" Zhang Yan's voice came out without him moving.

Jin Jian, the girl among the "Red Dot Boys" of this generation of Tianshi Mansion and a disciple of the old Tianshi, thought for a moment and said:

"Disciple has something that I can't figure out."

"Oh? What's the matter?"

"How can a mortal realm master withstand the full force attack of a worldly sorcerer and remain immortal?"

"It's unstoppable."

"No exceptions?" Jin Jian frowned.

Zhang Yan paused and said with a smile:
"There are forty-nine things in the universe, and man escapes one of them. Nothing in the world is absolute."

Jin Jian's brows relaxed and he said:

"I still don't understand how I can do this."

"Then go and think about it and study it like you would study." The old Taoist priest said lazily.

Jin Jian thought it made sense and bowed in a formal manner:

"Thank you, Master, for clarifying my doubts."

“Go,” the old Taoist waved his hand, and the girl retreated a hundred feet. The cicadas continued to chirp, and the big banyan tree suddenly swayed, revealing a huge, hazy and mysterious face that obscured the courtyard.

He looked in the direction where the girl disappeared with a confused look on his face, and said slowly:

"Did anything happen to her?"

Zhang Yanyi lay in the rocking chair, turned over, too lazy to lift his eyelids, and muttered:
"What a strange thing."

……

……

The same night, Zhang family.

Zhang Changshuo, who was dressed as a scholar with a mustache and a green shirt, sent the doctor away, closed the door, looked at his brother sitting on the bed, and asked:

"How does it feel?"

Zhang Changji's upper body was naked, one arm was wrapped in gauze, and he looked weak, but still had enough energy. He said stubbornly:
"Brother, with my physique, I only need to take some pills to recover in two days. Why do I need a doctor? Today, it was Zhao who attacked me by surprise. I was not prepared. Otherwise..."

"Shut up!" Zhang Changshuo shouted angrily:

"Don't you think you've caused enough trouble? Who told you to break into the house?"

Zhang Changji said gloomily, "I just want to vent my anger on you, big brother..."

"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking!" Zhang Changshuo was very critical of his brother's behavior.

Give him some vent?

Maybe this is also the reason.

But more often than not, it's just a way of taking revenge on personal enemies and being obsessed with trivial matters.

He was so disappointed that he said:
"I have told you many times that you should think twice before you act. Being reckless and impulsive is the way to death."

Isn't it because you were so sure that the Zhao guy would definitely be doomed that I dared to take action... Zhang Changji complained in his heart but didn't dare to talk back.

After thinking for a while, he said indignantly:
"But can we just let this go? My getting beaten is a minor matter, but your Majesty dislikes you, brother, that's a major matter."

Zhang Changshuo had a blank expression on his face, holding the folding fan tightly in his hand, and squinted his eyes and said:
"Of course not. Let's just let Zhao Duan be proud for a while. Humph, he may have escaped this time, but he has completely offended the Prime Minister. We just need to find an opportunity and add fuel to the fire. We can kill someone with a borrowed knife and avenge this...

As for now, let's just lie low for a while, I don't think he will dare to cause trouble for us."

After returning, after making inquiries from many sources, he had learned about Feng Ju's report and understood Zhao Duan's operation.

Of course, he didn't think Zhao Duan had such wisdom and skills, and he was certain that it was the empress who secretly instructed him.

Zhang Changshuo felt that he was just careless and did not dodge. If he was more careful next time, he would definitely be able to kill Zhao Gou with one blow.

Little did he know that Zhao Duan had already put him on the hunting list.

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Although Zhang Changji was reckless, he was still obedient in major matters. After thinking for a while, he suddenly said:
"By the way, the people from the south contacted me before, it's still about firearms. Should I delay it for now? Or should everything remain the same?"

Zhang Changshuo said coldly:

"Stop contact! At this critical moment, your every move is easy to be targeted. Put it off for now. You are injured, so you can just use it as an excuse to recuperate."

"Oh, I know."

Zhang Changji disagreed, thinking that his brother was too much of a scholar and was too cautious in doing things.

Who can keep an eye on him?
Could it still be that Zhao Duan?
……

……

Silent all night.

The next day, several incidents occurred that attracted the attention of the entire Beijing officialdom.

Empress Xu Zhenguan flew into a rage at the morning court session and, citing the case exposed by Feng Ju, demanded a thorough investigation into favoritism in the officialdom.

The spearhead was directed at the "Li Party" headed by Li Yanfu.

The Imperial Censor Yuan Li chimed in and the matter of replacing rice with mulberry trees became a matter of course, and the empress handed it over to the "Qingliu Party" for handling.

Although Feng Ju had a stain, he reformed in time and was rewarded and promoted by the empress. Ning'an County Magistrate Wang Xian was implicated and arrested at home.

It is said that when Li Yanfu left the court, his face was as gloomy as water and no officials dared to approach him.

The impeachment of Zhao Duan was temporarily put to rest.

At the same time, the rumor that Zhao Duan was suspected of being conferred the title of "honor" spread like wildfire.

For a time, countless people who were looking forward to seeing his downfall were shocked, and there was no shortage of scholars in the market who implicitly criticized the incompetent monarch for his debauchery and the dog Zhao for ruining the country.

Zhao Duan pretended not to hear it. His reputation had already been ruined, so it didn't matter if he heard it this time.

Two days passed like this, and the aftermath of public opinion gradually subsided.

People's attention was diverted to the massive "anti-corruption" campaign in the court.

……

This day, early morning.

When Zhao Duan walked out of the house, he got into the carriage waiting outside the house.

As expected, he picked up a stack of documents in the car.

"That's all?" He raised his eyebrows and asked as he flipped through the pages.

Zhu Kui smiled flatteringly:
"Time is tight and your request is urgent. This is all I have found out so far. By the way, you suddenly want to investigate Zhang Changji. Could it be that..."

Zhao Duan, who was dressed in gorgeous clothes and had a handsome face, was lazily leaning in the carriage. He glanced at him through the curtain and suddenly smiled:
"I said I want to kill him, do you...believe it?"

……

ps: My stock of manuscripts has run out, I’m so panicked.

(End of this chapter)