The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 39 Joint Investigation
Prince Jing’s Mansion!
"Cough cough..." The old eunuch Sun Lianying almost choked and started coughing.

Zhao Duante stood up considerately, took out a handkerchief and handed it over:
"How could you be so careless, sir..."

Sun Lianying glared, grabbed his wrist, and stared at him with her slightly cloudy eyes:
"Say it again, kid."

"Jiancheng Road, Prince Jing's Mansion."

"Or is it climbing and biting?"

“…I’m afraid it’s true this time.”

silence.

After a long while, Sun Lianying finally let go of Zhao Duan's bony hand and let him return to his seat. He said:
"say clearly!"

"Yes."

Zhao Duan smoothed his wrinkled cuffs leisurely and frankly recounted how he wanted to cause trouble for Zhang Changji, and how he traced the problem back to Qinglian Cottage and accidentally obtained clues.

There is nothing to hide about this kind of thing.

As expected, Sun Lianying didn't care at all about his intention to retaliate - this was something Zhao Duan would do.

After hearing everything, the old supervisor's face was solemn:
"How sure are you?"

"No." Zhao Duan said calmly:
"After all, it's just a suspicion, but Xiaoya has no reason to lie. Although I have a grudge against the Zhang brothers, I also know that some things can be used to make false accusations, but some things cannot."

Humph, if you knew the importance of things, you wouldn’t commit such crimes…Sun Lianying complained in her heart.

But a few days ago, Zhao Duan's series of operations to turn the tide really made him look at him with new eyes.

If it were in the past, I might not have believed it, but now I believe it 70%.

"Sir, after I got the clue, I felt that this matter was of great importance and I did not dare to delay. I came here to report immediately. Please make a decision as to whether to report it to the emperor." Zhao Duan said.

You are afraid of making a big mistake and getting into big trouble, so you let me take the blame... Sun Lianying saw through it but didn't say anything. He stood up and walked slowly, thinking for a moment, and said:
"It is just a whore's dream talk. There is no real evidence. It is not appropriate to report it to the saint. But as you said, it should not be taken lightly..."

After a pause, he said:
"Well, your majesty has ordered the imperial court to investigate the case of the missing firearms craftsman. As far as I know, there has been little progress, and the White Horse Prison has no authority to investigate the case. It would be safest if you pass the clues to Ma Yan, and it would also help you to repair your relationship with him."

"Your Excellency is right," Zhao Duan flattered at first, then hesitated:
"If that's the case, won't we get much credit?"

Sun Lianying criticized:

"Don't be too greedy. You must know that human greed is like a snake swallowing an elephant. In the officialdom, the most important thing is not to make achievements, but to maintain them!

If you give the initiative to the Zhao Ya, you will make money no matter what happens in the end, it's just a matter of how much you make. But if you insist on getting involved, do you think you can escape the blame if something goes wrong?"

The old eunuch spoke very bluntly, fearing that he might not understand.

Zhao Duan smiled and said, "I have also heard a saying that risks and benefits coexist."

Immediately, he bowed slightly and said, "Please help me, sir."

Sun Lianying remained silent and just stared at him.

After a long time, he finally sighed and said coldly:

"If you mess up this case, the government won't take the blame for you. Similarly, if you succeed, the government won't share the credit with you."

The meaning is obvious:
If you insist on getting involved, I won't stop you, but you do it at your own risk.

Zhao Duan said solemnly:

"If there is any merit, the government office will definitely share it. If there is any blame, I will bear it alone."

Sun Lianying looked at him deeply again, and this time, a hint of hidden admiration flashed across her eyes.

He turned back to the desk, wrote a letter and handed it to him:
"Send this to the imperial court yourself."

Zhao Duan took it and glanced at it. The content was very simple.

That is, Sun Lianying, in the name of "Baima Prison Supervisor", requested to jointly investigate the case with the imperial court, with Zhao Duan as the representative of the Baima Prison.

The issuance of this official letter meant that he was no longer conducting an investigation privately, but was sitting at the table to share the credit openly and aboveboard.

At the same time, the imperial court was unable to exclude Zhao Du from the case, thus avoiding the dilemma of sending clues out and getting nothing in return.

Sun Lianying put down his pen and continued:
"If this is true, it may involve practitioners. You and the little ghosts in Zhao Ya are all warriors, and you lack the means. I will ask the Tianshi Mansion to send a sorcerer to assist you. If nothing goes wrong, he will arrive tomorrow."

If it is really the Prince Jing's Mansion that is secretly behind this, then in order to ensure safety, the communication lines must involve warriors or sorcerers.

Not long ago, Zhao Duan was nearly killed by a powerful sorcerer from the Kuangfu Society. He couldn't fall into the same trap a second time.

The old supervisor found a "bodyguard" for him.

Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment, pursed his lips, and said gratefully:
"Thank you, sir..."

"Go away, and don't come over so late in the future and disturb my sleep." Sun Lianying drove him away.

……

Outside the back door of the imperial yamen.

Zhu Kui, who had almost become a "full-time coachman", saw Zhao Duan returning and said:

"Sir, where are we going next?" Old Zhu, you are very self-conscious and you don't even mention going home... Zhao Duan smiled and said:

"Go to the imperial court."

"Ah?" Zhu Kui suspected that he had heard it wrong.

"Stop talking nonsense, just go if I tell you to." Zhao Duan urged.

He pressed the official letter in his arms with his hand.

The process went more smoothly than expected, and being introduced to the imperial court was something he had expected.

Or rather, that was his purpose.

It is not impossible for him to investigate this case himself, as he has sufficient manpower at his disposal.

But firstly, if the name is not right, then the words will not flow, and many operations cannot be used. Secondly, I am not sure that I can handle it, so I need to find someone to share the risk and shoulder the responsibility together if something goes wrong.

In addition, a deeper consideration is a true insight learned in the previous life:
Those who want to achieve great things must never eat alone.

Especially in the officialdom, those who eat alone often die miserably.

"Using a clue that is hard to tell true from false, I've done Ma Yan a favor and restored our relationship with him. I've already made a profit.

If I can really solve this case, I will get some credit, which may seem like a loss, but in fact, I will gain more benefits. "

Zhao Duan has a very clear account in his mind.

When he stepped into the back court, he expected that Sun Lianying would definitely ask him to contact the imperial court.

"But I thought it would take some time to talk, but it turned out to be so smooth, and I even got a Heavenly Master's Palace priest to be my bodyguard for free... Old Sun has good character...

Come to think of it, he was really nice to me... How did the original owner get to lick him in the first place?"

The carriage rumbled as Zhao Duan was lost in thought. Unfortunately, his memory of this part was a little fuzzy.

……

……

Imperial yamen.

"Master, what does His Majesty say?"

In the room, a centurion couldn't help but ask.

Behind the desk.

Ma Yan, the "Grand Eunuch Supervisor", who was of burly stature, long face, prominent brow bones, and a cold and irritable temperament, slowly put down the letter sent from the palace.

His face looked a little ugly:

"Your Majesty is not satisfied with the results of the investigation into the disappearance of the firearms craftsman and has ordered a further investigation."

The centurion said bitterly:

"But we have tried our best in this case, and all the clues have been cut off. Although it is strange, the brothers really can't find a way. The world is so big, and looking for a few people is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

Ma Yan's face was gloomy, his sloppy brows were deeply furrowed, and he was also exhausted.

He knew that what his subordinates said was true, and the case was indeed difficult. The time limit given by His Majesty was not much, so he had no choice but to report it that way.

Now the empress has ordered a further investigation, and her tone is stern, and there must be no room for evasion. But the capital is so big, where should we start?
Just when I was in distress, suddenly, a man in brocade clothes rushed in:
"Sir, Zhao Duan is outside the door asking to see you!"

"Mr. Zhao?" Ma Yan was stunned. Why did that pretty boy come to visit?

……

Tianshi Mansion.

It was another night, the bell tower was brightly lit, a landmark building in the capital.

Unlike other places, as the headquarters of Taoist sorcerers, Tianshi Mansion has a large number of priests practicing at night, so there are people there 24 hours a day.

"A secondment from the White Horse Prison? Asking the priest to help investigate the case?"

A priest on duty was somewhat surprised when he received an official letter from a clerk at the Baima Prison.

"Aren't the White Horse Prison a group of messengers working for the emperor? Since when did they start investigating cases as well?" another young priest wondered.

"Who knows? Who's going to go there?"

"I'm not going. My homework is due the day after tomorrow, so I'm only halfway through it."

"I can't. I have an appointment with my junior sister to study the Great Dao together tomorrow. How can I break the appointment?"

"Well, I'll go. I have nothing to do recently. Besides, it would be good to go out for a walk and get some fresh air. It's boring to study and practice all day long." said a priest.

The next second, everyone stood up in surprise and looked towards the door:
"Senior Sister Jin Jian!"

Outside the door, a ghost-like, mysterious, fair-skinned and beautiful female priest quietly appeared, her scattered eyes focused, her voice illusory:
"White Horse Prison?"

(End of this chapter)