The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 54: The scorching sun in the sky, as if facing the abyss

"Yes!"

The servant responded and left.

Inside the carriage, the two fell into silence. Zhao Duan suddenly looked at the Imperial Censor sitting opposite him and thought, is this really a coincidence?
……

"Wow!"

Amid the sound of heavy iron chains shaking, Yunxi tried her best to keep her eyelids open under the scorching sun to see clearly her current situation.

On the long bluestone street.

A prison van was rumbling along, with escorting officers on the left and right. On both sides of the street, curious people gathered and talked about the matter.

Yunxi stood in the prison van with her head and hands restrained.

The dark and heavy shackles grew hotter under the scorching sun, burning her neck and wrists red, and the scars left by them were shocking.

Due to her short stature, she had to stand on tiptoe, which caused the already weak legs of the girl to tremble after being imprisoned for so many days.

Under the messy black hair, the white face was sunburned and listless. The word "prisoner" on the chest was wet with sweat, leaving two obvious marks.

"Dog officer..."

Yunxi's slightly blurred vision was fixed on the front of the prison van, the censor's iconic green robe, her eyes filled with despair.

Ever since she was arrested last time, taken out by Zhao Duan for interrogation late at night and forced to reveal information, Yunxi has been looking forward to Zhao Duan's return.

Of course, I have no other thoughts.

It was really because what Zhao Gou said when he left last time was too heartbreaking.

"...Zhuang Xiaocheng refused to tell you that reinforcements were coming. It seems that he didn't believe that you would voluntarily stay behind to cover your retreat."

These few days, he was locked up in a dark solitary cell.

Zhao Duan's heart-piercing words repeatedly flashed through the girl's mind.

However, the girl's firm will would certainly not be easily destroyed by a single sentence. Yunxi quickly found a reasonable and just reason for the teacher.

He also hated himself for his poor performance that day. When Zhao Gou attacked him, he did not refute him immediately, but was speechless instead.

I am too weak!

Yunxi even rehearsed it over and over again, imagining that when Zhao Ze was brought to trial again, she would be righteous and refute his fallacies completely.

But to her disappointment, no one paid any attention to her since then.

There was no pepper spray, whip, tiger bench, or wooden donkey riding as she had imagined... She did not suffer any proper punishment at all.

Even the jailers who had been coveting her body and looking at her inappropriately became well-behaved after Zhao Duan left that day.

There is no such scenes as the "Three Courts Trial" or "Beheading at Caishikou" that we have imagined.

Yunxi was dazedly aware that she seemed to have been forgotten, as if she had lost her value and would be thrown into a dark cell until her death.

This guess made her feel both relieved and disappointed.

Fortunately, she didn't have to suffer cruel punishment... She was not a masochist, so although she was not afraid, she was also afraid.

What was disappointing was... this was in stark contrast to the spectacular death scene she had imagined in the past.

In addition to this, there are other possibilities that can be imagined.

such as:

The thief Zhao was blinded by lust and deliberately hid his beauty in a dark cell. When the storm died down, he secretly transferred her to a private residence and imprisoned her.

No clothes to wear, only food to eat... Just like what is described in some disgusting vernacular novels.

But all the imaginations were shattered today.

The imperial censor named "Lu Liang" put her into a prison van and paraded her through the streets.

Yunxi didn't know what her fate would be, but she had a premonition of death coming.

"Oh, beheading? Or lingchi?"

Yunxi's eyes were filled with resentment and determination. Besides the fear, she also felt a sense of heroism.

She tried her best to open her mouth, trying to shout loudly to awaken the people who were blinded by the "evil false emperor" and to ignite a fire with her young life and bright red blood.

But with her mouth blocked by a ball gag, she could only make "wuwu" sounds and couldn't even bite her tongue to commit suicide.

On both sides of the prison van, the people had no indignation or sympathy in their eyes, only curiosity and regret.

"Such a good girl, why would she rebel?"

"Who knows? Fortunately, he was caught by Censor Lu. Censor Lu is worthy of his reputation as an upright official. He is not afraid of the powerful, dares to speak out, and knows how to catch thieves."

"Bah, the traitor is so despicable. Censor Lu is so powerful."

Citizens of the capital made comments.

Different from Zhao Duan's bad reputation among the people, Lu Liang has an excellent reputation, which is all due to his people-friendly performances for more than ten years.

Most censors have no real power and become famous for their iron tongue. In recent years, Lu Liang has served as a pawn of the "Li Party" and has slandered many political enemies.

This made him famous as "Lü Tiezui" and "Lü Qingtian". However, Zhuang Xiaocheng, one of the leaders of the Kuangfu Society, once pointed out in a conversation with Yunxi that this man was a fraud and had a twisted character.

Apparently there is some intelligence related to this.

Therefore, after hearing the discussions of the people on both sides, Yun Xi felt as if a puff of piercing cold water was poured over her head, chilling her entire body to the bone.

This was not the way she had imagined dying.

Sacrificing one's own life to achieve the reputation of a dog official...

Yunxi struggled violently!

At this moment, for some reason, she missed Zhao Duan.

At least... that empress's lackey never hides the fact that he is a real villain... well, if this can be considered an advantage.

Moreover, although she was extremely reluctant to admit it, Yunxi knew clearly that the reason she had not been humiliated or tortured after being imprisoned was indeed because of Zhao Duan's face.

In contrast, the originally ugly and hateful Zhao thief suddenly became "kind and amiable".

Unfortunately, she never had the chance to see Zhao Duan again.

……

"Haha, sir, that female thief is still trying to shout."

In front, an official walked up to Lu Liang and flattered and mocked him.

Lu Liang, who was about forty or fifty years old, was wearing an indigo official robe, a black gauze hat, and a goatee. He held his head high and looked righteous.

Enjoying the people's worship, he smiled and said:
"It is a waste to leave a rebel's abandoned pawn in Zhao's hands. Today, I will teach him how to use a rebel properly."

Lu Liang was very proud.

Not only because of the flattery of the ignorant people, but also because of the person who took away Zhao Duan.

Ever since he was reprimanded by the empress last time, he and Zhao Duan have been at odds with each other. Although the prime minister did not punish him for his poor performance, the failure of the massive impeachment was undoubtedly a humiliation for him.

Therefore, after learning that Zhao Duan was assigned the task of "capturing Zhuang Xiaocheng" by the empress, he would still be punished if he failed to complete the task, and that the female rebel detained in the government office was an important clue in his hands.

Lu Liang then had other ideas.

Through family connections, he obtained a warrant from the Ministry of Justice to interrogate the prisoner.

There are three purposes. One is to intercept the case or to extract valuable information from the female thief and thereby gain merit.

The second is to please the prime minister and reverse the failure of the last impeachment and the lowered status in the "Li Party".

The third is to vent one's anger.

As for whether it would offend Zhao Duan... he had already offended him when they impeached him, and Lu Liang himself and the forces behind him were far from comparable to the Zhang brothers.

To offend a fool who is already an enemy, to gain fame and the appreciation of the prime minister... this is hardly a multiple-choice question.

of course.

If he knew now that the Zhang brothers who had offended Zhao Duan last time had implicated their entire family and were thrown into prison last night.

I don’t know if I still think this way.

Just when Lu Liangzhi was feeling proud, Yunxi's heart in the prison car gradually sank to the bottom.

Suddenly, a servant in blue clothes blocked his way:

"Yushi Lu, my master wants to see you."

"Who dares to block the road..."

An escorting officer was about to show his ability, but he saw the majestic Lu Yushi suddenly show respect:

"Is Mr. Yuan nearby?"

He immediately ordered the prisoner's carriage to stop, and he followed the servants to the side of the road not far away, to the side of a luxurious four-horse carriage separated by servants.

Lu Liang bowed and said, "I am Lu Liang, your humble servant, and I am honored to meet you, Lord Yuan."

Although the personnel affiliations of various government offices are complex, different officials in the same government office may belong to different interest groups.

But this does not mean that Lu Liang has the courage to offend his immediate superior.

……

inside the carriage.

Zhao Du'an listened to the iron-mouthed censor who was standing behind a curtain. The enemy who had tried hard to bring him down to earth last time was humbled to the point of being almost in the dust. His expression was slightly subtle.

Yuan Li spoke calmly and asked about the situation. Lu Liang did not dare to, nor could he hide it, so he just said that it was a transfer order from the Ministry of Justice and it was in accordance with the rules.

However, after hearing this, the man in blue clothes in the car only asked lightly:

"Oh? How come I don't know when the censors of my Censorate will obey the orders of the Ministry of Justice?"

Outside the carriage.

Although the sun was scorching, cold sweat instantly broke out on Lu Liang's forehead, as if he was on the edge of an abyss.

I admit that this chapter is a bit watery. . I have been busy these days and really can't spare extra time to write. When I get over this period, I will write a big chapter to give back to everyone. Thank you!
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(End of this chapter)