The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 95: Step of the Plan: Accepting a Bribe of Taels
"Interrogation? Why interrogation?"

Zhao Duan sat upright in a big chair. Above the weapon rack behind him, there was a magnificent ink-splashed painting hanging on the snow-white wall.

After these words were spoken, the four subordinates were stunned.

Qian Kerou said blankly: "Sir, didn't you say..."

Zhao Duan interrupted her and said seriously:

"With so many people, how tiring it would be for me to interrogate them one by one?
Besides, it's almost time to leave. Do I have to work overtime and stay up late for just 58 officials? I'm sure they will understand if I detain them for a while."

Understand God... The four of them complained silently, Shen Juan held his forehead and said:

"But sir, if we don't find some evidence as soon as possible, I'm afraid it will be difficult to resolve the matter when public opinion is in an uproar tomorrow."

One can imagine how exciting tomorrow morning court will be.

The empress would probably be at a loss facing the accusations from all the civil and military officials in the court, right?
Zhao Duan waved his hand and said:

"Even if the sky falls, His Majesty is here to hold it up. Why are you so anxious?"

He believed that since the empress had entrusted him with an important task, she had sent Mo Chou to express her stance.

Then, Xu Zhenguan could always withstand the pressure from just fifty-eight minor officials.

Well, according to the plan, as long as the empress can block the pressure for him for three days, it will be enough.

The four subordinates looked at each other, and suddenly had a bad premonition. Qian Kerou said nervously:

"Sir, you don't have any evidence of these people's crimes, do you?"

Girl, why do you always tell the truth? No, why do you slander someone's innocence out of thin air?

Zhao Duan said righteously: "Don't say such words that are not conducive to unity in the future."

Huh? The new girl Jinyi didn't understand.

Zhao Duan sighed and said:

"Anyway, just do what I tell you to do and stop asking questions.

Your next task is to spread the word that the reason why Lihuatang arrested this group of people so aggressively is because of my retaliation.

But as long as the families of these officials are sensible and come to pay respects, they will be released.”

Four people: "..."

Zhao Duan frowned: "Why don't you do it?"

"……Yes."

The four of them responded and walked out of the hall side by side. Shen Juan muttered:

"So, what exactly is our boss up to? Is he trying to extort money?"

Zheng Laojiu spat out some tea leaves. The experienced Jinyi captain's eyes were sharp:
"Let's wait and see. I have a feeling this is just the beginning."

……

……

"Have all these fifty-eight people impeached him?"

Inside the Peony Hall, the female detective named Haitang was stunned for a moment, then realized:

"So, the Zhao guy is taking revenge?"

The others looked at each other in confusion. They argued and guessed for a long time, but the truth might be extremely simple.

The King of Volumes Zhang Han said calmly:
"I have investigated him carefully, and I believe you have done the same. He has always been vindictive. In the case of Zhuang Xiaocheng, the main censor Lu Liang who impeached him was now exiled to Lingnan. The other Zhang Changshuo, along with the entire Zhang family, was almost destroyed. This is a good example."

Everyone was horrified.

Yes, these are all publicly available records.

From a certain perspective, what Zhao Duan has been doing in the past two months has been revenge.

First it was the Zhang brothers, then Lu Liang. Now after being promoted to the Justice Bureau, he has even more power. He is finally unable to wait any longer and begins to liquidate the remaining enemies.

"Hiss... Judging from this man's style, it is really possible. If he had greater authority, I would not be surprised if he arrested the Prime Minister." Someone sighed.

A petty person who will never let go of any grudge, this is how Zhao Duan portrays himself to the outside world.

Tie Chiguan frowned and said in a loud voice:

"But is there any point? Although our imperial court has the power to arrest people, it does not have the power to judge. Even if he wants to frame and attack 58 people at once, the officials in the court must be blind to turn a blind eye.

When the court is held tomorrow morning, all parties will surely complain to the Saint. Even if the Zhao family is favored, they cannot be lawless. "

These words were recognized by everyone.

Although the imperial yamen had great power, it was also subject to severe restrictions.

Not to mention a mere police officer, even a governor cannot withstand such pressure.

"By the way, what did the Governor say?" Haitang suddenly asked.

Zhang Han shook his head:

"The governor will not intervene. Haven't you noticed that the governor has completely let Lihuatang do whatever it wants? Because the saint is behind Zhao Duan, not him, so even if he wants to punish the Zhao family, only the saint can do it."

After a pause, he shook his head and said:

“But in my opinion, Zhao Duan has already committed suicide. He thinks he has been favored for his meritorious service and has the support of Your Majesty, so he is unscrupulous.

He is so arrogant and rampant. If he doesn't restrain himself within three days, His Majesty will definitely send someone to punish him. Perhaps, he will become the police chief with the shortest tenure in history... We don't need to interfere, just wait for him to destroy himself."

Finally, he concluded with eight words:

"If virtue does not match, there will be disasters."

Everyone nodded, agreeing deeply, and looking forward to the day when Zhao Duan would fall.

……

……

That night, two pieces of news began to spread wildly in the official circles of the capital.

The first one was that the empress's favorite was promoted. After entering the imperial court, he arrested dozens of officials in one day, covering all the government offices.

The second reason was that Zhao Duan did this in order to retaliate. All the officials who were arrested were the ones who had written letters to impeach.

At the same time, the families of the arrested officials were told that if they wanted Lord Zhao to show mercy, they would have to be sensible and offer money as a tribute.

Otherwise, even if it is finally released under pressure, finding an opportunity to catch it every few days would be fatal.

No one doubted the authenticity of the news.

This is due to the fact that Zhao Duan’s character is deeply rooted in people’s hearts.

In particular, the successive downfalls of the Zhang brothers and Lu Liang also proved Zhao Gou's nature of being a "real villain who will never let go of any grudge."

As expected, almost every family member of the arrested officials began to raise money after being shown the “clear path”.

It is obvious which is more important, a few yellow and white things or the safety of the pillar of the family.

What's more, if he could resolve his grievances with the famous man next to the empress by just spending some money, it would be the best possible outcome.

The next day, when Zhao Duan arrived at Lihua Hall.

Qian Kerou immediately reported that there were already many people queuing outside the hall, wanting to meet Lord Zhao and have a private talk.

"Tsk, you're very quick," Zhao Duan said with a smile:

"That's right. Call them one by one on a first-come, first-served basis."

Qian Kerou went to call for help with a complicated expression.

What happened next was extremely simple. Every time a family member of a convicted official came in, Zhao Duan would act in a pretentious manner, saying that things were difficult to handle.

The family members will then offer varying amounts of "tea money".

Claiming that it was hot, he invited Lord Zhao to have tea as a small token of filial piety, but it was not a sign of respect.

Zhao Duan's reactions depended on the amount of the tea money, either a pleasant expression or a blank expression.

As for the charging standards, they are based on the rank of the offending official, whether he works in a lucrative or poor government office, and the size of his family.

The final answer was very consistent:

Go home and wait for news.

"A bunch of corrupt officials, all of them are so fat!"

Zhao Duan looked at the increasingly thick banknotes and deeds in front of him and couldn't help cursing. If he was an honest official, he wouldn't be able to pay the ransom so quickly even if he borrowed money just from his salary.

As a result, everyone gave money happily, which made Zhao Duan heartbroken and he wondered what was wrong with the officialdom of Dayu.

If the water is too clear, there will be no fish, but the water cannot be so turbid that you can't see the bottom.

During this period, a small incident occurred:

The family member of a certain imprisoned official was actually a beautiful young woman. After paying him a visit, she started to flirt with him and stuck close to him, ignoring her husband in prison.

Finally, he could not resist Zhao Duan's bribery, so he took out the warm silver bills from his bellyband and shyly asked him to keep the man in custody for a longer period of time.

Absolutely amazing.

"next."

After being busy until noon, Zhao Duan drank a sip of tea to moisten his throat.

He casually threw the box of precious snow mountain ginseng and jewelry and jade he had just received into the box under the table.

Said to the confidential secretary.

In just one morning, the value of the bribes he received had already exceeded ten thousand taels of silver, enough to buy an entire commercial street in the outer city.

Qian Kerou whispered something to him with a nervous look on her face.

"Someone coming from the Prince Consort's Mansion?" Zhao Duan was stunned.

Only then did he remember that Li Lang was still imprisoned in the imperial prison.

However, he only arrived after being detained for two days. This speed is even slower than that of the families of these petty officials.

"Please come in." Zhao Duan said.

After a while, a figure came into the courtyard. It was a middle-aged man with a gentle appearance.

He wore gorgeous clothes and a jade belt, his hair was combed meticulously, and his beard was also neatly groomed.

Unfortunately, there was a faint bruise on one side of the face, from the corner of the eye to the temple, along with some minor wounds, as if he had been hit by a blunt object.

Zhao Duan had good eyesight and recognized the man immediately. It was Princess Yunyang’s husband, the consort Li Shuping.

Li Lang's nominal father.

The two were not familiar with each other, but they knew each other because the original owner was active in the Beijing circle and had had contact with him.

Zhao Duan's impression of this man is that he is extremely henpecked. He is submissive at home but aggressive outside.

"Master Zhao is so impressive!"

Prince Consort Li Shuping spoke in a cold and sarcastic voice:

"People who want to see you have to queue up. You are indeed a favorite of His Majesty."

Zhao Duan laughed loudly and enthusiastically, but he didn't even move his butt:

"How come the Prince Consort has time to visit? I am sorry for not welcoming you."

Li Shuping's eyes twitched and he sat down.

Zhao Duan waved his hand, ordered Qian Kerou to serve tea, and then went to wait outside.

The prince consort did not exchange pleasantries and went straight to the point:

"My son seemed to have offended Zhao Jisi the other day and was punished.

When his mother found out, she was very angry and wanted to come in person, but she was worried about the impact, so she decided to come here on her own. Now that Zhao Ji has punished him and put him in prison for two days to reflect on himself, it’s time to release him.”

Zhao Duan pretended to be annoyed, tapped his forehead lightly with his fingers, and said with a smile:

"Look at my brain. I'm so forgetful that I almost forgot that your son is still in prison. I'm so sorry to bother you, my husband, to come to my house in person."

Li Shuping resisted the urge to correct his wording, and his expression eased slightly:

"Then please ask the police to send my son out so I can take him back and let his mother rest in peace."

Zhao Duan pretended to be surprised and looked at the other party's empty hands:
"Did the Prince Consort come here empty-handed?"

The corners of his mouth curled up and he smiled:

"Today, so many people came to visit me and asked me to release the person. They were all sincere."

Li Shuping was stunned, as if he couldn't believe it.

The day before yesterday, after Princess Yunyang learned the news, she sent a letter to the palace, but was tactfully dissuaded by Xu Zhenguan.

So, he waited patiently for two days before coming to ask for the person.

He thought that, given his status as the empress's uncle, Zhao Duan would at least give him some face.

But I didn't expect that this traitor would be so bold.

Li Shuping's eyes twitched and his face showed anger:

"Zhao Duan, are you asking for a bribe from me? You are so bold!"

When Zhao Duan heard this, the smile on his face gradually faded. He slowly stood up, walked around the table and approached Li Shuping.

The frightened and polite prince consort subconsciously wanted to stand up and step back, but suddenly an iron hand held down his shoulder!
Unable to move!

Zhao Duan pressed the shoulders of the Grand Consort Yu, and with his other hand, he held a stack of banknotes in his sleeve, gently fanned Li Shuping's injured cheek, and said quietly:
"If I'm not mistaken, the scar on Prince Consort's face was caused by a beating from the princess, right?"

He sighed softly and said:

"When I was hanging around in Beijing, I heard Qin Qiu say that the Prince Consort was a cuckold and was used to swallowing his anger. I didn't really believe it then, but I do believe it today.

She was clearly there to save her son, but she kept calling him 'his mother'.

What? Are you afraid that if you don't use Princess Yunyang to suppress me, I won't be able to be suppressed?

So, you still have self-awareness, but unfortunately, you are not very smart. I will give you two choices today."

He held up a finger:
"First, like everyone else, if you want a son, you have to pay money to redeem him."

After a pause, he shook his sleeves and gently placed the palm-sized Golden Crow Flying Knife into the prince consort's wet palm.

Then she put more force on him and put his five fingers together, saying softly:
"Second, take this knife and stab it here."

He pointed to his heart and said with a smile:

"Stab me, the favorite minister of the empress, to death, and then carry my head out. Don't worry, no one will dare to stop you from rescuing me. But... do you dare?"

Do you... dare?
Zhao Duan's voice sounded like a devil in my ears.

The prince consort, who had just been full of anger and loudly scolding, was stunned.

Veins bulged on his forehead and his face became increasingly ferocious.

The hand holding the Golden Crow Flying Knife kept shaking and was hesitant to move.

Seeing this, Zhao Duan simply pressed his other hand on the knife handle, allowing him to hold the knife with both hands.

He even took the initiative to put the tip of the knife against his heart and said with a smile:

"Come on, you want someone but you won't follow the rules? Then be a real man and kill me, come on!"

A sharp shout.

"Clang!"

The Golden Crow Flying Knife fell to the ground, and the dark golden blade was more dazzling than the sunlight.

The prince consort was trembling all over and remained silent.

Zhao Duan picked up the flying knife in disappointment and returned to his seat, speaking in a cold tone:

"Go away! Call someone who can make the decision next time."

Li Shuping glared at him.

In the end, he left without saying anything.

After everyone left, the villain look on Zhao Duan's face disappeared. He shook his head and closed his eyes:
"Do you think I went too far just now?"

Outside the hall.

Qian Kerou walked in biting her lip, with a complicated look on her pretty face:
"Sir, I don't understand. Although Li Lang has offended you, he has also received the punishment he deserves. Now that the prince consort has come to visit you in person, it can be considered as giving you face. Why..."

Zhao Duan sighed deeply and said with emotion:
"Because our Princess Yunyang is deliberately taking revenge on me."

(End of this chapter)