The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 99: The Ghost Out
The situation is tense!

The dark-black brocade-robed officials were like pitch-black waves, which were split apart by Zhao Duan, but also put him at the center of the storm.

The martial artists' qi in the courtyard were vibrating, interweaving densely like a spider web, and a single move could move the entire body.

"Zhao Jisi!"

A rare look of doubt appeared on Zhang Han's expressionless face:

"What do you mean?"

Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"Master Zhang, do you really not understand, or are you pretending to be confused? You are my senior, so you should know what this means."

Zhang Han was silent.

He scanned the armor and weapons on everyone one by one, the armor-piercing crossbows, and suddenly felt the wind getting colder:

"I heard that Lihuatang seems to have a mission today to arrest the rebels, but I don't know whether it is true or not. Now looking at your expressions, do you suspect that the rebels are hiding in my house?"

Zhao Duan said with a smile:
"I dare not. I just suspect that the rebels are far away and close at hand."

Zhang Han was stunned:
"Do you suspect that I am a traitor?"

Zhao Duan said sadly:
"I couldn't believe it at first. Brother Zhang was the traitor hiding in the government office. Haha, in fact, I only confirmed it this morning. Otherwise, Brother Zhang would have been captured by the governor yesterday and would not have survived until today."

He was about the same height as the other person, but at this moment he looked down at him and sighed:

"Brother Zhang, we are colleagues after all. I advise you to lay down your weapons and surrender. Come back with me to see the governor or even the emperor. Maybe I will give you a lighter sentence for your contributions over the years. But if you insist on resisting, huh..."

With a light chuckle, the bowstrings of the surrounding crossbows all made the sound of being tightened.

Hou Renmeng and the others also infused their qi into the knives in their hands.

The murderous aura was boiling.

Although the Shenzhang realm is strong, a tiger cannot withstand a pack of wolves.

The officials of Lihuatang are fully armed, with protective gear and weapons, and with the support of cooperation, they are indeed capable of competing with the Shenzhang realm.

Seeing this, the Zhang family servants were already frightened to the point of paleness, trembling in fear and not daring to move. The family members who ran out from the back house were also forced back by the officers with knives.

Zhang Han was alone, holding a seven-foot sword, like a reef standing in front of the dark waves.

He said in a deep voice: "Zhao Jisi, there may be misunderstandings, but Zhang will never..."

Zhao Duan shouted: "Then put down your weapons!"

Zhang Han was stunned.

The smile on Zhao Duan's face disappeared completely, leaving only a gloomy and violent look, his sleeves fluttering, and a hint of domineering aura permeating:

"You should know that the one standing behind me is His Majesty! If you have a clear conscience, drop your weapon and follow me back, otherwise..."

He laughed grimly and raised his hand as if to wave:

"Lihuatang!"

Behind him, the officers acting as infantry, lined up in a semicircle and holding cold iron shields, stepped forward and pressed forward.

As the two sides gradually approached each other, Zhang Han's martial arts energy was also aroused, and the seven-foot sword in his hand vibrated and hummed.

However, the Mudantang supervisor finally sighed and closed his eyes.

"Clang!"

The seven-foot sword fell to the ground.

He stretched out his arms and said generously:

"Zhang Han has a clear conscience and is loyal to his master! I am wronged today and will be imprisoned with you. Your Majesty, I will investigate the truth and clear the Zhang family's name! Zhao Jisi, make your move."

Zhao Duan's raised hand stopped in mid-air, his eyes filled with doubt and he gave a look.

Immediately, two attendants came forward trembling with fear.

A pair of specially made brass shackles prepared for dealing with warriors were used to restrain Zhang Han's neck and hands.

Only when it was completely locked did everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

Make sure it won't suddenly kill people.

"Zhao Jisi, I have not yet sentenced you, so please do not disturb my family and neighbors."

Zhang Han said a few words, then turned his head to look at his family members who were crying. His lips moved, and he finally turned back:

"Let's go."

Immediately, Zhao Duan looked at him strangely and did not respond.

The surrounding Jinyi soldiers did not move without receiving Zhao Duan's order.

The atmosphere was a little tense for a moment, and Zhang Han frowned:

"Zhao Jisi, are you unwilling to do even this request?"

The next second, the ferocious Zhao Duan suddenly laughed, walked over enthusiastically with open arms, and personally untied the shackles for him.

With a sincere face:

"Mr. Zhang's loyalty is known to all, and I really admire him. I apologize for the disturbance."

Zhang Han was stunned. The Zhang family members, who were either crying, desperate, or frightened, were also stunned.

Not only them, even the Jinyi officers who were a little mentally prepared were stunned.

I wondered if my father had learned acting, his expression could change so quickly.

Zhang Han was at a loss: "You are..."

Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"It's hard to explain this matter in a few words. Zhao is in a hurry. Mr. Zhang, please wait for news at home. Remember the order of the governor. No one in your family should go out to avoid misunderstandings."

After saying this, he waved his hand:

"withdraw!"

The large group of officials disappeared outside the door like receding waves.

Only half of the broken door was left, hanging miserably on the doorpost.

In the doorway, the Zhang family huddled together, tears still on their faces, looking disheveled in the wind.

……

……

The carriage kept going.

inside the carriage.

With his extraordinary senses, Ma Yan, who "heard" everything in the courtyard, experienced confusion, anger, doubt, and bewilderment...

Eventually it became complicated, looking at the dirty-hearted person who came back:

"So, this is your purpose, to expose the traitor?"

Ma Yan probably understood that everything that had just happened was an act, the purpose of which was to deceive Zhang Han. If he resisted with force, he would be highly suspicious.

The fact that he chose to surrender does not completely clear him of suspicion, but it is enough to illustrate the problem.

"Brother, you are wise," Zhao Duan said with a smile, "That's right."

Ma Yan said calmly:
"His Majesty sent you to Lihua Hall not only to promote you or to help the imperial court solve its problems, but also to find out the traitor."

Zhao Duan nodded: "Yes."

Ma Yan sighed:
"So, there is no 'rebel clue' today. You made it up. Your purpose is to separate them from each other and deceive them one by one?"

Zhao Duan smiled: "Yes."

Ma Yan asked doubtfully: "Do you think this is feasible?"

Zhao Duan shook his head and said:

"I can't guarantee it, but I know that similar means may not be effective if used by you in your identity. You may have even tried to deceive them, but it didn't work. But routines are not useless. It depends on who uses them and how they are used."

Ma Yan stared at him:
"Do you think you can succeed if you use it?"

Zhao Duan thought for a moment and said:
"At least I put in more effort. Brother, weren't you also fooled by me? Do you believe me? Did I really get clues about the rebels from that pile of intelligence?"

Ma Yan was speechless. He suddenly understood something: "You forced the Eighth Hall to surrender to you before. The reason you asked for intelligence about the rebels was to create this misunderstanding? To make them believe that you might have discovered something? To trust the authenticity of today's action?"

At this moment, he finally understood the series of operations that Zhao Duan had taken since entering Lihua Hall:

Establishing authority and opposing the Eight Halls is not only to win over subordinates, but also to quietly lay the groundwork.

Including the arrogant and domineering image he showed during this period, which was not without wisdom, it was also silently deepening the eight hall masters' impression of him.

Only this series of foreshadowing prevented Ma Yan from being suspicious of today's "arrest".

If you discard the previous ones.

After Zhao Duan entered the imperial court, the first thing he did was to "confine his family". If he used fraudulent tactics, the effect would inevitably be greatly reduced.

Zhao Duan complimented:

"Brother, you are very observant. It is precisely because even you were fooled for a short time that I have the confidence to scare them.

Imagine if the traitor is among them, then he must know that he was confined because you don't trust them and are worried about the news leaking. Then what kind of important clue would make Senior Brother go to war?"

Ma Yan suddenly narrowed his eyes and said:

"It must be a crucial clue, so they will worry and be anxious, and will try to contact other accomplices, but they are afraid that they will be monitored, and they are in a dilemma.

At this time, if you lead people to break into the house and say those words, they will mistakenly think that you have caught someone, and then follow the clues to find out the identity of the traitor. "

Zhao Duan nodded and handed over a pear from the fruit plate:
"So, you must hide yourself, brother. Otherwise, once you show up, the enemy will become alert and suspicious. They will also give up resistance and hope for the best because of the disparity in strength between them."

Ma Yan took the pear and said in a deep voice:

"And if it's just you leading these people, they will want to fight and resist. I'm not afraid that they won't resist, I'm afraid that they won't dare to resist."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

This was also the first time that Zhao Duan saw a smile on the eunuch's face.

As they were talking, the carriage had already arrived at the second destination.

"Sir, we have arrived at the residence of Master of the Pomegranate Hall." Qian Kerou's voice came from outside the car curtain.

"So fast?" Ma Yan was stunned.

Zhao Duan stood up and walked out of the car while explaining:

"Because the route I planned is the shortest."

Three key suspects:
Zhang Han, Tiechiguan, Haitang.

Zhao Duan chose to gather at the "Jinjiang Dike" because it is the route that can reach all three places at the shortest speed.

Otherwise, such a large-scale action will inevitably attract attention from the outside world.

Once the people from the Kuangfu Society noticed something was wrong and started questioning, he would also send people to secretly monitor the residences of the various police stations.

But there is still a risk of failure.

He never thought of himself as a smart man, at most he was just a little clever.

What really enabled him to survive in this dangerous world was the habit of thinking more deeply about everything, which he had developed in his previous life.

And all the process nodes that can be thought of should be arranged in advance.

This is the basic skill of the great secret.

……

"Sir, this is it."

Qian Kerou and the other three saw him get out of the car and surrounded him.

Zhao Duan raised his eyes and looked at a courtyard in front of him that was leaning against the edge of the alley. Outside the back door was a commercial street, and inside were intricate alleys.

"Three suspects, eliminate one, what is the probability of the remaining one?" Zhao Duan suddenly asked.

The four subordinates were stunned for a moment and said in unison:
"Half, of course."

"No, it's two-thirds." Zhao Duan gave an illogical answer and muttered:

"I originally suspected Haitang the most, but now, I have to change it."

The subordinates who had never heard of the "three questions" were at a loss and felt that their boss was unfathomable.

The words he spoke were just like those of the monks in Shenlong Temple, full of wit.

Zhao Duan touched the inner armor of his official robe and said:
"Tell the brothers to be extremely careful and not to get too close. If anything unexpected happens, evacuate immediately and don't worry about me."

After all, I have two bodyguards, one bright and one dark, protecting me... You guys, a bunch of squishy guys, can't compare to me.

However, when the four subordinates heard this, they felt warm at the same time:
"As ordered!"

A few moments.

As if the scene was reappearing, Zhao Duan led a group of hawks and dogs to break open the Tie family's gate, and archers blocked the mansion.

As soon as he entered the yard, he saw the servants of the Tie family who were already on alert, and the Pomegranate Hall Justice Officer who ran out of the room with an angry shout and a long-handled round-headed drum hammer in his hand.

The divine warrior is at the iron pass.

Tie Chiguan was covered in hastily put on leather armor, his muscles were muscular, his beard was like steel needles, his hands were covered with calluses, and the knotty blue veins almost broke through the skin.

He held a heavy hammer upside down in his hand and glared at us angrily, like a tiger descending from the mountain, extremely oppressive.

"The surname is Zhao!"

Tie Chi Guan is in a particularly bad temper today:
"What are you going to do?!"

Zhao Duan narrowed his eyes and went through the same process again.

However, before his threat was over, Tie Chi Guan roared:

"Don't take chicken feathers as your authority, get out of here!"

Zhao Duan looked at him expressionlessly for a few seconds, then suddenly said:

"Iron Jisi, from what I understand, although you have a hot temper, you actually have a good heart and rarely do anything out of line. But today you seem to be particularly irritable."

Then, his tone sank:
"Someone, come and calm down the Iron and Steel Division."

In an instant, swords rang and shieldmen approached.

But this time, Tie Chiguan, who was like a fierce general on the battlefield, had his eyes wide open with anger, but a trace of determination suddenly flashed across his eyes, and he grinned:
"You are looking for death, so you can't blame anyone!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a powerful burst of air exploded from under his feet, and the drum-breaking hammer weighing dozens of pounds in his hand flew out with a whistling sound, heading straight for Zhao Duan's face!

As fast as lightning!

It's a fatal move!
"grown ups--"

Hou Renmeng and others were shocked and rushed forward to rescue him, but the difference in their realm made them unable to keep up with Tie Chi Guan's actions.

All this happened in a flash. The crossbowmen on the surrounding walls had just pulled the bowstrings when the arrows flew out of their grooves.

The hammer head of Tiechiguan had already reached Zhao Duan.

A strong wind blew backwards, tearing the bands that bound his hair. Zhao Duan's black hair fluttered backwards. The Golden Crow Flying Knife in his sleeve had already accumulated power to the extreme.

However, just as the flying knife was about to be cut out, a tall and thin figure appeared silently beside Zhao Duan.

With a thin and cold face, messy and irritable gray eyebrows, the governor Ma Yan, nicknamed "King Yama", has a blank expression on his face and stretches out his left hand with thick joints.

Press lightly on the drumstick.

"boom--"

With a dull thud, the heavy hammer that was powerful enough to destroy the gate of a mountain stronghold was so easily caught by this big hand.

Ma Yan turned his head, glanced at Zhao Duan, and said in a low and hoarse voice:
"Boy, when warriors on the battlefield attack, they won't give you time to call for help. You still have a lot to learn."

"Go wait in the back. You have already paved the way for the first half. I'll leave the last part of catching ghosts to you, Senior Brother."

After saying this, Ma Dugong looked towards Tiechiguan, exerted his strength from his palm, and said coldly:

"Your Majesty!"

Thanks: Melancholy Big Orange for the 1824 points of reward support!

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(End of this chapter)