Volume 4: Gathering of Sages Chapter 698: Relentless Pursuit
The naughty Fourth Prince spent a peaceful day at the Outer City Public School, but the capital was not at peace.
Zhu Tingfang certainly did not just whip and punish those local thugs for the fruit that smashed Hong Shanchang's head. He knew that Shuntian Prefecture Yin Qin Guogong Zhang Chuan had also written a letter to apologize, so he met with him yesterday evening. So starting early this morning, Wucheng Bingmasi and Shuntian Prefecture Yamen once again joined forces to carry out a garbage sorting and cleaning activity.
After the first day of cleanup, the former underground tycoons were invited to the Xinglong Tea House... The northwest wind was blowing at the door! Even though the weather had warmed up in the past few days, the heat of the day had subsided when the sun was setting, and the chill of the night had arrived early. Even though the former bigwigs were wrapped up tightly, they were still cold and timid.
However, no one dared to speak or rub their hands and stamp their feet. If Zhu Tingfang's first few actions as a new official had shown the ruthlessness of the head of the Five Cities Military Department, then the heads of the revived flower-fighting gangs hanging at the city gate today told them that this was not just a warning to others, but perhaps another major cleanup.
Not to mention, there was also the Duke of Qin who used to be quiet on the second floor! What on earth was the emperor thinking, to actually pull out all these former nobles and put them in the most important positions in the capital!
Whether they didn't understand or were panicked, it didn't help their situation at all. Even though some people were frozen and had runny noses, they could only stand there obediently, praying to the gods and Buddhas in their hearts, hoping that they could be blessed to pass this test safely. Finally, a group of "big shots" who used to call the wind and rain waited for a sound like heavenly music.
"My Lord Yin and Lord Zhu have already agreed that from now on, if anyone causes any trouble in the capital, unless they are able to prove that they are alone, the Wucheng Military Department and Shuntian Prefecture will follow the clues and investigate this line. We will be sorry then. Just like the four people who were paraded through the streets after being punished today..."
"The man above them, Hai Lao San, who used to be a big shot in the capital, is now even worse off than them! He committed crimes under the emperor's feet, and there is no way to control him. So what's the point of keeping him around? He might as well be exiled to Gansu to cultivate the land!"
At this moment, the group of bigwigs who had just felt that the weather was too cold and their feet were almost frozen suddenly became silent. In the past, they might have been respectful to the head of the prison, Lin Lao Hu, who spoke in front of them, and did some small things in private, but now they even forgot to mutter in their hearts.
With one order, Hai Sanye, who used to have hundreds of subordinates in the inner city and was able to collect money from various actions, was uprooted just like that? Exiled to Gansu, that is the northwest, not to mention the strong wind and sand in certain weather conditions, and if the northern barbarians attack, whether you can escape or not really depends on luck!
Therefore, everyone looked at each other, and as the first person rushed to swear and express his determination, the others also hurriedly promised that they would definitely keep a good eye on their subordinates and would definitely keep an eye on the thieves on the streets... In short, these bosses who were cruel and ruthless in the past seemed to be planning to turn over a new leaf and become good people.
Of course, Lin Lao Hu didn't believe that these people would really change their ways and quit their business. In this small piece of land in Beijing, if these guys didn't do their current business, could they really be expected to farm and open shops to make a living? Even if all these people were really cleared out, new people would naturally take advantage of the situation over time. This has almost always been an iron rule.
Therefore, he let everyone rush to express their attitudes, and he waved his hand unhappily and said, "Well, since you all understand my painstaking efforts, then go away. The weather is getting cold, and I don't think anyone wants to experience the feeling of dragging two broken legs through the streets for public display."
Under such a blatant threat, these ordinary "big shots" could only obey. As the first person left cautiously, seeing that Lin Lao Hu did not stop him, a large group of people immediately scattered like birds and beasts. In an instant, only a tall and thin man was left in the open space in front of Xinglong Tea House.
At first glance, his wrinkled, gloomy face, if not for his bright clothes, it would be hard to imagine that this tall and thin man is also a big shot in a circle in Beijing. He walked quickly to Lin Lao Hu, pulled the corners of his mouth to try to smile, and found that Lin Lao Hu looked a little disgusted, so he laughed at himself and said, "I have this look since my mother's womb, I am sorry to make you laugh."
Seeing Lin Lao Hu raise his eyes impatiently, he didn't dare to waste any more time and quickly apologized with a smile: "I don't mean anything else, it's just that yesterday's incident made such a big fuss, and now Duke Qin and Master Zhu are also furious. Don't I feel wronged for the two of them? In fact, these days, there are indeed many people in the capital who are talking nonsense. Just the day before yesterday, I saw..."
He paused, as if hesitating whether to say it out loud. When he saw Lin Lao Hu's eyes turn fierce, he said with a bitter face: "I also saw a servant of the second prince's family and a guard named Shi of the first prince's family secretly meeting."
"Please don't think that I am just talking nonsense to accuse them! The guard named Shi has been working for the eldest prince outside for many years. Many people know him. If you check, you will know that I am not the only one who has seen him. As for the servant, I can't remember his name, but the second prince has taken people out a few times , and I have seen him from afar. I will never forget his handsome face after seeing him once."
Having said that, the tall and thin man couldn't help licking his lips.
Such good-looking servants were the most expensive and rarest in the market. How could he, who was engaged in this kind of business, not remember it? He even asked around and heard that it was said that the second prince's servant was not assigned to him by the emperor, but was bought from the south at a high price to please the second prince. It cost at least a thousand strings of cash!
When the emperor dismissed the servants of the Second Prince's courtyard, he did not sell them, but drove them out of the capital with the others. Of course, the emperor was very generous and even took out part of the Second Prince's family property as severance pay, giving each of them 20 strings of cash!
After learning the news from a certain channel, he was eager to send people to guard outside the capital, hoping to intercept this beauty, but in the end he came up empty-handed.
Be it this person or the other servants around the second prince, they all disappeared right under the noses of his spies!
Now he learned from the people below that the servant boy had reappeared. Although he really wanted to spend more effort to catch the man, after what happened yesterday and today's warning, he dared not act rashly again. He simply took this as a stepping stone, hoping to win Lin Lao Hu's favor.
As for going further up, it would be even more perfect if Duke Qin Zhang Chuan or even Zhu Tingfang heard the news and could call him up to ask him a few more questions.
Sure enough, when the tall and thin man said this, he saw that Lin Lao Hu, who had obviously not wanted to talk to him, immediately changed his expression. He stared at him for a long time, and finally said "wait", and then walked quickly into Xinglong Tea House. Although this meant that he had to wait outside in the wind again, he still couldn't help but look happy.
Not long after, he saw Lin Lao Hu rushing out. He looked at him coldly and said in a deep voice, "Okay, you can go now."
Faced with this unexpected situation, the tall and thin man was stunned for a moment. He originally wanted to say a few more good words, but when he saw Lin Lao Hu's joking expression, he immediately realized that he had leaked the news. With only the soldiers of the Wucheng Bingmasi and the runners of the Shuntianfu Yamen, they might be able to catch the person.
Although he was somewhat unwilling, he did not dare to bargain with the decision made by the two big men. He left in disgrace after paying his respects. He could only hope that the information revealed today could be of some use, so that his trip would not be in vain after losing a large sum of money.
But what the tall and thin man didn't know was that on the second floor, Zhu Tingfang stared at his back for a long time, then gave a few instructions to a guard beside him. After the guard responded and left, Young Master Zhu returned to the presence of Qin Duke Zhang Chuan and sat down calmly.
He said bluntly: "The Fourth Prince claimed that when he left the palace that day, he also saw a guard named Shi beside the First Prince and a servant named Mo Hai beside the Second Prince on the street, which does tally with what this person said. But the more so, the more it seems as if someone deliberately sent these two people into the capital to confuse people."
"I don't think these two people can turn the situation around." Zhang Chuan nodded in agreement, but his brows were furrowed. "But I doubt that since they brought them in, they want to do something through them. So..."
"So we really need to find a way to capture them. We can't just leave them alone. After all, I remember when we drove them out of the capital, we said they were never allowed to return. If that's the case, how did they get back through the city defenses? And if they can get into the city so easily, wouldn't it be easy for people with ulterior motives to sneak into the capital as well?"
After asking two questions in a row, Zhu Tingfang raised the teacup on the table and drank half of it in one breath, but he started to laugh. However, when the once handsome face showed a smile, it now looked a little murderous because of the shallow scar.
If the emperor followed the old standards for selecting officials, a man with a disfigured face like him would have difficulty inheriting the throne of Duke of Zhao, let alone being in charge of the Five Cities Army. But the emperor didn't care at all. When he summoned him that time, he even personally pulled him in front of him to examine his wound, and then lamented that he had never had a son like him.
It was precisely because the emperor treated him and his son like family members, and treated Zhu Ying like his own daughter, that Zhu Tingfang personally went to see Hong Shanchang last night and learned about Zhang Shou's meeting with people during the day. He was angry and amused at the same time, but he was also secretly alert because of Hong Shanchang's words. Someone actually wanted to throw dirty water on the emperor and frame the emperor? This is absolutely intolerable!
It was precisely because of this that he clearly stated that he wanted to arrest the two men, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Qin Duke Zhang Chuan revealed unquestionable determination.
If Zhang Chuan disagreed, he would naturally take on the responsibility and personally conduct the investigation and arrest. Before that, he had already sent a guard to follow the tall and thin man.
Because judging from what the other party had just revealed, he must have known the whereabouts of the two people who informed on him. However, since Zhang Chuan's attitude was still unclear, he was too lazy to bargain with a small figure, so he might as well play the long game and catch a big fish.
Zhang Chuan, who always follows the rules and keeps a low profile, was very straightforward this time: "Then it's up to you. The Wucheng Bingmasi will be the main force in the search, and the three shifts of Shuntianfu Yamen will be the auxiliary. But if we report it and find out there is indeed a conspiracy, it will be your credit, but if there is any other reason, I will bear the responsibility."
“How can this be possible!”
Zhu Tingfang refused without a second thought, but Qin Duke Zhang Chuan looked at him with a smile. Thinking of how he had written a letter to apologize before him and how he had always been a peacemaker, he hesitated for a moment and finally said with a wry smile, "The credit belongs to me, and the responsibility belongs to my uncle. If my father knew about this, I'm afraid he would scold me like a dog! In this case, let's go together."
Zhang Chuan stood up with his sleeves raised. Seeing Zhu Tingfang also stood up, he smiled and said, "Your sister's wedding is coming soon, but yours is even closer. Even if I can't give you a credit, I can't give you a bad name! Don't argue with me anymore. When my kid gets married, you have to take responsibility for anything that happens. I'll let you do whatever you want!"
Zhu Tingfang was at a loss for words after hearing this. He also knew that Zhang Chuan had entrusted Zhang Shou with Zhang Chen's marriage, and Zhang Shou had asked Zhu Ying to help him find a match. As a result, his sister had been very enthusiastic and busy for a long time. Not long ago, she even arranged for someone to meet a girl named Ye, but it didn't work out.
So, even though he usually had a way of treating most of the nobles who were older or more senior, when facing the stubborn Zhang Chuan, he could only smile bitterly and thank him, not daring to respond.
After the two men had discussed it, Zhang Chuan, who was in charge of Shuntian Prefecture Yamen last night, would return to Qin Mansion tonight, and Song Tui Guan would be in charge of Shuntian Prefecture Yamen. Zhu Tingfang would also go home after giving instructions on the night patrol, creating an appearance of gradual relaxation, and then secretly arranging elite troops to attack at any time, and then they both got up and left.
When Zhang Chuan and Zhu Tingfang walked out of Xinglong Tea House one after another, Zhu Hong, who had been responsible for following Zhu Ying in and out these days, hurriedly rode over. He jumped off his horse and rushed to Zhu Tingfang. After a hasty bow, he said directly: "Duke Qin, eldest son, I just got the news that the fourth prince was driven out of the palace by the emperor this morning and has been relying on Mr. Shou."
The Fourth Prince was with Zhang Shou, and Zhu Tingfang and Zhang Chuan knew about it. Zhang Chuan even laughed and said, "The Emperor is still angry. Why, did Master Zhang send the Fourth Prince back to the palace?"
"That would be great." Zhu Hong said with a helpless smile, "Master Shou just dumped the Fourth Prince in the public school dormitory!"
