Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 384 Horrible, too horrible
"In front of the emperor's gate, under the majestic majesty of heaven, there is such a place where filth and dirt are hidden. Is this reasonable? Is this appropriate?"

"Yesterday, when I was investigating a case, I was just passing by here and was forcibly detained and extorted 1,500 taels. I asked him, this is the capital, aren't you afraid of the government for doing this?"

"Haha, that person is not only not afraid, but also confidently said, 'Even if you sue me in the imperial court, I still have a say, even His Majesty has to give me some face.'"

"He also said that he could come and go freely in Jingzhao Yin's mansion. Well, well, I have been in the martial arts world for some years, but I didn't expect that the dark side under the lamp is really dark. This is under the feet of the emperor! Under the feet of the emperor! Your Highness, I am sure that Your Highness will let me go back to be the county magistrate. I can't do it anymore. I don't know when you will find out about those people you can't touch."

"To be honest, I dare not investigate Jingzhao Yin. He is a university scholar and a senior official of the fourth rank. I dare not rebel against my superiors. I also believe that Jingzhao Yin Tong was implicated innocently. His claims of being a clerk in Jingzhao Prefecture and having a say in the imperial family are nothing but the reckless talk of a lunatic."

Xia Lin stood in the main hall crying and complaining, while Jingzhao Yin was kneeling on the ground beside him. At this moment, Lord Tong only wished to die quickly, as his father was really pushing him into a desperate situation and had no intention of leaving him alive.

The Crown Prince sat there without saying a word, and all the civil and military officials stood there with their heads bowed. Although many people really wanted to help Lord Tong, they really couldn't speak up at this critical juncture.

Politics has always been a life-and-death struggle. Xia Daosheng is a man-eating tiger released by the imperial power. Whoever comes into contact with him will be eaten. Everyone knows that the current period is not a peaceful one, and toppling him is tantamount to challenging the imperial power.

As for the Jingzhao Yin, his bad luck was that he ran into a knife edge directly. No one said a bad word about Jingzhao Yin Tong, but every word was pushing him into the fire pit.

"All right!"

The prince finally spoke: "Don't hold a grudge over trivial matters. It shows your lack of magnanimity. Just investigate this matter. I cannot punish you, Mr. Tong, just because of your family's words. But since this has happened, Mr. Tong is also to blame. I will first fine you three years' salary. During this period, you must work with Xia Daosheng to thoroughly investigate and clean up the matter and restore order to Nanjing."

At this time, Master Tong kowtowed three times to the prince excitedly, and then he said with tears and snot: "Thank you for your mercy, Your Highness. I am also suffering in my heart. It is not that I don't want to go to that place, but that I can't."

"Oh?" The prince was also quite curious: "Why not? Tell me."

"That place is called the stinky street, but it is actually the site of the old city before the capital was moved. The cost of demolishing and rebuilding is huge, and the Ministry of Revenue cannot afford it. I also know that the affairs of the country are expensive, and I am not ashamed to mention these things. I do recognize the people there, but I really have no connection with them. I just want that person to take care of that filthy place." Lord Tong felt more and more wronged as he spoke, and in the end he began to wipe away his tears: "I never thought that a moment of negligence would lead to such a disaster, Your Highness..."

"Alright, alright." The prince raised his hand and pointed at Xia Lin: "The God of Wealth is standing next to you. You are crying to the wrong person. It just so happens that you should think of a solution with him these days."

But Xia Lin still insisted: "That's not right, Master Tong. I have someone in my hands, and everyone is giving me face. If it were someone else, they would just disappear. This is not a matter of oversight. I want to investigate the women and children who have disappeared in Jinling City over the years. You asked His Highness to clear your name, so I have to ask you to give the people of the world a clear name. What do you think?"

Master Tong didn't dare to look up at Xia Lin. He just knelt in front of the prince, with his head lowered and not saying a word. His body was shaking like a sieve.

"Alright, Daosheng." The prince began to use his power now: "I know you are angry, but don't bring your scholar's anger with you when you come to the court. Show me the evidence. Ding is Ding and Mao is Mao. If it is all true, I will definitely give you and the world justice."

"Thank you, Your Highness, for your wisdom."

"Okay, you two go down separately. We will work slowly after the court session."

The two retreated back to the group of ministers. Xia Lin stood behind Lord Tong. He put his head on Lord Tong's shoulder like a ghost in a horror movie and said, "Lord Tong, are you afraid?"

Lord Tong didn't dare to move. He just lowered his head and bit the tip of his tongue, his mind full of how to solve the dirty matter under his butt.

"I am a petty person who holds grudges. Lord Tong, please be careful."

The devil's whisper scared Lord Tong. It was really exaggerated that a fourth-rank official was frightened to the point of trembling with fear by a little bastard who was old enough to be his son.

After the court session, everyone in the court walked around Xia Lin, for fear of being contaminated by this dirty thing. Only Lord Tong had no choice but to walk away. He wanted to walk quickly, but this old man in his forties or fifties could never outrun a young man in his early twenties. He was stopped by Xia Lin before he even left the palace.

"Master Tong, Master Tong." Xia Lin stood beside him with a playful smile: "Every word I said in the court is true. I didn't say a bad word about you. You heard it too."

Lord Tong is a fourth-rank official and a Grand Secretary, but now he has lost all his prestige because of this brat. He is already full of stench, but he has to be hypocritical and polite to Xia Lin. It can be seen that he is anxious and full of pessimism about the future.

He was terribly panicked now, because as long as his guilt was proven, being dismissed would be a small matter, and exiling all the female members of his family and sending the male members to the Jiaofangsi would be considered a light punishment. And seeing this situation, Xia Lin would not let him go easily.

After getting rid of Xia Lin's entanglement, Master Tong returned to his yamen. At this moment, he naturally had no intention of working. He could only sit there and drink tea one cup after another, and then stare at the beams in a daze. After all, he was a top scholar, so he had to be more respectable. Looking at the beams, which one would be more respectable to hang on? While he was in a daze, the subordinates outside rushed in anxiously: "Master, Master, good news! Good news!"

"What good news? Tell me now!"

Upon hearing the news, Master Tong immediately stood up and asked, "Is there a turning point?"

"That's right. That scoundrel from Dirty Street has escaped! Just now, someone from the Investigation Department came to inform us and asked us to hunt down that scoundrel."

After listening to this, Lord Tong sat back on the stool and began to replay the scene in his mind. He clearly saw that it was Xia Daosheng who personally let the main culprit Hu Balai go last night, but now the news he received was that the main culprit had escaped and they had to come to Jingzhao Prefecture to capture him.

As a man with no humble background who was able to work his way up to become Jingzhao Yin, it was natural that he had a good brain, and his mind suddenly became as clear as a mirror.

It turns out that this was the play performed by Xia Daosheng!

The purpose of this play is to increase the prestige of the prince, and he, Tong Fuyin, is just a part of their game.

Whether in the main hall or under the throne, the two men, one with a red face and the other with a white face, just wanted to be seen by all the civil and military officials in the court.

Maybe Xia Lin's kidnapping was not planned, but he turned this unexpected event into a part of the game. Now Lord Tong really understood why the royal family would use such a young person. This ability is indeed beyond the reach of ordinary people. If he were his age, he would just do it for pleasure and would never be able to be so meticulous.

But has the crisis been resolved? Actually, no.

Lord Tong, the Jingzhao Yin, knew in his heart that it was time for him to take sides. If he chose a side, he would be able to get through things safely. If he did nothing, he would release the person and he would be able to catch him back. The trajectory of his fate, whether he would continue to be in a high position or live and die, all depended on his choice.

In fact, he didn't have any better choice at the moment. He had to stay in this team whether he wanted to or not, and he knew in his heart that once he made this choice, there would be no room for maneuver.

There are very few people in the world who want to play both sides of the fence and make a living. There are some, but I'm afraid he can't be one of them.

Since the matter was so obvious, at least the temporary crisis was over, so Master Tong quickly called his subordinates and said, "Report to the Investigation Department. Jingzhao Prefecture will cooperate with us and hope that Nanjing can return to a peaceful and smooth world."

As for the second in command who demanded a ransom for Xia Lin, he was actually being held in the government office of Jingzhao Prefecture. That afternoon, the bastard was stabbed seventeen times in the back and committed suicide out of fear of punishment.

Xia Lin felt very sorry to hear the news, but considering that he was a man, he did not pursue the matter any further.

After the second in command committed suicide by stabbing himself seventeen times in the back, Prefect Tong hosted a banquet for Xia Lin that evening.

The main thing they were talking about was official business. After all, the Crown Prince had issued an edict to deal with the problem of this dirty and smelly street. Things that he couldn't handle would naturally be handled by the God of Wealth.

This is the God of Wealth chosen by His Highness.

Tong Fuyin thought that if nothing unexpected happened, after the civil god of wealth Bi Gan and the military god of wealth Guan Gong, the only one left would be the God of Wealth Xia.

Of course, in addition to the dirty streets, there are many other things that need to be discussed. After all, Jingzhao Prefecture and the Inspection Bureau still have a lot of things to cooperate on.

"We won't discuss official business today. I'll go to Jingzhao Prefecture tomorrow to discuss it in detail." Xia Lin stood up and toasted: "I'm sorry for offending you in the palace today. I hope Master Tong will be magnanimous and not blame me."

Blame? My life is in your hands, how can I blame you?

"Master Xia, please don't say such things. It is indeed my fault that I failed in my administration. The court needs people like Master Xia who are bold and daring. Only then can there be a fresh atmosphere in the court."

The two clinked their glasses and laughed away their grudges. But now when Master Tong saw Xia Lin smile, he felt creepy all over, as he always felt that there was something malicious in this person's smile.

(End of this chapter)