The prince is more stable

Chapter 262 Swift Counterattack
Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Xing Shu's residence.

Xing Shu was also promoted by Zhang Dun. During the Yuanyou period, as an official of the New Party, Xing Shu, like Zhang Dun, was also suppressed by the Empress Dowager and the Old Party.

Later, Zhao Xu took power and restored the New Deal. Zhang Dun was appointed prime minister, and Xing Shu was also promoted by Zhang Dun to be the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice.

For a long time, Xing Shu and Zhang Dun had been suppressed and exiled. Now that they had returned to the center of power, he, like Zhang Dun, was extremely violent and spared no effort in retaliating against the old party officials.

Zhang Dun purged the old party in the court, and Xing Shu, as the Minister of Justice, made great efforts in it.

It was also because of these two people that the relaxed gentlemanly political environment of the Song Dynasty gradually collapsed.

Officials who failed in the court struggle were no longer demoted with a mere transfer order, but were directly arrested and imprisoned, where their past cases would be dug up and they would be tortured to death.

If Xiao Guangjing of the Liao Dynasty was just joking when he said "I want to take back what I once lost", then Zhang Dun and Xing Shu were serious about it.

Not only did they get back what they had lost, they also took back what belonged to others, including their lives.

The three-year period is up, and Mr. Zhang returns to the city to find that his wife has been sold to a brothel to entertain clients...

This was probably the extent of Zhang Dun's hatred for the old party in the court.

Xing Shu, as one of the Dragon Kings who returned to the city in the same batch, was also full of hatred towards the old party in the court, just like Zhang Dun. Since Zhang Dun became the prime minister, countless officials of the old party had fallen into Xing Shu's hands, and all of them were brought to justice without exception.

After being caught in the rain, Xing Shu completely turned evil.

At this moment, the evil Xing Shu was sitting in the hall of his own mansion, having a banquet with a group of New Party officials.

Officials gathered together not only to discuss state affairs, but as members of the New Party, they were all in the same camp and had a decent personal relationship with each other.

So in addition to state affairs, they would also talk about poetry, essays, and the love affairs of the world. After all, the essence of officials is literati, and literati love to do this. How elegant it is.

The atmosphere of the banquet was very lively. As everyone was toasting each other, Zhou Zhi approached Xing Shu.

Zhou Zhi's face was red, and it was obvious that he had drunk a lot. When he opened his mouth, a strong smell of alcohol came out. Xing Shu frowned slightly, but soon smiled.

"Mr. Xing, I have a surprise for Mr. Zhang tomorrow..." Zhou Zhi whispered in Xing Shu's ear.

Xing Shu raised his eyebrows: "What surprise?"

Zhou Zhi felt somewhat proud and whispered, "Didn't the emperor appoint Zhao Xiaoqian as the secretary of the Privy Council? Tomorrow, I guarantee that the emperor will have to revoke the order. Alas, how can a 19-year-old boy like him occupy such a high position..."

When mentioning Zhao Xiaoqian, Xing Shu's expression changed slightly.

It is well known that Zhao Xiaoqian and Zhang Dun do not get along. Ever since King Zhao Hao of Chu angrily urinated outside Zhang Dun's mansion, the entire Chu Palace is now at odds with Zhang Dun.

The government rewarded Zhao Xiaoqian, and the one who opposed it most resolutely was Zhang Dun. However, Zhang Dun had been beaten and learned his lesson, so no matter how fiercely he opposed it, his words were very mild.

Zhang Dun's opposition to Zhao Xiaoqian's reward was not due to personal grudges.

Instead, it was Zhao Xiaoqian's appearance in the Privy Council that broke the balance in the court.

Now the old and new parties are still fighting. At such an important moment, the position of signing the Privy Council has long been in Zhang Dun's plan.

The current Privy Councilor is Zeng Bu, also a member of the New Party, and the Secretary of the Privy Council is the third-ranking person. If he is also from the New Party, then both the Government Affairs Hall and the Privy Council will basically be controlled by the New Party, and the Old Party will never be able to change things.

But now, the government inexplicably appointed a nineteen-year-old boy.

Zhao Xiaoqian's past record has long been known to everyone. He and his father broke into the court under the banner of the New Party. After gaining the favor of the emperor, the father and son decisively withdrew.

In name, the father and son are still members of the New Party, but in reality they have basically taken a neutral stance, not offending either side and not getting involved with either end.

If Zhao Xiaoqian were to take this position, there would be too many uncertainties in the future. Moreover, the government was now almost unprincipled in its reliance on and partiality for Zhao Xiaoqian. This showed that Zhao Xiaoqian's voice in the future would be more important than his actual official position.

If one day Zhao Xiaoqian were to oppose Zhang Dun on a major event, it would definitely be bad news.

This is the fundamental reason why Zhang Dun opposed Zhao Xiaoqian's reward.

At this moment, Xing Shu heard that Zhou Zhi had a way to make the emperor revoke his order, and he couldn't help but become interested.

"How do you plan to get the emperor to revoke his decision?" Xing Shu straightened up, no longer minding the stench of alcohol coming out of Zhou Zhi's mouth.

Zhou Zhi smiled mysteriously, "It's hard to go against the will of the people. A nineteen-year-old boy signing the documents for the Privy Council is already breaking the rules. If the ministers submit memorials, the students of the Imperial College petition, and the officials and scholars from all over the country advise against it, and the whole world unanimously opposes it, I'm afraid the government won't be able to withstand it, right?"

Xing Shu frowned slightly: "Are you trying to incite public opinion?"

Zhou Zhi smiled: "Minister Xing's words are too harsh. I am not trying to incite, but to correct the bad."

Xing Shu's frown deepened. "If you use such a large force against Zhao Xiaoqian, aren't you afraid of his counterattack?"

Zhou Zhi sneered, "Why should I be afraid of a brat who relies on the emperor's favor to gain power?"

Xing Shu lowered his eyelids and said calmly, "He didn't gain power by relying on the emperor's favor. You should say the other way around. The emperor favors him because of his ability."

Zhou Zhi smiled confidently, "That's fine. He's capable, but when you're in the court, you have to follow the rules. Especially since he's returned victorious, he shouldn't be too aggressive in his words or actions. Otherwise, someone will accuse him of being arrogant because of his achievements, a charge he can't bear."

Xing Shu smiled and said nothing more.

Xing Shu had experienced the bitterness of Zhao Xiaoqian's counterattack. Back then, at a single command, the Imperial City Division stormed the Ministry of Justice's offices and rescued Su Che. That had been a real slap in his face. Facing a thousand Imperial City Division soldiers, Xing Shu, though furious, ultimately dared not move a muscle.

This time, will Zhao Xiaoqian allow himself to be manipulated?

Zhou Zhi is a bit naive. If he gets into trouble in the future, it will be either Mr. Zhang or him who will clean up his mess.

So Xing Shu planned to persuade Zhou Zhi to think twice, and if that didn't work, he would report the matter to Zhang Dun and ask him to stop him.

Just as he was about to speak, amidst the sounds of stringed instruments, a sudden and fierce banging on the door startled everyone inside.

The music of the sheng and xiao suddenly stopped, and everyone turned around in surprise, only to see another heavy slam on the door of the Xing Mansion.

Inside the mansion, the servants ran into the hall in panic.

Finally, with a loud bang, the gate of Xing Mansion was suddenly knocked open, and a group of sword-wielding soldiers rushed in like wolves and tigers.

After being stunned for a moment, Xing Shu couldn't help but get furious and slammed the table and stood up.

Just as he was about to ask who the newcomer was, he saw an officer in black clothes walk out from the crowd. He held the hilt of the knife at his waist with one hand, looked around at the stunned people in the hall, and finally locked his eyes on Zhou Zhi.

Seeing that the arresting officer looked around and his eyes were fixed on him, Zhou Zhi's face turned pale and his heart sank suddenly.

Xing Shu slowly walked outside the hall, stared at the arresting officer and said, "Who are you to trespass into the residence of the Minister of Justice? What crime should you be punished for?"

The arresting officer ignored him and kept his eyes fixed on Zhou Zhi who was hiding among the guests.

After a long pause, the arresting officer said in a deep voice, "We are from the Imperial City Division, and we are here on official business, under the orders of the Duke of Anle, to apprehend a criminal."

"Where is the Supervisory Censor Zhou Zhi?"

When Zhou Zhi heard that the other party was actually from the Imperial City Bureau and mentioned Zhao Xiaoqian's official title, he became even more distracted.

At this moment, Xing Shu's words of advice suddenly came to his ears.

If you treat Zhao Xiaoqian like this, aren't you afraid that he will fight back?
Zhou Zhi's reaction at the time was very contemptuous. He said that when one is in the court, no matter how capable one is, one must abide by the rules.

He was certain that Zhao Xiaoqian would not dare to move, because the word "rules" had tied Zhao Xiaoqian's hands and feet.

What now?
Zhou Zhi was filled with regret. After the New Party came to power, he relied on Zhang Dun's power as prime minister and seized the opportunity of the New Party to purge the Old Party, and dealt with whoever he wanted in the court.

Now he finally realized that he seemed to be too arrogant.

Some people are neither from the new party nor from the old party, but they must not be touched. Anyone who touches them will die.

Zhou Zhi had just made his plan but had not yet put it into action when Zhao Xiaoqian's counterattack came. It was swift and fierce, and was simply brutal, direct and effective.

The arresting officer stared at the dazed Zhou Zhi. In front of the packed room, he slowly said, "After investigation, it has been determined that Censor Zhou Zhi is involved in illegal activities, inciting public opinion and secretly colluding with officials and students of the Imperial College to conspire against the Emperor's will. This constitutes treason, and he is being specially interrogated by the Imperial City Administration."

After saying that, the arresting officer waved his hand, and a group of soldiers as ferocious as wolves and tigers rushed up, handcuffed Zhou Zhi's arms behind his back, and took him out.

Zhou Zhi screamed in pain, shouting like a pig being slaughtered, "Minister Xing, save me!"

Then Zhou Zhi looked at the arresting officer and roared, "You are framing loyal officials. Aren't you afraid of being punished by the government? I'm being wronged..."

Before he could finish his words, the escort officer turned around and suddenly reached out and slapped Zhou Zhi hard in the face.

Caught off guard, Zhou Zhi let out a scream, half of his face quickly swelled up, and several of his teeth were knocked out.

Xing Shu's old face felt burning with pain at this moment.

He broke down the door of his private residence and questioned Zhou Zhi in front of all the guests, but he ignored him as the host.

Don’t I, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, have any dignity?
Xing Shu could no longer remain silent. This was a matter of face. The Imperial City Division was going too far!

"Stop! You are so bold..."

Before Xing Shu could finish his words, the arresting officer interrupted him with a stern voice, "How dare you! Zhou Zhi is involved in treason. The Duke of Zhao has issued an order that anyone who dares to obstruct him will be punished with the same crime as Zhou Zhi!"

"Now, who dares to stop me?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the whole room fell silent.

Xing Shu's breathing was rapid and his face was ashen, but facing the terrifying gaze of the arresting officer, Xing Shu couldn't help but feel frightened.

For some reason, Xing Shu raised his foot and slowly took two steps back.

Yes, he was scared.

Face or not, in the face of the deadly crime of "treason", does face still matter? Who dares to get involved in such a thing?
Hundreds of soldiers stood in the middle of the yard. The arresting officer stood still, looking around at everyone in the hall with an encouraging smile on his face, as if encouraging everyone to step forward to stop them, so that he could arrest one more prisoner and gain more credit.

Do the people in the hall dare to move?

I dare not move, not at all, and I will not let this court lackey fulfill his wish.

(End of this chapter)