The prince is more stable

Chapter 306 The situation reverses

The situation suddenly reversed from the one who was arresting to the one being arrested, catching everyone present off guard. Even Su Che in the main hall was stunned.

Originally thought that Huang Lu and others came with bad intentions, unexpectedly Huang Lu was just the "comener" and it was Zhao Xiaoqian who had bad intentions.

Huang Lu and Lai Zhishao were also confused.

What's happening here?
I am here to arrest someone, not to be arrested. Is Zhao Xiaoqian crazy?
However, at Zhao Xiaoqian's command, a group of Imperial City Division subordinates rushed over, arrested Huang Lu and Lai Zhishao, and held their arms. The two men felt pain and bent down involuntarily, like two shrimps thrown into a pot.

"Zhao Xiaoqian, you are so bold! You questioned court officials for no reason. Do you really think that you can do whatever you want just because the government favors you? This is tantamount to treason!" Huang Lu struggled hard and shouted.

Zhao Xiaoqian stared at him calmly and said, "Huang Lu, didn't the Imperial City Division warn you before you entered? Think carefully before you step through the gate of the Su Mansion. Once you enter this door, the consequences will be beyond your control."

"What crime have I committed? How dare you arrest me? Is the Imperial City Bureau lawless?"

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at Wei Jie calmly and said, "Old Wei, read it!"

Wei Jie stood up straight and said in a deep voice, "The Imperial City Department has verified that Huang Lu, the Chief Censor, has served in various positions, including Hanlin Academician, Magistrate of Shuzhou Prefecture, Magistrate of Jiangning Prefecture, Academician of the Longtu Pavilion, and Chief Censor..."

"During his two terms as prefect, he accepted bribes of over 400,000 taels of silver and seized 30,000 mu of fertile farmland. During his tenure as Chief Censor, he accepted bribes of over 200,000 taels of silver and seized 20 shops in Bianjing. He interfered with 15 local plans, was involved in three local murders, and planted over 30 cronies and followers into government offices..."

As Wei Jie listed Huang Lu's crimes one by one, his face became paler and paler.

Others were stunned and skeptical, but as the person involved, didn't he have any idea whether these data were true or false?
What shocked and made him despair even more was that when did the Imperial City Bureau obtain so many evidence against him? There was absolutely no sign beforehand, and he had no idea that anyone was investigating him.

The results were all revealed today. Huang Lu was like a ghost from the underworld, suddenly exposed to the sun with nowhere to hide.

Lai Zhishao, who also had his arms handcuffed behind his back, was shaking violently all over and his face was paler than Huang Lu.

Huang Lu committed so many crimes, does that mean he is clean now that he has come to Shao?
At this moment, Lai Zhishao finally recalled the half-smile on Wei Jie's ugly old face before he entered the door. Now that he thinks about it, it does have a deep meaning.

Today, the Su Mansion is indeed a den of dragons and tigers. The Imperial City Bureau actually gave them a chance to let them make the final choice. As long as they don't step into this door today, the Imperial City Bureau can pretend that nothing happened.

Unfortunately, he and Huang Lu still chose the wrong option for the multiple-choice question with two choices.

"Old Wei, keep reading." Zhao Xiaoqian said calmly.

"Yes, it's Shishi Lai Zhishao, who has served as Supervisory Censor, Minister of the Imperial Household, Judge of Chengdu Transport, and Shishi of the Palace..."

Before he finished reading, Lai Zhishao almost collapsed and screamed: "Stop reading! I don't admit it! I don't admit it! I am not guilty!"

Zhao Xiaoqian looked at the two calmly and said slowly, "You two have another crime: you framed your colleagues without any basis, deceived the emperor, and used public opinion to force the emperor to compromise. This is the crime of treason."

"Let me tell you one more thing. Don't think the Imperial City Bureau has only recently started investigating you. In fact, the Imperial City Bureau has an archive with evidence of many officials' misdeeds. The Imperial City Bureau's duty is to monitor all officials. Do you understand the meaning of 'monitor'?"

"I didn't arrest you before because I didn't want to affect the political situation, to cause panic among the people, and to unsettle the world. But you jumping out and courting death is another matter entirely. Huang Lu, Lai Zhishao, your actions today are typical of courting death."

"Regardless of the attitude of the Censorate and the Ministry of Justice, I, the Imperial City Division, have protected Su Shi. This is what I, Zhao Xiaoqian, said. If anyone dares to take my words lightly, I will not take their lives seriously either."

Zhao Xiaoqian sat up straight and waved his hand at Wei Jie, "Take these two to Bingjingwu and tell Liu Dan that the job has begun. I want to see their signed confessions within three days."

Wei Jie clasped his fists and accepted the order, and asked the subordinates of the Imperial City Division to escort the two away.

Zhao Xiaoqian glanced at the dazed officers from the Censorate and the Ministry of Justice standing in the middle of the courtyard and said, "Do you want to stay and eat for free? Do you want me to feed you?"

The officers woke up as if from a dream, showing expressions of horror. Without saying a word, they turned around and ran away. The group of people ran as fast as they could as if they were running for their lives.

Zhao Xiaoqian pondered for a moment and said, "Old Wei, send someone to arrest the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, Lin Xi. These three people are the ones who spearheaded the impeachment of Scholar Su. If we can make the case against them ironclad, the so-called impeachment will be meaningless."

Wei Jie bowed and accepted the order.

Only after everyone had left the front yard of the Su Mansion did the stunned Su Zhe stammer, "Is this... is this resolved?" Zhao Xiaoqian laughed and said, "It's not completely resolved. There will be more disputes in the court later. The Chief Censor has been arrested by the Imperial City Bureau. The Censorate must be going crazy. I'm afraid there will be unrest recently..."

Su Zhe was startled, his expression growing increasingly worried as he said, "I'm afraid my brother's affairs have caused you immense trouble. Zi'an, I know you are a man of high integrity, but if you get involved, my brother and I will feel uneasy. There's no need to make enemies for us..."

Zhao Xiaoqian said indifferently, "I've already said that I will protect Mr. Zizhan. Now that I've spoken out, even Zhang Dun would have to think twice before he does. Mr. Ziyou, don't worry."

After a pause, Zhao Xiaoqian continued, "Also, the emperor greatly admires Mr. Zizhan's literary talent and cannot bear to see him involved in such a storm. Otherwise, how do you think I would have the courage to dethrone the Chief Censor today?"

Su Zhe's eyes lit up when he heard this: "The government, the government..."

Zhao Xiaoqian nodded and smiled, "If you hadn't been members of the old party, the emperor would have already appointed you. Unfortunately, the implementation of the new policy is the general trend of the country. However, the emperor is benevolent and righteous. Even if our political views differ, he will never bear to harm you two."

Su Che finally shed tears and choked up, saying, "Your Majesty's kindness is unparalleled. I, an old minister, have failed you!"

Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly burped. The food at the Su Mansion was indeed not to his taste, but he still ate too much. Human nature is so contradictory.

"Mr. Zizhan hasn't woken up yet?" Zhao Xiaoqian asked.

Su Che smiled bitterly and said, "He's still sleeping soundly in the pavilion in the backyard. He's completely unaware of such a big thing happening at home. He's truly blessed."

Zhao Xiaoqian stood up and walked towards the backyard.

Guests are usually not allowed to enter the backyards of wealthy and powerful families. After all, there are female family members inside, which is really inconvenient.

However, Zhao Xiaoqian was no longer an outsider. After saving the Su brothers several times, the two of them had regarded him as their closest relative and nephew. Even if Zhao Xiaoqian took off all his clothes and ran around in the backyard of the Su family, the two brothers would not stop him. After all, they were not the ones who were embarrassed.

Zhao Xiaoqian was not polite to them at all. Entering the Su family was like returning to his own home, a true "home away from home" experience.

Walking into the backyard of Su's mansion, I found a pavilion. Su Shi was indeed lying on a bench in the pavilion, sleeping soundly and snoring loudly like thunder.

Su Shi was covered with a thin blanket, probably because Wang Zhaoyun was afraid that he would catch a cold.

Looking at Su Shi who was snoring loudly, Zhao Xiaoqian sighed with some disappointment.

He had originally intended to repay the favor and, taking advantage of the fact that he had helped the two brothers today, force Su Shi to write a few calligraphy works in person, such as "Red Cliff Fu", so that he could take them back as a family heirloom and auction them off for future generations.

Su Shi has not woken up yet, and Zhao Xiaoqian is embarrassed to wake him up. The main reason is that Su Shi is old, and if he is suddenly awakened, Zhao Xiaoqian is afraid that he will die suddenly, which would be a crime against all mankind.

However, there is an old Chinese saying, since you are already here...

Zhao Xiaoqian turned his head and quietly told the servants of the Su Mansion to bring paper and pen. The servants thought that Lord Zhao wanted to leave a calligraphy while Su Shi was asleep, or even write a classic poem that would be passed down through the ages.

So the servants hurriedly brought paper and pen and placed them on the stone table in the pavilion. They even thoughtfully ground ink for him and handed the brush to Zhao Xiaoqian with both hands, waiting with anticipation to witness the birth of a story that would be passed down through the ages.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Xiaoqian took the brush, but did not even look at the paper spread on the stone table. Instead, he held the brush and walked to the sleeping Su Shi.

After looking it up and down, Zhao Xiaoqian finally put pen to paper.

Under the servants' horrified gaze, a turtle, a pig's head, and a picture of a divine bird pecking at rice appeared on Su Shi's face.

After finishing the painting, Zhao Xiaoqian took two steps back, admired his masterpiece with joy, and finally nodded approvingly.

This work can also be auctioned. After all, it was painted by the Duke of Anle of the Song Dynasty. Even if the painting is poor, it is of great archaeological value, not to mention that it is painted on Su Shi's face...

"Done, call it a day!" Zhao Xiaoqian put down his brush and turned to leave. Even turning back, he reminded the servants at the Su residence, "Tell Mr. Zizhan that my calligraphy is extremely valuable. It's best not to wash your face. Now, let's go!"

(End of this chapter)