The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 161 - 141, Evidence in hand
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"Is there anything else you need? As long as it doesn’t exceed our agreed terms, I can give it to you."
Yuann Li stood with his hands behind his back in front of the hall, turning his head to speak to him.
Zhao Douan shook his head, "Mr. Yuan’s help has been sufficient."
After a brief pause, he asked curiously, "However, there is one question that remains unclear to me."
"Speak."
Zhao Douan asked in confusion,
"Previously, you mentioned that the little leverage Zhou Cheng has is not worth pursuing. What did you mean by that?"
Yuann Li glanced at him, not surprised, and after a brief contemplation said,
"Do you know why His Majesty suddenly ordered you to trouble Zhou Cheng?"
... Isn’t it because he’s one of the ’Prime Minister’s’ men?
Zhao Douan instinctively wanted to say this, but suddenly remembered the scene by the lakeside when the Empress instructed him and shook his head,
"I do not know, sir."
Yuann Li sighed,
"Because he is one of the nine ministers, and was also a minister who entered the cabinet during the late Emperor’s reign. More importantly, before the Xuanmen Coup, he was one of the ’Regents’ appointed by the late Emperor to assist the Crown Prince."
A Regent? Him? Zhao Douan was taken aback.
Yuann Li recalled,
"On that day, the late Emperor suddenly fell seriously ill and urgently summoned the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, and cabinet ministers to the palace to serve as regents. Zhou Cheng was not quite qualified enough, but due to Wang Zhen’s influence, he became one of the eight ’Regents’ appointed by the late Emperor to assist the Crown Prince after the Emperor’s passing. But…"
But the Crown Prince died... Zhao Douan silently retorted:
"Is there something special about a Regent?"
Yuann Li explained, "According to the old system of Great Yu, a Regent cannot be investigated unless it’s for a serious crime."
So that’s how it is!
No wonder his minor indiscretions are not worth delving into... Being a Regent is like a weakened version of an immunity card... but in my past life, those Regents seemed to have met tragic ends...
Zhao Douan suddenly understood and said,
"So, His Majesty wants to replace the old ministers with new ones, and the only way is to have me find a serious crime?"
Yuann Li sighed lightly, glanced at him, and reminded,
"His Majesty has been preparing to form a new cabinet, something that Li Yanfu and Zhou Cheng oppose, especially Zhou Cheng’s fierce opposition."
A new cabinet?
Zhao Douan was delighted, habitually throwing a compliment,
"Once the new cabinet is established, Mr. Yuan, you must be able to join the cabinet, replacing Li Yanfu!"
Yuann Li mocked with a laugh,
"Stop flattering. The new cabinet is different from what you imagine, mostly consisting of young scholarly people. I cannot enter it. Now, go about your business, you military officer shouldn’t concern yourself with the affairs of literati, it’s unrelated to you."
This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.
Who are you calling a military officer? In my past life, I was a legitimate secretary, okay... I am also a literati, haven’t even copied down all my poems and essays yet...
Zhao Douan became increasingly curious about this so-called "new cabinet."
...
...
Outside the Imperial Court of Supervision, under the shade on the other side of the street.
"Zhao Douan has been inside for quite a while, why hasn’t he come out yet?"
Haitang, with an elegant appearance and an alluring teardrop mole near her eye, leaned against the carriage, arms crossed, muttering.
Her gaze was fixed on the main entrance across the street.
"Mr. Yuan is incredibly busy every day, how could he be easy to meet? Even with his ’relationship’ with Her Majesty, Mr. Yuan agreed to see him, but he certainly had to make him wait."
The calm and composed Zhang Han analyzed, while the carriage driver Little Wang nodded repeatedly.
Haitang sighed, raising a hand above her eyes to shield them from the blinding sun, watching intently,
"It’s almost noon, are we just going to keep waiting foolishly like this? In hindsight, we should have stopped him earlier. It’s wishful thinking to seek Mr. Yuan’s help, how could he really believe it, why not just go directly to Li Yanfu for help?"
Zhang Han said nothing but also held no hope for this request for help.
Opposing Zhou Cheng would make even Mr. Yuan tread carefully, and Zhao Douan was used to leveraging his position, but not enough to pressure Yuann Li.
"Hey, the lord is coming out." The driver Little Wang whispered.
The two perked up, indeed seeing Zhao Douan stepping out from between the two white jade lions, heading straight back in their direction.
"How did it go? Did you meet Mr. Yuan?"
Haitang teasingly taunted, eager to see his dejected look.
Zhang Han also looked over, comforting,
"It’s normal if Mr. Yuan didn’t help. We could think of other ways."
Little Wang earnestly suggested,
"My lord, I know a good place to eat nearby."
Trying to soothe their boss’s empty feelings with good food.
Zhao Douan looked at them with an amused, helpless smile,
"Do all of you have little confidence in me? Mr. Yuan has agreed to help us gather evidence, and it will be delivered by tomorrow. If we delay, things might change—gentlemen, it seems we’ll have to work overtime tonight."
"I told you you couldn’t…" The teasing words got stuck in Haitang’s throat, she stared at him in disbelief,
"Say that again?"
Zhang Han also had a look of disbelief, and Little Wang’s eyes widened.
Mr. Yuan…agreed to help?
Unbelievable.
...
In the back courtyard of the Ministry of Justice.
The same place where Marquis Xiajiang and Zhou Cheng once had tea and conducted their deals.
"So, you coerced Qin Qiu, and this is what you found out?"
Wearing a crimson official robe, with a black gauze hat, a square face, and deep lines furrowing the brows of the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, he lowered his eyes, his somewhat cloudy gaze locked on his subordinate.
Hee Zheng, who had switched back to his blue official robe, wore a fawning smile inviting reward,
"My lord, indeed, it’s true. Qin Qiu has been thrown into prison, kept in solitary confinement. If you wish to see him, he can be brought out for questioning at any time."
"That’s not necessary. I trust your work." The over-sixty-year-old Minister of the Ministry of Justice smiled and nodded in approval.
Hee Zheng, encouraged, eagerly continued,
"My lord, since Mr. Wang’s death, after resigning, Wang Shan has been mixing with the elite offspring in the capital, having connections with many people both openly and covertly.
Even knowing the Zhao thief is favored by the Empress, he still sends women... surely, he is holding something over him. I believe he must have evidence in his possession. If you need it, I can retrieve it."
Zhou Cheng gave him a sidelong glance but remained silent, contemplating and weighing matters.
His hand slowly playing with a pair of precious ’Dragon Eye’ pearls.
A pair of pearls from the Marine Road, one pure white, the other pure black, perfectly round and very rare, it’s unknown where they were procured from again.
"No rush…"
Zhou Cheng slowly began,
"That Wang Shan is an old acquaintance of mine. If you rush over suddenly, he’ll accuse me of being inconsiderate. I’ll write a letter, and you can have someone deliver it secretly..."
...
...
After Zhao Douan and his group left the Imperial Court of Supervision, they went to a restaurant recommended by Little Wang to fill their stomachs. By the time they returned to the Imperial Court, it was already the afternoon.
"Are we really just going to wait? Shouldn’t we investigate that Wang Shan first or simply invite him over?"
Haitang leaned back in her chair to relieve the fatigue from half a day of running around, she couldn’t help but suggest.
Zhao Douan did the same, slightly loosening his belt to relieve the discomfort of his full belly, lazily replied,
"No rush. The person is right in the capital, won’t run off. We’ve already made quite a few moves today. If we probe further, it might alarm him prematurely."
Zhang Han nodded, agreeing with this.
At this moment, the three of them were seated in the ’inner hall’ of Lihua Hall.
On either side of the large long table, empty chairs were occupied by the three of them alone.
Working as a ’secretary,’ Qian Kerou, with a round face and an innocent gaze, came in with a tray, serving them tea and placing three pears on the tray.
"My lord, the pears in the courtyard are ripening one after another. Please have a taste." Qian Kerou softly spoke.
Zhao Douan’s eyes lit up, grabbing a pear and taking a crisp bite, the juicy, slightly sour liquid filled his mouth, brightening his eyes.
He waved his hand, about to send the little secretary away, then suddenly remembered something and said,
"Stay on duty tonight, then send someone to find this person, tell him I’m looking for him, and have him come over immediately."
Zhao Douan handed over a slip of paper with the name and address of Qin Qiu written on it.
He hadn’t ignored the memories that surfaced during the daytime about Wang Shan.
On the way back, he vaguely recalled visiting Wang Shan’s residence with Qin Qiu.
So he intended to summon that lackey for questioning.
Once Qian Kerou left with her orders,
Zhao Douan finally looked at his two colleagues,
"Once Mr. Yuan’s gathered materials arrive, I’ll be relying on you two expert detectives to find the leads within."
Haitang, munching on a pear, rolled her eyes,
"That’s if what you’re saying is true."
Though Zhao Douan spoke with confidence, she and Zhang Han remained cautiously skeptical about whether Yuann Li would actually assist them.
Yet this skepticism was broken that night, as the three quietly waited in Lihua Hall until dusk, when the diligent night watch Qian Kerou ran in,
"My lord, someone has come."
Zhao Douan perked up, hurriedly ordering to show them in.
Moments later, a stranger from the Yuan Mansion respectfully greeted,
"Greetings to Master Zhao, my master has sent me to deliver what you requested."
With that, behind him, two other house servants each placed a box heavily on the table, flicking open the clasps, revealing piles of documents packed inside.
They actually arrived?
Haitang and Zhang Han stood up, each grabbing a box and quickly flipping through the contents, their eyes lighting up. It was exactly what they needed.
"Give my thanks to Mr. Yuan."
Zhao Douan smiled, remarking, "To have gathered so much already, how swift."
The house servant shook his head,
"This is just the first batch, more is coming. Mr. Yuan feared you might be anxious and ordered me to deliver it first."
The first batch? Zhao Douan was also momentarily stunned.
Once the visitor was sent off, he turned to see inside the hall, the ’high ponytail’ and ’expressionless face’ had already lit the candles, placing each one at the table’s center, with lanterns swaying under the eaves.
Outside was the quiet night, while inside the hall, it was bright with candlelight.
With the case being so significant, and needing confidentiality, the two had decided not to call in their subordinates to help, instead rolling up their sleeves to sift through the documents.
Declaring himself ignorant of investigation work, Zhao Douan played the idle caretaker, diligently trimming candle wicks for the two.
For a time, the room was filled with the rustling of paper and the low hum of rushed discussion drowning out the night.
And this was just the beginning.
That night, every hour on the hour, the Yuan Mansion house servants sent another batch of documents, piling a mountain of them on Lihua Hall’s large table.
And as more documents arrived, the details of that old case gradually came into clearer view.
Until dawn, when Zhao Douan, leaning back in a chair for a nap, was suddenly awakened.
"More documents arrived?"
He lifted the coat from his face, blinking sleepy eyes, groggily asking.
Dimly seeing the sky vaguely lightening, a whole night had passed.
"No more documents,"
Having stayed up all night, Haitang looked down at him with a blank expression, her eyes full of disdain for his hands-off posture.
Then, her lips curled slightly:
"No more documents are needed."
Why... Zhao Douan, still drowsy from sleep, found his thoughts slow.
The enthusiastic Zhang Han, invigorated by the overnight work, stood up with a bright smile,
"We found what we needed!"
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