Dingbei Hou's doctor brother

Chapter 148 Report

In the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Shengzhi sat in front of the imperial desk, looking at the person in front of him and asked.

"Have you checked everything?"

Xiao Yan nodded and said, "It's a gang, the Kuidao Sect, that's responsible, including the women who disappeared in recent years. They used tea houses and silk shops as their spies, and they've already shut them down."

Emperor Shengzhi asked, "Where are the people?"

"The leader has escaped and only a group of his followers were captured," said Xiao Yan.

Emperor Shengzhi slammed the imperial desk and angrily said, "Such evil things have happened quietly in the capital, coming and going freely without anyone noticing. If no court officials were involved, how could they be so bold?"

As he was speaking, Gao Jian came in from outside the palace, "Your Majesty, Master Zhang is here."

"Let him in." Emperor Shengzhi looked at Xiao Yan, "You go down first."

Xiao Yan walked out of the hall and met Zhang Tong, nodding in greeting. When they passed by each other, Zhang Tong stopped and whispered something to him.

"My Lord, please wait a moment."

After he finished speaking, he walked in, and Xiao Yan glanced at him sideways.

Zhang Tong kowtowed to Emperor Shengzhi and reported, "Your Majesty, the three courts are urgently investigating. Wan Fengnian has a villa in the west city that is used specifically to hide women. The princess was imprisoned there last night."

"Wan Cheng'an, along with Gao Wen, the Left Vice Minister of Rites, Pei Zhong, the Right Vice Minister, and Ao Xiangquan, the Imperial Academy Reader, abused their power to cheat in the imperial examinations, allowing uneducated individuals to pass and enter officialdom. This severely undermined the court's fairness and talent selection system, and every year, many talented students were maliciously eliminated."

"How can this be possible?" Emperor Shengzhi glared, flipping the memorial on the imperial desk. "What else do you have? Speak."

Zhang Tong said, "Every year, Wan Cheng'an would ask those entering the Imperial College for young girls from decent families. The youngest was only eleven years old, and officials from the Ministry of Rites were involved in all of this."

"In addition, three million taels of silver and two hundred thousand taels of gold were confiscated from Wan Fengnian's residence."

"Investigate, investigate thoroughly. I want to see who else is involved." Emperor Shengzhi was furious and turned his head to the outside of the palace and shouted, "Gao Jian."

Gao Jian walked in quickly, "Your Majesty."

"Go and call Meng Kui to me."

Xiao Yan was wearing a crimson court robe, standing on the stone steps of the square with his hands behind his back. His eyes fell on the glazed tiles of the palace opposite, still thinking about the Kuidao Sect.

The assassins belong to the same organization as him, but they are not from the same sect. Nothing can be learned from the people they captured, and the clues are fragmented. It is difficult to find out the mastermind behind this.

He sighed silently, his thoughts wandering in confusion. The scene in the pool last night suddenly appeared in his mind. The anger in his heart quietly rose up again, but there was an extra trace of worry in it.

Xiao Yan had been with Lu Ziqing for half a year without realizing it. He couldn't explain why his feelings for him had changed like this so quietly.

That person is extremely sensitive. After treating him like that last night, would he become distant from her because of this?

Go back to the way he used to be, always keeping people at a distance?

"Master Hou."

Xiao Yan was lost in thought when he was called back by a gentle voice from behind. He turned around and saw that it was Zhang Tong. He put down his hands and nodded politely.

"Minister Zhang."

"Let's go."

Zhang Tong raised his hand and gestured forward. Xiao Yan walked down the stone steps side by side with him and only asked after they were out of the Qianqing Gate.

"What's the matter, Minister Zhang?"

Zhang Tong stopped in the square and took out a memorial from his sleeve. Xiao Yan took it, flipped through it, and listened to what he said.

"This is the memorial impeaching Duke Cheng that I found at Wan Fengnian's residence this morning."

Xiao Yan's expression changed slightly. He closed the memorial and said, "This is clearly a frame-up. For a court official to privately use the dragon emblem is a capital offense punishable by death. How could my uncle do this?"

"Duke Chengguo is loyal to his country, but he is not the kind of person who would do such a thing," said Zhang Tong.

"Since Wan Fengnian was able to write this memorial, he must have heard some rumors. The only way for you to know the details is to ask Duke Chengguo."

Xiao Yan bowed, "Thank you, Minister Zhang."

Zhang Tong smiled and waved his hand, "Your Excellency is too polite. By the way, I should be the one to thank you for promoting Zhang Yin to the Emperor."

Xiao Yan said, "Zhang Yin is a man of extraordinary wisdom and courage, a prodigious general. I was only speaking the truth."

The news of the Wan family's property being confiscated had spread, and the court officials were in panic, especially those officials who were implicated with the Wan father and son.

Among them, Ao Xiangquan, a reader in the Hanlin Academy, was so frightened that he suffered a sudden heart attack and fainted at his workstation. He died before he could call for a physician.

In the courtyard of Jingren Palace, Luo Zhi ran into the main hall in a panic. When Wan Shulan saw her, she immediately stood up and walked over, grabbing her arm.

"how's it going?"

Luo Zhi shook her head. "The three courts are conducting an expedited trial. The master and the young master have confessed everything."

"what?"

Wan Shulan's eyes widened, her heart felt as if it had fallen into an abyss, and she sat down on the ground exhausted. Luo Zhi screamed and quickly squatted down to help her sit up.

"What should we do now?"

Wan Shulan leaned on the armrest, her eyes swaying in panic, her mind was blank, and she muttered to herself softly.

"I confessed everything, I confessed everything..."

Luo Zhi looked at her anxiously. After a while, Wan Shulan closed her eyes hopelessly, a tear spilled out of her eyes, and she gradually started to cry out.

"I've already confessed, what else can I do?" She slammed the table in regret. "Cheng An and Dad are so stupid."

Luo Zhi also started crying. Wan Shulan seemed to remember something and suddenly grabbed her hand and gave her instructions.

"The Wan family is guilty of a capital crime. Don't let Qi'er go to the emperor. Don't let him get involved. Go and tell him, quickly."

Luo Zhi said: "Your Highness knows the seriousness of the matter and shouldn't..."

"No, go quickly." Wan Shulan yelled and pushed her frantically, "I'm worried, go tell him yourself."

"Yes!"

Luo Zhi wiped her tears and ran out in a panic. She stopped and turned back just as she reached the door. Wan Shulan scolded her.

"Didn't I tell you to go quickly? Why are you back again?"

"Your Majesty, there's a snowstorm in Ezhou, and the prince hasn't returned from the relief efforts yet."

Xiao Yan rode his horse across Dongming Street and stopped in front of a magnificent mansion. On the plaque was printed the characters "Duke Cheng's Mansion".

He dismounted and knocked on the corner gate. Soon the door opened and a man in a linen gown and a turban came out.

The man's eyes lit up when he saw the newcomer, and he said in surprise, "Oh, it's the Marquis, come in."

"Uncle Tian, ​​is my uncle at home?" Xiao Yan asked.

"I just came back a while ago and was playing in the garden with Jin'er." Tian Bo said with a smile, "The master brought back a new toy today, and Jin'er likes it very much."

Xiao Yan stepped over the threshold, entered the second door and walked through the corridor. Many leaves of the trees in the courtyard were almost gone, and the servants were cleaning up the fallen leaves. The servants who passed by saluted him.

Tian Bo led the way and casually asked, "How is the Duke of Wei?"

Xiao Yan looked around and replied, "It's still the same. My legs started hurting again a while ago. The palace physician came to see me."

"None of the palace doctors can cure it." Tian Bo said disparagingly and sighed.

"The Duke is old, and it's lonely guarding the mansion alone. Although the master is not far away, he is often busy with work and doesn't visit him often."

"Just now, the master ordered to prepare something that the Duke likes to eat. It's just right for the Marquis to take it back when he comes..."

He talked on and on, walked through the rockery path, and pointed to the pavilion not far away.

"The master is there."