ATPnovel Chapter 20 Arresting People
Chapter 20 Arresting People
In the capital, there are probably only two places that would make Huang Bin so cautious and humble.
One was the Cao Guogong Mansion three years ago, while the other was the Han Guogong Li Shanchang Mansion, which ranked first among the "Six Founding Dukes".
Li Shanchang, the "Xiao He" of the Ming Dynasty, the first prime minister and the elder brother of the Huaixi Noble, still had an influence that no one in the entire Ming Dynasty could ignore, even though he was already in semi-retirement.
"That should be it!" Li Jinglong sighed, annoyed that things had become complicated and troublesome.
"Could it be that Xu Yungong already knew?" At this moment, Li Jinglong couldn't help but wonder about Xu Yungong's purpose in holding back his attack.
No, given Xu Yungong's personality, he probably wouldn't even have an account book; he would have long since disappeared. If Xu Yungong wanted to use me to vent his anger, that's something Xu Yungong would do.
But if he knew that Huang Bin was backed by the Li family and didn't tell him, and instead handed him a knife, then that would be making an enemy. Li Jinglong believed that Xu Yungong could tell which was more important.
"Someone come here!" Upon realizing this, Li Jinglong immediately stood up and shouted to the Imperial Guards outside the post station.
"My Lord!" At this moment, a robust man dressed in a flying fish robe and with an embroidered spring knife at his waist entered the main hall. He was Zheng Zheng, a junior officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who had come to Beiping with Li Jinglong's group.
"I have received a report that Liu Chun, the granary official of Tongzhou, and Huang Biao, the steward of the Marquis of Yichun's residence, are colluding to disrupt the opening ceremony. I hereby order you to arrest and question the two of them immediately!" Li Jinglong said sternly, giving the order to Zheng Zheng.
"Your humble servant obeys!"
Seeing Zheng Zheng lead his men away, Li Jinglong sat back down in his chair. Li Er and Li Dashan looked at each other in disbelief. Li Jinglong's decision to use the Embroidered Uniform Guard to arrest people shocked them greatly.
"My lord! There are others involved behind this matter. Should we arrest them now?" Li Dashan frowned, his face full of worry.
"Yes, my lord, if they really are from the capital, there might be someone else involved behind the scenes!" Li Er chimed in from the side.
Li Jinglong shook his head, a forced smile on his face: "That's precisely why we need to arrest them as soon as possible!"
After saying that, Li Jinglong felt an indescribable sense of frustration.
Upon learning from Li Dashan that Huang Bin was connected to the Han State government, Li Jinglong finally understood why Old Zhu had insisted on sending him.
For a moment, Li Jinglong felt a chill run down his spine. He sat blankly in the chair, a sense of annoyance rising in his heart.
He was even smugly pleased with himself, pretending to have fallen for Lao Zhu's provocation, but little did he know that he had been outsmarted by Lao Zhu!
Why insist on having me come? It's simply to give many people the wrong impression that I'm here for revenge because my interests have been harmed!
Since it was revenge, it could only be carried out within a limited scope. And through Li Jinglong, Lao Zhu also told those in front of and behind the scenes, "I know everything about your affairs."
Li Jinglong gave a bitter smile. Old Zhu, what happened to the trust between people?
Seeing the bewildered looks on Li Dashan and Li Er's faces, Li Jinglong added, "Our mission is solely to deal with Huang Bin! As for the others, we'll leave them to their own devices! If they insist on interfering, someone will teach them a lesson!"
Hearing Li Jinglong say this, the two put down their worries. As for the person Li Jinglong mentioned, they naturally understood.
After staying at the inn for a while, Li Dashan took his leave. Li Jinglong sat in the main hall and slowly sipped his tea.
When Zheng Ci and Li Gui arrived at the Beiping Granary and Tongzhou Granary respectively, the officials of the border granaries immediately became extremely cautious and served the two men with utmost care.
After Zheng Ci posted the notice, Liu Chun, the granary official of Tongzhou, saw the contents of the notice and his legs began to tremble. Thinking of the consequences of the matter being exposed, fear and panic spread through his heart.
"Liu Cangguan, bring out all the inventory ledgers for the Tongzhou granary for the past year. I need to inspect them!" Zheng Ci said in a deep voice as he sat upright in the hall.
Liu Chunqiang feigned composure and bowed cautiously as he inquired, "Your Excellency, the Tongzhou granary has nearly one hundred volumes of account books for the past year's income. Should we take them all?"
Zheng Ci nodded and said seriously, "Take them all!"
Hearing Zheng Ci's words, Liu Chun felt helpless and could only instruct the clerk beside him, "As Lord Zheng instructed, bring all the account books for your inspection!"
After the officials left the hall, Liu Chun approached Zheng Ci with a fawning smile and said, "Sir, you must be tired from your journey. Why don't you go to the back hall for some tea and rest? You can look at the account books later!"
Zheng Ci glanced at Liu Chun sideways, showing no appreciation whatsoever. "No need. Official business is more important! Liu, the granary official, doesn't need to keep me company. You can attend to your own business first!"
Even though he was extremely anxious, Liu Chun maintained a smile on his face: "Since you are inspecting this area, I must not be impolite!"
Zheng Ci nodded and said nothing more. Seeing this, Liu Chun stepped aside and stood quietly waiting.
The clerk brought in the account books, but Zheng Ci hadn't even finished reading a month's worth when a group of Imperial Guards rushed into the hall.
Zheng Ci recognized the leader as Zheng Zheng, the junior officer who had come with them.
Liu Chun, who was standing to the side, felt his legs go weak the moment he saw the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
"Who is Liu Chun?" Zheng Zheng asked loudly, scanning everyone in the hall.
Upon being called upon, Liu Chun staggered, grabbing the chair beside him for support, and said in a trembling voice, "That is I, sir. May I ask what business you have with me, sir?"
It's no wonder Liu Chun was afraid; the Jinyiwei's fearsome reputation was known to everyone!
"By order of Duke Cao, Liu Chun is to be questioned!" Zheng Zheng finished speaking, glancing at the trembling Liu Chun with a hint of disdain in his eyes. "Let's go!"
After he finished speaking, two Imperial Guards behind Zheng Zheng stepped forward, sandwiched Liu Chun between them, and lifted the latter's arms to walk out. To others, it looked almost like he was being dragged away.
Zheng Ci also stood up and walked to Zheng Zheng's side, asking with a puzzled look, "Lord Zheng, has the Duke made a new discovery?"
When he left this morning, Li Jinglong had instructed him to only check the accounts today. He never expected that before he had even finished checking the accounts, Li Jinglong had already ordered the Imperial Guards to arrest him!
Zheng Zheng cupped his hands in greeting: "Lord Zheng, I am not clear about the specifics. I only know that this is an order from the Duke of Cao!"
Seeing that Zheng Zheng was tight-lipped, Zheng Ci said no more, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said, "This humble official understands!"
Outside the Tongzhou warehouse, some people who were originally looking at the notice started discussing it when they saw Liu Chun being taken away by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
"I didn't see wrong, did I? Those were the Embroidered Uniform Guards?"
"No doubt about it, flying fish robes, embroidered spring knives—it's definitely the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"
"This corrupt official is truly hateful!"
"Do you think we should follow the notice and expose Liu Chun?"
"Don't panic. We don't know the specifics yet. If Liu Chun is alright, we'll be the ones in trouble!"
Among the crowd, a man kept his eyes fixed on Liu Chun until Liu Chun and the Imperial Guards disappeared at the street corner. Hearing the discussions around him, he frowned and then quickly left!