Chapter 146 An unexpected surprise
Guo Zixuan wanted to refuse, but stopped after hearing Qin Wei's words.
There was no way, Qin Wei gave too much and he was moved.
Seeing Guo Zixuan's hesitation, Qin Wei did not urge him, but waited for Guo Zixuan's reply with a smile.
Guo Zixuan hesitated for a while and said, "What do you want to say?"
Qin Wei smiled when he heard this.
…………
"Lord Sheng." Zhang Zongshi saluted.
"No need to be so polite, Mr. Zhang. Please take a seat."
Sheng Hong invited Zhang Zongshi to sit down and asked Dong Rong to serve tea.
Zhang Zongshi was the military secretary of Kaifeng Prefecture. He was not only in charge of the six ministries, but also the prisons of Kaifeng Prefecture.
Sheng Hong came to Kaifeng Prefecture to take office a few days before Zhao Xing took over, and Zhang Zongshi was the first to side with him.
Sheng Hong has been an official for so many years, so he is naturally not short of tricks.
Through a simple investigation, Sheng Hong had initially believed Zhang Zongshi's surrender.
Sheng Hong asked Zhang Zongshi to keep this matter secret and no one knew about it.
Zhao Xing asked him to ensure the safety of the people he captured last night, and it was naturally most appropriate to entrust this matter to Zhang Zongshi.
"Lord Sheng, just now Judge Guo's advisor went to meet those people and threatened them with their families, forcing them to commit suicide. He also bribed the jailer, suggesting that he provide convenience for them to commit suicide." Zhang Zongshi said.
Although the prison in Kaifeng Prefecture was under his charge, he did not manage it directly. After Sheng Hong gave him instructions, he called the official in charge of the prison and gave him detailed instructions.
Someone soon reported to Guo Zixuan what he had sent people to the prison to do.
After learning the news, he immediately came to tell Sheng Hong.
"what?"
Sheng Hong was shocked when he heard this. Zhao Xing asked Sheng Changwu to tell him to ensure the safety of those people, and he was thinking about Zhao Xing's purpose.
However, Zhao Xing did not say anything except sending Sheng Changwu to ensure the safety of those people.
He thought about it over and over again but still couldn't figure out what Zhao Xing's intention was.
After listening to Zhang Zongshi's words, a thought suddenly emerged in Sheng Hong's mind - could it be that Zhao Xing's target was Guo Zixuan?
Sheng Hong hesitated for a moment and said, "Mr. Zhang, please make sure those people are safe. I'm going to go out for a while."
"Lord Sheng, this matter cannot be delayed too long, otherwise Judge Guo will definitely become suspicious." Zhang Zongshi reminded.
"I understand." Sheng Hong nodded.
…………
Perhaps it was because of the rumors outside, or perhaps the emperor felt that if he did not go to the Kaifeng government office, he would not be idle.
After the last conversation, someone sent the tied knot again.
After Zhao Xing finished dealing with the knot, he stretched and asked, "What time is it?"
"It's almost noon." Sanshui replied.
When Zhao Xing heard that it was almost noon, he prepared to eat.
Before anyone left the study, a eunuch came in and reported, "Your Highness, Shao Yin Sheng from Kaifeng Prefecture wants to see you."
"Bring him over here." Zhao Xing said.
"Yes!" The eunuch took the order and retreated.
"Sanshui, go tell Miss Yu that I have something to do and ask her not to wait for me. Ask someone to send food to the study and remember to prepare one for Sheng Shaoyin." Zhao Xing said.
"Yes!" Sanshui responded and stepped back.
Zhao Xing returned to his desk and sat down, waiting for Sheng Hong to arrive.
Soon, Sheng Hong was led in by the eunuch and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you."
Zhao Xing nodded slightly and said, "Give Sheng Shaoyin a seat."
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Sheng Hong thanked him and sat down.
"Why did Shao Yin Sheng come to see me?" Zhao Xing asked.
"Your Highness, I..." Sheng Hong repeated what Zhang Zongshi had told him.
Zhao Xing looked at Sheng Hong with some surprise.
Unexpectedly, Sheng Hong had some means and was able to win over Zhang Zongshi, the military officer of the Silu Army, so quickly.
Zhang Zongshi's powers and responsibilities ranked among the top five in Kaifeng Prefecture.
However, Zhao Xing reacted quickly. Sheng Hong was a veteran in the officialdom. If he didn't even have this little trick, then all these years of his life would have been in vain.
Moreover, it would be more accurate to say that Zhang Zongshi sided with him rather than with Sheng Hong.
There was a hint of amusement on Zhao Xing's lips. Originally, he just wanted to help Gu Tingye get revenge, but he didn't expect to get an unexpected surprise.
He asked Sheng Hong to guarantee the safety of those people, but he didn't originally think that Sheng Hong could really protect them.
After catching the person, not conducting a large-scale investigation would give Xiao Qinshi the opportunity to silence him.
It is not easy to deal with Xiao Qin with just those few people.
But if Xiao Qinshi bribed someone to kill a prisoner in the Kaifeng government prison, the nature of the case would be different.
Originally according to Zhao Xing's guess, Xiao Qin would only bribe some prison guards. After all, this kind of thing was very easy for the prison guards.
Moreover, the jailer's status was low, making it convenient for him to silence him afterwards.
Zhao Xing asked Sheng Hong to ensure the safety of those people in order to make Sheng Hong pay attention.
Others were killed and it was not discovered until the perpetrators were silenced.
However, he did not expect that Xiao Qin was looking for Guo Zixuan, which gave him the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.
Sheng Hong saw that Zhao Xing didn't say anything, just sat there quietly with his eyes slightly lowered.
Sanshui walked into the study, bowed and said, "Your Highness, the food is here." Zhao Xing came back to his senses, looked at Sheng Hong and smiled, "Sheng Shaoyin hasn't had lunch yet, come eat with me."
"Yes!" Sheng Hong responded excitedly.
It is a great honor to dine alone with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
"Serve the meal." Zhao Xing ordered.
Sanshui gave the order, and soon more than a dozen palace maids filed in.
Two eunuchs carried a low table and placed it in front of Sheng Hong.
The maid served the food and left.
There were not many dishes, only six per person, and no wine was served.
"I have something to do this afternoon, so I won't drink." Zhao Xing said.
"I haven't finished my shift yet, so it's not convenient for me to drink." Sheng Hong said with a smile.
"Sheng Shaoyin is really strict with himself. Let's pick up our chopsticks." After Zhao Xing said this, he started eating.
I have to say that Sheng Hong is a wonderful person. Zhao Xing doesn't eat slowly, but he doesn't eat voraciously either.
But it may not be suitable for a prince.
Sheng Hong chewed slowly at first, but when he saw how Zhao Xing ate, he immediately adjusted himself and ate even more vigorously than Zhao Xing.
When Zhao Xing looked at him, Sheng Hong was a little embarrassed and said, "I usually behave like this at home. I am a little out of control. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
Look at the level of his speech. If Zhao Xing didn't know Sheng Hong's personality, he would have liked him more just from this meal.
"It's okay. I don't like to be too pretentious." Zhao Xing waved his hand.
After the meal, Sheng Hong expressed his gratitude and was about to leave.
Zhao Xing said, "I will go to Kaifeng government office with you."
After saying that, Zhao Xing instructed Sanshui to notify people to prepare the car.
After the carriage was ready, he took it with Sheng Hong to the Kaifeng government office.
…………
Guo Zixuan was taking a nap when he was suddenly awakened by a loud noise.
"Why are you arresting me? I am the judge..."
When Guo Zixuan woke up, he heard Master Jin's loud shout coming from outside, but before he could finish his words, there was no sound.
Guo Zixuan's face changed slightly, and he quickly got out of bed, picked up his official uniform and put it on, and walked out of the door in dishevel. He saw more than a dozen imperial guards in the yard, and Master Jin was forcibly controlled by two imperial guards, with his mouth blocked by a cloth.
"Uh...uh..."
Seeing Guo Zixuan coming out, Master Jin struggled violently and wanted to say something, but his words became unclear.
"Stop!" Guo Zixuan shouted angrily, "This is the Kaifeng government office. Who told you to arrest people here? I will report you to the emperor!"
The two imperial guards ignored them and dragged Master Jin out of the yard.
Guo Zixuan rushed forward to intercept him, but Sheng Changwu stopped him and said calmly, "Your Highness, please ask Judge Guo to come over!"
"Humph!" Guo Zixuan seemed to have understood something at this time, and snorted coldly: "Even if it is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, there is no reason for the Imperial Guards to arrest people at will in the Kaifeng government office."
"Pan Guo, don't worry about this. His Highness is still waiting. Pan Guo, please follow me." Sheng Changwu said.
Guo Zixuan's mind was racing as he thought of ways to deal with the situation.
Zhao Xingming's men captured his master and had him taken away, apparently because of what he did for Qin Wei.
However, Guo Zixuan is certainly not a fool since he has climbed to his current position.
He knew that this incident was just a fuse, and Zhao Xing's target was obviously him.
Or perhaps Zhao Xing was waiting for the chicken that could honor the monkey.
Since Zhao Xing took office, he has not been to Kaifeng Prefecture since the first day he came, in order to let them relax their vigilance and wait for them to jump.
Guo Zixuan had thought about this possibility before, but he eventually gave it up.
In his opinion, Zhao Xing was young and should not be so cunning.
In addition, Qin Wei gave too much and it was not a big deal, so he agreed to come down.
Guo Zixuan cursed Qin Wei for cheating him in his heart, while at the same time thinking about how to escape.
Sheng Changwu ignored all this and urged him to leave quickly.
Guo Zixuan could only follow Sheng Changwu to Zhao Xing's public housing.
After all, Guo Zixuan was a man who had seen many storms, so he calmed down on the road.
He knew that he could not admit this matter no matter what. Master Jin had given him so many years, he should know the seriousness of the matter and was unlikely to betray him.
Even if the people bribed by Master Jin were willing to identify the perpetrator, there was insufficient evidence.
After all, he is an official of the fourth rank. Without evidence, what can he do even if he is the crown prince?
When he arrived at Zhao Xing's official residence and saw Zhao Xing, he saluted calmly and said, "I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
"President Guo Tong is quite calm." Zhao Xing said with a smile.
"I don't quite understand what Your Highness means." Guo Zixuan pretended to be confused.
"I am too lazy to waste time talking to you. You just think that your master will not betray you. Your master is not a slave, and what he says can be used as evidence. Do you think I will spare his life if he tells me what he wants to say, and he will die if he doesn't? Do you think he will tell me?" Zhao Xing said calmly.
"Your Highness, you..."
"Are you trying to say that I forced a confession? You are the magistrate of Kaifeng Prefecture, so you must be able to know that even a confession obtained through torture can be just as useful, right?" Zhao Xing sneered.
Guo Zixuan fell silent upon hearing this. He naturally knew that torture was legal.
It is not in accordance with the rules for Zhao Xing to threaten someone's life, but does he have any evidence?
(End of this chapter)