lcionline Chapter 119 General
Chapter 119 General
The next day, news that the Zhao family had changed owners spread throughout the entire city of Cangzhou.
Although the new owner still bears the surname Zhao, the relationship between Zhao Tingxiao and Zhao Si is common knowledge.
No one would believe there wasn't something fishy going on here.
Sure enough, not long after, rumors spread throughout Cangzhou City that Zhao Si and his two sons were secretly possessing prohibited weapons and plotting a rebellion.
Soon, the Cangzhou government released evidence of the Zhao family's alleged treason.
Although it's just a suspicion, it's enough for ordinary people to talk about over tea.
Unlike the people of Cangzhou who were just watching the spectacle, Li Polu was already in a state of utter distress.
Prefect Yin Nantian was absent, as was Chief Clerk He Qiong, and former Assistant Prefect Song Bowen had been dismissed from his post…
Now, in the entire government office, only he, the prefect, has any real say.
Originally, for civil cases, having him as the presiding judge was sufficient.
However, his status as a prefectural judge was somewhat insufficient in the case of the Zhao family.
The case of suspected treason alone is not one that Li Polu can solve alone.
Not to mention that Qu Dacheng is also involved.
Li Polu did not know Qu Dacheng, but he knew Qu Dacheng's identity—a commander of the Kang Prince's personal guard, commonly known as a centurion.
Don't underestimate the position of Qianzong. Although it is only a sixth-rank official position, there are only three Qianzong in the entire Kangwang personal guard camp.
This shows that Qu Dacheng was quite influential.
Now, with accusations of rebellion and the presence of Prince Kang's personal guards, Li Polu was at a loss and could only send someone on horseback to Jinhua County to report.
……
When Yin Nantian learned of this news, he was completely stunned. No matter how hard he racked his brains, he could never have imagined that Qu Dacheng was actually a captain in the Kang Prince's personal guard.
He looked at Liu Shan and said in an unfriendly tone, "Now you know Qu Dacheng's true identity?"
Liu Shan replied calmly, "I understand."
He Qiong was also in a terrible predicament. He ranked the forces that the Cangzhou government least wanted to deal with, and the Kang Prince's personal guards were definitely in the top three.
He advised again, "Lord Liu, let's stop here. It's better for everyone."
Liu Shan shook his head. "Not good."
He Qiong sighed. Why was this kid so stubborn?
Helpless, he gave Yin Nan a meaningful look, hoping he would try to persuade him again.
Yin Nantian pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "I'd like to investigate this Qu Dacheng."
Upon hearing this, Liu Shan's eyes lit up.
He Qiong was dumbfounded and asked, "Your Excellency, what do you mean?"
Yin Nantian's expression was serious: "Kang Wang's personal guard is different from the Cangzhou garrison. It is Kang Wang's private force and has no power to investigate, arrest, or adjudicate cases. Generally speaking, when they obtain clues, they should hand them over to us as soon as possible. However, Qu Dacheng's actions this time are too abnormal."
Liu Shan interjected, "Something unusual must be going on."
Yin Nantian pondered the sentence and nodded, saying, "That's right, that's the meaning."
He Qiong asked, "Does Qu Dacheng intend to cause trouble?"
Yin Nantian's expression was solemn. "Qu Dacheng must have something to do with interfering in the local plan without cause."
Liu Shan said thoughtfully, "I have heard rumors that Zhao Tingxiao is extremely at odds with his father and brothers."
He Qiong nodded and said, "That's right, I've heard about it too."
Yin Nantian analyzed, "So it seems that Qu Dacheng wants to take this opportunity to control the Zhao family?!"
After pondering for a moment, Liu Shan nodded. "That's possible."
He Qiong asked, "Control the Zhao family? Through Zhao Tingxiao?"
Yin Nantian and Liu Shan nodded at the same time.
He Qiong then asked, "Why do you want to control the Zhao family? What does Qu Dacheng want to do?"
Yin Nantian said in a deep voice, "That's why I said we need to investigate this Qu Dacheng."
He Qiong muttered to himself, "Could this person be planning something against the government office?"
Yin Nantian shook his head. It didn't matter if it was detrimental to the prefectural government or to him as prefect. What he feared was that this person wanted to…
Liu Shan spoke up, "This Qu Dacheng, would he want to harm Prince Kang or Princess Changning?"
He Qiong was so shocked she almost popped her eyes out. "Lord Liu, are you crazy? You dare to say anything? Aren't you afraid the walls are overheard?"
Liu Shangang was about to explain when Yin Nantian said, "That's exactly what I was worried about. Prince Kang has treated us well, so we should share his burdens."
Liu Shan was not familiar with Prince Kang and did not care whether anyone would harm Prince Kang, but he believed that he had a good relationship with Princess Changning and was willing to lend a helping hand if he could.
The problem now is how to investigate, and from which direction.
Yin Nantian said in a deep voice, "Let's start by investigating the Zhao family's suspected treason."
He Qiong nodded; besides this, there really wasn't a good direction for the investigation.
Liu Shan disagreed. He felt that since the investigation into Qu Dacheng was to begin with the clues provided by the Qin family, why not start with them?
When he voiced his idea, he was met with unanimous opposition from Yin Nantian and He Qiong.
In Yin Nantian's words, the Zhao family incident was likely a stress response from Qu Dacheng after he sensed danger.
If Qu Dacheng continues to be provoked, he may very well take a desperate gamble.
Neither the government nor the officials themselves could face a "crazy" commander who had nowhere else to turn.
Liu Shan wanted to say that he dared to face the situation and that he could "capture the king first to catch the thief," but when he thought of the Li family and Li Wanqing, he gave up.
After discussing it, the group decided that Yin Nantian and He Qiong should immediately return to Cangzhou and mobilize the entire government to investigate the Zhao family's treason case.
Meanwhile, Liu Shan continued to collect evidence in Jinhua County, hoping to obtain conclusive evidence related to Qu Dacheng from the Qin family.
However, things took an unexpected turn for the better by Yin Nantian and the others.
Under the manipulation of a mysterious force, the Kangwang Mansion actually convicted the Zhao family.
Moreover, the conviction was based entirely on testimonies and confessions, without any investigation, and the Prefect Yin Nantian was even directly ordered to immediately announce the crimes and punishments.
Yin Nantian stared at the seal of the Prince of Kang on the document before him, lost in thought.
Soon, he sighed, knowing that at this point, his little arm was completely no match for the seal of the Prince of Kang, so he could only announce the crimes of the Zhao family as written in the document.
The following day, the crimes of the Zhao family were posted on the notice board of the Cangzhou government office.
"Zhao Si, Zhao Bochao, and Zhao Zhongchao of the Zhao family are suspected of treason for illegally possessing prohibited weapons... Zhao Tingxiao of the Zhao family, known for his integrity and righteousness, is loyal to the court and has taken the drastic step of sacrificing his own family for the greater good, and has reported them..."
Inside the Zhao residence, Zhao Tingxiao knelt before Qu Dacheng, saying, "My lord, your abilities are truly admirable."
Qu Dacheng nonchalantly boasted, "This is nothing. In a couple of days, you'll see how powerful I am."
Zhao Tingxiao was startled, but then his face was plastered with a fawning smile: "Then I will first offer my congratulations, sir..."
However, before the flattering words could be finished, Qu Dacheng interrupted, "A shipment of goods will arrive at the manor at midnight tonight..."