HCB Chapter 243 Don't rush, I still have some here.
Chapter 243 Don't rush, I still have some here.
Li Qingqing casually took a letter from her pocket and kindly handed it to Zhang Haoyi's desk.
"What do you think this item could be exchanged for?"
Zhang Haoyi glanced at her suspiciously, picked up the letter, and after scanning it, a cold sweat broke out on his back.
How did my mentor's letter to Wei Sheng end up here?!
Zhang Haoyi read ten lines at a glance, his blood pressure gradually soared, and his fingers holding the letter trembled slightly uncontrollably.
As the saying goes, it's not the god-like opponents you should fear, but the pig-like teammates.
Wei Shenglu, oh Wei Shenglu, I've been so protective of you, and you've given me such a big surprise!
The four large characters at the end of the letter, "Destroy after reading," were completely ignored.
Are you trying to dig a hole for yourself by not destroying these letters in time?
Zhang Haoyi muttered to himself, his face darkening.
Having been immersed in the imperial court for many years, Zhang Haoyi's ability to adapt to changing circumstances was exceptionally strong.
He was only stunned for two seconds before quickly tearing the letter into pieces and stuffing it into his sleeve pocket.
"I didn't see anything!"
Zhang Haoyi coughed lightly, his expression instantly turning serious.
"Oh!" Li Qingqing and Li Feng exchanged a glance, then calmly took out a letter from their pockets.
"Lord Zhang, don't worry, I have more here!"
Browse as much as you like, there's plenty to go around.
What? There's more? Zhang Haoyi glanced at it and saw that it was another letter from his mentor to Wei Shenglu!
Zhang Haoyi, his head throbbing, grabbed the letter and stared at it intently, speechless.
The tone of the letter was exactly like that of his mentor, and he knew a little about some of the things mentioned in the letter, so the letter was indeed genuine.
The most urgent task at hand is to intercept these letters and keep them in our own hands.
Zhang Haoyi secretly decided that after returning to the capital this time, he must subtly offer his advice to his mentor again.
It's best to avoid starting a letter with phrases like "Seeing this letter is like seeing the truth," as it can easily give away evidence against you.
Especially when encountering people like Wei Sheng, they are like a hidden danger, with endless consequences.
Suddenly, Zhang Haoyi's expression froze.
Something's wrong, something really isn't right.
The handwriting on this letter... is a bit ugly?
A chill ran down his spine, and he belatedly realized that the first letter he had torn up earlier didn't seem to be his mentor's handwriting.
I was careless! It was all because of the very first sentence in the letter.
"How dare you forge letters?!" Zhang Haoyi was furious and embarrassed, feeling like he had been played for a fool.
"How can this be considered forgery? The contents of these letters are all real! I simply had someone make several copies of the original letters so that you could tear them up."
"Where is the original? Bring the original to me for verification!"
"The original documents have been properly kept. If anything happens to the General or me, these letters will be sent to the capital immediately. Of course, if Lord Zhang has any doubts about the authenticity of these letters, he may ask Lord Wei."
With just two casual sentences, Li Qingqing successfully suppressed Zhang Haoyi.
Zhang Haoyi's facial expression showed some cracks.
Ask? What a load of rubbish!
It's not that he doesn't believe it, he just wants to get his hands on the original...
Zhang Haoyi stared at Li Qingqing for a long time, realizing that he had given himself away and could no longer obtain the letter.
He sighed inwardly.
That's it! That's it! The only thing we can do now is sacrifice a pawn to save the king.
Only if his mentor secures his position can Zhang's career in government flourish.
Lord Wei, I have done my best!
You only have yourself to blame. You shouldn't have kept things from me, putting me in a passive position and causing me to miss the opportunity.
Zhang Haoyi closed his eyes briefly, then spoke again with a smile, "What do you want to change to?"
"Lord Zhang is truly insightful," Li Qingqing said with a smile.
"The merits of all soldiers in the border city must be reported truthfully without omission, so as to recognize their achievements!"
"The Protector-General of Wei is guilty of treason and collusion with the enemy. The evidence is conclusive, and he should be executed according to the law. The Protectorate established by deceiving the court should be abolished immediately!"
"To ensure the long-term stability of the border city and to restore the old system of city lord, I will continue to serve as the city lord, and all political and military affairs will be under my full control."
"His Majesty will not agree!" Zhang Haoyi's eyes widened as he stared at Li Qingqing in surprise.
Fortunately she could figure it out!
The border city is the southern gateway to the Great Yuan territory. How could His Majesty entrust such an important military stronghold to an outsider?
For example, in the past, Wei Sheng and Li Feng each managed half of the political and military affairs.
When Feiyun City was occupied by Lord Qiu, the Emperor sent troops to attack it for several years. In the end, seeing that Lord Qiu had no intention of rebelling against the country, the Emperor gave up.
Now Li Qing is so arrogant as to want to occupy the border city?
Even if the Emperor agrees, the Prime Minister will not.
In border regions, whether it's accumulating wealth or checking power, one can only feel at ease using things that are used by one's own people.
Zhang Haoyi's expression changed, and he tentatively asked, "Do you want to emulate City Lord Qiu of Feiyun City in the north?"
“How is this imitation? If I were to take control of the border cities, I would surely double the taxes and upgrade the city defenses within three years, so that the people could live and work in peace and contentment. If you convey what I have to say, the Emperor will naturally agree.”
Li Qingqing's expression turned cold.
"Moreover, I clearly remember that yesterday you put Protector-General Wei in charge of the border city. You must have had the Emperor's permission and authorization before you came."
Since the Emperor had long intended to have someone else take charge of the border city, and now that Protector-General Wei has been sentenced to death, why not abolish the Protectorate immediately and return the border city to the City Lord's Mansion?
"Could it be that all my illustrious military achievements are not enough to earn me the position of city lord?"
Zhang Haoyi thought to himself, "This city lord is not the same as the other city lord. You only want the position of city lord, you want control of the entire border city."
However, in practice, it's not difficult.
It's just a pity that the Prime Minister lost a treasure trove...
Zhang Haoyi dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction on his face. He immediately straightened his expression and said righteously.
"The power to govern the border city is rightfully yours. I will immediately draft a memorial to the throne, and you will surely get what you want!"
"Then I'll wait for your good news." Li Qingqing smiled slightly.
"As long as you do your best, I guarantee that not a single letter will be leaked! However, my patience is limited, so Lord Zhang will have to hurry!"
"Of course, of course!" Zhang Haoyi was inwardly apprehensive, but his smile remained unchanged.
"Tomorrow we will verify the soldiers' battle achievements, and the day after tomorrow we will escort Wei Sheng back to the capital!"
As Zhang Haoyi spoke, his gaze fell on Da Shuang and Xiao Shuang, "These two children—"
"Since these two children are innocent, hand them over to me, so as not to delay Lord Zhang from carrying out his business." Li Qingqing interrupted Zhang Haoyi's attempt in a low voice.
Zhang Haoyi: ...
He was still trying to get some information out of the two children, but Li Qing intercepted his advance.
Zhang Haoyi suppressed his anger and hurriedly walked out of the hall.
He was always the one threatening others, but today he was being threatened by someone else.
He had to give that good-for-nothing Wei Sheng a good scolding to vent his anger!
As soon as Zhang Haoyi stepped out of the outer hall, he saw a large group of people who had come from the border town, crowding the open space outside the hall.
As soon as he appeared, a commotion erupted from the crowd.
"Please, spare our general and city lord!"
"My lord, the general and the city lord would never collude with the enemy or betray the country. We guarantee it with our lives!"
“Our city lord not only took us in, but also improved our lives. He is a good man.”
Zhang Haoyi's expression immediately froze.
This is outrageous! He was just threatened by these people who called him a good man, and now these fools are begging him to release the people!
Who would he release? Even if he had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare arrest anyone now!
Zhang Haoyi subtly adjusted his facial expression and coughed lightly: "This matter is purely a misunderstanding. I have verified that your general and city lord have been wronged."
As soon as Zhang Haoyi finished speaking, the surrounding crowd cheered:
"I knew it! They must have been framed!"
"Great! We're saved! The city lord even said he'd teach us how to grow rice. I've been looking forward to that!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Haoyi exclaimed, "What? Growing rice? Li Qing knows this technique?"
Zhang Haoyi smiled slightly, "Old man, you grow rice?"
"Not yet, but our fields are all covered with grass. It's growing so vigorously even in the dead of winter. The city magistrate taught us to plant it."
Zhang Haoyi: ...
Planting grass in the field?
He felt he had been fooled by this group of unruly people.
Zhang Haoyi sneered inwardly, his mood, which had been oppressed by Li Qingqing, suddenly brightened.