Zhao Yuanzuo held the water bag, took a swig, and handed it to the guard again.
When the guards saw that Zhao Yuanzuo really drank, they passed the water bag around to drink.
A water bag was passed around and half of it was left.
Although the guards were thirsty, they did not drink from the water bags. They only took a small sip to quench their thirst and left the excess water for others.
Kou Ji saw this scene, sighed slightly, and told the people behind him: "Go to Chen Lin and ask Chen Lin to order the imperial kitchen to prepare a table of good food and wine. I want to accompany King Chu to have a drink."
, have a long conversation.”
The soldiers of the Tiger Army agreed and quickly ran to deliver the message.
Kou Ji bowed deeply to Zhao Yuanzuo and said, "I am lowering my rank, Kou Ji, to see His Highness the King of Chu."
Zhao Yuanzuo took the water bag handed over by the guard into his hand, tied the mouth of the bag tightly, hung it on his waist, squatted on the threshold, and said with some surprise: "The imperial court didn't give me a title?"
Kou Ji was silent for a moment and said in a low voice: "My grandfather cut off your estate last night, but he did not depose you from the throne."
Zhao Yuanzuo was also silent for a moment, and said quietly: "I see..."
Kou Ji slowly took a step forward and asked, "Didn't the officials send someone to bring you food and water?"
Judging from the way Zhao Yuanzuo drank water just now, he must have had no water all night.
Although what Zhao Yuanzuo is doing at this moment is wrong, Zhao Zhen shouldn't treat him so harshly, right?
Zhao Yuanzuo said calmly: "I sent it away...but I asked someone to send it back..."
Kou Ji was stunned for a moment and understood why Zhao Yuanzuo did this.
Zhao Yuanzuo was afraid that Zhao Zhen was eager to save Liu E, but was unwilling to hurt him, so he drugged his food and water.
Kou Ji pondered and said: "Then you are not afraid that the official will poison the water?"
Zhao Yuanzuo glanced at Kou Ji and said calmly: "You won't..."
Do you believe me so much?
Kou Ji was slightly stunned.
Then I heard Zhao Yuanzuo continue: "Because you don't want to see Liu E continue to appear in the court, so you won't take action against me."
Kou Ji was stunned for a moment and smiled bitterly in his heart.
He didn't expect that Zhao Yuanzuo, who was usually very quiet, was actually a rare understanding person.
Kou Ji stood there quietly and did not speak again.
Until Chen Lin sent someone to bring food over.
Kou Jicai had the table set up and tried all the dishes himself before inviting Zhao Yuanzuo to sit down and eat and drink together.
Zhao Yuanzuo gave most of the food and wine on the table to his guards, leaving only two dishes and a pot of wine.
Kou Ji stayed with Zhao Yuanzuo after he had eaten and drank enough.
Zhao Yuanzuo put down his bowl and chopsticks, stared at Kou Ji, and asked, "Aren't you here to be a lobbyist? Why don't you say anything to persuade me?"
Kou Ji smiled dryly and said: "I heard... the people who came to persuade you before were all killed by you. I don't want to die."
Zhao Yuanzuo was silent for a moment and said calmly: "I won't kill you."
Kou Ji was stunned for a moment and said tentatively: "Then I'll say it..."
Zhao Yuanzuo glanced at Kou Ji and said calmly: "No matter how bad you say, I will not let Liu E go."
Kou Ji smiled calmly and said: "Whether you let me go or not, I have no guarantee to the officials."
Zhao Yuanzuo was stunned for a moment, then nodded slowly, "You have not been an official for a long time, and you are quite proficient in the methods of seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages in the officialdom."
Kou Ji thought that Zhao Yuanzuo was praising him.
Kou Ji smiled and said, "I don't think you should be stuck here and make things difficult for everyone."
"Um……"
Zhao Yuanzuo gave a little response without any emotion or anger on his face.
Kou Ji continued: "If the person in the palace dies in the palace, it will be no good to you and everyone."
Zhao Yuanzuo glanced at Kou Ji and said in a faint tone: "You mean, you want me to find a way to get people out of the palace?"
Kou Ji did not respond to Zhao Yuanzuo's words, and continued: "If that man is forced to die in the palace by you, you will be condemned by everyone in the world.
Of course, you may not care about this now.
But the official family will be stained with bad reputation because of what you do.
By then, the public's voice of insulting officials will probably not be quiet.
Some young people will also use this to cause trouble.
The civil and military officials of the entire dynasty will be ashamed of this matter.
The country and the country might be in turmoil because of this."
Zhao Yuanzuo sneered: "Is it as serious as you said?"
Kou Jiqian smiled and said: "In short, it will not benefit anyone if you force that person to death in the palace."
Zhao Yuanzuo frowned and said nothing.
Kou Ji saw that Zhao Yuanzuo was deep in thought and said no more.
He stood up, cupped his hands, and left the place.
After leaving the palace complex where Liu E's palace was located, they saw Zhao Zhen and his entourage, waiting anxiously.
When Zhao Zhen saw Kou Ji, he hurried forward to greet him and asked, "How is it?"
Kou Ji shook his head.
The expression on Zhao Zhen's face changed and he murmured: "Can't you even do anything?"
Kou Ji let out a long sigh and said quietly: "That guy should never have done anything, he shouldn't have had the heads of the eight kings beheaded."
Zhao Zhen gritted his teeth and said: "I will go and invite the Grand Master again..."
Kou Ji stood in front of Zhao Zhen, cupping his hands and saying: "It's useless...The King of Chu has made up his mind, it's useless for anyone to go."
Zhao Zhen's face paled slightly, and he gritted his teeth and said, "I can't watch the eldest lady being forced to death."
Kou Ji said calmly: "I have explained to the King of Chu the harm of persecuting that person in the palace. If the King of Chu is serious, he should go to the officials and negotiate some terms with them.
What the officials have to do now is to wait for the King of Chu to come up with the conditions and then see if there is any way to save that person's life."
"Is this the only way?"
"That's all."
"..."
In Zhao Zhen's sad look, Kou Ji bowed and said, "I excuse you!"
Zhao Zhen sighed and watched Kou Ji leave, then returned to Zishi Hall accompanied by Chen Lin.
When Kou Ji left the palace and returned to his house, he saw that Kou Zhun had obtained a soft couch from somewhere and was lying on his side in the main hall, like a sleeping Buddha.
After hearing Kou Ji's footsteps, Kou Zhun opened his eyes a little and asked faintly across half the yard: "How is it? The King of Chu didn't go crazy and kill people, right?"
Kou Ji entered the main hall, bowed first, and then said: "The King of Chu's anger is also provocative. I have never provoked him, and my official position is not low. How could he kill me casually?"
Hearing this, Kou Zhun nodded thoughtfully.
"This is the truth...how did you tell the King of Chu?"
Kou Ji spread his hands and said, "I just told King Chu that if he forces Liu E to death in the palace, it will bring trouble to many people."
Kou Zhun was stunned for a moment, and then laughed loudly, "You have caught King Chu's weakness. King Chu values friendship the most. If it is his fault that brings a lot of trouble to the officials, he will definitely not be willing to do so."
Kou Ji asked doubtfully: "Grandpa knows the King of Chu very well?"
Kou Zhun clicked his lips and said with emotion: "I watched step by step the King of Chu ruined his position as crown prince and restored his official title again."
The implication.
He knew the King of Chu very well.
Kou Ji asked: "What does grandfather think the King of Chu will do next?"
Kou Zhun didn't say it directly. He gave it a try, shook his head and said, "Don't say it...Don't say it..."
Don't wait for Kou Ji to ask.
Kou Zhun sat up from the soft couch, put on his boots, and said: "Let the royal family worry about royal affairs. Our ancestors and grandchildren can't care about that much."
Kou Zhun glanced at the empty courtyard with disgust and muttered: "It doesn't matter what the house wants. I will still go to Ruian Villa and continue to manage the affairs of the academy."
After saying this.
Kou Zhun put his hands behind his back and staggered out of the house.
Kou Zhong arrived outside the mansion at some unknown time and led a group of people to escort Kou Zhun out of Ma Xing Street.
It's boring for Kou Ji to stay alone in the house.
He left the mansion and ran all the way to Kaifeng Mansion, where he met Xue Tian and Liu Heng, the prefects of Kaifeng Mansion.
The expressions on the two people's faces were not very good.
Seeing Kou Ji appear, Liu Heng stepped forward and said with a frown: "Most of the officials, big and small, who accompanied the Eight Kings in the rebellion have been arrested and brought to justice. All the mansions have been searched, and all the property has been put into the national treasury.
Only after the Ministry of Accounts has sent people to hand over the account books, and the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple have sent people to approve the crimes of the offender and his family members, can they be executed and distributed.
All the things we have to do have been completed."
Kou Ji asked: "Since everything has been done, why are you two still frowning?"
Xue Tian lamented: "The Ministry of Industry and Communications does not know something. There are still three important criminals who have not been arrested."
Kou Ji said in shock: "Who?"
Liu Heng said in a deep voice: "Wang Qinruo! Xia Song! Yan Shu!"
Kou Ji's eyes widened slightly, "Xia Song and Yan Shu should be trapped in Liu E's palace by King Chu now. If King Chu doesn't retreat, we can't arrest them. But why didn't Wang Qinruo catch them?"
Xue Tian said with a bitter face: "The two of us went to the palace with our troops and captured Wang Qinruo's family members, but we did not encounter Wang Qinruo. We sent people to search everywhere in Bianjing City, but no trace of Wang Qinruo was found."
Kou Ji frowned.
Wang Qinruo, this old fox, was not only wanted by the court, but also by Kou Zhun's name for punishment.
Wang Qinruo has a big responsibility for Zhao Yuanyan's rebellion.
If he ran away.
Not only was Kou Ji unable to help Kou Zhun take revenge, he also had no way to explain to the court.
"Have you sent anyone to Wang Qinruo's place of origin?"
Liu Heng nodded, "We have sent people there...but we can't have high hopes. If Wang Qinruo is old, even if he escapes Bianjing City, he won't be able to leave too fast.
The fast horses we sent out found no trace of Wang Qinruo's escape.
In other words, it is very likely that Wang Qinruo did not escape from Bianjing City."
When Kou Ji heard Liu Heng's words, he fell into deep thought.
Since Wang Qinruo did not escape Bianjing City, he must be planning something secretly to save his life.
This person is best at digging into camps.
The most likely way to save your life is to find a backer who can protect you.
But now Zhao Yuanyan is dead.
Liu E could not protect herself.
It was impossible for Wang Qinruo to be rescued from either side.
Then he must find other backers.
Zhao Yuanzuo?
wrong.
When Zhao Yuanzuo saw him, he would probably hack him to death without hesitation. It was impossible for him to come to him and commit suicide.
Official Zhao Zhen?
Not right either.
Zhao Yuanyan usurped the throne, and Zhao Yuanzuo blocked Liu E's palace. He had a great responsibility. Zhao Zhen wanted to kill him, so how could he protect him?
Even if he took out enough chips in exchange for a chance to survive.
Zhao Zhen would not agree either.
Kou Zhun confirmed his identity as a traitor in the Chui Gong Hall in front of the ministers of civil and military affairs, and cut off his path to seek asylum from Zhao Zhen.
Then there is only one person left who can protect him.
The biological mother of official Zhao Zhen, Concubine Li.
Concubine Li is not very scheming and can easily be deceived by him.
After Kou Ji guessed who Wang Qinruo would look for for protection, he raised his head and sneered: "Wang Qinruo will probably look for Concubine Li! Wang Qinruo is an imperial prisoner now and cannot appear in the palace. He will only sit outside the palace and wait for the opportunity, waiting for Concubine Li.
When leaving the palace, she went to Concubine Li to beg for her life.
Send someone to check to see if Concubine Li often leaves the palace.
Where do you like to go after leaving the palace?"
After listening to Kou Ji's words, Xue Tian and Liu Heng immediately ran out of the government office to arrange for people to investigate the matter.
Both of them are also smart people.
No need for Kou Ji to explain, they can understand why Wang Qinruo went to see Concubine Li.
After arranging the manpower.
Kou Ji, Xue Tian and Liu Heng were waiting for news in the government office.
In the evening.
The spies of the Imperial City Division sent back two pieces of news, which attracted the attention of the three of them.
Concubine Li has lived in the palace for a long time and has become accustomed to the life in the palace and rarely leaves the palace.
Since she was taken out of her secluded place, she has only left the palace twice, both times to pray at the Daxiangguo Temple.
On the other hand, the female officials around Concubine Li frequently left the palace.
After leaving the palace, I often go to one place.
"Jiaozipu!"
"The Eighth Prince Zhao Yuanyan opened Jiaozipu, and people from Wang Qinruo's family are running it."
"Wang Qinruo wants to use the female officials next to Mrs. Li to beg for her life."
"..."
After guessing where Wang Qinruo was hiding and his purpose.
The three of them were shocked.
Xue Tian let out a long breath and laughed softly: "Finally, I caught his little tail."
Kou Ji asked: "When you raided the Eighth Prince's Mansion, didn't you investigate Jiaozi Pu where Wang Qinruo was hiding?"
Liu Heng shook his head and said: "We did not find the land deed document of Jiaozipu in the Eighth Prince's Mansion, nor did we find the land deed document in the Prince's Mansion. After careful inquiry, we found out that the land deed document of Jiaozipu was in the hands of a woman from out of town.
In the hands of merchants.
And that female businesswoman from out of town had no interaction with the Eighth Prince's Mansion or the Prince's Mansion.
We don't have any evidence, so we can't search this place.
I just sent people to keep an eye on this place secretly."
Kou Ji said in astonishment: "When did the Imperial City Department learn to talk about evidence when handling cases?"
Where is the Imperial City?
It was the intelligence agency of the Song Dynasty. As long as someone was suspected of having problems, they could be arrested immediately without any evidence.
Liu Heng subconsciously looked at Xue Tian.
Xue Tian smiled bitterly and said: "Master Liu wanted to arrest someone, but I opened my mouth and stopped Master Liu."
Kou Ji asked, "Why?"
Xue Tian lamented and said: "You don't know something. Among the many Jiaozi shops in Bianjing City, Yizi Jiaozi Shop is the largest, followed by this Jiaozi Shop.
After this Jiaozi shop was opened, it developed rapidly.
In just one year, it has developed to the point where it has one main store and three branch stores.
The deposit collected is as much as five million dollars."
Kou Ji frowned and said, "This is not enough for it to receive special care."
Xue Tian said with a bitter face: "If you just try this, no special care is needed. But when I investigated the Eighth Prince's Mansion, I found several account books, and there were four million yuan of money of unknown origin in the account books.
They were all used by the Eight Kings to recruit troops and win people's hearts..."
Xue Tian said no more.
But Kou Ji already understood the reason why Xue Tian stopped Liu Heng from arresting people.
The Eighth Prince Zhao Yuanyan secretly opened the Jiaozi Shop, which absorbed five million yuan of deposits and took away four million yuan for use.
Once Xue Tian and Liu Heng rushed to Jiaozi Shop to arrest people, they disclosed the money in Jiaozi Shop.
The scenes that took place in Sichuan and Shu in the past will also take place in Bianjing City.
Not just that.
Other Jiaozi shops will also be affected.
A major economic fluctuation will sweep through Bianjing.
The damage caused by Zhao Yuanyan's rebellion to Bianjing City has not subsided. If it causes another major economic fluctuation, Bianjing City will inevitably be in turmoil.
Xue Tian was one of the few officials Kou Ji knew who had done in-depth research on Jiaozi.
He probably saw this too.
That's why Liu Heng was prevented from arresting people rashly, and he just sent people to keep an eye on the Jiaozi shop that Zhao Yuanyan had secretly opened.
"No wonder the Eight Kings recruited so many soldiers and horses while buying people's hearts. It turned out that they borrowed Jiaozipu's money... They really can cause trouble."