As night falls, in Qian'an Palace, the questioning between the emperor and his ministers continues.
At this moment, outside Qian'an Gate, Lin Quan, the editor-in-chief, was hurrying into the palace gate.
Officials must wait outside the palace gate when they have an audience, while eunuchs can wait directly outside the palace.
"Is the emperor here?" Lin Quan asked.
It was already night, and Zhao Yanxun had probably gone to the harem, so Lin Quan had this question.
The young eunuch on duty at the door replied: "Still in the palace, we are summoning Zhou Chengping, the censor of Zuodu, and dinner has not been passed down yet!"
That is to say, Lin Quan, as the editor-in-chief and the eunuch on duty, would introduce it so carefully.
Lin Quan nodded. Since there were people inside, he could only wait patiently. At most, he would only let people in to inform him.
Another half hour passed before the conversation between Zhao Yanxun and Zhou Chengping ended.
A long and in-depth conversation gave him a clearer understanding of the situation inside and outside the court.
There are so many officials and gentry, and people's hearts are like water. It is simply impossible to fully grasp everything.
What's more, water and tides change all the time, so we can only try to grasp its context.
"It's already dark and I'm hungry. Cheng Qing, please have a meal with me!"
Because of the long questioning, Zhao Yanxun gave Zhou Chengping a seat. When he heard that the emperor had left a meal, Zhou Chengping got up immediately.
It's a pity that he didn't want to thank you, but wanted to decline.
"The emperor has given me a meal, and I shouldn't refuse. It's just that my old wife at home has been sick recently, and I have to go back to take care of her!"
Zhou Chengping said these words very sincerely, with a worried look on his face.
"What disease does your wife suffer from?"
"It's the wind and cold..."
Spring has just begun, and the temperature is not very high yet. It is actually quite normal for older people to catch a cold.
In this day and age, colds are difficult to treat and can even kill people if not treated properly.
Cao Jiasheng was running out of gas, and Zhao Yanxun really couldn't be saved, but a minor illness like a cold was not a problem for him.
Soon, he spent dozens of points to redeem the medicine, and it appeared in his hand in the form of pills.
Zhao Yanxun handed over the pill and said: "This pill can cure wind and cold, it has miraculous effects!"
The emperor, who cared about all the people in the world, not only cared about the condition of his family members, but also personally gave him the elixir, which moved Zhou Chengping deeply.
That's right, in Zhou Chengping's mind, pills can be equivalent to elixirs, and this has been proven by facts.
"My lord... I thank the Emperor for his grace!"
"Pingshen..." Zhao Yanxun said with a smile.
"You are dedicated to serving the country, how can I let my loyal ministers suffer!"
"Since you want to go home and take care of me, I won't keep you any longer. Go back!"
Zhao Yanxun's warm tone moved Zhou Chengping even more.
After taking the "Pan Pill", Zhou Chengping saluted again: "I excuse myself!"
After Zhou Chengping retired, Zhao Yanxun asked Lin Quan to come in.
However, the place where Lin Quan was received was turned into a dining room in the palace.
Frugality was strictly enforced in the palace, so Zhao Yanxun's meals were very simple, with no more than four dishes and one soup per meal.
His appetite is larger than ordinary people, so he doesn't waste much.
At this moment, he was eating with bowls and chopsticks. He was so clean that he hardly looked like an emperor. Fortunately, he was still wearing a dragon robe to show his identity.
In the room, Wu Hong was the only one serving, and the other one was Lin Quan, who was standing to report the situation.
"Your Majesty, I sent two groups of people to Wannian, all the way to the county government, and all the way to the farm of Tao Yangbo..."
"After careful verification by both parties, the matter seems to have a clue!"
Lin Quan is smart, and he also knows that this matter is not simple, so he is extremely careful with his words at this moment.
While adding vegetables, Zhao Yanxun motioned to Lin Quan to continue.
"Early this morning, Wannian County Chronicler Wu Zhongchun went to the farm to capture the village leaders. Everything went smoothly, but when he took those people out of the village, all the people in the village chased them out and Wu Zhongchun and his party were not allowed to leave!
"
"Wu Zhongchun scolded everyone and wanted to take them away forcibly. The two sides randomly clashed. It was just a joke at first, but then the situation suddenly got out of control. The two sides started fighting each other, and some people died..."
After hearing this, Zhao Yanxun put down his bowl and chopsticks, held his chin and said, "Why did the villagers gather together suddenly? Who summoned them?"
Lin Quan immediately replied: "Your Majesty, the wise emperor, saw the key at a glance!"
"When officials came to the village to arrest someone, the people in the village spontaneously gathered together. The most indispensable thing in the world is people watching the excitement!"
"After interviewing these villagers individually, they all confessed that after Wu Zhongchun left with Zhuangtou, another official came to the village!"
After hearing this, things became more and more novel, like a detective story.
"After entering the village, this person told the villagers that Wu Zhongchun and his entourage had captured Zhuangtou in order to assign the crime of resisting the imperial edict to them, so that the real resister... the Cao family would take the blame!"
When mentioning the Cao family, one would think of the dispute between the Queen Mother and the Emperor. Lin Quan was also very uneasy at the moment, fearing that he would be involved.
"Keep talking!" Zhao Yanxun said in a deep voice.
"yes!"
"This man also told the villagers that resisting the decree was a major crime against the Nine Tribes. If he was convicted, the whole village would die. He couldn't bear to see innocent people suffer, so he told them the truth!"
"Then, the man told the villagers that as long as they did not let the government take him away, they would not convict him!"
After picking up his job again, Zhao Yanxun said calmly: "So, for the sake of my own life, all the villagers chased me out!"
"Exactly!"
"They didn't dare to take action against the government, so why did they start fighting in a confused manner?"
Lin Quan replied: "Both parties hold different opinions on this matter. They both say that the other party acted first. I don't know which side is lying for the time being!"
After thinking for a while, Zhao Yanxun said: "Is it possible that they didn't panic?"
"this……"
Lin Quan was confused, but soon he understood what Zhao Yanxun meant.
"Your Majesty is saying that someone took advantage of the chaos to sneak into the crowd and took action to muddy the water!"
Zhao Yanxun said calmly: "Not only do they stir up trouble, they may also incite words, such as... officials want to kill people, or officials want to massacre villages!"
Lin Quan quickly complimented: "Your Majesty, Shengming Zhuzhao, these people are so humble, how can they hide it from Shengcong!"
Zhao Yanxun was tired of hearing these words, so he ignored them.
"Have you found any clues about the officials who entered the village? Are they from Wannian County Government?"
Lin Quan quickly replied: "The slave is screening!"
Zhao Yanxun said: "We can let the villagers identify it. If it is not in Wannian County Yamen, then it can be extended to the entire Yingtian Mansion, and every Yamen can be identified!"
In this era, there are no photos, so you have to identify someone in person, which is extremely difficult.
Since those people dare to come forward to incite, it proves that they are extremely confident that they will not dig it out.
After learning some more things, Zhao Yanxun let Lin Quanduo leave after warning him to send more people to monitor the officials in the capital.
Although at the moment, there are still no clear clues pointing to a certain person or a certain group, Zhao Yanxun has determined that someone is indeed causing trouble in this incident.
"These guys are hiding under the water and are slippery, so it's really difficult to deal with them!" Zhao Yanxun sighed.
But the next moment, he showed a smile and said: "I like challenging things!"
He has the power and the ability to set the rules of the game. If he can't play well, he will overturn the table!
"Wu Hong, one more bowl of rice will be enough!"
He has a good appetite, which shows that Zhao Yanxun is in a relaxed state of mind, which makes Wu Hong feel a lot more at ease.
Accompanying the king is like accompanying a tiger, Zhao Yanxun is in a good mood, and those who serve him are relaxed.