Chapter 770: Verbal Warfare
"Master Tang, if you do this, you're going to cause a big mess!"
The courtyard outside the Dali Temple's inner gate was very large, so large that even a dozen blazing torches were unable to illuminate every corner.
But the flickering flames made the faces of a dozen or so officials from the Ministry of Revenue look particularly hideous.
This manic look, as if he had been injected with chicken blood, coupled with the soft Wu dialect, inexplicably appeared funny.
However, Tang Weishan, who was in the middle of it , didn't think so at all. In fact, he just felt overwhelmed.
Fortunately, these officials from the Ministry of Revenue were all new employees, and most of them were of the seventh or eighth grade. Even the two leading officials were half a grade lower than him, a fifth-rank temple secretary. Otherwise, he really didn’t know how to deal with them.
"cough!"
It was true that what you feared would come true. Tang Weishan had just thought of feeling relieved when he heard someone clearing his throat at the gate and shouted, "Who is in charge here?!"
Tang Weishan looked in the direction of the voice and his heart skipped a beat - the person coming was none other than Zhou Chang, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
Just by looking at Zhou Chang's gloomy face, you can tell that he is here with ill intentions!
Tang Weishan subconsciously took two steps forward, but then paused and bowed, saying, "Please wait a moment, my Lord. I will go and ask Sun Shaoqing to come out and answer your questions."
It was the middle of the night and there was no irrefutable evidence. Tang Weishan did not agree to summon more than a dozen officials from the Ministry of Revenue at once.
Now that the victim's backers have come knocking on his door, he naturally doesn't want to continue to take the blame, so he should let Sun Shaozong, the instigator, deal with it.
With this in mind, Tang Weishan immediately turned around, lifted the hem of his clothes, and hurried into the inner court hall.
At the same time, in the back hall of the inner court.
Sun Shaozong took two steps back and looked up and down at the dark and burly man in front of him. He smacked his lips in dissatisfaction for a while, then leaned over, dipped some blood plasma with a brush, and smeared some on the other's face.
When I looked at it again, I was still not satisfied.
However, if I were to pick up the brush again, I would be afraid that I would go too far.
"Forget it, let's do this for now."
Throwing the brush dipped in pig blood back into the basin, Sun Shaozong pointed at Liu Xianglian and said, "Follow Master Liu and recite those words a few more times. Don't make any mistakes when the time comes!"
The man agreed obediently, not caring about the pig blood dripping down his face, and followed Liu Xianglian out of the back hall.
After the two men left, Sun Shaozong took out a rag from the corner, threw it on the ground, and used his hands to wipe off the bloodstains on the ground.
"uncle."
Yu Qian, who had been watching for a long time, finally couldn't help but speak up: "This method is too risky. If we can find the real culprit, it's fine. Otherwise, I'm afraid it will attract criticism."
"Don't worry."
Sun Shaozong hooked his toes and picked up the rag and put it in the corner. He said in a deep voice: "This is just a precaution. If I can't see the result later, I will never take risks."
Yu Qian felt slightly relieved and was about to discuss the matter carefully with Sun Shaozong when he heard someone calling him from the lobby in front.
"Master Shaoqing, Master Shaoqing?!"
When Sun Shaozong heard Tang Weishan's voice, he thought that he could not stand the instigation of those people and came to ask for help. He immediately lost his temper, poked his head out from behind the curtain and shouted: "What are you yelling about? No matter what those people say, just put the blame on me!"
Tang Weishan pointed outside and reported loudly, "Minister Zhou of the Ministry of Revenue has arrived outside. He would like you to go out and answer the question."
Minister Zhou?
Zhou Chang, Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue?
Sun Shaozong frowned. According to his previous inference with Yu Qian, the Ministry of Revenue has been in the spotlight recently. Even if the three senior officials of the ministry are dissatisfied with what happened tonight, they should wait until the dust settles and then make a decision based on the results.
Who would have thought that Zhou Chang would come directly to my door!
this……
It seems a little unreasonable.
Sun Shaozong hesitated for a moment, then turned around and asked in a low voice, "Tingyi, how does ?"
However, Yu Qian's face had already become solemn, and he was obviously doubting the reason and purpose of Zhou Chang's visit.
When Sun Shaozong asked about Zhou Chang's character, he shook his head slightly, unwilling to make a direct judgment, but suggested: "Uncle, let's see what he says first."
However, from his expression, Sun Shaozong had already figured out part of the answer.
So without any hesitation, he raised his chin towards Tang Weishan and said, "Come on, follow me out and take a look ."
The two men walked out of the door one after the other, and saw that a dozen officials from the Ministry of Revenue were surrounding Zhou Chang like stars surrounding the moon. It was not until someone noticed that Sun Shaozong had arrived that they spread out to the left and right, as if they were preparing for a "two-army confrontation."
Sun Shaozong walked down the steps and said, "I didn't know that Minister Zhou would come so late at night. I am sorry for not welcoming you. Please forgive me, please forgive me."
Zhou Chang did not answer. He put his left hand behind his back and stroked his beard with his right hand. He looked Sun Shaozong up and down for a few times before sneering, "So it is really Sun Shaoqing who is in charge! This is strange. Shouldn't you be suspended from office and awaiting impeachment now?"
This guy hit Sun Shaozong's soft spot at once.
If it weren't for this concern, Sun Shaozong would not have been hiding in the back hall all the time, leaving Tang Weishan to deal with it.
However, it was appropriate for Tang Weishan to deal with those minor officials who were only of the fifth rank at most. But when the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue came, there was no reason for Sun Shaozong to avoid him.
Of course, Zhou Chang’s arrival was a little unexpected.
But Sun Shaozong was not panicked at all, and replied calmly: "The case of Lu Jijian has been a big deal so far, and the Ministry of Revenue has been troubled, so much so that the national finances have been affected. This is related to the country. Although Sun is guilty, I really can't care about much."
To put it bluntly, it means 'The reason I do this is just to cover up for your Ministry of Revenue.'
Zhou Chang was met with a cold snort, but he refused to argue with Sun Shaozong anymore. He just raised his voice and said, "Where is your Lord Wei? I have to ask him about it. Why did he suddenly question more than ten officials from the Ministry of Revenue in the middle of the night? Did he find out some irrefutable case?"
"Minister Zhou, actually..."
"You don't have to say anything!"
Sun Shaozong wanted to explain, but Zhou Chang acted like a deputy superior and shouted, "How can a man with a criminal record be in charge of an investigation? Either you ask Lord Wei to come out immediately and give me a clear explanation, or..."
Having said this, he turned around and bowed: "My fellow colleagues, how can we, officials of the Ministry of Revenue, be held hostage by a criminal?"
Not to mention the officials in the Ministry of Revenue, who were all very angry at this time, just based on his status as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, he would definitely attract a lot of support.
Before he finished speaking, the two sides started clamoring:
"That's exactly the truth! How can we allow a criminal official to interrogate innocent people like me?"
"That's right! If Lord Wei doesn't show up, there's no need for us to stay here!"
"My mother is old and frail, and she just got frightened. I'm in a hurry to go back and get a doctor, so how can I have the time to argue with a criminal official?"
Seeing that the crowd was excited, all they needed was Zhou Chang to raise his arm and give a shout, and everyone would be able to break out.
Sun Shaozong's face was as gloomy as water. Just as he was about to say a few tough words to suppress the opponent's momentum, a person suddenly appeared behind him.
"My Lords, please be patient and listen to what Yu Qian has to say!"
The first half of his speech had no effect at all, but when the word "Yu Qian" came out, the audience fell silent.
This is because Yu Qian, although only a seventh-rank official, was equivalent to a semi-independent disciplinary inspection secretary, and could usually consult with the emperor on state affairs. Therefore, even the Minister of Revenue gave him some courtesy, let alone the smaller officials of the seventh and eighth ranks below him?
Of course, everyone suddenly fell silent because they were surprised by his sudden appearance here.
At this time, Yu Qian walked down the steps quickly , stood side by side with Sun Shaozong, and said with a cupped hand: "Yu Qian also knows that the reason why you gentlemen complained is not out of selfishness, but because you are afraid that the news will spread and damage the reputation of the Ministry of Revenue."
Who is willing to admit that they act out of selfish motives?
Therefore, someone immediately nodded and said, "Yes, it is a small matter for us to be suspected without reason, but if the reputation of the Ministry of Revenue is ruined because of this, it is absolutely unacceptable!"
But there were also some people who were quick-witted and, after a moment's thought, realized that although these words sounded high-sounding at first, they seemed to be a trap.
However, when he came to his senses and wanted to stop his colleagues from following suit, it was too late.
Therefore, I could only sigh inwardly and label that colleague who spoke nonsense as mentally retarded in my heart.
As expected.
Hearing someone agreeing, Yu Qian immediately added: "But you gentlemen are already here. If you leave now, and the news spreads outside tomorrow, I wonder how people in the court and the public will discuss it?"
At this point, he shook his head and sighed, "In the past half month since Lu Jijian's body was lying on the street, has my Ministry of Revenue ever had a single day of peace? Yu personally believes that only by investigating Lu Jijian's case as soon as possible can we truly restore the reputation of my Ministry of Revenue!"
"But I wonder what you gentlemen think?"
Facing Yu Qian's glance, all the officials were speechless - again, who would have the nerve to take the lead in saying that they were resisting censorship out of selfish motives?
Even Zhou Chang couldn't help but fall silent.
In fact, his aversion to modesty is not as serious as that of other people.
But Yu Qian was originally responsible for supervision, and the person who died was his deputy. He demanded a thorough investigation, which was both logical and reasonable and difficult to refute.
However……
Zhou Chang glanced at an official from the Ministry of Revenue on his left out of the corner of his eye.
Seeing the official sweating on his forehead in the middle of winter, Zhou Chang gritted his teeth and tried to defend himself, "Although what you said is polite, Lord Yu, it's like a raid on my house in the middle of the night. It's fine for us as officials appointed by the court, but how can my wife and children at home endure it?"
He was also inspired by a certain official just now. Although this idea of kindness and filial piety is a little weak, it is also politically correct.
As soon as Zhou Chang started, several people immediately came up with the following stories: "Children are sick in bed" and "Old father is frail and cannot bear to be disturbed".
The rest of the people also waved flags and shouted, and for a moment there was a commotion in front of the inner hall again.
However, just when Zhou Chang was feeling proud, Yu Qian suddenly tilted his head and whispered, "Zhou Chang's temperament has suddenly changed. There must be something fishy going on."
Sun Shaozong was waiting for him to say this!
He then shouted, "You all have family members. Could it be that Lü Jijian, who was poisoned to death, and Wang Erhu, who was silenced, just popped out of cracks in the rocks?!"
"To be honest, the reason why I'm in such a hurry to come to court today is to rescue Wang Erhu's six-year-old child!"
At this point, he looked around with a frown on his face, and then said proudly: "I am indeed guilty, but as long as I can save this innocent child, I am willing to bear all the consequences, and I don't care who I offend!"
"Someone, seal the door!"
Following Sun Shaozong's order, several yamen runners immediately stepped forward, holding water and fire sticks and blocked the gate tightly.
All the officials in the Ministry of Revenue were in an uproar, but facing Sun Shaozong's murderous and arrogant look, no one dared to challenge him head-on.
After all, everyone knows that even if all the officials in the Ministry of Revenue were gathered together, let alone the dozen or so in this courtyard, it would probably not be enough for Sun Shaozong to fill his teeth.
The only exception was Zhou Chang, who relied on his higher official position than Sun Shaozong.
He pointed at Sun Shaozong and shouted angrily: "Sun Shaozong! What are you going to do? Is there any law left? Aren't you afraid..."
"Of course I am afraid!"
Sun Shaozong also responded fiercely: "But what I am afraid of is disappointing the people's expectations and being criticized by the people! I am not afraid of those who abuse their power and treat the lives of children as worthless!"
"you……"
Zhou Chang's hands were shaking with anger, but Sun Shaozong was too lazy to argue with him. He said without even turning his head, "Please wait for a moment, my Excellencies. I will go to court to question you as soon as I am ready!"
Having said that, he prepared to return to the lobby.
At this moment, a clerk suddenly came running over, as if he wanted to report something, but Sun Shaozong stopped him with his eyes, and then led the clerk into the hall.
Seeing how determined he was, all the officials in the Ministry of Revenue stared at each other in amazement, with a hint of inquiry and suspicion in their eyes - could it be that the murderer was really among them?
One of them was completely panicked. He came to Zhou Chang and said in panic, "Sir, this..."
Zhou Chang quickly signaled him to shut up with his eyes, then looked around to see if anyone was paying attention, and then cautiously asked, "Is your mother in good health?"
Then, he took out something from his sleeve and quietly put it into the official's hand.
The official clenched the thing tightly with trembling hands, staring at Zhou Chang with his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
However, Zhou Chang had already been turned around and was chatting with a certain official as if nothing had happened.
