Tiger Guards

Chapter 121 Straight Hook Fishing
County government, side office.

Dong Zhao was dragged in by two jailers.

His brand new undershirt was torn by whipping and stained with blood.

Except for his hands and face, there were injuries all over his body.

Zhao Ji lowered his brows and looked at Dong Zhao's feet, which were stained with blood. He wondered if he was injured.

Dong Zhao looked up and saw Zhao Ji, forcing a smile: "Minister Zhao, why are you here to interrogate me?"

"I have nothing to interrogate. I know what you said today is the truth."

Zhao Ji glanced at Tang Xian and said, "Let him take a seat."

"Here."

Tang Xian turned around and brought a low couch and placed it opposite Zhao Ji's desk. After the two jailers helped Dong Zhao to sit down, they were driven out by Tang Xian.

Zhao Ji poured wine from a round-bellied, narrow-necked pottery jar for Dong Zhao and pushed the bowl toward him. "Drink some, and we'll continue our story."

Dong Zhao said nothing, but instead hoped that this was poisoned wine. He held the wine in his hands and drank it slowly in small sips.

After finishing a bowl of wine, he breathed a sigh of relief: "I deserve this, what can I do?"

He looked around and saw armored soldiers everywhere. He asked, "What brings you to see me, Minister?"

"I just wanted to see you, and seeing you like this, I gave up."

Zhao Ji continued to pour him wine, took a sip, and said, "I didn't expect them to disbelieve you even though you told the truth. Your words are completely different now. To them, you are no longer a loyal minister."

Fu Wan would rather believe the lie, what can Dong Zhao do?
What’s the point of repenting now and changing your confession?
On the contrary, you might die faster.

Dong Zhao held the wine bowl in both hands and asked, "Are you sure you can repel the Li and Guo bandits? And can you defeat the Xiongnu?"

"Everything depends on human effort. With Hedong's solid foundation, we have the strength to fight."

Zhao Ji observed Dong Zhao, "I've been hoping to find an opportunity to drink with you after I finish my military duties and ask about the situation in Hebei and the Central Plains. It seems the situation in Guandong is worse than I expected."

Dong Zhao just drank, and after putting down his empty bowl, he said, "The minister's family background is low, and his reputation is low. I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to accomplish anything."

"Without them, without you, I can accomplish just as much as my fellow Tiger Soldiers. I have no doubt about that."

Zhao Ji was emotionally stable. His bottom line was that the court should not cause trouble for him, that's all.

Looking at the pensive Dong Zhao, Zhao Ji simply pushed the half-filled can of wine over to him and let him drink it. "I came to see you because I want to give up. I just came from the official residence. Zhong Yuanchang pretended to be injured, so I did as he wished and broke his tibia. I think he will need to rest for several months. During this time, I don't think he will cause me any trouble. Now I am worried about you. If you die, I will worry about others, so you can't die yet."

"I'll die if I want to. Why are you trying to scare me?"

Dong Zhao grabbed the pottery wine jar and took a sip. He then said, "With a population of over 100,000 in Hedong, how can we accomplish anything?"

"Success does not depend on numbers. If there are many people, and if there is a dispute, wouldn't it be enough to have more people?"

Seeing that he had changed the subject, Zhao Ji corrected him, "I won't kill you. Even if someone wants to, I won't stop them. I'd rather you live and watch me build a career. So live well, and perhaps when my head is hung at the city gate for public display, you'll be able to watch."

Dong Zhao remained silent and just drank. Soon he finished the remaining wine in the jar and just looked at Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji asked, "Would you rather have your tibia broken by me like Zhong Yao, or have your patella removed?"

Zhong Yao still has a chance to stand up and walk, but if he is unlucky he will become lame.

But if the patella is removed, you will have to rely on servants to take care of you for the rest of your life.

If you are thrown into the street, you can only beg for a living if you don't want to starve to death.

The question was about the two types of punishments, and also about whether Dong Zhao was willing to change her mind.

Dong Zhao remained silent, unable to make up his mind.

If his patella was dug out, this hatred would never be resolved. The humiliation would probably reach a certain point, and he would definitely be beaten to death in the middle of the night.

It's just a broken tibia. Once the injury is healed, there may be some hope for improvement in the future.

There is no need to think too much at this moment, you know that after Zhao Ji takes action, Fu Wan will let him go, or even send someone to take care of him.

"I don't like the sight of blood, so let God give you and me a chance."

Zhao Ji took out the copper melon hammer and turned to look at Tang Xian: "Bring some more wine, it will make you feel better."

"Here."

Tang Xian left quickly and soon brought back a jar of wine and placed it in front of Dong Zhao.

Dong Zhao reached out and touched the wine jar: "Minister, please execute me."

"Ants can live in vain, let alone humans?"

Zhao Ji was really reluctant, so he raised his hand and swung the hammer, which just stopped at Dong Zhao's forehead. Dong Zhao closed his eyes and instinctively dodged backwards.

Then he opened his eyes and a layer of sweat appeared on his face.

Zhao Ji retracted his hammer and looked out the door expressionlessly. "It's getting late, and I still have to see Grandfather Zhong."

Dong Zhao opened his mouth but didn't say anything. He just held the wine jar and drank without thinking about the future.

Let's get through this difficult time first, then we can think of other things. After Dong Zhao drank his fill, Zhao Ji personally broke both of his shins.

He ordered two of his guards to carry him. When he reached the county government compound, the county magistrate and several of his subordinates came to greet him: "Minister Zhao."

"I still have use for this man. The Ministry of Personnel will make its own decision on how to deal with him tomorrow. Your Excellency, there is no need to embarrass yourself."

As Zhao Ji spoke, the guards behind him carried Dong Zhao out, and the two county soldiers guarding the gate did not dare to stop them.

"Then I respectfully bid farewell to Minister Zhao."

The county magistrate smiled apologetically. If he dared to question the ruling of the Menxia Province, Zhao Ji would smash his head on the spot.

The system of three provinces and six ministries was announced to all places through an imperial edict yesterday. The Ministry of Palace Affairs is similar to the Prime Minister's Office, except that there are multiple prime ministers who discuss and decide on governance together.

Even if the scholars did not support this slightly novel system, they would not oppose it.

Outside the county government gate, there was an ox cart parked.

Dong Zhao lay in the carriage, his face pale and weak. He couldn't even feel the pain in his legs.

The alcohol took effect and he turned to look at Zhao Ji who was riding beside him. "How does the Minister intend to deal with Dong?"

Seeing that Dong Zhao seemed to have a hint of pride in his expression, Zhao Ji was a little puzzled, but he didn't pursue it further. "Go and keep Zhong Yuanchang company. It will be easier to use the medicine that way. I have a secret bone-setting technique. You two can rest assured that you will recover in the future."

Dong Zhao was even more curious. He felt no pain, as if he was back to normal. He asked, "What secret technique is this?"

"If a broken bone is crooked, it can always be straightened by breaking it and then lengthening it."

Zhao Ji talked about his experience in treating orthopedics, and it didn't seem like he was joking.

Since Dong Zhao couldn't feel any pain now, he just let it go and looked up at the dark blue sky as the ox cart rocked along.

The alcohol took effect and the severe pain had already made him mentally exhausted, so he fell asleep immediately.

After settling Dong Zhao, Tang Xian returned to the Xicheng military camp and suggested, "Minister, we should kill this man to eliminate the hidden danger."

"He's in the open, so killing him is easy, but finding a few more treacherous officials in the open will be difficult."

Zhao Ji had no doubt that if Dong Zhao and Zhong Yao seized the opportunity, they would definitely torture him to death.

Among all officials below the dukes and ministers, these two have extraordinary insights and the greatest influence.

If other officials want to cause trouble, they must inform these two people.

If there is no ventilation, even if a sudden attack is launched, it will be difficult to deal with.

As for the possibility that his legs and feet would heal in the future, that they could put aside their grudges and start a business together, Zhao Ji himself didn't believe it anyway.

I would rather believe the double plugs of this guy Qubei than believe the words of people like Zhong Yao and Dong Zhao.

In short, none of them are good things.

There are two benefits to breaking the legs of these two people. After the trouble happens, these two people can't escape, and future troubles can be eliminated.

The second is that these two guys are determined to cause trouble, so only other officials can meet them, and it will be more convenient to follow the clues when the time comes.

If there is a third one, it is to warn other officials not to cause trouble in the short term.

Tang Xian wanted to persuade him again, but he felt that he was not knowledgeable enough, and his judgment might be wrong, so he was overly worried.

Seeing Tang Xian's expression change, Zhao Ji smiled and comforted him, "Don't worry, these two are lying together recovering from their injuries. They will definitely come to visit, and it's inevitable that they will talk about something during the visit. I'll wait and see how many people report it to me."

"So that's it. I understand."

Tang Xian nodded and asked, "Then when?"

"We can't be impatient. Only when they are alive can the emperor be at peace."

Zhao Ji said this, thinking that the emperor was already used to this kind of thing.

Ding Chong died today, but the young prince reacted too calmly. Perhaps he was numb, or angry that Ding Chong had caused trouble, or perhaps he was just unkind.

Zhao Ji felt like he was mentally ill. The emperor simply ignored the dead Ding Chong and talked to him so naturally... The more he recalled, the more uncomfortable he felt.

In short, he finally became one of the most evil ministers of the time.

Even if he was very restrained and did not seek any prominent official position or title, he was ultimately not accepted by the mainstream.

There are so many things that can be done if you capture the emperor.

If you serve the emperor like a dog and obey the orders of those old ministers, you will die faster and more miserably.

Maybe Old Man Zhao has a lot of worries, and he probably won’t be in a good mood with me in the near future.

Compared to these trivial matters, he began to miss the four enemies, the Xiongnu, the Hou family, and the Baibo generals.

Riding on his horse, Zhao Ji was thinking about how to deal with Old Man Zhao.

Fortunately, the old man cares about himself more than the court.

(End of this chapter)