"Young Master, we've arrived." The official replied politely. Pei Zi Yun was slightly surprised. This official's attitude towards him had changed after he played the flute yesterday. He seemed rather pleased with himself.
"I've been studying Dao Arts for quite some time now. Coincidentally, I managed to obtain this flute."
"The ancients have said that music can heal the heart. I first used my emotions to attract her attention. Then, I used the pain and suffering of the chaotic world to draw out her depression. Then, I used my killing skills to cultivate my body and energy. Finally, I achieved peace and contentment."
"I'm very proud of myself." Pei Zi Yun did not understand what was going on. He got out of the carriage and saw that the alleyway was small and the houses were small. He kept his smile and entered the Xiang Yun Hotel. He then went straight to the second floor.
The dishes had already been ordered. Pei Zi Yun sat down and took a sip of his wine. At this point, a man dressed in green walked up the stairs.
This man's cheekbones were rather high, and he looked rather shabby. He had a harsh look on his face. When he arrived at the second floor, he looked rather cautious. When he saw Pei Zi Yun, he sized him up.
This was a young man who looked unfamiliar. The informant thought to himself. Could it be that this person was looking for him to find out more about King Yu's mansion?
He frowned and stepped forward, "Young Master, you are? I wonder why you've invited me? "
Pei Zi Yun did not seem to mind. He poured himself a cup of wine and took a sip before saying, "You don't need to know who I am. It's just that this person below doesn't know how to behave. He has offended my friend, and I have to teach him a lesson. That's why I've invited you here."
As he spoke, he pointed downwards. The middle-aged man looked over and was taken aback. He recognized the person below, it was none other than Ren Wei. Ren Wei had some ability, and had always been at odds with the middle-aged man. He hesitated, "Young Master, there's something I don't understand …."
Before he could finish speaking, Pei Zi Yun waved a hand to stop him, "I don't want you to harm him. As long as you cause him some trouble, and make him lose face, you'll be done."
As he said this, he tossed a bag of money over.
The informant hurriedly caught it and opened it. It was two silver ingots each worth five taels of silver. They were white and had frost on the sides. His heart was burning with excitement.
"Are you doing it or not? If not, return it to me. Someone else will do it." Pei Zi Yun said impatiently.
The man hastily said, "Yes, yes! I've been displeased with this person for a long time. I'll definitely make sure Young Master is satisfied! "
Perhaps because they had formed an alliance, this person did not hide his resentment.
"Hmph, I knew it would work." Pei Zi Yun thought to himself, 'We're all working here, how could there not be any conflicts. Especially when one is talented, there will definitely be people who are jealous. If I say that I'm going to poach him to kill him, he will definitely report it to the manager. But if I humiliate him, he will not raise any suspicions. Who knows, he might even be secretly happy.'
"Besides, I can't give him too much money. If I give him too much money, he might get suspicious. This is the most appropriate meal." Pei Zi Yun nodded his head, "Since that's the case, I've ordered all these dishes for you. Enjoy!"
As he spoke, he turned around and walked out, waving his fan in an elegant manner. The man spat, "Who doesn't know that your friend is you? Ren Wei, you've offended someone. It's time for you to give me money."
As he spoke, he picked up a piece of streaky pork with his chopsticks and ate it fiercely, as if he was biting Ren Wei's flesh.
He then ordered, "Go to Sun Jing's place." Sun Jing walked out of the yamen, but did not call for a carriage.
Instead, he opened his umbrella and walked along the streets. He was deep in thought as he looked out at the rain. He had his eyes on a house near Xinjiekou, but it cost 285 taels of silver. However, he was only a seventh ranked official, and his salary was 80 taels of silver a year. Because he was a low ranked official, he did not have the right to pay tribute to the officials of the capital. Even if he lived frugally, it would take him five years to buy one.
"Ai, it's not that I don't want to be an honest official, but I can't be one!" Officials had to be presentable. Hence, most of the officials had to grit their teeth and rent a bigger house. They had to spend a third of their salary on it!
When he returned to his residence, someone handed him an invitation, "Your excellency, my master wishes to see you."
Sun Jing stared at the person in front of him. If it were in the past, he would have chased him away. However, he took the invitation and opened it. It was an invitation, and the words were like a dragon or a phoenix.
Sun Jing said, "Good writing. Where is your master? For the sake of the words, I shall take a look. "
The man bowed and said, "Your excellency, please follow me."
Sun Jing followed the man, full of suspicions. He then laughed coldly, "Looks like it's another important official who wishes to become an Imperial Censor. His handwriting isn't bad either."
Maple Red Restaurant
Sun Jing followed the man up to the third floor. When they reached a private room, the man pushed the door open, but did not enter.
Sun Jing walked straight into the private room, where a young man was already seated. When Sun Jing saw him, he was suspicious. It was just a young man. He sized him up and realized that he did not recognize this young man. However, his eyes were bright and piercing. When he looked at his demeanor, his heart sank. He then asked coldly, "Who are you? What business do you have with me? "
Seeing that Sun Jing had arrived, Pei Zi Yun did not seem to mind. He poured a cup of tea for him and said, "Who I am, you don't need to know. I'm here to discuss a deal."
When Sun Jing heard this, he was filled with disdain. He didn't even touch the cup of tea as he laughed, "A deal?"
Although the dynasty did not prohibit merchants, it was natural for officials to discriminate against merchants. Hearing these words, Sun Jing was about to stand up and leave. Before he could turn around, he heard Pei Zi Yun say coldly, "I have something for you to take a look at first. Where's your Qi cultivation gone?"
Pei Zi Yun then retrieved a piece of paper and handed it over.
This Qi cultivation wasn't cultivation. It was referring to the saying, "Reading can help you understand, and reading can help you cultivate your Qi." This was something that officials valued the most. When Sun Jing heard this threat, he did not leave immediately. His eyes gleamed coldly as he took a look at the piece of paper that was handed to him.
After taking a look, Sun Jing exclaimed, "Si!" He sucked in a deep breath as cold sweat started to form on his forehead. There were dozens of lines on the piece of paper, all of which were extremely clear. There were records of his mistakes as an official, of his mishandling of government affairs, of his bribery, and even of his unspeakable past. There were even records of him visiting prostitutes. All of these details were clearly stated.
Who was the one who wanted to kill him? Who had he offended?
Sun Jing felt blood rush to his head, as his eyes turned bloodshot. He stared at the youth in front of him, sweat dripped down his forehead as he asked, "Whose family are you from? What are you trying to do? Do you think that by collecting some information, you can grab hold of my weakness and make me work for you? Don't even think about it. "
"Oh, is that so? Since your excellency Sun is so arrogant, you should just leave. Why bother talking to me? "Pei Zi Yun laughed coldly.
Hearing these words, Sun Jing's face turned pale as he gritted his teeth and glared at Pei Zi Yun, "What do you want me to do? Tell me."
Pei Zi Yun looked at Sun Jing and poured himself a cup of hot tea before speaking slowly, "Nothing much. Take another look and you'll know."
He then threw another piece of paper over to Sun Jing. Sun Jing was suspicious as he flipped through the paper. He had only read half of it when his body trembled and he laughed, "Whose people are you? You want me to submit this paper? Impossible. You're trying to kill me, and kill my entire family."
It was a paper to impeach King Lu. Sun Jing held the paper in his hands as though it was burning hot. He wanted to fling it away but didn't dare to do so.
Pei Zi Yun took another sip before laughing, "Let's finish reading first. There's no need to rush to a conclusion."
Sun Jing paused before he picked up the paper and continued reading. After he finished reading the paper, he felt much more relaxed. It wasn't a big accusation, and only accused King Lu of violating the rules of the imperial court. However, this would undoubtedly offend King Lu. If King Lu were to emerge victorious in the future, he would definitely settle the score.
"You're the Crown Prince's man?" Sun Jing stared at Pei Zi Yun and asked coldly, as though he had seen through everything.
"I'm not the one who submitted the paper." Pei Zi Yun replied casually, "I've heard that you and Zhou Qi are of the same age and know each other. Zhou Qi has a stubborn temper and is a virtuous and virtuous person. If you can think of a way to make him submit, for example, instigate him to uphold the imperial court's rules, then everything will be fine."
As he spoke, he handed over a stack of banknotes. Each banknote was a hundred taels, and looked like there were a thousand taels in total.
"You're the Crown Prince's man?" Sun Jing stared at Pei Zi Yun and refused to speak.
"Knowing too much will cost you your life. All you have to do is to answer me, whether you agree or not!"
"You!" Hearing such arrogant words, Sun Jing's entire body started trembling. He was so angry that he couldn't speak.
"Of course, if you refuse, or leak the information, the one who will be impeached will not be anyone else, but you, Sun Jing. I believe that these crimes will at least cause you to be removed from your position and banished to the army. Look at this, visiting prostitutes. Originally, you would only be fined a small salary. However, you went to visit prostitutes within a month of the Empress' death. Just this alone is enough to destroy your future prospects!"
As he spoke, Pei Zi Yun's tone was extremely stern. Sun Jing's forehead started to perspire, and his entire back was wet. Seeing this, Pei Zi Yun stood up and patted Sun Jing's back, "What are you afraid of? You didn't do it. You only instigated Zhou Qi to do it. Believe me, once you've done it, all these things will never come out again!"
"Zhou Qi is a troublemaker, nobody would suspect him. Besides, so what if they suspect him? You wouldn't be so stupid as to take the report and say it out loud right?"
"A gentleman can bully his own people. If you express your anger, he might just go. You're the Imperial Censor, and it's natural for you to act out of anger. Not only the Emperor, even King Lu would feel that it's normal, as long as you don't impeach him."
"What are you afraid of? You don't have any responsibility at all. "
"This matter, I'll do it." Sun Jing hung his head dejectedly as he gritted his teeth. He never thought that he would have to betray his good friend one day.
"That's right. Keep the silver, it's not a small amount." Pei Zi Yun walked out of the room and patted Sun Jing on the shoulder, "I've already ordered a feast and paid for it. Enjoy your meal."
Sun Jing slumped onto his chair, as though his entire body was drained of energy. His face was filled with humiliation. When he heard the door close, he stood up and smashed the teapot onto the ground.
The tea splashed everywhere as Sun Jing bit his lips, causing blood to flow out. After some time, he sat down and covered his face.
"Young Master, the dishes are here." A waiter came in with the dishes. Sun Jing wiped his face and regained his composure, "The teapot fell on the ground, clean it up."
After the waiter finished cleaning up, he closed the door. Sun Jing picked up the wine jug and gulped it down. He felt a burning sensation in his throat as he swallowed the wine.
When Pei Zi Yun walked out, an ox-cart was already waiting for him. Official Zhao was already waiting for him. When he saw Pei Zi Yun, he asked, "Young Master, how did things go?"
Pei Zi Yun laughed, "Things are half done. The next step is to see if the heavens will help us."
As he spoke, he opened the window and looked out of the ox-cart without saying a word.
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