"That's right, Milord, there's another matter."
As if remembering something, Old Eagle's brow twitched, and he raised his head.
"Lord Zhangchou just sent word that Zhang Chaoshu committed suicide in prison. Moreover, before he died, he left behind a letter, admitting that he had indeed forged his own file and taking all the blame on himself. Putting aside the Grand Preceptor and the other officials. In his will, Zhang Chaoshu also mentioned that he had done all this out of a desire to serve his country. Although his methods were wrong, his intentions were not bad. But a country has its laws and a family has its rules. A mistake must be punished. I hope that Your Majesty will not blame the Grand Preceptor and the other civil officials who did not know! "
The Eagle recited the contents of Zhang Chaoshu's letter almost verbatim.
"What!?"
Wang Chong's brow rose in shock at the Eagle's words. He had already spoken to Zhangchou Jianqiong, hoping that he would dispatch some men from the Bureau of Military Personnel to prevent any accidents. He had never expected Zhang Chaoshu to commit suicide.
An excellent plan to cut off one's tail to seek survival! With this, I'll be able to brush off all responsibility!!
Wang Chong closed his eyes and sat motionlessly in his study.
Wang Chong could not be sure if this was Zhang Chaoshu's own intention or if it was the work of the mastermind behind the curtains. But it was meaningless. With Zhang Chaoshu's death, there was no longer anything he could use against him. And then there were those old files that had been processed.
Those new and unfamiliar civil officials of the Imperial Court were almost invulnerable. Not even Wang Chong could do anything to them.
"I understand. You're dismissed!"
Wang Chong fell silent for a long time. Rubbing his temples, he finally opened his eyes. Things had already come to this point, and there was nothing he could do to change it. Wang Chong could only accept this result.
"In addition, this silk bag is for you. Open it after you leave! Remember, you cannot reveal the contents of this silk bag to anyone else! "
"Yes! Milord! "
The Eagle took the silk bag and quickly left.
"It seems like I can't use Zhang Chaoshu anymore."
Wang Chong muttered to himself, his fingers lightly tapping on the stone.
The other party's reaction was faster than Wang Chong expected, but fortunately, everything was within Wang Chong's expectations. Zhang Chaoshu was only used by Wang Chong to scare them.
They still had to hit the snake where it hurt. It was impossible to kill them with just these scrolls.
"Since I've already revealed myself, there's no way I can continue to hide. Next, I'll drag you out and see what kind of god you are!"
Wang Chong slowly closed his eyes, and the study gradually regained its peace.
…
Wang Chong's uncle, Li Lin, arrived at noon the next day.
"Chong-er, you were looking for me?"
Li Lin was travel-worn. Before he stepped into the hall, his voice could be heard from afar.
In the last half a year, Li Lin had diligently studied and trained, and he was now completely different from the person Wang Chong remembered. He was like a dragon or a tiger, and his gait was like a gust of wind and brimming with energy.
When Wang Chong thought about how Li Lin had just been a minor officer at the city gate, he had changed so much that it made one's jaw drop. And all of this was thanks to Wang Chong.
"Uncle, there's something I need to trouble you with."
Upon seeing Li Lin, Wang Chong went straight to the point.
"Haha, speak! As long as it's something I can do, I'll do it even if I have to dig three feet into the ground! "
Li Lin said.
"There's some information on the table. I need Uncle to mobilize the people of the City Guard and have them investigate the population of the capital. I want to focus on those Confucian scholars of twenty-six or twenty-seven who haven't been in the capital for more than five months and who have some reputation among the Confucian scholars of the capital."
Wang Chong pointed at the table.
"Chong-er, you're …"
Li Lin blinked in a daze. Wang Chong's request was extremely strange, but Li Lin was no fool. In this period of time, the most lively matter in the Tang Dynasty was the matter of Khorasan.
"Chong-er, you've already found the tracks of those people?"
"Mm."
Wang Chong nodded.
"If my guess is correct, the people I'm looking for should be among them. I hope that Uncle can find these people as quickly as possible and take out their records. "
Forcing them out was only the first step. This could be considered Wang Chong's true counterattack. Perhaps the other party believed that he was being secretive, but to Wang Chong, as long as he revealed even the slightest trace of his tail, he could easily escape.
Finding a young man of twenty-six or twenty-seven in the capital was like searching for a needle in a haystack, but to Wang Chong, a young man of twenty-six or twenty-seven who belonged to the Confucian school was much smaller.
And someone who could mobilize the Grand Preceptor, Li Linfu, and The King of Song was definitely no ordinary individual. At the very least, even if he was disguised, he would still have some reputation in the Confucian school.
Moreover, Wang Chong had lived in the capital for more than half his life and had a basic understanding of all sorts of people, but he had never heard of such a person. Thus, it was clear that this person was an outsider who had not appeared in the capital for more than five months.
If he followed these clues, the number of people who fit the criteria wouldn't be many, not more than several hundred. And with the power of the City Guard, it wouldn't take too long to filter out these several hundred people.
"I understand. Leave this matter to me!"
Li Lin nodded, quickly regaining his composure and solemnly saying. Picking up the pieces of paper from the table, Li Lin stood up and left without a word. The entire Wang Clan was enraged by that person who had controlled everything from behind the curtains and even stripped Wang Chong of his military authority. Li Lin had watched Wang Chong grow up, and he hated Wang Chong even more than Wang Chong himself for what had happened to Wang Chong.
The carriage left as quickly as it had come. Li Lin hadn't even warmed his seat in the Wang Clan before he hurriedly left, quickly arriving at the City Guard.
"Come! Come! Come! Everyone, listen up! Send everyone out as fast as you can! "
"Twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, Confucian, young man who hasn't appeared for more than five months and has some reputation. Search according to these conditions. Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, find that person for me!"
Li Lin's voice echoed throughout the City Guard. All the high-ranking officers were called over. A moment later, the sound of warhorses thundering could be heard as all the soldiers of the City Guard were sent out like a swarm of bees.
The tens of thousands of soldiers of the City Guard began to move like a massive machine.
The capital of the Tang Dynasty was the center of the Central Plains, a gathering place for the common people of the Nine Provinces. More than one million people resided here. With such a massive population and such a prosperous capital, it was no easy task for the City Guard to conduct an investigation. Although the capital had a large population, there were far fewer Confucians. The City Guard was completely capable of doing so.
Wang Chong was in no rush, quietly waiting in his residence. The arrow had been fired, and there would come a day when it would land. Wang Chong was waiting for the final result.
… …
At the same time, in the northeast of Youzhou, a small eagle flew down with incredible speed into the Andong Protectorate headquarters.
"Bastard! Wang Chong, are you threatening me?! "
After reading the letter, Zhang Shougui slammed his fist against the table. The sturdy metal table twisted like a fried dough twist under Zhang Shougui's fist, and even the land of Youzhou began to tremble.
"Investigate! Investigate for me! Find out who spread the news! If I find out, I'll tear them to pieces! "
Zhang Shougui said through clenched teeth, his entire body seething with rage.
"Yes! Milord! "
Behind Zhang Shougui, a pale-faced subordinate quickly turned around and left.
"But Milord, what about the capital? Niu Xiantong has already been exposed, and the King of Foreign Lands is using this matter to threaten us … "
A cautious and uneasy voice resounded through the hall.
"Bastard! So what if I've been exposed? Am I going to be threatened by a brat? In this world, no one except His Majesty dares to treat me like this! In the northeast of Youzhou, this old man can cover the sky with one hand, and everything is decided by me. I don't believe that I can't resolve this matter! "
Zhang Shougui's eyes were cold, his entire body seething with rage.
"But Milord …"
The general still wanted to argue, but before he could finish speaking, peng, a huge force exploded out, and this general was ruthlessly thrown against the wall.
"Wang Chong, this old man truly misjudged you! In the Battle of Talas, this old man let bygones be bygones and supported you with three thousand Roaring Tiger Army soldiers and several thousand Youzhou soldiers, but you treat me like this! This old man will never be threatened by you! "
Rumble! The entire hall trembled under Zhang Shougui's rage.
"Pass on my order! Cover up this matter for me! "
Flapflap! Countless birds took flight in alarm, and the lands of the northeast began to quake.
… …
Time slowly passed, and several days later, the efforts of the City Guard finally bore fruit.
Thudthudthud!
A large pile of documents and files fell onto the desk in Wang Chong's study. The desk creaked as if it couldn't bear the weight.
"Chong-er, all the information you asked for is here. Based on the conditions you proposed, we found two hundred and seventy-eight people, all of them rising Confucian talents who appeared in the capital in the last five months. But there was an accident. Of these two hundred and seventy-eight people, at least sixty-three have disappeared without a trace. "
Wang Chong's uncle, Li Lin, said from within the room.
"Mm?"
Wang Chong couldn't help but frown.
"There's nothing we can do about it. There are many people in the capital, and people come and people leave. Not even the City Guard can find some people. But according to the laws of the Tang dynasty, anyone who wants to enter the capital must have a 'pass'. The City Guard has records of this, and I've already sent people to investigate them, "Li Lin said.
"It's fine.
As long as they haven't disappeared in the last month, there's no need to worry about them. Leave these files behind and leave the rest to me. "
Wang Chong indifferently said.
After sending off his uncle, Wang Chong took up the file on the table and began to flip through it.
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