The group of monks gathered in the vegetable field, and Yuan Gang gave them some instructions.
After that, Yuan Gang asked someone to call Wei Duo over.
In the hall, there were only the two of them, facing each other. They looked at each other for a while, and Yuan Gang asked, "What's your cultivation?"
Wei Duo, "Foundation Establishment!"
These two words could be said smoothly.
Yuan Gang nodded, and didn't say anything else. Then, he asked, "Do you want to come with me to find Daoye?"
Wei Duo nodded repeatedly, "Okay!"
This one didn't stutter either.
So, leaving the group of monks behind, Wei Duo left with Yuan Gang.
In the main courtyard, a guard quickly walked over and reported, "Your Highness, Yuan Gang left with the stutterer. The two of them changed into the clothes of the people on Princess Consort's side. They borrowed two horses and directly went down the mountain."
The few of them fell silent. They could almost guess that Yuan Gang's trip wasn't as simple as going down the mountain for a stroll.
Shang Chaozong waved his hand, signaling for the guard to leave. Then, he sighed softly, "A disguise? They should be looking for Daoye. I don't know if there are any spies from the Song family around here, and if there's any danger? "
Lan Ruoting muttered, "The Song family's target is Daoye. The news has already been made public. Knowing that Daoye isn't here, the Song family probably won't keep their eyes on this place. He probably won't have any problems going out after disguising himself."
Shang Shuqing bit her lip and didn't say anything. She was worried that Niu Youdao wouldn't return because of this. Niu Youdao should know Yuan Gang well. Once the matter of cutting ties was made public, wouldn't Niu Youdao know that Yuan Gang would look for him?
Capital City, Song Manor. In the study. Broken vases, broken teacups, broken inkstones, and scattered papers were all over the floor. It was a mess.
Song Jiuming paced back and forth in the study, panting with rage.
Why was he angry? Naturally, it was because of what happened in Jinzhou!
As soon as something happened to Song Long, someone from the other side immediately sent word back. As soon as he received the news, Song Jiuming almost stumbled and fell into his chair.
When a family reached this stage, the death of the son was secondary. The most important thing was the consequences that followed. The dignified envoy Yan neglected official affairs for his personal grudge and caused such a mess, and it happened in a foreign country. Song Jiuming could already imagine that some people were already brewing a storm in the dark, about to fiercely pounce on him in the imperial court.
Butler Liu Lu and eldest son Song Quan lowered their heads in a corner, not daring to make a sound.
Both of them knew that Song Jiuming was in a fit of anger, so no one dared to provoke him. They had rarely seen him so angry.
"As Yan's envoy, who asked him to do such a thing? Who told him to do it? It's fine if he wants to die, but does he want to bring down the entire Song family? "
Song Jiuming suddenly pointed at the two and scolded them harshly. His usually expressionless face was now green with anger.
The two felt helpless. No matter who in the Song family saw Niu Youdao in Jinzhou, they would probably intervene. Would they let Niu Youdao off just because it was convenient? But no one expected things to turn out this way. Song Long definitely did not expect it either.
Song Quan asked weakly, "Can you think of a way to cover it up?"
"Cover up? How? "Song Jiuming poked his forehead with his finger." What did you eat when you were growing up? With our family's influence, we can think of ways to push the blame away, but how are we going to cover it up abroad? Who are you going to push the blame on? The envoys from the other countries saw it with their own eyes. Those people can't wait for the internal strife of the Yan nation. The more you cover it up, the happier they will be! The envoy died in Zhao. Will Zhao take the blame for you? Cover it up? Who can cover it up? "
At this moment, someone reported from outside, "Master, someone from Sikong Residence is here. The Great Minister of Public Works wants to see you!"
The room instantly turned silent. Everyone suspected that Tong Mo had summoned them because of this matter.
Hearing Tong Mo's summon, Song Jiuming quickly calmed down.
However, he was not in a hurry to go to Sikong Residence. Instead, he asked someone to tidy up his appearance, combed his hair neatly, and tidied his clothes neatly. Then, he left in a carriage.
In the carriage, he quickly calmed his emotions and adjusted his complexion.
When he arrived at the Sikong Estate and entered the main hall, he saw Tong Mo who was sitting upright behind the table and staring coldly at him. He saluted in an unhurried manner, and then without saying a word, he directly knelt down and lowered his head in silence.
Tong Mo plainly said, "You know everything?"
"Yes!" The kneeling Song Jiuming cupped his fists and said, "I failed to teach my son well and have let down the Great Minister of Public Works. I'm willing to accept any punishment!"
Tong Mo observed his expression. Seeing that his emotions were calm and there was no change in his complexion, Tong Mo couldn't help but nod. He admired this trait of Song Jiuming the most. Song Jiuming's calmness in the face of danger was what he admired the most. "It's good that you know. Then, I won't say any more nonsense. You can take the initiative to resign!"
"Yes!" Song Jiuming immediately agreed. He did not lower his cupped fists and said, "I will immediately submit a petition to resign from the position of Minister of Justice."
Seeing that Song Jiuming was so calm even after losing his position, Tong Mo admired him even more. He sighed and said, "You shouldn't be so inconsiderate. This matter is probably your son's own decision. But there's no other way. The incident at Nanshan Temple has already angered His Majesty. Fortunately, no one knows about it. You should know that this matter has blown up! "
Dong dong! His fingers heavily knocked on the table twice.
"His Majesty will definitely be furious. It's not good for me to speak up for you. Instead of being impeached and demoted, it's better for you to resign and give your position to someone to fight for. It'll be easier for me to speak up. When the commotion dies down, we'll see if someone in your position can do better than you. If there's a mistake, it won't be too late to use you again. "
Song Jiuming said, "Yes! Everything is at your command, Great Minister of Public Works. "
Tong Mo was quite gratified. He stood up from behind the table and walked around. He personally bent down and stretched out his hand to help Song Jiuming up. "I can understand that it's not easy for someone in your position to do something. Since it's a private matter, why don't you take this opportunity to settle it properly and cleanly? Come back when you're free of distractions. Yan Yan still needs capable officials like you! "
Song Jiuming said, "I understand Great Minister of Public Works' painstaking efforts!"
Tong Mo patted his shoulder. "Write the resignation letter here. I'm about to enter the palace to report Song Long's matter to His Majesty. Bring it along."
"Yes!" Song Jiuming acknowledged.
By the time he returned to the Song Manor, the messy study had been cleaned up.
When he sat down behind the long table, Song Quan personally served him a cup of tea. At the same time, he asked tentatively, "Father, what did Great Minister of Public Works say?"
Song Jiuming replied indifferently, "Nothing much. I've already resigned from my position as the Minister of Justice!"
"Ah!" Both Liu Lu and Song Quan were shocked.
Song Quan, in particular, still had to rely on his father for his future. Without his father as a backer, he would probably be in a difficult situation. He asked anxiously, "Father, are you being too hasty?"
Song Jiuming ignored this. Instead, his gaze fell on the wall opposite him. There was a map of the world hanging in his study. He stood up and walked to the front of the map. After studying it for a while, he asked, "When will Second Brother's body be transported back?"
Liu Lu replied, "I'm afraid this matter will be a little troublesome. The people in Jinzhou are refusing to release the body. They said that they'll wait until the matter is thoroughly investigated."
Song Jiuming clasped his hands behind his back. "That Niu Youdao, how are they going to deal with the people in Jinzhou?"
Liu Lu replied, "They also said that they'll wait until the matter is thoroughly investigated."
Song Jiuming replied, "Don't count on Jinzhou to do anything to Niu Youdao. There's a high chance that Jinzhou is involved in this matter. They won't punish Niu Youdao, nor will they hand over Niu Youdao to us. They'll probably release him privately."
Song Quan was bewildered. "Father, you mean that Jinzhou is involved in the murder of Second Brother?"
Song Jiuming replied, "I don't want to listen to that messy explanation. I've been in charge of the criminal law for many years. I'm not blind. For such a big matter like this, it can't be so coincidental. I don't believe that there's such a coincidence. On the night of the incident, none of the people directly involved are clean. Second Brother probably fell into someone else's trap. Although I don't know why Jinzhou is doing this, I'm sure that we won't be able to find Niu Youdao so easily. Is there any news from Canglu County? "
Liu Lu replied, "Just arrived. Shang Chaozong has already made a public announcement that Niu Youdao is no longer under his command. Niu Youdao has nothing to do with them anymore."
"Hmph hmph!" Song Jiuming sneered. He stared at the map and said indifferently, "This is within reason. I'm afraid that Niu Youdao won't appear in Canglu County for quite some time. We'll have to find him ourselves. He killed my grandson, and now he's killed my son. If I don't get rid of this fiend, I'll be a laughing stock. How will I have the face to stand in court? That's fine. While I'm free, I'll get rid of this matter. "
He raised his hand and pointed to the map. "Pick out the relay stations that all countries must pass through and set up observation points! Find someone who knows Niu Youdao and draw a picture of him. Send it to the various observation points. I don't believe that he'll hide forever. After the net is set up, immediately send people to negotiate with Shang Chaozong. Ask Shang Chaozong to hand over the person. It doesn't matter if Shang Chaozong agrees or not. You can increase the price as much as you want. You don't have to pay. But create a commotion and alert the enemy. This will make Niu Youdao suspicious of Shang Chaozong. That way, he won't dare to hide in places that Shang Chaozong knows. Force him to show himself. "
Liu Lu was puzzled. "Master, you said to set up observation points in each country? Not in Yan territory?" He thought he heard wrong.
Song Jiuming replied, "Each country!"
Liu Lu was shocked. "Master, it's easy to draw a picture and negotiate. But isn't the scale of the establishment a bit too big? I'm afraid the manpower and financial support will be …"
Song Jiuming said, "We don't need to pay for manpower, material, and financial support. You don't have to worry about this. I'll look for Old Mo from the Intelligence Bureau and borrow his idle men in each country."
Liu Lu and Song Quan looked at each other in dismay. They realized that once the old man made a move, it was already extraordinary. He had directly used the power of the country to deal with Niu Youdao. With such treatment, even if Niu Youdao died, he wouldn't feel wronged.
The two also understood the meaning behind his words. Even if the old man stepped down, his influence was still there.
"I'll discuss with Old Mo. Once we find the target, we'll ask the Intelligence Bureau to hire people to deal with him. Otherwise, if we wait for the news to spread, we'll send people over. So, we'll still have to pay for the hiring fees. Other than that, there's nothing else."
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