jdhmnovel Chapter 613: Get yourself involved
Chapter 613: Get yourself involved
Knowing he was doomed, Zhang Jing began to let loose, eating hot pot and beer with gusto, his mouth greasy as he ate, saying, "The food at Shence Marquis's place is really good. With this skill, why doesn't he open a hot pot restaurant?"
This was the first time he had eaten hot pot in Jiangling after living there for so long. Compared to this delicious hot pot, what had he been eating before?
That damned Guan Xing! He has this skill but doesn't open a shop to benefit the people. Instead, he keeps it all to himself. Are you even human?
Guan Xing personally poured him a drink and said with a smile, "If you like it, eat more. I'll toast you again."
The two men clinked glasses and quickly finished a barrel of beer. Guan Xing shook the empty barrel and said, "Damn it, it's all gone. Xingguo, go get my newly brewed sorghum liquor."
When sorghum liquor was mentioned, Guan Xing couldn't help but curl a mischievous smile into his lips.
It is well known that beer is fine to drink alone; even if you get drunk, you can still control yourself and won't completely pass out. However, if you mix it with other alcoholic beverages such as spirits, red wine, or foreign liquor, it can cause a chemical reaction that can lead to blackouts.
A blackout is a gap in memory; you can't remember what happened after you got drunk, no matter how hard you try, even if someone helps you recall it.
Such a wonderful experience naturally deserves to be enjoyed by Zhang Jing.
Soon the sorghum liquor was served. Zhang Jing, who was already tipsy, had no suspicions and enthusiastically poured wine for Guan Xing, raising his glass and saying, "Brother Anguo, we brothers really hit it off immediately and wish we had met sooner. Let me toast you again."
Guan Xing raised his glass and said, "Brother Zhang, you're too kind. Let's pretend the unpleasantness of the past never happened. From now on, you're like a brother to me. Cheers!"
After a few drinks, Zhang Jing's eyes began to dart around, and his tongue started to twitch. Seeing that it was almost time, Guan Xing stood up and said, "Let's go, come out for a walk with me, enjoy the evening breeze and admire the night view of Jiangling."
The worst thing you can do after drinking this kind of wine is to be exposed to the wind; the feeling of being blown by the wind...
The two stumbled out of the tent, their arms linked. As soon as they stepped out, Zhang Bao beckoned several officials from Jiangling County hidden behind a screen to follow. Upon closer inspection, the officials were in pairs, one carrying a notebook and a brush, the other an inkstone to provide ink. As soon as they reached the tent entrance, they pressed their faces against the tent wall, listening intently and writing quickly, trying not to miss a single word Guan Xing and Zhang Jing said.
Outside the tent, Guan Xing, with his arm around Zhang Jing, pointed to the moon and talked about Chang'e. After chatting for a while, he suddenly changed the subject and asked casually, "What has His Majesty Cao Pi been up to lately? How is his health?"
Zhang Jing's expression changed slightly, instinctively revealing a hint of wariness. Before he could figure out how to respond, a breeze blew in his face, causing his incredibly slow-witted brain to shut down instantly. He mumbled in a daze, "What else can His Majesty do but contend with the powerful clans? A few days ago, he couldn't withstand the pressure from the clans and had no choice but to pass Chen Qun's Nine-Rank System. It's becoming increasingly difficult for us commoners to rise in the ranks..."
Guan Xing sighed, “These aristocratic families are truly hateful. Not only do they occupy fertile land and monopolize resources, but they also influence the selection of officials. They leave no way for us poor people to survive. Brother Zhang, as a poor man, you have to fight against such old guys who control all the resources, snatching food from the tiger’s mouth. These years must have been very difficult for you.”
These words struck a nerve with Zhang Jing, instantly evoking his empathy. He sat on the long bench next to the tent entrance, put his arm around Guan Xing's shoulder, and began to recount the bitter experiences of the past years.
He was definitely from a poor family, otherwise he wouldn't have entered the Imperial Academy to do dirty work for Cao Cao and Cao Pi. Dirty work is not easy; not only can you offend people, but you are also in constant danger of losing your life. For example, now, he has been captured by Guan Xing.
Zhang Jing became more and more emotional as he spoke, tears streaming down his face, his words filled with heartache.
Guan Xing offered kind words of comfort and, while criticizing the injustice of the world with him, subtly steered the conversation in the direction he desired, thus extracting a considerable amount of information.
The official in charge of recording inside the tent was so stimulated by so many secrets of Cao Wei that he trembled all over. His fingers shook wildly as he wrote, and the pen tip was almost sparking from the writing.
While recording, my admiration for Guan Xing was like the Yellow River overflowing. Shence Hou was too amazing. He didn't threaten or torture Zhang Jing, and he just easily got his confession out of him.
You must know that this is Zhang Jing, the Chief Clerk of the Imperial Academy. To reach the position of Chief Clerk of the Imperial Academy, one must have an extremely strong will and be prepared to be captured if things go wrong. If you use torture, you absolutely cannot pry this kid's mouth open.
Frankly speaking, the officials present had no hope of getting Zhang Jing to talk. If they could easily extract a confession, they would be underestimating the Cao Wei Imperial Secretariat.
But what they considered an insurmountable task was resolved by Marquis Shence with a big feast; that was too smooth.
No, I have to learn this trick; I'll need it when dealing with repeat offenders in the future.
Inside the tent, the officials frantically took notes, but Guan Xing and Zhang Jing outside the tent, whether due to the effects of alcohol or something else, spoke increasingly incoherently, as if their tongues were tied in knots, making them impossible to understand. The officials taking notes dared not stop, and could only record their thoughts by guessing and making assumptions.
After an unknown amount of time, the tent flap was suddenly pushed open, and Guan Xing, leaning against the doorframe, asked, "How well do you remember?"
The officials quickly replied, "We've taken notes of most of what was said. For the parts that are unclear, we can deduce them by comparing them with the records."
The five groups of people made five separate records. By cross-referencing these five records and combining them with intelligence from the imperial court, it shouldn't be difficult to clarify the unclear points.
Upon hearing this, Guan Xing felt relieved and said, "That's excellent. Quickly send it to His Majesty and the Prime Minister; they are waiting for it."
After saying this, he could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground. Zhang Bao quickly stepped forward and caught him to prevent him from hitting his face on the ground. Then, together with his personal guards, they carried him to the back to rest.
During the lifting process, Zhang Bao was surprised to find that Guan Xing's body was completely limp, as if he had no bones. He could usually lift Guan Xing by himself, but now it was difficult for three or five people to support him.
Zhang Bao was startled and quickly said, "Something's wrong. Go and fetch the two divine physicians, Cheng Li and Dong Feng."
After saying that, he pointed to the official in charge of recording and said, "Zhu Chao will stay and take care of Marquis Shence. The rest of you will come with me to see His Majesty."
The five officials who were recording the events nodded in agreement and followed Zhang Bao out of the tent with their notes, heading straight for the palace.
Palace study.
Liu Bei did not sleep tonight. He stayed in the imperial study with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang, waiting for news. None of them could sleep until the assassination attempt was resolved.
With no news coming back for a long time, Zhang Fei asked anxiously, "What happened? Did the assassin escape?"
Guan Xing did not have the habit of reporting midway, so the others were unaware that Zhang Jing had been captured.
Zhuge Liang said, "Don't worry, I've seen Anguo's plan. It's airtight and has no flaws. It's only a matter of time before we capture him."
The door was pushed open as soon as he finished speaking. Chen Dao entered and was about to report when Liu Bei saw Zhang Bao standing at the door waiting for Chen Dao to announce his arrival. He couldn't help but scold, "Come in! What are you pretending for now that you're at the door?"
Zhang Bao entered and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty, General, and Prime Minister. Your Majesty, Marquis Shence has successfully captured the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on Your Highness, Zhang Jing of the Cao Wei Imperial Secretariat, as he has fulfilled his mission."
The four men breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Liu Bei excitedly laughed and said, "Zhang Jing, I didn't expect you to be an old acquaintance. Where is the man from Anguo? Why didn't you come to report in person?"
Zhang Bao laughed and said, "An Guo got himself into trouble trying to get Zhang Jing to confess. I have already asked the two great doctors, Cheng Li and Dong Feng, to go over there."
Liu Bei was shocked and quickly stood up, demanding in a stern voice, "What the hell? What's going on? Why did you need to invite two renowned physicians over?"