Hearing Zhan Zhao's words, a tall but young-looking young man behind Han Zhang, the gopher, couldn't help but stand up and shouted:
"Uncle Zhan is too cowardly. Isn't he just a loyal candidate?"
"We respect him because he can defeat the Liao people, it doesn't mean we are afraid of him."
"Don't say it's him, so what if it's the emperor?"
"At worst, if we hide in the rivers and lakes, what can he do to us?"
"I think Uncle Zhan has been in the court for a long time and has lost his courage..."
After saying that, he looked at everyone with pride and showed a proud expression.
When Zhan Zhao saw him giving him a look of disdain, he couldn't help but feel speechless. Did Brother Han give birth to a fool?
The older ones looked at each other, but the younger ones were eager to give it a try, gearing up and looking at the Han boy with approval.
When the boy saw this, he looked proud.
Just as he was about to say a few more words to show his courage, Han Zhang suddenly jumped up, slapped him in the face, and cursed angrily:
"You kid, get back here. I'm so proud of you, right? Don't worry about Feng Da slapping your tongue."
The boy from the Han family was beaten so hard that he spun around twice, almost losing his back molar. His father was usually taciturn, but he didn't expect the attack to be so cruel, so he hurriedly backed away in dejection.
But there was still some dissatisfaction and anger on his face, and he looked at the always smart Fourth Uncle Jiang, wanting to seek comfort and recognition.
Seeing this, Jiang Ping glanced at the proud juniors around him, laughed twice, couldn't help but shake his head and sighed:
"The children are hiding at home and practicing martial arts. Some of them have never seen the world."
"It would be better if you offended the emperor. For the sake of Master Bao, he probably won't argue with you."
"If you offend Mr. Cao, you are asking for trouble."
"How capable was your Fifth Uncle Bai back then? He was even more arrogant than you, but when he encountered Zhongjing Hou, he had to stay away and avoid him..."
Speaking of Bai Yutang, everyone felt a little sad and sighed secretly.
The juniors are not familiar with Cao Bin, but they are very familiar with Bai Yutang. Even if they have never met him, they often hear it mentioned by their elders.
Hearing what Uncle Jiang, who was known for his resourcefulness, said so, all the famous knights seemed to agree with him, and all the juniors were a little curious. They didn't know what kind of person Cao Bin was, but their expressions changed when they talked about it.
Seeing that his words had an effect, Jiang Ping smiled again and said:
"You don't have to think of Lord Cao as a bad guy. As long as you don't offend him, he's still easy to get along with."
"And he is generous and generous, so he is nicknamed 'Xiao Mengchang'..."
Everyone nodded after hearing this.
A white-browed boy in his mid-14s suddenly asked with a Shanxi accent:
"Then how did Uncle Zhan offend Lord Cao? Why do you have to worry about getting married?"
Zhan Zhao looked embarrassed and said:
"Children, don't ask random questions, just remember not to provoke him."
As he spoke, he quickly changed the topic and said:
"I also ask my friends not to tell the officials about my marriage, lest Mr. Cao knows about it."
Everyone probably knew Zhan Zhao's difficulties. After hearing this request, they nodded quickly and said:
"Brother Zhan, don't worry..."
Just as he was talking, someone suddenly knocked on the door and said:
"Brother Zhan, someone from the government is here. Come out and greet him."
Hearing this, Zhan Zhao couldn't help but smile bitterly. He had just said not to notify anyone in the officialdom, but he didn't expect that he would come right away.
He just hoped that it had nothing to do with Zhong Jinghou. Thinking of this, he could only go out to greet him.
Jiang Ping and others also quickly went out to meet him.
Outside the courtyard gate, Gongsun Ce and a middle-aged scribe were waiting surrounded by several guards. Zhan Zhao quickly stepped forward and held his hands in his arms and said:
"Mr. Gongsun, why are you here?"
Gongsun Ce did not answer directly, but introduced the scholar next to him:
"Guard Zhan, this is the envoy of Master Zhu, the transfer envoy between Zhejiang and Zhejiang."
After the two parties met, Gongsun Ce said:
"Guard Zhan, we are here this time to give you a task."
"Master Zhu found out that Zhongjing Hou was colluding with the remnants of Fang La and reported it to Master Bao."
"It's just that Mr. Bao is a little inconvenient these days, so I want to leave this matter to you and let you investigate secretly!"
Hearing this, Zhan Zhao's head buzzed and his eyebrows knitted together. Mr. Bao was hurting himself and said quickly:
"Mr. Gongsun, you also know that Zhan has been training for more than a year, not to mention that he is getting married now?"
The middle-aged scribe sneered:
"I think you are trying to shirk it. How could it be such a coincidence? Mr. Bao is ill and Guard Zhan is getting married. Do you want to protect some people?"
"Don't forget, you are all officials of the imperial court, receiving royal salary..."
"In that case, I will report back to Mr. Zhu and ask him to report it to the court and let the court handle it directly."
After saying that, he turned around and left.
Gongsun Ce quickly grabbed him and said:
"Sir, wait a minute. I'll wait for Xiaosheng to persuade me to guard him alone."
After saying that, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. He also knew Zhan Zhao's difficulties, but he had to do this.
It's not that Bao Zheng wanted to deliberately embarrass Zhan Zhao. He could roughly guess Zhu Min's sinister intentions, and he didn't quite believe that Cao Bin would collude with the remnants of the rebels, but he couldn't explain it to Cao Bin.
Otherwise, Zhu Min would have every reason to impeach himself for colluding with Cao Bin's cronies, and his own principles would not allow him to do so.
However, if Bao Zheng takes action in person and secretly investigates Cao Bin, it is likely to cause a violent reaction from him and cause unnecessary internal strife.
Only Zhan Zhao, a fourth-grade sword guard named by the emperor, with neither high nor low official position, could not only explain the past to Zhu Min, but also act as a buffer between Bao Zheng and Cao Bin.
Moreover, among Bao Zheng's direct subordinates, only Zhan Zhao has the ability to secretly investigate Cao Bin. Even if he sends others, they will only deliver food.
But thanks to Bao Zheng's caution, if he really investigates secretly, Cao Bin will probably not give him face, because Cao Bin is really connected with the remnants of Fang La...
If he is found out, he will not be dismissed from his official position, but he will inevitably be suspected and criticized by the court.
When Gongsun Ce explained Bao Zheng's difficulties to Zhan Zhao, he was speechless for a long time and just felt that he was too unlucky.
Investigate Cao Bin? Isn’t this just bringing people to your doorstep to cause discomfort? Is it too late to hide from him?
Seeing that he hesitated to agree, Jiang Ping also chewed his teeth. The boss of the Ding family stood up angrily and said:
"What's there to be afraid of? Just accept this job, and then it's time to get married."
"Leave the investigation of Cao Bin to us brothers. If we find out something wrong with him, let's see how brave he is to ruin my sister's marriage."
Ding's second son also said with resentment:
"My sister is such a big girl. It's so hard to get married. I've had enough."
"You, Zhan Nan Xia, are you so frustrated?"
Zhan Zhao was also made red-faced by the remarks made by his two uncles. He really felt sorry for the girl, so he could only nod his head and said:
"Okay, but be careful not to be discovered by Mr. Cao Hou."
Everyone was speechless, but they still got ready.
In addition to the two heroes of the Ding family, there are also Shanxi Erjue, Yunnan Sanlao and several "close friends" who are good at martial arts to help.
Then there are the masters sent by Zhu Min to monitor...
