How to break into a sturdy fortress?
History had taught Zhao Douan that it must be done from within.
From Yun Xi's intelligence, three critical elements could be extracted:
First, Pei Siniang harbored thoughts of ruining her husband, yet she had been unable to fulfill her wishes.
Second, the relationship between Lv Liang and his father-in-law was superficially harmonious yet fundamentally estranged, merely utilizing each other. Lv Liang despised the Pei family but was reluctant to sever ties.
Third, Lv Liang and Vice Minister Pei held incriminating evidence against each other.
The last point was crucial.
"Lv Liang is known for his integrity, yet not only has he accepted 'bribes', but he has also accidentally killed someone. This could ruin his future," Zhao Douan reflected.
"Vice Minister Pei, a prominent figure within the 'Li Party' and second only to Li Yanfu, has navigated the treacherous waters of politics for years. Even Yuan Li hasn't been able to pinpoint his vulnerabilities, which shows extreme caution and meticulousness in his dealings. However, everyone makes mistakes...
Lv Liang's civil examination ranks had been tampered with by him several times... Oh, firmly establishing the crime of manipulating the civil examinations would easily ruin him."
Zhao Douan narrowed his eyes, deep in thought:
"Unfortunately, while a direction is clear, practical implementation remains fraught with difficulties.
Firstly, investigating the civil examinations themselves is impractical—events from more than a decade ago are too distant to trace.
Moreover, it's improbable that Vice Minister Pei was foolish enough to leave any evidence up to now; even if there was any, it would have been erased."
"The ideal scenario would be for Lv Liang to come forward and expose this... but that's even harder...
Lv Liang, enduring humiliation to hold an official position, clearly shows strong ambition.
Moreover, he is deeply tied to Vice Minister Pei and also a member of the 'Li Party', akin to grasshoppers on a string—there is absolutely no way he would implode and take his father-in-law down with him..."
"As for Pei Siniang, despite her hatred for her husband, she wouldn't stab her entire family in the back for the sake of her father..."
Zhao Douan found himself in a dilemma.
An opportunity seemed to arise, yet it felt as though it hadn't come at all.
No wonder Yuan Li found it challenging to make a move. Significant figures who had stood in the court for many years were never simple characters.
"Think carefully! There's definitely potential in this intelligence... but something's still missing," Zhao Douan frowned and pondered.
As he intensely racked his brain, Zhu Kui returned:
"My lord, Qin Qiu has come to see you."
Zhao Douan was taken aback, as memories of the original host emerged.
In his mind's eye, an image of a thin, squint-eyed man always wearing a smile and resembling a sycophant took shape.
Qin Qiu, one of the host's fair-weather friends, was also a peculiar figure among the sons of the Capital's nobility.
His origins were not noble, yet he had managed to enter the "Capital circle" by clinging to and pleasing Princess Yunyang's son-in-law, earning a position as one of his lackeys.
Later, to cling to the son of the Minister of Rites, Wang You, he decisively severed ties with the Prince Consort, epitomizing ingratitude and a preference for bullying the weak yet fearing the strong, thus despised by many nobility children.
Of course, he was not entirely devoid of merits; his calligraphy was beautiful, and he was proficient in poetry and composition, with a basic foundation in martial arts.
When Zhao Douan was initially rising in power, Qin Qiu was among the first to come to his door, praising him to the heavens.
He also introduced the original host to the circle of the elite, opening his eyes to new horizons. It could be said that Qin Qiu was responsible for half of the host's notorious reputation.
However, after Zhao Douan "suffered a mishap," the other party had vanished.
Now, with the news of Zhao Douan cracking the firearms case and receiving the Emperor's reward spreading, this opportunistic scoundrel smelled the winds and came rushing back.
"Let him in," Zhao Douan, after some contemplation, decided to meet him.
After a while, boisterous laughter that seemed deliberately hearty preceded his entry.
Then, wearing a silk damask shirt with a folding fan slanted behind his neck and appearing to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, the petite and skinny Qin Qiu burst into the room with a hearty laugh.
He clearly dressed as a scholar, yet the oversized garment lent him a sleazy appearance.
"Brother Zhao! I've missed you to death..."
As soon as Qin Qiu stepped in, his smile turned into a cry, almost tumbling and crawling to get close, grabbing his hand and not letting go.
With a mix of snot and tears, his exaggerated and hypocritical transition of expressions was unmatched in the Capital circle.
Zhao Douan, disgusted, withdrew his hand. He had seen many sycophants, but this one was truly nauseating:
"Oh? Missing me so much, why haven't I seen you for days then?"
Qin Qiu, with a woeful face, frustratingly slapped himself twice on the cheeks with considerable force before saying:
"Before, I had taken a fall and was recuperating at home, unaware that you, elder brother, had fallen victim to a conspiracy. It was only after I recovered that I learned so much had happened in such a short time, and that you had achieved great merit... If I had known earlier, I would have been willing to sacrifice my leg to come out and clear your name! Fortunately, fortune favors the good."
Then, his eyes revealed a ruthless glint:
"I've always disliked the Zhang brothers, only holding back because of their family elders. Now that their power has waned, I've kept a close eye on their female relatives. If elder brother wishes to enjoy them, leave it to me!"
Zhao Douan's expression suddenly turned cold: "Female relatives?"
Eager to please, Qin Qiu hadn't expected to hit a sore spot and froze before he remembered that Zhao Douan was devoted to the Empress and scorned other women.
Moreover, not long ago, the Zhao family's women had almost been violated...
He immediately "smack," "smack," fiercely slapped himself twice, his cheeks swelling up as he apologized:
"I made a poor judgement, please punish me, elder brother!"
Zhao Douan's smile was ambiguous:
"I don't have a younger brother as foolish as you. Since you're apologizing and congratulating, how come you show up empty-handed?"
Nang xipi... Isn't it just about benefits?
Qin Qiu cursed inwardly, his face a mask of humble flattery:
"I brought it, I brought it."
Saying this, he fumbled in his robe and produced a crumpled silver note of five hundred taels, making an offering:
"The money Pei Wulang owed you at Gui Bai Garden—he initially owed you three hundred taels. I topped it up to round it off, to buy you some wine."
Zhao Douan's eyes narrowed sharply as he gazed at the silver note!
His gradually blurring memories vividly resurfaced.
Pei Wulang... Gui Bai Garden... silver note... IOU...
He finally remembered where the silver taels in his bedroom chest had gone!
The original owner had taken Qin Qiu to a private residence "gambling house" for entertainment two months ago, located to the north of the Capital, named Gui Bai Garden.
It is worth mentioning that in Great Yu, gambling is strictly forbidden by Yu's Law, established earnestly by the Great Yu Grand Ancestor at the founding of the nation.
The law was harsh on gambling games, even constructing a Daoxiao Building north of White Stone Bridge in the Capital.
Those neglecting their proper trades for petty gambling were all confined within this tower, eloquently named the "Tower of Leisurely Imprisonment."
If officials gambled, civil servants were demoted to commoners, and military officers were not only demoted but also required to "bring their own provisions for penal labor"...
For those who repeatedly offended, there was even a punishment of hand amputation.
To this day, though the enforcement of the law wasn't as stringent as at the founding of the nation and the gambling culture had spread far and wide, under the Emperor's watch in the Capital, it was still a matter greatly hidden.
Hence, gambling dens were extremely concealed, often hidden within private residences.
In Gui Bai Garden, Zhao Douan encountered many dissolute youths.
One of them was the fifth son of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice from the Liang clan, Pei Wulang!
Later, Zhao Douan, engrossed in gambling, bet away most of his savings and even borrowed money to "gambling friend" Pei Wulang.
Qin Qiu acted as the "guarantor."
"No wonder... the money I had hoarded for so long suddenly disappeared..."
Zhao Douan felt a mix of disappointment and surprise.
The disappointment was that the money he lost would probably not be recovered.
The surprise was—he now remembered the IOU from Pei Wulang, hidden in the secret compartment of his study.
"Great Yu prohibits gambling, if I were to pass the evidence of Pei Wulang's gambling to the Imperial Court of Supervision, even Vice Minister Pei couldn't protect his son..."
"Seeing that Vice Minister Pei intervened in the imperial examinations for his daughter, it's clear that the Vice Minister is very concerned about family ties..."
"With this in hand, I hold a small lever over him... Of course, this alone couldn't shake the Vice Minister Pei's position; if we confront him, at worst, he would simply give up on his son...
Those who play politics are not the kind to be soft-hearted..."
"But if I use this 'small lever' correctly, it might yield great value."
At this moment, the pieces of information provided by Yun Xi, along with the evidence Qin Qiu had handed over, came together in Zhao Douan's mind, forming a risky but potentially feasible plan—
The plan to take down Vice Minister Pei was set!
Qin Qiu, holding the silver note, saw Zhao Douan's changing expressions and couldn't help feeling anxious, cautiously calling out.
The next second, he saw Zhao Douan's face break into a smile, as he tucked the silver note into his chest, embraced Qin Qiu's shoulders, and laughed heartily:
"You truly are my lucky star."