Chapter 515: House Fight Turns into Thriller 54
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, several months have passed. Liu Hui and his "ghosts" have gained increasing influence in the court, while the power of the lawless has shrunk. However, there is some disturbing news from the border areas, some border generals seem to be colluding with the lawless to obstruct the court's just actions.
After learning about this, Liu Hui frowned and was filled with worry. He knew that if these border generals really colluded with criminals, the safety of the country would be seriously threatened. Therefore, he decided to go to the border in person to persuade those generals to stand on the side of justice.
One morning, Liu Hui, along with several of his confidants and the "ghosts", set out on a journey to the border. They rode fast horses along the rugged mountain road with firm faith in their hearts.
After several days of traveling, they finally arrived at an important town on the border. There was an elite border guard stationed there, and their general was a veteran general named Zhao Yong. Zhao Yong was an upright person, but in recent years he had been bribed by some lawless people and began to collude with them to provide shelter for their illegal activities.
Liu Hui stood on a high mountain outside the town, looking at the important town from afar. He was thinking in his heart how to convince the old general to return to the right path.
As night fell, Liu Hui, his confidants and the "ghosts" quietly sneaked into the important town. They avoided the patrolling soldiers and came to Zhao Yong's mansion. At this time, Zhao Yong was entertaining several guests in the mansion, who were the officials who colluded with the lawless.
Liu Hui stood outside the mansion, quietly listening to the laughter inside. He was secretly angry in his heart, but his face remained calm. He knew that being impulsive at this time would only do harm, and he had to find a suitable opportunity to talk to Zhao Yong alone.
Finally, in the middle of the night, the guests left one after another. Zhao Yong also returned to his room drunk. Seeing this, Liu Hui immediately took her confidants and the "ghosts" and sneaked into Zhao Yong's room.
Zhao Yong was lying on the bed, sound asleep, unaware of the danger approaching. Liu Hui walked to his bed and gently patted his shoulder. Zhao Yong was awakened, sat up suddenly, and glared at Liu Hui.
"Who are you? How dare you break into my room!" Zhao Yong shouted loudly.
Liu Hui smiled slightly and said, "General Zhao, please do not be angry. I am Liu Hui, the Imperial Censor. I came here to ask for a favor."
Zhao Yong's face changed slightly when he heard this. He knew Liu Hui's influence in the court, and he also knew that he was not a good person. But he still pretended to be calm and said, "Oh? It's Lord Liu. I wonder what Lord Liu is here for so late at night?"
Liu Hui took out a secret letter from her bosom and handed it to Zhao Yong. Zhao Yong took the letter with doubts, opened it, and his face suddenly turned pale. The letter recorded in detail the evidence of Zhao Yong's collusion with criminals and the dirty deals between them.
"This... who wrote this?" Zhao Yong asked in a trembling voice.
Liu Hui smiled faintly and said, "General Zhao, don't panic. This letter is just to let you know that your actions have attracted the attention of the court. But fortunately, it is not too late. As long as you are willing to turn back from your mistakes, I am willing to plead for you in front of the emperor."
Zhao Yong thought to himself when he heard this. He knew that if this letter fell into the hands of the emperor, his head would be in danger. But it would not be wise to confront Liu Hui head-on at this time.
"Lord Liu, I... I was just confused for a moment, so I did those wrong things. Please, Lord Liu, spare my life for the sake of my many years of guarding the border." Zhao Yong pleaded in a low voice.
Liu Hui looked at Zhao Yong with a complicated look in his eyes. He knew that although the veteran had made a mistake, he was still loyal to the country. Therefore, he decided to give him another chance.
"General Zhao, please stand up. As long as you are willing to reform yourself and serve the country, I will forgive your past. But you must promise me that from now on you will draw a clear line between yourself and those criminals and help me catch them all in one fell swoop." Liu Hui said in a firm tone.
Zhao Yong was filled with gratitude when he heard this. He immediately stood up and said, "Thank you, Lord Liu, for your magnanimity. I am willing to follow your arrangements, draw a clear line between myself and those lawless criminals, and help you catch them all in one fell swoop."
Liu Hui smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay. Since General Zhao is willing to serve the country, I am relieved. However, in order to ensure that everything goes well, I need the general to do one thing."
"Please give your instructions, Lord Liu." Zhao Yong said respectfully.
Liu Hui took out a token from her bosom and handed it to Zhao Yong. She said, "This is the emperor's token. Take it and go gather those officials and criminals who colluded with you. Tell them that the emperor knows what they have done and ask them to come to see me immediately. I want to interrogate them personally."
Zhao Yong took the token and felt lucky in his heart. He knew that this token not only represented the emperor's authority, but also Liu Hui's trust. As long as he could successfully complete this task, he would be able to regain the emperor's appreciation and trust.
So Zhao Yong immediately put on his armor, rode on his warhorse, and took the token and Liu Hui's confidants to the hiding place of those officials and lawless criminals. After a night of running around, he finally succeeded in gathering all those people in a large courtyard in the important town.
Liu Hui stood outside the courtyard, looking at the figures of those people from afar. He sneered in his heart, these lawless people finally fell into his hands.
When those people saw the token in Zhao Yong's hand, they all showed a look of horror. They knew that their doomsday had come.
Liu Hui walked into the courtyard and stood in front of those people. His eyes were sharp and his voice was loud. He said, "Everyone, the crimes you have committed have caused the emperor's wrath. But the emperor has decided to give you a chance to reform because he thinks you have served the country. As long as you are willing to confess and help the court to bring those more criminals to justice, the emperor can forgive you for your past crimes."
When those people heard this, they all showed complicated expressions. They thought secretly in their hearts, not knowing how to choose.
Liu Hui looked at them and continued, "I know you all have concerns in your hearts. But I want to tell you that your only way out is to confess. Otherwise, what awaits you will be endless imprisonment and the threat of death."
Among those people, there was a man with a burly figure and a fierce face. He was the leader of those criminals, named Li Ba. As he listened to Liu Hui's words, anger and unwillingness flashed in his eyes.
"Liu Hui, don't think we will listen to you. Since we have embarked on this path, we have no intention of turning back. If you dare to touch a hair on us today, we will fight you!" Li Ba shouted loudly.
Liu Hui looked at Li Ba with a disdainful smile on his face. He said, "Li Ba, do you think you can still turn the tables? Look at the people around you, they have all chosen to confess. Only you are still stubborn. I tell you, you only have one way to go now, and that is surrender."
Hearing this, Li Ba glared at them. He waved the sword in his hand and shouted, "Brothers, fight them!"
However, before he finished speaking, those who were still hesitant rushed forward and subdued him. They knew that resistance was meaningless at this time, and only by confessing could they save their lives.