Zheng Qi is the top minister of the Supervisory Yuan. If we look at the subordinate relationship alone, not only all the censors, but also the Zhiqiuyuan should also be his subordinates.

Of course, Zhiqiuyuan, led by Wu Ke, the Shaoqing of the Supervisory Yuan, would not pay attention to Zheng Qi at all.

But Zheng Qi was also very happy.

There is no doubt that this position is tailor-made for him.

In the past, he shouldn't have gone to Sansi to manage money. This was not what he was best at.

What he is best at is trolling people and finding faults.

Suzhou civil riots attacked the tax office, robbed the United Bank, and even the Suzhou government office was set on fire. The chaos lasted all night, causing dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries. It can be said that this has never happened in decades.

The chaos caused shock to both the government and the public.

Naturally, it is necessary to investigate and get to the bottom of things like this.

Before Zheng Qi set out, Jiang Ning had already made many noises.

The general idea refers to a series of reforms led by Xiao Cheng, the chief minister, which caused anger and resentment and unrest among the people, which led to the great chaos in Suzhou. If the court cannot change its ways, I am afraid that such chaos will continue one after another, and the river will be destroyed.

To the south, there will no longer be peace.

Indeed, judging from the intelligence collected so far, the slogans shouted by many people on the night when the chaos broke out, as well as the large number of posters posted in the city, all show that this was a political reform that caused people to live in dire straits and completely

It was caused by not being able to survive.

But Zheng Qi didn't believe it.

He spent many years on the road in Guizhou.

I witnessed how Xiao Cheng turned a poor place into a place that was self-reliant step by step, and put extra money in the people's pockets step by step.

These policies implemented by Xiao Cheng have achieved good results in Guizhou, Yunnan and other places, and were subsequently promoted in Guangdong and Guangxi.

How come the policies that made the people happy in these places turned into something harmful to the country and the people in Jiangnan?

There is definitely a ghost here.

Zheng Qi didn't have a good impression of Xiao Cheng.

His father, Xiao Yu, is not a good person, and he is not much better. When he was in Guizhou, he put himself through a lot.

But Xiao Cheng is absolutely worthy of the big deal.

Zheng Qi was a staunch Northern Expeditionist and the main fighting faction who firmly wanted to regain his old capital, regain Youyan, and defeat the Liao Kingdom.

But he is also someone who dares to bang the table with Xiao Cheng, point at Xiao Cheng's nose and scold him.

At that time, he gained great popularity because of this.

In Jiangning, it was precisely for this reason that he undoubtedly received the firm support of the Jiangnan faction, allowing him to become the chief minister of the Supervisory Yuan.

In the eyes of Si Junchao and others, Zheng Qi can become their friend.

But one thing they don't understand is that Zheng Qi, when it comes to official matters, is the kind of rigid person who never flinches or compromises.

Sometimes taking a step back can help me do things that are good for me. This guy has to do this in a way that ends up hurting both sides, just because of the principle he insists on.

So in Suzhou, Zheng Qi encountered the biggest danger in his life.

After receiving strong support from the Imperial City Department and Zhiqiuyuan, it didn't take long for Zheng Qi to figure out the real cause of this civil riot.

As each piece of evidence was collected and each witness was brought to the case, he was getting closer and closer to the truth.

Then, someone came to the door.

He went straight to the point and made no secret of it. He opened his mouth to cooperate with Zheng Qi. The purpose was to overthrow Xiao Cheng, the chief minister who had brought disaster to the country and the people, and replace him with a new chief minister who could truly save the Song Dynasty.

This made Zheng Qi snort.

Now, is there any more suitable first assistant than Xiao Cheng?

No!

This person is either domineering or greedy for power. He even married a businesswoman, which Zheng Qi couldn't stand. But this person is definitely the best person to lead everyone in the Northern Expedition.

Because he could make money, and all the money he made went to the court.

He can strengthen the army, and the armies trained under his command are invincible in battles and invincible in all attacks.

The troops currently on the front lines such as Nanyang and Xuzhou are all from the southwest.

Without Xiao Cheng, half of the country south of the river would have been lost long ago.

If it were him, not to mention regaining his homeland, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to save even half of his country.

He spat in the lobbyist's face a few times, and then had someone beat him out.

Then, Zheng Qi was attacked at night.

No one expected this attack.

Zheng Qi didn't expect it, Xiao Cheng didn't expect it, and even a person who was deeply involved in this matter and could be called the biggest boss behind the incident didn't expect it.

Zheng Qi is no ordinary person.

He is one of the core figures of the current Jiangning court.

Although he belongs to the Northern Expedition faction, he cannot be considered a member of Xiao Cheng's faction, so the Jiangnan faction has been working hard to win over him.

Moreover, such an action undoubtedly crosses the line. Does this make it clear that we will resist with force?

If not, this is the prelude to civil war.

Of course, judging from the other party's desperate actions, Zheng Qi is very likely to have caught real evidence. With these personal and material evidence, he can completely lift the lid on Suzhou.

At first it was the same old routine.

People from unknown places began to gather and make trouble, and then the number of people increased.

Finally, they gathered in the house where Zheng Qi temporarily worked. When Zheng Qi showed up without fear to appease and persuade these people, a crossbow arrow was suddenly shot out from the crowd.

If one of the guards at Zhiqiuyuan hadn't reacted extremely quickly, Zheng Qi would have confessed on the spot.

But the guard who heard the sound of the crossbow and blocked Zheng Qi's body with his body was pierced by the arrow and died before his eyesight.

With the sound of the crossbow, the entire incident completely changed.

The frightened guards dragged Zheng Qi back into the courtyard.

A fierce battle broke out immediately.

Inside the post house, Zheng Qi's bodyguards numbered no more than a hundred. Although they were all elite members of the Overwatch Council, they were still few in number and weak in strength.

What's more important is that most of the people who rushed into the house were actually ordinary people who were incited, and the gangsters were hiding among these people. If the guards held back for a moment, they were immediately killed one after another.

The guards had no choice but to take action, and as more and more people died, the matter became increasingly out of control.

"Bachelor, leave quickly! We can't hold on anymore." Huang Dawei rushed in covered in blood, "Break through the encirclement and go through the secret passage."

"Where did the secret passage come from?" Zheng Qi's face was pale, but he still looked calm.

"Bachelor, the owner of this house is the local tiger of our Zhiqiuyuan in Suzhou! So there is a secret passage."

"The witnesses are kept here, and the physical evidence is also kept here? How to get there? If you hold on for a while, the Imperial Army will arrive!" Zheng Qi took a deep breath.

Huang Dawei shook his head: "Bachelor, the imperial army is five miles away from here. As soon as the incident happened, we sent out warning fireworks. The cavalry could arrive in just a stick of incense. And the infantry could also arrive within this time. Now that we have arrived,

If they don't come now, they won't come when we need them."

Zheng Qi raised his head.

Huang Dawei nodded: "Bachelor, they will only come to collect the corpses for us. We don't need these witnesses or physical evidence. We will keep the green hills and don't worry about running out of firewood."

"Then let's go together!" Zheng Qi said.

"If everyone leaves, then no one can leave!" Huang Dawei is also worried. If there are more people and attract more attention, he may attract more powerful opponents, such as the Imperial Army stationed in Suzhou. "Bachelor, you are alone.

It is more important than all of us put together. Follow the secret passage and you will reach the Suzhou River. There is always a boat waiting there. Once you get on the boat, you can go to another place to hide first. Then, you can only wait for the city court to send people again.

.”

"The people who stayed?" Zheng Qi asked.

Huang Dawei said: "This is our responsibility!"

Zheng Qi was not stupid and immediately understood the meaning of Huang Dawei's words. Just as he was about to refute, Huang Dawei had already taken a step forward and slashed Zheng Qi on the back of the neck with a hand knife. Zheng Qi immediately fell into the arms of a person behind him.

.

"Take the bachelor and hide until the imperial army arrives!"

"Will there be an army coming?" The person carrying Zheng Qi was the sitting tiger of Zhiqiuyuan here.

"Of course there will be! The matter is so big, will it be possible?" Huang Dawei sneered and patted the sitting tiger on the shoulder: "Protect the bachelor, and then take revenge on us!"

Sitting Tiger picked up Zheng Qi and disappeared into the night.

Soon after, the house burst into flames.

It was not until the fire broke out that the Imperial Guards stationed in Suzhou arrived belatedly, but they were helpless in the face of such a fire.

There was no one at the scene for a long time.

Except for the bodies lying on the ground.

Another big case breaks out in Suzhou,

The life and death of Zheng Qi, the chief minister of the Supervisory Yuan, are unknown.

All the hundreds of guards accompanying him died in the battle.

When the news reached Jiangning, the whole Jiangning was shocked.

With a crisp sound, Si Junchao slapped Si Jie hard, causing Si Jie to stumble. Before the opponent could recover, he turned around and slapped Si Jie again, causing Si Jie to fall to the ground.

On the ground.

Si Jie rolled on the ground, got up and knelt on the ground, not even daring to cover his face. Si Junchao, whose face turned red with anger, took a few steps back, fell down on a chair, and coughed so hard that he could hardly breathe.

Xu Xiangqi on the side quickly stroked Si Junchao's back, then picked up the cup and handed it to Si Junchao.

"Ms. sir, don't be anxious for now. It's better to listen to what Qi Mo has to say about this matter. He is not a brainless person. How could things end up like this?"

"Sir, I really don't know why things have developed to this point." Si Jie, who was kneeling on the ground, looked at his father and said in a trembling voice: "Zheng Qi and his men are very good at investigating the case. In less than a month, they have already

We were about to get to the core of the matter. There were both witnesses and physical evidence. If we let him continue the investigation, we would be implicated, so I asked someone to arrange for someone to cause another scene. I wanted to take this opportunity to divert the tiger away from the mountain, and then sent someone

Sneak in, set fire, and kill people. It's not about killing Zheng Qi, it's about killing the key witnesses. As long as they are dead and the physical evidence is burned to nothing, even if something happens in the future, it won't be implicated in us."

"Then how could things be like this?" Si Junchao roared angrily.

"I don't know!" Si Jie shook his head repeatedly: "The arrow shot at Zheng Qi from the crowd was definitely not arranged by us."

"What about the garrison? Why didn't the garrison rush over in time?"

"Things have reached that point. If the Imperial Guards had gone early, they could have quickly suppressed the civil unrest, but they would not be able to destroy those things that are not good for us." Si Jie raised his head, "So, so I let you

Zhou Tongzhi made one bet later.

"My lord, I'm afraid that there is another person involved in this matter. Could it be someone from Xiao Cheng's faction who deliberately intensified this matter? Hasn't he always been at odds with Zheng Qi? Take this opportunity to kill him.

You can also frame us!"

Hearing these words, Si Jun was so angry that he jumped up with agility that was not commensurate with his age. He kicked Si Jie to the ground and rolled several times, but he also accidentally sprained his foot.

Xu Xiangqian stepped forward and supported Si Junchao: "Ms. sir, Qi Mo is right about one thing. There is indeed a third party involved, but it is definitely not Xiao Erlang. Who could it be?"

Si Junchao looked up to the sky and sighed: "No matter who it is, they are all people who want us to fight Xiao Cheng to the death. They are all people who want another civil war to break out in our Song Dynasty."

Xu Xiangqi remained silent.

"Sir, when things have reached this point, what should we do? Should we just not do anything at all and continue to use this matter..."

Si Junchao, who had just sat down, became furious and wanted to jump up and give him another kick. As soon as his foot hit the ground, his face twisted in pain and he couldn't stand up. He picked up a tea cup next to him and threw it at Si Jie's head and face.

, Si Jie was unprepared and hit his forehead, and blood spurted out immediately.

"Qi Mo, go down and bandage it first!" Xu Xiangqi waved his hand repeatedly, signaling Si Jie to exit.

"How come I have such a stupid son? I thought he was smart and intelligent earlier, and I also placed my family's future on him."

Si Junchao let out a long sigh.

Xu Xiangqi also smiled bitterly.

If they can win a civil war, then it doesn't matter whether they fight or not.

The question is, can they win?

Can't win.

How could they not know the combat effectiveness of Jiangning's garrison of 5,000 tiger soldiers?

Not to mention Jiangning's garrison, even the two Jingsui armies that had just been established by the Ministry of War were not easy to deal with. If a civil war really broke out, they would be defeated in a crushing manner, and they would never be able to stand up again.

"Now that things are like this, what should we do next?" Xu Xiangqi asked.

"I will go find Xiao Cheng." Si Junchao closed his eyes: "You have to pay the people you need to pay, and you have to do the things you need to do. Then, naturally, you need someone with enough weight to do this.

Take responsibility. Only in this way can Xiao Cheng's anger be calmed."

"How about letting Liu Mingyi?" Xu Xiangqi said.

Si Junchao shook his head: "Liu Mingyi has been beaten into a dead tiger by Xiao Cheng. Can a dead tiger satisfy Xiao Cheng this time? No, this time, it can only be me!"

"That won't work." Xu Xiangqi shouted, "You are our backbone."
Chapter completed!