Going to Beijing to save his father, all the powerful officials in the city are vying to be his fath

He knew that Madam Zhao had also left the house that day, but there was no solid evidence to prove Zhao Jian's guilt. He could not arrest Madam Zhao, so he could only capture the servants who had escaped.

He interrogated the servants of the Zhao Mansion over the past two days. He didn't get much useful information, but he still found out some things, such as Zhao Jian's close contacts with some civil officials.

Although the people in the Ministry of War were also civil officials, Zhao Jian himself was a military general. In the officialdom, civil officials and military generals could not get along with each other, and they had few interactions in normal times.

But why did Zhao Jian have close contacts with civil officials? If he wanted to make his career in officialdom smoother and get promoted, that would be understandable. However, there were some civil officials whom he obviously could not make friends with, which was very problematic. However, Tong Zhongqian could not figure out what the problem was.

He always believed that the replacement of Zhao Kuo and others was related to Zhao Jian, but he had no substantial evidence to prove this.

He had heard Qi Lusheng mention Zhao Liangchen before and said that his situation in the Zhao Mansion was not very good. He understood this. How could the situation of a concubine's eldest son be good, unless the mistress was really generous.

But he felt that it must be some tricks of the harem. Even if Zhao Liangchen was unpopular, he would not be abused. After all, he was Zhao Jian's son, and Zhao Jian would protect him to some extent.

But in the past two days, I heard the confessions of the servants of the Zhao Mansion saying that Zhao Liangchen lived worse than a servant in the Zhao Mansion and never had to eat at the table. I also heard Lai Fu say that Zhao Liangchen was so old now and had an official position, but he was still punished to kneel in the ancestral hall. I know that Zhao Liangchen had a very difficult life in the Zhao Mansion.

It is impossible for a child who grows up like this to not feel resentment. A child with resentment may seek revenge, and perhaps some evidence can be obtained from Zhao Liangchen's mouth.

So he said to Lai Fu, "Go back and tell your eldest young master to come to me in person if he has anything to say."

Lai Fu hesitated a little: "Your Excellency, my eldest master has injured his knees from kneeling, and it is not very convenient for him to walk."

Tong Zhongqian thought for a moment and said to the man who had brought the blessing, "Take the sedan chair and fetch Zhao Liangchen."

The man took the order and left with Lai Fu. Zhao Liangchen did not return to his own yard, but waited in Zhao Jian's study. The servants brought mooncakes, but Zhao Jian did not ask him if he wanted to eat them.

Although Zhao Liangchen hadn't eaten all day and had only a few bites of dinner, he was already starving, but he wouldn't eat unless Zhao Jian mentioned it.

When Lai Fu came back, Zhao Jian was a little surprised to see the sedan chair. He asked Lai Fu, "Did Master Tong ask about me?"

Lai Fu shook his head.

Zhao Jian looked at Zhao Liangchen deeply and said meaningfully: "You must remember that you are a member of the Zhao family. Only when your father is well can you be well."

Zhao Liangchen replied: "Yes, my son will never forget it."

By the time Zhao Liangchen arrived at the Ministry of Justice, the moon was already high in the sky. Tong Zhongqian, who had been busy all day and hadn't eaten dinner yet, was having a midnight snack. Seeing Zhao Liangchen being helped in, he politely asked, "Little Zhao, have you eaten yet?"

Zhao Liangchen shook his head: "No."

Tong Zhongqian remembered Fu saying he had just come out of the ancestral hall, and he felt a bit of sympathy for him: "If you don't mind, come and eat something with me."

Zhao Liangchen did not refuse. He might have to leave the city soon, and he would not be able to do it without physical strength. "Thank you, sir."

Tong Zhongqian had someone serve him bowls and chopsticks, and the two of them ate quietly. Zhao Liangchen didn't feel embarrassed at all, because he had been used to it since he was a child. Outsiders always cared about him more than his family.

The two of them didn't talk about business. After they finished eating quietly, Tong Zhongqian asked, "Do you have any clues for me?"

Zhao Liangchen didn't beat around the bush, but said directly: "This humble official may know the hiding place of Zhao Kuo and others."

Tong Zhongqian was a little surprised: "How did you know?"

Zhao Liangchen repeated the analysis he had given to Zhao Jian before. Tong Zhongqian fell into deep thought after hearing it. He might have thought about this, but to achieve this he needed to bribe a lot of the imperial guards. At least there had to be an official like Du Yuhou in the imperial guards who had to be bribed in order to get so many imperial guards to cooperate in the replacement of prisoners.

The imperial guards who followed Zhao Liangchen out of the city that day were temporarily dispatched from the palace by Zhao Liangchen.

The dispatch of troops to the camp was also temporary, which meant that it was uncertain who would escort the prisoners and suppress the victims. The fact that the imperial guards could cooperate to exchange the prisoners even when it was uncertain which imperial guards would come showed that there were many bribed imperial guards, and there were people who could cooperate among the random group of people.

It is not just a Vice Minister of War who can achieve this. Neither the Minister of War nor the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guards can necessarily do it. This not only requires a huge amount of money to maintain, but also requires great personal charm to attract their voluntary loyalty.

There are only a few people in the court who can do this, and they are all important officials in high positions.

If this was really done by someone in a high position, he had no idea how big their ambitions were, so he didn't dare to think about it that way.

But now what Zhao Liangchen said forced him to admit that this was possible.

If what Zhao Liangchen said was true, then the person behind this matter was not something he could touch. He might not be able to solve the case. Not only that, he himself might be in danger.

Seeing that he didn't say anything, Zhao Liangchen waited quietly.

After a long while, Tong Zhongqian looked at him and asked, "Do you know how widespread the consequences will be if what you say is true?"

Zhao Liangchen nodded: "I understand."

Tong Zhongqian: "Does your father know?"

Zhao Liangchen nodded. "I know. I had already discussed this with my father before coming here. He was the one who supported me in coming to see Master Tong."

Tong Zhongqian was even more surprised: "He supports you?"

Zhao Liangchen: "Yes, to be honest, the emperor ordered me to investigate the case of the disaster relief silver privately. When I found Zhao Kuo, I immediately went to find my father. It was my father who supported me in handing over the evidence."

Tong Zhongqian suddenly remembered that when Qi Lusheng came to give him the banknotes, he said that Zhao Liangchen was being used by someone.

So he asked, "Lu Sheng said before that you were being used. Who used you?"

Zhao Liangchen shook his head. "I don't know. It was just that afterwards I thought about how smoothly this subordinate investigated Zhao Kuo. It felt like there was an invisible thread pulling this subordinate along."

Tong Zhongqian looked at Zhao Liangchen's expression and didn't see anything unusual. He didn't know whether he was thoughtful enough or really didn't know.

Thinking of the reason why he called him here, Tong Zhongqian asked directly: "Could it be your father?"

Zhao Liangchen shook his head. "I don't know, Master Tong, as you know, my situation at home is not good. My father would never let me know about anything."

Tong Zhongqian continued to guide: "What if it is really him?"

Zhao Liangchen's expression became more serious. "Master Tong, I don't want it to be my father. Although my situation in the Zhao Mansion is not good, I also understand the principle of prosperity and adversity. If my father is guilty, I will be the son of a guilty minister. This will not benefit me."

Tong Zhongqian understood that even if Zhao Liangchen knew that it was his father who did it, he would not expose it. Compared with revenge, what he wanted was his future.

Tong Zhongqian understood this approach very well, but he was also a little curious why Zhao Liangchen came to him to ask about Zhao Kuo's whereabouts. If he didn't want his father to be involved, he should have waited quietly.

So he asked, "Then why did you come to me today to tell me about Zhao Kuo's whereabouts?"

Zhao Liangchen's expression was filled with sincerity. "Whether you believe it or not, Master Tong, I want to quickly investigate the case of the disaster relief silver, give the victims an explanation, let them return home with peace of mind, and redress the injustice done to Master Su and the Imperial Guards. I also want my father and I to extricate ourselves from this matter as quickly as possible."

Tong Zhongqian was puzzled. If Zhao Kuo and the others were really found in the Imperial Guards camp, it would make things more complicated and involve more people, making it impossible to resolve the matter as soon as possible. How could he be sure that the case could be concluded quickly?

But this time he didn't ask again. He wanted to know what Zhao Liangchen was going to do: "So what are your plans now?"

Zhao Lianchen raised his hand and bowed, saying, "I beg Your Excellency to take me to the palace and ask the Emperor to allow me to leave the city immediately and capture the fugitive."