Dong Er ran around the streets, knowing that he would be caught if he tried to leave the city now. He could only find a place to hide. But where could he hide? It was not easy to beg for food when he fled from Hedong to Tokyo. Now he had to hide to find food without being discovered.
Unless someone capable is sheltering and harboring him, in a hurry, Dong Er remembered that he was asked about Li Xiaer by the government a few days ago, and he also vaguely heard the officials say that the assassination of General Guo Shao might be related to Li Xiaer; there have been some discussions in the mansion these two days that Li Xiaer often appeared around Zhao Sanlang, and Dong Er felt that the person who plotted to murder General Guo Shao might be related to Zhao Sanlang.
He didn't have time to think too much. Since Guo Shao and Zhao San had a grudge, if I help Guo Shao kill his enemy now, he will help me. Besides, Dong Er had no choice but to give it a try, otherwise he would have no way to avoid being hunted down in Tokyo.
So Dong Er went straight to the Daxiangguo Temple. Guo Shao was also quite famous in Tokyo. At the end of last year and the beginning of this year, people would talk about his battle in Shouzhou. Dong Er had heard about it a long time ago and knew that Guo's residence was over there.
Dong Er panicked and managed to avoid the wandering officials from the official shop. He had just committed the crime not long ago, and he estimated that the government would immediately go to several city gates to set up surveillance. Dongjing City was large, and the movement was not obvious in places slightly away from Zhao's house.
After a long time, Dong Er finally found the street in front of Guo's mansion. As he approached the gate, he saw several generals coming out of the gate and leading horses to the small courtyard beside the gate. Dong Er hurriedly walked forward, but was immediately caught by several soldiers.
I went to see General Guo Shao and Dong Er urgently, saying that I had something important to discuss.
A scary-looking horse-faced general shouted: What's the matter
Seeing that there were many people around, Dong Er said: I would like to talk to you for a moment. If I could meet General Guo, it would be best to talk to him in person.
The horse-faced general had already become wary, because he saw dried blood on Dong Er's hairline and behind his ears. The horse-faced general said: Take him to the opposite yard to talk.
A courtyard opposite the Guo residence was originally where the personal soldiers and servants were stationed, with dozens of strong men stationed there day and night. In the past, Guo Shao was relatively low-key, fearing that setting up imperial guards at home would cause discussion, so he only set up 10 to 20 personal soldiers on duty in the front yard of the residence and some servants who were converted from Qin Shitou's subordinates; Guo Shao was indeed a high-ranking military general, but in this place under the feet of the emperor, in the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, having a hundred or so elite soldiers at home was already very eye-catching. However, Guo Shao was recently assassinated, so there was a reason to strengthen the defense and deploy elite soldiers, and he didn't care much.
The horse-faced man took Dong Er to the main hall of the barracks and asked him, and Dong Er said that he had killed Zhao San.
Guo Shao arrived soon and observed Dong Er first before asking him about the killing of Zhao San. Dong Er then told him how his father was killed by Zhao San and how he avenged himself.
Finally, he said bluntly: I have nowhere else to go, and I know that General Guo and Zhao Yanei have a grudge, so I came to join them.
Guo Shao and the others looked at each other in bewilderment, unable to utter a word. Guo Shao cursed inwardly: "Fuck this guy, he killed someone, and he even came to my house to seek refuge. I've eaten a leopard, and you dared to hide him?"
At this juncture, Zhao San was suspected of intending to murder Guo Shao; but within a few days, Zhao San was assassinated. The assassin went directly to Guo's house. This was not an assassin sent by Guo Shao.
Guo Shao was in a very complicated mood. He felt that he was in big trouble, but he was also a little relieved: Fortunately, he stabbed Zhao San more than ten times and the knife was directly inserted into his skull, killing him. If he only injured Zhao San but didn't kill him, it would be even more troublesome. Not only would he have to bear the responsibility, but he would also leave behind disasters and hidden dangers.
It is like Emperor Yin of Han who killed Guo Wei's entire family but failed to kill Guo Wei. As a result, nothing was accomplished, hatred was formed, and he died and his country was destroyed.
Zuo You spoke after a long while: "There is no way to save Dong Er. We have to hand him over and keep him alive."
Yang Biao said: Zhao San killed a thief, and the thief's son happened to be a groom in the mansion at this time. It's too coincidental that no one would believe it. Everyone would probably think that Dong Er was an assassin sent by the eldest brother.
Guo Shao nodded and said: But Dong Er really has nothing to do with me, you can ask him now.
Guo Shao thought about this matter in his mind:
First, after the battle of Jinyang, he rescued a father and daughter named Dong near Gaoping; the eldest daughter of the Dong family was married or sold, and a son was fleeing famine. Yulian also had the surname Dong, and her hometown was also near Gaoping in Hedong. Guo Shao had reason to guess that the father and daughter might be Yulian's family, so he brought them back to Dongjing, but his guess was wrong.
Originally, they wanted to keep the father and daughter of the Dong family as servants in the mansion. As soon as the old man Dong arrived, he wanted to steal. So Guo Shao bought Dong Sanmei with money and expelled him from the mansion. Only then did the old man stay in Tokyo. After he spent all the money, he went to steal again. When he stole to Zhao's house, he was finally caught and killed by Zhao San.
Dong Er fled to Tokyo and happened to be a groom in Zhao's house. Seeing his father being killed, he avenged his father and found an opportunity to kill Zhao San at home. This was quite a coincidence, so it was difficult for Guo Shao to get rid of the relationship, but the fact is that Dong Er was not sent by Guo Shao.
Guo Shao thought: Zhao San is really dead. The man who would become the emperor didn't have the chance to show off his awesome skills, but he was killed at home by a groom when he was only a teenager.
At this time, Zuo You asked: Dong Er, when did you enter the Zhao Mansion
Dong Erdao: The third year of Guangshun (953 AD), the end of Guo Wei’s reign.
Zuo You turned to look at Guo Shao and said, "My lord only rose to prominence after the Battle of Gaoping in the first year of Xiande. Before that, he was just a junior general or a soldier of the imperial army. He had no ability or need to place spies in the Zhao Mansion. This second Dong entering the Zhao Mansion could not have anything to do with my lord."
Guo Shao nodded and said: Having said that, we cannot rule out the suspicion that Dong Er used existing personnel, which we later discovered.
Zuo You said helplessly: "At this point, Dong Er must be handed over to the government. He appeared in Guo's house and more than one person saw him. If he disappears here, we will despise him even more."
Guo Shao looked at Dong Er and said, "You overestimate me. Zhao Kuangyin is the commander of the Palace Guards and is highly trusted by the government. You killed Zhao Kuangyin's brother. How dare I harbor you and protect you? I should hand you over to the government now. If you are arrested and imprisoned in a big prison, you may suffer some pain, but you may not die. You will definitely die outside, so even if Zhao Kuangyin kills you with a knife, what can he do?"
Dong Erdao: I know I have committed an unforgivable crime. I dared to kill Zhao San, so I have no intention of living.
Guo Shao nodded and said: I have the guts. He thought for a while and said, you may not die, just stay in jail. If someone asks you, tell the truth. You must confess.
Dong Er had no choice but to accept his fate.
I will hand you over to the government, you don't have to thank me. Guo Shao stood up and ordered, Tie him up. This man cannot be sent to an ordinary government office, I will go with him to the Privy Council and hand him over directly to Wang Pu.
After some preparation, Guo Shao and his companions tied up Dong Er and stuffed him into a carriage. Guo Shao also took a carriage and ordered a group of personal soldiers and guards to escort him, heading straight to the imperial city.
The Zhou Dynasty Privy Council is currently in the imperial city, inside Donghua Gate. The group first went to Ma Xing Street and then went to Donghua Gate.
Not long after, Wang Pu and a few others came out of Donghua Gate. They asked a few questions first, then lifted the curtain of the carriage to take a look at the tightly tied prisoner. There were also people sitting nearby watching.
Wang Pu looked at it and gave an order without turning his head: Come, go to Kaifeng Prefecture and call the prosecutor of the Left Hall.
Guo Shao hurriedly said: This man claimed to have killed Zhao Sanlang, and heard that I had a grudge with Zhao Sanlang, so he fled to my door and asked me to hide him. How dare I keep him? Hurry up and send him to Deputy Envoy Wang. Alas, I am really helpless. This man really has nothing to do with me.
Wang Pu remained calm and said: "General Guo, don't worry. The court will find out the truth." He paused for a moment and said, "I just learned that Zhao Sanlang was assassinated. I didn't expect the criminal to be caught in front of me so soon. The assassin is still alive, so everything will be easy."
Guo Shao was speechless and looked a little anxious.
Wang Pu then mentioned softly: Zhao Hongyin also passed away.
Guo Shao immediately showed surprise: How did Zhao Dushi's father die
Wang Pu said: He vomited blood in a fit of anger and could not be saved. However, Zhao Hongyin was already old and in poor health, otherwise he would not have gotten into such an accident.
There was a hint of darkness on Guo Shao's face, and his speech was a little slurred: "Shi Zhao's family is truly, truly unfortunate. Two people died in one day."
Wang Pu sighed: Yes, and one is his father and the other is his brother, both are male members of the Zhao family.
Guo Shao stood there for a while and felt that he had nothing to say, so he bowed and said: "The criminal Dong Er will be handed over to Deputy Envoy Wang. Bye."
Wang Pu nodded and returned the greeting, saying: I'm sorry I can't see you off.
Guo Shao got on the carriage and wanted to go to Zhao's house to check the situation, but he was accompanied by armored soldiers and ceremonial guards, so it was not easy to go. So he went south from Ma Xing Street and went straight home. On the way, he finally couldn't help it and sent a servant in cloth clothes and a futou to check the situation at Zhao's house.
In the afternoon, the servant who was sent to check on the situation came back and went to the front hall to meet Guo Shao. The servant reported: The soul-calling banners and the white cloth at the gate were hung up, and a lot of paper money was scattered in front of the door. The funeral boy had asked the nearby onlookers and found out that Zhao Kuangyin's father and brother had died together.
Guo Shao felt a lot of pressure. He thought that the death of Zhao Laodi and Zhao San had nothing to do with him, but how would Zhao Kuangyin's family feel
My father was assassinated, but I didn't retaliate. In the end, I was not the victim, but I became the target of hatred.
People's hearts are so strange. Some people do things that are wrong to others, but they don't feel that they owe a debt. Instead, they become more hateful. The Zhao family not only includes Zhao Kuangyin, but also his mother, son, four brothers and sisters. These people have a good impression of Guo Shao.
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