And from the looks of it, the person this guy picked this time wasn't just no pushover, but a tough nut to crack.
With Liang Shicheng acting as a hard shell to protect him, let alone Tang Ke, even if the current Crown Prince and Prince Yun joined forces, they might not have such good teeth.
"You two, wait here a moment, I'll go find someone to see if our Tang Shilang has returned!"
"If that's the case, then thank you, Lord Yuwen!"
Zhe Wanchun quickly stood up and cupped his hands seriously towards Yuwen Suizhong.
"It's just a small matter, no need to be so polite!"
Casually replying, Yuwen Suizhong no longer delayed, and directly turned to walk out the door.
"Send someone to check on Shilang Tang and see if our Lord Tang has returned!"
After walking out of the Ministry of Revenue's dining hall, Yuwen Suizhong directly called over his confidant, a minor official named Zhang Jun.
"After he reported for duty today, he never left his room. He must be in his office right now!"
Although Zhang Jun was just a minor official, as Yuwen Suizhong's confidant, he naturally had to act as Yuwen Suizhong's eyes and ears in the Ministry of Revenue.
Hearing Yuwen Suizhong's question, he answered almost without hesitation.
"You go and check over there now. Tang Shilang is not in the Ministry of Personnel. Do you understand?"
Yuwen Suizhong frowned and said casually, somewhat displeased.
"Your subordinate understands, your subordinate will go now!"
If Zhang Jun didn't have this ability to observe people's expressions, he wouldn't have been able to get along so smoothly by Yuwen Suizhong's side.
Hearing Yuwen Suizhong say this, he immediately understood Yuwen Suizhong's meaning.
Although he didn't understand why he was doing this, he wasn't foolish enough to ask directly.
Seeing him leave so tactfully, Yuwen Suizhong nodded with satisfaction and then turned back to the dining hall.
Although it was already the beginning of autumn, the weather in Bianliang was still scorching hot.
However, after the sudden downpour today, the weather had become refreshingly cool.
Tang Ke had a habit of napping after lunch, and with the gentle breeze blowing, he quickly fell asleep.
"Brother Zhang, where are you going?"
Seeing Zhang Jun heading straight for Tang Ke's office, Tang Ke's personal attendant immediately stopped him.
"My Shilang asked me to come and see if Lord Tang is in the residence. If he is, please ask him to come over for a chat!"
Hearing him say this, Tang Ke's attendant immediately became unhappy.
Although Tang Ke was new and a parachute appointee, he did not have deep roots in the Ministry of Revenue.
However, no matter what, Tang Ke was the dignified Left Shilang of the Ministry of Revenue, and his official position was half a rank higher than Yuwen Suizhong.
Even if there was something, Yuwen Suizhong should have come to Tang Ke personally, not sent a mere minor official to deliver a message.
So, he refused without thinking.
"I'm truly sorry, but someone just came from the residence saying there was something at home and asked the Lord to return. How about this, if Lord Yuwen has anything, perhaps he could wait until my Lord returns?"
"This..."
Hearing him say this, Zhang Jun was overjoyed. It was truly effortless! However, to avoid arousing Tang Ke's suspicion, he still pretended to look hesitant at Tang Ke's office.
"What? Brother Zhang, do you have anything else?"
"Forget it, forget it. Since you've said so, then let it be. I'm just running errands, brother, don't take it to heart!"
After Zhang Jun finished speaking, he turned and left, without any hesitation.
"Pah, what a thing!"
Only after Zhang Jun had walked far away did Tang Ke's attendant couldn't help but spit.
Of course, he didn't even think of reporting such a matter to Tang Ke.
Poor Tang Ke didn't know that just by taking a nap here, he had inexplicably completely offended Liang Shicheng.
Even when this matter was brought before the Crown Prince, even Crown Prince Zhao Huan felt embarrassed to say anything good for him.
————————————————
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, being slapped twenty times in public, Li Yan was now filled with shame and indignation.
On one hand, those people had shown no mercy when they hit him, and his body, having been pampered for so many years, was indeed a bit weak.
On the other hand, there were also some psychological reasons. After being slapped twenty times, swaying unsteadily, Li Yan couldn't even walk a few steps before he fell to the ground.
As the saying goes, good things come in pairs, and misfortune never comes alone. When people are extremely unlucky, even drinking cold water will get stuck in their teeth, just like Li Yan today.
As he fainted, the small cart delivering ice to the Ministry of Revenue arrived at this long-abandoned gatehouse.
"I say, can you guys slow down? Are you in such a hurry to be reincarnated?"
The government offices of the six ministries were originally rebuilt at the beginning of the founding of the dynasty.
Not to mention the fatal damage caused by years of wind and sun to the original wood and stone structures,
Just the narrow and cramped architectural layout made these eunuchs who were responsible for delivering ice and charcoal to various government offices complain endlessly.
Outside, they could still rely on oxen and horses, but once inside the government offices, they could only rely on themselves to transport them back and forth with two small carts.
This abandoned gatehouse was one of the buildings left over from the Later Zhou period. It was originally used as a small warehouse, but it was left vacant due to leaks.
Over the years, the Ministers and Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Revenue in successive dynasties had never thought of repairing the government offices.
Apart from the offices of the Minister, the two Vice Ministers, and the Secretaries, the offices of the scribes could only be temporarily repaired when they were leaking severely, let alone such an abandoned warehouse.
It was also due to Li Yan's extreme bad luck that the two eunuchs pulling the cart in front were already in a bad mood, and hearing their companion behind them, they became even more displeased.
As soon as they turned the corner, they immediately dropped the ice cart in their hands and prepared to argue with their companions.
However, before they could utter their curses, the ice cart they had just dropped suddenly overturned.
Ice blocks, each three feet square, smashed directly into the adjacent wall. How could the old house, which had been neglected for many years, withstand such an impact?
Amidst the eunuchs' exclamations, the gatehouse suddenly collapsed with a rumble…
"I..."