Although Xiao Lingshou handled the matter properly, the person was still dead. In addition, some people with ulterior motives stirred up trouble, and the people were restless and unwilling to rebuild the palace.
The emperor ordered Xiao Lingshou to find the person behind the scenes within three days, but the person was cunning and disappeared without a trace as soon as he noticed anything.
Xiao Lingshou was busy all day long, and Lu Ming felt sorry for him: "Your Highness, since they are after Father Emperor, they will definitely make a move. We just need to wait and seize the opportunity."
Xiao Lingshou looked at her: "You're not angry with me anymore?"
Lu Ming was taken aback: "What are you saying, Your Highness? What is there for me to be angry about?"
Xiao Lingshou sensed the dejection in her voice, but said nothing. He nodded faintly, turned and left, leaving Lu Ming with a forced smile.
The dark night sky was devoid of stars, an endless expanse of black. As the lanterns were lit, the emperor sat in his study, intently reviewing memorials.
"ah!"
A scream pierced the long night, followed by the endless clanging of swords.
"Protect the Emperor!"
Seven hidden guards leaped down, wielding cold-bladed longswords, and stood in front of the emperor.
The wounded eunuch stumbled over, a cut on his arm, blood staining his sleeve. He cried out in alarm, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! It's the Three Pages Sect! The Three Pages Sect is attacking!"
"You audacious scoundrels!" The emperor slammed his hand on the desk in a rage, completely losing his composure. "You five, go! Seize them for me and interrogate them severely."
"Yes!" The guards clasped their hands in obeisance and leaped out in unison.
The young eunuch approached the emperor discreetly to offer words of comfort, his eyes constantly glancing ahead. Two guards kept their eyes fixed on the palace gate; this was an opportunity!
"Your Majesty, be careful!"
Sensing the murderous intent, the guard snapped back to reality, only to see the eunuch swiftly draw a dagger hidden in his sleeve and plunge it fiercely towards the emperor's neck.
The guard blocked with his longsword, but the eunuch seized the opportunity to extend his other hand with a short knife, tearing through the dragon robe and leaving a shallow cut on the emperor's chest.
"You dog emperor! Die!"
The young eunuch wanted to press his advantage, but the guard who was behind him launched a preemptive strike, attacking his lower body, while another guard went straight for his vital points.
The emperor was furious: "Leave them alive! I will interrogate them myself!"
The guards obeyed the order, slashing their swords to sever the little eunuch's tendons. Another guard pierced his thigh, dislocated his jaw, and removed his fangs. After confirming that the man was no longer in danger, they pinned him to the ground.
The fighting inside had just ended. The guard who had dealt with the assassins outside the hall turned around and knelt on one knee: "Your subordinate is incompetent. All ten men in black committed suicide by poison!"
"It's alright, there's still one survivor here!"
The emperor sat on the dragon throne, and a secret guard went to fetch the imperial physician.
"Speak! Where is the Three Pages Sect's stronghold?"
The young eunuch looked on coldly, displaying a proud spirit.
The emperor waved his hand, and the guards acted, targeting pressure points that the eunuch couldn't bear. The little eunuch's pupils contracted in pain, and his whole body trembled violently, but he was pinned to the ground by the guards, unable to break free even slightly. After a long while, he finally said, "I'll talk..."
The guards stopped, and the little eunuch, panting, said, "The Yun Kingdom is doomed! And you—are going to die!"
"How dare you!" the emperor roared in fury.
"Your Majesty, the imperial physician has arrived."
The imperial guards brought in Physician Chen, whom the emperor trusted. Physician Chen dared not look too closely, and with steady steps, he opened his medicine chest, took out the wound medicine, and was about to sprinkle it on the emperor when he was stopped by an unsheathed sword.
"You go first."
Physician Chen was at a loss: "This humble official has no injuries, this..."
Before he could finish speaking, Physician Chen had a cut on his hand, from which blood was gushing out.
"use."
Physician Chen turned to look at the Emperor, who nodded.
Physician Chen lowered his head, as if he were going to test the medicine on himself. The next moment, he unexpectedly sprinkled the medicine on the emperor, but before it could land, it was all caught by a cloak.
The guards reacted even faster, leaping up to grab the fleeing Physician Chen, tearing the venomous fangs out of his mouth, revealing an ordinary face beneath the human skin mask.
"Physician Chen doesn't know martial arts and his steps are unsteady, while you are the complete opposite, calm and composed. You are indeed not Physician Chen!"
"I never expected the flaw to be here," the fake imperial physician lamented. "Just one step away."
The emperor donned his dragon robe, his face grim: "What a scheme! Each step meticulously planned, using a pawn to deceive me while concealing the true killing move. Take him away and interrogate him thoroughly!"
The emperor was assassinated, and the secret guards interrogated him overnight, finally uncovering some clues.
Early the next morning, two squads of guards crossed the long street and rushed to the largest gambling den and brothel in the capital, arresting everyone inside. Even those who went to gamble and solicit prostitutes were interrogated. Immediately, public resentment boiled over.
"With such a grand display, what happened in the palace?"
"You don't know?" someone interjected. "Wasn't the emperor assassinated? The interrogation revealed that both Yihonglou and Laicaifang were members of the Three Pages Sect. Isn't that what they're investigating now?"
Another person said sarcastically, "The palace is heavily guarded. How could you have entered through the three gates without the guards noticing? I think the assassination attempt was a ruse; the real reason is to arrest those who were talking about the tragic deaths of the laborers!"
The onlookers were stunned, but upon reflection, they didn't see anything wrong with what he said. Brothels and gambling dens were the places they frequented the most, followed by teahouses.
As soon as he thought of this, guards rushed to the teahouse, and the people immediately fell silent.
"Brother, you see things more clearly."
The people were afraid and dared not speak out loud; they could only go back to their homes and close their doors to talk about it later.
Even so, the emperor did not let them off easy. He searched every household in the capital, and anyone whose identity was unknown was executed on the guillotine.
The corpses in the mass grave were piled up to a height of seven feet.
Aunt Lu and Meng Yuxiu met in the underground palace, and Chu Moyu also arrived. Meng Yuxiu glanced at him thoughtfully, and for no apparent reason thought of Xiao Shuer, finally understanding the cause of her death.
Where is Ali?
Meng Yuxiu said, "She is kind-hearted, so I let her go to sleep."
Chu Moyu's expression turned slightly cold, and his gaze towards Meng Yuxiu was extremely unfriendly.
Meng Yuxiu ignored him and said, "The tragic deaths of migrant workers are a trigger point that can effectively stir up public anger."
His words implied that he suspected the Three Pages Gate was currently the biggest beneficiary.
Aunt Lu was also puzzled by this matter. Since it didn't affect their operations, she didn't investigate. She said, "The tyrannical emperor conducted a massive search of the Three Pages Gate, and the number of people killed along the way was not in the hundreds or thousands. I had people infiltrate among them to stir up trouble, and the people were all in danger, sighing and complaining."
Chu Moyu said, "Soon, this world will belong to my Great Shun."
Meng Yuxiu thought of Chang Lili.
"Report! Urgent report from the border, urgent dispatch! All bystanders, make way!"
The soldier held up the scroll and pulled the reins, striking the horse. The horse, in pain, took off running, and pedestrians on the street all swerved to avoid it. Those who couldn't avoid it crashed into stalls, causing chaos and disorder!
The situation was dire. The soldiers marched unimpeded to the Imperial Study, holding up a battle report from the front: "Your Majesty, the barbarians have invaded and breached the border. Duanzhou is about to fall!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
