Chapter 116
The news of the assassination of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was urgently transmitted back to Shengdu City.
On this day, the gates of Shengdu City were not open yet. A cavalryman knocked on the door, showed a sign, and shouted hoarsely: "The prince has an urgent letter. Open the door quickly."
The gatekeeper opened the door, checked the badge and let him in.
The cavalry did not stop along the way and headed straight for the Taiji Palace. They ran so quickly that they almost reached the Luoxia Gate, and from the Luoxia Gate to the Zichen Palace.
This was the second time that the situation was so urgent after the crown prince's southern tour. However, the previous time was not so urgent. The cavalrymen went to Xuanzheng Hall and waited for the call in an orderly manner. Then the case of "assumed the queen's relatives" occurred. The emperor acted quickly and ruthlessly. He did not even meet Zhang Si, the governor of Jiangnan, and did not even interrogate the clan. He directly convicted the criminal.
The court was on the verge of an uproar, and fellow ministers who were close to Zhang Si went to the Xuanzheng Hall several times to ask the emperor to conduct a thorough investigation and not to convict the prince based on his one-sided statement, or to wait for evidence, at least until Zhang Si arrived in Shengdu for questioning.
Little did I know that the emperor would fly into a rage and beat all those who begged for mercy, trying to sow discord between me and the prince, and saying that this was a light punishment but a severe warning.
After hearing about this case, Hu Gufeng, the elder Hu, shook his head slightly and sighed. In Zhang Si's case, if he allowed his subordinates to collude with local merchants to oppress the people, he would be guilty, but the crime would not be to the extent of executing the entire clan.
The key is that Zhang Si allowed his men to get involved with the queen.
The royal family is majestic, and the emperor loves the queen. If he does not use ruthless means this time and takes risks for the sake of interests and power, in the future any official with the surname Xu from any place in Dasheng will vaguely associate himself with the queen and use her name to seize power, which will tarnish the queen's reputation.
Emperor Ningwu did not care about his own reputation as recorded by the historians. He would throw aside any records of his tyranny, brutality and killing of innocent people after reading them, and was too lazy to even call the historians in to scold them. However, he cared about the reputation of the empress and would impose severe punishment.
After this incident, who in Dasheng dares to have such thoughts?
Today was the morning court session, and the cavalry rode to the Taiji Palace late at night. Many officials saw and heard it. At this time, the officials gathered in front of the Taiji Palace with solemn expressions.
"The cavalry is so anxious this time."
"But what happened again?"
The officials were in a panic. Some of them thought, "It shouldn't be like this. Your Highness is in Jiangnan Province right now. He just dealt with Zhang Si and Pan Zihong went there. This guy is one of Your Highness's own people. Logically, he should be fine."
The prince is old, and now has his own reputation in the court. However, strangely enough, the prince's good reputation is not gained by the prince recruiting officials privately. The officials in the court have a good opinion of the prince because the emperor's methods are sometimes too inhumane and cruel, so His Highness is easier to talk to.
Of course, it depends on what the matter is.
When His Majesty makes decisions, Your Highness will not go against Him just for the sake of a good reputation. Instead, you will support Him very much. There is no way for Him to plead with the Queen.
The officials outside the palace gate had their own speculations, but they still hoped that nothing serious would happen.
Purple Palace.
Xu Xiaoman suddenly became anxious, and jumped over to grab the letter in Zhong Yun's hand. His whole face turned pale, and he swayed for a moment. Zhong Yun put his arm around Xiaoman's shoulders, his face dark and worried, but he had to stay calm, "Don't panic, Xuanfu has written a letter, so everything will be fine."
"Yes, yes, you are right." Xu Xiaoman said affirmatively that Duoduo must be fine, but he was worried so much that his hands were shaking. "Zhong Yun, come and take a look."
Zhong Yun took the letter and opened it. After reading three lines at a time, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and felt relieved. Xu Xiaoman noticed this and his tense expression also calmed down.
fine.
Duoduo is fine.
"He was stabbed. Yan Huaijin stood in front of Duoduo. Duoduo was not injured, but Yan Huaijin was stabbed in the shoulder—"
Xu Xiaoman: "Is Xiaoyan okay?"
"The imperial physician is with us." Zhong Yun patted Xiaoman on the shoulder. From a personal point of view, Yan Huaijin blocked the attack for Duofu, so as a father, he was naturally relieved. As long as it was not his own son, everything else was a small matter.
Xu Xiaoman calmed down and leaned over to read the letter. The letter was written by Duoduo. It was different from the messy tone of the previous letters he wrote to them, and the handwriting on the letter paper was a little blurry.
[…Yan Jinjin blocked my attack. Those bastards also smeared poison on the knife. I hate them. I feel so bad. I’m fine. Dad, I’m so scared that Yan Jinjin is gone. The doctor said that Yan Jinjin is not fit to move now. We are recovering in the town. It may take us a while to go back. Dad, I’m so scared, father. ]
It was just a piece of paper, with those few words, but many spots were wet with tears.
After reading this, Xu Xiaoman's eyes turned red with tears, and she said in a hoarse voice: "Duoduo has cried like this only because of that dream before. She has never said she was scared before."
"He is so brave that he fears nothing, but now he is afraid. These rebels deserve to die." Zhong Yun used to spoil his son a lot, but in fact, he was no less spoiled when it came to spoiling his son. At this moment, seeing Fu calling his father "Daddy" and still saying he was afraid, his expression was moved.
Xu Xiaoman opened his mouth: "No, I have to go over there."
"I'll go with you."
Xu Xiaoman shook his head and said, "I'll go. I know where he is in the town. I'll take the herbs there as fast as I can. If you go, you'll have to prepare for a big fight."
The main reason was that Xu Xiaoman was afraid that Zhong Yun would get into danger if he traveled light, so it would be okay for him to disguise himself and take the Dongchang people with him.
That's all there is to it.
At the morning court session that day, all the officials saw that the emperor had an extremely ugly expression on his face, and they felt a pang in their hearts, wondering if His Highness had discovered some corrupt official again, or if someone was disrespectful to the queen?
"I received news this morning that the prince was assassinated—"
All the officials were shocked. The prince was assassinated? Who is so bold? No wonder the emperor looked so unhappy. How is the prince now?
"Prince is blessed with great happiness."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that everything was fine, everything was fine. The prince was the only heir to the throne of Da Sheng, and an old minister had reported that such a major matter must be thoroughly investigated.
This is natural.
Emperor Ningwu attended the morning court as usual, but he was in a bad mood today, and his face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. Even if other officials had something to say, they swallowed their words today - let's talk about it in a few days, don't anger the emperor now.
Today's morning court ended quickly. Emperor Ningwu called Yan Ning, and Yan Ning followed. After listening to what the emperor said, he felt dizzy and almost fell down. Zhao Erxi, who was standing beside him, stepped forward and supported Lord Yan.
"The Queen led the team out of the city two hours ago. If you are worried and want to go, I will ask Huai Min to escort you."
Yan Ning was in a hurry and immediately thanked the emperor and said he would go back to pack his luggage and set off. After he said that, he remembered that he still had government affairs to attend to, so he hurried to the cabinet and asked the Prime Minister to forgive him for having to leave the city for half a month due to personal matters.
Seeing Yan Ning's expression was not right, Zhou Ruwei stopped being 'Buddhist' and did not ask what happened. He said, "You have always been diligent. Even so, go ahead and put the government affairs on my desk first."
"Thank you, sir." Yan Ning bowed.
Then he hurriedly left the palace and returned home. He did not dare to tell his wife. He only said that he was going on a long journey and would probably be back in ten days or half a month. If it was later, it might take a month. So he hurried out with his bag.
…
Seven days ago.
Although the town is small, it has everything. It is a town including the ferry and Jiangming City. After the Crown Prince was assassinated, he borrowed several houses from wealthy families in the town. On the fourth day, before the city gate was opened, Pan Zihong brought people here.
Pan Zihong came on horseback, looking hurried. When his personal soldiers informed him, they said that the prince was fine, otherwise he would have been frightened to death. He came to apologize now for such a thing happening in his jurisdiction.
Pan Zihong, who was received by Wen Lianglu, led the way to the town gate and briefly explained what happened after the incident. "Master Pan, I will not be polite to you."
"Of course, of course." Pan Zihong nodded.
The two of them hurried out of the house.
"That day, thanks to Master Yan's blocking and the quick reaction of his personal soldiers, the young man hid a dagger and stabbed Master Yan in the shoulder. The dagger was poisoned. Master Lin of the East Factory arrested him and tortured him. Those accomplices could not bear it and said something..."
Yan Huaijin was poisoned, and after the East Factory interrogated these accomplices for a long time, some of them revealed their true colors. They were related to Mu Jianchou, the master of the Eighteen Water Strongholds of Jiangnan Road. Half of the sixteen people were Mu Jianchou's adopted sons, and there were also some sworn brothers and orphans adopted by these adopted sons.
Although they are brothers, the younger one is actually Qiu San’s adopted son.
"…The poison was applied by Qiu San. He was extremely stubborn. We tried every possible means, but he still refused to speak. No one else knew what the poison was. Qiu San was afraid of failure, so someone said there was an antidote. Therefore, only Qiu San could cure this poison."
"Fortunately, Guard Xu has some knowledge of poisons. Although he has not found the antidote yet, he has saved Young Master Yan's life and bought some time for the East Factory. His Highness was extremely anxious and did not allow Lord Lin to serve him closely. He asked him to find the source of the poison. Now Lord Lin has taken half of the East Factory's people to a small courtyard ten miles north of Jiangming City. He has locked up the rebels in the house and has his personal soldiers guarding it."
Pan Zihong asked: "Have you found the poison?"
"We found it last night. Guard Xu is studying it and has bought all the herbs in town." Wen Lianglu said, "Your Highness has been guarding Young Master Yan for four nights and is exhausted. Lord Pan came to apologize. I know it is reasonable for you to come, but everyone knows that this matter has nothing to do with you. You just took office, so don't be too polite later. Your Highness is not energetic enough to deal with these foreign affairs."
Pan Zihong bowed and thanked him. Lord Wen really treated him as his own and was sincerely concerned about His Highness. He was afraid that His Highness would treat him coldly and that he would think too much and create a rift between them.
Sure enough, Pan Zihong arrived at the main courtyard and reported that His Highness was not seen.
In the evening, Pan Zihong was waiting in the east wing, only to see His Highness rush out with a knife in one hand, angrily saying, "I'm going to kill him."
Manager Wang didn't dare to stop him.
It was the first time that Pan Zihong saw His Highness so furious. His beard was untidy and his hair was messy. His clothes seemed to be thrown casually. Although he looked furious, his eyes were red and swollen and filled with fear. His Highness was afraid of losing Young Master Yan.
No one dared to block his way, and His Highness went to the house next door in a menacing manner, where the rebels were imprisoned.
Pan Zihong followed and heard others say, "Young Master Yan just vomited blood, all black. These bastards are too stubborn, and Qiu San is afraid of killing him, so he is holding on to his breath but won't vomit anything."
"Can I come along?"
The guards saw it and hurriedly bowed. Pan Zihong bowed back. The two followed His Highness as if they were flying. The guards said, "Master Pan, you can go if you want. It's just that the place where the rebels are held is very dirty and covered in blood. Master Pan, don't be scared."
His Highness is not afraid, so what is he afraid of? Pan Zihong had no time to greet him.
Soon they arrived at the house next door. It was heavily guarded. As soon as they entered the yard, they smelled a strong smell of blood. The prisoners were kept in the east and west side rooms. The ground was covered with blood and some unknown meat.
Xuanyu Fu walked in with a knife in his hand and pointed it at Qiu San who was lying on the ground. "Where is the antidote? Tell me, where is the antidote?"
Qiu San had an iron chain piercing his scapula, and his whole body was covered in blood. He reacted for a while and let out a "ho ho" laugh, with a mouth full of blood and flesh. He laughed twice, which made the person who was hurting in his chest more energetic. He said in a hoarse voice: "You are scared. I didn't kill you, but I killed the more important person in your life, hahahahahaha..."
Xuan Fu held the knife, filled with hatred, but he still had to control himself not to kill Qiu San.
"I know your adoptive father, Mu Jiangchou. I saw his corpse. I whipped his body a hundred times, crushed his bones and sent it to a mass grave to feed the dogs."
Qiu San was so angry after hearing this that he wanted to rush over and kill the Dog Prince, but the chains on his body pulled him back.
Pan Zihong stepped forward at this time, and seeing that His Highness' eyes were red with hatred, he did not exchange pleasantries, but looked directly at Qiu San and said, "I have read the case summary of your adoptive father when I was in the Ministry of Justice."
"Your surname shouldn't be Chou. Mu Jianchou's adopted sons all have the surname Mu."
Qiu San laughed loudly, "Thank goodness, you didn't expect that our godfather still has us—"
"Mu Jianchou is a cunning man, with many burrows. The sons he adopted are nothing but his pawns." When Pan Zihong was in the Ministry of Justice, he reviewed all major cases. This was a big case in Jiangnan Province, in which the court official Ke An, as well as several people from the East Factory and the Jinwu Guards were killed.
The implications are wide-ranging.
"Do you think your foster father is some kind of hero?"
Qiu San laughed, with sarcasm in his eyes. He didn't believe a word the man in front of him said. This man was a running dog of the court, who wanted to slander his adoptive father's reputation and sow discord between them. The East Factory's minions had also said such things. Hahahaha, he didn't believe it and he wouldn't say a word.
"Mu Hua was born in the third year of Ningwu. His original name was Tan Dong. His father was a medicinal material merchant in Liao Town, Jiang'an Prefecture. He had a business feud with the Jiangnan Dao clan. Tan Dong's father died in Shibashui Village in the sixth year of Ningwu. His goods were overturned and he was killed. His wife was forced to death at the end of the same year, leaving behind a son and a daughter, who disappeared."
"Mu Ting, formerly known as Tan Qin, is the elder sister of Tan Dong. Mu Jianchou gave her to a wealthy businessman as a concubine..."
Pan Zihong recited out the "adopted sons and daughters" that he remembered most clearly. It had been a long time since then, and he had forgotten the details of some of them, such as he had forgotten which wealthy businessman Tan Qin became a concubine for, but he remembered their ending.
The brother and sister do not know each other, and they are both used as pawns by the enemy who murdered their father, who sets a trap and lures innocent merchants into it. The pawns are thrown away when they are used and dirty, and they meet a miserable end.
"Mu Jianchou is a very cunning man with dirty tricks. He also has the so-called chivalry of the underworld. He caused the destruction of more than half of the adopted sons. If the child is older and has memories, he will kill him. If he is young, he will adopt him as his adopted son and use him for his own benefit."
"Your last name is neither Mu nor Qiu. Can you tell me your original last name? If you remember, I can help you investigate how your biological parents were killed by Mu Jianqiu and when they died."
Qiu San originally had a look of disdain and arrogance on his face. He would not believe anything the court officials said. But after listening to him, the smile on his face froze. He knew Mu Hua and Mu Ting.
"No, I don't believe it. The court slandered my adoptive father. My adoptive father is a great hero."
Pan Zihong shook his head: "If your biological parents see you recognize a thief as your father, you don't deserve to have your original surname."
"You are talking nonsense."
"Every word I said is true. Mu Jianchou's case file is in the Ministry of Justice. When his entire clan was executed, these adopted sons were used by him. When they died, they knew the truth. Half of them committed suicide, while the other half wanted to eat Mu Jianchou's flesh and blood to avenge their relatives."
"You are avenging Mu Jianchou. What a joke."
Qiu San shook his head frantically, "No, no, you just want my antidote—"
"Your Highness, Master Yan has woken up." The guards outside the door came to report the news, looking somewhat delighted: "The antidote that Guard Xu mediated this time is effective."
When Xuanyu Fu heard this, he turned around and left.
Yan Huaijin on the bed had already woken up, but he fainted after spitting out black blood. Xu Fanfu was so anxious that he picked up a knife to kill Qiu San, but he ran back and saw that Yan Huaijin's face was still pale and there was no blood on his lips, but he looked more energetic.
Many Fu approached, "How are you?"
Yan Huaijin's gaze fell on Xuanyifu's face. Seeing Xuanyifu so miserable, he felt pain in his internal organs, but he endured it and didn't show it. He reached out and touched Xuanyifu's cheek.
Lost a lot of weight.
Many blessings look better when they are round.
"I'll be back after taking this for a few days. Are you okay, Yan Jinjin?" Xuanyuefu's voice choked as he opened his mouth and he almost couldn't control his tears again.
Yan Huaijin tried his best to say: "I feel much better, it doesn't hurt anymore..."
"Ling Guan, Ling Guan!" Many people shouted Ling Guan.
Wang Yuanyuan said, "Your Highness, Xu Lingguan is in the pharmacy."
Yan Huaijin held Xuanyuefu's hand and said, "I'm much better now. Really. Xuanyuefu, do you want to sleep for a while? Cough, cough, cough."
"I'm going to sleep for a while, don't move." Xuanyu Fu didn't let Yan Huaijin move. He took off his shoes and got on the bed. The bed was messy. Yan Huaijin had a wound on his shoulder, so he could only lie on his side facing the outside of the bed. Xuanyu Fu was on the inside of the bed, and when he saw the wound, he couldn't help crying.
Yan Huaijin couldn't see behind him, but he could feel it. He suppressed the itchy throat and the burning pain in his lungs, and whispered, "You should sleep for a while."
"I sleep."
Xuanyuefu lay down, looked at Yan Huaijin's back, and said with tears in his eyes, "Yan Jinjin, you can't leave me."
"good."
"We'll get married when we get back."
"good."
"I like you very much, Yan Huaijin."
Yan Huaijin endured the pain and said: "I love you so much."
Fortunately, I was the one who was injured this time.
fortunately.
Xuan Xuanfu slept well but was not able to sleep well. He was awakened by various nightmares. When he moved, he heard Yan Huaijin's voice beside him: I'm here.
Those nightmares were gone in an instant.
When he woke up, it was just getting dark. Duo Xinfu got up quietly and touched Yan Huaijin with trembling hands. Yan Huaijin's body was warm, so he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Without putting on any clothes, he asked Wang Banban to watch over him. He walked out of the main hall and asked, "Did Qiu San tell us about the antidote?"
"Master Pan has been in the torture room until now. Master Lin tortured him again. Qiu San said that he had all the antidotes. We have to go to Jiangming City to buy the antidote, but he didn't say what the antidote was."
Many of the lucky teeth were creaking as they bit each other. "Sooner or later, I will grind him to dust."
How could the adopted son taught by Mu Jianchou be a good person? Pan Zihong's words had some effect, but Qiu San was cunning and suspicious. He had believed in his revenge for his adoptive father for so many years. The 'antidote' he gave might not be the real antidote. It might be true or false, and he might be teasing them.
"Master, I'll go find him." Xu Lingguan came out.
Many people saw Lingguan's pale face and white mouth. They were upset and became suspicious. Xu Lingguan said bluntly: "I used poison and used my medicine to keep him alive. When I get to Jiangming City, I can test the medicine on myself-"
"You're such a bastard." Xuanyu Fu cursed, but didn't know what to say.
Xu Lingguan was a little weak and said, "My poison is not serious. The imperial physician will stay here to look after Young Master Yan. He knows the dosage and formula of my medicine. When I have researched the medicine, I will send it back to Young Master Yan directly..."
"You go, Liu Qiang, you are responsible for Xu Lingguan's safety."
Liu Qiang also had an unshaven beard. After hearing the news, he harnessed the carriage. Xu Lingguan could not ride a horse, so he set off overnight.
Three or five days passed like this, and Xu Lingguan still hadn't returned.
Yan Huaijin was drowsy all day, had a fever in the middle of the night, and coughed up blood. Xuan Duofu was extremely anxious but could do nothing. In the end, Xuan Duofu could no longer cry, as if his tears had dried up.
…
After receiving the letter, Xu Xiaoman rode on horseback without stopping, not resting day or night but only changing horses. It took him four and a half days to reach the town. When he arrived at the house and saw his family's Duoduo, Xu Xiaoman felt a lump in his throat and almost cried after just one look.
How did you become so thin?
“Father—” Xu Duofu saw his father and threw himself into his arms, but he couldn’t cry. He said, “Yan Huaijin is so weak. I can’t do anything. I am such a loser.”
Xu Xiaoman stroked Duoduo's hair and said, "Nonsense."
"You are my child. Your name is Duo Yu Fu Duo Yu Fu. You have a lot of blessings. You are the most blessed and have a long life. Xiao Yan is good to you. He has also been infected with your blessings. He will definitely be fine."
"Really, Daddy guarantees it."
Xuan Fu said hoarsely, "Okay, hold on to your father and don't let go. He's really scared." Xu Xiaoman patted his son and said, "I'll go see Qiu San."
"He couldn't spit out the antidote, and he was hanging on for his last breath."
"Then kill him." Xu Xiaoman said calmly, "Duoduo, even if he spits out the antidote, you dare not use it on Xiaoyan. The life of such a person cannot be compared with Xiaoyan. You will regret it even if there is a one-tenth mistake. I heard that Ling Guan is doing research. I also brought people and medicinal materials. We have so many capable people in Dasheng. Qiu San is nothing."
With just a few words from Xu Xiaoman, Xuanfu felt reassured.
Rare life-saving medicinal herbs were brought back from the Taiji Palace. Under the discussion of the imperial physician and the pharmacist of the Eastern Depot, they first used conservative life-saving medicine. Sure enough, Yan Huaijin woke up, and the burning sensation in his chest and lungs was relieved a little.
Xu Xiaoman entered the torture room and stayed there for less than a moment before someone skinned Qiu San to death.
Qiu San didn't want to die in one breath. In fact, he also wanted to know whether his biological parents had abandoned him or whether it was true as Pan Zihong said that his parents were killed by Mu Jianchou.
He is also waiting for the truth.
Xu Xiaoman saw through it and said, "You don't deserve to know the truth. I want you to die with hatred in your heart and go to the underworld to ask Mu Jiangou how he killed your parents and their entire family."
Perhaps Xu Xiaoman's words really came true, many people were born to be blessed. That evening, Liu Qiang came back with medicine.
"It's the antidote. Xu Lingguan has taken it. The poison has been neutralized. It will take seven days to clean up the remaining poison. He is in poor health and very weak. He stayed in Jiangming City and asked me to come back and deliver the medicine first."
Xuanyu Fu held the medicine box and fed it to Yan Huaijin personally.
Yan Huaijin, you must survive.
You must hold my hand until we grow old together.
The author has something to say:
Yan Huaijin: I am very blessed to be safe and sound.
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