Chapter 97 The Treacherous Minister Wu
And then, Shinjuku really did leave the palace.
The crown prince was left staring at his father's frosty profile, bewildered in the wind.
The Crown Prince returned to the Eastern Palace in a daze and told his confidants about the matter. His confidants all expressed disbelief. They said that, let alone ordinary concubines, even the Empress had to go through layers of approval from the Bureau of Ceremonies if she wanted to return to her parents' home. Unless there was a particularly important event at home (such as a wedding or funeral) or a major family reunion festival, it would not be allowed to pass.
Unless His Majesty personally approves, his confidants emphasized.
Crown Prince: "..."
This is a special approval from the Emperor!
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In the capital city, on Zhengyang Street, stands a mansion with vermilion walls.
When King Zhen said he was leaving the palace, he didn't actually mean that Shinju could go wherever he wanted. Instead, he allocated a particularly grand mansion in the capital to Shinju for him to stay in.
Shinjuku was not surprised; he was already used to the strict palace rules and the place enclosed by the King of Poison.
To his surprise, this was not a random, unused mansion that had been temporarily allocated.
To be honest, things like carved beams and painted rafters, or jade palaces and magnificent buildings, did not arouse much interest in him. However, this mansion was quite the opposite. Compared with the grand gate, the interior decoration was very low-key. Although the materials were exquisite, the layout and style were not luxurious at all. There were not many gold and jade ornaments, and it did not meet the standards of an emperor.
Upon closer inspection, one can see the shrimp and crab tea pets on the tea table, the screen with gyrfalcon patterns, the warmly glazed tableware, the spacious and clean stable, and the pond in the backyard teeming with plump fish, with some fishing gear standing nearby. In addition, the red quilt on the bedroom bed is embroidered with twin lotus flowers, and the lamp base is carved with a raccoon dog holding a lotus lantern while covering its eyes.
What surprised Shinjuku the most was the desk placed in the center of the study. It was an extremely ordinary wooden table; not only would a wealthy family not provide such a table for their head of household, but it seemed to have been found somewhere along the way. However, the more Shinjuku looked at it, the more familiar it seemed. He suddenly remembered that this was the same table he had casually moved outside to practice calligraphy before.
Suddenly, Shinju felt a lump in his throat and his eyes welled up with tears. The charmingly childlike arrangement, the house full of everyday life, showed no trace of imperial status; it was clearly prepared for him, with every detail showing thoughtful care.
He didn't know when the King of Poison had made the arrangements, but it was clear that it had taken considerable effort and time to accomplish.
“…Zhenmo.” Zhen Su suddenly clenched his jaw, an overwhelming sense of guilt threatening to crush him.
Actually, staying wasn't impossible. No matter how many of the devil's henchmen came, he wasn't lacking the confidence to kill them one by one. It was just that he kept running away, unwilling to face certain things and that person.
He's really a coward.
After a moment of contemplation, Shinju lowered his eyes, clenched his fists tightly, as if he had made up his mind, and turned to walk towards the gate of the mansion. Nearby, a carriage that had just come out of the palace was parked at the corner.
However, before he could even step onto the vehicle's footrest, a commotion suddenly arose in the area he had been monitoring with his divine sense, spanning several miles—
"Who are you?! This is a clinic, we have patients waiting for treatment! Don't cause trouble here!!"
Then came a flurry of activity as they rummaged through drawers and cabinets.
"Hey, hey, those are valuable medicinal herbs, don't touch them! You officials think you can just arbitrarily search and oppress the people? Believe me or not, I'll go to the yamen and beat the drum to appeal for justice!"
"Sir, these two are suspected to be the masterminds behind the smuggling of Five-Stone Powder." Several soldiers bypassed the old doctor in the clinic, escorted the two apprentice doctors to the side of the official, and reported.
"Don't make false accusations! This is a medical clinic dedicated to healing the sick! Although Five-Stone Powder can cure diseases, it is far more harmful. After the authorities banned its use, our clinic has never stocked this medicine again!"
"Old doctor, take a look at this." The officer in charge of the search pointed to a vat of stone powder that the officials had carried out at the other end.
"This...this is?! This is impossible! Who framed me?! Who deliberately switched the talcum powder I originally had!" The powder of Wushi San has a special smell and color, making it very easy to identify.
"Caught red-handed, still trying to deny it? Take them all back and call it a day!"
When the old doctor was being held captive by the soldiers, he struggled violently, but because of his old age, the soldiers were hesitant to lay a hand on him. So, someone placed a knife against the young apprentice's neck.
The young apprentice was unusually well-behaved, and the old doctor, seeing this, immediately stopped resisting.
The physician smiled with satisfaction, turned around and walked out of the clinic first, thus missing the old physician's disdain for the two apprentice doctors and the smirk on his lips.
Foolish people of the Ming Dynasty.
Meanwhile, Shinjuku, who was observing everything, noticed the commotion and saw a boy quietly climb over the wall and leave from behind the hospital, running away at top speed.
Shinju's grip on the carriage door tightened suddenly, nearly causing the carriage to shatter.
He clicked his tongue, finally giving up on returning to the palace, and chased after the boy at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow. In the blink of an eye, he had left the stunned coachman and the group of guards far behind.
The boy was dressed simply, but a fine jade pendant hung from his chest. Although his face was somewhat dirty, a hint of authority could be seen between his brows, and he possessed a maturity beyond his years.
However, amidst the hustle and bustle, after finally escaping the streets and alleys around the clinic, panting, he was suddenly grabbed by the collar by a fair but extremely strong hand at a corner and dragged into a secluded corner.
The boy, startled by the sudden turn of events, quickly covered his head and chest with his hands, but no fist fell. He looked up and saw that the person who had grabbed him was not a fierce-looking burly man, but a handsome young man. The star patterns embroidered on his clothes did not reveal his family or official rank, but judging from the craftsmanship and, most importantly, his noble air, the boy intuitively felt that the other person must be of royal lineage, just like himself.
"Who are you?!" The boy tried to back away without making a sound, but given his sitting posture, he couldn't move more than a few inches.
Shinjuku looked the boy up and down, and after confirming that it was indeed him, he nodded.
This young man is the sole heir of the posthumous son of the former Prince Qianzhou, as recorded in historical records. He is the trump card, the ace, and the Achilles' heel of the remnants of the previous dynasty, including Eunuch Pan.
The boy, not receiving a response from Shinjuku, grew increasingly nervous and hastily got up and ran away.
With a flick of his finger, the boy found himself unable to move and closed his eyes in despair.
Behind him, Shinjuku smiled, but there was no hint of a smile in his golden eyes.
There's no going back.
With his divine sense fully open, Zhen Su carefully handed the boy over to Tie Lao Lu, adding an extra instruction: "Don't touch him."
Old Lu, as was his habit, blurted out, "How could I do such a thing? Don't worry!"
However, Shinju still remembered what happened in the outer prefecture's torture chamber, and his gaze was like a knife scraping across Tie Laolu's thick skin.
Tie Laolu suddenly remembered the shady dealings he'd done. Luckily, he hadn't succeeded back then, or he probably wouldn't know the meaning of "death." In such a short time, the person before him had risen to such a high position, second only to the emperor, capable of turning the world upside down with a flick of the wrist. She was no longer the petite, weak beauty he once was. Tie Laolu naturally admired Zhen Su and dared not disobey.
“…Okay, okay, I understand!” said Tie Laolu.
Shinju didn't intend to stay any longer and was about to leave after receiving the other party's assurance. But it wasn't over yet. In his consciousness, on the second floor of the teahouse opposite the alley entrance, a man selling doggerel was giving a cunning look towards this hidden lowland.
Shinjuku immediately became anxious.
Oops! !
As soon as Masakatsu closed the door and rushed out of the alley, the man selling peppers was indeed no longer on the second floor. He was tumbling over tables and rolling over the waiters and customers serving tea and water, desperately trying to escape.
After an incense stick had burned, Tie Laolu had another person he needed to hide.
"Who is this? His eyes are so fierce," Tie Laolu asked Zhen Su.
The man selling oil had a handkerchief stuffed in his mouth, his hands and feet were bound, and he stared at Shinju with a look of sorrow and shock, as if he could not believe what he was seeing.
"..." Shinju recognized him; the other man was a member of the Silver Scorpion Guard who had grown a beard but hadn't disguised himself. He was most likely sent by the Emperor to investigate the source of the rumors circulating among the people. But Shinju didn't say anything, only telling him to keep an eye on him, then left a few gold ingots and departed.
That was really dangerous.
Half an hour later, as soon as Shinju stepped into the palace, he was dragged into a sedan chair. King Zhen took a long breath before exhaling a breath of stale air. His brows were furrowed as he leaned close to Shinju's ear and questioned, "Do you really want me to tie you up? You really don't want to be under my watchful eye?"
Shinju knew that someone was coming to demand an explanation.
Fortunately, he had prepared his explanation on the way back, and said in a relaxed manner, "I just had a sudden urge to test the skills of the secret guards for His Majesty."
The King of Poison stared silently into Shinju's eyes, clearly not believing him.
Indeed, the King of Poison knew his identity and had long known that even as a "mortal," his speed and skill would make his bodyguards no match for him.
Fortunately, he had a backup plan and took out a pen holder shaped like a scorpion's pincers.
The King of Poison slowly shifted his gaze to the cool pen holder that had been placed in his hand.
"I was unaware of Your Majesty's birthday, so this gift is rather meager. I hope Your Majesty will not find it offensive." In fact, most cultivators do not care about their birthdays, let alone easily reveal them. However, Zhen Su really couldn't think of any other excuse to give a gift, so he still chose the birthday.
The King of Zhen remained silent, but quickly tucked the small pen holder into his bright yellow sleeve. Even Shinjuku was caught off guard. The King of Zhen's hand remained inside his sleeve for quite some time.
This was a gift that Shinjuku gave him after the sachet.
Someone's gaze darkened, and he suddenly buried his face in the crook of Shinjuku's neck. Then, he tilted his head slightly and licked Shinjuku's Adam's apple, which was hidden beneath his thin, snowy skin. This caused Shinjuku to swallow hard, swallowing the sweet words he had prepared to coax the King of Poison.
Meanwhile, the sedan chair had already been carried into a side courtyard, the servants scattered, and only the guards remained in the shadows to wait.
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The King of Guangli received only the title but never a fief. The ministers thought that the King of Zhen had seen the aristocratic families fall apart and that the Empress Dowager was no longer an obstacle, so he did not take him seriously.
Today in the court, King Zhen has just designated two cities in the north as the fiefdom of King Guangli, totaling eighty li in area. The fiefdom is not small, especially compared to the territory of Nian Kingdom, but it is located in a remote area, far from the political center, and the northern army has a high degree of autonomy and is supported by the local people. He is just a prince with no great achievements, so it is obviously not a good place for him.
Some of the remaining collateral branches of the powerful families tried to persuade the Prince of Zhen, but he only replied, "He just doesn't like me. Wouldn't it be better for him to get lost?"
Although the King of Zhen did not show any anger on his face, as soon as he said this, all the ministers in the court knelt down in fear.
Later, after inquiring around, everyone learned where the recent absurd and romantic escapades had come from.
What a beast! He actually spread rumors that his own father, the Emperor, was cuckolded. He absolutely deserves it!
For a time, no one dared to offer any advice on behalf of King Guangli.
The journey is to be completed tomorrow. Prince Guangli, in a panic, went to seek help from Eunuch Pan, only to run into Pan Chengfang, who was in a fit of rage.
"How could you disappear like that? You bunch of lackeys, you all deserve to die! You're all good-for-nothings!! How dare you!! The most important Holy Son, you can't even disappear like that?!" Eunuch Pan transmitted his voice with his internal force, without actually speaking, but the people below were immediately shocked and bled from all seven orifices, not daring to utter a single cry of pain.
They had been lying low for a full twenty years! For those twenty years, their contact with the Holy Son had been through six or seven layers of sufficiently secretive and unconnected methods. Who could have imagined that a being with supernatural vision would suddenly appear, strike at their heart, and seize their vital point! Moreover, the two medicine boys, who were meant to be decoys, were completely useless; it seemed that no matter how they disguised themselves, they couldn't escape that being's eyes.
This near-miss must have been incredibly painful and infuriating for Pan Chengfang!
There must be a traitor among them—
An Shijun was stopped by servants as soon as he entered the room. He was pacing anxiously in the side hall when, after an eerie silence, a group of servants filed in from the next room, carrying out one after another lumps covered with blood-stained cloths.
An Shijun was so frightened by the strong smell of blood that he fell off his chair. The servants around him all lowered their eyes, showing little surprise, as if they had already gotten used to it.
Pan Chengfang was still venting his anger, and in the end, only the two of them were left in the room.
The two men had their pants pulled down to their ankles, exposing their lower bodies. Pan Chengfang's eyes were fierce as he sneered, "You've probably never been so lucky. That thing is much lighter than two ounces for an average person, isn't it?"
Anyone of any weight has already been carried out.
Even though their faces were full of humiliation, the two men only dared to nod.
Pan Chengfang nudged them with his toe, and the two men quickly kowtowed and took their leave, rolling up their trousers and running away without looking back.
They raided the clinic where the Holy Son was hiding, and then kidnapped him. Whoever he is, he must be acting under the tyrant's orders. The Emperor has seized their Holy Son, which is tantamount to filling their well and uprooting them. He must be prepared for his demise!
"Hmph!" Pan Chengfang turned his square face, which was ashen as a wall, and ordered the servant beside him, "Go and invite Prince Guangli in."
It was nighttime, far away in the capital.
When Tie Laolu went to get up in the middle of the night, he passed by the cellar where the two were trapped. Suddenly, he seemed to hear some strange noise, but he was too sleepy to do anything else, so he just peeked out from the window of the woodshed that connected to the cellar.
It was pitch black, and he couldn't see anything clearly. Just as he was about to go back to his room, Tie Laolu remembered the fat orange cat that had been sneaking into the house to steal food lately, so he subconsciously called out "Mimi".
Unexpectedly, a "meow" suddenly came from inside the house.
This startled Tie Laolu sober. He knew that the fat orange cat was a mute cat!
Tie Laolu immediately felt a chill run down his spine. He reached along the wall, grabbed an axe, and then pushed the door open—
A pair of calloused hands reached out from the crack in the door and grabbed Tie Laolu by the neck.
Tie Laolu's face flushed red instantly, and he couldn't utter a single word before losing consciousness in terror.
In a moment, the heavy footsteps, as if carrying a heavy load, gradually faded into the winter night wind.
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Author's Note: It's a little longer and thicker, but can it be equivalent to two chapters? (Sigh, I was too emo yesterday; I couldn't write anything yesterday, but I'm feeling better today.)
He'll probably die in the next chapter or the chapter after that.
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