Reborn as Murong Fu: This Time I'm the Protagonist

Chapter 483 Passing the Order
Upon hearing Zhao Xu's words of concern for his godfather, the young boy was moved to tears: "This servant kowtows to thank Your Majesty for your grace on behalf of my godfather."

Zhao Xu clearly didn't want to dwell on this topic any longer, and continued to ask, "Have you found the source of the rumor?"

Upon hearing this, the boy looked embarrassed and said, "I guess I've found it."

A hint of impatience flashed across Zhao Xu's face as he said in a deep voice, "If you find it, you find it; if you don't, you don't. What do you mean by 'find it'?"

The young boy immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. The matter is far too suspicious. A day ago, someone found a corpse in Qingzhu Lane, and the people of Kaifeng Prefecture easily identified the deceased. Furthermore, they also discovered at the scene..."

Zhao Xu grew anxious: "What exactly did you discover?"

The young boy apologized, saying, "We found the Imperial City Guard's waist token. The people from Kaifeng Prefecture confirmed that the token was deliberately left behind by the person who killed the deceased."

A look of surprise and anger flashed across Zhao Xu's face: "What?"

The young boy continued, "After careful investigation, the Kaifeng Prefecture's spies confirmed that this person had been spreading rumors and inciting trouble in a tavern a few days ago. They estimated that he died two days later in the evening, when he was killed by a poisoned needle. The way the murderer used the hidden weapon was very similar to the methods commonly used by the Jianghu eccentrics in the Imperial City Guard."

Zhao Xu sneered several times: "So, these old fogies are trying to show off to me? I'll just not give in to their wishes, so what?"

The young boy hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, you mustn't! Your Majesty has not yet assumed personal rule, and all the ministers in the court are members of the Yuanyou faction. Your Majesty, please think it over!"

Zhao Xu sighed, then lowered his clenched fist: "Even a lowly eunuch like you could think of that, how could I not know..."

The young boy said, "Your Majesty, a moment of anger can prevent a hundred days of trouble."

Zhao Xu waved his hand: "Forget it, let's not talk about that. After the last visit by Physician Xue, the Empress Dowager's condition has improved. I would like to invite Physician Xue to the capital again to examine the Empress Dowager. What do you think?"

The young boy shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, Physician Xue is elusive and rarely seen. Moreover, he said last time that the Empress Dowager's illness cannot be cured by medicine. Only if a top expert is willing to use his true energy to nourish the Empress Dowager's meridians can there be a chance to prolong her life."

Zhao Xu asked, "A top-tier master? Does your godfather possess such skill?"

The young boy shook his head awkwardly: "I suppose it's impossible. Although my godfather was considered one of the top experts in the Imperial City Guard back then, according to Doctor Xue's description, the founders of their sect were masters of profound martial arts, almost possessing the ability to ride the wind and unpredictable feats."

Zhao Xu snorted coldly: "Hmph, those wandering martial artists in the Jianghu are deliberately exaggerating. There's a saying that once you've mastered both literary and martial arts, you can sell yourself to the emperor. If they really had such abilities, why don't we see them coming to serve our Great Song Dynasty?"

The young boy lowered his head and stuck out his tongue, too embarrassed to tell the naive young emperor that true masters establish their own sects and come and go as they please, and have no interest in serving the government.

The boy said, "However, a few days ago, the Imperial Son-in-Law Wang Jinqing went to the palace and met with the Empress Dowager. He said he had found a remarkable person who called himself Doctor Xue and claimed that he was able to cure the Empress Dowager's illness."

A cold smile flashed across Zhao Xu's face: "If he really has such ability, it would solve my urgent problem. Very well, then issue an edict to summon this person to the palace."

The boy hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Your Majesty, three hours ago, the Empress Dowager sent palace servants to the place where that capable and righteous man lived to deliver an imperial edict."

Zhao Xu felt an inexplicable rage burning high in the sky, and he said angrily, "Even at this point, she is still clinging to power. Is she really going to hold onto power until the day she dies?"

Zhao Xu grabbed an inkstone from the table and smashed it to the ground, venting his anger before slumping weakly into his chair.

He ascended the throne at the age of ten (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning), but in reality, he was only eight. As a child who lost both his parents at a young age, he witnessed firsthand how a group of court officials, led by his grandmother, gradually destroyed the life's work of his beloved father.

As emperor, not a single one of his nominal subjects had ever shown him the respect due to a monarch. Whenever there was a matter, those so-called officials would report directly to the Empress Dowager, never considering him, the emperor. Even during court sessions, with the Empress Dowager sitting beside him, he could only see her back and buttocks.

Prolonged contempt and resentment gradually warped his heart, driving him to extremes.

Half a day later, at Fanlou.

Murong Fu and Wang Jinqing were playing chess when the eunuch delivering the imperial decree read it aloud without any politeness, then waited arrogantly for their reply.

Wang Jinqing hurriedly took out a gold leaf from his sleeve and secretly slipped it to the head eunuch who was delivering the imperial edict. The eunuch weighed the gold leaf slightly in his sleeve before revealing a satisfied smile. However, the next moment, he immediately put on a stern expression and looked at Murong Fu, scolding him: "You ignorant and unruly commoner, you will never rise in the world. The Imperial Son-in-Law, Commander Wang, recommended you, a wandering commoner, to treat the Empress Dowager. That is a blessing you cannot attain in several lifetimes. How dare you put on airs? When you see the imperial envoy, why don't you kneel down and pay your respects?"

Wang Jinqing kept giving Murong Fu meaningful glances, signaling him to quickly kneel down and pay his respects.

Murong Fu, however, remained seated in his chair, motionless, as if unaware of anything.

The eunuch delivering the imperial decree felt insulted. Over the years, even high-ranking officials like the Prefect of Kaifeng had treated him with utmost respect. Now, however, he was being ignored by a commoner who had appeared out of nowhere. His sensitive and fragile self-esteem immediately broke down.

"Tie this bastard up and beat him harder!"

The eunuch delivering the imperial decree had a shrill voice that sounded like the wailing of a night owl.

A dozen or so fierce Imperial Guard soldiers rushed forward to capture Murong Fu, but they were blocked by an invisible wall of energy just three feet away from him, and no matter how hard they tried, they could not advance any further.

Murong Fu's expression hardened, and he shouted, "Get out of the way!" Instantly, an invisible force emanated from the air wall, repelling more than a dozen Imperial Guard soldiers.

Wang Jinqing's expression changed drastically: "Sect Leader Murong, you mustn't do this!"

The eunuch delivering the imperial decree was so shocked by this scene that he was speechless for a long time. Finally, he shouted in a shrill voice, "Sorcery! Sorcery! A sorcerer is causing trouble!"

Murong Fu raised his hand and slapped the eunuch, sending half of his teeth flying out. They glistened in the sunlight. Then he stepped on the eunuch's head, pinning him to the ground. He held back his strength, otherwise the eunuch's head would have exploded on the spot.

Not only was Wang Jinqing stunned, but everyone present was dumbfounded.

"What should I do?"

Wang Jinqing felt as if his heart had fallen into an ice cave.

Murong Fu laughed and said, "Brother Wang, don't panic. I guarantee it won't implicate you. It's all this damned eunuch's fault."

"You fool, I ask you, who sent you here, and whose orders are you following?"

The eunuch was quite stubborn; even as he faced death, he remained defiant, muttering threats like "execution of the entire family."

Murong Fu said, "It seems that unless I teach you a lesson, you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin."

With that, he waved his hand, and an invisible force lifted the tea on the table. The tea then quickly condensed into thin ice shards in Murong Fu's hand, rushing towards the eunuch and disappearing instantly.

Instantly, a bloodcurdling scream, like a pig being slaughtered, rang out from the toothless eunuch's mouth.

The pain of the Life and Death Talisman could torment even a group of hardened knives who lived on the edge of death, like those in the Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands, to the point of wishing they were dead. How could a dead eunuch who was just a fox borrowing the tiger's power possibly withstand it?
The entire entourage was stunned by this tragic scene.