In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 968 When neighbors are in trouble, instead of helping, one should turn against them.

Lu Mansion, located in the three alleys of Xi'an Gate.

The sun sank to the base of the west wall, gilding the gray courtyard wall with a layer of dark gold, but it couldn't suppress the somber atmosphere within!

The imperial guards stood in formation along the base of the courtyard wall, their silver armor gleaming coldly in the twilight.

The long sword and spear in his hand pointed diagonally at the ground, reflecting the setting sun, making people dizzy.

The leader of the team paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over every figure passing by the alley entrance, his Adam's apple bobbing from time to time.

Just now, the Duke of Wei personally gave the order.
The area around the Lu residence was guarded every three steps and sentries every five steps, so that not even a bird could fly in.

If even the slightest mistake is made, they will all have to pay with their lives.

The mansion gates were tightly shut, and the brass rings on the vermilion door panels gleamed in the setting sun.

Two imperial guards stood watch on either side of the gate.

His shoulders and back were ramrod straight, and he even breathed very softly.

The alley was eerily quiet, save for the occasional soft clatter of armor plates.
There were also sporadic sounds of horses' hooves coming from afar, but they were quickly suppressed by the solemn atmosphere.

The passersby watched from a distance, not daring to approach, only whispering among themselves, their eyes filled with worry.

After all, Lu Yunyi's name,

Everyone in Yingtian City knows him.

If something were to happen to this young official, the situation in the capital would likely become even more chaotic.

Pushing open the mansion gate, the scene inside the courtyard was even more tense than outside.

The doors and windows of the main house were wide open, and candlelight shone through.

There were many people standing under the corridor. Prefect Gao of Yingtian Prefecture was wearing an official robe, with his hands behind his back. He would occasionally look up at the curtain of the main room, his brows furrowed.

Hou Xian of the Market and Commerce Bureau held the account books, but had no interest in reading them.

Basong stood by the pillar, his hand on the sword at his waist, his eyes fixed on the crowd.

The most anxious one was Liu Sili.

He was wearing casual clothes, and his hair was a little messy.

He paced back and forth in the corridor, muttering to himself:

"Why isn't he better yet? It's been almost two days. Is he alright?!"

As he spoke, he tried to rush towards the main house, but was stopped by the butler beside him:
"My lord, the imperial physician is treating patients. Your presence would be a disturbance."

Liu Sili suddenly stopped in his tracks, his hands clenched so tightly in his sleeves that they turned white, and his eyes were red.

Such a precious son-in-law was assassinated right under his nose.

If something really goes wrong, how will he explain it?

"They're here! People from the palace have arrived!"

A voice suddenly announced something from outside the courtyard, and everyone turned to look.
Then, the chief eunuch Li Zhong, carrying a whisk, strode in with two junior eunuchs.

Sweat beaded on his forehead, but he dared not wipe it away. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he anxiously asked:
"How is Lord Lu? What about the imperial physician? His Majesty is still waiting for news in the palace!"

Gao Shou quickly stepped forward, his voice low:

"Eunuch Li, the imperial physician is still inside treating patients. It's been almost two days, and he hasn't come out yet."

Li Zhong's face immediately darkened.

He walked to the door of the main room, and just as he was about to lift the curtain, he stopped.

He knew he shouldn't be disturbed when the imperial physicians were treating him.

But His Majesty is pressing him hard, and if something really happens to Lord Lu, he, the messenger eunuch, will not fare well either.

Just as he was caught in a dilemma, the curtain of the main room was suddenly lifted.

A minor official dressed in a blue medical robe stepped forward, bowed to the crowd, and said:
"My lords, Judge Li would like to invite you inside to speak."

Liu Sili was the first to rush in, followed by Li Zhong, Gao Shou, Hou Xian, and Ba Song.

Inside the main room, the candlelight crackled, casting flickering light on everyone's faces.

Lu Yunyi lay on the bed, his face pale.

His chest was covered with white gauze, and although his breathing was weak, it was still relatively steady.

Dr. Jingchen was taking a patient's pulse by the window.
Judge Li stood by the bed, holding a blood-stained cloth in his hand.

Seeing everyone enter, he put down the cloth and said to Li Zhong:
"My lords, Lord Lu's life is not in danger for the time being."

"No danger to your life?"

Liu Sili rushed over and grabbed Judge Li's arm, his voice trembling:

"Tell me clearly, what exactly happened to Yun Yi?"

Judge Li patted Liu Sili's hand.

He gestured for him to calm down, then pointed to a copper basin beside the bed and said:

"Everyone, please take a look."

Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing.

Three dark brown flints were placed in the copper basin.

There were still streaks of blood on them, each about the size of a red bean.

Judge Li continued:

"Lord Lu's chest wound looks frightening, but it's actually a stroke of luck."

He was wearing a soft armor woven from black iron. Nearly forty flints were struck on the armor, fifteen of which pierced through two layers of armor but penetrated only half an inch into his flesh, without damaging his internal organs.

Only these three pieces penetrate deep into the flesh.
It took me and several colleagues three days to find it.
There was a piece of tissue less than an inch from my heart; it was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

Upon hearing this, Liu Sili's legs went weak, and he fell backward.

One inch! He almost died.
"Soft armor?"

The head eunuch also breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of joy at surviving a calamity.

It's good that the person didn't die.
When a person dies, that's when true chaos begins.

He glanced at Lu Yunyi's bedside, where a gilded soft armor hung.

The black iron wires are intricately woven together.
His chest area was completely blackened, riddled with holes, some of which were still embedded with flint.
The surrounding area was stained with dark red blood, a horrifying sight.

At this moment, Xu Zengshou, who was on duty outside, also rushed in and immediately saw the situation in the field.

The guard explained the situation to him, and Xu Zengshou breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
He walked over to the soft nail, gently touched the dented area, and gasped.
"This is the soft armor the General gave to Lord Lu; thankfully he wore it."

Liu Sili looked at the dent in the soft nail, then at Lu Yunyi on the bed, wiped her face, and said in a voice full of relief:

"Thank goodness, thank goodness I was wearing soft armor, otherwise..."

The head eunuch also breathed a sigh of relief. He walked over to Judge Li and asked eagerly:

"Imperial Physician Li, when will Lord Lu wake up? His Majesty is still waiting for news in the palace."

Judge Li pondered for a moment and said:
"We have already administered acupuncture to Lord Lu."

I gave him some hemostatic medicine, and I reckon he'll wake up tonight.

However, the wound still needs to be properly cared for.

"You must avoid getting angry or overworking yourself for three months, otherwise it's easy to develop scars and pus."

"Good good!"

The head eunuch nodded hurriedly, then turned to the junior eunuch behind him and said:

"You must return to the palace quickly and tell His Majesty what the imperial physician said."
Tell His Majesty that Lord Lu is out of danger and will wake up tonight, so that His Majesty can rest assured.

The young eunuch received the order and quickly ran out.

The head eunuch then looked at Liu Sili, his tone softening somewhat:
"Lord Liu, after Lord Lu woke up..."

If anything happens, I will have to trouble you to send someone to the palace to report immediately.

His Majesty is very concerned about Lord Lu's injuries.
If anything goes wrong, we can't afford the consequences.

Liu Sili quickly replied:

"Don't worry, Father-in-law, as soon as Yunyi wakes up..."
I immediately sent someone to the palace to report the news; I dared not delay.

Gao Shou walked to the bedside, looked at Lu Yunyi's pale face, and sighed:

"Lord Lu was very lucky this time; fortunately, he was protected by soft armor."

"That assassin was incredibly audacious, daring to attempt an assassination in full view of everyone, and even using weapons. It seems the rebels in the capital are truly desperate."

Gao Shou felt a chill run down his spine, a sense of lingering fear creeping over him.
If the person before him were truly dead, then he would be useless as the Prefect of the Capital.
Liu Sili nodded in agreement:

"Once the person wakes up, we need to investigate thoroughly and find out who dared to be so bold!"

The issue with the grain merchants hasn't been fully resolved yet.

Now there's been another assassination attempt; these people really don't want peace in the capital.

Xu Zengshou clenched his fist, his eyes turning cold:

"No matter who it is, once they're found out, I'll make them pay with their blood! How dare they hurt an adult, I won't let them get away with it!"

Seeing that everyone was agitated, Judge Li spoke up to persuade them:
"My lords, the most important thing now is to let Lord Lu rest and recuperate. The investigation will be handled by the Three Departments of the Palace."

For now, we should arrange for someone to guard the area.

"Don't let any irrelevant people in to disturb us, and don't let Lord Lu be frightened again."

Liu Sili nodded quickly:

"Yes, yes, everyone go, everyone go."
Butler, go and arrange for someone to stand guard at the main entrance.

Apart from the imperial physicians and their attendants, no one else was allowed to enter. Also, over in the kitchen…
"Have them make some nourishing soup to replenish Yunyi's qi and blood, so he can drink it when he wakes up."

The butler accepted the order and quickly went out.

The group stayed inside for a while longer.

Seeing that Lu Yunyi's breathing was steady and there was nothing wrong, they gradually withdrew.
Only two personal maids remained in the room to serve him.

Stepping out of the main house, the night was deep.
The candlelight in the courtyard flickered in the wind, casting shadows that were sometimes long and sometimes short.

The head eunuch looked at the guards of the Lu residence and said to the guards:

"Lord Gao, I'll have to trouble you to keep an eye on the guards around the Lu residence. Please make sure nothing else goes wrong."

Gao Shou bowed deeply.

"Don't worry, Father-in-law, I've already ordered more men to be deployed to guard various points along Xianmen Street."
Anyone entering the three alleys must undergo rigorous questioning.

Having said that, he looked at Eunuch Li and asked softly:

"Father-in-law, may I ask if the murderer has been found?"

"That's exactly what we were going to tell you."

The head eunuch's face was solemn, and he said in a deep voice:
"Neither the person nor the gun has been found."

"did not find?"

Gao Shou's expression immediately turned serious.

As long as the murderer is not found, the capital will not be able to return to peace.

The very act of sealing off the nine gates and preventing entry and exit has already caused considerable trouble for the capital.

The head eunuch gestured for him to stop.
"Don't worry, although the murderer hasn't been found, there has been some progress in solving the case."

The gun was produced by the Ministry of Works workshops, and after changing hands several times, it ended up in the hands of Lord Wang of the Ministry of War.

"Could it be Lord Wang, the Right Vice Minister?"

"That's right, but the gun was lost in Lord Wang's hands, or rather, it was stolen by someone."

A look of confusion flashed in Gao Shou's eyes, his face full of bewilderment:
"Please explain clearly, sir."

"The gun was placed in the Sanyuan Pawnshop next to the Hexing Dyehouse in the north of the city."

Upon hearing the address, Gao Shou's expression suddenly turned serious, and he let out a low gasp:
How did it get there?

The head eunuch gave him a meaningful look.

It seems that this Prefect of the Capital was also aware of the shady dealings at Hexing Dyehouse.

However, he was not surprised. If the capital city government didn't even have this much control, then the capital would have been riddled with holes long ago.

"What does Your Excellency wish to do for me?" Gao Shou asked in a deep voice.

The chief eunuch said calmly:

"His Majesty means that the government offices in the capital should also cooperate in the investigation."
We need to get to the bottom of this, especially to find that gun.

The bodies from the Sanyuan Pawnshop have all been exhumed.
The capital city government can send coroners to examine corpses and investigate cases jointly with the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Having said that, the head eunuch took out a document from his robes and handed it over:

"These are the autopsy results from the palace and the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
The coroners in the capital are highly experienced; let's see if they can uncover any clues that we haven't noticed before.

Gao Shou picked up the document and flipped through it. His expression suddenly changed, and his eyes were filled with absurdity.

"A sword wound from a member of the Imperial Guard?"

The chief eunuch nodded slightly: "That's why the coroners from the capital need to investigate the case together."

Gao Shou suddenly understood: some people didn't believe the result, while others wanted to confirm it.

That's why the capital's government office was brought in.

He nodded:
"Rest assured, Your Excellency, I will organize the best coroners from the eight counties of the capital to examine the body as soon as I return. However, there is one thing I do not understand."

"what?"

"If I remember correctly, Hexing Dyehouse is a merchant house owned by the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

This happened right next to us, and it was done with a Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) sword.

All the clues now indicate that the Embroidered Uniform Guard is involved in this matter.

In that case, wouldn't it be like the thief crying "stop thief!" if the Embroidered Uniform Guard were to investigate?

At this point, Gao Shou frowned and spoke meaningfully:
"Lord Mao and Lord Lu have an irreconcilable feud!"

The head eunuch remained calm, knowing he was implying something, and said:
"Rest assured, Lord Gao, Lord Mao has been returned to prison."

Lord Du is now in charge of this matter, so you can rest assured.

"Du Pingping?"

"Exactly."

Gao Shou looked enlightened and nodded:
"I understand. Please inform His Majesty that the capital's government offices will do everything in their power to solve this case."

"It's getting late, I should return to the palace to report first."
If anyone causes trouble again during this period, Lord Gao, please remember to put His Majesty at ease.

Gao Shou's expression was solemn:

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty."

The chief eunuch strolled away from the Lu residence, and Gao Shou watched his retreating figure with a furrowed brow.

In the previous turmoil, the capital and the government remained neutral, thus narrowly escaping disaster.

There is already some discontent in the palace, and now that Lord Lu is in bed...
If any further trouble arises, the capital government will have to take action itself.
"Ugh"

Thinking of this, Gao Shou sighed.

The position of Prefect of the Capital was filled with superiors, making him a constant source of humiliation and mistreatment.

At this moment, Liu Sili hurriedly walked over:

"So? What did he say?"

Gao Shou said earnestly:
"Brother Liu, this matter involves a wide range of issues and is not like an ordinary case."

Next, he told Liu Sili about the Hexing Dyehouse and the Sanyuan Pawnshop, and also about the palace's attitude.

He wasn't without his own motives; if one were to ask who in the capital had the greatest ability to gather information,
It was neither the Embroidered Uniform Guard nor the Imperial Guard, but the Yingtian Trading Company, whose network extended throughout the capital region.

With a single command, tens of thousands of villages can help find people.

Liu Sili was furious upon hearing this.
He slammed his fist into a nearby pillar and cursed under his breath:

"It must have been the Embroidered Uniform Guard! How could Mao Xiang escape responsibility for killing so many people?"

"Calm down, Brother Liu, calm down."

Although Gao Shou also had this suspicion, he still whispered a reminder:
"The manager of Hexing Dyehouse is Qian Xinghuai."

He died in the Lotus Pavilion last year, and that incident caused quite a stir.

Whether Hexing Dyehouse remained under the control of the Embroidered Uniform Guard after that remains to be investigated.

"Investigate? What else is there to investigate?"
The actions of the Embroidered Uniform Guard over the past two months have clearly been aiding the rebels.

Can't you see it, Mr. Gao?

Now that the Market Transaction Bureau has won a great victory, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has come out to kill people again. This is clearly a case of resorting to underhanded tactics when they can't win in a direct confrontation.

If this matter has nothing to do with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, I simply will not believe it!

Liu Sili's face showed anger:

"Tomorrow, tomorrow I will submit a memorial impeaching Mao Xiang, and you will impeach him with me!"
Whether he's the murderer or not, arrest him and investigate first!

"This is against the rules."

Gao Shou looked troubled and stammered.

He hadn't expected that Manager Liu would be so fierce, immediately wanting to impeach the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

However, he couldn't refuse, and Yingtian Trading Company voluntarily paid the commercial tax.
He brought an unknown amount of money to the government offices in the capital.

He's a true god of wealth, someone you can't afford to offend.
"What rules are there to talk about? They've already come to our doorstep, why would we talk about rules? Isn't that absurd?"
As long as that gun is not found, we will both be in danger.

Today, those traitors dare to kill a second-rank official.
What should I do if they want to kill you tomorrow?
You've seen the power of that thing; it can kill someone from a hundred paces away, and anyone hit by it will die.

"Unless we wear that soft armor all day long, we wouldn't dare go out at all."

Gao Shou's face stiffened; this was something he had his concerns about.

How could such top-secret weaponry have been leaked and used to kill people from such a distance?
Without a doubt, this is a shock to all adults.

"Alright, that's settled then."
If you won't submit a memorial impeaching me, fine, I'll do it myself!

Liu Sili waved his hand and turned to walk into the house.

"hey hey"

Gao Shou quickly stepped forward and grabbed him, speaking earnestly:

"Brother Liu, please calm down. I didn't say I wouldn't impeach you."

The Embroidered Uniform Guard has allowed the rebellious faction to run rampant for the past three months; it should have been dealt with long ago.

But the two of us can't do it all; we need to bring in more people!

Even if Mao Xiang didn't do it, we must completely destroy him. If he manages to rise again, we'll be the ones in trouble.

"to make!"

Liu Sili nodded:

"I'll trouble Lord Gao to contact the heads of the Six Ministries, while I go to the Governor's Office and the other marquises."

(End of this chapter)