Catching Monsters

Chapter 368 Tongyou Guard

"Your Majesty, I'm innocent! Your Majesty, I'm innocent!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Yuan's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly begged for mercy. He quickly knelt on the ground, completely losing his previous air of otherworldly elegance.

He kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty, I have other elixirs, you..."

Soon, the eunuchs who were originally in the alchemy room lighting the fire and refining pills stepped forward at Feng Yu's glance and pinned Chu Yuangeng to the ground.

"Your Majesty, I have the secret to immortality. I truly know the secret to immortality." Chu Yuan, perhaps knowing that this calamity might be difficult to overcome, could only bring out the deepest secret hidden in his heart as a bargaining chip.

"Wait." Xiao Yuzheng slowly raised his hand, the words "immortality" constantly teasing his senses.

He took a deep breath, stared intently at Chu Yuangeng, and asked, "Master Chu, think it through before you speak. This is your last chance to live."

"If you are a smart person, you'd better tell the truth."

"If you conceal even the slightest thing, I will not let you off lightly."

"Yes." Chu Yuan took a deep breath, knelt on the ground and said respectfully, "Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and has keen insight. I was originally a fisherman from Jiangyu in the south, and the alchemy technique I use is a family heirloom."

"According to my father, our ancestors were renowned alchemists who received preferential treatment from Emperor Shizong and even refined elixirs for him..."

"Unfortunately, the elixir went awry, and Emperor Shizong suddenly died..."

"Then my entire family was executed. My grandfather escaped quickly and fled to Jiangyu Province to avoid the disaster..."

"From then on, generations of fishermen worked as fishermen..."

Xiao Yuzheng's eyes flashed with even more murderous intent. According to records, Emperor Shizong had indeed died from taking an elixir of immortality.

Unexpectedly, it was Chu Yuangeng's ancestor who killed him.

Chu Yuan could feel the killing intent in Xiao Yuzheng's eyes. He took a deep breath and said urgently, "Your Majesty, the elixir I refined may be fake, but the immortal mountain I spoke of is real!"

"When I was fishing at sea, I was caught in a storm and inexplicably entered a sea area, where I saw the legendary fairy mountain."

"Above that immortal mountain, clouds and mist swirl, and in the sky above, there is a huge island, and cranes fly by."

"Immortals reside there!"

"Your Majesty!" Chu Yuan knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, his eyes filled with fear as he said, "Your Majesty, if you allow me to lead men out to sea, I will surely be able to find that immortal mountain for Your Majesty."

"On the sacred mountain, there must be immortals!"

Bang bang bang.

In the empty alchemy room, only the sound of Chu Yuangeng kowtowing could be heard. He kowtowed until his head bled, but he didn't care at all.

Xiao Yuzheng frowned, turned to look at Feng Yu beside him, and calmly asked, "Feng Yu, in your opinion, is what this Taoist Chu said true?"

Feng Yu shook his head without hesitation, snorted coldly, and said disdainfully, "What kind of bizarre lies won't this charlatan tell to save his life? Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, it's best not to believe this person's nonsense anymore."

“This man is audacious and dares to poison you. In my opinion, it is best to kill him as soon as possible to prevent future troubles.”

The so-called legend of the fairy island that this guy talks about is nothing but a myth. In this world, there are countless legends and stories about such islands.

Moreover, even if there really were such a sacred mountain, how could an ordinary fisherman like him possibly observe it?

"Wait a minute." Jiang Yun raised his hand. For some reason, he felt that what this guy was saying seemed to be true.

He slowly approached Chu Yuangeng and asked in a deep voice, "Chu Yuangeng, since you say you can see the immortal mountain, what is the direction?"

"From Nancheng County in Jiangyu Province, heading south to the sea, it's about a hundred li..."

"I can't remember the exact location; the sea wind was too strong, and I lost my bearings..."

"Commander Jiang, everything I have said is true."

"Please, please, please plead for me."

"I don't want to die, I don't want to die."

Jiang Yun calmly retreated, watching Chu Yuan being dragged out from the spot.

Nonsense, are you crazy? Plead for him?

This guy is poisoning the emperor!

Anyone who dares to plead for mercy is asking for death!
Seeing Chu Yuan being taken away, Xiao Yuzheng felt even more frustrated. He had finally found a talent who was proficient in alchemy.

In the end, he turned out to be just another fraudster with a hollow reputation.

Thinking of this, Xiao Yuzheng slowly turned his gaze to Jiang Yun beside him: "I remember you just said that you can refine pills?"

"Yes." Jiang Yun gave a wry smile, took a deep breath and slowly explained, "However, the pills I know are some that strengthen the body and prolong life."

"It is impossible to become an immortal immediately after taking it for a period of time."

"Just now, I lied and said I could refine elixirs, hoping to make Your Majesty believe me and expose this fraudster."

Jiang Yun spoke the truth without daring to hide anything, and then said, "Although the dosage may not be enough, His Majesty already has symptoms of mercury poisoning. We should first use herbs such as Smilax glabra, Lysimachia christinae, and Glycyrrhiza uralensis to decoct Chinese medicine to clear the toxins from his body."

"I will prescribe another prescription later. Follow the instructions and take it daily. I believe Your Majesty's health will be somewhat better than before."

Hearing this, Xiao Yuzheng's face showed a hint of satisfaction. He put his hands behind his back and said, "Feng Yu, Jiang Yun, come with me."

Jiang Yun and Feng Yu exchanged a glance and then hurriedly followed.

Soon, Xiao Yuzheng led the two of them to take a walk in the Imperial Garden, which was not far from the palace.

Feng Yu followed half a body length behind Xiao Yuzheng.

Jiang Yun was about half a body length away from Feng Yu.

Xiao Yuzheng walked ahead and slowly said, "Jiang Yun, you came to see me not just because you wanted to expose this swindler for me, right?"

"Speak your mind directly, don't beat around the bush."

"Yes." Seeing Xiao Yuzheng's response, Jiang Yun continued, "Your Majesty, after General Zhang Yuhu became the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he first suspended me from my duties..."

"Of course, General Zhang Yuhu, as the commander, has this authority." "But just now, he captured Master Yunwu and Monk Wuhui of Bailong Temple and brought them to the Northern Garrison Command, intending to extract a confession through torture."

There's no need to say more; Xiao Yuzheng quickly understood the reason behind it all.

Xiao Yuzheng frowned slightly, somewhat surprised. He turned to look at Jiang Yun and asked, "Did you offend Zhang Yuhu when he took office?"

"No."

Xiao Yuzheng remained silent for a moment, because before Zhang Yuhu took over as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he had a special talk with Zhang Yuhu.

The gist is that you shouldn't make too many changes before you understand the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Xiao Yuzheng also specifically reminded Zhang Yuhu to temporarily put aside his grudges with the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and not to target Jiang Yun...

Xiao Yuzheng's expression gradually became more serious, and he said in a low voice, "Alright, I am aware of this matter. I will have Feng Yu personally go to the Northern Garrison Command to bring out those two monks."

"You go back first."

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun breathed a heavy sigh of relief. It was clear that Xiao Yuzheng and Feng Yu still had things to say, and Jiang Yun could not stay any longer. After bowing, she turned and left.

After Jiang Yun walked away, Xiao Yuzheng came to a flower bush in the Imperial Garden, looked down at the lush and beautiful flowers, and said slowly, "No matter how beautiful these flowers are, people will only come to admire them when they are in full bloom."

"When it reaches the point where its oil is exhausted, its youth is gone, and it withers and fades away, the people around it will all turn away in disgust."

"You're right, aren't you, Feng Yu?"

Xiao Yuzheng's words were clearly not directed at the flower, but rather at something else.

Feng Yu lowered his head, took a deep breath, and whispered, "Your Majesty, you..."

"Cough cough."

Xiao Yuzheng coughed violently, then took a deep breath and slowly said, "If it were before, would Zhang Yuhu have dared to disobey my orders?"

"He probably sees that I am terminally ill and has already found one of my princes, wanting to perform the merit of supporting him ahead of time."

At this point, Xiao Yuzheng's solemn expression softened somewhat: "Of course, I can understand. Not to mention Zhang Yuhu, the entire court of civil and military officials have probably been harboring some thoughts lately."

"The Minister of Revenue Zheng Chengze, the Minister of Rites Miao Yuanxing, and the Minister of Personnel Yan Hua have met privately several times recently."

"Military officers and nobles are moving around more frequently today. Even the commanders like Marquis Weiwu on the northern front have sent many of their trusted confidants back to the capital upon hearing the news."

"This scene is somewhat similar to what happened twenty-eight years ago when we were preparing to take action; it's quite a lively affair."

Feng Yu, standing beside him, respectfully said, "Your Majesty, you are overthinking it."

"Alright." Xiao Yuzheng took a deep breath and said slowly, "These guys, I'm not dead yet."

"Your Majesty, since Zhang Yuhu is not listening to you, why not appoint someone else as the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?" Feng Yu suggested from the side, "After all, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has too much power and responsibility..."

Feng Yu didn't dare to say what came next directly.

If Zhang Yuhu were allowed to continue as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, given time, he would have already placed his people in positions above and below him.

Once Xiao Yuzheng passes away...

The prince supported by Zhang Yuhu would likely be even more powerful.

"Come with me," Xiao Yuzheng said, leading Feng Yu back to the Imperial Study.

Afterwards, Xiao Yuzheng rummaged through a stack of letters in the imperial study, took out a letter, and placed it in front of Feng Yu: "Take a look."

"What is this?" Feng Yu asked in a low voice.

"A secret letter delivered by the Tongyou Guard."

Upon hearing the words "Tongyou Guard," Feng Yu's pupils constricted slightly, and he respectfully reached out to accept the secret letter.

Tongyou Guard is a force directly controlled by Xiao Yuzheng. The number of experts in it is not large. According to Feng Yu's guess, there are probably only a dozen to twenty people.

But each of them is a top-notch expert.

Even Feng Yu, Xiao Yuzheng's closest confidante, only knew the identities of two or three of them.

It should be noted that Feng Yu had always served as the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Palace Attendants.

The Directorate of Palace Attendants ranked second among the twenty-four departments of eunuchs.

The number one position was held by the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

The top-ranking eunuch in charge of the seal was the leader of the Tongyou Guard, responsible for managing the Tongyou Guard on behalf of Xiao Yuzheng.

After receiving the secret letter and carefully examining it, Feng Yu's pupils contracted slightly.

The inscription reads that the Fourth Prince, Xiao Jingfu, consulted a fortune teller to interpret the divination results. Unexpectedly, the divination indicated that Jiang Yun would be the biggest obstacle to Xiao Jingfu's ascension to the throne.

After reading the confidential letter, Feng Yu dared not offer any comment.

He was secretly shocked; it turned out that His Majesty knew everything.

Xiao Yuzheng then sat down in a chair and slowly said, "Jingfu has been clever and quick-witted since he was a child, but unfortunately, sometimes his cleverness backfires."

"His cleverness might be enough for a prince, but he would be lacking in many ways if he were to become an emperor."

"Let Jing Fu do whatever he wants." Xiao Yuzheng closed his eyes and said calmly, "If Jing Fu can't even deal with Jiang Yun, he can't sit on this dragon throne."

Upon hearing this, Feng Yu was secretly alarmed and understood Xiao Yuzheng's meaning.

This is to make Jiang Yun a test for Xiao Jingfu.

Feng Yuke knew Jiang Yun's abilities very well. He whispered, "Your Majesty, Jiang Yun is no ordinary person. What if the Fourth Prince..."

Xiao Yuzheng opened his eyes: "I have temporarily given the Embroidered Uniform Guard to Zhang Yuhu and him. If he can't even deal with Jiang Yun, he shouldn't be thinking about the throne."

(End of this chapter)