Catching Monsters

Chapter 421 Prince Fu's Assassination Attempt

Xiao Jingfu was also somewhat bewildered at this point, realizing that he had only intended to retreat as a means of advancing.

Unexpectedly, my father really intended to send me to guard the imperial mausoleum.

But after hearing Feng Yu's reminder, he finally understood.

Currently, the coastal bandits and the three southwestern provinces have been brought under the control of Wang Longzhi and his sixth brother. Now, the Great Zhou Dynasty needs to resolve these two major crises.

Knowing that he needed the Duke of Zhenguo to risk his life, Xiao Jingfu, after considering the crux of the problem, respectfully bowed to Xiao Yuzheng and said, "Father, rest assured, I know what I'm doing and will not cause you any trouble."

"You understand in your heart, that's enough."

Xiao Yuzheng said this only to give Xiao Jingfu a hint, and did not actually intend to arrange for him to guard the tomb.

After all, the crucial moment of establishing a crown prince is approaching. If Xiao Jingfu is sent to guard the tomb at this time, in the eyes of others, it would be tantamount to completely abandoning him.

Xiao Yuzheng slowly said, "Alright, the responsibility of guarding the tomb belongs to others. For the next period of time, you will stay at the academy and follow the great Confucian scholars there to cultivate your mind and character."

Upon hearing his father change his mind, Xiao Jingfu breathed a heavy sigh of relief and then took his leave.

After Xiao Jingfu turned and left, Feng Yu whispered, "Your Majesty, it seems that the Fourth Prince has quite a grudge against Jiang Yun..."

Xiao Yuzheng nodded slightly, not caring too much about it. As a mature monarch, such situations were common throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty.

It is common for a ruler to have ministers with whom he has had conflicts even after many years in office.

He said slowly, "If Jingfu were to sit in this position one day, he would find that many personal grudges are insignificant matters in the face of the power struggles and the ability to weigh the ministers."

"A qualified monarch should not be easily swayed by his emotions."

……

Night. Outside the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment venue), Jiang Yun was standing at the door.

The Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) was built along the river. It was a five-story restaurant with lights on inside, and candlelight flickered in every room, casting shadows...

There was no way around it; Xu Xiaogang truly lived up to his reputation as a disciple of Xu Dingwu. After returning to the capital, he immediately plunged into the Jiaofangsi (a type of entertainment venue).

Of course, as the Duke of Zhenguo, it was common for Xu Dingwu to frequent the brothels and socialize with other military generals and meritorious officials.

However, this fellow often stayed at the brothel for days and nights once he entered.

She had already been mingling in the Jiaofangsi for two full days. As a woman, it was not convenient for Xu Suwen to go in and out of such a place.

Otherwise, if it were someone with Xu Suwen's temperament, she would have already run into the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution) and dragged him out.

Just as Jiang Yun returned to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, Xu Suwen sent him here to bring Xu Xiaogang back to the mansion.

Jiang Yun looked at the woman's pleasant laughter coming from inside and shook his head helplessly.

He had always been quite curious about what the Jiaofangsi was like. He had been in the capital for almost a year, and he should have come to see it long ago.

However, Jiang Yun was not particularly interested in the Jiaofangsi (a type of entertainment institution).

Jiang Yun quickly walked into the brothel. Soon, a woman in her thirties greeted him with a smile and came up to him: "Oh, this young gentleman is quite unfamiliar. Is this your first time visiting our brothel?"

Jiang Yun took out his Embroidered Uniform Guard badge and said, "Is the Duke of Zhenguo, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard of the Eastern Garrison, here?"

Upon hearing Jiang Yun's identity, the woman's face showed a slight look of surprise, and she looked Jiang Yun up and down.

She had naturally heard of Jiang Yun's name long ago, after all, such a young Imperial Guard commander was a rare sight in the entire history of the Zhou Kingdom.

As a receptionist at the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution), even if she didn't care, she had heard Jiang Yun's name from officials who came to the Jiaofangsi for entertainment.

"Commander Jiang, I've long admired your name. I never expected you to look so young." The woman said with a smile, "The Duke of Zhenguo is here. Please follow me."

With that, he led Jiang Yun toward the Jiaofangsi (a type of entertainment venue).

As soon as he entered the Jiaofangsi, he smelled a fragrance. The entire building was quite large, consisting of five floors and eight courtyards.

Ordinary customers can dine in the main building, while ordinary people can only dine on the two lower floors.

Only high-ranking officials and nobles could enter the upper three floors.

The girls were all different.

The truly distinguished guests, however, reside in a quiet and luxurious courtyard built along the river at the rear.

Xu Xiaogang was, of course, in a small courtyard at that moment.

At the table, he and three other slightly older men, accompanied by a dozen beautiful girls, were enjoying their drinks.

These three men were all slightly impoverished nobles in the capital. They were basically the eldest sons of marquises, but their noble status alone made it difficult for them to obtain good official positions in the capital.

Xu Xiaogang is so envious of him now that his eyes are practically red with envy.

Back in the capital, these military officers and nobles looked down on him, thinking he was just a simpleton, ignorant and unreliable, always causing trouble.

Unexpectedly, he has now transformed into a favorite of His Majesty, taking command of the Zhenchi Army.

In terms of ability, they believe they are no less capable than Xu Xiaogang.

It's just that an opportunity is missing.

In their view, Xu Xiaogang's current success is solely due to his high status as the Duke of Zhenguo and his early death.

However, at the moment, the three of them were quite flattering as they toasted Xu Xiaogang.

Their families have limited resources, making it difficult to arrange any positions for them in the military.

But Xu Xiaogang can.

With just a word from Xu Xiaogang, they could enter Zhenchi Army and assume important positions.

During this period, although Xu Xiaogang indulged in debauchery at the brothel, he didn't spend a single penny of his own money; there were always people who enthusiastically paid the bills for him.

Just then, outside the courtyard, Jiang Yun, led directly into the courtyard by the woman in her thirties.

"Hey, who is this?"

The three people in the courtyard looked at the newcomer with curiosity, but they did not recognize him.

Of course they didn't know them. Although Jiang Yun had arrested many sons of powerful and wealthy families in the capital, those were all people whose fathers held high positions in the court.

There's no way these down-on-their-luck nobles would even know Jiang Yuncai.

"Brother-in-law!"

When Xu Xiaogang saw Jiang Yun arrive, he excitedly stood up and rushed over to give Jiang Yun a big bear hug.

Jiang Yun also sized up Xu Xiaogang. After not seeing him for many days, Xu Xiaogang looked more composed, his skin had darkened considerably, and he had shed some of his frivolity and gained more maturity.

"It's my fault, it's my fault. I originally planned to take you with me when I returned to the capital, but I heard that you were on official business and were not in the capital for the time being. That's why I came here alone."

"It's not that I didn't invite you."

Xu Xiaogang first explained, and then pulled Jiang Yun to sit down: "Come on, come on, let's drink."

Jiang Yun stood still, smiled at Xu Xiaogang, and said, "Xiaogang, your sister will handle the rest. If you need anything, just ask her..."

"What?"

Xu Xiaogang was stunned for a moment, then Jiang Yun grabbed his ear and shouted loudly in his ear, "You bastard, you're always hanging around in the brothel! If you don't get out here, I'll come in and arrest you myself!"

Jiang Yun's voice was so loud that Xu Xiaogang couldn't help but rub his ears. He glanced at Jiang Yun helplessly and said, "Brother-in-law, is it really necessary to be so loud..."

"Alright, let's go back first," Jiang Yun said in a deep voice.

Seeing that Xu Xiaogang was about to leave, the three noble sons of similar age present hurriedly reminded him, "Please wait, Your Excellency."

"Lord Duke, we have known each other for many years. We hope you will do our best to handle the matter we are asking of you."

Xu Xiaogang hiccuped and said, "Your matter, well, it's easy to handle, but it's also difficult to handle."

"Let's wait for further notice."

Xu Xiaogang couldn't help but wonder how well-informed these three bastards were, knowing that the Zhenchi Army had already set out to suppress the bandits.

The Zhenchi Army is renowned for its might; sending them to suppress bandits should be a piece of cake.

Now, as long as you join the Zhenchi Army, you'll be showered with military merits.

These three are really ambitious. They think they can get this good job just by having a few drinks. How is that possible?

Just as the two were about to leave, a scream suddenly came from a small courtyard not far away.

"Killed!"

"Killed!"

Instantly, Xu Xiaogang sobered up a bit, and Jiang Yun was even quicker, saying to Xu Xiaogang, "You stay here, I'll go see what's going on."

The courtyard from which the screams came was separated from the courtyard where Xu Xiaogang was located by another courtyard.

When Jiang Yun arrived, many women from the brothel had already rushed out in a chaotic manner.

Jiang Yun strode into the courtyard, where a richly dressed man in his seventies lay in a pool of blood.

Jiang Yun couldn't help but glance at the old man on the ground, thinking of the seven or eight women who had just escaped. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "This old man is really vigorous for his age."

But soon, Jiang Yun's expression became extremely solemn, because he saw the golden inner garment beneath the old man's clothes.

He's royalty!

Just then, Xu Xiaogang rushed over: "Brother-in-law, what happened?"

"Someone died."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiaogang stepped forward and took a look. His expression changed drastically. He couldn't believe that the old man had died in the Jiaofangsi.

"Prince Fu!"

"Brother-in-law, something terrible has happened!"

Upon seeing the old man lying in a pool of blood, Xu Xiaogang instantly sobered up.

Prince Fu?
Upon hearing these three words, Jiang Yun frowned slightly, then glanced around and said, "Let's go, this has nothing to do with us."

The two quickly left the courtyard.

The women who had rushed out in a panic earlier had also disappeared without a trace.

Soon, the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) learned of this news and quickly sealed it off, preventing anyone from leaving easily, and immediately reported it to the authorities.

The matter was of great importance; after all, it was Prince Fu who had died, and no one could leave easily. Even Jiang Yun and Xu Xiaogang were stopped.

The entrance to the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment venue) was already blocked by its staff. The eighty or ninety customers who came to patronize the venue were all placed in the lobby on the first floor to wait.

Soon, an official in his forties, with a somber expression, came before the group.

"Your Excellencies," the official forced a wry smile, took a deep breath, and slowly said, "I am Wang Quming, the Director of the Imperial Music Bureau."

Many high-ranking officials and dignitaries were present, and they knew that something serious might have happened.

But I can't help but ask: "What exactly happened?"

"I have official business to attend to tomorrow, so I need to go back and get some rest."

Wang Quming remained expressionless, ignoring the commotion. Among them were even two officials from the Ministry of Rites, a higher-level department.

However, Wang Quming still refused to release the people, saying instead, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard will be here soon. No one can leave easily until the matter is thoroughly investigated."

Jiang Yun and Xu Xiaogang did not force themselves to leave because of their status.

At this time, if one insists on leaving because of one's status, it would be nothing short of foolish. Even if there is no suspicion, people will still be suspicious of one's actions.

Many officials present shared this sentiment.

They knew in their hearts that those who were left behind were all of high status.

Many people were not people that Wang Quming of the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau) could offend.

In this situation, Wang Quming's insistence on keeping people indicates that something truly serious has happened.

Jiang Yun asked Xu Xiaogang in a low voice, "What's the situation with this Prince Fu?"

Xu Xiaogang lowered his voice and replied, "Prince Fu is no ordinary person."

As he spoke, he glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention to them before continuing, "Prince Fu is the head of the Imperial Clan Court, a position of great prestige, far beyond that of ordinary princes."

"Strange, who would want to kill him?" Jiang Yun frowned. Logically speaking, Prince Fu is already this old, and according to the average lifespan of the Zhou Dynasty, he shouldn't live for more than a few years.

Is it worth taking such a big risk to assassinate him?

Or is there some hidden story behind this that you are unaware of?

(End of this chapter)