Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 369 Making a Determination, Providing Secret Assistance

The living conditions of eunuchs were extremely cruel.

It wasn't just because of the eunuch's status—he was essentially the emperor's servant—but also because of the eunuchs themselves.

Because of their physical disabilities, many eunuchs had completely different life pursuits and personalities from normal people, and were even more cruel and ruthless.

This is not slander, but the truth. Countless eunuchs in the palace died at the hands of other eunuchs.

Because of this cruel nature, power struggles among eunuchs often turned into life-or-death battles. When one gained power, their rivals would inevitably face retaliation.

The source of eunuchs' power...the emperor, was also a major reason for this situation.

All the power of a eunuch came from the emperor, which meant that the emperor could reinstate a eunuch or give him important positions at will.

It's possible that just strolling around the palace, taking a liking to a particular eunuch, and then promoting him to a high position.

If a eunuch defeats his rival but doesn't kill him, then that rival could very well be given an important position immediately if he had the chance to impress the emperor.

And to prevent the enemy from rising again, the best way is naturally... to kill!

After pondering for a long time in his room, Cao Zhengchun clearly realized that he was now walking a tightrope, and every step he took from now on had to be extremely cautious.

On the one hand, they lost the emperor's favor.

On the other hand, Zhu Wushi is about to be released, and he will absolutely, positively take revenge on me.

This is something that cannot be avoided at all.

At the same time, he was already old and his peak had passed.

Although with his skill, he might live to be a hundred years old, if he loses his skill, he might not be able to save his life in the cruel court and the even more cruel palace.

The enemy is at the height of its power.

His subordinates are ambitious.

In that instant, Cao Zhengchun suddenly understood why so many monarchs in history were wise and powerful when they were young, but became tyrannical and even cruel and bloodthirsty when they grew old.

Because in order to maintain his position, he must eliminate all threats!

Just like Cao Zhengchun now, a fierce killing intent is rising in his heart towards Zhu Wushi and Liu Xi!
However, we must take things one step at a time and handle things one by one.

Compared to Liu Xi, Zhu Wushi is clearly more important.

He must be killed within three days!

Having made up his mind, Cao Zhengchun disregarded the late hour and immediately ordered, "Men, come here!"

Although anxious, they still proceeded step by step with the preparations.

All for that ultimate goal!

Two days later.

The eighth level of the Heavenly Prison.

"Zhu Wushi, I've come here specifically to congratulate you."

Cao Zhengchun saw Zhu Wushi in a cage made of tempered steel.

Zhu Wushi was now completely bound by iron chains, with nine dragon-head nails driven into his major acupoints. His body was covered with marks of torture, making him look incredibly miserable. He was a far cry from the noble and esteemed Iron-Blooded Marquis he once was.

Despite his appearance, Zhu Wushi still maintained his pride and said coldly, "Congratulations to me? I can't accept your congratulations."

"You deserve it! You are a nobleman of the Ming Dynasty, the current emperor's uncle. Even in this state, you will not die. Tomorrow, you will be able to leave this prison and regain your freedom!"

"Oh? If that's the case, how can you still laugh so happily?"

Cao Zhengchun laughed and said, "I'm laughing because although you can leave the prison tomorrow, you will die today!"

"You dare to kill me without my permission?"

"I certainly wouldn't dare, but who can blame me when... His Majesty has given a clear oral decree?"

Zhu Wushi was furious, but he was bound and could do nothing. He could only stare wide-eyed and shout, "He dares!"

"Your Majesty not only dares, but is even prepared to do it!"

As Cao Zhengchun spoke, a sense of pride welled up within him.

He put a lot of effort into this case. Before imprisoning Zhu Wushi, he cleared out the entire eighth level of the prison, leaving no one behind, except for Zhu Wushi.

And no one was left to guard it.

The purpose was to isolate Zhu Wushi completely, preventing him from learning any information about the outside world.

This is a way to put psychological pressure on Zhu Wushi.

As the emperor's uncle, Zhu Wushi was unlikely to die even if he committed a serious crime, let alone bribery, as long as he didn't rebel.

But there was one person who was able to kill Zhu Wushi!

That was the emperor.

Therefore, Cao Zhengchun also unceremoniously invoked the emperor's name to put psychological pressure on Zhu Wushi.

Anyway, there were only the two of them on the eighth level of the prison.

What came out of his mouth was ignored by Zhu Wushi.

Even after leaving this place, Cao Zhengchun would never admit to these words.

Judging from the results, it should be quite good...

Of course, this was only what Cao Zhengchun himself thought.

His so-called ingenious methods were completely useless in the face of Zhu Wushi, the mastermind behind everything.

They still needed Zhu to ignore his own actions and cooperate with Cao Zhengchun.

On the surface, it appears that Cao Zhengchun imprisoned Zhu Wushi on the eighth floor of this prison.

In reality, however, it was Zhu Wushi who had woven an invisible net, waiting for Cao Zhengchun to fall into it.

Cao Zhengchun not only got in, but he hasn't even noticed any flaws yet.

At this moment, Zhu Wushi was outwardly furious, but inwardly he was also wondering about it.

What is Cao Zhengchun trying to do?
There is never a perfectly flawless plan in the world. Even the so-called ancient schemes can theoretically be countered.

His plan was so effective that it placed him in an open and invincible position, preventing his enemies from killing him through honorable means.

As for underhanded tactics, they are truly impossible to guard against.

When a person is completely shameless and disregards rules, no plan will be of any use.

This is exactly what Zhu Wushi is most wary of.

He pondered for a moment and said, "An imperial edict? Heh, that brat probably wants to kill more than just me, doesn't he?"

Cao Zhengchun's smile faded, and he said, "Not bad!"

What is an oral edict?

It's something that the emperor simply gives orders to.

It was not written down, nor was it required to be proclaimed to the world as an imperial edict with this jade seal.

Therefore, the emperor could change his mind at any time and claim that such a thing never happened.

Although this so-called imperial edict was nothing more than a fabrication by Cao Zhengchun, he still made the appropriate response at this moment.

For a moment, the only two people in the eighth level of the prison displayed astonishing acting skills, each playing the other. "Killing a member of the royal family is a serious crime. But His Majesty the Emperor wants you dead, so what can I do? I can only obediently take the blame."

Zhu Wushi's eyes flickered: "But you, I'm afraid, aren't willing to honestly accept your fate."

"The Marquis of Shenhou has a truly accurate eye for people!"

Cao Zhengchun laughed and said, "So, I'd like to ask the Divine Marquis for his cooperation in getting out of this eighth level of the Heavenly Prison. What do you say?"

Zhu Wushi's gaze sharpened: "You want me to escape from prison?!"

"Not bad!"

Prison break is a serious crime!
Once someone escapes from prison, even if they are innocent, they are still guilty, let alone Zhu Wushi who is already guilty.

Cao Zhengchun said, "After Shenhou escaped from prison, I will naturally pursue and capture him. However, Shenhou's martial arts are unparalleled, and in order to capture him, I naturally went all out. It is normal that I couldn't control my strength and accidentally killed Shenhou."

Thus, even if the Divine Marquis dies, though I have made a mistake, it was unintentional. Most importantly, I have fulfilled His Majesty's wishes, and even if I am demoted as a result, I will surely be reinstated one day!

"Hahaha……"

Zhu Wushi laughed loudly, mocking, "You old eunuch, you haven't even started dreaming yet, but you're already in a dream. Why should I cooperate with your plan and fulfill your wishes?"

"Well, that's because of them, of course!"

Cao Zhengchun turned around and walked to the entrance of the eighth floor, grabbing a person in.

Dressed in white, though in men's attire, her stunning beauty was still undeniable.

It is none other than the adopted daughter of the Divine Marquis, Shangguan Haitang, a Xuan-level secret agent of the Dragon Guard Manor!
At this moment, Shangguan Haitang's whole body was stiff, like a piece of wood. She had obviously been acupunctured and had her meridians sealed, so she could not move at all, and could not even make a sound.

Seeing Zhu Wushi's miserable state, Shangguan Haitang's eyes reddened, but she was unable to speak, unable to express the grief in her heart.

Zhu Wushi also suddenly rushed towards the cell door, causing the chains on his body to rattle: "Haitang! You want to capture her to threaten me?"

"It's not just Miss Haitang, I said...them!"

"You also arrested Tianya and the others?"

"That's right!"

Cao Zhengchun's face showed an extremely smug smile, and he said, "However, capturing these few is nothing, the key is that one... Miss Suxin!"

"What! Su Xin?! Impossible, you're lying to me! How could you possibly have found Su Xin!"

Upon hearing this name, Zhu Wushi instantly went berserk, completely disregarding the nine dragon-head nails on his body, and frantically rammed into the prison door.

In that instant, he completely forgot about all his schemes and plots.

Cao Zhengchun's smile grew even more smug: "Hahaha, those who act justly gain much support, while those who act unjustly find little. There are far too many people in this world who want you, Zhu Wushi, dead. Guess what? Someone delivered intelligence to my bedside, even though I had spent a lot of effort trying to find them!"

Since rumors began circulating that Zhu Wushi wanted to recreate the Heavenly Fragrance Bean in order to revive his beloved, Cao Zhengchun thought of capturing this person to threaten Zhu Wushi.

However, Zhu Wushi had hidden this person too well, and given that it happened decades ago, the Eastern Depot tried its best but couldn't find a single clue.

In the past two days, Cao Zhengchun has only been preparing to arrest Duan Tianya, Shangguan Haitang, and others.

After all, these were people Liu Xi had already found, and they could arrest them easily.

But to his surprise, the clue appeared right at his bedside.

That's right, this isn't an exaggeration or a lie, it's the truth!

Cao Zhengchun instantly realized that someone was secretly helping him.

It's possible that Liu Xi was able to find Duan Tianya and the others because someone was secretly helping him.

This person was hidden in the background, and his target was clearly Zhu Wushi.

Who is this guy?
At this critical moment, Cao Zhengchun had no time to consider the matter. He immediately dispatched men at full speed to Tianshan to bring Su Xin, who was sealed in an ice coffin, back to the capital.

“I know you might not believe me, that’s why I specially invited Miss Haitang.”

Cao Zhengchun said, "Miss Haitang, tell the Divine Marquis whether my Eastern Depot has found the ice coffin of that Miss Suxin. If so, blink twice."

Don't lie! If you dare lie at this time, your sworn brother, sister-in-law, and that Su Xin girl will all die!

Shangguan Haitang closed her eyes in pain, and the tears that had been welling up in her eyes flowed down in that instant.

"Miss Haitang, quickly tell the Marquis, don't waste time!"

Cao Zhengchun's seemingly polite words were more terrifying than the whispers of the devil.

Zhu Wushi stared intently at her: "Haitang, don't worry, just tell me the truth, I'll handle the rest!"

Shangguan Haitang had no choice but to open her eyes and blink twice quickly.

“Hehe,” Cao Zhengchun laughed, “What an honest and good girl. Shenhou, you should believe your own adopted daughter!”

Zhu Wushi had regained his composure by now and said, "Why should I believe you?"

"You can only trust me!"

Cao Zhengchun said with a ferocious expression, "If you don't agree, hmph, before I die, I will definitely send everyone away first!"

His expression immediately relaxed, and he smiled again: "Of course, I'm not some evil spirit. If you cooperate well, I'll reward you."

He took out a strange white fruit, about the size of a finger joint, from his pocket.

"Look, what is this?"

"Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom!" Zhu Wushi's expression shifted, and an uncontrollable look of joy appeared in his eyes.

"Exactly!"

Cao Zhengchun said, "The Western Regions once presented three Heavenly Fragrance Cardamoms. The late emperor gave one to the Empress Dowager, the second to his favorite concubine, and the third to you."

Years later, your pill was given to Miss Suxin. The Concubine's pill has long since disappeared without a trace. As for the Empress Dowager's pill, I secretly obtained it.

"If you cooperate well, I will leave this Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom to Miss Begonia, who can then give it to Miss Pure Heart, so that she may be brought back to life. What do you say?"

Zhu Wushi lowered his head, using his tangled hair to cover his eyes.

He was terrified that Cao Zhengchun would notice the look of surprise in his eyes at that moment.

Zhu Wushi never expected that this plan would yield such an unexpected gain!

It was originally a whole plan designed for Cao Zhengchun. As long as Cao Zhengchun was forced to do something crazy, then the plan would be considered a success.

Without a doubt, falsely conveying imperial edicts and arbitrarily killing imperial relatives was exactly the crazy act that Zhu Wushi wanted to see.

Cao Zhengchun, who did such a thing, will surely die when the reckoning comes!

During this period, anything else that can be obtained can be considered an unexpected bonus.

What's more, this unexpected find turned out to be the second Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom he had been searching for all these years without success!
This is truly a case of finding something without even looking for it, only to have it come to you effortlessly.

As for the issue of escaping from prison... hehe, as long as he's still alive, that's not a problem.

Moreover, while escaping from prison is a serious crime for ordinary people, it was nothing to him.

If I could obtain this second Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom, even enduring such suffering would be entirely worthwhile.

Furthermore, this also seems to be an opportunity.

Cao Zhengchun wanted to kill him.

But Zhu Wushi, how could he not also want to kill this old rival?

Inside the dark eighth level of the Heavenly Prison, Zhu Wushi slowly raised his head: "I agree!"

(End of this chapter)