Minglong

Chapter 289: The picture shows the dagger
Xuanwu Hall was a safe haven built by the previous dynasty. It was located behind the palace city, thirty feet above the ground, and served as the emperor's personal sanctuary, used to await reinforcements from various regions in the event of an attack on the capital.

Curfew drums sounded throughout the city, and countless imperial guards stood watch outside the capital. Celestial officials and Crimson Guards patrolled the city to guard against any possible accidents.

Under Cao Fo'er's protection, Zhao Xiao quickly entered the secret passage of the underground palace, asking questions along the way:
"Has Master Wuxin been notified?"

"A messenger has been sent with urgent news, but Zen Master Wuxin is currently in Liangzhou and won't receive the message for a while. However, Mu Yunling, Li Chimo, and others have noticed the changes in the capital..."

"They are no match for Wei Wuyi. Only if Zen Master Wuxin returns and joins forces with Daoist Lu can they be confident of subduing Wei Wuyi without harm..."

……

A large number of people followed behind, with old subordinates such as Ji Shiqing, Tie Fengzhang, and Huangfu Qi guarding the side, while Fan Li and others were also hurriedly discussing countermeasures.

Just as they arrived at the palace gate, they heard another commotion behind them. When they turned around, they saw Xu Tong rushing over with Crown Prince Zhao De.

Zhao De, dressed in a bright red robe with a folding fan tucked into his waistband and a hint of drunkenness on his face, was unsurprisingly just dragged back from a life of debauchery. Upon seeing him, he greeted him with an awkward smile:

"Father, please calm down. Wei Wuyi's defection is actually a good thing. He voluntarily abdicated, and Brother Xie will become the number one martial artist in the Great Qian Dynasty..."

Since Wei Wuyi had already fled, the situation was not considered very serious. Zhao Xiao came to Xuanwu Hall simply to follow the procedure for dealing with emergencies and did not disturb the Empress, Princess, and Crown Prince in the middle of the night.

Seeing his foolish son running towards him, he turned around and glared angrily:

"Xie Jinhuan wants to become the number one martial artist, and he needs Wei Wuyi to voluntarily step down? Mr. Xu, why did you bring him here?"

Xu Tong quickly stepped forward: "The safety of the Crown Prince is a matter of great importance to the country. If I were to protect him alone, something might go wrong. It would be safer for us to take refuge here temporarily."

Zhao De was quite adept at discerning the emperor's intentions:

“I also think this is too much of a fuss, Father. Why don’t you rest here for a while, and Mr. Xu and I will go to inspect the inner city…”

Xu Tong looked helpless: "The capital is in turmoil. If we are not careful, it could shake the country. At a time like this, Your Highness should put away your playful nature."

Zhao Xiao didn't want to waste any more words on his foolish son, so he turned and headed towards the underground palace.

"Since he's already here, let him in."

Cao Fo'er and the others waited outside the hall, while Xu Tong stopped at the door and gave instructions:

"Lord Tie, you lead the team to maintain order in the city. Do not let the evil Taoists take advantage of the situation again. Mr. Fan and I will stay here to protect His Majesty."

Seeing this, Tie Fengzhang said nothing more, bowed respectfully, and led his team out of the passageway.

Fan Li didn't say anything about it and stood outside the hall with Xu Tong, Huangfu Qi and others, while Cao Fo'er closed the heavy hall door.

However, Zhao Xiao went inside to rest, leaving his second uncle and the two erudite scholars, Fan Li, standing at the door. This was clearly not respectful or courteous to elders. Therefore, he also greeted them:

"Mr. Xu, Mr. Fan, please come in. You can accompany me to check the Crown Prince's recent studies."

"what?"

Zhao De's face paled: "Father, this is probably against the rules. It's fine for us father and son to talk about it. If there are spies outside, this would be like trapping a dog behind closed doors..."

Snapped--

Zhao Xiao was so enraged by these words that he immediately began to loosen his belt:

"Nonsense! Are you asking who the spy is, Mr. Fan or Mr. Xu? And what's with the fighting behind closed doors?"

"Your subject knows his mistake, I was a spy! I was caught in a trap..."

"You bastard..."

"what--!"

When Xu Tong saw the Crown Prince being whipped like a top, she quickly stepped forward to break up the fight.

Although Fan Li was almost driven mad by the Crown Prince, he still went in to mediate. Huangfu Qi, who used to be the tutor of the Crown Prince in the Prince's mansion, entered the hall at this time.

Cao Fo'er was supposed to stay outside the palace to avoid disturbing the emperor's rest, but the palace was in a chaotic state. As a duty of the imperial guard, he went inside and closed the heavy palace door.

Wow…

bang——

The main structure of the Xuanwu Hall is made of diamond rock, with an additional layer of ice soul silk and an internal magic array. It can resist any Xuanmen spells and would take a considerable amount of time to break through. As long as the door is closed, only the heartless monk wielding the vajra can break in in an instant.

As it was a temporary shelter, the palace was not equipped with any comfortable facilities. It only contained emergency supplies such as pills and medicines, as well as beds and other items. However, in case the emperor was bored while imprisoned here, some books, chess sets, and other items were prepared.

Zhao De, having been whipped, practically jumped around the hall, begging for mercy:
"Father, please give us some face, there are so many teachers watching..."

"You still have any pride? I've hired so many renowned teachers for you since you were a child, and this is the result of your incompetence..."

"Then Father should punish Mr. Huangfu. He taught me to read and write from a young age. It is my fault for not being a proper teacher..."

"Your Highness is right; it is my fault for failing to provide adequate instruction..."

"?"

Zhao Dezheng dodged around, and was taken aback when he saw Huangfuqi repeatedly admitting his mistakes:
"Mr. Huangfu, why are you speaking so timidly today? Where is your scholarly integrity?"

"..."

Huangfu Qi blinked, looking a little embarrassed.

Zhao Xiao had spent many years with his subordinates and retainers, and was known for his approachable nature. He naturally understood their personalities. Hearing his foolish son's words, he also noticed that Mr. Huangfu's reaction today was a bit off. He suppressed his anger and asked calmly, "Mr. Huangfu, is something on your mind?"

Silence fell over the main hall.

Cao Fo'er frowned slightly, walked closer without making a sound, and focused her gaze on Huangfu Qi. She was about to interrupt the conversation when a chill suddenly ran down her spine, and she quickly raised her hand.

puff--

In the blink of an eye, a muffled thud echoed from inside the hall!
Fan Li noticed out of the corner of his eye that Xu Tong suddenly raised his right hand, gripping a golden cone and striking Cao Fo'er on the back of the neck. His expression changed drastically, and a soft sword slid out from his sleeve.

However, Xu Tong was the head of the Xu clan in Jiangzhou and one of the three giants of Confucianism. According to the Confucian style of cultivating both literary and martial arts, his martial arts skills were not low. Even Xu Guanfu, who came from a collateral branch of the Xu family, was not worthy of his attention. However, he never showed off his skills on weekdays.

Although Fan Li was Ye Sheng's eldest disciple, he only inherited the 'book' and was busy writing "The Amorous History of Wei Wuyi" all day long. He hadn't even reached the Super Grade level and was too old. Before he could even raise his hand, Xu Tong grabbed his neck from close range.

bang~
Almost instantly, Fan Li's sword fell from his hand, while Cao Fo'er was driven into the Dazhui acupoint by the golden cone. Her whole body surged with golden light, and she directly transformed into a golden statue, but she could not move at all, only showing a struggle in her eyes.

The sudden turn of events left Zhao Xiao stunned.

Zhao De was also startled and rushed towards a dragon-head lamp next to the chessboard without hesitation.

But before the outstretched hand could touch it, the three-foot-long sword stopped in front of his neck.

Sa~
Zhao De froze instantly, blinking his eyes:

"Uh... Second Grandfather's martial arts skills are so high? Is there something wrong with Mr. Fan and Cao Fo'er, or with you?"

Xu Tong gripped Fan Li's neck with her left hand, while her right hand caught the three-foot-long soft sword that had fallen to the ground.

"The problem lies with me."

"Oh……"

Zhao De's gaze fell on the sword at his neck:

"We're family, after all. Surely we wouldn't kill each other? Even a tiger wouldn't eat its own cubs..."

"Not really."

"That's good."

Zhao De breathed a sigh of relief, pulled away from the sword's edge, and patted his elderly father on the shoulder:

"Father, don't be afraid. We can discuss things together. As long as we're alive, we'll have plenty of firewood..."

Zhao Xiao's eyes twitched slightly, his heart already burning with rage, but hearing his foolish son's advice, he calmed down a bit and scanned the group:

“I knew there was a traitor among my retainers, and I had even suspected Huangfu Qi earlier, but I never expected you to go astray as well. The Xu family is a thousand-year-old family, and our ancestors even produced a sage. You are now one of my trusted ministers, with a position no different from that of the prime minister. Why did you make such a mistake?”

Huangfu Qi, who had spent nearly twenty years in the Danwang Mansion, was now pale-faced and filled with anxiety. He urged, "..."

"Sir, hurry up and do it! We can't delay. If Lu Wuzhen comes back, we'll be trapped."

Xu Tong, however, remained calm, sheathed his sword, and responded frankly:
“My elder brother is the eldest son of the Xu family. I am more knowledgeable and talented than my elder brother, but I have to bow down and be subservient. If I had not gone astray, I would not have the status I have today.”

Zhao Xiao frowned: "The former head of the Xu family was killed by you?! You've allied yourself with evil cultivators, so what if you've obtained the position of family head? After today, whether you kill me or not, you'll be doomed forever..."

Xu Tong slightly raised her hand to interrupt:

"At first, I wanted to serve my country and my family, and I also hoped to achieve immortality one day. In the past twenty years, neither the He family nor I have ever thought of plotting against the late emperor and the current emperor, or even tried to consolidate your two brothers' thrones."

"But Xie Jinhuan is too troublesome. First, he dug up the He family, and a few days ago he met Wei Jili in Xirong and also discovered the clues of my tampering with the Crown Prince back then."

"Wei Jili said that Xie Jinhuan did not recognize me, but judging from Xie Jinhuan's past experience, he most likely saw through me but did not say anything; it is only a matter of time before Xie Jinhuan finds out that I tampered with the Crown Prince. Once exposed, I will surely die, so I can only make the worst-case scenario plan in advance."

"As long as Your Majesty truthfully confesses what you know, I will not harm you and your son. After all, we are indeed relatives, and it is better for Your Majesty and Zhao De to control the Southern Dynasty than to have a strongman with unpredictable intentions and iron-fisted methods take over..."

Zhao De, who had been listening intently with a serious expression, nodded slightly at this moment:
“That makes sense. Among the princes and grandsons of the Zhao family, there is no one more useless than me. If you kill Father, I will definitely not become emperor. So Father, just say what you have to say. We are wise to be pragmatic.”

Zhao Xiao responded coldly: "In principle, I should rather die than submit, but since I came to power, I have consulted with you on everything. You know everything I know, so what else do you want to ask?"

"His Majesty has indeed just ascended the throne, but he trusts Lu Wuzhen very much. Before the late Emperor passed away, he even privately summoned you and Lu Wuzhen, so he may know some things."

Thump~
Xu Tong placed the nearly suffocating Fan Li on a chair:
"Mr. Fan is Ye Sheng's top disciple, so it's impossible that he doesn't know anything. That's why we invited Mr. Fan here today to ask him in person."

"Cough cough..."

Fan Li was too old to withstand the strain; her face was already pale. However, she still scoffed at these words.
"You've really run out of options, resorting to such desperate measures. The information you want is known only to Lu Wuzhen in the entire Great Qian Dynasty, but even what Lu Wuzhen knows may not be true."

Zhao Xiao also wore a mocking expression:

"My brother did speak to me during the audience, but he didn't talk about the ancestral tomb. He said that the emperor and the supervisor were just bait thrown to you by the founding sages. As the saying goes, 'It's better to guide than to block.' If the court and the righteous path weren't full of loopholes, how would you dare to peek out?"
"The more you eat by any means necessary, the faster you will die. My Zhao family has thousands of descendants. Even if you could exchange one of your superior-ranking members for an emperor, in the end you would still perish and your religion would be destroyed. The Great Qian Dynasty would not even be seriously damaged."

"When I took on this arduous task, I never thought I would live to see the end of my life. Use whatever means you have. I have only been on the throne for a little over a month, and I have already exhausted a bunch of your fierce generals and wiped out the remaining forces in the capital. When I meet my brother in the afterlife, I can still brag about it."

Zhao De nodded thoughtfully at this moment:
"Yes, instead of trying to get information from Father, you might as well ask me directly. At least if I can't withstand the torture, I can make up a story for you. If the torture is severe enough, I can admit that I was responsible for the witchcraft rebellion. Asking Father is like Eunuch Cao taking aphrodisiacs, a complete waste of time."

?

Zhao Xiao and Fan Li blinked, perhaps finding the 'German proverb' quite pleasing to the ear for the first time...

(End of this chapter)