Ming Dynasty: The Jingnan Rebellion has just been successful, and Zhu Yuanzhang has been resurrected

Chapter 172 New Discoveries of the Cabinet, Xu Miaojin's Intuition

"Hmph, shameless scoundrel!" Huang Zicheng snorted coldly, took a step, and walked towards the Imperial Guard prison.

Now that things have come to this, he has nothing left to struggle for but to die!

Qi Tai remained calm and didn't say much as he followed behind Huang Zicheng.

"Fall back!" Jiang Huan waved his hand.

"Shhhhh!"

The group of Imperial Guards slowly departed.

"What's going on? Wasn't the martial law supposed to be for arresting Northern Yuan traitors? Those two just now didn't seem like Northern Yuan traitors."

"Who knows what's going on? Anyway, even if they are Northern Yuan traitors, those two must have committed some serious offense, otherwise why would the whole city be under martial law?"

"That's true. Maybe they're colluding with the Northern Yuan. Anyway, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is making such a big fuss, so it must be something serious. I just don't know what it is."

"Hey, one of them looks like Lord Huang Zicheng, who taught the imperial grandson Yunwen before?"

"Lord Huang Zicheng? Really? Are you sure you didn't see it wrong? You can't say things like that carelessly, or you might bring trouble upon yourself."

"Uh, I must have seen wrong. My eyesight has been getting worse lately. I'm getting old."

"."

On the street, a crowd of people gathered and discussed the matter. Some recognized Huang Zicheng's identity, but quickly denied it.

Huang Zicheng is connected to Zhu Yunwen, and this is not a topic that can be discussed casually. If not handled properly, it could bring huge trouble upon oneself, or even lead to death.

Zhu Yunwen is now a taboo subject in Yingtian Prefecture.

Imperial prison!

Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai were imprisoned.

The two looked at each other, both knowing they were doomed.

They entered Yingtian Prefecture with the aim of finding and rescuing Zhu Yunwen, but unexpectedly, they found Zhu Yunwen and before they could even rescue him, they themselves were imprisoned in the Jinyiwei prison.

They knew very well what the imperial prison was.

They probably won't be able to leave in this lifetime, unless it's the day they're beheaded.

"Lord Qi, do you regret it?" Huang Zicheng asked.

Qi Tai smiled and said, "Lord Huang, if I regretted it, I wouldn't have come back to Yingtian Prefecture with you in the first place."

Huang Zicheng laughed upon hearing this and said, "Lord Qi, on the road to the Yellow Springs, you and I, brothers, will keep each other company, so it won't be so lonely."

Qi Tai didn't respond to Huang Zicheng's words, but thought for a moment and said, "I think the grandson of the Emperor Yunheng should know His Majesty's hiding place."

"Whoosh!" Huang Zicheng's expression changed, somewhat astonished: "Why would you say that?"

His expression gradually became serious. If Zhu Yunwen knew where Zhu Yunwen was hiding, wouldn't Zhu Yunwen be in great danger?

“Jiang Huan has already pledged allegiance to Prince Yunheng. He has no reason to continue concealing His Majesty’s whereabouts. If he tells Prince Yunheng, he can earn a great merit. On the contrary, if he continues to conceal it, he will be in mortal danger if Prince Yunheng finds out in the future,” Qi Tai said.

After they came into contact with Zhu Yunwen, the two of them were arrested by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

This means that someone from the Embroidered Uniform Guard was monitoring Zhu Yunwen. Now that Jiang Huan had defected to Zhu Yunwen, there was no reason for him to risk such great danger to continue concealing Zhu Yunwen's hiding place.

Huang Zicheng's expression shifted between light and shadow. After a long silence, he let out a long sigh, his face full of bitterness: "So, it seems that Prince Yunheng doesn't want to kill His Majesty right now?"

“That’s right. Although we don’t know why Prince Yuntong didn’t kill His Majesty, one thing is certain: Prince Yuntong really doesn’t want to kill His Majesty right now. Otherwise, we might never have seen His Majesty again.” Qi Tai nodded.

Huang Zicheng opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Zhu Yunwen's every move was under Zhu Yunwen's control, so their attempt to rescue Zhu Yunwen seemed somewhat ridiculous.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. We've already been arrested, so even if we wanted to get involved, it's impossible now." Qi Tai waved his hand.

If they hadn't been caught, they might have been able to cause some trouble, but now, no matter how learned and resourceful he and Huang Zicheng are, it's all completely useless.

Waiting to die is what the two of them should do next.

"Bang!" At that moment, the prison door was opened.

Xia Yuanji, Xie Jin, and the other six members of the cabinet stepped into the imperial prison.

A cold, rotten smell hit me.

"Swish!"

Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai looked up at Xia Yuanji and the others.

"Sigh," Fang Xiaoru sighed inwardly as he saw his two former friends, his face full of bitterness.

After a while.

Xia Yuanji and his six companions approached Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai.

"Hmph, a bunch of shameless scoundrels!" Huang Zicheng sneered.

Of the six cabinet members, all except Yao Guangxiao had previously served under Zhu Yunwen.

"Huang Zicheng, how dare you!" Xie Jin's face showed a hint of anger.

"What? Is there something wrong with what I said? Xie Jin, do you live up to the trust that Prince Yunwen placed in you?" Huang Zicheng looked at Xie Jin with disdain.

Xie Jin said coldly, "The throne originally belonged to His Majesty. Zhu Yunwen deceived the founding emperor and tricked his way to the throne."

"Hahaha, aren't you ashamed to say that?" Huang Zicheng burst into laughter.

"You!" Xie Jin was furious. Looking at the arrogant Huang Zicheng in front of him, he didn't know what to say.

After all, Huang Zicheng is basically a dead man now.

What's the point of saying anything to a dead person? They simply don't care.

"Lord Xie!" Xia Yuanji waved his hand at Xie Jin. Huang Zicheng in front of him was a typical example of someone who was not afraid of being scalded by boiling water.

"Hmph!" Xie Jin snorted coldly and ignored Huang Zicheng.

Xia Yuanji looked at Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai and said, "My lords, you risked your lives to return to Yingtian Prefecture this time, presumably to find the grandson of Emperor Yunwen, right? I wonder if you have found him?"

"Huh?" Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai were both taken aback when they heard Xia Yuanji's words, and a strange feeling arose in their hearts.

They all heard the same thing from Xia Yuanji's words: the cabinet did not know where Zhu Yunwen was hiding. Following this line of thought, did Jiang Huan not tell Zhu Yunwen either?
"What's going on? Which side is Jiang Huan on?" Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai wondered.

The two of them were just talking about how Zhu Yunwen's hiding place might already be known to Zhu Yunhuo, and they were wondering why Zhu Yunhuo hadn't killed him. Now they understood: Jiang Huan hadn't revealed Zhu Yunwen's hiding place. It wasn't that Zhu Yunhuo didn't want to kill Zhu Yunwen, but rather that Zhu Yunhuo simply didn't know where he was hiding.

This result brought a long sigh of relief to both of them.

Zhu Yunwen's hiding place has not been exposed, which means that Zhu Yunwen is still safe.

"What's going on? Why are Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai reacting like this? Did they really find Zhu Yunwen?"

"What the hell? Why do Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai look like that? Did they really find Zhu Yunwen?"

"Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai really found Zhu Yunwen? Is it true?"

"."

The changes in Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai's expressions did not escape the notice of Xia Yuanji, Xie Jin, and the other six. After learning that Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai might have really found Zhu Yunwen, Xia Yuanji, Xie Jin, and the other six immediately became restless.

Although finding Zhu Yunwen might make things difficult for Zhu Yunzhuo, they could secretly ask him for advice.

In short, once the right person is found, the operation becomes much easier, and any choice can be made.

"My lords, if you reveal the whereabouts of the imperial grandson Yunwen, I will personally plead with His Majesty on your behalf. Perhaps, you will not only be able to leave this prison but also return to the court!" Xie Jin said in a deep voice.

At this moment, he couldn't care less about arguing with Huang Zicheng.

If he could find Zhu Yunwen's whereabouts, it would greatly increase his chances of winning the position of Grand Secretary.

“That’s right, Lord Huang and Lord Qi, you two are not young anymore. It’s time for you to show off your power. His Majesty’s rule over the Ming Dynasty is an inevitable trend. You must not act against it,” Hu Ying said.

Although he usually appears very calm, he is now getting restless in the face of Zhu Yunwen's whereabouts. After all, the contribution is too great, and the subsequent impact will be significant.

"Tsk tsk, look at your scheming faces. Even if Lord Qi and I hadn't found the grandson of the Emperor Yunwen, we definitely wouldn't have told you. Don't think everyone is like you treacherous villains seeking personal gain." Huang Zicheng said sarcastically.

He was prepared to die, so naturally he wouldn't indulge Xia Yuanji and the others; he valued a magnanimous attitude.

"Huang Zicheng, don't be stubborn and ask for trouble. I'm saving you now." Xie Jin couldn't take it anymore. He was now one of the six ministers of the cabinet, and he was treated like royalty wherever he went. When had he ever been tortured or insulted?
"Hmph, then I really thank you, you're a pretty nice person!" Huang Zicheng said sarcastically.

Xie Jin gritted his teeth, but he was completely helpless in the face of Huang Zicheng.

Threatened, Huang Zicheng was determined to die and showed no leniency towards him.

Huang Zicheng scoffed at the offer of bribes and completely ignored him.

Yao Guangxiao thought for a moment and said in a deep voice, "Perhaps we can use the lives of these two men to force Prince Yunwen out!"

"Whoosh!" Upon hearing this, Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai's expressions changed simultaneously.

"How dare you!"

The two men had extremely gloomy expressions.

They dared not gamble with their lives to force Zhu Yunwen to show himself, because if they lost, Zhu Yunwen would surely die.

Xia Yuanji pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "This method is not appropriate."

Perhaps, sacrificing Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai's lives could force Zhu Yunwen to reveal himself. However, doing so would also force Zhu Yuntong to do the same, because then Zhu Yuntong would only have one option: to kill Zhu Yunwen.

“That’s definitely not appropriate!” Yang Shiqi agreed.

Yao Guangxiao nodded and said, "It is indeed somewhat inappropriate, but let's forget about it."

Upon hearing this, Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The two men exchanged a glance, their hearts filled with deep confusion. They couldn't understand why Xia Yuanji, Yang Shiqi, and Yao Guangxiao had said something inappropriate.

What about their lives?

They asked themselves if their minds were worth that much.

"My lords, please think this over carefully. If you've made up your mind, you can contact us anytime," Xia Yuanji said.

After saying that, he turned and walked away.

Xie Jin, Hu Ying, Yang Shiqi, and Yao Guangxiao followed.

Fang Xiaoru stood there, looking at Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai locked in the cell, and remained silent for a while.

"Lord Fang, it would be best if you did not linger in the Imperial Prison," Huang Zicheng said coldly.

Fang Xiaoru felt a pang of bitterness in his heart and said, "If you need anything, feel free to contact me anytime. I've already spoken to Jiang Huan about it."

He couldn't release Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai. All he could do was try his best to make their time in prison better and maintain their last shred of dignity.

"Stop crocodile tears! You just want to know His Majesty's whereabouts from us, don't you? Let me tell you, you're dreaming!" Huang Zicheng said angrily.

Fang Xiaoru didn't say anything more, turned around and walked away.

Did he really think he could find out Zhu Yunwen's whereabouts from Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai? To him, the best outcome was for Zhu Yunwen to just survive like this.

To be honest, if Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai really told him where Zhu Yunwen was hiding, that would be torture for him.

Qianqing Palace!
Xia Yuanji approached Xu Miaojin and respectfully bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress!"

"Get up. What do you want with me?" Xu Miaojin waved her hand.

"Your Majesty, not long ago, Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai attempted to leave Yingtian Prefecture. Your subject, together with Jiang Huan, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, apprehended them and they are now imprisoned in the Embroidered Uniform Guard's prison," Xia Yuanji said.

"Oh, I understand." Xu Miaojin nodded.

Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai had been under the surveillance of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Now that they had entered Yingtian Prefecture, there was no reason for them to let him go. Therefore, they were not too surprised that he was captured now.

"Is there anything else?" Xu Miaojin asked, somewhat puzzled, seeing that Xia Yuanji hadn't left.

Xia Yuanji nodded, then hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, I just went to the Imperial Prison and met with Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai. They seem to have found the grandson of Emperor Yunwen."

"Hmm? Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai found Zhu Yunwen?" Xu Miaojin was somewhat surprised. She steadied herself and asked, "Is this information confirmed?"

Yingtian Prefecture had been searching for so long without finding the person, but Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai found him not long after entering the city. If the news is true, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has a big problem!

"I cannot be certain. This is merely a deduction based on the reactions of Huang Zicheng and Qi Tai," Xia Yuanji shook his head.

Xu Miaojin was silent for a moment, then said, "Alright, I understand."

"Your subject takes his leave!" Xia Yuanji cupped his hands in greeting and turned to leave.

Xu Miaojin took a deep breath, waved to the maid beside her, and said, "Go and summon Jiang Huan, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

(End of this chapter)