Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 123 Jiajing's Wrath (Second Update)

Forbidden City.

Qianqing Palace.

Huang Jin stumbled into the hall, nearly tripping over the three-inch-high threshold and falling forward, but forced himself to swallow his gasp.

Even so, seeing the unprecedentedly hurried steps of this eunuch, Zhu Houcong's expression changed, fearing that he would hear the words "Princess Yongchun has passed away" from the other party.

That was his only sister.

In fact, Zhu Houcong had heard about the princess and her husband's unhappy life and wanted to intervene, but was stopped by Empress Dowager Jiang, who warned him that a small act of impatience could ruin a great plan. If he wanted to be a good emperor and govern his country well, he had to hold back some things and wait for the best opportunity to act.

After listening to his mother's words, Zhu Houcong almost stopped interfering in the affairs of the inner palace, but still found a plausible reason to dismiss Empress Zhang's two beloved younger brothers from their official positions and titles.

In Zhu Houcong's view, this was already a stern warning, and that old woman should behave herself.

But now, what has happened in the princess's residence seems to have reached the worst possible point. Zhu Houcong took a deep breath and moved all the memorials he was reviewing aside: "How is Yongchun?"

"His Highness is alright! Her Majesty is alright too!"

Huang Jin was out of breath from running, but when faced with the furious face, he took a deep breath before speaking to avoid startling his master.

Zhu Houcong's expression softened slightly, but he didn't relax, staring at him intently: "What happened?"

Huang Jin slowly said, "The thief attempted to assassinate Her Highness, but was fortunately discovered. Princess Fanglian entered the manor in Her Highness's place and successfully lured the thief out..."

The Qianqing Palace fell silent.

Even the ambergris scent seemed to suddenly pause.

Huang Jin suddenly knelt down, lying face down on the lichen, his inner shirt instantly soaked with cold sweat.

He dared not look up, but heard the sound of a jade thumb ring grinding against sandalwood behind the imperial desk, a creaking sound as if it were crushing someone's bones.

Then came Zhu Houcong's low growl: "Someone tried to assassinate my mother?"

He never referred to himself as "朕" (Zhen, the imperial "I") when addressing his biological parents, but instead referred to himself as he did in the royal palace.

Without a doubt, since the death of Prince Xingxian, the Jiang family has been his closest relatives.

Now someone is actually trying to assassinate his mother?

"Snapped!!"

Zhu Houcong suddenly sprang to his feet, causing the celadon cup on the table to bounce. Huang Jin instinctively looked up and saw the hem of the bright yellow robe surging like raging waves, seemingly resembling a dragon's tail. A long roar, like a dragon's cry, followed: "Rebellion! Rebellion!!"

Huang Jin knew His Majesty would be furious, but he was still so frightened by the reaction that he shrank to the ground and trembled.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he felt a not-so-large hand lift him up, and Zhu Houcong's voice seemed to come from afar: "Continue!"

Huang Jin was stunned for a while before continuing, "Your Majesty is alright! The assassination attempt failed. He was captured on the spot by the student Hai Yue, but he died by poison. Lu Sheren captured three of his accomplices, but one went missing and is being pursued!"

Zhu Houcong regained his composure, at least outwardly, but his voice was unusually cold: "Haiyue, a student of the Imperial Academy? He's at the Princess's residence?"

Huang Jin had a basic understanding of the case before reporting to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty: "Your Majesty, Haiyue was led to the Princess's residence by the palace maid Huixiang. It was because Princess Li was implicated in the suspicion of the Princess's coma that Huixiang lured Haiyue into the residence under the pretext of seeking help. However, Haiyue followed etiquette and did not enter the residence. Instead, she handed the woman over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard for interrogation."

Upon hearing the name Huixiang, Zhu Houcong knew she was from the Cishou Palace, and his tone remained icy: "And then?"

Huang Jin said, "Then Haiyue was outside the Princess's residence, and Princess Li was inside the Princess's residence, together they investigated the truth of the case."

Zhu Houcong said, "Now that the truth has been found out, why not capture the culprit and instead put my mother and sister in danger?"

Huang Jin said, "Lu Sheren has already gone to the Northern Garrison to gather manpower, preparing to first capture the thief's accomplices and then take down the murderer, but unexpectedly the two empress dowagers suddenly arrived at the princess's residence..."

At this point, Huang Jin added, "It was because Consort Zhang was determined to leave the palace that Consort Jiang had no choice but to leave with her."

Zhu Houcong said coldly, "Go on!"

Huang Jin said, "In order to protect the Empress, Princess Li stopped Feng Jia and offered to disguise herself as the Empress and enter the mansion to lure the thieves out. Hai Yue also entered the mansion for the first time, disguised as a member of the Imperial Guard, to protect the princess closely and prevent the thieves from taking risks and harming her!"

"Oh?"

Although Zhu Houcong had not yet learned the specific details of the case, he had a general understanding of the situation, and his tone finally softened: "Mother once praised Princess Fanglian for her exceptional intelligence and shrewdness in handling matters, showing the demeanor of a heroine. Her response this time was indeed beyond the reach of ordinary young ladies!"

This was extremely high praise. Zhu Houcong already had a good impression of this princess from a foreign land; she was polite, knew when to advance and retreat, and did not keep urging him to ask for help.

His act of stepping forward to take the risk for Empress Dowager Jiang is an unparalleled merit, deserving of any reward.

As for Haiyue, she's even more different.

Li Yuying was, after all, an envoy from a foreign vassal state, and every move she made had a diplomatic purpose. Haiyue, on the other hand, was a student of the Ming Dynasty, and it was naturally this person who was truly protecting Empress Dowager Jiang's safety.

He didn't even intend to praise her openly; he would simply make arrangements in secret. The incident was sudden, and Zhu Houcong wasn't in a hurry to reward those who had contributed. He wanted to understand the ins and outs of the case, especially what they were after, having defied the world so blatantly: "Have the traitor's accomplices confessed? Why did they plot to harm my kind and benevolent mother?"

Huang Jin paused for a moment and then said, "That scoundrel insulted the Empress, saying that she indulged her own brother, was tyrannical and cruel to the people, and committed all kinds of evil deeds, and that everyone should kill him..."

"Ok?"

Zhu Houcong was taken aback upon hearing this: "What did you say?"

Huang Jin whispered, "That thief seems to have mistaken Consort Jiang for Consort Zhang..."

Zhu Houcong suddenly turned around, one eyebrow raised, eyes wide, while the other side of his face appeared even colder and more ferocious. He said with a crooked mouth, "So, you mean you were supposed to be targeting that wicked woman in Renshou Palace, but you ended up assassinating the wrong person?"

When Huang Jin first saw this answer, he was also shocked. Such a meticulous assassination plan, but the target was wrong in the end. Isn't that absurd?

However, as a palace attendant, he was not qualified to make any comments; he should simply report the facts as they were.

"What a scoundrel!!"

Zhu Houcong's anger, which had just subsided, suddenly flared up again.

Previously, he was furious because his beloved mother was almost murdered. Fortunately, Empress Dowager Jiang was unharmed and not even frightened. After all, it was Li Yuying who risked her life to face the assassin's sharp edge, so Zhu Houcong calmed down.

But at this moment, his anger felt like a mockery.

"Send Commander Wang Zuo to investigate! Investigate thoroughly!"

Zhu Houcong closed his eyes, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and he suppressed his anger, giving the order in a deep voice.

Lu Bing's loyalty is beyond doubt, but he is still too young and somewhat naive in handling affairs. Compared to Wang Zuo's experience, he lacks the maturity and experience.

The purpose of sending the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the case.

Huang Jin accepted the order and left.

"Incredibly audacious! Incredibly audacious!"

Zhu Houcong slowly leaned back on the throne. He noticed that the back of his robe was damp with sweat. He took a deep breath and resumed reviewing the memorials.

However, I couldn't concentrate at all. Although I seemed to have read a lot, I actually just skimmed through it. In order to avoid delaying important national affairs, I would have to read it again later.

Finally, Huang Jin entered the Qianqing Palace again, followed by two burly men, Wang Zuo and Lu Bing.

"Your subject Wang Zuo! Your subject Lu Bing greets Your Majesty, may Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings!"

"No gift!"

Zhu Houcong stood up abruptly, his tone impatient: "Report the details of the case to me in detail!"

Lu Bing began to recount the details of the case, including his own investigation after entering the mansion, Li Yuying's pursuit, and the revelation of the truth about Haiyue, as well as the pursuit and siege of the Yunyin Society.

Finally, Lu Bing kowtowed: "Under the desperate cover of the bandits Hong Niangzi, Jiao Bai, and Lu Zangzhou, the bandit Yan Ling escaped in the chaos. The Embroidered Uniform Guard has yet to find the whereabouts of this villain. I have failed Your Majesty's grace!"

Zhu Houcong looked at Wang Zuo and said coldly, "Is this the state of the Embroidered Uniform Guard now? Under such heavy siege, how could they still let the thieves escape?"

Wang Zuo bowed his head, his voice filled with remorse: "The Northern Garrison Command has failed to deploy enough elite troops; I have failed His Majesty's grace!"

Zhu Houcong was well aware that the strength of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was indeed declining. The country had reached a point where there were too many areas that needed to be revitalized. However, if they couldn't even take down a few assassins, then he would find it difficult to rely on the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Upon hearing this, he snorted coldly: "My aunt entered the princess's residence. She was also in her bedchamber when the assassins attacked?"

Lu Bing replied, "Yes."

Zhu Houcong asked again, "Did the thieves lay a hand on her?"

Lu Bingdao: "No! The thief's target from beginning to end was Consort Jiang. Later, after discovering that the Consort was actually Princess Li in disguise, he turned his attention to us who were besieging her, and finally committed suicide. Consort Zhang was right by the bed at the time and was not harmed at all..."

Zhu Houcong's eyes turned sinister: "And then, according to the thieves' accomplices, they actually had an irreconcilable feud with the Zhang brothers?"

Lu Bing responded, "Yes."

Zhu Houcong paced back and forth in front of his desk, then slowly said, "The thief infiltrated the princess's residence, causing her to fall into a coma in order to alert the palace, lure out the Empress Dowager, and carry out the assassination plot! What meticulous planning! And now you say that the wrong person was assassinated? The assassin committed suicide by poisoning himself, but his three accomplices were unwilling to die and insisted that it was a mistake? Is this the confession that your Embroidered Uniform Guard obtained through interrogation?"

"His Majesty……"

Lu Bing was about to answer when Wang Zuo quickly interjected, "The villains have grand schemes. Your Majesty, please rest assured, we will thoroughly investigate the case and will not allow them to make baseless accusations or cover up the truth!"

"it is good!"

Zhu Houcong sat back on his throne and said, word by word, "This matter concerns the dignity of our Great Ming Dynasty. This case must be investigated to the end. No matter who is involved, I will punish them severely without exception!"

(End of this chapter)