Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 222 The Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix of the One Heart Society

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Haiyue was genuinely taken aback, and then looked at her mother, Zhu Lin.

My father is already the number one warrior in Qionghai, but there's actually a master behind him?
Zhu Lin saw through his thoughts and shook her head with a smile: "Your father is exaggerating. If it weren't for his outstanding talent, his ability to learn martial arts by analogy and to integrate knowledge, he would never have reached his current level. I only teach him; in terms of martial arts skills, I am no match for him..."

Hai Hao said solemnly, "Madam is too modest. If it weren't for your guidance, I wouldn't have achieved what I have today. On the contrary, I have hindered your progress. I am truly ashamed!"

Zhu Lin held her husband's hand tightly, smiled and said, "Husband and wife are one, why talk about this!"

'So, Mother's martial arts skills are quite impressive too...'

Haiyue didn't care about her parents' public display of affection; she basically understood why these two were able to travel to various places and deal with the Jinyiwei experts led by Sun Weixian.

I initially thought it was because Haihao was strong enough, but now it seems that the couple cooperated well to prevent the enemy from taking any advantage.

At the same time, Sun Weixian ultimately dared not go to extremes. He knew very well that if he truly forced his family to perish, he would face the relentless pursuit of two unscrupulous martial arts figures. Even though this garrison commander held immense power in Nanjing, he was unwilling to fight to the death with him.

But according to his father, Sun Weixian could also perform "Azure Dragon Binding the Mountain," which is the origin of this martial art...

Haiyue asked, "Where did Mother's martial arts skills come from?"

Zhu Lin's smile remained unchanged: "With my son's intelligence, he should understand that since Sun Weixian knows this unique skill, its origin must be from the royal court. However, our Ming Dynasty has been established for more than a hundred years, and there have been many upheavals in between. Even if it originated from the court, it is inevitable that some of these skills will be missed. Nowadays, there are only a handful of people in the Embroidered Uniform Guard who know this unique skill!"

Haiyue softened her voice: "What is Mother's surname?"

Zhu Lin readily agreed, “It is indeed the imperial surname. My ancestors were one of the three great guards in the thirty-fifth year of Hongwu's reign. They were granted the surname Zhu, which is how these martial arts techniques were passed down.”

Haihao continued, "Nowadays, most of these palace secrets have been lost. Sun Weixian saw that we had received them, so he believed that the key to the secret treasure lay with us. He already had many clues, but he was missing a link and could not determine the method of entering the secret treasure. So he relentlessly pursued it. Do you understand now?"

Haiyue glanced at her parents, smiled, and nodded, saying, "Yes! I understand!"

The cause and effect are indeed clear, and Haiyue knows how to deal with it should it be mentioned again.

In fact, a century had passed since the Jianwen reign, and several decades since the Tumu Crisis. Few people would care about such old events. In fact, a few years later, in order to move the memorial tablet of his biological father into the Imperial Ancestral Temple, Jiajing changed Zhu Di's temple name from Taizong to Chengzu.

Don't think that Emperor Chengzu sounds more prestigious. In fact, it greatly undermined the system of rites. You should know that the tradition of the dynasty is that "the ancestor has merit and the successor has virtue." A dynasty can only have one ancestor. The fact that two emperors coexisted in the Ming Dynasty is quite a strange thing.

Moreover, Zhu Di's ascension to the throne was somewhat flawed. This Yongle Emperor vehemently denied usurping the throne during his lifetime and used the temple name of Taizong precisely to prove his legitimacy as the successor to Zhu Yuanzhang. However, his filial son and grandson changed his temple name, directly negating his political narrative.

This shows that no one cares about our ancestors from a hundred years ago, and the Jianwen Emperor, who either burned himself or fled a hundred years ago, has long been forgotten.

So, was Zhu Lin's surname bestowed upon her by imperial decree, or was it passed down through bloodline...?

Is it important?
Haiyue didn't think it was important. After studying the current situation in the court, she fell asleep peacefully.

Najib's second day went smoothly; the birth dates of the second-place scholar and the Queen Mother's adopted daughter were a perfect match.

The betrothal ceremony on the third day proceeded as usual. Under the arrangement of matchmaker Lin, Hai Shi did not bring any outsiders. Only Hai Yue's family and her younger brother Hai Rui came to the door. The betrothal gifts were formally presented, and the engagement ceremony was completed.

An auspicious day has been chosen, and all that remains is for the wedding procession.

The six rites were progressing smoothly, and Haiyue was shuttling between the Yinglue Society and the Hanlin Academy, but she did not see Yan and Zhao's report on the case of Lady Sheng.

They couldn't even be seen anymore.

Haiyue did not urge him, but waited silently.

The first to react was the Hanlin Academy.

Just as wedding invitations were being handed out to his colleagues, and everyone happily accepted them, a junior official who was most fond of inquiring about court affairs suddenly showed a strange expression. He quickly realized there was something amiss and hurriedly explained, "Brother Mingwei, please forgive me. I was just thinking about the rumors I had just heard about the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. I had no other intentions!"

Haiyue didn't pay any attention and casually asked, "The Duke of Dingguo's mansion?"

The junior official gave a strange smile and whispered, "Brother Mingwei, don't tell anyone I told you. That young duke has made a scene. It's said that his sister married a eunuch, but pretended to be happy and content in public. The duke's mansion was kept in the dark all along. Now that they know, they are furious and have gone to the Embroidered Uniform Guard to demand an explanation!"

"Oh?"

Hai Yue's heart skipped a beat, but her face remained curious: "What does this have to do with the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

The junior official said, "It seems to be related to a matchmaker. It is also said that the Embroidered Uniform Guard is colluding with the Shen family. Anyway, the young duke has already stormed into the Northern Garrison and caused a scene. He even wants to go to the Imperial Prison. The cabinet is alarmed. I'm afraid His Majesty knows about it now!" His voice gradually grew louder, and soon others gathered around. Seeing this, they no longer hid it and spread the word.

As it turns out, these talented scholars, future prime ministers, were no different from ordinary people on the street when it came to gossip.

Especially these top nobles and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, both of whom are the most hated by poor scholars, the more intense the conflict, the more everyone gloated and even took the initiative to inquire about it.

As a result, news from the outside kept coming in.

The old Duke of Dingguo was named Xu Guangzuo. As a descendant of Xu Da, he was a top nobleman of the Ming Dynasty. He once led the Central Military Commission and served as a core official dispatched by the cabinet during the Zhengde reign. He went to Anlu with Mao Cheng, Minister of Rites, Zhang Heling, Marquis of Shouning, and Gu Dayong, the eunuch, to welcome Prince Zhu Houcong to the capital to ascend the throne.

This was hardly a merit, after all, Yang Tinghe's faction had offended Zhu Houcong to death, but Xu Guangzuo was not implicated. He later died of illness, and his title was passed on to his son Xu Yande.

The one causing trouble now is this young duke.

"Speaking of which, the Duke is indeed the Duke, why are you called 'Little'?"

"As you may not know, this young duke is not yet of age, and he was only sixteen when he inherited the title. He has always been impulsive and lacks composure. Those who know him call him the young duke, and over time, the name has spread."

"Speaking of which, this person's life story is quite bumpy. His birth mother died early, and his two elder brothers also died young one after another. He was raised by his eldest sister from a young age, so the siblings had a deep bond. Five years ago, Xu got married and married Shen Yanqing, the son of Shen Dai, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works at the time."

"Hmm! I've heard of this man before... Rumor has it that he's dashing and handsome, known as 'Young Master Yushan.' What's most remarkable is that he never frequents brothels. Back then, all the young ladies in the capital were captivated by him, wishing they could marry him!"

"Hey, Brother Xiu, do you know why this Young Master Yushan never sets foot in brothels?"

"I understand...I understand...Ha!"

As it turns out, these talented scholars, future prime ministers, were no different from ordinary people when it came to discussing vulgar topics.

They especially relished this moment of masculine vigor, and when they heard that the famous, handsome young man was actually impotent, they immediately burst into laughter.

Haiyue then asked, "How did this news get out?"

"It was that young duke who made a scene at the Northern Garrison Command, and now it's the talk of the town. This man has decided to spill the beans—it's said that on their wedding night, Shen Yanqing refused to perform the nuptial ceremony, citing an unhealed old injury. At first, Madam Xu didn't suspect anything, but as time went on, seeing her husband consistently avoiding her, she began to suspect something was amiss! Later, she even gleaned clues from the servants of the Shen family. Who would have thought that the Shen family, to cover up their shameful affair, would poison the maid who knew the truth! Madam Xu, unable to bear it any longer, exposed the matter, only to be beaten and imprisoned!"

"Why aren't you getting a divorce? She's the daughter of the Duke's family!"

"It seems the Embroidered Uniform Guard interfered and suppressed the matter, but the truth will eventually come out—the day before yesterday, when the young Duke learned that his sister had been crying all day, he was furious and stormed into the Northern Garrison to demand an explanation!"

"He's quite the man of courage!"

The Hanlin scholars, unusually unanimously praising a nobleman, then turned around and angrily denounced: "The Embroidered Uniform Guard is utterly depraved; how could they commit such vile acts!"

Haiyue's expression darkened upon hearing this: "Did they mention anything about the relationship with the matchmaker?"

The scholar who inquired about the matter said, "I heard that it was a very prestigious official matchmaker who arranged the marriage. But you can't really blame the matchmaker. What's most hateful is the collusion between the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Shen family!"

Haiyue asked a few more questions, but found that she couldn't get any more details out of her. She then took a break and left the house.

Sure enough, before they even reached the entrance of the Hanlin Academy, they saw two figures acting suspiciously in the distance. They were Yan Shifan and Zhao Wenhua.

Haiyue beckoned, and seeing the two awkwardly approach, she asked directly, "Is the conflict between the Duke of Dingguo and the Embroidered Uniform Guard related to you?"

"Indeed...there is some connection!"

Yan Shifan and Zhao Wenhua looked embarrassed. The former chuckled dryly, "Mingwei, could you please explain to Lu Wenfu that our intentions were absolutely not..."

"well-done!"

However, halfway through her sentence, Haiyue raised her voice and affirmed, "The Sheng family is known as the top official matchmaker in the capital. If the matchmaking they arrange is all about such filthy dealings, then they truly deserve to die! If anyone in the Embroidered Uniform Guard dares to cover up such evil deeds, they can forget about clearing their name! Lu Wenfu is such an upright person, how could he possibly have any involvement in such sordid matters, let alone cover them up or condone them!"

"what?"

The two were taken aback for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly: "Absolutely, absolutely!"

"The death of a matchmaker has unexpectedly implicated the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Duke of Dingguo. The depth of the case is truly beyond our expectations!"

Hai Yue's brows furrowed with relief: "I never imagined that my Yixin Society would harbor such a hidden dragon and phoenix. With your help, it is truly a godsend. We should investigate the case thoroughly!"

(End of this chapter)