Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 260 Wang Zuo's Planning and Persistence

Chapter 260 Wang Zuo's Planning and Persistence
Lu Bing returned to the courtyard.

This is the former residence of Prince Xing, the house where I lived as a child, though it has long been renovated.

This southern tour was not only a triumphant return for Jiajing, but also for Lu Bing and his son.

Back then, they were just guards in the Prince's mansion, nothing like the powerful and authoritative Imperial Guards in the capital today.

However, because of the previous twists and turns, Lu Bing remained in a daze when he returned to the old residence of Prince Xing.

I'm not confused anymore.

He looked around, found a pot of wine, and just as he broke the clay seal, ready to drink it all down, he heard a voice behind him: "Drinking alone, are you?"

"gentlemen!"

Lu Bing was startled and stood up, looking at the old man who had walked in.

Wang Zuo strolled into the courtyard with his hands behind his back, his steps unhurried.

"This is where you used to live?"

He stood under the eaves and looked around, his gaze sweeping over the wall covered with vines, finally landing on the old plum tree in the corner of the courtyard. He smiled slightly and said, "Quiet and elegant, it's a place to cultivate one's character."

"Sir please!"

Lu Bing led the way, and the master and apprentice toured the inside and outside of the house before entering. Wang Zuo slowly began to speak: "I am also a hereditary member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. My ancestor quelled the rebellion of refugees in Jingzhou and Xiangyang during the Chenghua era and was awarded the Embroidered Spring Blade. My father passed away early, and I have practiced martial arts since childhood, excelling in riding and archery, and being knowledgeable in criminal law. I inherited the position at the age of twenty and became a centurion in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The reason I was promoted to chiliarch was because I exposed a group of White Lotus sect members..."

As the gentleman recounted past events in a nostalgic tone, Lu Bing calmed down and listened quietly.

"In the fourteenth year of Zhengde's reign, Prince Ning rebelled. I also went to Jiangxi, where I bribed the rebels with large sums of money and spread the news, causing chaos in Prince Ning's military orders. However, Master Yangming's speed in suppressing the rebellion was still too fast. Before Emperor Wuzong could personally lead the expedition, the overall situation was already settled..."

"However, at that time, Jiang Bin held absolute power, turning the Embroidered Uniform Guard into a chaotic mess. Relying on Emperor Wuzong's favor, he acted arrogantly and domineeringly. Seeing that the situation was not good, I fled the capital and waited for the right opportunity. Sure enough, not long after the emperor's death, the bandit Jiang was defeated. After he was executed by slow slicing, I went to the capital to make arrangements and successfully took over the Northern Garrison Command..."

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard may seem powerful and prestigious, granted by imperial authority, but in reality, the slightest misstep could lead to their downfall. It's not an easy job!"

After this person finished speaking, Lu Bing was also quite moved. Compared to the turbulent times during Emperor Wuzong's reign, the Embroidered Uniform Guard in this dynasty had not actually done anything significant. The emperor had already subdued the bureaucratic group through the Grand Ceremony, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot were basically just cleaning up the mess.

Therefore, he could detect a hint of regret and resentment in Wang Zuo's tone.

Perhaps this is the root cause of this case?

"Alright! I've finished rambling, it's your turn now!"

Just then, Wang Zuo turned his gaze over: "Speak your mind, but I didn't teach you to be such a coward by drowning your sorrows in alcohol!"

Lu Bing asked in a low voice, "Does the master know?"

"Don't I know your temperament?"

Wang Zuo smiled and said, "These days you've been avoiding me, but now you've suddenly changed your mind. Combined with your audience with the Emperor, you must have learned the truth."

Lu Bing looked around, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

"Don't worry, now that I'm here, there are no one from their group..."

Wang Zuo said, "If you have any doubts, ask them here. Once you leave this room, I'll be a completely different person!"

Without further hesitation, Lu Bing hurriedly asked, "Sir, were you really poisoned before?"

"Yes!"

Wang Zuo stroked his long beard: "And it was intentional. I discovered six years ago that there was a spy in the manor, but I pretended not to know and waited for him to make a move. I didn't expect that this villain would be so patient and only poisoned my food last year!"

"This poison, known as 'Hundred Days Dry,' is made primarily from peyote powder, oleander juice, and Atractylodes lancea charcoal, along with a variety of auxiliary ingredients."

"At first, it's just a slight cough and flushing, like a cold; but when the poisoning gets deeper, it starts to cough up blood and become emaciated; when the poison reaches the very core, the person becomes emaciated and dies coughing up blood like someone with tuberculosis, and even a coroner can't tell the difference between the two!"

Lu Bing's expression changed: "Why would you take such a risk, sir?"

A bitter smile appeared on Wang Zuo's lips: "To my shame, I had some knowledge of medicine in my early years, and later I even studied the art of poisons. I originally intended to take the poison that villain had given me, but I underestimated its toxicity."

"The antidote I've concocted over the years has only managed to suppress it barely. My words to you that night were not empty promises; the poison is about to become uncontrollable!"

"But if it weren't for that, how could those thieves have believed it..."

At this point, a startling sharpness flashed in Wang Zuo's eyes, and he revealed an almost ferocious smile: "Did they really push me to the brink?"

Lu Bing clenched his fist tightly: "Who are these thieves? The White Lotus Cult?"

"No!"

Wang Zuo slowly shook his head: "The White Lotus Sect is not something that we Embroidered Uniform Guards can eradicate completely. When I was young, I thought of wiping them out in one fell swoop. I destroyed several strongholds and captured a group of thieves. But later I realized that these people are like weeds that cannot be eradicated. Once they have gained influence in the local area, we will have to use a large army to suppress them!"

Lu Bing understood: "That's... the Liyuan Society?"

"To be precise, it's the Purple Palace Enclosure!"

Wang Zuo sighed with some emotion: "Yixin can investigate so accurately. The Three Enclosures Hall is divided into the Purple Palace Enclosure, the Supreme Palace Enclosure, and the Heavenly Market Enclosure. There is also infighting within the Three Enclosures Hall, with each side disobeying the others. It is precisely because I know these things that I was able to determine the origin of that group of thieves..."

Lu Bing sensed a deep sense of resentment in his teacher's tone. Just as Tao Dianzhen hoped that the Taoist priests of Chaotian Palace could, to some extent, replace the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the emperor's eyes through meritorious service, the Embroidered Uniform Guard also had to guard against being replaced.

The emergence of the Yixin Society, especially the progress in the arrest of the Liyuan Society, greatly alarmed the Jinyiwei.

Lu Bing had never intended to compete with the Yixin Society, and had even fully cooperated in the previous captures of thieves. However, he also knew that from the perspective of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, especially since his teacher had informed him of the existence of the Liyuan Society early on, they had gained nothing. In contrast, the Yixin Society had taken action and repeatedly uncovered the thieves' whereabouts, making the contrast truly stark.

So at this moment, he also went along with it and said, "Sir, did you take advantage of the power struggle within the Sanyuan Hall?"

Wang Zuo said, "It's not just a power struggle, but also because Taiwei Enclosure and Tianshi Enclosure don't want to be governed by Ziwei Enclosure anymore, and they're going against the imperial power again. Especially the merchants of Tianshi Enclosure, this time they've suffered serious damage and their vitality has been severely weakened!"

Previously, Fan Jing'an of Tianshiyuan was exposed and confessed to a large number of his members. The Fan family, who liked to trade with the Mongols in the border areas, had been exterminated, and many Shanxi merchants also had to undergo a purge.

As for the merchants from Jiangnan, since they control the tax revenue, they cannot be easily dealt with. Previously, following the orders of the Second Grand Secretary Yan Song, they were not completely wiped out, but they were still severely damaged.

From this, Lu Bing understood: "So, those merchants in Tian Shi Yuan have the intention to leave Li Yuan Society. Compared to internal strife, Zi Wei Yuan is more worried about this?"

"Not bad!"

Wang Zuo nodded: "The Ziwei Palace is now desperate to turn the tide, and the traitor in the palace suddenly poisoned them—it's a desperate act. I'll use this to my advantage, to make them think they've succeeded. Think about it—"

"If one could control the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who in the Purple Palace would personally take action?"

Lu Bing held his breath: "Could it be... that 'Prince Yuan'?"

"It is the leader of the Liyuan Society!"

Wang Zuo said, “Unlike the White Lotus Sect, which has many local leaders who act independently, even if one is captured, it is impossible to completely eradicate the White Lotus Sect members scattered throughout the world. Once the ‘Yuan Emperor’ of the Liyuan Society is captured, this secret society will surely collapse!”

Although Lu Bing understood the crux of the game between the two sides, he still couldn't help but frown: "Isn't it too dangerous to allow the traitors to set fire to the palace?"

"It's not about condoning..."

Wang Zuo shook his head: "I had already secretly reported my poisoning to His Majesty. His Majesty knew that I was keeping a low profile, but he was also unaware of the arson and murder at first, because I also did not know what these villains would do!"

At this point, he still felt a lingering fear: "The fire that night was indeed dangerous. Fortunately, Your Majesty moved away in time. If Your Majesty's health had been harmed, I would have been guilty beyond redemption!"

Lu Bing still had questions in his mind, such as what role Guo Xun was playing, whether he was an accomplice of Li Yuanshe or a pawn in this game, but what bothered him the most was: "Why did you... keep it from me alone, sir?"

"You are honest and straightforward, and you can't keep secrets. Those thieves are everywhere. The more people who know, the greater the risk!"

Wang Zuo smiled, his gaze softening slightly: "Moreover, it's not just you I'm being kept in the dark. In fact, even my wife and children in the household just think it's a relapse of my old illness; no one knows about the poisoning!"

"But I...but I..."

Lu Bing's throat bobbed, his voice hoarse: "But I still reported the gentleman to His Majesty!"

"That wasn't a denunciation, it was just fulfilling your duty to report. Whatever choice you make, I'm pleased..."

Wang Zuo smiled and said, "If you choose to conceal the truth from your relatives, it will prove that the bond between master and disciple over the past ten years is genuine. Even if it costs you your career, you will not hesitate to do so. Of course, in the future, there will inevitably be people like Xiao Zhen and Sun Weixian in the Embroidered Uniform Guard who will use this to attack you!"

"Now that you have chosen to report to His Majesty, it proves that I have not misjudged you. You will surely be able to assume the position of leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the future, and His Majesty will trust you more than ever before. As long as you keep to your duty, you can live a peaceful life."

"From a teacher's perspective, isn't this the best of both worlds?"

Meeting the kind gaze of the gentleman, Lu Bing opened his mouth, but finally swallowed back the words he was about to say, and stood up to bow deeply.

He's just sentimental, not brainless.

Now His Majesty and the gentleman both believe that he ultimately chose to expose it out of his own loyalty.

But the truth is not like that.

But revealing those truths would do neither him nor Haiyue any good.

So why say more?

Keeping it in mind is the best way to give an explanation!

"I'm going back now. Don't worry about it, just continue as usual!"

Wang Zuo patted his disciple's shoulder reassuringly, and as he got up to leave, a gentle breeze stirred up his robe sleeves.

Lu Bing sat alone in the courtyard, watching the receding figure, when suddenly he picked up the wine jar and drank it down in one gulp.

The wine slid down his chin, wetting the front of his flying fish robe.

The gentleman's foresight and persistence;

The emperor's tacit approval and probing;