Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 273 Victim

"Mingwei, what should we do now?"

Haiyue returned to the courtyard, dismissed Yan Shifan and Tao Dianzhen, and then waited.

Sure enough, less than a quarter of an hour later, Lu Bing hurriedly arrived at the door.

Naturally, the question was about Wang Zuo.

"Wenfu, do not panic!"

Haiyue revealed the truth: "Consort Du Kang is the leader of the Liyuan Society, known as 'Emperor Yuan.' This person is plotting to seize power and disrupt the court by using the imperial heir in her womb!"

"It turned out to be her!"

Lu Bing was somewhat shocked and also somewhat enlightened, but ultimately became worried: "So, sir, you really did make your move..."

Originally, since Wang Zuo and Consort Du Kang had no grudge against each other, it made no sense for him to suddenly beat her to the point of causing a miscarriage.

But now, the motivation is there.

In other words, there was no injustice.

It was indeed Wang Zuo who caused Consort Du Kang's miscarriage.

Although this concubine was a treacherous and wicked woman, she was, after all, carrying the emperor's child...

If it were Lu Bing, he certainly wouldn't let Li Yuanshe's conspiracy succeed, but he also found it difficult to make that decision.

Even Haiyue admired Wang Zuo's actions and then asked, "Where is Commander Wang currently imprisoned? Who is guarding him?"

Lu Bing said in a deep voice, "He's being held in the private dungeon of the Tang Prince's mansion, guarded by the Imperial Guards..."

Under normal circumstances, prisoners imprisoned by imperial decree would be taken to the Imperial Prison of the Northern Garrison Command.

That was a nightmare for countless officials.

But Wang Zuo was the leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and it was somewhat ridiculous for him to imprison his own people.

To prevent the guards from showing favoritism, the guards were handed over to the Imperial Guards, and the location was the prison in the Prince's Palace.

"If the Tang King hadn't seen it first, things wouldn't have escalated to such a great extent..."

Lu Bing frowned: "I should have been guarding the door, how could I have let the Prince of Tang see what was going on inside first?"

At that time, Wang Zuo took over his duty of looking after Consort Du Kang, and even gave him a wink, telling him to go further away.

Lu Bing also sensed that there was probably something wrong with this woman in the harem. Since the master had given such instructions, he would carry them out.

He was on guard against others, but he didn't expect that the Tang King would approach the house and exclaim in surprise, catching him red-handed.

At this moment, Lu Bing even had some doubts: "Mingwei, what do you think of this King Tang..."

Haiyue raised her hand, stopping him from saying anything more: "It's not the right time."

"All right!"

Lu Bing took a deep breath.

Even if the Tang Emperor really has some problems, it's not the right time to delve into it now.

After all, the concubines in the harem were already traitors. If the vassal kings were also suspected of being traitors, the commotion would be too great and the impact too wide.

Even if an investigation is necessary, it will be conducted covertly afterward.

Similarly, the concubines in the imperial harem were the leaders of a secret society, and such matters would not be made public, otherwise it would be too undignified and easily lead to imitation.

and so.

The death of the imperial heir must ultimately be the responsibility of someone!

Lu Bing clenched his fist: "Master is getting old and can't take any more trouble. This matter needs a way out."

Having experienced the Annam War and witnessed the many battles between local authorities and the army, his methods became increasingly flexible: "The Imperial Medical Academy may have records that Consort Du Kang suffered from blood deficiency before entering the palace, making her unsuitable for pregnancy, which led to a miscarriage!"

"Think this through carefully!"

Haiyue whispered, "Never do anything to deceive the emperor..."

The emperor wasn't kept in the dark; on the contrary, it was a tacitly approved plan.

If the emperor treats Wang Zuo's crimes with leniency but not severity, he will find a way to reduce his punishment and will also subtly instruct Lu Bing to do so.

If Lu Bing is impatient and takes it upon himself to complete the false testimony, His Majesty may tacitly approve of such behavior, or it may backfire and make things worse.

"Isn't this deceiving the emperor?"

Lu Bing disagreed this time.

In his view, everything the gentleman did was with His Majesty's tacit approval.

Now that the mission is accomplished, even though we had to do something out of necessity at the end, shouldn't we at least be punished severely to atone for our mistakes?

By offering a stepping stone, His Majesty can readily accept the offer; wouldn't that be a win-win situation?
"..."

Haiyue's advice was actually based on Jiajing's temperament.

That person has never been very magnanimous.

Sometimes we have to consider the worst-case scenario.

But since Lu Bing had made his decision, he said no more, only watched the man's retreating figure and sighed softly.

This major incident has disrupted our travel plans.

Fortunately, the inspection of the river defenses did reveal many problems, especially since news came from Zhejiang that Japanese pirates were sailing and harassing the border.

Apart from Haiyue, no one knew how big a problem this insignificant Japanese pirate incursion would become in the future, but at least they had an excuse to keep it there to deal with it.

During this time, an unexpected person appeared, which surprised Haiyue.

"Brother Mingwei! After a year, we're finally reunited!"

The person speaking in a warm tone, even with tears welling up in their eyes, was none other than Sun Weixian.

More than a year had passed since they last met, and the commander looked noticeably more haggard, which showed that collecting grain for the court in Jiangnan was indeed a very difficult task.

So, upon his return, he was deeply moved: "Since the great victory in Annam, the only person in the capital who has ever remembered me is Brother Mingwei; the rest are just ungrateful acquaintances!"

Those who were able to gain a foothold in key political careers were indeed half-brothers.

At this moment, Sun Weixian would gladly address Haihao and Zhu Lin as "uncle" and "aunt."

Haiyue could sense his genuine joy, but after a brief exchange of pleasantries, she immediately asked, "Do you know that Commander Wang Zuo has been imprisoned?"

"Of course!"

Sun Weixian's eyebrows danced with excitement. He looked around and whispered, "I've already found out. That man has been imprisoned for seven days, and since it concerns the imperial heir, even if he gets out, he won't be able to keep his position as commander-in-chief!"

His voice trembled with excitement.

When Sun Weixian was transferred from the Southern Garrison Command of Jinling to the Northern Garrison Command of the capital, he knew very well that he was just a pawn for the emperor to curb Wang Zuo's dominance within the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

At that time, Wang Zuo was physically strong and enjoyed the emperor's favor. In contrast, Wang Zuo had spent the first half of his life in the south and had no foundation in the capital. The difference was enormous.

Therefore, Sun Weixian at that time never thought that he could succeed Wang Zuo as the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

But things can change in an unpredictable way.

Who could have imagined such a dramatic turn of events? Haiyue, knowing his eagerness to rise in rank, also entrusted him with the task: "Find out how that Consort Du is doing..."

"rest assured!"

Taking advantage of Wang Zuo's imprisonment and Lu Bing's efforts to expedite matters, the Imperial Guard was in turmoil. Sun Weixian, with his trusted confidants, quickly took control of the situation and sent word:
"Consort Du Kang spent her days in tears, and her health deteriorated day by day."

"Consort Du is seriously ill."

"Consort Du Kang has passed away!"

……

Why are you in such a hurry?

The sudden turn of events in just a few days left Haiyue with a furrowed brow.

The term "serious illness" is actually a matter of treatment.

However, Du Kangpin was different from the others; the capture of this "Prince Yuan" was extremely crucial.

She certainly had more than just two nannies and maids around her.

Not to mention there are spies within the palace, even the person who contacted Wang Zuo before must be a mole infiltrated into the Imperial Guard.

Even disregarding intelligence, the best place to execute a concubine would be the Forbidden City.

Once inside the palace, whether one was banished to the cold palace or died quietly from illness, nothing happened.

Why rush to deal with it during the southern tour?

"Wang Zuo's fate is likely to be dire!"

Haiyue had a premonition when she saw Sun Weixian being summoned.

Now it's absolutely certain.

Consort Du Kang was, after all, one of the Nine Consorts, and had been granted the title according to ancient rites. Now, she had accompanied the Emperor on his southern tour, and her death was shrouded in mystery. Of course, there had to be an explanation.

The first to be affected was naturally Wang Zuo, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who had previously caused her miscarriage.

……

The prison of the Tang Prince's Mansion.

Wang Zuo used a sharpened stone to carve thirteen vertical lines on the wall.

The thirteen engravings are neatly arranged, like a troop of soldiers going to their deaths.

"I'm really getting old!"

Moonlight slanted in through the tiny window, illuminating his withered, emaciated wrists.

He touched his loose hair, and a few strands of white hair fell into his palm.

Wang Zuo muttered to himself, his voice hoarse, like rusty iron rubbing against each other—

The lingering poison from the pertussis ultimately caused enormous damage to his body.

The cough could be stopped, but the emaciated body could no longer regain its former robustness.

In addition, given his advanced age, his imprisonment this time made him clearly feel that his days were numbered.

I was also somewhat relieved.

The final moments of one's life.

They have captured the head of a secret society lurking in the shadows, threatening the imperial power!
What else is there to regret?

Thinking of this, Wang Zuo subconsciously touched his waist.

The waist badge that originally hung there, symbolizing a second-rank military commander, had long been taken away.

It's fine to take it away.

To avoid getting tainted by the filth of prison.

He raised his head.

Watching the moonlight being obscured by dark clouds.

"My time..."

"arrive!"

The rumors and hints from the young eunuch during the day flashed through Wang Zuo's mind.

At first, he suspected that the traitors of the Liyuan Society deeply hated him and were deliberately impersonating His Majesty's decree.

But when he learned from different sources that Consort Du Kang had indeed passed away, he knew that the young eunuch had indeed been sent by His Majesty.

Clearly, the emperor did not want to bring this matter back to the Forbidden City.

Following Consort Du, this matter also needs to be resolved.

And if one does it voluntarily, regardless of one's posthumous reputation, at least one can protect one's family.

Ever since.

Wang Zuo pulled out a hemp rope from under the straw mat.

The rough fibers of the rope rubbed against the calluses on my palms.

Just like the feeling I had when I first held a knife forty years ago.

Practicing swordsmanship in the training ground, the summer sun made the beads of sweat on their brows glisten.

The sound of my father's teachings echoed in my ears.

"As members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, you must be loyal to His Majesty and fulfill your duty to the Ming Dynasty! Do you understand?"

"I understand!"

"Louder!"

"Your child will remember this!!"

He tossed the hemp rope over the beam and tied a tight knot.

The rope creaked slightly as it tightened, as if protesting this ill-timed loyalty.

"Your Majesty is a wise ruler!"

"He has the style of the founding emperor!"

"It can revitalize our Great Ming Dynasty!"

Wang Zuo stood on the rickety stool and muttered to himself.

The carvings on the stone wall suddenly became blurred—

It wasn't that my eyesight was failing due to old age; it was that long-lost tears blurred my vision.

"Your Majesty, I have done my utmost loyalty... and fulfilled my duty to the Ming Dynasty!!"

(End of this chapter)