Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 274 The Last Lesson

"Faster! Faster!"

As soon as the prison cell door opened, Lu Bing rushed inside.

He had a newly made cotton robe tucked under his right arm and a food box in his left hand.

It contained the gentleman's favorite lamb pie.

Not long ago, he learned of Consort Du's death and realized that something terrible was about to happen.

In fact, these days he has been lobbying to give His Majesty a way out and to punish Wang Zuo leniently.

Unexpectedly, Consort Du's situation worsened, from the loss of her imperial heir to her death from illness.

Lu Bing knew that the so-called illness was just a superficial excuse.

His Majesty clearly hated this treacherous bandit leader who was lurking by his side and harbored ulterior motives.

That's why they couldn't wait to strike.

However, this put Wang Zuo in a desperate situation.

The imperial heir is dead, the concubines are dead, yet you, a head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, are unharmed?

Where are the laws and regulations of the imperial court?

The officials of the previous dynasty would never allow it!

To prevent the gentleman from overthinking, Lu Bing decided to visit him in person.

He wanted to tell the gentleman that even if he were taken back to the capital, there was still room for maneuver.

With this thought in mind, I moved even faster.

The boots echoed as they waded through the puddles in the dimly lit passageway.

The jailer chased after them with a torch, the firelight stretching and shortening their shadows.

The prison in the Tang Prince's Palace was far smaller than the imperial prison. After passing through several iron bars, you would find where Wang Zuo was imprisoned.

"gentlemen……"

But as soon as Lu Bing raised his voice, he looked around and suddenly froze on the spot.

The food box crashed to the ground, and the pies rolled out, covered in dirt.

Moonlight streamed through the vent, illuminating the suspended figure—

The old man's bluish-purple face was slightly turned towards the door, as if he were waiting for this late-arriving disciple.

"No--!!"

The screams shook the spiderwebs off the corner of the wall.

Lu Bing lunged forward, kicked open the wooden prison door, grabbed Wang Zuo's legs, and desperately tried to lift him up.

The jailer panicked and rushed over, only to find his hand touched something icy cold.

'It's over...'

The jailer groaned inwardly.

How did it disappear while I was on duty?!

Lu Bing held Wang Zuo's body and shook it repeatedly before finally realizing what was happening and drawing his sword from his waist.

Swish!
The rope snapped instantly.

The three of them fell heavily onto the damp straw.

Lu Bing's trembling fingers reached towards Wang Zuo's neck, touching something stiff and cold.

"No! Impossible!"

"Sir would never commit suicide..."

"Who! Who harmed the master...who did it!!"

The jailer was so frightened by Lu Bing's gaze that he took three steps back, but dared not actually leave, and just stood there trembling.

"Who came to the prison today? Speak!"

Lu Bing, however, had no intention of letting him go. He reached out and grabbed him, his eyes blazing with fury.

The jailer shook his head repeatedly: "I...I don't know..."

Lu Bing hissed, "Bring the roster! Go!"

The jailer was almost in tears: "There's no... there's no roster..."

The prison inside the Tang Prince's Palace was not a regular imperial prison, so how could it possibly keep detailed records of every person who entered and left?
"Then summon all the jailers on duty today!"

"If he dares not come, my Imperial Guards will not let him get away with it!"

Before long, the four jailers guarding the cell appeared before them, trembling with fear.

Lu Bing gently laid the body flat, wiped the dirt off Wang Zuo's face with his sleeve, and asked, word by word, "Who came to visit me in prison today?"

The four looked at each other, stammering.

Lu Bing said no more, drew his sword, and slashed the arm of the nearest jailer.

"what--!!"

The man fell to the ground with a thud, and the other three were stunned as blood splattered everywhere.

Clearly, Lu Bing didn't kill him outright; otherwise, he would have cut off his neck instead of his arm.

But clearly, Lu Bing, overwhelmed by grief, had no scruples left.

He's really going to kill someone next!

Crushing these prison guards is no different than crushing a bunch of ants.

"Spare your life! Spare your life!!"

"Tell me! Tell me!"

"This morning, my father-in-law came to visit me in prison..."

Lu Bing's gaze froze instantly: "What does it look like?"

After listening carefully to the jailer's description, Lu Bing slowly closed his eyes.

The good news is that the other party is thin and short, clearly not the plump Huang Jin, and in other respects, he doesn't seem to be a close eunuch by His Majesty's side.

The bad news is that the pass in this person's hand is an exclusive token of the emperor's personal guards during the southern tour, which is extremely difficult for outsiders to imitate.

This was after the previous fire, when internal patrols were specially strengthened to prevent thieves from causing trouble.

and so.

Even though the jailer didn't dare approach during the conversation between the eunuch and Wang Zuo, and couldn't be sure what they said, he only knew that this was the last person Wang Zuo saw.

Lu Bing could vaguely guess how the other party had led his mentor to this point.

"Sir, you were a man of unwavering loyalty throughout your life. You shouldn't have met such an end. You shouldn't have met such an end!!"

……

"Wang Zuo! Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard! Has he committed suicide?"

The commotion in the prison had already alerted the outside world. Sun Weixian was the first to arrive.

He saw an opportunity to rise in rank, and since joining the Southern Tour delegation, he has been busy winning people's hearts.

Within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, several powerful commanders had already pledged their allegiance, making it increasingly easier for this Vice Commander to mobilize his troops. When summoned, he clearly sensed the Emperor's satisfaction.

So Sun Weixian came because he was worried that Wang Zuo's release from prison would cause him to lose all his previous efforts.

Unexpectedly, I heard the news of the other person's death!

It would be nice to die!

OK……

Sun Weixian thought he would feel relieved, but he found that he was not happy at all.

He wanted the other person's position, but he never expected to kill him.

After all, Wang Zuo's prestige within the Embroidered Uniform Guard was immense. He hadn't served as the Commander-in-Chief for over a decade for nothing. If he were to rise to power by stepping over Wang Zuo's corpse, it would be a huge obstacle to winning over the hearts and minds of the people.

Wang Zuo's death is no longer his concern, but he still feels a strange unease.

Sun Weixian was stunned for a moment, then murmured to himself, asking the same question again: "A dignified commander-in-chief... just like that, he died?"

"Mingwei, could the death of the King be......?"

At the same time, Haiyue and the other two arrived.

Once Yan Shifan confirmed the situation inside, his expression turned grim, and he immediately spoke.

"Silence!"

Before Haiyue could answer, Tao Dianzhen's expression changed drastically, and he quickly stopped her.

Yan Shifan glanced at the other person, but then shut his mouth.

He and Tao Dianzhen were involved in almost the entire process and were among the first to see through the truth.

It was initially thought that Wang Zuo had betrayed the court and colluded with traitors.

It was only later that they learned that the other party had endured humiliation and hardship to lure out the bandit leader.

As for why he was imprisoned, it's not hard to understand. After all, his final actions were too violent, and he even killed the imperial heir.

Even if he had previously succeeded in luring the enemy and capturing the thief, this serious offense means he can forget about any reward; a minor punishment will serve as a warning!

Yan Shifan and Tao Dianzhen both believed that the authorities would not do anything to Wang Zuo.

In a sense, it also solved a major problem for the emperor, preventing him from being branded as cold-blooded and ruthless.

Even if he can no longer hold the position of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, retiring peacefully to enjoy his old age is the treatment he deserves.

Success.

He withdrew.

However, to everyone's surprise, before he could even return to the Forbidden City, he died in the prison of the Tang Prince's Mansion.

Such an outcome...

"The meeting begins!"

Tao Dianzhen stopped Yan Shifan, but he couldn't help himself and whispered, "I specifically sent my fellow disciples to search for Consort Du Kang's body, but we didn't find it, nor did we find any other thieves' bodies..."

Everyone in the martial arts world knows the saying, "If you don't cut the weeds at the root, they'll grow back in the spring."

Moreover, a group of traitors who were able to infiltrate the palace and become concubines in the harem posed an enormous threat.

Having made a blood feud with this group, how could we let our guard down?
The official announcement from Consort Du Kang was that she had passed away due to the loss of her imperial heir and serious illness.

But Tao Dianzhen was not at ease and wanted to see the other person's body with her own eyes.

As a result, the Taoist priests of Chaotian Palace, who were guarding the perimeter of the palace and keeping a close watch, did not discover that her body had been carried out.

But the person has also disappeared.

The key issue is that Consort Du Kang has disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead. After this ringleader was exposed, besides her maid Zheng and her servant Lianqiu, there must be other thieves hiding.

Those people did not send guards to arrest him.

"Could it be..."

Yan Shifan and Tao Dianzhen exchanged a glance, each sensing the other's suspicions and worries, yet neither dared to voice them.

"I am here."

"Don't worry!"

Fortunately, Haiyue stood with her hands behind her back and spoke calmly.

"call!"

That short sentence relieved them of a heavy burden, and their tense shoulders finally relaxed.

But Yan Shifan and Tao Dianzhen were unaware that Haiyue had left out another sentence.

He is not Wang Zuo.

Do you want him to suffer the consequences?
Give it a try!
As silence fell over this side, more and more people gathered to watch.

Even officials from the previous dynasty heard the news and began to appear.

finally.

The cell door opened.

The burly man carried Wang Zuo, who had been washed and changed, out of the house.

The old woman in his arms was so light that she seemed to be nothing but bones, yet Lu Bing walked very steadily, afraid of disturbing her final rest.

The night breeze ruffled Wang Zuo's scattered white hair, and Lu Bing even lowered his head to press his cheek against his mentor's cool forehead—

Just like when he was injured during his first training session, Wang Zuo bandaged him up.

Be a teacher for one day, and be a father for life.

"gentlemen……"

"It's all my fault...it's all my fault..."

"I shouldn't have been so clever... I shouldn't have... It's all my fault for harming you!"

A sob choked in his throat, eventually turning into a wail that echoed far and wide.

Hong Qi and his trusted confidants were already waiting outside. Upon seeing this scene, they all knelt down, their eyes filled with tears.

Those who heard this had various expressions.

The officials of the previous dynasty all looked on coldly.

Although Wang Zuo and Lu Bing didn't have any bad reputations, being a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was their original sin, so their fate naturally wouldn't elicit any sympathy.

Yan Shifan and Tao Dianzhen exchanged a glance, their expressions a mixture of pity and surprise.

Lu Bing actually took the blame for Wang Zuo's death upon himself?

Does he believe that his claim that Consort Du suffered from anemia before entering the palace and was therefore unsuitable for pregnancy, leading to her miscarriage, is the reason for her current predicament?
Only Haiyue watched Lu Bing's figure gradually disappear into the twilight, and sighed softly:
"This may be the last lesson Wang Zuo taught his disciple."

"That's how people change."

(End of this chapter)