Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 312 Tiger Roar and Dragon Roar
"Pfft!"

Zhou Shunli clearly heard the sound of the hairpin piercing his flesh and felt the resistance.

"what--"

A piercing scream of pain rang out from in front of them.

But clearly, compared to before, when the leading old eunuch killed the palace maid cleanly and efficiently, his method was far inferior.

Even when he tried to exert more force, Zhu Houcong instinctively shrank back and rolled away.

A drop of blood spurted from the tip of the hairpin, splattering crimson spots onto the tent.

"His Majesty!"

Consort Li, who was inside the dragon bed, was startled awake. Instead of retreating, she stepped forward and blocked Zhu Houcong's path with her body.

"Protect the Emperor!! Protect him!!"

It wasn't just Zhou Shunli, the "Little Fireman," who attempted the assassination.

He was the fastest and most decisive, but a eunuch and a palace maid rushed at him from the left and right.

Seeing that Zhu Houcong couldn't dodge and was about to be injured, Consort Li used her arm to block the second thrust, and then a silver hairpin was plunged into her back.

Blood instantly seeped into her inner shirt.

"Your Majesty, let's go quickly!"

Amidst Consort Li's screams, several more dark figures circled around to the other side of the dragon bed and darted out from behind the curtains.

"Ah-ah-"

Zhu Houcong scrambled to his feet, his screams breaking into broken trembling sounds in his throat. He couldn't utter a single complete sentence; his mind was completely blank.

The group of assassins led by Zhou Shunli were also completely blank in their minds.

Their pupils reflected the emperor's distorted face and his scrambling body, which mechanically brandished its weapons, repeatedly thrusting them towards the enemy's location.

Most of them ended in disappointment.

A few cuts or even punctures that embedded themselves in the flesh did not cause greater harm.

The assassination plan that had been rehearsed was now completely forgotten.

What should have been a fatal blow aimed straight at the vital points has now turned into a chaotic, unpredictable stab.

The scene was chaotic.

"Stab...stab him in the heart!"

"Don't run...don't run!"

"Oh no! Someone's coming!"

Zhou Shunli turned around abruptly and saw that when they were besieging Zhu Houcong, Consort Li had broken the golden bell rope at the head of the bed while struggling, making a piercing sound.

Meanwhile, a flurry of footsteps could be heard outside.

This is impossible.

After all, they had eliminated all the servants who served in Jiangxue Pavilion on their way here.

In addition, the Imperial Guards patrolling outside had just passed by and wouldn't be able to get here in a while, so it seemed impossible for them to come and protect the Emperor in time.

But the guards actually broke in.

"How dare you, you eunuch!"

"what--!!"

With a piercing scream, a figure lunged downwards, a trembling arrow lodged in its back.

"You dog emperor! You dog emperor!"

Zhou Shunli seemed to wake from a dream, but then gave a bitter smile, looked at Zhu Houcong, roared, and pounced on him.

Either way, it's death.

Fight!

"Catch...catch him alive...uh!!"

Zhu Houcong's newly regained ability to speak vanished instantly when he met those bloodshot eyes.

The hatred surging in the eunuch's eyes was even more chilling than the stabbing attack just now.

No more words.

Zhu Houcong used both his hands and feet to turn and flee.

However, Zhou Shunli also leaped forward like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, his arm bursting with astonishing strength, knocking the emperor heavily to the ground.

The two men started wrestling on the ground.

Zhou Shunli was young, but his body, ravaged by years of famine, was as thin as paper, and his strength was far less than that of a normal person; he could only be considered a half-grown child.

Zhu Houcong was already old and was filled with fear and dread. However, his survival instinct still roused his last bit of strength, and he kicked the other person away. However, his face was scratched several times, leaving bloody cuts.

"How dare you, thief!"

The commander of the Imperial Guards rushed forward in three steps, and pressed down with his palm, which resembled a prayer mat, completely immobilizing Zhou Shunli.

After subduing the assassin, the Imperial Guard leader threw him behind him, causing him to fall headfirst to the ground.

"This humble general has arrived late to protect His Majesty! I deserve death! I deserve death!"

Swish!
A group of people knelt down behind him.

Zhu Houcong collapsed to the ground, his legs weak and he was panting heavily.

The palace was littered with corpses lying in disarray.

Among those who attempted assassination were eunuchs and palace maids, as well as former servants of Jiangxue Pavilion.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

A weak voice broke the oppressive silence. Zhu Houcong turned his head sharply, looking at Consort Li, who was dying beside his dragon bed. A sharp pain surged through his body, and he finally woke up as if from a dream, his voice hoarse: "Imperial physician! Quickly, summon the imperial physician!!"

……

"His Majesty has been assassinated?"

Lu Bing's eyes widened suddenly, almost unable to believe the sound he was hearing.

But the person who reported it was his trusted confidant Zhu Qi, and such a terrible disaster could not possibly be fabricated. Lu Bing immediately put on his clothes, rushed out, mounted his horse, and headed towards Donghua Gate.

"Lu Bing, the Deputy Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, is here! Report this immediately!" Historically, upon learning of the palace coup, he rushed to the emperor's aid at the first opportunity.

Of course, officials from outside the palace were not allowed to enter the inner palace. Lu Bing waited outside the palace gate with his men. Once the Empress's decree was issued, he immediately went inside to arrest the thieves and bring the rebels to justice. When Jiajing woke up and learned of this news, he was very satisfied.

But tonight, Lu Bing shouted repeatedly, and although there was a response from above Donghua Gate, it was rather indifferent.

The palace gates remained tightly shut, and despite waiting and waiting, there was no sign of them opening.

"Ok?"

Lu Bing sensed something was amiss, dismounted, and then inquired carefully, "Where did you get the information?"

"The imperial physician has been summoned to the palace!"

Zhu Qi whispered, "The Imperial Medical Academy's men have gathered information and rushed over to report!"

Lu Bing understood.

As early as when he was a servant in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he intended to cultivate his confidants. He selected eight people from the bottom of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who were jokingly called the "Eight Great Vajras".

During the campaign against Annam, these eight men were by his side. After Annam fell, he led these trusted men to suppress the local rebellion, and each of them earned a real centurion's rank.

But when he went to Hexi later, he did not take all of these people with him.

Because the Embroidered Uniform Guard was the foundation and could not be shaken, he left behind four trusted confidants, led by Zhu Qi, to consolidate their territory and await his return.

Sun Weixian's men did not dare to act recklessly. Over the years, the two sides have gone their separate ways and kept to themselves.

Zhu Qi had planted many spies throughout the court and the country. It was only when the Imperial Hospital personnel reported the situation in the palace that he learned of it. He immediately rushed to the Lu residence to report.

"Something's not right!"

Zhu Qi's intelligence was correct. Lu Bing's brows furrowed, thoughts racing through his mind. His knuckles unconsciously tightened around the hilt of his knife, and his palms were covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.

He suddenly turned around, his cloak fluttering in the night wind, and made a decision: "Immediately dispatch elite troops to the Xihua and Xuanwu gates. My Embroidered Uniform Guard must enter the palace and we must not allow villains to isolate the Forbidden City!"

The Ming Dynasty's palace patrols were centered around the Embroidered Uniform Guard, supplemented by the Five Armies Camp, the Three Thousand Camp, and other Beijing garrison forces, forming a defense system.

It was only natural that he was tasked with apprehending thieves in history.

But at this moment, this deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was excluded.

Not to mention that he is His Majesty's wet nurse, and with such a close relationship known to everyone in the court and the public, even a job transfer should not be handled in this way!
Friday!

Zhu Qi accepted the order and left. Lu Bing then summoned another trusted confidant: "Go to the Yan residence immediately and inform Grand Secretary Yan that something is amiss in the palace. Be on guard!"

"Yes!"

On Friday, after a slight hesitation, he whispered, "Where are Grand Secretary Xia and Scholar Hai?"

Recently, many officials from Xia Yan's faction have been associating with Lu Bing.

They approached him with great enthusiasm, and Lu Bing, not wanting to turn them away, still attended the banquet.

From the outside, Xia Yan, the second prime minister, was undoubtedly at the height of his power. Even within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, people felt that he had a chance to oust Yan Song and become the prime minister.

As for Haiyue, she was well aware of Lu Bing's relationship with the other party on Friday. They didn't contact each other on ordinary days, so at this crucial moment, shouldn't she call someone over?

"No!"

However, Lu Bing resolutely shook his head: "Go to the Yan residence and, apart from the Grand Secretary, do not reveal a single word to anyone else. If any information leaks from our side and causes a great uproar, I will hold you responsible!"

"Subordinates take orders!"

On Friday, a chill ran down his spine, and he bowed and withdrew.

Two trusted confidants accepted the order and left, their footsteps gradually fading into the night within the deep palace.

Lu Bing looked up at the sky, where thick clouds obscured the stars and moon.

"I hope I'm just overthinking..."

"May Your Majesty be well!"

……

"Huh...huh..."

Zhu Houcong leaned against the messy imperial bed, his face full of lingering fear.

The original neck was strangled, leading to suffocation, which is extremely dangerous.

Even if a person doesn't die, it often results in permanent damage.

For example, fractures of the Adam's apple or cervical vertebrae can lead to permanent loss of respiratory and motor functions.
Moderate asphyxia can leave neurological symptoms such as headaches and memory loss;
Severe asphyxia has a very high probability of causing irreversible brain damage or death, and survivors may also suffer from lifelong disabilities such as paralysis and swallowing difficulties.

In the historical Renyin Palace Coup, Jiajing survived without any aftereffects, indicating that at most he suffered from moderate asphyxiation, which caused brain hypoxia, leading to dizziness, nausea, and temporary loss of consciousness.

Even so, he almost lost his life.

The key lies with the imperial physicians.

Seeing that the emperor was being strangled and was on the verge of death, many imperial physicians, fearing punishment, dared not administer any medicine.

Only Xu Shen, the Imperial Physician, risked his life to prepare the medicine and administer it to Jiajing, which surprisingly worked.

"The strong medicine was administered at Chenshi (7-9 AM), and at Weishi (1-3 PM), the patient suddenly made a sound and expelled several liters of purple blood. By Shenshi (3-5 PM), the patient was able to speak."

Xu Shen was bestowed with great rewards, but soon after, he fell seriously ill. He told his family that during the palace coup, he knew that if he used medicine and failed to save the emperor, he would be killed. Therefore, he was terrified and his illness was caused by fear, and it was incurable.

Indeed, the doctor passed away not long after.

Therefore, the Imperial Medical Academy of the Ming Dynasty not only had Liu Wentai, but also other medical professionals who dared to step forward.

It's a pity I risked my life to save this thing.

Judging from the suffering of the people over the next twenty years, it can be said that good intentions led to bad outcomes.

But now, Zhu Houcong is not being strangled, he is suffering only superficial injuries.

The dragon's body was still covered in bloodstains, but it had not fallen into a coma and could still speak.

Yet his eyes were bloodshot, and he was breathing like a wild beast; where was the slightest trace of imperial majesty?

On the ground in front of the hall, the guards knelt like clay sculptures, their breathing frozen, with only the dripping of water clocks urging them to their deaths.

Sudden--

"Grasp!"

A roar like that of a tiger and a dragon resounded throughout the palace, heard both inside and outside: "Arrest them! Arrest them! Arrest the people behind this! Don't let them escape!!"

(End of this chapter)