Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 315 Haiyue's "Shock"

Huang Jin was stunned.

Of the five princes' birth mothers, he actually liked Consort Li the most.

Because Consort Li was gentle and kind, she never argued with anyone.

Tonight, amidst the flickering candlelight, Consort Li lies wounded and battered beside the dragon bed.

The plain white undergarment was soaked in blood, indicating that he was even more seriously injured than Zhu Houcong, who had been assassinated.

When Huang Jin arrived, he was filled with both gratitude and remorse upon seeing the gruesome wounds.

If it were my turn to be on duty tonight, I would risk my life to stand in front of the Emperor and prevent His Majesty and the Empress from being harmed.

But she originally thought that for such a life-risking act of saving the emperor, even if she could not be promoted to Imperial Noble Consort, she should at least be given the honor of Noble Consort.

Who knows——

And all I got in return was this suspicion?
Zhu Houcong's eyes were deep and unfathomable.

To be fair, compared to Consort Yan and Consort Wang, who increasingly focused their attention on their sons, he truly favored Consort Li the most among all the concubines.

I like her gentle and quiet nature.

I like her for not competing or vying for anything.

But tonight's events are eerie.

Zhu Houcong absolutely did not believe that a group of lowly eunuchs and palace maids would dare to rebel against their superiors and plot to assassinate the emperor.

There must be someone behind this.

Regardless of the twists and turns along the way, the core motivation will inevitably come down to the successor.

Therefore, the greater the suspicion against the eldest and second princes, the less he dared to ignore the third prince.

The story of the snipe and the clam fighting while the fisherman profits is a common occurrence throughout history.

Having learned from Consort Du's example, he couldn't help but doubt the seemingly weak Consort Li.

Of course, even if the concubines and young princes had evil intentions, they would still use others to achieve their goals.

Therefore, the chain of suspicion is far from over.

Under the cover of night, Zhu Houcong returned directly to the Qianqing Palace, sat on his usual dragon throne, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Immediately deploy the elite troops from the Directorate of Ceremonial!"

With a light tap of his fingertips on the armrest, Zhu Houcong's every sound was like an ice pick piercing Huang Jin's back: "Investigate the palace thoroughly—see who dares to collude with the outer court and conspire with the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

Huang Jin trembled all over.

After the palace coup, a thorough investigation of the palace was to be expected.

But colluding with the Embroidered Uniform Guard...

Even Lu Bing had doubts?
We grew up together, eating and living together, back in the Prince of Xing's mansion!
The scene of the three of them fighting crickets under the old locust tree in Anlu seems like only yesterday!
Zhu Houcong clearly did not think so. The Embroidered Uniform Guard was responsible for guarding the palace. If he wanted to control the palace after the coup, he would definitely need the support of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Lu Binggang had just returned from the front lines in the Hetao region and assumed the authority of the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Although his suspicion was extremely low, it was still necessary to be cautious.

Giving Huang Jin the order was also to make him realize the difference between ruler and subject, and not to think that he was unaware of Huang Jin's private dealings with Lu Bing.

"Huang Jin!"

After the reprimand, Zhu Houcong's tone softened slightly as he looked at his loyal eunuch, who had never harbored any ill intentions: "Among all these people in the inner court and the outer court, you are the one I trust the most. Don't let me down!"

Huang Jin was startled and quickly bowed: "This servant will definitely investigate thoroughly!"

"Well!"

Of course, there is now more than one force guarding the inner palace.

So immediately afterward, Zhu Houcong instructed, "Before you return to the Directorate of Ceremonial, summon Wenfu!"

"Yes……"

Huang Jin looked somewhat bewildered, bowed again, and then bowed and left.

A little over half an hour later, Lu Bing entered the hall and bowed, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty!"

Zhu Houcong asked, "Did Wenfu make any progress?"

In the past, Lu Bing would have thought it through in his mind and only reported it when he was certain of his abilities, so as to avoid His Majesty having to worry too much.

But at this moment, he kept in mind the duties of a subject, set aside useless emotions, and directly reported the suspicious points he had found on the corpse.

"Oh?"

Zhu Houcong's eyes flickered, but he was not surprised. Instead, it confirmed some of his previous guesses: "In Wenfu's opinion, what are these traitors plotting?"

"I do not know for the time being."

Lu Bingdao said, "I need to know the complete confession of the thief and verify the duty routes of the Imperial Guards before I can make a further judgment."

"Good! You must investigate thoroughly! Don't hold back on anyone!"

Zhu Houcong raised his voice: "Including Zhang Zuo and Gao Zhong, not a single one of those who are to protect me tonight is allowed to be missed!"

Lu Bing was, after all, a former official of his former residence when he was still a prince, and now he held a high position and great power. Once the new emperor ascended the throne, he would definitely cultivate other confidants, which would be very detrimental to him.

As for the secret guards, in theory they rely entirely on their own existence and are not even recognized by the court system. With a new emperor, they are like rootless duckweed, and should be even more loyal.

Although the secret guards were replaced with carefully selected elites, their fundamental nature was still questionable. Who knew if these people would be two-faced and have some other ulterior motive?
So after going around in circles, Zhu Houcong ultimately chose to meet Lu Bing.

The future guards will be entrusted to the leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who benefited the least from the betrayal.

Because of past events, Lu Bingruo harbored resentment and took this opportunity to deal with a group of secret guards, which also allowed him to vent his anger.

As for giving Huang Jin a warning and having him investigate the Embroidered Uniform Guard to prevent future collusion between insiders and outsiders, that is also necessary.

These two points are not contradictory.

"Wenfu!"

At this moment, Zhu Houcong rose from the dragon throne, came to Lu Bing, and personally helped the kneeling minister to his feet: "We grew up together since childhood, and you have always been my closest person. Now I can only rely on you!"

In the past, these words would have made Lu Bing's blood boil and filled him with enthusiasm to carry out all of this man's orders.

Even if it means going through fire and water, I will not hesitate.

"Your subject—will gladly die a thousand deaths!"

But at this moment, Lu Bing simply prostrated himself again, his voice impassioned, as if he were still the loyal guard of the Prince of Xing's mansion. As he stepped out of the Qianqing Palace, gazing at the pale moon on the palace wall, he couldn't help but murmur to himself:
"Your Majesty..."

"In this nine-layered palace, do you still have anyone who trusts you?"

……

Ledao Residence.

Haiyue slept soundly until dawn.

He got up early to practice martial arts, full of energy.

After finishing a set of boxing techniques and warming up his muscles and bones, he took over his babbling infant son, Hai Zhongyue.

The family sat around the round table, the silver spoons clinking against the porridge bowls, creating a harmonious and joyful atmosphere.

Just then, the pageboy Gonghao rushed up behind him and whispered, "Young master, something terrible has happened in the palace!"

The truth will out, especially given the commotion in the palace last night.

The guards conducted a thorough search and interrogated the suspects. It turned out that Lu Bing had entered the palace late at night, and eventually, some information was leaked.

Hai Yue remained calm, wiped the corner of her mouth, and said indifferently, "Have the arrangements been made?"

"Please rest assured, young master, they have all been evacuated."

While things were peaceful at home, Haiyue sensed that something might be going wrong in the palace and did two things.

The first thing he did was send a message to his younger brother Hai Rui in Zhejiang, urging him to intensify the crackdown on the Japanese pirates.

The original plan was to use Wang Zhi to wipe out all the pirate kings of Shuangyu Island.

Even if a few slip through the net, it's acceptable now; there's no need for perfection.

The second thing was to systematically withdraw the British Strategic Affairs Agency's personnel from the capital.

Especially those who have had connections with the palace, even if the eunuchs and maids do not know their background, should not linger.

After receiving the order, Gong Hao had some vague guesses, and couldn't help but feel nervous and a little regretful.

After all, in the event of a change of imperial power, the people they have arranged over the years can help the young master seize political opportunities.

Evacuating everyone would mean that something bad was about to happen, as they would be completely unaware of the situation inside the palace and could only wait passively.

Haiyue knew this too.

Unlike the Renyin Palace Coup in history, if there is another regicide this time, it is unknown how it will turn out.

If the old emperor passes away and a new emperor ascends the throne, his arrangement will indeed cause him to lose the initiative.

After all, Yan Song and Xia Yan were the teachers who taught the princes in the Imperial Study, but he was not old enough and was the one who created the system. In order to avoid suspicion, he was not selected to join.

He was not close to any of the princes.

We've barely even met a few times.

If a ruler does not play a role in the process of a new emperor's ascension to the throne and contribute to the succession, then the fate of being marginalized at the beginning of the new dynasty is inevitable.

But Haiyue is willing to take such a risk.

Unlike Yan Song and Xia Yan, he was too young.

Even if a prince who is completely unfamiliar with the emperor ascends the throne, and has no merit in assisting the emperor, at worst he will be sent away on some pretext.

Given the prestige he has cultivated in the Hanlin Academy, it won't be long before he returns to the capital to resume his leadership.

Not to mention the core members of the Yixin Society, who are spread across the two capitals and fourteen provinces, and are also young rising stars in the imperial court.

With this foundation, there is absolutely no need to take risks when the situation is unclear.

Gong Hao stepped back, and Hai Yue gave Zhu Yuying a reassuring look before turning to her eldest son: "Are you full?"

"I'm full! I'm full!"

Hai Zhongcheng asked excitedly, "Dad, take me to class?"

"Let's go!"

Haiyue hugged Haizhongyue again, and with the little guy waving and blessing her, she led her eldest son outside.

The servants in the manor had already brought two horses, one large and one small, and were waiting outside.

Compared to other court officials who mostly rode in sedan chairs, he preferred riding horses and trained his sons to ride from a young age.

Hai Zhongcheng is seven years old. Even if he starts his formal education early, he still has to go to school to develop his social skills.

Haiyue chose a middle-to-upper-level school for her son in the capital. The key was that the teachers were both knowledgeable and not rigid, which would produce the best students.

After sending Hai Zhongcheng to the school, as he waved goodbye to her, Hai Yue vaguely felt a gaze fall on her.

He seemed oblivious, straightened his scarlet robe and jade belt, and calmly turned towards the Hanlin Academy.

The rest will proceed as usual.

After finishing his duties at the Hanlin Academy, he also prepared the lecture notes for today's imperial lecture.

As the appointed time approached, he straightened his clothes and walked towards the Wenhua Hall under the autumn sun.

When the time came, Haiyue gracefully swayed her long sleeves and strolled to the outside of the Wenhua Hall, preparing to give a lecture to the emperor.

From afar, he saw an elderly eunuch standing in front of the hall. Upon seeing him approach, the eunuch hurried forward and exclaimed, "Scholar Hai!"

"Greetings, Lord Dai."

Haiyue bowed and asked, "Did His Majesty issue an oral decree?"

Although Emperor Jiajing appeared to be neglecting his duties and abandoning court, he actually held firm to his power, and every major national policy was approved by him.

The lectures held every other day served as a regular channel for understanding the movements of the foreign court, and therefore were basically uninterrupted.

If she falls ill, she will notify Haiyue in advance so that she does not need to come to Wenhua Hall.

It is quite unusual that we were stopped after arriving at the palace.

The elderly eunuch, who had been expressionless just moments before, burst into tears the next instant, revealing a shocking piece of news: "His Majesty was assassinated by thieves last night!"

"what?!"

Haiyue's lecture notes scattered all over the floor with a clatter.

(End of this chapter)