Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 337, Step Three: Aiming Directly at the Emperor!

"Your Majesty, what's wrong...?"

"So you're not going to attend court?"

The three top cabinet members reunited in the cabinet office.

They expressed concern about the current situation.

The Emperor Jiajing's refusal to hold court was truly unexpected... Xia Yan's prediction.

When Haiyue made this suggestion, she knew that the more unanimously the three petitioned for the emperor's approval, the less likely Jiajing would respond.

Yan Song initially hadn't expected this and was even vaguely worried that this ruler, after taking power, would not want to return to the palace and would be unable to continue to usurp power.

However, when he returned and told Yan Shifan about it, his son sneered repeatedly, and he was now completely relieved.

Xia Yan was the one who found it hardest to accept.

It was common knowledge that the emperor was neglecting his duties, but since it concerned a serious case involving a prince, he had to make an appearance to reassure the court and the public.

Why did their repeated requests go unanswered, as if they had vanished without a trace, with the Qianqing Palace ignoring them completely?

Fortunately, as the sound of footsteps approached, another person appeared and came to their rescue.

Lu Bing, looking travel-worn, strode in.

"Commander Lu?"

After exchanging greetings, Xia Yan asked rather anxiously, "How is the matter concerning the King of Chu?"

Lu Bing said in a deep voice, "I have returned to the capital for this very reason. The Prince of Chu is acting recklessly and without restraint, and there are treacherous people luring him from behind. Please take a look!"

As he spoke, he handed over a stack of letters.

Among them were letters found in a secret room in the Sun residence, as well as the spoils of the past few months.

Yan Song and Xia Yan put on their monocular glasses and examined the document closely, while Hai Yue exchanged a glance with Lu Bing, and they understood what was going on.

The secret guards have taken them down.

After carefully reading through the document, the two Grand Secretaries' expressions became extremely solemn: "The rebellion of the vassal kings must be quelled!"

To reiterate, the princes were a group of people who indulged in extravagance and trampled on the law. Now, someone is deliberately tempting and indulging their desires, especially by using sorcerers' prophecies, which is a major taboo in the court.

Fortunately, Lu Bing and Sun Weixian worked together to nip the Nanjing mutiny in the bud.

Without military turmoil, even if someone is ambitious, they cannot instigate a large-scale rebellion like the Prince of Ning, who wreaked havoc on the region.

Taking advantage of this important matter, Xia Yan immediately made a decision: "We must submit another memorial, requesting His Majesty to attend court and make a decision on the important matter concerning the vassal kings!"

"That's how it should be!"

Yan Song's wolf-hair brush was already soaked with ink, and even though he knew that his memorial was destined to be lost forever, he still wrote with great skill and grace.

Hai Yue didn't join in the fun this time. As the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, he ultimately didn't join the cabinet, so it was inconvenient for him to make some suggestions. After a brief discussion with Yan Xia, he came out with Lu Bing.

Inquire in detail about the situation of the secret guards.

"Not only Zhang Zuo, but all seven commanders of the Dark Guard have been captured."

"The interrogation went so quickly?"

"There was no interrogation; Zhang Zuo confessed voluntarily..."

Lu Bing sighed as he spoke of this.

Firstly, the name inevitably reminded him of his teacher;

I also felt a sense of sadness.

The one inside the Qianqing Palace has already been abandoned by everyone.

Even the leader of the secret guards avoided them like the plague, wishing they could be captured by the Embroidered Uniform Guard so as to save their own and their families' lives, which shows how desperate they were.

In light of this, he did not hesitate any longer.

"Let's go! We're going to two places!"

In front of a secluded courtyard on the outskirts of Beijing, the blue bricks are mottled, and the old locust tree casts dappled shadows.

Lu Bing and Hai Yue reined in their horses and stopped, gazing intently at the young man wielding a knife in the courtyard.

The boy was about thirteen or fourteen years old. His swordsmanship was sharp and skillful, and every move he made showed the style of a master. However, there was an unyielding melancholy between his brows.

His movements were steady, yet they subtly revealed a ruthless edge, as if he wanted to shatter something unseen.

"This sword technique..."

Lu Bing said softly, "I can do it too!"

Haiyue had already guessed the boy's identity, but she still asked, "Who is this boy?"

"Wang Yan, the eldest grandson of the gentleman."

Lu Bingdao said, "Before I went to Hetao, he was just a child. In the blink of an eye, he has become a young man who has achieved success in martial arts. It's just a pity that his grandfather committed a serious crime, so he has no hope of joining the Embroidered Uniform Guard..."

Wang Zuo's crime was not officially announced; he was only charged with suicide out of fear of punishment. This protected his family and clan property from being exiled and having them confiscated, but it also cut off his descendants' chance to join the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

As they were talking, Wang Yan in the courtyard seemed to sense something, suddenly sheathed his sword and looked towards the door.

Upon seeing Lu Bing sitting upright on his horse, he was first taken aback, then a complex look flashed in his eyes before settling into indifference, and he turned and walked inside.

"This child... probably hates me a lot, right?"

Lu Bing's eyes dimmed: "Back then, the master imparted all his knowledge to me, but when he died, I didn't utter a word. Afterwards, I just fled to the Hetao region..."

Haiyue remained silent, offering no words of comfort.

Lu Bing didn't need comforting words; what he needed was real action to resolve the knot in his heart that had been nagging at him: "It's time!"

"Loyal ministers and righteous men should not have met such an end!"

"No one can erase Mr. Li's contributions and the crimes of the Li Yuan Society!"

The shadows outside the courtyard stretched long, and the cries of returning crows echoed in the distance, as if witnessing this solemn vow.

"go!"

"On to the next place!"

Deep in the slums of western Beijing, moss climbed over the mottled brick walls. Haiyue and Lu Bing walked along the damp cobblestone path and stopped in front of a low courtyard gate.

The door was half-rotten, and the paint was peeling off, making it even more dilapidated than the Wang family's courtyard before.

Lu Bing pushed the door open and entered the hall, where he saw a woman in coarse cloth dress washing clothes.

She was hunched over, legs apart, her hair was slightly gray, and from the side, the deep wrinkles around her eyes made her look old.

"Consort Du, how have you been?"

Consort Du Kang was one of the first nine consorts appointed by Emperor Jiajing. She was also an extremely beautiful woman, otherwise she would not have been able to win Jiajing's favor and be taken by his side during his southern tours.

But when I saw her again today, she looked like an old woman from the countryside, with no trace of her former charm.

Not to mention that this was once the "Emperor of the Abyss" of the Liyuan Society. Who could have imagined that the leader of a secret society would fall to such a state...

"I never imagined that I would see an outsider in my lifetime."

Consort Du Kang did not look up, still pounding her clothes with her hands, and her voice, still somewhat charming, rang out: "I wonder what brings Commander Lu here?"

Lu Bing uttered two words: "Kill you!"

"Is it?"

Consort Du trembled slightly. After washing a thick garment, she wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand: "Then let's do it!"

Haiyue asked, "Have the secret guards been imprisoning you here all this time?"

Consort Du Kang slowly straightened up and turned her head: "Minister Hai, you want to ask why His Majesty hasn't killed me yet, right? Logically speaking, the Liyuan Society has long been incorporated into the secret guards, and I am no longer of use. I could have been disposed of..."

Haiyue looked at her calmly.

"Ah!"

Consort Du chuckled, her aged and weary face revealing a former shrewdness and calculating nature: "In truth, Minister Hai already knew the answer in his heart, didn't he?"

Haiyue said calmly, "Are you saying that the Dark Guards were usurped by the Liyuan Society and reborn under its guise?"

Consort Du Kang smiled in a half-smile.

Haiyue said, "This was the very thing that Zhou Xuan was worried about before he passed away, and it was only after being reminded by a friend that he realized that if I'm not mistaken, then it was actually your arrangement, wasn't it?"

Consort Du Kang's expression remained unchanged.

"In order to save your life, you handed over the Liyuan Society, which originally opposed the imperial power, to the current emperor. However, you were still unwilling to accept this, so you wanted to drag the Liyuan Society's transformed secret guards into the abyss as well."

Haiyue's tone was now extremely certain: "Old Zhou's doubts were a trap set by the last person you arranged!"

Consort Du's smile slowly froze.

"But not everyone is suspicious. The secret guards have survived until now, and instead of being destroyed by your schemes, they have handed you over to your enemies."

Haiyue stepped aside, revealing Lu Bing's ashen face: "You vile woman, even now, you still want to harm people!"

Consort Du Kang stood still for a moment, a mocking smile curving her pale lips: "I am but a woman in the deep palace. What abilities do I have besides these underhanded tactics of sowing discord? It is only natural that Commander Lu looks down on me... Do it! Avenge your mentor. You have probably been waiting for this day for a long time!"

"it is good!"

Lu Bing gently pushed the hilt of the sword with his thumb, and the sword was drawn from its sheath.

"Wait a minute!"

Consort Du's expression changed, then she turned to Hai Yue: "His Majesty would never allow you to see me. Does he also doubt your loyalty? Is that why you secretly came here?"

The blade flashed another inch.

"I know what has happened all these years! The truth behind the palace coup, the life and death of the Yan and Wang families, and Consort Li, who risked her life to save the Emperor, not only received no reward, but now her innocent son is being punished. I am most indignant! If you want to contend with the Emperor, she is the best person to use..."

The blade reflected her distorted face, and her speech grew faster and faster.

But Lu Bing's response was only three words: "Finished talking?"

"It's over!"

Meeting those eyes, Consort Du Kang suddenly realized that any words she uttered would be futile. She gave a bitter smile: "What a pity, you would never dare to lay a hand on the real murderer, you only dare to kill this woman, me..."

"Shh-"

The blade flashed like snow, and a line of scarlet blood bloomed on her neck.

Consort Du staggered backward, futilely covering her throat with her hands. Her lips were still moving, but she could only make gurgling sounds of blood and foam.

Fall down.

Died.

Lu Bing looked down at Consort Du Kang's corpse, let out a long sigh, and felt refreshed: "You're wrong. That year I dared not resist and let the master die. But killing you now is by no means the end!"

By unleashing this strike, he not only avenged half of Wang Zuo's death but also sealed his own fate.

The capture of the commander of the secret guards and the killing of the concubine who had faked her death were things that the one in the Qianqing Palace would never allow.

We have no choice but to keep fighting!
"This is a secret of the palace that Zhang Zuo revealed. The conspiracies and schemes mentioned earlier are all contained within it."

"But Lady Du has changed too much. There is no evidence that she is the deceased Consort Kang, and there is no possibility that she could confront the Emperor..."

"How can we make them useful?"

Lu Bing took out the case record.

The joint trial of the three judicial departments can resolve major cases involving princes, but can it also convict the reigning emperor?
Don't even think about it.

So at this moment, Lu Bing felt both resolute and bewildered.

I always felt like I was fighting against something completely invincible.

But then.

Haiyue took the case file without hesitation.

After flipping through the book briefly, Haiyue smiled and said, "The right and wrong in this world are not only determined by the three judges in the government office, nor only by the joint trial of the three judicial departments in the imperial court, but also in the annals of history and in people's hearts!"

“We are different from Consort Du Kang; we don’t need to resort to those treacherous methods. Let’s submit a memorial!”

"In order to speak frankly about the most important matter under heaven, to rectify the way of the ruler, to clarify the duties of the ministers, and to seek peace and security for all generations, I submit the 'Memorial on Peace and Security'!"

(End of this chapter)