The World's Number One Medical Hall

Chapter Thirty-Five: Tie Xiong Desired to Kill Ming Wang

Unexpectedly, Chu Ruocai nodded and said, "My lord, in my opinion, this is very likely."

"Sir, you are overthinking it. There is no irrefutable evidence. Unless Dingwu disregards the overall situation, he will not be able to touch a hair on my head!" Lin Huayao smiled slightly, without the slightest panic.

Chu Ruocai finally understood the source of the lord's confidence. Indeed, the lord wielded considerable power in the dynasty, being in charge of finances and provisions. With the nation facing difficulties, any rash actions against the lord would further destabilize the already chaotic situation in the dynasty.

Even knowing this, Chu Ruocai's expression remained unchanged as he shook his head and said, "If we assume that the Ming King was attacked, then the first suspect would naturally be Shangqing Mountain, since they just did such a thing."

"Hmm?" Lin Huayao paused upon mentioning Shangqing Mountain, frowning in thought. "Yes, it was my oversight. The reason Dingwu concealed the truth about Ming Wang's murder was to avoid entanglement with Shangqing Mountain. If there were another assassination attempt, wouldn't that drag Shangqing Mountain into it again? Dingwu may have other methods and won't actually carry out an assassination plot!"

"No, my lord, time is short, and Emperor Dingwu has no time to make other arrangements. It seems that this is the only feasible plan to achieve our goal and avoid future troubles!" Chu Ruocai shook his head and objected.

"Hmm? Then Shangqing Mountain..." Lin Huayao asked, puzzled.

Chu Ruocai shook his head and immediately explained, "My lord, if Emperor Dingwu orchestrated this case, once it comes to light, Shangqingshan won't be the first to be implicated. The reason Shangqingshan injured Prince Ming was because of you. It was you who notified Shangqingshan, which is why they sent people to attack. So, in terms of motive, you are no less suspicious than Shangqingshan. Moreover, although Shangqingshan seems to be the first to be implicated, it's actually easy to convince people that they weren't the ones who did it. They were the ones who injured Prince Ming before, and they paid a heavy price to appease the royal family for accidentally injuring him. This gives them the best explanation to clear their name, as it proves to the world that they have extreme reverence for the royal family's authority. If that's the case, why would they offer huge compensation on one hand and then turn around and attempt an assassination on the other? That would be completely illogical. In this way, you, who are equally suspicious, become the most suspected person."

Lin Huayao nodded: "What you say makes sense, sir. It is indeed possible. But by the same token, Shang Qingshan's actions are illogical. I knew I would be a suspect after the case, so why would I do such a thing? This is also illogical and cannot convince the public!" Lin Huayao said in a deep voice.

"My lord, you are right. Without solid evidence, it would be difficult to frame you without cause. But in fact, Emperor Dingwu never intended to convict you in all his schemes. However, for you, he only needs to narrow down his suspicions to either you or Shangqing Mountain, which is enough to destroy his conscience." Chu Ruocai shook his head, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

Lin Huayao was slightly taken aback, and then his expression became noticeably serious.

"Sir, please continue!"

Chu Ruocai nodded, her voice growing increasingly heavy. "Previously, Shangqing Mountain injured the Ming King, and Emperor Dingwu ultimately compromised. However, can Emperor Dingwu compromise this time? Can he sit idly by and watch someone disregard royal dignity and repeatedly attack the Ming King? Clearly, Emperor Dingwu has created an overwhelming momentum, and no one dares to doubt that he will inevitably fly into a rage and unleash a massacre. So at this moment, everyone's attention will be focused on who he will attack, rather than whether he will even make a move."

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Huayao interjected, "Therefore, between me and Shangqing Mountain, one of us has become the one that everyone believes will inevitably suffer a blow from Emperor Dingwu."

"That's right. At this time, even you, sir, or Shang Qingshan, would never dare to doubt Emperor Dingwu's determination. Therefore, you and Shang Qingshan must try to clear yourselves of suspicion as soon as possible, lest you become Emperor Dingwu's target. In this way, it is obvious that you and Shang Qingshan have become competitors, and you are even afraid that the other will clear his suspicion first, leaving you alone with increased pressure. Obviously, in this situation, you and Shang Qingshan are no longer allies on the same side, but rather there is a huge gap between you..." Chu Ruocai analyzed in detail and with precision.

With a sharp "smack!", Lin Huayao slammed his hand on the desk, his eyes blazing with anger: "Dingwu is truly going too far! He certainly wouldn't dare touch Shangqing Mountain, so this vicious scheme was prepared specifically for me. He really thinks highly of me!"

"My lord, you must take this seriously. If all of this is true, then Emperor Dingwu is extremely wary of you," Chu Ruocai warned in a deep voice.

"Hmph, it's alright. If that treacherous villain dares to make a move against me and force me into a corner, his position may not be secure!" Lin Huayao's face was as cold as ice.

"Just the fact that Emperor Dingwu went to such lengths to keep Ming Wang alive is enough to show how much he fears you. Think about it, if he simply wanted to conceal the truth that Ming Wang died at the hands of Shangqing Mountain, a single scheme to have Ming Wang killed by someone else would have been enough to solve the problem. Why would he go to such lengths to keep Ming Wang alive? It is clear that he has made up his mind to get rid of you. Even if he does not dare to act rashly for the time being, he will definitely make it impossible for you and Shangqing Mountain to continue to be close, and to eliminate your trump card."

Chu Ruocai, however, was not so optimistic and continued to analyze: "Moreover, if you and Shangqingshan start trying every means to prove your innocence, and Emperor Dingwu takes the opportunity to drastically eliminate your power in the court, how could you dare to stop it given your own suspicion? And Shangqingshan will certainly not help you. Just this one incident can severely damage your strength and cause you to turn against Shangqingshan, which is extremely dangerous for you."

Lin Huayao took a deep breath, his eyes flashing wildly, and finally had to admit that Chu Ruocai's words made sense, and that he was not truly fearless.

At this moment, he was no longer happy about the impending death of the Ming King; his face was extremely solemn: "Sir, now that we know about this, how can we let that villain Dingwu's wicked scheme succeed? How should we thwart it?"

Chu Ruocai did not speak immediately, clearly calculating.

After a long while, he finally spoke: "This matter is indeed extremely troublesome, but fortunately we learned about it in advance, so we can break Dingwu's plan by taking him by surprise and doing the opposite of what he wants."

"What does it mean to take things by surprise and do the opposite of what is expected?" Lin Huayao's eyes lit up when he heard that there was a plan, and he asked in a deep voice.

"First, Emperor Dingwu sent Prince Ming away from the capital to conceal his impending death. Second, Emperor Dingwu wanted to use the assassination attempt as a pretext to sow discord between you and Shangqing Mountain," Chu Ruocai said, raising her head to reveal the royal family's true intentions.

"Yes!" Lin Huayao nodded.

"Then let's lend him a hand and make sure that King Ming really dies from an assassination. And let's give him a killer that can be identified on the spot," Chu Ruocai said in a deep voice.

"What should we do?" Lin Huayao's eyes blazed with light.

Chu Ruocai smiled slightly and said softly, "My lord, are you aware that a young lady has joined Miss's side today?"

"What?" Lin Huayao was slightly taken aback!

"She is a maid assigned by the Prince Ming's mansion to serve the Princess Consort, named Tie Ning'er!" Chu Ruocai said softly.

"Is there something strange about this Tie Ning'er?" Lin Huayao hadn't paid attention to who this little girl named Tie Ning'er was, but he knew that Mr. Chu would never mention it unintentionally.

"It was quite a coincidence, Miss. Since there was someone else by my side, I arranged for them to be investigated in order to be on the safe side. Unexpectedly, I found out some of Tie Ning'er's past." Chu Ruocai said with a slight smile.

"Oh? Could it be that he has some ulterior motive for getting close to Suyin?" Lin Huayao said with a slightly dark expression.

"Your Highness has misunderstood. It's not like that. It's just that Tie Ning'er was originally the apple of the eye of a very prestigious martial arts family in Guangdong. However, due to the grudges of the martial arts world, her entire family was wiped out with hatred..." Chu Ruo slowly began to tell the story of the Tie family, including his brother Tie Xiong and many of his fellow disciples who went to the capital to seek justice, only to be besieged by the government.

"By sheer coincidence, Tie Ning'er was rescued by the Prince of Ming, and from then on, the brother and sister stayed by the Prince of Ming's side... However, when the Prince of Ming was attacked, his elder brother Tie Xiong was imprisoned and tortured by the Prince of Ming's mansion for failing to protect him properly..."

Lin Huayao's eyes began to flicker. He finally understood what Chu Ruocai meant: "So, the Tie family has indeed harbored resentment towards the Emperor for a long time, and it's even possible that their lurking around Prince Ming was for the purpose of assassinating him to avenge their family!"

Seeing that Lord Lin understood, Chu Ruocai smiled and nodded, saying, "That's right. My lord, you feel that with both old and new grudges combined, one might as well act out of a fit of rage and avenge these years of resentment, such as killing the Ming King to wipe out our hatred..."

Lin Huayao nodded in agreement, but then paused slightly: "Even so, Emperor Dingwu will still conceal the news of Ming Wang's death!"

Chu Ruocai nodded and smiled, "Therefore, the timing of Tie Xiong's attack is crucial. We need to discuss this thoroughly with the lord, arranging the cause, process, and escape route for him after the murder. We must leave no room for doubt!"