The World's Number One Medical Hall

Chapter Forty-Seven News

As evening fell, Heijō Castle seemed no different from any other day, except that it was slightly quieter due to the incessant rain.

The departure of a wise king seemed to have no effect whatsoever on the city.

People continued to live their lives as usual, and the majestic palace still stood imposingly in the rain.

Emperor Dingwu stood with his hands behind his back at the window of his study, quietly observing the continuous curtain of rain under the dim sky.

He had been standing there for a while, watching the sky gradually darken. A complex emotion still lingered in his eyes as he gazed into the distance, muttering to himself, "The news should be coming back soon..."

Even with an iron will, he couldn't remain completely unmoved when it came to killing his own son.

However, this fleeting thought only flashed through his mind before disappearing, and he reaffirmed his resolve.

If the life of the wise king can allow him to take one more step on the road to saving this vast empire, then what is there to regret?

He slowly turned around, his expression now calm. He sat down again, his eyes no longer filled with any sighs, but instead he began to ponder what would happen after the news came back.

The assassin in black was indeed sent by him. These people were all elite assassins secretly trained by the royal family, who were dedicated to carrying out clandestine missions.

According to their plan, in order to make it realistic, they left no flaws.

Most of the black-clad assassins will die in the battle with the soldiers. They will then face off against two of Emperor Dingwu's personal guards. The two guards will display their prowess and kill most of the black-clad assassins. However, the Ming King will be taken hostage by the remaining black-clad men.

What followed was a chase. Clearly, the royal family could not allow the assassination to succeed, otherwise, what would become of their prestige?

The man in black could not escape in the end, but when he finally caught up with him and had nowhere to run, he tried to use the life of the Ming King to hold him hostage. After a brief standoff, he revealed a flaw: the Ming King in his hands had been switched at some point!

The man in black committed suicide, but the Ming King has vanished without a trace, his fate unknown!

Were they picked up by his accomplices?

This is the most likely possibility.

A large number of troops rushed to the scene, sealed off the mountain overnight, and conducted a continuous search, but in the end, they found nothing.

Soon, news will come that several soldiers have mysteriously disappeared during the pursuit. Then, the search area will be expanded immediately, and neighboring provinces will be called in to assist in the investigation.

Not long after, news came that several missing men had been seen in the area of ​​Dongshan Province, and that one of them looked very much like the Ming King.

But the trace only flashed for a moment before disappearing again.

Thus, this ruthless attack came to an end, after which a long investigation ensued.

It's obvious that there was an inside traitor who colluded with outsiders to capture the Ming King!

As for why the Ming King was captured, that's not important. What's important is who did it.

Without a doubt, we must start by investigating the missing soldiers, and from there begin to implicate individuals within the dynasty. We must investigate from the bottom up, little by little, and begin a continuous process of blood transfusion!

Emperor Dingwu sat quietly in his study, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. He had already begun to ponder which position to give to which person. Clearly, this time, everything had been arranged properly, and he did not think there would be any problems.

After all, no one could have imagined that the Prince Ming, personally appointed by the imperial court, would be assassinated in the capital region. Moreover, after what Shangqing Mountain had just done, who would dare to touch his tiger beard? Therefore, this time, with a well-intentioned plan and such a proper arrangement, it was bound to succeed.

Just then, the sound of light footsteps could be heard.

The eunuch appeared at the door, bowing slightly. He glanced at the figure in bright yellow robes deep in thought, not daring to disturb him loudly. He approached and bowed slightly, speaking in an extremely soft voice, "Your Majesty, would you like to have dinner in the Imperial Study again?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Emperor Dingwu in front of him did not raise his head or make a sound, as if he had not heard at all.

Seeing this, the eunuch dared not utter another sound, and bowed and slowly retreated.

He knew that at this moment, His Majesty could not possibly be in the mood for a meal; he must be pondering the matter of the distant Ming King.

However, unexpectedly, just as he was about to leave the imperial study, Emperor Dingwu suddenly seemed to remember something, his eyes flickered, and he looked up to ask, "Has the Empress finished her meal?"

Empress?

The eunuch paused, slightly raised his head, and looked at Emperor Dingwu with surprise.

He happened to see a fleeting look in Emperor Dingwu's eyes. He had followed Dingwu his whole life, and if you were to ask who understood Dingwu the most, he would definitely be one of them.

At that moment, it dawned on him: His Majesty had concealed the matter of Prince Ming from the Empress, and by now, Prince Ming was probably already...

His Majesty, feeling guilty towards the Empress, couldn't bear it any longer and quickly said, "Your Majesty, the meal has not yet been served!"

"Hmm, let's set up the display!" Emperor Dingwu's voice seemed a little low, but he did not hesitate and got up directly, heading towards the Empress's palace.

The eunuch was right; at that moment, Dingwu did indeed suddenly think of the Empress.

When it comes to making a choice, he will not hesitate.

However, he knew that it would be difficult for the Empress to accept. Although the Prince Ming was not outstanding and was even quite unworthy, the Empress still had deep affection for him because of their years of separation.

Therefore, he dared not let the Empress know about this plan.

The news was about to arrive, and he feared the Empress would find it difficult to bear. He sighed inwardly and decided to go and accompany the Empress.

"Your Majesty, do you know? When my son came to see me yesterday, I was truly taken aback!" The Empress, wearing a gold hairpin and jade phoenix in her hair, said with a smile as she served food to Dingwu.

At the dinner table, Dingwu knew that once he arrived, it would be impossible to avoid mentioning the Prince of Ming. However, the fact that the Empress mentioned the Prince of Ming as soon as he sat down still made him pause.

"Oh?" Dingwu smiled, his expression revealing no sign of anything amiss. "Has my son come to complain to you again?"

Actually, seeing the Empress's smiling face, he knew this might be a good thing, but he still preferred to ask.

"Complain?" The Empress paused slightly, then shook her head repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty, you're wrong this time. My son is actually very sensible. Not only did he not complain, but he's also incredibly filial. Last night, he knelt on the ground and refused to get up no matter what I said, insisting on treating my leg ailment!"

The old palace maid stood by, serving him. She glanced at the Empress and knew that the Empress would definitely praise Prince Ming to His Majesty today.

Emperor Dingwu was genuinely taken aback this time, clearly not understanding: "He treated your leg ailment?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, you wouldn't believe it, would you? My son is actually incredibly intelligent. Even as a young child, he encountered a master physician among the common people and learned the art of medicine. Given time, he might very well become a medical giant!" The Empress's tone was light and cheerful, clearly overjoyed.

"Met a master?" Emperor Dingwu's eyes darkened immediately. Normally, he wouldn't interrupt the Empress's enthusiasm, but today, he felt he should bring her to her senses: "Empress, we have thoroughly investigated my son's life before he returned to the palace. There was no master of medicine by his side; it's utter nonsense! I have long said that while literary and martial achievements are secondary, character is essential. We must not spoil my son too much!"

Emperor Dingwu's face hardened, but the Empress remained unaffected, smiling as she said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. How could I not remember these things? Actually, at first, I didn't believe it either, only thinking it was a sign of filial piety. But Your Majesty, look at this..."

The Empress was not annoyed. She put down her chopsticks and took a small purse from her person.

"What's in this?" Emperor Dingwu asked, his gaze falling on the purse.

"Your Majesty, please don't be hasty. You certainly won't guess what this is!" the Empress said mysteriously.

He carefully opened the purse, took out a folded piece of paper, then unfolded it himself and handed it to Ding Wudao: "Your Majesty, please take a look. Do you know who prescribed this medicine for me?"

This prescription is certainly not the "poisonous prescription," but rather the external fumigation prescription given by the Ming King.

"Eh, a prescription? Hmm, I've never seen this calligraphy before. Which imperial physician wrote this? It's excellent!" Emperor Dingwu took it, glanced at it, and nodded in approval.

"You'll find out as you read on!" the Queen said with a smile.

Emperor Dingwu chuckled and looked directly to the bottom, where the physician usually signed his name on the prescription.

But when he saw the very bottom, he was immediately stunned: "Mo Bai?"

He looked up in astonishment, staring at the Empress, only to see her smiling and saying, "Your Majesty, you wouldn't believe it, would you? This is a prescription that my son wrote for me personally last night, right in front of me. It turns out he's not only well-versed in literature, but also in medicine. This morning, I had Granny Chang take the prescription to the Imperial Hospital, and they all said it would be effective!"

"Empress, did my son really write these words in front of you?" Emperor Dingwu was clearly somewhat skeptical.

The Empress was displeased and said, "Does Your Majesty not trust my son or me?"

"Your Majesty, please do not be angry. However, Your Majesty should remember that just a month ago, Dr. Zhou resigned from his teaching position, unwilling to continue teaching the prince..." Emperor Dingwu's meaning was clear: he could not even read all the characters, let alone write a prescription, let alone have such beautiful handwriting.

Upon hearing this, the Empress's expression darkened slightly. After a moment of silence, she said, "Your Majesty, my son is already quite literate, but for the past two years, I have often punished him for it. However, he would rather endure it than reveal it... He still doesn't like this palace!"

Emperor Dingwu was taken aback again. How could he not understand the Empress's meaning? The Prince of Ming was hiding his true abilities.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind. It was yesterday, when Prince Ming fainted at the door of the Imperial Study and then suddenly woke up. The look he had with Prince Ming was a look he had never seen in his son's eyes before.

So clear and pure, one can tell at a glance that the person is definitely not dull!

His gaze returned to the prescription, and for some reason, he felt something was amiss, but he suppressed it. Even if it were all true, it wouldn't matter. He simply smiled slightly and said softly, "If my son truly possesses such talent, that would be excellent!"

The Empress, however, was no longer in high spirits. She nodded slightly and said, "Your Majesty, after much consideration, since my son is interested in medicine, although he is exceptionally talented, he is still young. I implore Your Majesty to select a wise teacher to accompany him and provide him with careful instruction!"

Emperor Dingwu was truly at a loss for words. He could be incredibly domineering towards everyone in the world, but he owed his life to his empress.

I was thinking about how to respond.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the door, clearly indicating that someone was approaching quickly.

At this moment, Emperor Dingwu felt a rare sense of tension; he knew news had arrived.

The Empress also raised her head and looked outside. She saw that it was the Emperor's personal attendant, who was running towards them at a rapid pace, clearly indicating that he had something urgent to attend to.

A hint of disappointment flashed in her phoenix eyes. Although His Majesty had always treated her well, in reality, since Mo Bai was born and she contracted a leg ailment, Emperor Dingwu had not visited her many times each month, so it was rare for the two of them to have a chance to meet.

However, as the empress, she knew how to be the mother of the nation, and her disappointment faded, her expression calming down.

"Your Majesty..." The eunuch trembled slightly, bowed his head in greeting, and then addressed the Empress: "Your Majesty the Empress!"

His voice trembled, revealing an uncontrollable panic.

Emperor Dingwu, however, remained calm. He assumed the news had finally arrived and asked softly, "Why are you so flustered? What's wrong?"

The Empress also gazed intently at him; this man had served His Majesty for many years and was by no means an unsteady person.

The eunuch slowly raised his head, the look of surprise still flashing in his eyes.

Seeing his expression, Emperor Dingwu thought to himself, "This old fellow really does look like him!"

The eunuch bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, there is an important matter to report to you from Jin Hai!"

"Speak!" Upon hearing Jin Hai's name, he knew it must be this matter.

Dingwu, however, did not leave and stayed there to listen.

"Your Majesty, I shall take my leave now!" The Empress said softly, not wanting to make things difficult for the eunuch, and then nodded to the old palace maid.

Emperor Dingwu shook his head: "It's alright. I've been busy with state affairs these days, and it's rare to have the opportunity to dine with the Empress. What important matter could this old servant possibly have? There's no need to avoid me!"

After saying this, he glanced at the eunuch and said, "Speak!"

The eunuch, at a loss, suddenly paused, realizing that Prince Ming was still alive. Why didn't he dare report this to the Empress? He thought to himself that he had been too shocked and had lost his mind. He quickly said, "Your Majesty, Prince Ming's carriage was just attacked about thirty miles from Jinhai..."

"What did you say? Assassination?" Before Emperor Dingwu could react, he was startled by a sharp shout.

Emperor Dingwu's face immediately turned ashen, his eyes widening: "Explain yourself!"

Seeing Emperor Dingwu's appearance, the eunuch felt a complex mix of anger and resentment, but could only hurriedly say, "Around dusk, when Prince Ming's carriage and horses will pass by..."

As he recounted the events, he recreated the situation at the scene almost bit by bit.

Inside this hall, the Empress and Dingwu's expressions changed little by little as the situation unfolded.

Emperor Dingwu, in particular, was shocked when he heard that there were far more than one group of people making a move. How could he not have known that something had gone wrong?

When the Empress heard that the soldiers had all been killed and that the King was facing a life-or-death crisis, her face turned completely pale.

"And at that critical moment, His Highness, in a split second, seized the knife and killed three men in black with a single strike... Six more rushed towards His Highness at that moment... His Highness ruthlessly attacked, facing all enemies alone, and slaughtered them all in an instant... Only then did those present realize that His Highness had actually reached the pinnacle of martial arts, achieving the level of a Grandmaster! A Taoist priest even dared to challenge His Highness... His Highness faced the Taoist priest wielding a long sword bare-handed, and with a final punch, killed him..."

At some point, Emperor Dingwu fell silent; he simply stared at the eunuch's face without uttering a word.

The Empress hadn't spoken for quite a while, and even the old palace maid had stopped breathing. Only the eunuch's voice echoed in the room.

In fact, even the Empress couldn't help but feel bewildered when she heard about the Grandmaster realm. Her first reaction was not joy, but confusion.

At this moment, even she had to admit that the person the eunuch was describing didn't seem to be someone she knew...

The eunuch was sweating profusely; he knew it was hard to believe, and he himself didn't believe it either.

But he had no choice but to believe it. He glanced at Emperor Dingwu, feeling a little uneasy, but he had to continue, "His Highness refused any further escorts, mounted Tie Xiong's horse, and rode away with the two of them, leaving behind only one sentence!"

The room remained quiet.

After a long pause, Emperor Dingwu's voice seemed to calm down as he slowly spoke: "What are you saying?"

"His Highness identified Zhang... Zhang Bangli, the Chief of Staff, as the one who conspired with Master Zhang to kill him. He then conspired with others to openly attempt an assassination and treason. He ordered two imperial guards to arrest him on the spot. He implores Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly and seek justice for him. He also stated that to prevent further assassination attempts, he will travel to Mingzhu on his own and will not accept any more imperial guard protection along the way!"

Emperor Dingwu stood motionless in the darkness for quite some time.

The eunuch stood behind him, but dared not utter a sound. He knew that His Majesty must be having a hard time getting over this!

In fact, Emperor Dingwu was just like Zhang Bangli when he witnessed that moment. He personally planned to take the life of the Ming King, but in the end, he found that everything he had done seemed so foolish.

"How is it?" After a long while, Emperor Dingwu sighed and asked softly.

The eunuch's lips parted slightly, but he seemed hesitant to speak.

"Speak!" Emperor Dingwu said, his back to him, but his voice brooked no argument.

"After Master Zhang was captured, he did not resist. He confessed some things," the eunuch said, bowing his head.

"It really was him!" Emperor Dingwu's words were unreadable.

"Master Zhang said that he originally planned to inform Shangqing Mountain and the Lin family, but after learning that Shangqing Mountain had brought nine Guiyuan Pills to atone for accidentally injuring the Ming King, he knew that Shangqing Mountain would never dare to kill the Ming King again. So he only informed the Lin family, because he learned from Chief Zhang that the Lin family wanted to form a marriage alliance with Shangqing Mountain, so they must want His Highness the Ming King to die!" the eunuch said slowly.

"Why did he do this? My son has never had any grudge against him, why is he so determined to kill my son?" Emperor Dingwu continued to ask.

"Because he lied. His medicine actually failed to stimulate the potential of the King of Light. He was afraid of being questioned by Your Majesty, so he didn't dare to tell the truth. But deep down, he had no confidence that His Highness the King of Light would live for two more days. He couldn't even accurately tell whether the King of Light could survive the journey out of the capital. So he informed the Lin family. As long as the Lin family got involved, no matter what method they used, if the King of Light died before reaching your planned destination, you wouldn't be able to find him in the end," the eunuch replied.

Emperor Dingwu slowly turned around, his gaze fixed on the eunuch: "He examined Prince Ming's pulse several times; how could he not know that Prince Ming was a grandmaster? How could he believe that Prince Ming was doomed?"

The eunuch was also puzzled, but could only say, "He said he had repeatedly tried to extend the life of the Ming King by replenishing his vital energy. If there were any internal energy within the Ming King's body, he would surely have discovered it, but in fact, he discovered nothing. However..."

"Um?"

"He said that he did discover something strange about the King of Ming. First, the medicine hadn't worked that day! Second, the King of Ming seemed to have secretly warned him to tell the truth! Third, when the King of Ming knelt before you and left that day, given his physical condition, he couldn't have done it; he must have been in excruciating pain, but the King of Ming showed no reaction on his face." The eunuch continued, "Master Zhang said that he thought about it carefully later but couldn't figure it out. However, he had a suspicion: he felt that the King of Ming must have known about Chief Zhang's plan to kill him beforehand."

Even Emperor Dingwu, with his iron will, couldn't help but tremble slightly at this moment.

Emperor Dingwu dared to kill his own son, but he would never dare to let anyone else know.

Before he could even ask, the eunuch spoke first: "Master Zhang said that after Prince Ming took the medicine, the remaining life force in his body should have been completely extinguished. But strangely, not only did this not happen, but his seemingly certain death appeared to have been rekindled. Master Zhang believes that his bowl of medicine must have been tampered with beforehand. And while he was brewing the medicine, Prince Ming's servant happened to be watching over the soup for a while. After that, Prince Ming seemed to have secretly warned him twice, telling him to tell His Majesty that he still had a chance of survival and might not die. Finally, seeing his refusal, he even wanted to replace him in front of His Majesty, sending another imperial physician to examine his pulse..."

Emperor Dingwu closed his eyes slightly as he listened to these words. He remembered that Mo Bai wanted to replace Master Zhang, but he refused without thinking because he didn't want anyone else to know about it.

"In conclusion, Master Zhang believes that His Highness must have known something in advance!" the eunuch whispered.

"Is there any trace of the Ming King?" Emperor Dingwu did not ask about this matter again, but lowered his eyes slightly.

The eunuch shook his head: "When the Ming King left, he forbade anyone to follow him. At that time, no one dared to follow him. Afterwards, when we went to inquire, we only learned that he had entered Jinhai City. Because we could not send troops to search on a large scale, there is still no news."

"Hmm!" Emperor Dingwu slowly exhaled, and finally said, "After Chief Zhang returns, have him come to see me immediately."

After saying that, he waved his hand and said no more.

After the eunuch left, Emperor Dingwu remained silent for a long time before two words were uttered from inside the room: "The Lin family!"

This time, the Lin family really crossed him. They dared to make a move against Shangqing Mountain, and now they dare to make a move against the Lin family too...

Lin House.

Lin Huayao couldn't possibly have missed such big news.

At this moment, his face remained expressionless for a long time. He stared blankly at Chu Ruocai, who had a bitter expression on his face, before finally speaking: "Are you saying that the Ming King was not only not dying, but also a martial arts master with unparalleled talent, who single-handedly killed all of us, and even killed Taoist Liu?"

With each word he spoke, his expression grew more unpleasant.

Chu Ruo realized that his lord would find this hard to accept, and in fact, he felt the same way, but in the end, he could only nod and say, "My lord, I miscalculated... We fell into a trap!"

Lin Huayao closed his eyes slightly: "Have we fallen for their trap?"

"The royal family probably set a trap for us long ago, and they actually used assassination to eliminate our last suspicions, which led us to take action in the end."

"Eliminate all traces, and make sure we're not implicated!" Lin Huayao suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on Chu Ruocai with the deepest light.

Chu Ruocai's heart tightened, and he quickly nodded, saying, "Don't worry, my lord. Fortunately, we took an extra step and ultimately pinned everything on Tie Xiong. Even if the royal family knows it was us, they have no evidence!"

"Tie Xiong, is it still useful to mention Tie Xiong now?" Lin Huayao lowered his eyes slightly, no longer angry, but calmly said.

The whole world probably knows that Tie Xiong shielded Ming Wang from a knife, and Ming Wang only trusts Tie Xiong.

"That's alright. All the world knows is that those people were acting under Tie Xiong's name. Even if it wasn't Tie Xiong, it was his fellow disciples who did it. After all, the Ning'er incident has gone around in circles, and on the surface it's still their doing. It has nothing to do with us," Chu Ruocai said.

Lin Huayao nodded slightly and remained silent.

However, Chu Ruocai wiped the fine sweat from his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief. But he didn't know that Lin Huayao, who was sitting opposite him, had not been really convinced by him. In fact, he was far more pessimistic than Chu Ruocai. He knew Dingwu all too well.

"I can't stay in the capital any longer, otherwise things will definitely change!" His eyes flashed with a sharp light as he made a decision in his heart, but he raised his head and said, "Alright, keep a close eye on the situation, and we must not let Dingwu implicate me."