The World's Number One Medical Hall

Chapter Five: The Mysterious Background of the Ming King

As soon as Zhang Bangli finished speaking, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly turned cold, as if an ice river had descended.

Clearly, given his tone and manner, even if he didn't finish his sentence, it was unlikely to end well.

A sense of dread washed over everyone.

Emperor Dingwu, sitting atop the main hall, suddenly raised his gaze, glaring angrily at the two Daoist masters from Shangqing Mountain. He uttered no further words, only a cold snort: "Hmph!"

Daoist Chongxuan's expression immediately tightened. Under the chilling killing intent of Emperor Dingwu, he could no longer sit still.

He immediately stood up from his seat and asked Zhang Bangli urgently, "Steward Zhang, have you truly ascertained whether Prince Ming's life is truly in danger?"

He was also nervous. In fact, the country was very cautious and unwilling to fall out with Shangqing Mountain because it did not want the already declining royal family to lose another ally and gain a major enemy!

And Shangqingshan, how could he have ever truly wanted to turn his back on the royal family? Even though the royal family is currently in turmoil, it still sits high on the golden dragon throne, the supreme position in the world!

If they truly turn their backs on us, what benefits can they possibly gain?

At this moment, he couldn't help but glance at Master Mei, who was sitting there calmly, unmoved even after hearing that the Ming King might be in trouble. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking that Master Mei was far too arrogant. How could he openly try to kill someone? Did he really think the royal family was made of clay?

But even though he had opinions, he didn't dare to voice them. After all, Master Mei's status was different; once he did something, he was left to figure out how to clean up the mess.

At this moment, he wasn't the only one who was nervous; everyone else in the hall felt their hearts pounding.

Lord Luo, who is in charge of criminal matters, arrested the two Shangqing Mountain monks immediately after the incident, and they are now under his custody.

He couldn't help but be fearful. If something really happened to the Ming King, His Majesty would surely be furious, and he would have no choice but to severely punish the two men.

But now that the world is about to descend into chaos, how can we be sure that these chivalrous, lawless hermits of Shangqing Mountain won't dare to seek revenge against him?

Even Lin Huayao, the father-in-law of the Ming King, turned pale. To be honest, he did not expect that Shangqing Mountain would actually kill the Ming King.

Once there's no room for reconciliation, no matter how often the royal family tries to clear the mountain, I've already become a speck in His Majesty's eyes, and I'm definitely not going to have an easy time.

Only the young man standing behind the two Taoist masters, upon hearing this news, slightly curled the corners of his mouth, seemingly quite satisfied.

All eyes were fixed on Zhang Bangli with intense tension. Zhang Bangli glanced at the Emperor out of the corner of his eye before turning to look at Daoist Chongxuan, his tone filled with strong indignation as he said, "What are you saying, Daoist Chongxuan? Does Shangqing Mountain really want the Prince of Ming's life to be in danger?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall held their breath for a moment, then immediately relaxed considerably.

The men stared at Zhang Bangli, their eyes simultaneously filled with displeasure. They all cursed inwardly, "Bastard! Since the Ming King isn't dead, why are you acting all coy and hesitant?"

"What happened to the Ming King?" Lin Huayao felt a slight sense of relief upon hearing that the Ming King was not dead, but at the same time, he was filled with mixed emotions and couldn't help but ask.

Zhang Bangli glanced at him sideways, his voice laced with sarcasm: "Lord Lin, you can rest assured. While the Ming King's injuries are indeed severe, thanks to Master Zhang's tireless efforts in treating him, his life is no longer in danger."

I'm at ease?

Lin Huayao felt a tightness in his chest, staring at Zhang Bangli's face, wishing he could immediately take off his shoes and slap him hard to the ends of the earth.

Laozi wished that brat would die sooner, but that was just wishful thinking. Glancing at His Majesty's still stern face, he could only manage a dry laugh: "May Your Majesty be without worry, truly fortunate, truly fortunate..."

Daoist Chongxuan and Lord Luo both breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they didn't die, there was still room for maneuver.

When Mei Yunqing heard that the Ming King was not dead, a look of surprise flashed in her eyes. A hint of anger rose in her eyes as she glanced at the handsome young man standing behind her.

The young man seemed to be stunned for a moment, then his lips twitched, he lowered his head, and his eyes were filled with gloom.

Nobody cared about him.

Zhang Bangli then looked at Emperor Dingwu, his voice turning heavy: "Your Majesty, although Prince Ming's life is no longer in danger, the severity of his injuries is still shocking, and he remains in a deep coma..."

This time, no one was frightened by his words; instead, everyone knew that he was about to negotiate terms.

Luo Fengchun, who had remained silent until now, suddenly stepped forward, bowed to Emperor Dingwu, and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the Ming King is seriously injured, and Shangqing Mountain must take responsibility for this!"

Upon hearing this, Daoist Chongxuan immediately performed a Daoist bow to Emperor Dingwu and said in a gentle tone, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I, Shangqing Mountain, will do my utmost to save His Highness Prince Ming."

Emperor Dingwu stood above, his face still grim, listening to their conversation without uttering a word.

Zhang Bangli turned his gaze to Daoist Chongxuan: "Daoist Chongxuan, you make it sound so easy. To go all out to heal the Ming King? His Highness's status is so noble, yet he was severely injured by your disciples on his wedding night. Does Shangqing Mountain intend to let this go so easily, as if it never happened?"

Master Chongxuan's face darkened, but he was already mentally prepared. After a moment's thought, he said, "Your Majesty, although my disciples clashed with the Ming King due to a misunderstanding, resulting in the accidental injury, Shangqing Mountain has always had strict rules. The disciple who accidentally injured the Ming King will be severely punished according to the rules to uphold the law."

Zhang Bangli's face turned pale; he was furious.

You killed the Ming King, and this is the only explanation you give? Are you, a disciple of Shangqing Mountain, more noble than the Ming King?

He didn't have time to vent his anger on Daoist Chongxuan; he immediately looked at His Majesty, worried that His Majesty might lose his temper.

Fortunately, His Majesty's expression remained solemn, but he showed no signs of anger. He did not respond to Daoist Chongxuan, but instead turned to Lin Huayao and said slowly and in a deep voice, "Lord Lin, do you know about the past of the Ming King?"

When His Majesty inquired about the past of the Ming King, the several people of the court in the hall were all taken aback for a moment before they understood the deeper meaning.

However, Daoist Chongxuan, Mei Yunqing, and the young man behind him were puzzled. The three of them looked at the expressions of the people in the room, exchanged glances, and were confused. What other past events did this Ming King have?

In the end, they had no choice but to turn their attention to Lin Huayao.

Lin Huayao hadn't expected His Majesty to suddenly ask him this. Thinking of it, he felt a surge of indignation, but he had no choice but to answer: "Your Majesty, seventeen years ago, Your Majesty traveled to Jiangnan..."

As he spoke, the three Daoist masters from Shangqing Mountain couldn't help but exchange glances and look at each other in bewilderment.

It turns out that before Emperor Dingwu ascended the throne, he took his princess on a trip, but unexpectedly, she became pregnant during the journey.

At that time, transportation was not as convenient as it is today. In order to protect the royal bloodline, Emperor Dingwu temporarily stayed in Jiangnan. However, when he was about to give birth, he happened to encounter a war.

The princess was frightened and eventually gave birth to a prince prematurely, but Emperor Dingwu, being a prince, had no choice but to lead troops to suppress the rebellion.

However, the incident happened in a hurry, and reinforcements could not arrive in time. Emperor Dingwu was surrounded. Fortunately, his personal guards fought bravely. Of course, in Lin Huayao's words, Emperor Dingwu was incredibly brave and eventually escaped the encirclement. However, there were pursuers behind him one after another, and the prince was too young to withstand the hardships.

Left with no other choice, Emperor Dingwu entrusted the prince to the care of commoners, intending to find him after the rebellion was quelled. However, when reinforcements arrived and Emperor Dingwu swiftly suppressed the rebellion, he tried to find the prince but discovered that due to the chaos of war, the family that had entrusted him to the prince had vanished without a trace.

At this point, Emperor Dingwu had no choice but to send people to search everywhere. Fortunately, the tokens and tattoos had been left behind in the search.

But more than ten years passed without any news, and Emperor Dingwu had already ascended the throne and had many sons and princesses.

After a while, even Emperor Dingwu himself forgot about the matter, when suddenly the people he had sent to the common people two years ago sent back news that they had found the prince.

After all, he was her own son, how could she not want him? After a thorough investigation, she confirmed the prince's identity and finally welcomed him back after being separated from him for fourteen years!

Thus, the dynasty gained a sixth prince, Mo Bai, who was given the title of Prince Ming.