Lin Yue said: "Your Majesty, the whereabouts of the three Jinyiwei brothers are temporarily unavailable, but Wei Ting is in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment. This woman has a very strict tone. Neither Han Shoufu nor the ministers can get useful information from her. Given the current situation Let’s see, it’s better to let her go.”
Zhu Youjian reacted immediately: "You mean...play hard to get?"
"Your Majesty is wise." Lin Yue took the opportunity to flatter him: "Wei Ting is Wei Zhongxian's most trusted adopted daughter. She is usually responsible for his daily life and protection. Use her to find Wei Zhongxian. She is more reliable than the minister who bumps around everywhere. Try your luck. More, but to do this, you need a master who is proficient in stealth and tracking, otherwise it would be bad if she discovers or loses track of you."
Da da da~
Zhu Youjian tapped his index finger on the armrest of the seat, closed his eyes and meditated. Just as Lin San said, Wei Ting is not like people like Xu Xianchun and Tian Ergen. Since she can't pry her mouth open, there is not much point in being locked up in prison. Thinking about the huge wealth that Wei Zhongxian had accumulated during the eight years he had been in power, it would be better to put it to waste and take a gamble with her.
"This is a good idea. If we prove that the scorched corpse is not Wei Zhongxian, then follow your plan. As for who should follow Wei Ting, I have a candidate."
Lin Yue said: "Who?"
Zhu Youji glanced at him but said nothing.
Lin Yue cupped his fists and said, "I'm talking too much, I'm going to leave."
"Yeah." Zhu Youjian nodded.
After leaving Qianqing Palace, Lin Yue went to the Supervisor of Ceremonies to help Concubine Ren Rong get the salary that had been deducted by the eunuch in charge. He also went to the imperial dining room to pick up some snacks and took them to the West Palace to see Concubine Duan Chun.
At the same time, a young eunuch on duty at the Qianqing Palace asked for sick leave and left the Forbidden City and entered a small courtyard northwest of Dongchang.
In the evening, Lin Yue went to the Ministry of Punishment and supervised the autopsy of the deceased together with Han Kuang.
The result was no surprise. The bones of the charred corpse were too young and he was not Wei Zhongxian.
Han Kuang reported the news to Chongzhen as soon as possible, and was preparing to issue orders to the various states to arrest Lu Jianxing, Shen Lian, and Jin Yichuan, the three criminals who deceived the emperor and ignored his superiors.
A quarter of the hour.
Letter to the palace.
It’s still the Guanyu Pavilion in the back garden, and it’s still the same two people.
"The charred corpse brought back by the three Jinyi guards was not Wei Zhongxian." Zhu Youjian said: "You were happy too early. You should not have listened to your request to save Shen Lian's life in the first place. He actually dared to deceive me."
"What if it wasn't him who did it, but Lu Jianxing and Jin Yichuan?"
"It's useless to say this now." Zhu Youjian said: "In response to the current situation, Lin San gave me a plan today."
"What's the plan?"
"Play hard to get." Zhu Youjian explained in detail: "The three Jinyi guards disappeared, and the clues to hunt for Wei Zhongxian were lost. However, his adopted daughter is locked up in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment. If the person who knows him best comes to find him, do you think how?"
"Hey, this Lin San is really capable." Lin Yue said, "What do you mean?"
"I agreed to his proposal. As for tracking Wei Ting, I want you to go."
Lin Yue was not surprised that this task would fall on him, or he had already known that this would be the result. Zhu Youjian was not a fool. He could quietly avoid the guards in the house and reach the second floor. What does it mean? His stealth ability surpasses that of everyone around him, so it is not difficult to track Wei Ting.
"If we really find Wei Zhongxian, aren't you afraid that I will kill him with a knife?"
"That would be too wasteful. It is said that Wei Zhongxian's wealth in recent years is more than the money in the treasury. If he can be found and confiscated, the problem of military pay in Liaodong can be solved."
"Okay." Lin Yue said with a reluctant expression: "After you get what you want, Wei Zhongxian will leave it to me."
Zhu Youjian said: "Okay."
"Let's go." Lin Yue said hello and jumped out of the window. Zhu Youjian only saw a dark shadow flashing past. As for footsteps, there was no sound at all.
…
Wei Ting was released. In Han Kuang's words, she was arrested because she wanted to kill Zhao Jingzhong, and she was released because Zhao Jingzhong interceded for her. The injuries on her body were only superficial wounds, which had long since healed in the past few days. There is no need to put a woman in jail who has no evidence of committing an offense.
Although I don't know why Zhao Jingzhong helped to plead for mercy, it is naturally more comfortable to go out than to stay in the prison.
After leaving the Ministry of Justice, Wei Ting stayed in the city for two days to collect intelligence. On the third day, he left the capital and headed south just as the city gate was about to close.
…
Three days later, at nightfall, outside a manor less than thirty miles away from the capital, Zhao Jingzhong pulled off the black cloth covering his mouth and nose and looked at the person lying next to him.
The man nodded: "Yes, it is here. My subordinates did see Wei Ting entering the manor ahead."
After receiving a positive answer, Zhao Jingzhong turned his head and squinted at the dark outer wall in the night. During the period of lurking and observing just now, he saw no less than twenty people walking by, presumably night watchmen.
The average person cannot afford this level of security measures. It is obvious that the people in the manor have a lot of background. Combined with the answers from his subordinates, it is basically certain that Wei Zhongxian is hiding in this manor.
Speaking of which... this old guy is so courageous. If something like that happens, he doesn't hide far away from Emperor Tiangao. He actually lives in a manor less than thirty miles away from the capital.
The person behind asked: "Father-in-law, do you want to fight in?"
Zhao Jingzhong looked at the twenty or so people following him and felt that considering the security level of the manor, he might suffer a big loss if he rushed over rashly.
"Eh~"
Just when he was hesitating, the person who told him that Wei Ting had entered the manor let out an exclamation.
Zhao Jingzhong followed the man's gaze and saw that the sky in the northwest of the manor was red, as if there was a fire.
At this time, the servants patrolling nearby heard the sound coming from the wall, quickly put down their work and ran to the northwest corner where the fire broke out.
What a coincidence that the fire happened at this juncture?
In Zhao Jingzhong's opinion, maybe Zhu Youjian's people were playing tricks, because it was easier to fish when the water was muddy.
"You guys wait here. I'll go find Wei Zhongxian first. If something goes wrong or we're surrounded, I'll fire the trumpet. You can take action then."
"clear."
"clear."
"..."
Several responses came from behind.
Zhao Jingzhong nodded, ducked and sneaked towards the location of the manor.
He will not hand Wei Zhongxian over to Zhu Youjian. If the old man says something unfavorable to him in front of the emperor, his official position and his wealth will not be guaranteed. Therefore, in order for him to live a stable life, Wei Zhongxian must die.
Affected by the fire, the garden was in chaos and the security system almost collapsed. Zhao Jingzhong sneaked into the manor without any risk and walked towards the lighted area in the atrium.
After arriving at his destination, he compared the security configuration of the two-story building ahead with the surrounding rooms, and believed that Wei Zhongxian was most likely hiding inside.
Everyone else went to the northwest to put out the fire, except the guards here who didn't move.
Zhao Jingzhong took off the big gun on his back and suddenly rushed out. With the help of a hand crossbow, he killed the three people in a blink of an eye and went up the stairs to the lighted room on the second floor.
He thought there were guards waiting, but there was only one person on the seat inside.
The man was sitting with his back, judging from his figure...
Zhao Jingzhong did not take action immediately, but called in a low voice from behind: "Father."
The room was quiet. Wei Zhongxian did not answer, nor did he turn around. He still sat on the chair with his back to him.
"Father."
He yelled again, but still didn't hear the response, and slowly leaned over with the gun in his hand.
As a face that had lost its majesty came into view, Zhao Jingzhong was stunned, because a drop of saliva was flowing out from the corner of Wei Zhongxian's mouth and fell on the loose robe underneath, which had already soaked a large piece.
Wei Zhongxian became a fool?
"Father, do you think you can deceive the child by pretending like this?" Zhao Jingzhong rolled his eyes and asked tentatively.
Still no response, the person on the chair didn't seem to hear it.
Zhao Jingzhong's face darkened, and he sent out the gun in his hand, and plunged it into Wei Zhongxian's chest with a pop.
In this case, he couldn't gamble and couldn't afford it.
Blood gushed out, the man on the chair twitched a few times and died.
it's all over……
Just as he was thinking of this, he suddenly heard a burst of chaotic footsteps outside, the door was pushed open with a bang, and Wei Ting appeared at the top of the stairs with five guards.
"Zhao Jingzhong!"
With a loud shout, she whipped out her Western sword and said, "Kill him!"
Seeing the blood on the tip of the gun, she didn't know what happened. She didn't kill Han Kuang at his house last time, so she had to chop off the beast's head with a knife this time.
She just came here at noon today. The steward of the manor told her that a man named Wang Jue rescued Wei Zhongxian from the Jin Yiwei, but her adoptive father was too frightened and had something wrong with his brain.
Then, she saw Wei Zhongxian who had become an idiot.
Originally, she wanted to see Wang Jue immediately, but the steward told him that the man had been staying here for a while and had gone to the capital to inquire about news in the past two days. He didn't know when he would be back.
Wei Ting had no doubts, because if that man wanted fame and fortune, he could just give Wei Zhongxian to Han Kuang. Why bother bringing him to the manor?
After being locked up in the prison of the Ministry of Justice for so many days, she was very tired. She found a comfortable room and slept all afternoon. She originally ordered her servants not to call her when eating, but she was woken up by a loud noise in a daze, and then she found out There was a fire on the northwest side.
Wei Ting did not dare to neglect, and immediately took people to put out the fire. In the process, the more she thought about it, the more something was wrong. Why did she come here when the manor was on fire?
Just at this time, she noticed a ghostly figure, and realized that she might have fallen into the enemy's scheme of making false claims in the east and attacking in the west, and hurriedly led people to Wei Zhongxian's residence.
It was indeed what she thought, but it was still too late. The traitor Zhao Jingzhong killed his adoptive father with his own hands.
"Wei Ting, Wei Zhongxian is dead, what's the point of resisting anymore?"
Zhao Jingzhong distracted Wei Ting by talking and found a chance. He kicked open the window, pulled out his crossbow and pulled the trigger toward the southern sky.
Chirp~
The arrow takes off.
The masked men lying in ambush outside rushed towards the chaotic manor with various weapons.
Suddenly, there were shouts of killing and screams.
At the same time, a cavalry unit was rapidly approaching the scene of the incident.
The man in the prince's uniform at the back glanced at the masked man on the horse on the left: "Are you sure Wei Zhongxian is inside?"
"Your Highness, you can't be wrong. I have been watching nearby. Wei Ting never came out after he entered."
"Okay." The young man looked back at the manor: "Kill him."
Following the order, the secret troops expanded from the original team of Prince Xin's Mansion rushed towards the manor in front.
Because he was worried that the last situation would happen again. After all, there were too many people who wanted Wei Zhongxian dead. He didn't know who to trust. Even Han Kuang... Han Kuang might be loyal, but where were Han Kuang's men? So he decided to follow Zhou Tai's suggestion and interrogate Wei Zhongxian himself.
…
Phew~
Phew~
Phew~
Woo~
Zhao Jingzhong tried very hard to hide, but in the end he still couldn't dodge the spear that came with the sound of wind.
Pa~
He took several steps back, his throat sweetened, and he spurted out a mouthful of blood. Looking at the ankle that had been chopped by Wei Ting's men, and at the men behind him who had been killed by the sudden attack of officers and soldiers, he felt more desperate than bad.
The mantis stalks the cicada while the oriole follows behind.
He did not expect that the emperor's people would arrive so quickly. The people Lin San sent to follow Wei Ting had obviously been killed by his people, but why...
Lin Yue didn't give him any more chance to ask why. He advanced with the spear again, flicked left and right, poked the tip of the spear several times, turned the handle of the spear and flew the spear out of Zhao Jingzhong's hand, and then sent it away, hitting him hard on the chest. .
Zhao Jingzhong's body swayed, and he took a few steps back. He covered the place where he was hit with his hands with a painful expression on his face. At this time, someone flashed past him.
Tsk~
The sharp blade made a cut on his right leg.
Zhao Jingzhong stood unsteadily and fell to his knees. At this time, another knife slashed through his arm.
Blood fell on the ground drop by drop. He looked at the face across from him that was almost covered with birthmarks and scars, breathing heavily.
Less than five meters away from him, a Western sword was used as a walking stick on the ground. There was a bloody spear point on Wei Ting's chest, which was inserted from behind.
"Zhao...Zhao Jingzhong, let's meet...the King of Hell...at his place."
Wei Ting looked at Zhao Jingzhong, who had little power to resist, and smiled strangely.
At this time, the soldier behind held the handle of the gun and pulled it hard. The tip of the gun retreated, and a ball of blood gushed out. Wei Ting fell straight down together with her Western sword.
"No, I won't just give in."
Zhao Jingzhong grabbed the blood-stained sword that fell beside him and slashed with his right hand, killing a soldier and a small flag. Just when the move was stagnant because the movement was too large and affected the wound, the ugly man in front raised his right hand and pulled trigger.
Puff puff puff~
Three consecutive shots, the first crossbow arrow hit his shoulder, the second arrow hit his lower abdomen, and the third arrow hit his toes.
Zhao Jingzhong fell to his knees again and struggled to get up.
Lin Yue said: "Young Master has an order, Zhao Jingzhong deceives you and ignores him, and he will be killed without mercy."
The soldiers nearby heard the words and swarmed forward. After the swords were struck, there was a corpse on the ground that was almost stained red with blood.
The two admirals of Dongchang, one behind the other, died like this.
Half an hour later, the killing in the manor came to an end, with only the corners of the room still being fought, and occasionally a scream heard.
The fire in the northwest was not extinguished, and the entire building was engulfed in flames.
In the attic.
Zhu Youjian saw Wei Zhongxian who was shot to death by Zhao Jingzhong on the chair, and his face was a little ugly. He had already taken care of this matter himself, and ordered Zhou Tai, a secret chess player, to follow Wei Ting, but Wei Zhongxian was still killed by Zhao Jingzhong. There is no doubt that this is a shame for him.
God knows how many Zhao Jingzhongs there are in the imperial court.
"Report..."
Just hearing the thumping footsteps at the top of the stairs, a middle-aged man dressed casually walked into the room: "Sir, a large number of antique calligraphy and paintings, as well as gold and silver products were found in the cellar of the manor. My subordinate made an estimate, and only contained gold ingots." There are dozens of boxes with silver ingots.”
Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian immediately became energetic, and all his unhappiness disappeared.
Why did he mess with Wei Zhongxian? Why do you want to stay alive? It's not that he wants to keep the old man in power and use the money he made during those eight years to pay for the war. Now that his confidants have told him that the money has been found, it naturally no longer matters whether Wei Zhongxian is dead or alive.
"Come on, take me to the cellar."
It can be seen that he was very happy, so happy that he forgot to hide his identity... although this army was formed by former disciples and personal followers when he was King Xin.
Money was so important to him that he neglected the great contributor to this matter.
At this moment, Lin Yue was near the front door of the manor, breaking open the bricks in the corner of a warehouse, blowing on the fire stick, and leaning towards the lead hidden inside.
Hiss~
The fuse ignites and the spark moves inside.
Lin Yue threw away the fire certificate and turned to look behind him.
Half a minute later.
There was a loud bang in the atrium.
Boom~
Fire shot into the sky.
The nearby soldiers were killed and stunned by the bombing, and the scene was in chaos.
Boom~
Boom~
Boom~
The explosion spread through the important buildings in the manor, and the flames almost dyed the sky red. There were crying people and exploding wood everywhere. Sparks flew up in the wind, and heat waves hit the surviving soldiers in waves.
Ignoring the billowing black smoke and the burnt-smelling bodies on the ground, Lin Yue carried a knife and walked towards the attic in the atrium that was in flames. Under the corridor that had not yet been ignited, he saw Zhu holding his face and screaming in pain. By inspection, a soldier next to him was lying on the ground. The flames burned the clothes outside, and the light shone on the blood-stained faces. The entire manor seemed to have turned into a Shura field.
When he was approaching Zhu Youjian, Lin Yue's ankle was grabbed by someone. When he lowered his head, he saw a half-blackened general. Without saying anything, he slashed him with his sword. The man groaned and died.
Lin Yue walked up to Zhu Youjian, kicked him over, and pointed a knife at him.
"Why? Why!" Until now, he still didn't know what happened. Although he didn't know the relationship between Zhou Tai and Wei Zhongxian, the result of the story was that everyone was deceived by Zhou Tai.
"It's simple, because I promised someone that I would kill you to avenge her."
"Ding Baiying?"
"yes."
"It was clearly you who suggested that I betray them."
"If I hadn't made that suggestion, wouldn't you have betrayed them?"
Zhu Youjian stopped talking, because given the situation at the time, Zhou Tai's suggestion was the best choice no matter how he looked at it.
"You obviously have many opportunities to kill me, why did you choose today?"
"Because she and I were enemies before, but now...she is pregnant with my child. Is this answer satisfactory to the Emperor?"
"I can't tell you are still a passionate person."
Lin Yue sneered and said: "Is the emperor stalling for time? Unfortunately, even if the people you brought are not dead, they are already in danger. There is no need to expect them to come to save you."
"I really regret not killing you before."
"Kill me? Can you kill me?"
Lin Yue raised his knife.
But at this moment, a cold snort was heard from behind, followed by a beam of sword light.
Lin Yue quickly turned around and Pu Dao met him.
When~
Blades collided with blades, gold and iron clashed.
In the darkness and firelight, Zhu Youjian could only see that the person who saved him was a Miao knife. The face of the Miao knife was covered with black cloth, so it was impossible to see what he looked like.
When~
When~
When~
Sparks shot out everywhere, and the sword was dazzling.
In the blink of an eye, the two fought against each other for five rounds, and there was no winner.
Zhu Youjian struggled to climb out of the corridor that had begun to burn. He looked embarrassed and still had a bit of an emperor's image.
The two men fought for several rounds over there. The masked man hid a little slower, and his shoulder was scratched. Fortunately, he was wearing thick clothes in winter and no skin was hurt.
At this moment, I suddenly heard the sound of horses neighing and gunshots at the gate of the manor, as well as noisy shouts, saying "surround this place" and "see if there are any survivors" and so on.
From Zhu Youjian's perspective, Zhou Tai wanted to turn around and get to know him several times, but was blocked by the masked man. In exchange, the masked man received a stab in the shoulder.
Seeing that the people outside were getting closer and closer, Zhou Tai sighed and fled to the north. He disappeared after several ups and downs. The masked man also looked at him deeply and headed west. Escape.
Not long after, following the sound of footsteps, several people dressed as soldiers rushed into the atrium and looked around in the light of the fire.
"I...I'm here."
Zhu Youjian escaped from death and had no intention of concealing his identity.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty?"
Several soldiers were stunned for a while before they came to their senses and quickly came over to pull him away from the dangerous place.
"Whose subordinates are you?"
The leading flag officer was still somewhat doubtful about his identity. He hesitated for a while and then said: "The young one is from the Wucheng Army and Horses Division. He was sent here by Grandpa Dongchang to capture the imperial criminals. I didn't expect to get here." Found a fire.”
While speaking, he winked at the soldier behind him, and the man walked away with his gun.
Before it was time for tea, with the sound of hurried footsteps, a young man walked into the atrium surrounded by a dozen soldiers.
Seeing that the visitor did not dare to recognize him, Zhu Youjian said: "Lin San, it's me."
"Really the Emperor?" Lin Yue was shocked: "Your Majesty, why are you here? And... this is..."
Zhu Youjian didn't speak, but looked at him with trembling hands.
"Quick, go get someone to find a car and take the emperor back to the palace."
Lin Yue was "hurriedly" arranging rescue arrangements.
…
Three days later.
Qianqing Palace.
After watching the imperial doctor leave, Lin Yue asked a few words, walked to the bed and looked at Zhu Youjian whose face was covered with bandages, with only his eyes and mouth exposed. He wiped his eyes "sadly" and actually squeezed out a few tears. .
"Is my condition not good?" Compared with that night, Zhu Youjian's energy level was not even the slightest bit worse.
Lin Yue said: "The imperial doctor said that His Majesty is still in the prime of life and has only suffered burns. He will recover soon."
Zhu Youjian glanced at Cao Huachun who was standing not far away: "I never thought that except for the people brought from Prince Xin's Mansion, the most loyal person in the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty would be you."
Lin Yue said: "This is what I should do."
"Zhao Jingzhong is dead. The East Factory cannot be without an owner for a long time. You can go over and take charge of the affairs. Remember to keep a close eye on those in the court. Don't let them think that I haven't gone to court for several days and that something will change today."
"Yes, I will definitely dedicate myself to sharing your Majesty's worries."
"Cao Huachun."
The old eunuch waiting in front took a step forward: "I'm here."
"Instruct the Chief of Ceremonies to draft an imperial edict, and he will be promoted to the Third Lin Division of Ceremonies, Bingbi Eunuch, and assume the post of Governor of the East Factory."
Cao Huachun glanced at Lin Yue: "I obey the order."
On the day Lin Yue was arranged to take over the East Factory, Zhu Youjian began to have a high fever, and he was sometimes awake and sometimes confused.
Midnight.
The maids and eunuchs who served the emperor in the Qianqing Palace fell asleep one after another. One person opened the front door, walked to Zhu Youjian's bed and called "Emperor".
