pertwk Page 480
Page 480
Jiang Ning offered an explanation and took two steps forward to stand in front of the man.
"Who ordered you to come to the capital this time? Is Ren Yingying here too?"
"How dare you! You even share the name of the Holy Maiden..."
Upon hearing Jiang Ning address Ren Yingying by her full name, the man instinctively spoke, but then realized that the person in front of him didn't care at all, and was even the Holy Maiden's mortal enemy, having once chased the Holy Maiden so hard that she had to flee in a sorry state. So he remained silent.
Seeing that the man remained silent, Gu Dayong quickly spoke up.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, and this hero, rest assured, this servant will definitely find out the mastermind's location from these two."
Just now, Zhu Houzhao addressed Jiang Ning as "Brother Jiang," and Gu Dayong realized that Jiang Ning was no ordinary person, so he wisely changed his attitude.
"Ah."
Zhu Houzhao nodded, but Jiang Ning said, "They were ordered to sneak into the palace today. If they haven't returned by tonight, it will definitely alert their backers. It would be best to get the results from them tonight, otherwise it will be difficult to catch them after tonight."
Zhu Houzhao also realized what was happening.
"Brother Jiang is absolutely right."
Upon hearing Zhu Houzhao's words, Gu Dayong quickly assured him.
"Your Majesty, this servant requests permission to use the Imperial Prison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. It will only take two hours... no! At most one hour. This servant will definitely find out the whereabouts of their mastermind. If I fail to find out, this servant will beg for forgiveness."
"This is simple."
Zhu Houzhao waved his hand and said to Yang Yu, "Yang Yu, you cooperate with Gu Daban in interrogating these two people. You must find out who is behind them."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Yang Yu said in a deep voice, knowing that this was an opportunity given to him by Zhu Houzhao.
Zheng!
Jiang Ning pulled back the Zhenwu Sword, and the man let out another scream, clutching his arms in agony.
“Take them away, and pierce their collarbones.”
Gu Dayong waved his hand, and several guards stepped forward to take the man and woman out, preparing to take them to the imperial prison for interrogation.
Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.
"Brother Jiang, just as you predicted."
Zhu Houzhao then spoke.
At this point, Zhu Houzhao finally breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time felt a lingering fear.
If it weren't for Jiang Ning, he would probably have already fallen into the hands of those two.
These江湖人 (jianghu people) are indeed a nuisance.
Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but think to himself.
He hadn't really felt anything about this before, but today's events finally made him realize it.
It seems that even the imperial palace needs to be guarded by people with high martial arts skills.
Although he didn't understand why there were so many highly skilled martial artists in the Jianghu, yet the imperial palace lacked any experts to protect the royal family, Zhu Houzhao had already secretly resolved to recruit martial arts masters for his own use in the future.
Jiang Ning did not respond to Zhu Houzhao, but instead went to Zhu Houzhao's bedside and stared carefully at the pill that the man had just dropped from his hand.
He felt that he had seen this kind of elixir somewhere before.
Zhu Houzhao asked curiously.
"Brother Jiang, what are you thinking about? What's the story behind this pill?"
Jiang Ning finally remembered that he had seen Ren Woxing use this thing on Sang San Niang when he was in Pingding Prefecture, and he understood what it was.
"This is the Three Corpse Brain God Pill."
Chapter 653: Conspiracy
"The Three Corpse Brain God Pill? What is that?"
Zhu Houzhao frowned.
Just hearing the name Zhu Houzhao, you can tell he's not a good person.
"This is a method used by the demonic cult to control its subordinates."
"Those who are poisoned by the Three Corpse Brain God Pill will have corpse worms lying dormant in their bodies. If they do not receive an antidote to suppress the corpse worms before the Dragon Boat Festival each year, the corpse worms will enter their brains."
Jiang Ning looked at Zhu Houzhao and smiled, "It's just like the Gu worm in your brain before, but the corpse worm isn't as gentle when it burrows into your brain."
Zhu Houzhao's expression was somewhat solemn; clearly, Jiang Ning's joke hadn't made him laugh.
Although the Gu worm entering his brain didn't kill him, the feeling was extremely unpleasant. He could clearly feel the Gu worm in his brain while he was unconscious.
"Will these corpse worms kill me?"
Zhu Houzhao looked at the pill with a solemn expression.
"Strictly speaking, it won't kill you in the short term, but it will make you wish you were dead."
Jiang Ning began to describe the effects of the Three Corpse Brain God Pill.
"Once the corpse worms enter the brain, the person who has taken the medicine will suffer unbearable pain, lose their mind, and even devour their parents, wife, and children. Of course, these are just rumors, and I have only heard about them. However, I have personally witnessed the scene of someone who has taken the Three Corpse Brain God Pill and it was not much different from the rumors."
Upon hearing Jiang Ning's description, Zhu Houzhao's face turned pale. "How could such a vicious thing exist in the world?"
Jiang Ning said, "They've come today to make you take the Three Corpse Brain God Pill. From now on, you'll be under their control."
Zhu Houzhao was also filled with lingering fear at this moment.
If it weren't for Jiang Ning today, he would truly be nothing more than a puppet emperor controlled by corpse worms.
"The Demonic Cult!"
Zhu Houzhao gritted his teeth, clearly harboring hatred.
Jiang Ning and Zhu Houzhao spent the rest of the time waiting for the results of Gu Dayong's interrogation.
They didn't have to wait long; about half an hour later, Gu Dayong came to report.
Gu Dayong walked hurriedly, his forehead beaded with sweat, and his body stained with traces of blood.
"This servant greets Your Majesty."
Gu Dayong knelt down before Zhu Houzhao and said...
"Gu Daban, how's the interrogation going?"
Zhu Houzhao asked urgently.
"Your Majesty, I have not failed Your Majesty's grace and have obtained the results of the interrogation."
Gu Dayong knew this was a big deal and dared not delay, so he quickly presented the confession obtained during the interrogation.
Zhu Houzhao took a look and exclaimed in surprise. His face darkened, and after reading it, he handed it to Jiang Ning without saying a word.
Jiang Ning took it and examined it.
The confession was given by the man among the two. According to the confession, they were members of the Five Poisons Sect and had come to the capital with their leader, Lan Fenghuang, carrying out a mission from Ren Yingying.
Seeing this, Jiang Ning felt a little regretful. Ren Yingying was a very cunning woman, and finding her was like looking for a needle in a haystack. It was a pity that she didn't come to the capital this time.
To Jiang Ning's surprise, Lan Fenghuang actually came this time.
That makes sense. If they're planning to take action against the emperor, they'll definitely need to send a master, and Lan Fenghuang is just the right person.
Thinking of this woman, Jiang Ning recalled the last battle in the bamboo forest. This woman's martial arts skills were not top-notch, but her poison skills were very troublesome. It could be said that she had mastered the use of poison to perfection. Her whole body was poisonous, and even the blood flowing through her body was highly toxic.
Last time, when Xiang Wentian and other experts surrounded him in the bamboo forest, Lan Fenghuang caused him a lot of trouble, but in the end, he also left two sword wounds on the other party's face.
Unexpectedly, Ren Yingying sent this woman to the capital.
Besides Lan Fenghuang, Zhu Shijin, the leader of the Baiyao Sect, also came.
Previously, the Five Poisons Sect and the Hundred Medicines Sect were known as the two major poison sects in the north and south. Now, Ren Yingying has brought the leaders and cult leaders of these two poison sects to the capital together, which clearly shows how much importance Ren Yingying attaches to them.
The man confessed that their purpose in coming to the capital was to target Zhu Houzhao and control him.
After Lan Fenghuang and Zhu Shijin arrived in the capital, they made contact with some ministers of the court. The two sides wanted to cooperate to control the emperor, but the ministers did not trust Lan Fenghuang's side's Gu poison and their courage to use Gu on the emperor. They demanded that Lan Fenghuang's side make some kind of gesture. This led to the Miao girls entering the palace to use Gu on Zhu Houzhao to demonstrate the effect. This is also why the Miao girls did not kill Zhu Houzhao or directly use the Three Corpse Brain God Pill on him on the first try.
It can be said that the entry of those Miao girls into the palace was the result of a joint operation by Lan Fenghuang's side and the other side. Lan Fenghuang's side provided the people, while the other side managed the relationships within the palace. Through Liu Jin, the eunuch most trusted by Zhu Houzhao, they brought those Miao girls into the palace, which led to what happened next.
Zhu Houzhao's face darkened when he saw that the Five Poisons Sect was secretly cooperating with some people in the court to attack him. He hated the names on the confession to the core.
Jiang Ning quickly finished reading the confession, looked up at Gu Dayong, and asked, "Where is Lan Fenghuang now?"
Gu Dayong quickly replied, "We're inside the city."
Gu Dayong had already interrogated the group and found out their hiding place, so he quickly told Jiang Ning the location.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning was about to set off immediately, which made Zhu Houzhao tense.
"Brother Jiang, are you going in person?"
Jiang Ning nodded. Zhu Houzhao's expression became even more tense upon hearing this. Before he could speak, Jiang Ning knew what Zhu Houzhao was thinking and said, "These two people haven't gone back to report yet. They won't send anyone to the palace for the time being. It's safe tonight."
Hearing Jiang Ning say this, Zhu Houzhao's emotions calmed down a bit, and he said, "In that case, Brother Jiang, I'll have to trouble you. Do you need the Embroidered Uniform Guard's help?"
"Need not."
Time was of the essence. Jiang Ning needed to seize the opportunity to capture Lan Fenghuang and find out Ren Yingying's whereabouts. There was no time to wait with the Imperial Guards.
Jiang Ning disappeared in a few leaps after leaving the door.
When Zhu Houzhao chased after Jiang Ning, Jiang Ning was nowhere to be seen. With Jiang Ning gone, Zhu Houzhao felt a sense of insecurity.
"Your Majesty, that traitor confessed that Liu Jin brought those Miao women to Your Majesty and used a curse on you. Should we arrest Liu Jin now?"
At this moment, Gu Dayong came over.
When Liu Jin's name was mentioned, Zhu Houzhao fell silent for a moment.
After a while.
"First, remove Liu Jin from his positions as Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial and Director of the Eastern Depot, but leave him alone for the time being."
Zhu Houzhao said.
Although it has not yet been fully determined whether Liu Jin was guilty or not, those Miao girls were indeed brought into the palace by him. He may be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape punishment. Zhu Houzhao dismissed Liu Jin from his positions as Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial and Director of the Eastern Depot, causing Liu Jin to fall from the most powerful eunuch to the bottom.
"Gu Daban, you have done a good job tonight. I hereby order you to take charge of the Eastern Depot and arrest those court officials mentioned in the confession tonight."
Zhu Houzhao was very satisfied with Gu Dayong's attitude and efficiency tonight, so he appointed Gu Dayong as the vacant director of the Eastern Depot.
"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty! This servant will certainly live up to your grace and bring the thief to justice!"
Although he didn't get the position of Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, Gu Dayong was already very happy to be able to supervise the Eastern Depot.
Watching Gu Dayong's departing figure, Zhu Houzhao frowned, his face showing some worry.
Chapter 654: Blue Phoenix Appears Again
"My lords, once tonight is over, the future of the Ming Dynasty will be bright for both of us."
In the study of a mansion, a middle-aged man smiled at several others.
This person is none other than Zhu Shijin, the leader of the Hundred Medicines Sect.
But the others didn't smile. Then one of them spoke up and asked.
"Three hours have passed, and there's still no news. Will you be able to succeed?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Shijin turned to look at him and smiled, "Lord Wang, you can rest assured."
At this moment, another person frowned and spoke, his words filled with doubt.
"The palace is heavily guarded, especially now that His Majesty is unconscious. The guards at Qianqing Palace are several times stronger than before. Now, apart from a few eunuchs like Liu Jin and Gu Dayong, no one is allowed to enter Qianqing Palace. Can your people really sneak in?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Shijin laughed and said, "It seems that you gentlemen do not trust us."
The others remained silent.
After Zhu Shijin finished laughing, he looked at the group and said, "The palace is indeed heavily guarded for you gentlemen, but it is a piece of cake for us. Please be patient and wait."