Ming Dynasty: The ghost betrays the Confucian sage, my son Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 212 Fourth Master Zhu: You were the one who gave me the acupuncture

Night falls and snow falls.

Outside the Xiang Pavilion of the Imperial Palace, it was quiet, not even the Imperial Guards were there. The Dianxiang Pavilion was brightly lit, and Emperor Yuan was lying on the dragon bed with a pale face and weak breath. The great shaman gently checked his pulse, the mask on her face hiding her expression.

"Your Majesty, you must calm down and recuperate." The great shaman's voice was somewhat solemn.

There was a dim light in Emperor Yuan's eyes: "Tell me, how long can I last?"

The great shaman sighed softly. Although the mask concealed her expression, Emperor Yuan could read the answer from her silence. Emperor Yuan smiled casually: "Life and death are determined by destiny, wealth and honor are in heaven. I have long looked down on life and death, but... I must hold on until King Qi returns."

"I will prepare medicine for Your Majesty." The great shaman nodded and said in a firm voice, "Your Majesty, just take good care of yourself."

Emperor Yuan slowly closed his eyes. He knew that his deadline was coming soon. He had enjoyed himself for a lifetime, which was enough, but he still had unfinished business. Otherwise, he would have no face to face his ancestors underground.

The great shaman wrote the prescription and handed it to the eunuch beside him, then turned and left. When she walked to the door, she suddenly stopped and asked, "Who is brewing Your Majesty's medicine?"

The eunuch was stunned for a moment when asked, and then respectfully replied: "Huidashaman, it was made by Concubine Shu herself."

Fourth Master Zhu jumped up and took advantage of her illness to kill her. He hit the great shaman on the head with his sword. The great shaman suddenly knelt down. Before she could react, Fourth Master Zhu slashed her horizontally with his sword.

After saying that, she walked out of the hall alone and stepped onto the royal road shrouded in night. The cold wind carried large swaths of snowflakes and hit him head on. The great shaman tightened his tight robe, but the doubts in his heart became more and more intense. Why did His Majesty's condition suddenly deteriorate? According to his own prescription, His Majesty's condition should have improved.

After saying that, he turned around and picked up the bodies of the other two Mengwu Thirteen Wings, and disappeared into the night at an extremely fast speed. Although Fourth Master Zhu was full of doubts, he could not think too much at the moment. He followed closely behind Ghost Wolf Temujin and disappeared together into the vast night.

No one answered her, and four figures launched fierce attacks like lightning. The great shaman clenched his staff and faced this overwhelming offensive. For a moment, silhouettes of people flew around each other, and the terrifying energy exploded in the fierce battle, shattering the flying wind and snow into nothingness.

Fourth Master Zhu, who was masked in black and held a long sword, tested the Great Shaman's strength from time to time during the battle, but did not go all out. He was secretly observing the strength of Ghost Wolf Temujin and the other two Mengwu Thirteen Wings.

……

Ghost Wolf Temujin took advantage of the moment when the great shaman was restrained and launched a more violent attack. His claws seemed to be able to tear apart the void, and every swing carried the potential to destroy heaven and earth.

The great shaman was seriously injured and her abdomen was bleeding profusely, but she did not fall. She slammed down her palms, instantly killing the two Mengwu Thirteen Wings who were clinging to her legs. This scene shocked Fourth Master Zhu, it was so cruel.

"Quick victory!" Spirit Wolf Temujin roared hoarsely.

"You are here after all!" The great shaman's voice was as cold as a knife, "Do you really think you can take my life?"

As he finished speaking, a huge black wolf shadow rose behind him, as if it was about to devour the surrounding darkness. His five fingers were bent like sharp claws, and they were suddenly torn forward. The scepter in the great shaman's hand was actually torn off by him.

scold!
One of his claws suddenly penetrated the great shaman's chest, and her clothes were dyed red with blood. The great shaman let out a long and shrill roar, stretched out both palms, and slapped the ghost wolf Temujin away. He flew upside down like a kite with its string broken, and finally fell heavily to the ground.

Only then did she realize that there was not a single Imperial Guard standing guard or patrolling along the way. On this windy and snowy night, the unusual silence and emptiness of the palace made her feel a little uneasy.

The great shaman frowned slightly, and a trace of doubt flashed in his heart. She paused and said to the eunuch: "My father-in-law is staying here, there is no need to see him off."

When Fourth Master Zhu saw that face clearly, his expression changed suddenly. It turned out to be the face of an old woman, not the woman he had seen that night. He exclaimed: "Isn't she a great shaman?"

scold!
With a sharp sound, the great shaman's head instantly detached from his body and flew out. Blood spurted out, staining the white snow on the ground red, which was shocking. The head drew an arc in the air and then landed and rolled, and the mask fell off.

The other two Mengwu Thirteen Wings were as quick as ghosts. They wrapped themselves around the great shaman and hugged her legs tightly, one on the left and the other on the right. The great shaman struck their heads with both palms, and both of them spurted blood at the same time, but they still held on to her legs tightly.

She was the only one between the tall palace walls, and the world was vast, making her look extremely small. Suddenly, there was a sound of breaking through the air, and several figures fell down, one after another, sandwiching her in the middle.

At this moment, Fourth Master Zhu finally understood their strategy: this was to exchange lives for lives, and they even did not hesitate to exchange the lives of two people for the life of the great shaman. Obviously, they are well aware of the powerful strength of the Great Shaman, so they have already made full preparations.

Ghost Wolf Temujin quickly came to his side, with a wild smile on his lips: "She is the great shaman! We finally killed her."

"What are you waiting for?" Ghost Wolf Temujin lay on the ground and roared, urging Master Zhu to take action.

……

Fourth Master Zhu quietly returned to Xingsheng Palace, the hall was brightly lit. Queen Qi is wearing a light tulle dress, leaning elegantly on a soft cushion, her eyes slightly closed.

Fourth Master Zhu walked up to her softly and called in a low voice: "Your Majesty."

Queen Qi slowly opened her beautiful eyes as deep as autumn water, and looked at Fourth Master Zhu intently, with a hint of eagerness and expectation in her tone: "How's it going?"

A confident smile appeared on Mr. Zhu's face and he nodded heavily: "I have fulfilled my mission and personally beheaded the great shaman."

Upon hearing this, Queen Qi's face instantly burst into a flowery smile. She quickly stood up and threw herself into his arms without hesitation. Her slender arms tightly wrapped around his neck, and her eyes flashed with touching light: "Is this true?"

"It's absolutely true!" Fourth Master Zhu gently picked her up and whispered as he walked towards the soft couch, "Empress, should you give me some awards?"

There was a charming look in the Queen's eyes, and a smile appeared on her lips: "Huh, I'm afraid you can't bear it."

The other party gently placed her on the couch and lowered her head deeply. Soon, their whispers sounded in the hall, and the soft couch shook slightly with their movements. The fortune book in Master Zhu's mind lit up, and bright yellow energy poured in.

In the following days, Fourth Master Zhu still stayed in Xingsheng Palace.

Queen Qi is like a little woman in love, as gluey as paint. Fourth Master Zhu continued to practice, using the fortune book in his mind to absorb the fortune of the Beiyuan Palace, and his cultivation level continued to rise.

...The heavy snow finally stopped.

Zhu Di sent Huihou and his son away and gave them a bag of gold. Huihou burst into tears of gratitude and kept calling him his benefactor. He also left him a token, saying that if he had the opportunity to go to their Jurchen tribe in the future, he would be able to find him with that token.

"Brother Huihou, have a safe journey." Zhu Di pointed to the prepared carriage and said goodbye with a smile, "If you have the chance, you must go to Yingtian City to meet me."

"Goodbye, my benefactor." He saluted with a thick fist, then stepped onto the carriage and drifted away.

Zhu Di watched the carriage disappear from the end of his sight. Just as he was about to turn around and return to the city, he suddenly noticed a figure walking slowly between the vast sky and earth in the distance. The figure seems to be integrated with the heaven and earth, leaving no trace on the snow, giving people an otherworldly feeling.

"Elder brother?" Zhu Di exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"Third Junior Brother? Haha, that's great. I didn't expect to meet you when I first came here!" The person who came was none other than Zhang Xuansu, and he walked forward with a smile.

Zhu Di was surprised and happy. He took Zhang Xuansu's hand and talked endlessly about his heroic deeds in Yingchang City. Zhang Xuansu smiled and listened quietly. The two walked and talked, and soon returned to the mansion.

"Where's the master?" Zhang Xuansu couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, who knows where he went? He is very busy now, acting every day." Zhu Di muttered angrily, "Either he plays the fourth master Zhu in the princess's palace, or he plays Tang Bohu in the palace of Queen Qi. It’s been really busy.”

"What is all this?" Zhang Xuansu was confused and couldn't help but frown.

"Elder brother, don't be anxious. You will understand when you see the master when he comes back." Zhu Di waved his hand to signal him to calm down, "Let me introduce you to the second master's wife first."

With that said, he turned around and shouted into the room: "Second Senior Wife, come out and see Senior Brother!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Huan'er walked out angrily: "Bad boy, why did you call me Second Master's Wife again? I want to be the eldest daughter-in-law!"

She looked up and saw Zhang Xuansu, and suddenly looked embarrassed. Zhang Xuansu frowned slightly, glanced at Wu'er and said, "Saint of the Demon Sect, I hope you are sincere to my master, otherwise, I, Zhang Xuansu, will not spare you."

Wen'er sneered when she heard this, but didn't say much. However, she always felt that this piece of Xuansu was a bit familiar, and she didn't know where she had seen it before.

……

Xingsheng Palace.

Fourth Master Zhu was playing chess with Queen Qi to relieve his boredom. Suddenly, Concubine Shu hurried in with a complex expression of fear and joy on her face: "Queen, something serious has happened, Your Majesty... Your Majesty has passed away. "

Queen Qi's hands trembled when she heard this, and the chess pieces fell down. She stood up suddenly, her voice trembling: "What you said...is it true?"

Concubine Shu walked up to her and spoke in a very low voice: "It's absolutely true. Your Majesty fell asleep after taking the medicine last night. This morning, he suddenly had difficulty breathing. The doctors came to diagnose and treat him, but there was no cure. Your Majesty, he is driving collapsed."

Fourth Master Zhu, who was standing aside, sneered secretly in his heart, humph, isn't this the medicine you gave the emperor? I don’t know what kind of method was used, but even the great shaman failed to notice it?

"Quick, follow me to Dianxiang Pavilion." Queen Qi quickly regained her composure and waved her hand to order.

Concubine Shu hesitated for a moment and reminded: "My Lady, the situation is complicated at this moment, you'd better bring your bodyguard with you."

Empress Qi frowned slightly. Now everyone in the government and the public knew that there was a fierce fight between the majesty, the empress, the prince, and the eldest princess. Once the news of his majesty's death came out, it would indeed be dangerous to go to Dianxiang Pavilion by herself, but it would be inappropriate to bring the guards there.

She suddenly turned around and looked at Fourth Master Zhu, a glimmer of light flashing in her eyes. Fourth Master Zhu was stunned for a moment, and then he spread out his hands: "My Lady, I'm afraid it's not appropriate for me to go with you, right?"

"Can't you just dress up as a eunuch?" Queen Qi winked and smiled.

Fourth Master Zhu bowed helplessly: "For the safety of the empress, I must do my best."

"You are the only one who can speak." Queen Qi glared at him angrily.

After a while, Fourth Master Zhu put on a eunuch costume and followed Queen Qi to Dianxiang Pavilion. At this time, there were cries in the pavilion, and the grief-stricken eunuchs and maids were showing off their acting skills. They walked through the crowd and came to the palace, where they saw the body of Emperor Yuan lying on the dragon bed. His face was as pale as paper and very eye-catching.

"Your Majesty~" Queen Qi threw herself in front of the bed and cried bitterly, her tears rolling down like broken beads.

Fourth Master Zhu stood aside and watched with cold eyes, secretly cursing in his heart, this woman's acting skills are really good, she looks so heartbroken when she cries, and she doesn't know how true and how fake it is.

……

Not long after, footsteps sounded again in the hall. Fourth Master Zhu raised his head and saw a man slowly walking into the hall. When his eyes fell on that person, a chill suddenly surged down his spine, and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. It's him, it's him!
The man's face was evil and handsome, exuding a strange charm that was almost demonic. Under his tall nose, his eyes were as sharp as lightning, as if they could penetrate everything, making people afraid to look into them. His majestic posture and demeanor gave people a sense of oppression, and the entire hall became solemn due to his arrival.

Fourth Master Zhu immediately lowered his head and tried to control his heartbeat. He was currently wearing a eunuch outfit and a hat, standing silently in a corner, trying not to attract the man's attention.

The man didn't seem to notice him, but walked straight to the dragon bed. When Empress Qi saw him, a trace of surprise flashed in her eyes: "Old... old Imperial Master?"

Her expression seemed to say, how come you are still alive? Aren't you supposed to be dead?
The man didn't even look at her, he just glanced at the emperor's body, then turned and left. When he reached the door, the national preceptor Basiba walked in. As soon as he saw him, Basiba immediately saluted respectfully and said: "Master, you are here too."

"After His Majesty's funeral, you come to me." The man's tone was extremely calm, as if he was talking about something insignificant.

"Yes! Master." Basiba nodded respectfully.

Fourth Master Zhu's heart was filled with turmoil. It was him, the man who stuck a needle in his brain, who was finally found! He clenched his fists tightly, his nails almost digging into his flesh, but he felt no pain at all.

However, he did not act rashly. He will not take action easily if he is not sure of victory. Now that this person has been found, and Queen Qi still knows him, let's wait for the opportunity and get rid of him in one fell swoop!
(End of this chapter)