Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 161 No one is available, Zhou Ming makes suggestions
"Is Cao Zhengchun dead?"

Zhu Wusi looked at the collapsed Southern Study, and a glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes.

The emperor will not die tonight, but it would not be a loss if Cao Zhengchun was killed.

At the same time, Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuxue had lost all their strength. They supported their bodies with the long swords in their hands and looked towards the southern study.

The two sides of the South Study were still standing, but the middle had completely collapsed, with broken beams and shattered tiles scattered all over the floor.

Amidst the smoke and dust, a hint of pale gold appeared.

Cao Zhengchun waved his hand, and his Qi blew away the smoke and dust.
"Hehehe..."

He smiled at the two of them, with blood between his teeth.

"The combined power of two swords is indeed immensely powerful, but my Tiangang Boy's Kung Fu is unbreakable by anyone below the Grandmaster level. Your combined power of two swords is still a little lacking! What a pity... What a pity!"

It is indeed a pity.

From the blood in his mouth, it can be seen that the combined power of the two swords has caused him serious internal injuries, but it is still a little short of completely penetrating the Vajra Body Defense of Tiangang Boy's Kung Fu.

In other words, the power of the two swords combined is just a little bit away from reaching the grandmaster level!

"It seems that you are completely exhausted..."

Cao Zhengchun slowly walked out of the ruins of the Southern Study and sneered, "If that's the case..."

Before he could finish his words, he saw a figure in golden armor walking out from the opposite side.

His expression suddenly changed slightly.

"Your Excellency wants to interfere in this matter again? Aren't you afraid of the wrath of the Emperor of Ming?"

Jin Jiu laughed and said, "How dare a commoner like me go against the emperor of a nation? I simply feel pity for these two incredibly talented swordsmen and cannot bear to see them die here. Therefore, I would like to make a deal with His Majesty the Emperor."

The emperor approached under Zhou Ming's guard: "What's the deal?"

Jin Jiu took out two transparent glass medicine bottles, each containing two pale golden pills. "These are two Huangliang Pills. I'm sure His Majesty is well aware of their efficacy. I'd like to use these pills in exchange for His Majesty's forgiveness for Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuxue. I hope His Majesty will...give me a favor."

The emperor's pupils shrank and he couldn't help but think.

After a moment, he shook his head.

Gin said, "Not enough?"

The emperor shook his head again: "It's too much!"

The emperor put one hand behind his back and said, "What happened tonight was within my expectations. It was my plan to lure you into a trap.

Therefore, apart from Ye Gucheng, the rest of the people, including Ximen Chuxue, have all contributed to my plan. Now that the plan has been completed, I will naturally not destroy the bridge after crossing it. Therefore, I must first issue an edict to forgive the crimes of Ximen Chuxue and others.

Since they are innocent, there is no need to exchange their lives. Therefore, if you want to trade, just take a Huangliang Pill and exchange it for Ye Gucheng's life, and that's enough!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was surprised and grateful, and quickly knelt down and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"

Jin Jiu said, "In that case, I will use this Huangliang Pill to exchange for Ye Gucheng's life!"

He threw the glass bottle in his hand and placed it directly in front of the emperor.

The emperor grasped the medicine bottle, glanced at it for a moment, then placed it in his arms. He whispered, "Immediately send a letter using the highest-quality carrier pigeons, inviting Master Zhang of Wudang to the capital!"

"Yes!"

Although he lowered his voice deliberately, everyone present was a master above the innate level and could hear the emperor's words clearly.

Suddenly my heart trembled.

Regardless of whether anyone had any thoughts about the Huangliang Pill, they instantly lost all thoughts.

The emperor was also well aware of this.

Or perhaps he intended for everyone to hear it.

Ever since Huangliangdan came into being, countless kings, princes, generals and ministers in the world have gone crazy about it.

If he dared to accept the two Huangliang Pills today, he would probably have to face the covetousness of countless forces in the world, both openly and covertly, tomorrow.

But it won’t work if we don’t take any of them.

No one knows how many forces within the Ming Dynasty are coveting this pill.

So the emperor only accepted one, and immediately sent a pigeon to Master Zhang of Wudang, inviting him to come to the capital to take charge.

It's a relatively smart approach.

"Now that the deal is done, we will not stay in the palace any longer."

Jin Jiu said, "Lu Xiaofeng, bring your two friends with you."

Lu Xiaofeng leaped up and came to Ximen Chuxue and Ye Gucheng, picking up one of them in each hand.

A golden flying boat suddenly appeared.

Gin extended his hand, inviting everyone.

Lu Xiaofeng hesitated for a moment, then took Ximen Chuxue and Ye Gucheng onto the flying boat.

The honest monk, Sikong Zhaixing and others also boarded the flying boat.

The flying boat flapped its wings and took off.

The emperor breathed a sigh of relief only after seeing the flying boat completely disappear.

He looked around the scene and said, "Liu Xi is seriously injured. Send him to the hospital for treatment immediately. Wei Ziyun!"

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty is here!"

"Count the casualties at the scene, and then clean up the South Study."

"Yes."

"Cao Zhengchun, how is your injury?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I have suffered internal injuries, but I will recover in a moment."

"Okay, after you recover, you will lead the East Factory and arrest all the royal servants. Ask them what they did tonight!"

Cao Zhengchun was overjoyed: "Yes!"

Everyone immediately became busy.

"Lord Zhou, would you be willing to walk with me?"

"It is my honor."

The emperor walked in front and Zhou Ming followed behind.

The Emperor said, "My dear, you have fought for me tonight and performed exceedingly well. I shall reward you handsomely. Simply tell me where you would like to be appointed, and I shall grant you the opportunity!"

Zhou Ming smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I have no interest in serving in the imperial court. I only wish to diligently cultivate my martial arts, make a few close friends, and become a beautiful woman. I will lead a life of conquest and live up to my life's promise."

"Oh?"

The emperor couldn't help but look back at him a few more times, as if wanting to confirm the truth of what he said: "Your adoptive father is the Prime Minister of the current dynasty, a high-ranking official, yet you don't want to be an official?"

Zhou Mingdao said, "The officialdom is murky, good and evil are hard to distinguish, and there are too many schemes. I really don't want to get involved in this muddy water. Although my adoptive father is a high-ranking official, he is not young anymore. Perhaps he will have a serious illness one day and will have to retire.

I, a humble minister, do not enter the imperial court because I wish to preserve my usefulness and provide for my adoptive father until his death."

"Prime Minister Pei... has indeed been in the court for more than thirty years, almost forty years..." The emperor couldn't help but sigh.

Zhou Mingdao said, "My adoptive father is nearly seventy years old. He is diligently practicing martial arts, so his appearance is not very prominent."

In fact, it is more than 70 years old.

Shi Zhixuan in this world first spent many years in Zhongzhou, and after taking control of the Cang organization, he returned to the Sui Kingdom to stir up trouble.

Seeing that Yang Jian's power was inevitable, he had no choice but to leave the Sui Dynasty and come to the Ming Dynasty, where he began to enter the Ming Dynasty court.

By now, it has probably been more than a hundred years.

But when Shi Zhixuan entered the court and transformed himself into Pei Ju, he lied that he was twenty-five years old. Now, more than thirty years have passed, and to outsiders, Pei Ju should be sixty-three years old.

He is over 60 and approaching 70.

Zhou Mingdao said, "My adoptive father is old, but Your Majesty is still young. When Your Majesty comes to power, I'm afraid my adoptive father will have to retire and return home."

"Um……"

The emperor looked at the setting moon with a puzzled expression.

I felt that what Zhou Ming said made a lot of sense.

He is still young, only in his teens.

Pei Ju was already old.

Although the opponent was indeed a huge threat, given the age gap between them, he could outlast him even if he had to. However, the premise of everything was that he could continue to sit on the throne of emperor, rather than die midway or be replaced.

Therefore, his biggest enemy right now is still... Zhu Wusi!

If Zhou Ming knew what he was thinking, he would probably laugh out loud.

Pei Ju is a grandmaster who can live to be three hundred years old.

boil?
Let’s see who can outlast whom!

But the emperor didn't know about this and still followed his own ideas, recalling the life experience of Zhou Ming in front of him.

He suddenly realized that both Zhou Ming's own ideas and Pei Ju's training route for Zhou Ming seemed to be seriously deviated from the court.

Perhaps, he really is preparing a retirement insurance for himself...

When the emperor thought of this, his trust in Zhou Ming increased a little.

"Did you hear what Cao Zhengchun said just now?"

"Um... May I ask, Your Majesty, which sentence is it?"

"Cao Zhengchun said to Jinjiu, 'Your Excellency is intervening in this matter again.' The word 'again' is really suggestive!"

The emperor's face was uncertain. He said, "He clearly arrived at the scene last, so why did you say 'again'? Haha, because although he appeared last, he had actually been secretly observing the situation from the very beginning, but he didn't show up at all!"

Zhou Ming naturally knew all about these things a long time ago.

I thought to myself that Cao Zhengchun was really careless and actually revealed his whereabouts through his mouth.

However, think about Cao Zhengchun's condition at that time. He was injured internally by the combined power of the two swords and his defense was almost broken.

When he suddenly saw Jinjiu coming out, he was naturally extremely defensive and for a moment he was a little careless about other issues, which was normal.

The emperor said, "None of the palace attendants showed up. Cao Zhengchun showed up last. The palace guards and the eunuchs from the East Depot were also late... My dear minister, who can I trust in this huge palace?!"

Zhou Ming smiled and said, "Your Majesty, since you don't have anyone you can trust, why not just create a group of people you can trust?"

"Ok?"

The emperor actually did not want to get an answer from Zhou Ming, but wanted Zhou Ming to be a mouthpiece to convey his meaning to Pei Ju.

But he didn't expect that Zhou Ming seemed to have an idea all of a sudden.

"My dear, what can I do?"

Zhou Mingdao said, "I have heard that in the past, the Han Dynasty had relatives of the emperor in power. The power of the relatives of the emperor in Qin was also extraordinary. Even the neighboring Song Dynasty had a queen mother who interfered in politics."

The emperor asked, "My dear minister, do you mean to bring in the relatives?"

"As long as it's properly controlled, it can be a useful force."

Zhou Mingdao said, "Your Majesty should also give birth to a prince as soon as possible to stabilize the country and put an end to the delusions of some people..."

The emperor said nothing, just nodded.

What Zhou Ming said is indeed very reasonable.

The so-called external relatives refer to the forces on the side of the queen and the imperial concubine.

Because of the marriage relationship with the emperor, to a certain extent, it can be said that they share the same fate.

The power of the imperial relatives would never allow the emperor to be replaced.

Because that would mean they would lose their status as royal relatives.

This is indeed conducive to the stability of the throne.

On the other hand, with a queen and a concubine, there will naturally be a prince.

The fundamental reason why Zhu Wusi took advantage of the King of Nanping's conspiracy to achieve his own goal this time was that the emperor currently had no children.

Once the emperor dies, Zhu Wusi, the emperor's uncle, will have a great chance of ascending the throne legitimately.

But if the emperor already has children, the son will naturally inherit his father's business.

The emperor's uncle...at most he would only be promoted to the emperor's great uncle.

Of course, it is also possible that the emperor and the prince died together.

But the emperor's death can be said to be a coincidence.

The prince and the emperor died together... Haha, you said it was a coincidence, it depends on whether others believe it!

"It's a pity that your wisdom is not accepted by the court." The emperor sighed.

Zhou Ming chuckled.

If I really entered the court, you would not feel pity but fear.

"It is almost dawn, and it is inconvenient for us to stay in the palace for long. I beg to take my leave."

"Take care, my dear."

The emperor returned to the Southern Study.

Although he didn't actually walk very far, because he walked slowly and had this conversation, nearly a quarter of an hour had passed.

The collapsed South Study has been roughly cleared out.

"What's the damage?"

Wei Ziyun bowed and said, "Of the many valuable items in the study, none survived."

"Hmm." The emperor didn't care about this.

The so-called precious things might be worth a fortune outside, but in the palace, they are just pure decorations.

"Also... all the memorials Your Majesty handled last night have been destroyed."

"Um?!"

The emperor looked up at the sky and said, "It's almost time for the morning court, right?"

"Yes."

"But all the memorials I processed last night were destroyed?"

"Yes……"

silence.

Silence is the palace at this moment.

"...boil it!"

The full moon sets in the west.

The golden flying boat reflected the moonlight and flew slowly in the sky.

Lu Xiaofeng put Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuxue down and asked, "Sir, what is your purpose?"

"Ha ha……"

Jin Jiu smiled faintly and said, "Tonight, it was me who sent these two magical weapons, giving Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuxue the strength to resist. It was also because of me who took out the Huangliang Pill that the emperor showed mercy and saved your lives.

"Lu Xiaofeng, oh Lu Xiaofeng, is this how you treat your savior? I've done so many things for you, why do you disrespect me so much?"

Lu Xiaofeng fell silent.

In fact, it was all because he was prejudiced.

The first time Jinjiu appeared, he was plotting something in Wudang Mountain, which gave people a very bad first impression.

The second time he appeared in front of Lu Xiaofeng was before the decisive battle, when he gave him a Huangliang Pill. Later, during Lu Xiaofeng's investigation, he always regarded Jinjiu as a suspect.

Although the truth is now out, it has nothing to do with gin.

But this strong suspicion did not go away for a while.

Jin Jiu ignored him and looked at Ye Gucheng and Ximen Chuxue: "But I saved you because there is indeed something I need you to do."

Ye Gucheng said: "I will repay your life-saving grace if you ask for anything. But if you want me to join your organization, I'm afraid I can't do it."

"Haha...you're overthinking it. Ye Gucheng, our organization has very high standards for recruiting. Although you're a genius in swordsmanship, your subordinates are too weak to meet our standards. The same goes for Ximen Chuxue."

Ye Gucheng felt relieved: "Then what do you want me to do?"

"I want you and Ximen Chuixue to finish your duel!"

Jin Jiu said, "Forget about the Forbidden Purple Summit, but the Purple Gold Summit is waiting for you right now!"

(End of this chapter)