Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

"What that old Taoist priest Tao Zhongwen said about 'mastering fire' has really come true!"

Lu Bing gritted his teeth and said,

"The wind is quite strong. The palace is entirely made of wood, and the fire will spread quickly with the help of the wind."

I must hurry to the palace to save the emperor. I also need to ask Mother to go to my second brother's room and take Lu Chen out of the palace to escape the fire!

"My son, go and rescue the emperor with peace of mind. Leave this matter to me."

Fan stood up.

"The fire is dangerous; please be extremely careful."

Just then, the door was pushed open, and a figure rushed in.

"They look so alike, exactly like His Majesty back then."

Fan stared at the newcomer and muttered to himself.

"I have met 'Madam Yousheng'."

Lu Chen cupped his hands in greeting to Madam Fan, then turned to look at Lu Bing.

"Brother, the fire is urgent! We must rush to the palace to rescue you!"

"I will naturally go to the rescue, but you are of royal blood; how can you personally enter the fire!"

Lu Bing quickly stopped him.

"You and your mother should go and hide outside the palace. After I rescue His Majesty, I will send someone to find you."

"Brother, you are mistaken. Although I have not yet been recognized as a member of the clan, His Majesty is currently trapped in a fire. How can I only care about my own safety?"

Lu Chen's tone was urgent.

"To be frank, it is my elder brother who is in charge of the safety of the palace tonight. The palace fire is already a crime. If His Majesty were to be trapped in the fire, it would be a terrible disaster!"

I have always believed myself to be a descendant of Lord Lu Song since I was a child. How could I stand by and watch the Lu family suffer such a calamity!

I will stand with my brother in this matter. If we can rescue His Majesty, His Majesty will not hold my brother accountable for the fire at the palace.

My younger brother also possesses martial arts skills and will never hold his elder brother back.

"Since you're so keen on this, then come with me."

Time was of the essence, so Lu Bing didn't say much and walked straight out of the room, with Lu Chen following immediately.

. . .

The sleeping quarters of the Weihui Imperial Palace.

"Your Majesty, the imperial palace is on fire!"

A eunuch rushed open the door to the imperial bedchamber, knelt down before the emperor's bed,

"The fire is quite large and will soon reach the palace. Your Majesty, please leave immediately."

"Don't panic!"

To the eunuchs' surprise, Emperor Jiajing (Zhu Houcong) did not panic upon hearing that the palace was on fire.

"When the whirlwind circled the carriage yesterday, Master Tao had already spoken of 'mastering the fire'."

I ordered Master Tao to perform a ritual to avert disaster, but he refused, saying, "Fire is inevitable; I can only protect Your Majesty's health."

It is clear that this fire is unavoidable, but I will certainly be unharmed.

"Master Tao is a reclusive master; his prophecies must be accurate."

Seeing that the Jiajing Emperor appeared confident, the eunuch quickly advised him,

"But the fire is a dangerous place after all, so Your Majesty should leave as soon as possible."

"Let the palace maids outside come in and help me change my clothes."

Although Emperor Jiajing firmly believed that he would be alright, he was not so foolish as to stay in the fire.

"Your Majesty, the palace servants outside the palace have all fled."

A moment later, the eunuch stumbled and knelt again before the Jiajing Emperor, who had already gotten out of bed.

"The fire has already reached the outer perimeter of the palace, and the roads are blocked by the flames. I'm afraid we won't be able to get out."

. . .

"His Majesty's palace is just ahead."

Lu Bing pointed to the building burning fiercely in front of him.

"Such a large fire has probably already spread to the palace where His Majesty's bedchamber is located."

When you are in front of His Majesty, please do not call me brother. We should address each other by our official titles. I will call you Commander Lu, and you can call me Assistant Magistrate Lu.

Do not bow to me, and do not refer to yourself as a subordinate. Although you have not yet officially recognized your ancestry, you are still a member of the royal family. Do not let His Majesty feel that I am overstepping my bounds.

"I understand, and I will certainly not let anything slip in front of His Majesty."

Lu Chen immediately nodded in agreement, shaking the water off his hair.

When they passed a pond earlier, Lu Bing led Lu Chen into the water and soaked them completely. The ancients naturally understood the common sense of soaking one's body before rushing into a fire.

. . .

"I am the chosen one by Heaven. Master Tao foresaw this fire long ago, and now it has come true."

Inside his bedchamber, the Jiajing Emperor stared at the tightly closed door, muttering to himself.

"Master Tao said, 'You can carefully protect Your Majesty's body,' and I will surely turn danger into safety!"

As time ticked by, the wooden doors of the sleeping quarters began to catch fire, and the Daoist emperor grew increasingly insecure.

The words he muttered seemed more like a way to bolster his courage.

Outside the emperor's sleeping quarters, there were originally several palace maids and eunuchs from the Imperial Bedchamber Bureau on night duty, ready to be summoned at any time.

However, when the fire spread to the outer perimeter of the palace, apart from the eunuch who had entered the palace to wake the Jiajing Emperor, the others had already fled on their own and their whereabouts were unknown.

After discovering that the fire had blocked the road, the Jiajing Emperor became frightened and ordered the last eunuch by his side to clear a path.

The eunuch was loyal; without saying a word, he grabbed a chair from the bedchamber, lifted it, and rushed out.

Unfortunately, he didn't get very far before he was knocked down by a burning pillar and never got up again.

With the eunuch dead, Emperor Jiajing was left without anyone by his side, so he dared not rush out and had to retreat back into his bedchamber.

He silently prayed that Tao Zhongwen's prophecy would come true and that he would escape this calamity unscathed.

Bang!

The burning wooden door of the sleeping quarters was kicked open from the outside, and two men dressed in the uniforms of the Imperial Guard rushed in.

"The fire is dangerous; please forgive us for not being able to perform the full ceremony."

Lu Bing knelt on one knee before the Jiajing Emperor.

"Your Majesty, please leave the palace with us immediately."

"These are extraordinary times; there's no need to be bogged down in trivialities!"

The Jiajing Emperor was overjoyed and said,

"Your loyalty and bravery are commendable, and I will reward you handsomely."

At this moment, the fire had just reached the sleeping quarters, but the inside of the palace was not yet on fire. The firelight shone from behind, making it impossible to see the faces of the two people.

But Emperor Jiajing was too familiar with Lu Bing's voice and recognized it immediately.

"Along the way here, there are charcoal pieces on the ground that haven't been burned to ashes yet. We mustn't burn His Majesty's feet."

Seeing that the Jiajing Emperor was safe and sound, Lu Chen didn't want to delay any longer. He had already seen no fewer than ten corpses on his way through the fire, and for the first time, he had personally experienced the horror of a fire.

"I will lead the way; please, Magistrate Lu, carry His Majesty on your back and follow closely behind me."

"good!"

Lu Bing also knew that things were urgent, and he had gained a completely new understanding of Lu Chen along the way.

This royal nobleman, secretly raised by his father, had actually mastered superb martial arts skills.

On the way back to the palace from the post station, Lu Bing noticed that the scabbard of the long sword Lu Chen was carrying was very thick, more than an inch thick, thicker than any scabbard he had ever seen.

The entire knife is about four feet long and is a two-handed Miao knife. Apart from its ornate decoration, the handle is similar to that of an ordinary Miao knife and looks disproportionate to the scabbard.

Lu Bing thought at the time that the scabbard held some secret, such as another short knife hidden inside the thick scabbard.

When he encountered a burning, heavy object blocking his path, Lu Chen drew his sword.

Only then did Lu Bing realize that the scabbard had no hidden secrets; it was made so thick simply because the knife inside was indeed an inch thick.

The handle looks similar to a regular two-handed Miao knife, naturally because the handle isn't wrapped with wood; instead, fish skin is simply rolled onto the thick blade.

This isn't a Miao sword at all; it's basically a battle axe shaped like a two-handed Miao sword.

Although Lu Bing had never held it in his hands to feel it, judging from his appearance, this giant battle axe was at least equivalent to three golden maces!

The Golden Gourd Iron Hammer, weighing about eight pounds, is a blunt weapon that only a few strongmen in the army can wield.

To be able to wield such a heavy weapon, Lu Chen must be a master!