Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

"Brother, I remember that not long ago, His Highness the Prince of Ying sent us to Shanxi."

Lu Wei nodded.

"One of them was just a messenger, delivering his brother's orders to Taiyuan. He ordered Qianhu Ouyang Hong to fabricate a crime and falsely accuse Zhang Yin to Fan Jizu, with the aim of getting Fan Jizu to summon Zhang Yin to Shuozhou for investigation."

Another group went to Jingxing Pass and secretly placed three letters on the bedside of the three guest army commanders.

What exactly is the purpose of His Highness Prince Ying's actions?

"Although I agreed without asking His Highness why, I did investigate afterward."

Lu Bing slowly began to speak.

"Xue Ting died near Taiyuan, and his death was inextricably linked to Zhang Yin!"

At that time, Ouyang Hong reported that someone carrying Xue Ting's waist token had tricked the city of Taiyuan into opening the north gate at night, falsely claiming to be on official business.

It was Zhang Yin who personally led dozens of his personal guards out of the city to pursue them.

Moreover, Zhang Yin executed the city gate officer on the spot, using military law.

The body of Xue Ting was later found in the mountainous area near Yangqu County by Zhang Yin's subordinates.

Xue Ting was seconded to us by His Highness Prince Ying to handle some business.

Although he himself died near Taiyuan, several people from the Prince of Ying's mansion who went to Shanxi with him returned safely to the capital.

They must have found something, which is why His Highness has become suspicious of Zhang Yin.

There was definitely something wrong with Zhang Yin, but we didn't know what it was at the time.

I'm sure Your Highness is also curious about what happened.

Your Highness assists the Crown Prince in overseeing the country; you only have the authority to review applications, not the authority to issue direct decrees.

Then he came up with a plan: by having his brother Ouyang Hong fabricate a charge against Zhang Yin, he got Fan Jizu, who had the authority to deal with Zhang Yin, to summon him to Shuozhou for investigation.

As for the three letters sent to Jingxing Pass, I can now guess what they contained.

It's nothing more than making false accusations first, and then sending the three guards of Jingxing Pass to investigate somewhere in Pingding Prefecture.

A few days ago, the three guards of Jingxing Pass sent an urgent report back to the capital, saying that a large stronghold of the White Lotus Sect had been discovered in Pingding Prefecture.

Moreover, they also learned from the captured cult members that the stronghold was the headquarters of the Maitreya Sect, a branch of the White Lotus Sect, and that Zhang Yin was the current leader of the Maitreya Sect.

Back then, Xue Ting and his group must have found the mountain stronghold where the Maitreya Sect's headquarters was located, but they didn't alert the enemy and approach to investigate.

At the time, they also discovered that this illegal settlement was related to Zhang Yin.

Xue Ting likely relied on his superior martial arts skills and stayed in Taiyuan alone to investigate Zhang Yin, while sending the others back to the capital to report to His Highness.

As a result, he lost his life there.

When I first received the news of Xue Ting's death, I couldn't quite believe it.

Xue Ting is one of the three most skilled martial artists among all the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards), so killing him won't be easy.

He still held the official rank of a fourth-grade commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so no one dared to mobilize a large force to openly besiege him.

After learning that Zhang Yin was the leader of the Maitreya Cult, I finally understood what was going on.

The White Lotus Sect's major branches all prioritize martial arts at their leadership level, and each sect boasts at least several masters of internal energy cultivation.

Even if the cult leader himself is not the number one expert in the cult, he must at least be one of these internal energy masters.

An ordinary person who hasn't cultivated internal strength cannot secure the position of sect leader.

Since Zhang Yin is the leader of the Maitreya Sect, his martial arts skills are likely superior to Xue Ting's.

There may have been other masters of internal martial arts around him. It was because Xue Ting was injured by them that he was able to escape the city overnight.

Unfortunately, he was unlucky; even after escaping forty miles, he still fell off a cliff and lost his life.

"Fan Jizu was even more unlucky than Xue Ting."

Lu Wei shook his head.

"When we ordered Ouyang Hong to come up with a reason to falsely accuse Zhang Yin and to get Fan Jizu to summon Zhang Yin to Shuozhou, we didn't know that he was actually the leader of the Maitreya sect."

Of course, Ouyang Hong didn't know either!

What crime did he fabricate?

The Mongolian head that Zhang Yin sent to Shuozhou to report his achievements was problematic; it was bought from Anda with money!

Indeed, this charge was enough to make Fan Jizu suspicious of Zhang Yin, and he would definitely summon him to Shuozhou for investigation.

However, although the crime of buying off enemy leaders and claiming credit is not minor, if verified, Zhang Yin would at least be dismissed from his post, and in more serious cases, he might even be exiled.

However, Fan Jizu did not believe that Zhang Yin, who only brought a dozen or so personal guards to Shuozhou, posed any threat.

Their wariness of him was very limited.

Moreover, Fan Jizu was also worried that someone might be framing Zhang Yin out of jealousy.

After all, Zhang Yin had captured a large number of Mongol heads, which would certainly make some people envious.

Before verifying the facts, Fan Jizu will not take any action against Zhang Yin; at most, he will only place him under house arrest.

Zhang Yin must have received a message from the Maitreya Sect headquarters in Pingding Prefecture, realizing that his identity had been exposed, and that Fan Jizu would soon find out as well.

His martial arts skills were at least equal to, or even better than, Xue Ting's. With a plan in mind and an opportunity to catch someone off guard, he could easily sneak into the governor's office in the middle of the night.

"Why not go all the way and act immediately? They killed Fan Jizu that very night, then took his governor's seal and headed south to Taiyuan to rebel."

"At this time, the Ministry of War should be in complete chaos. Fan Jizu was appointed as the Governor-General of Xuanda and Shanxi, but he was only holding the title of Minister of War. He was still the former Minister of War."

Lu Bing sighed.

"After receiving the report from the three guards of Jingxing Pass, the Ministry of War drafted a plan to quell the rebellion, which was overseen by Fan Jizu."

Before the imperial edict could reach Shuozhou, Fan Jizu was assassinated.

Although Taiyuan City may not have been lost because Zhang Yin was summoned to Shuozhou by Fan Jizu, the limited military force under the command of Liu Nie, the governor of Shanxi, was insufficient to subdue Zhang Yin's Taiyuan Left Guard and the Maitreya Sect headquarters in Pingdingzhou.

The imperial court must appoint a new governor-general of Xuanfu, Datong, and Shanxi as soon as possible and mobilize elite troops from the three towns to quell the rebellion.

The appointment of such an important regional official should, in principle, be decided by His Majesty.

But His Majesty is currently unconscious and unable to handle this matter.

The cult leader became the commander of the garrison, assassinated a high-ranking official of the second rank, and openly rebelled.

With such a major event occurring, the situation in Shanxi is extremely critical. Does the imperial court really have time to waste on the selection of a new governor-general?

"What does my brother mean?"

Lu Wei looked surprised.

"Please, Your Highness, Prince Ying..."

"That's right. His Majesty's decree before his seclusion was to order Prince Ying to assist the young Crown Prince in overseeing the country and to conduct a final review of the memorials that had passed the cabinet's draft and the Directorate of Ceremonial's approval."

Lu Bing nodded slowly.

"His Highness Prince Ying will assist the Crown Prince in overseeing the country, and this will end after His Majesty leaves the pass."

Logically speaking, it should be over by now.

But what's the situation now?

The concubines and palace maids plotted a rebellion and murdered the emperor. His Majesty was seriously injured and remains unconscious to this day!

Even Dr. Xu wasn't sure when he would wake up!

Does this mean that if His Majesty remains unconscious, the court will be without a ruler for even a day?

It is time for His Highness Prince Ying to truly shoulder the responsibility of overseeing the country.

However, it is not appropriate for me to handle this matter directly, after all, the relationship between our Lu family and His Highness is too special, and we should avoid suspicion.

Let's find someone else to handle this.

When His Majesty awakens in the future, he will be very pleased to see that Your Highness has shouldered such a heavy responsibility at this crucial moment.