sjar Chapter 418 Assassination in the Prison
Chapter 418 Assassination in the Prison
"Your Majesty, a male corpse with severed genitals has been found in the Cold Palace, suspected to be Eunuch Wu."
Emperor Meiji stood frozen in place, his feet seemingly nailed to the spot.
The words "Eunuch Wu is dead" kept swirling in his mind, leaving him stunned. Even now, he still can't believe that the person who had been with him for most of his life had died so tragically.
"Bring him to see me."
The guard was terrified and tried to dissuade him, saying, "Your Majesty, Eunuch Wu's body is already charred, I'm afraid it might..."
Emperor Meiji shouted sternly, "Can't you hear what I'm saying? Bring him here."
The guards dared not disobey, and within a quarter of an hour, Wu Gonggong's body was brought into the hall. Emperor Meiji slowly walked to the body.
The blackened, charred corpse was unrecognizable. He suppressed his gloom and continued looking down, his gaze suddenly stopping at one spot.
The skin on the corpse was curled up in many places, with the charred skin peeling upwards to reveal the dark muscle texture underneath, a shocking sight.
"How is this going?"
The guard was shocked and hurriedly explained, "It was probably caused by Eunuch Wu bumping into him."
Emperor Meiji stared intently at him. "Do you take me for a fool?"
Those wounds from shoulder to calf, what kind of collision could have caused them to look like that?
The guard knelt on the ground in horror, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Eunuch Wu's injuries were caused by... by being beaten by palace servants."
"Beating?"
"The palace servants thought that Eunuch Wu had fallen out of favor, and many of them mocked and ridiculed him, and beat and scolded him at will..."
The voice grew softer and softer, and Emperor Meiji laughed in exasperation.
Very well, no matter how much the people around him dislike him, it's not up to a bunch of sycophantic lackeys to bully him.
"Guards, execute all those who have humiliated Eunuch Wu."
As he finished speaking, the Imperial Guards roared in a powerful voice, "Yes, sir!"
The guard was the first to kneel down and beg for mercy, "Your Majesty, spare my life!"
Emperor Meiji pressed his white-knuckled hand tightly against his chest, a rough, hoarse voice rumbling from his throat, "Drag them away, drag them all away from me!"
On that day, hundreds of palace staff were purged from the palace.
Emperor Meiji did not react when he heard the number of people, but when he learned that palace servants in every palace had been executed, he laughed in anger.
He knew that people in the palace were pragmatic, but he didn't know they were so cold-hearted. Eunuch Wu was working for him, so did that mean that every person in the palace had someone who had a problem with him, including their master?
Emperor Meiji's face was ashen, and his bloodless lips trembled slightly.
Suddenly, his eyes closed, and his body seemed to lose all its strength, falling straight backward.
"Your Majesty!"
The Imperial Hospital mobilized its entire staff. This was the third time His Majesty had fainted. Since the last poisoning, his body had been fundamentally damaged, and he would faint whenever he was emotionally agitated.
If this continues, the consequences will be unimaginable.
The Empress and the other concubines surrounded the crowd, asking, "How is His Majesty? Why did he faint again?"
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, His Majesty has regained consciousness. However, His Majesty still needs to rest and recuperate. He must not be disturbed by affairs or get angry due to emotional fluctuations. You should know that anger easily damages the liver and overwork easily depletes the spirit, both of which will harm the Emperor's health. Please be mindful of this, Your Majesty."
"Anger?" The Empress immediately questioned the eunuch serving the Emperor, "What happened today? Why is His Majesty angry?"
The emperor fainted upon learning that Eunuch Wu had been burned to death in the Cold Palace and that someone had beaten him.
The people present fell silent. They now understood why their trusted confidants had been taken away by the Imperial Guards—it was an order from the Emperor.
Suddenly someone muttered, "He's just a servant. How could His Majesty faint over a servant?"
The Empress immediately glared at the newcomer who had spoken, "Eunuch Wu is no ordinary person to His Majesty, Consort Xue must be careful and restrained."
At that moment, Emperor Meiji's deep voice came from the inner chamber, "Tell them to get out."
The eunuch looked at the ladies with difficulty, "Ladies, please leave. Don't anger His Majesty any further."
The Empress made a quick decision, "Everyone, let's go! Let His Majesty rest properly."
After saying that, he left first.
Seeing this, the other concubines followed suit and left. Only a few of their trusted confidantes, who had been dealt with, lingered at the door, hoping that this visit would make the emperor show them some compassion. Unfortunately, they were all taken away by the imperial guards, and they were never seen in the harem again.
Meanwhile, inside the prison, Lu Qingchen, who was resting with his eyes closed, heard footsteps and immediately leaned over the bars to look out. He saw a constable leading a person into the cell opposite his.
"Hey, when are you going to let me out?"
The constable acted as if he hadn't seen him at all, walking forward with an indifferent expression. After carefully locking the cell door, he turned and left without a trace of emotion. As the footsteps faded into the distance, the person hidden in the opposite cell came into view.
"Wife?" he exclaimed in disbelief. "These bastards actually captured you too! I will never let them get away with this!"
Qin Miaoxi felt a throbbing pain in her temples. She took a deep breath and reassured her, "I came in on purpose. Tell me what happened first."
"I don't know either. Those people from the Ministry of Justice suddenly arrested me and said I was a ghost-faced judge!" Lu Qingchen laughed as he spoke.
[If I were that damn guy, my wife would love me to death! Just thinking about it makes me ecstatic.]
Qin Miaoxi: "..."
She knew this person was up to no good.
"Honey, why are they arresting you? Do they suspect you're the Ghost-Faced Judge too?"
Qin Miaoxi: "...I am a woman."
"Oh! I forgot the Ghost-Faced Judge is a man." Lu Qingchen chuckled dryly, then got angry again. "Then why are they still arresting you? I'll go find them."
Qin Miaoxi gave up. This person's mind was different from normal people's; it was pointless to talk to him.
Seeing that she remained unmoved, Lu Qingchen felt a little uncomfortable. "Wife, why didn't you stop me this time?"
"Would it have been useful to stop them?"
"Ahem, go ahead, I'm listening."
Qin Miaoxi sat down silently, closed her eyes to rest, but her mind was still on his question.
Why did the Ministry of Justice arrest me?
Although he deliberately mocked Shao Kun, Shao Kun was more easily angered than he had imagined, and even ignored Princess Xinglan's warnings, unlike his usual obsequious manner.
Then, considering the Emperor's strange behavior of having the eldest prince stop him, could it be that he had discovered something?
No, that's impossible. To outsiders, I'm just an ordinary coroner, and there's no way I could be associated with the Four Imperial Guards.
"young married woman!?"
Lu Qingchen couldn't see Qin Miaoxi's expression, but he grew increasingly anxious at the lack of response and kept calling out to her.
"Ah."
"Honey, are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
"No."
"Don't worry, honey, I'll definitely find a way to get them to let you out."
"Stop making noise, take better care of yourself!"
Qin Miaoxi responded to every word, and Lu Qingchen sighed with emotion, resting his chin on his hand.
My wife's voice is so beautiful.
Qin Miaoxi closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "Destroy!"
"young married woman……"
"Shut up!"
"last question."
After a long silence, a single word uttered, "Speak."
Lu Qingchen's voice carried three parts fear, three parts tension, and four parts anticipation, "The Ghost-Faced Judge and the Mad Demon are mortal enemies. Do you think they will come to kill me?"
Qin Miaoxi suddenly opened her eyes and shouted sharply, "Hold your breath!"
The next instant, white smoke filled the air, and several dark figures stood brazenly in front of Lu Qingchen's cell.
The cold mask loomed through the smoke, revealing a madman.
He stared in horror, his eyes wide, and covered his mouth to stifle a sound, but a familiar voice came from the cell opposite.
"Cough cough, honey, are you alright? You almost choked me."
Lu Qingchen scratched his ear in disbelief. Had he just spoken? Why could he hear his own voice?
Upon hearing the sound, the Mad Demon whirled around, his palm strike carrying a fierce force. With a loud "bang," the wooden door of the opposite cell was shattered instantly, and wood chips flew everywhere like snowflakes, scattering all over the ground.
"Wife~!"