Liver into a martial arts legend: starting with Embroidered Spring Blade

Chapter 184 Famous Detective Jin Jiuling, Liu Sheng and his daughter request an audience!

As time went by, news of the resurgence of the Northwest bandits, the return of the Ming Cult, and their eastward advance gradually spread.

One stone caused a thousand waves!

In a short time, not only the imperial court, but even the martial arts world was thrown into turmoil.

This incident involved not only the imperial court but also various martial arts factions.

No one expected that the rebel army would collude with martial arts forces to rebel, especially a top-tier demonic force like the Ming Cult.

However, it makes sense, since the Ming Cult has always been a professional rebel group, and it has never stopped rebelling since it was founded hundreds of years ago.

Regardless of the dynasty or the emperor, they all rebelled; it seemed their sole purpose was to rebel.

As a result, the Ming Cult was suppressed by the imperial court and ostracized by the martial arts world. It became a demonic cult that everyone hated, and it had old grudges with the imperial court and many other righteous forces in the martial arts world.

Many people realized that this was a major event involving both the imperial court and the martial arts world, and that not only would the imperial court send troops to suppress it, but the martial arts world would also certainly not sit idly by.

As expected!
Immediately afterward, news came from the imperial court that troops would be dispatched to quell the rebellion. The chosen leaders were still Lu Xiang-sheng, who had previously quelled the White Lotus Rebellion, and Jiang Xuan, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

In addition, it is said that the notorious Western Depot, which has been infamous for the past six months, was also involved.

In the martial arts world, news has spread that the nine major sects, including Shaolin, Wudang, and Emei, may form an alliance at Wudang Mountain to discuss how to deal with the Ming Cult. They plan to take this opportunity to wipe out the Ming Cult and rid the martial arts world of this scourge.

The situation escalated rapidly, and the war in the Northwest attracted almost everyone's attention.

……

Shuntian Prefecture Government Office.

Shuntian Prefecture, also known as Jingzhao Prefecture, was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice. Together with the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Five City Garrison, it was responsible for maintaining order in the capital region.

Previously, the position of the Shuntian Prefecture government was actually quite awkward, because Shuntian Prefecture was the capital and there were too many government offices.

Whether it's the Embroidered Uniform Guard or the Eastern and Western Depots, their status is above theirs. Even if there are cases, they rarely get to handle them. Only some trivial cases or some difficult cases are assigned to them, making them take the blame.

The Shuntian Prefecture government was in a very difficult situation.

However, the status of the Shuntian Prefecture government has changed in the past year.

A year ago, the Shuntian Prefecture government transferred a brilliant constable named Jin Jiuling from Guangzhou.

Not only was he exceptionally skilled in martial arts, but he was also extremely capable of solving cases. Not long after he was transferred here, he solved several major cases in succession, and even many long-standing cold cases were unearthed and solved by him, which greatly enhanced the reputation of the Shuntian Prefecture. Even the Emperor heard about it and encouraged him in court.

The Minister of Justice was greatly encouraged by this and subsequently valued Jin Jiuling even more, directly promoting him to Chief Constable, in charge of all the constables in Shuntian Prefecture, wielding immense power.

In the past six months, they have enjoyed immense success.

At this moment, Jin Jiuling had just solved a major case of child trafficking and returned to the yamen to receive the prefect's commendation. Then he heard his colleagues discussing the matter of the rebel leader colluding with the Ming Cult to rebel.

"A thief?"

Jin Jiuling paused, looked at the two constables discussing the matter, and asked, "What bandits? Weren't the bandits wiped out?"

Upon hearing this, the two constables quickly explained:
"Boss, you don't know yet, do you? The rebels have risen from the ashes!"

"It is said that this time, Li Zicheng, the leader of the rebels, not only turned the border generals in the northwest against the enemy, but also joined forces with many Jianghu forces such as the Ming Cult, and rose up again. In just half a month, he is said to have grown to tens of thousands of people, and successively captured several cities in Shaanxi. He is about to march into Shanxi!"

"Yes, the rebels' offensive this time is quite fierce. They even have people in Longxi. Meanwhile, the Ming Cult entered the pass from the Western Regions and joined forces with the rebels. Once they unite, I'm afraid it will be difficult to suppress them."

One of the constables scoffed, "Ha! You overestimate a mere rebel force. The Emperor has already dispatched Lord Lu Xiang-sheng with troops to suppress them, along with the Western Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard. These mere rebels can be wiped out with a flick of the wrist!"

"That's true. No matter how powerful this rebel leader is, can he be more powerful than the White Lotus Sect back then..."

The two constables then began to discuss in hushed tones again.

Jin Jiuling stood to the side, his eyes gleaming, and murmured, "Lu Xiang-sheng led troops from the capital to quell the rebellion, and the Western Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard have also left. At this moment, the only formidable force left in the capital is the Eastern Depot. This is indeed a rare and excellent opportunity..."

On the surface, he was the most famous constable in Shuntian Prefecture, renowned throughout the capital, but no one knew that he was actually a member of the Southern Prince's Mansion.

Even when he was serving in Guangzhou, he had already colluded with the Prince of Nan's mansion. With the assistance of the Prince of Nan's mansion, he solved many major cases and made a name for himself.

Later, when the Tianqi Emperor passed away and the Chongzhen Emperor ascended the throne, the Prince of Nan's mansion sent people to offer their congratulations. They happened to see Zhu Youjian wearing the dragon robe that day and were immediately amazed by his extraordinary appearance.

Because Zhu Youjian's appearance was remarkably similar to that of Zhu Youchen, the heir apparent of their Southern Prince's Mansion.

No, it's not that they're similar; they're more like identical.

Upon learning of this, the person who brought the gift was deeply shocked and went back to report the matter.

Although Prince Nan was somewhat surprised by this, he didn't have any other thoughts about it.

After all, according to seniority, Zhu Youjian and Zhu Youchen were originally of the same generation, but many generations had passed between them. They were distant cousins, so it was not surprising that they looked similar.

But the heir apparent, Zhu Youchen, had other ideas.

At that time, Wei Zhongxian was in power, and the people were full of resentment. Then, major events such as the Liaodong mutiny, the rebel Li Zicheng, and the White Lotus Rebellion occurred, plunging the country into chaos. It was the best time to start a rebellion.

However, as a vassal state, the Southern Prince's Mansion was closely watched by the imperial court, and his father had no ambition, no troops or power, so the chances of a successful rebellion were slim.

After careful consideration, Zhu Youchen, drawing inspiration from Wei Zhongxian's "substitution of the crown prince" case, devised a plan called "substituting a plum for a peach".

Specifically, he planned to take advantage of the fact that he looked exactly like Zhu Youjian. If he could find an opportunity to enter the palace and eliminate Zhu Youjian, he could become the new emperor.

Therefore, from that time on, Zhu Youchen began to make his plans.

He first used the resources accumulated by the Prince of Nan's mansion over the years and spent a great deal of money to send the mansion's steward, who had raised him, into the palace to be in charge of the emperor's daily life and to monitor the emperor's every move. The steward would report to Zhu Youchen every once in a while, while Zhu Youchen would imitate the emperor's words and actions at home.

Privately, they secretly cultivated relationships with all available forces to prepare for future actions.

Jin Jiuling was the one who sought refuge with the Southern Prince's Mansion at that time.

Zhu Youchen used his connections to transfer him to the capital to act as an inside agent, with the aim of finding a suitable opportunity to enter the palace and get close to the emperor.

After all, without an audience with the emperor, regional princes were not allowed to enter the capital without permission.

Then it can only be done privately.

However, the palace was heavily guarded, especially by the Eastern and Western Depots and the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Not only were they all elites, but they also maintained countless undercover agents. It was virtually impossible to deceive them.

Therefore, they would have to wait until the capital was relatively empty and the surveillance of the capital by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern and Western Depots was weakened before they could try to enter the palace.

This time, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Western Depot were both on their way to the Northwest to suppress the rebellion, leaving the palace unguarded. Moreover, the attention of the court and the martial arts world was drawn to the war in the Northwest, making it the perfect time to take action.

Thinking of this, without hesitation, Jin Jiuling immediately rushed home, picked up his pen and wrote, then went to a secluded spot, tied the letter to a pigeon's leg, and released the pigeon. Only when the pigeon flew away and disappeared into the southern horizon did he feel at ease.

"Everything is ready, except for the east wind. I hope the young prince can seize this opportunity..." Jin Jiuling murmured.

In the year he had been in the capital, he had made quite a name for himself, being known as the top constable of the Six Doors, and even the emperor had heard of him. But that was about it.

His goal was not just to become a famous constable, but to become a figure like Cao Zhengchun and Yu Huatian of the Eastern and Western Depots and Jiang Xuan of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who were second only to the emperor!
"almost!"

"Once Your Highness succeeds in your great undertaking, I will be a loyal subject who supports the emperor, the most powerful person under the emperor's authority!"

"At that time, Yu Huatian, Jiang Xuan... he can replace them!"

A burning passion and determination appeared in Jin Jiuling's eyes as he turned and left.

But throughout it all, he never realized that his every move was being watched by others.

Tread...  

Not long after Jin Jiuling left, a figure slowly emerged from behind a nearby tree, watching Jin Jiuling's departing back with a hint of mockery and disdain in his eyes.

"A minister who followed the emperor?"

“Even I, ‘Youming,’ dare not act rashly. How dare a mere prince of the Southern King covet the throne? He’s truly courting death!”

The man in black sneered, turned and left as if he had never been there.

……

"The Prince of the South... just as I expected!"

Jiang Xuan stood in the mansion, looking at Xi Yu who had come to report the news, and nodded slightly, saying, "I suppose the Prince of Nan will make a move soon. You take your men and stay in the capital to continue monitoring. If there is any news, send me a message immediately, and I will rush back as soon as possible."

Xi Yu nodded and said, "No problem."

"However... Jin Jiuling's martial arts are not weak. I suspect that he is also a grandmaster, and he has a sword aura on him, so he should be hiding his strength."

"If the Southern Prince's Mansion really manages to get Ye Gucheng to come, it might cause some trouble."

When the 'Sword Saint of Flying Immortal Island' was mentioned, Xi Yu's expression became very solemn.

In the past decade, Ye Gucheng is the only one to be called a sword saint. He became famous even before Xie Xiaofeng and Ximen Chuixue, and his swordsmanship talent is by no means inferior to these two.

Jiang Xuan calmly said, "It's alright. With that person in the palace here, Ye Gucheng alone can't cause any trouble."

"Moreover, Ximen Chuixue will definitely be there at that time. In terms of martial arts and swordsmanship alone, Ximen Chuixue is no weaker than Ye Gucheng."

"What I'm worried about now is whether that person from the Dragon Guard Manor will take the opportunity to make a move..."

Jiang Xuan narrowed his eyes and turned to look towards the south of the city.

With that mysterious figure in the palace protecting him, he dared not cross the line and directly attack Zhu Youjian.

But he also didn't want Zhu Wushi to seize the throne.

Compared to the domineering and powerful Zhu Wushi, the suspicious and cowardly Zhu Youjian was easier to control.

He wanted to become the second "Nine Thousand Years Old" (a high-ranking official), and Zhu Youjian was the most suitable candidate.

Under such circumstances, he needs turmoil in the palace, and then step in at a crucial moment to eliminate other threats, thereby taking control of the overall situation, consolidating his own position, and becoming the second "Nine Thousand Years Old".

However, this unrest can only be contained within the capital city; otherwise, it will be beyond his control.

However, if Zhu Wushi also takes the opportunity to make a move, it will inevitably ruin his plan.

He was not worried that Zhu Wushi would succeed in his rebellion.

With that person in the palace around, unless Zhu Wushi can one day suppress him with absolute force, it is impossible for him to succeed.

But don't forget, Zhu Wushi holds evidence of the crimes committed by countless officials and border generals.

If Zhu Wushi were to launch a coup, it would definitely be nationwide, and the entire country would be thrown into turmoil.

This was not the outcome Jiang Xuan wanted to see.

"Before leaving, we still need to find a way to deal with Zhu Wushi, this unstable factor..."

"At present, the best solution is to take him with us. As long as he's not in the capital, the Southern Prince's Mansion will have one less concern, and they won't take the opportunity to rebel. This is a plan that kills two birds with one stone..."

Jiang Xuan pondered for a moment, took a deep breath, and said, "It's time to go and see this Iron-Blooded Marquis!"

Xi Yu frowned slightly and asked solemnly, "Are you really going to see Zhu Wushi?"

Jiang Xuan nodded: "On this trip to the Northwest, I will also visit Tianchi to save Cheng Shifei's mother, Suxin."

"Zhu Wushi cherishes Suxin. We saved Suxin, and he will receive the news sooner or later. When that happens, he will definitely not let it go and will come to demand Suxin back."

"Instead of doing that, we should just tell him directly and take him with us."

"What if he doesn't want to accept the truth after he finds out?" Xi Yu asked with some worry.

Jiang Xuan had also told her about the complicated grudges and entanglements between Zhu Wushi, Gu Santong, Su Xin, and Cheng Shifei.

Zhu Wushi was unaware that Su Xin had given birth to a son for Gu Santong before she fell into a deep sleep.

If he were to learn of this, someone like him would certainly not accept it.

At that time, they will stop at nothing to kill Cheng Shifei.

In this way, it would be a losing proposition for Jiang Xuan.

"There's no other way for now, we can only give it a try."

When this was mentioned, Jiang Xuan said with some helplessness, "However, Zhu Wushi has very deep feelings for Su Xin. I think he will accept it, even if it is just for Su Xin's sake."

Xi Yu nodded: "Alright, when do you plan to see him?"

"There's no time to lose. Let's do it tonight. Tomorrow is the day we set off. We must eliminate all potential threats before we depart."

Jiang Xuan instructed, "Go and prepare a gift. Tonight, I will visit the Dragon Guard Manor alone."

The light rain nodded and turned to leave.

But after a short while, she returned with a strange look on her face and said, "A person has come to see me from outside the mansion."

"Who?" Jiang Xuan asked, somewhat puzzled.

"The head of the Yagyu Shinkage school in Japan, Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, and his daughter, Yagyu Hyousuke!" said Xiyu.

Jiang Xuan was taken aback.

(End of this chapter)