Lin Chong's Women's Cuju Team

Chapter 183 The Wolf King's Coup Attack Has Arrived

Consort Luo's gentle voice brought Emperor Huizong back from his reverie. He pulled her close, kissed her rosy cheek, and teased her, "My dear consort, I wasn't thinking about the football match between Song and Jin just now. I was thinking about how to reward you tonight. After all, you played the entire football match today. You worked hard!"

Upon hearing Emperor Huizong's words and glancing at his ambiguous gaze, Consort Luo knew that this scoundrel was flirting with her again. She blushed instantly and replied sweetly, "Your Majesty, I don't want any reward. I didn't score any goals today. The goals were scored by the three sisters, Du Rushuang, Zou Xiaoyan, and Pan Jinghe. Your Majesty should reward them."

Emperor Huizong was even more pleased to see Consort Luo blush. He pulled the beauty into his arms, yanked the white jade hairpin from her hair, and Consort Luo's hair immediately loosened, her black hair cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall, making her look extremely charming. Emperor Huizong took a deep breath, feeling the warm and fragrant jade in his arms.

The crowd below the stage began whispering among themselves, discussing the ancient Cuju (ancient Chinese football) cases that Ning Weizhi and Pan Rongjie had just mentioned: "Are these two events really recorded in historical annals?"

"Could this be a scam against the Jin people?"

"I've read many historical records from previous dynasties in the Hanlin Academy, but I don't recall any cases related to Cuju (ancient Chinese football) matches. Was it during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang? Or perhaps the Nanzhao Kingdom?"

"I think Pan Rongjie is Pan Jinghe's father. Could it be that he's trying to fabricate something to gain credit for his daughter?"

"I think you're right. It must be that Pan's father deliberately lied in order to make his daughter gain the emperor's favor."

“I don’t think so. Lord Pan and Lord Ning are both incorruptible officials. I have had official dealings with them before, and they are not the type to cover up their own faults. I believe that the Cuju case recorded in the historical records of the previous dynasty must have actually happened.”

They chatted in hushed tones, like flies and mosquitoes, but after more than half an hour, neither Pan Rongjie nor Yelü Wen's personal guard, Bai Mu, had returned. Ning Weizhi grew worried and asked Emperor Huizong for permission to go find Pan Rongjie and help him quickly locate the historical record of the Cuju (ancient Chinese football) cases. Emperor Huizong granted Ning Weizhi's request.

Unexpectedly, just as Ning Weizhi was about to leave the Cuju field with Lin Chong, she saw Master Mingfang suddenly appear in front of the Cuju field gate, with Pan Rongjie walking beside him, and Bai Mu on Pan Rongjie's other side. As the three of them approached, Ning Weizhi noticed that Pan Rongjie was pale, with a few beads of sweat on his forehead, and his future father-in-law was looking at him like a frightened sheep.

Lin Chong observed more closely than Ning Weizhi; he saw Master Mingfang holding a dagger to Pan Rongjie's lower back. Lin Chong quickened his pace and approached Master Mingfang, loudly questioning him: "Master Mingfang, before the match, His Majesty asked you to help inspect the Cuju balls used in the Song-Jin Cuju match. Why didn't you notice the hidden blade mechanism inside the Cuju ball at that time?"

"Oh? Doesn't Instructor Lin know what the improved Nether Sphere looks like? Didn't that traitor Ning Zhanyan show you the blueprints for the improved Nether Sphere?" Master Mingfang glared at Lin Chong with sinister eyes and spoke to him in a questioning tone.

"What modified ghost ball? You mean the football we used in the match just now was a modified ghost ball?" Lin Chong asked in surprise. He couldn't help but recall that the mechanical blade hadn't been triggered instantly, but rather after the two teams had been fighting hard for nearly two hours. Could this be a modified ghost ball that could control the timing of the blade's activation?

Seeing Lin Chong's puzzled look, Master Mingfang said to him in a sinister tone, "Instructor Lin, you don't understand why the mechanism wasn't triggered from the beginning, but only after you had been playing football for nearly two hours, right?"

"Why did the mechanism of the Nether Sphere delay its triggering time?" Ning Weizhi asked Master Mingfang with the same puzzlement, adopting a humble attitude of seeking guidance.

Master Mingfang chuckled twice before saying smugly, "People in the capital all say that Ning Zhanyan is a genius at developing mechanical arts, and my good nephew really is a genius! He improved the Nether Sphere in just a few months. After the improvement, the trigger piece inside the Nether Sphere is made of a rare metal, and the source of this metal is located on the border between the Song and Jin dynasties. Ning Zhanyan gave me the blueprints for the improved Nether Sphere, but handed over the blueprints for the mine to Zhou Chengquan."

"What? A rare metal?" Ning Weizhi said in surprise. He then remembered that Ning Zhanyan's escort agency often brought back strange black clay lumps. It turned out that those things were for Ning Zhanyan to use in his research on how to improve the Nether Sphere. But why would Ning Zhanyan give such important metal ore blueprints to Zhou Chengquan? Wasn't Zhou Chengquan ambushed by the Wolf King and seriously injured? And had he been missing for several months?

"You are the Wolf King, not some Master Mingfang at all," Lin Chong said excitedly, pointing at the Wolf King. He had already realized the Wolf King's true identity from the fact that Ning Zhanyan was his nephew.

Seeing that Lin Chong had seen through his disguise, the Wolf King became too lazy to pretend anymore. He handed the dagger he had used to threaten Pan Rongjie to Bai He, and used his free right hand to tear off the human skin mask from his face, revealing his hideous true face. He had a head of white curly hair, his face was covered with wrinkles, but his eyes were as bright and piercing as copper bells, making people's hair stand on end. At first glance, this middle-aged man was a living Yama, not to be trifled with!

When Emperor Huizong heard that the Wolf King had impersonated Master Mingfang, he was greatly alarmed. The court officials, faced with the audacious Wolf King of the Jin Dynasty who had brazenly barged into the palace, were all ashen-faced with fear. Some shouted in trembling voices:

"Quickly capture Wolf King, this Jin spy! He has brazenly broken into our Song Dynasty palace."

"Yes! Where are the Imperial Guards? Quickly come and capture the Wolf King and his henchmen!"

"Protect His Majesty! The Wolf King is coming to seize power!"

Today's viewing platform for Cuju (ancient Chinese football) was designed based on the viewing platform of Mingfu Cave, with steps arranged from low to high, and imperial guards standing guard at the highest point. So, Liu Guangyu, supporting Emperor Huizong, tried to run towards the higher ground behind the viewing platform where the imperial guards were located.

Yelü Wen and the Jin envoys had long known that the Wolf King would come. They had already disposed of half of the imperial guards at the football field and replaced them with the uniforms of those guards. Emperor Huizong of Song was quite shrewd. He noticed that the imperial guards on the high ground did not take the initiative to come down to protect him. Instead, their faces were gloomy, as if they were waiting for prey to walk into their trap.

"Eunuch Liu," Emperor Huizong asked Liu Guangyu, "look at those imperial guards up those steps. Why aren't they coming down to greet me? Instead, they're just staring at me." Liu Guangyu looked in the direction of the guards and saw them standing motionless, their expressions indifferent. He quickly pulled Emperor Huizong back down the steps, saying, "Your Majesty, I also think the guards up the steps are suspicious. Why don't we go down to the middle of the football field? I think Lin Chong and Wu Song might be more reliable. The Wolf King was able to swagger into the palace; he probably has an accomplice among the guards."

"Alright! Eunuch Liu, let's hurry to the middle of the Cuju field." Emperor Huizong quickened his pace and ran with Liu Guangyu down the steps toward the Cuju field.

Consort Luo followed behind them, seemingly covering their retreat. Emperor Huizong noticed Consort Luo and quickly turned to her, saying, "My dear consort, stay close to me, lest you get separated. Let's go find Lin Chong and Du Shiniang."

Just as Luo Fei was about to agree, she heard the Wolf King shout loudly, "Chen Jin Huan, I never expected you to be so devoted, protecting this dog emperor to escape in this critical moment. Have you forgotten that your lover Ning Zhan Yan's life is still in my hands?"

"Sixth Prince, Wolf King, you're not human! He's your own nephew! How could you seriously injure him? Where is he? Tell me now!" Chen Jinhuan heard Wolf King use Ning Zhanyan to threaten her, and the anger she had swallowed during the football match surged up. She questioned Wolf King sharply.

"Your Highness, don't worry! I'll let you and your lover meet right away." The Wolf King whistled as he finished speaking. At the top of the steps, two imperial guards escorted Ning Zhanyan toward her.

"Sixth Prince, Jin'er is late. I will definitely save you!" Chen Jinhuan sobbed, holding a sword she had snatched from the Imperial Guards. When she saw Ning Zhanyan, her hand holding the sword trembled, and her face was gloomy with sorrow.