The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, becoming a disciple of Yue Buqun

Page 478

As he spoke, Zhu Houzhao was about to call someone in, but Jiang Ning stopped him.

"and many more."

"Ok?"

Zhu Houzhao asked in surprise, "Brother Jiang, what's wrong?"

"Your current search is probably like looking for a needle in a haystack. You can use another method."

Jiang Ning said.

Zhu Houzhao asked in confusion, "What method?"

“Lure them out.”

Chapter 650: Setting the Bait

"Fired out?"

Zhu Houzhao looked at Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning smiled slightly and pointed to the Gu worms that had been trampled to death on the ground: "If they could use Gu on you, they would have the ability to kill you, but they didn't do that. They just made you fall into a coma."

Zhu Houzhao nodded.

Jiang Ning continued, "The fact that they don't want to kill you means you're useful to them. If that's the case, they'll come back again."

"what do you mean……"

Zhu Houzhao understood Jiang Ning's meaning, his eyes lit up, and he said, "Since they will still come looking for me, then we can set a trap to lure them in?"

"Ah."

Jiang Ning nodded.

In fact, Jiang Ning already had a clue as to who had used the Gu poison on Zhu Houzhao. The Miao woman and the Gu poison basically confirmed that they were members of the Five Poisons Sect.

Jiang Ning didn't know how the Five Poisons Sect had targeted Zhu Houzhao, but he suspected that Ren Yingying was behind it. Now that the Five Poisons Sect had cast a spell on Zhu Houzhao, there must still be members of the Five Poisons Sect in the capital, and it's even possible that Ren Yingying was among them.

If we take the initiative to find them, it will be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Not only will we not find them, but we will also alert them. It would be better to use Zhu Houzhao as bait to lure them into the trap.

"So how do we lure them in?"

Zhu Houzhao first asked a question, and then came up with a solution.

"How about I fake my death? If the news of my fake death is spread, the person who cast the curse on me will definitely come to investigate whether it is true or not."

As soon as Zhu Houzhao finished speaking, he was immediately rejected by Jiang Ning.

"No."

“You are the emperor, your status is different, and your enemies are not only the people who poisoned you, you also have another group of enemies. If you dare to spread the news of your fake death, your other group of enemies will dare to make it real and let you die, and then replace you with a new emperor.”

Upon hearing Jiang Ning's words, Zhu Houzhao felt they made sense. After what had happened, he was also somewhat frightened, truly afraid that those people would turn his fake death into a real one.

"Then what do we do?"

Zhu Houzhao asked.

Jiang Ning said, "Since they only made you unconscious, they will definitely come looking for you again later. Just wait and see."

Zhu Houzhao frowned: "But we don't know when they will arrive."

"It won't take long."

Jiangning Road.

They have kept Zhu Houzhao unconscious for some time, and if nothing unexpected happens, they will arrive soon.

"Ok."

Zhu Houzhao nodded in agreement.

Zhu Houzhao was about to call the people outside in, but Jiang Ning stopped him.

Are you sure you can trust those people outside right now?

Zhu Houzhao looked at him, and before he could speak, he immediately understood.

Although on the surface it was Liu Jin who led those Miao girls into the palace, the matter cannot be viewed so simply. Liu Jin may have colluded with the Five Poisons Sect, but he could also have been used as a pawn. There may be others colluding with the Five Poisons Sect, or even one of those outsiders.

Seeing Zhu Houzhao's expression, Jiang Ning knew he didn't need to say anything more.

"The news of my entry into the palace cannot be kept from others. I will be leaving temporarily to escape their sight. You'd better find a trustworthy person to be in charge of your safety."

Jiang Ning said.

Upon hearing Jiang Ning's words, Zhu Houzhao fell into deep thought.

He originally trusted Liu Jin a lot and basically entrusted Liu Jin with all the work. But now that this has happened, regardless of whether Liu Jin is a suspect or not, he can't use him for the time being.

But Zhu Houzhao had other candidates in mind.

“Brother Jiang, I have a foster brother named Yang Yu who lives outside. He is absolutely trustworthy.”

Zhu Houzhao's wet nurse was named Yang Abao, who was Yang Yu's aunt. Yang Yu had accompanied Yang Abao into the palace from a young age and grew up with Zhu Houzhao. The two had a very deep relationship and Yang Yu was someone Zhu Houzhao could absolutely trust.

After Zhu Houzhao ascended the throne, he arranged for Yang Yu to join the Beijing Guard. Recently, he promoted Yang Yu to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, where he is now serving as a commander of a thousand men.

Not long after Zhu Houzhao ascended the throne, he promoted Yang Yu to the position of commander of a thousand households, which shows the trust Zhu Houzhao placed in him.

"Brother Jiang, when you go out later, find Yang Yu and ask him to meet me alone, away from everyone else. He knows what to do."

Jiang Ning nodded and prepared to leave, while Zhu Houzhao also prepared to lie down and pretend to remain unconscious. However, Jiang Ning stopped abruptly after taking only a few steps.

"That Imperial Guard named Luo Ding, whom you sent to Mount Hua six days ago, is quite good."

Jiang Ning said.

"He traveled from the capital to Mount Hua in just three days, and then returned to the capital with me. That's quite remarkable."

Upon hearing Jiang Ning's words, Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"This person is loyal."

The distance from the capital to Mount Hua is nearly four thousand li (approximately 2,000 kilometers) round trip. The fact that Luo Ding was able to travel such a short distance demonstrates his loyalty.

Zhu Houzhao made a note of this person.

Jiang Ning didn't say anything more and walked outside.

……

The senior eunuchs waiting outside grew increasingly impatient as there was still no movement from inside.

"An hour has passed, why is there still no news?"

One of the chief eunuchs, growing impatient, turned to look at Liu Jin.

"Eunuch Liu, why is there not a sound coming from inside?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Jin turned around and said, "How would I know? Eunuch Zhang, please wait patiently."

"Wait, wait, wait! We've been waiting for an hour already. It's just His Majesty and that so-called hero inside. We have no idea what's going on inside. What if something happens to His Majesty?"

Then someone else spoke up; it was the same eunuch who had been cursing loudly inside earlier.

"Eunuch Liu, is this person trustworthy or not?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Jin turned to look at him.

"Eunuch Gu, please calm down. Master Jiang is someone His Majesty trusts. Since His Majesty asked Master Jiang to come to the palace to treat him before he fell into a coma, we must trust Master Jiang. You and I must remain calm. If we rush in rashly and it affects Master Jiang and delays His Majesty's treatment, we will truly deserve to die."

Hearing Liu Jin's words, everyone quieted down, but they still looked anxiously towards the door from time to time.

After waiting a while, the gate finally opened, and Jiang Ning walked out, which invigorated the eunuchs who had been waiting for a long time, and they all rushed over.

"Master Jiang, how is His Majesty? Has he woken up?"

Liu Jin was the first to speak, and he looked nervous. The others also looked at Jiang Ning nervously, waiting for his answer.

Jiang Ning shook his head.

Everyone was extremely disappointed.

"Although he hasn't woken up yet, most of the poison in his body has been neutralized, and he's in good health. However, he'll need some recuperation. I'll give you a few prescriptions later, and you can get the medicine according to these prescriptions and give it to him on time every day."

Upon hearing Jiang Ning's words, a senior eunuch asked, "When will His Majesty wake up?"

Jiang Ning shook his head.

"I don't know about that."

Upon hearing Jiang Ning's words, everyone exchanged bewildered glances.

At that moment, a figure in the distance glanced in this direction and then hurriedly left.

Chapter 651: Waiting for you guys has been so long!

After hearing Jiang Ning's words, everyone rushed into the room to check on Zhu Houzhao's condition.

Zhu Houzhao was lying motionless on the bed. The crowd did not rush over, but watched from a distance. They noticed that although Zhu Houzhao was not awake, his complexion was much rosier and his breathing was more stable, which was much better than before. Only then did the crowd feel relieved.

At this moment, the eunuch who had been cursing earlier came out and cupped his hands in greeting to Jiang Ning.

"My esteemed hero, this is Gu Dayong. I remember you mentioned earlier that His Majesty was also under the influence of a curse. Could you elaborate?"

Jiang Ning glanced at him.

"I don't know. I only know that he was poisoned by a curse, but I don't understand the specifics or know how to cure it."

Gu Dayong frowned upon hearing Jiang Ning's words and muttered to himself.

"I wonder who dared to cast a spell on His Majesty. I'll definitely skin them alive."

Jiang Ning ignored his mutterings and glanced at the people in the inner room, quickly locking onto a person dressed in a light green brocade robe.

At this moment, Gu Dayong looked at Jiang Ning.

"Great hero, thank you for saving His Majesty. We will send someone to escort you out of the palace later."

"Do not bother."

Jiang Ning refused and pointed to the person from before.

"You come out."

The person who was pointed at was taken aback, but still came out.

"You can escort me out of the palace. He needs to take medicine to recuperate, and I'll tell you which medicine he needs to get."

The man was somewhat taken aback, but still nodded.

Seeing this, Gu Dayong didn't say much, assuming that Jiang Ning didn't want to have too much contact with the eunuchs. He didn't care and went into the inner room to focus his attention on Zhu Houzhao.

"this way please."

This person led Jiang Ning out of the palace.

"Your name is Yang Yu?"

Jiang Ning suddenly spoke up on the way.

The man was taken aback and turned to look at Jiang Ning.

"how do you know?"

"Zhu Houzhao told me."

The Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) were mostly dressed in embroidered blue-green robes. At that time, apart from Yang Yu, the others were dressed as eunuchs, and Jiang Ning recognized him at a glance.

"what?"

Yang Yu was taken aback. Before he could react to Jiang Ning addressing the Emperor by his name, Jiang Ning told him about Zhu Houzhao's instructions.

Yang Yu was initially a little confused, but after hearing what followed, her expression turned serious.

"Thank you for informing me, hero. I will swear to protect His Majesty with my life."

Jiang Ning didn't say anything more, and then mentioned the names of several medicinal herbs that were needed to regulate Zhu Houzhao's body.