The incident happened suddenly and Hu Shanwei's mind went blank. The moment the carriage overturned, Jiang Quan held her tightly in his arms, curled up his body, and protected her head with his chest.
Jiang Quan and Ji Gang were flanking Hu Shanwei on both sides, so she was the least injured. The only thing she had was tinnitus, as if ten thousand summer cicadas were chirping wildly in her ears.
Hu Shanwei looked at Ji Gang who had fainted beside him, and Jiang Quan who was in a daze. Who were these assassins? Why did they want to kill us? What should we do now
Ji Gang had a short dagger on his waist. Hu Shanwei instinctively pulled out the dagger and hid it in his arms.
Bang!
Someone kicked open the half-fallen car door.
The carriage was narrow and could only accommodate one person. The man came in with a knife, a bow/crossbow and a quiver behind him.
Hu Shanwei knew that she was too weak to handle this strong man, so she closed her eyes slightly and pretended to faint.
Through the tiny gap under his eyelids, Hu Shanwei saw the man half-crouching, feeling Ji Gang's breath, and even pulling open his eyelids to look at his pupils, and then said to the people outside: "The guard is unconscious, but not dead yet."
The person outside asked, "Where is that woman?"
The man felt Jiang Quan's breath and said, "He's not dead, he just fainted."
The people outside said, "Kill her."
The man asked, "What about the remaining two people?"
The man outside said impatiently, "Why are you still wasting time? We have killed all the Jinyiwei people, so of course we can't leave any alive! Kill them all - and also, chop off the woman's head and take it to the employer while it's fresh to exchange for the other half of the bounty."
Hu Shanwei pretended to be unconscious and thought: Why did he kill Jiang Quan? And why did he have to chop off her head? Who was the employer
Jiang Quan was at the innermost part under the seats, with his body against the wall, like a soft shell, protecting Hu Shanwei. The man's target was Jiang Quan. He thought Shanwei was in the way, so he dragged her out first, threw her aside, and then moved on to drag Jiang Quan.
Jiang Quan was dragged out, and she gradually regained consciousness. However, facing the man's butcher knife, her hands and feet were paralyzed and she had no power to resist. Tears and blood flowed from her eyes.
At this moment, in that man's eyes, Jiang Quan was like a box of gold, especially her head.
The man said, "We take money from people and help them get rid of disasters. When you become a ghost in the future, go find the person who hired us."
After saying that, the man raised the knife and slashed at Jiang Quan's neck!
Jiang Quan closed her eyes in despair, but the blade did not fall. She felt a few drops of warm liquid on her face. She opened her eyes and saw blood spurting out of the man's neck. Hu Shanwei was standing behind the man, holding a sharp dagger in his right hand, and the dagger was still stained with blood.
The long knife fell to the ground with a clang. The man tried to cover his neck, which was bleeding, with both hands.
The person who was keeping watch outside heard the noise and rushed over.
Hu Shanwei took the crossbow/bow from the man's back, pressed the trigger, and fired arrows randomly at the outside of the door. A crossbow was only loaded with five arrows, and they were all fired in an instant.
This was also taught to her by her fiancé, who was a centurion. At first, he just wanted to take her outings and hunting, but she didn't expect it to come in handy now.
Hu Shanwei heard screams outside and thought that she must have been hit, so she continued to load arrows into the box. However, she was too nervous and her hands were shaking, so she couldn't load the arrows.
At this time, the sound of horse hooves and weapons clashing could be heard outside. Jiang Quan came to his senses and pushed Hu Shanwei into the carriage, "You stay here, don't move - they want to kill me, I'll go out and lead them away."
Hu Shanwei: "You—"
Jiang Quan covered her mouth and stuffed his handkerchief into her arms, "If I die, you give the handkerchief to Concubine Hu, and she will not embarrass you again."
After saying that, Jiang Quan rushed out. There was a gorgeous carriage parked outside. Two groups of people were fighting. Nine Jinyiwei were shot down and fell to the ground. Their lives or deaths were unknown.
Mu Chun appeared here from nowhere and fought with the criminals together with five sturdy men who looked like servants.
It was Mu Chun and the Xu family's coachman and bodyguard.
Mu Chun thought Ji Gang had "stole" Hu Shanwei out of the palace, so he got on Xu Zengshou's carriage and followed Ji Gang from a distance. Later, he saw Hu Shanwei and Jiang Quan together. The two of them went in and out of bookstores and bought books. Only then did he realize that it was not Ji Gang's trick, but that he had just left the palace to do business.
When female officials leave the palace, they are protected by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
In the carriage, Xu Zengshou, who was deceived by the fake IOU, urged Muchun to get off the carriage, "Go hire a car, I still have to go to the theater."
Mu Chun said: "Don't worry, I will get off when the carriage stops in front of a bookstore."
Mu Chun plans to take Hu Shanwei and Jiang Quan's car instead, and find an opportunity to test Shanwei's sister's attitude towards her fiancé and whether she can accept the cruel reality... It has been three years, and Shanwei's sister may have become indifferent to the past. The less she cares, the less hurt she will be.
Xu Zengshou had no choice but to see him off for a while.
This sent several lives. As soon as they reached the entrance of the alley, the coachman saw a "rain of arrows" coming down from the big tree in front of them, attacking the carriages and horses of the Jinyiwei.
The carriage overturned, and even Mu Chun and Xu Zengshou inside the car felt the vibration when it fell to the ground. Mu Chun leaned out of the window and saw the gangsters jumping down from the trees one by one, finishing off the Jinyiwei who had been shot and fallen to the ground, killing all the survivors. One of them had already kicked open the door of the overturned carriage.
Muchun yelled: "Go save them!"
The driver didn't move and looked at Xu Zengshou, this was his little master.
Xu Zengshou was usually very naughty. Seeing the bloody scene, he trembled with fear. However, he still said, "Why are you standing there? If I don't help, my reputation will be ruined."
It seems like he now has a good reputation for supporting opera troupes, buying antiques and gambling.
The driver nodded, "Yes, please move the boxes under the seats."
Xu Zengshou and Muchun pushed out two large boxes and opened them. One box contained armor and the other contained loaded crossbows/bows and some firearms.
After saying this, the driver set off three fireworks in a row into the sky and blew a bamboo whistle. The four horseback guards also put on armor and even covered their horses with armor. It was obvious that they were well-trained and ready to protect their young master at any time.
Both of them came from wealthy families and were prodigal sons. Mu Chun was squatting on the street eating noodles while Xu Zengshou was taking good care of her. For a moment, Mu Chun was deeply jealous of Xu Zengshou.
Mu Chun counted more than twenty gangsters in front of him, and pushed Xu Zengshou out of the car. "Hurry up and call the people from the North City Military Department to help."
In fact, he was just looking for a reason to get Xu Zengshou away, in case he couldn't defeat the criminals. Mu Chun looked at the murderous driver and four bodyguards, and thought that the guards chosen by Wei Guogong Xu Da for his precious son should have amazing fighting power and would not lose.
Xu Zengshou ran to call for help, while Mu Chun and the coachman and bodyguard drove the carriage and rode on horseback to rescue the people. They first shot arrows to suppress the criminals, and then drew their swords to fight each other after getting close.
The bodyguard and coachman of Duke Wei's family was indeed very brave, and he was not at a disadvantage even when he was fighting against three people at the same time.
Mu Chun hid behind the carriage and shot arrows to finish off the enemy, so they were outnumbered and both sides were temporarily evenly matched.
At this time, Jiang Quan got out of the overturned carriage, climbed onto the horse's back, and shouted loudly: "Come on, come and kill me if you have the guts! Only if you kill me can you get the reward!"
After saying that, Jiang Quan spurred his horse and galloped away.
As expected, the criminals no longer wanted to fight and went to kill Jiang Quan.
One of them reacted the fastest. He took out the flying knife from his waist and threw it towards Jiang Quan.
Mu Chun, who was hiding behind the carriage, drew his bow and shot the man in the shoulder. The flying knife went off the track and hit a big tree beside the road.
The rest of the gangsters mounted their horses and chased Jiang Quan, throwing all kinds of flying knives, caltrops and other hidden weapons in Jiang Quan's direction.
The Xu family bodyguard took out a starfish-shaped five-pointed ceramic firearm, lit the fuse, swung his arm, and smashed the firearm accurately at the gangster.
Only a series of deafening explosions were heard, and the smoke from the firearms instantly turned the narrow alley into a pitch-black "fog" street, hiding Jiang Quan's figure, and the criminals lost their target.
The bodyguards and the coachman spurred their horses and rushed over to continue fighting with the criminals. They were all experienced masters and were more agile on horseback.
At this time, Hu Shanwei came out of the carriage, his eyes were blank and his whole body was shaking. Ji Gang staggered out like a drunk and vomited violently while hugging a big tree. He was not seriously injured, but he had a concussion and his stomach was churning.
Seeing that the two were covered in blood, Mu Chun quickly jumped off the carriage and patted her shoulder, "Sister Shanwei?"
Hu Shanwei's body froze. She was so frightened that she didn't hear who was coming. She instinctively turned around and stabbed with the dagger. Fortunately, Mu Chun reacted quickly and grabbed her hand. "It's me, Mu Chun."
Hu Shanwei finally came to her senses. The dagger fell with a clang. She held Mu Chun's hand tightly and said, "I'm fine. Go and save Sister Jiang! They want to cut off Sister Jiang's leader's bounty!"
Mu Chun was worried, "There's so much blood on you—"
"They all belong to other people." Ji Gang vomited and interrupted, "You go save Ms. Jiang. I'll protect her here."
Mu Chun looked disdainful, "Just you?"
Throwing up like I'm pregnant.
"Ms. Hu can protect herself." Ji Gang pointed at the overturned carriage, "She killed the man inside. If it weren't for her, Jiang Quan and I would have died long ago."
Mu Chun took up his sword and mounted his horse. "Don't move here. Xu Zengshou has gone to call for reinforcements."
Xu Zengshou met the soldiers of the North City Military Department who came to support him halfway. The five major military departments in the capital were responsible for managing the public security of each district, similar to the public security bureaus in various districts in later generations, divided into five military departments in the southeast, northwest, and center.
The Bingmasi patrolled the streets in shifts day and night. Black smoke from the explosions of firearms rose from the alleys, circling over the North City like a giant black dragon. Without waiting for Xu Zengshou to call for help, the commander of the North City Bingmasi personally led his officers and soldiers to rush over.
Xu Zengshou was a notorious prodigal son in the capital, and everyone in the world knew him.
The commander of the North City Army hurriedly ordered people to protect Xu Zengshou - if the beloved son of Xu Da, Duke of Wei, died in the North City District, his official position would be in jeopardy!
But Xu Zengshou said, "Xiping Hou's son Mu Chun has already run to rescue people."
Why are these dandies coming to my North City instead of going to Qinhuai River to hug beauties and drink wine? The North City Commander's eyes went dark and he clenched his sword tightly. "Order, close the city gates, close the town gates, close the shops, set up roadblocks at every street corner, and check all passers-by. Also notify the Jinyiwei that their people have been attacked."
The men took orders and left. The commander drew his sword, his eyes cold as ice, "Follow my orders, save the people first, then catch the criminals, don't let any of them go."
You are so brave to come to my North City and kill people in broad daylight!
When Jinyiwei commander Mao Xiang arrived, there were several corpses lying in the alley. Nine Jinyiwei had already died, leaving only the small flag officer Ji Gang who was vomiting repeatedly. Hu Shanwei, wearing a bloody shirt, was sitting woodenly under a big tree.
Seeing Mao Xiang, Hu Shanwei stood up and asked, "Where is Sister Jiang? Did you find her?"
"Not yet." Mao Xiang said: "However, Mu Chun and the people from the North City Military Department have captured two people alive and are interrogating them. The whole city is now on alert and the city gates are closed in advance. We will definitely be able to find the criminals and rescue Ms. Jiang - but you must tell us everything that happened now, starting from the time you left the palace, and don't miss any details. The more detailed you tell, the faster we can find the culprit and rescue Ms. Jiang."
Hu Shanwei hated Mao Xiang, but now was not the time to bring up old grudges, so he said, "You must hurry, otherwise you will only find Sister Jiang's body—a headless body..."
Hu Shanwei was describing what happened, and a clerk from the Imperial Guard was writing down what happened. It was obvious that the target of this group of desperate criminals was Jiang Quan.
Jiang Quan had only been in the palace for more than four months at that time. What enemies could she have in the capital? Most likely it was an old grudge. Jiang Quan entered the palace at the age of 39. Was it to avoid enemies? After all, most women at her age would have become grandmothers, enjoying their grandchildren and living out their old age.
After all, it was difficult for enemies to take action in the heavily guarded harem, so Jiang Quan was assassinated as soon as he left the palace.
To raise a group of assassins, the enemy must be very powerful in the capital and capable of hiding their tracks. Who could it be
According to the household registration card when Jiang Quan entered the palace, Jiang Quan was from Fujian, the only daughter in the family, with considerable family property, never married, and no relatives. What enemy could such an orphan have that caused the other party to spend a lot of money to raise an assassin, take the risk to assassinate her in the capital, and insist on chopping off her head
Mao Xiang was puzzled. Then his men came to report, "Sir, the criminal has confessed in the imperial prison."
Once someone is imprisoned by the Imperial Guards, there is no one left who will not speak.
"Let's go." Mao Xiang said, "You send Ms. Hu back to the palace and escort her strictly along the way. You must hand her over to Fan Gongzheng in person. Also, tell Fan Gongzheng that the Jinyiwei and Wucheng Bingmasi are doing their best to find the whereabouts of Ms. Jiang, and they will definitely give her an explanation."
Fan Yanwang is not easy to deal with. If something happens to Ms. Jiang, he will definitely blame the Jinyiwei for not protecting her well enough. Two women went out to do business, but only one came back, and the whereabouts of the other one is unknown.
Moreover, this time it involves the Empress Dowager's revision of a book, and the conflict between the Empress Central Palace and the Empress Eastern Palace... Mao Xiang got a headache just thinking about it, how could all of these be mixed together
Mao Xiang went to the imperial prison to interrogate the criminals, and Hu Shanwei returned to the palace covered in blood. Not only Fan Gongzheng, but even Empress Ma was alarmed and ordered Cao Shanggong from the Shanggong Bureau to interrogate him.
The Shang Gong Bureau was the head of the six bureaus and directly assisted the Queen in managing the harem, so Shang Gong Cao was usually very majestic. But when he saw Hu Shanwei with disheveled hair, blood and sweat all over his body, and a smell of fire/powder, the mixed smell was simply nauseating.
When Cao Shang Gong saw Hu Shanwei's embarrassed look, she couldn't help but get angry, "Why are you here again? Can you be quiet for a few days? Tao Huafen, Zang, I heard that half a street in the north city was bombed today! You are a disaster that has spread from the palace to outside the palace!"
Bang! Fan Gongzheng slammed the teacup onto the table. "Shang Gong Cao, are you here to teach me a lesson today, or are you here to interrogate me in compliance with the Queen's order?"
Cao Shang Gong said: "Four months ago, none of our six bureaus wanted her, so you should have found a reason to send Hu Shanwei out of the palace. But you obviously didn't want her either, but you kept her in the palace to take care of the hidden things. Now, one thing has not yet settled, another has come. Before she entered the palace, the harem had never been so lively!"
The Palace Administration Department is independent of the six bureaus. Everyone else gives Cao Shanggong some leeway, but Fan Gongzheng doesn't want to spoil her. She said coldly, "How can an eighth-rank female historian mess up the affairs of the palace? Do you think that by driving Hu Shanwei away, you can put things to rest and bring peace to the world? If chaos in the harem occurs, we must find a way to solve it. Otherwise, what's the point of having our six departments and one bureau?"
"Alright, alright!" Wang Shangfu from the Shangfu Bureau acted as a peacemaker. "Whether Hu Shanwei was right or wrong, we will discuss it later. What's important now is what happened outside the palace and where Jiang Quan is. This is what the Queen wants to know, Shang Gong Cao, don't you agree?"
Jiang Quan is from the Shangfu Bureau. When something happens to one of his men, of course Wang Shangfu has to get involved.
Wang Shangfu was the first person to express his appreciation for Hu Shanwei because the Queen gave him the boots. But later he abandoned her because of the scandal and chose Jiang Quan instead. His original intention was to avoid trouble. However, he never expected that Jiang Quan turned out to be a hotter potato than Hu Shanwei!
Alas, why do I always make mistakes
Wang Shangfu personally poured a bowl of sour plum soup to clear away heat and relieve summer heat, and handed it to Hu Shanwei who was sitting there in a daze, "Here, drink it and explain yourself. Fan Gongzheng is the most fair person, don't be afraid."
Today's scene was too horrible. She even killed someone - although he was a bad guy, the scene of blood spurting out when she cut the criminal's neck kept lingering in her mind. Wang Shangfu handed her the sour plum soup, she screamed, reacted instinctively, and waved her hand to knock the bowl away.
Bang! The soup bowl broke, and the deep red sour plum soup splashed, staining Wang Shangfu's dress, shoes and socks. Hu Shanwei stepped back suddenly, huddled in the corner, and pointed at the sour plum soup that was spilled on the ground, "Blood, so much blood! Save Sister Jiang, go save her!"
Wang Shangfu was splashed with sour plum juice, "You... repay kindness with hatred, you don't know how to appreciate it!"
Cao Shang Gong sneered, "Wang Shangfu, now you understand my anger, this Hu Shanwei is a disaster."
Fan Gongzheng frowned and ordered his men, "Go, call Ru Siyao to treat Ms. Hu."
There seemed to be something wrong with Hu Shanwei's mind.
Ru Siyao arrived and saw Hu Shanwei curled up in the corner. She took out a silver needle, walked over slowly, and took him by surprise by piercing the acupuncture point on the back of his head, knocking Shanwei down.
Ru Siyao felt the pulse of the unconscious Shanwei and opened her eyelids. "The pulse is disordered, which is a symptom of loss of soul. I will prescribe a prescription to calm her mind. As for the interrogation, wait until she wakes up. In her current state, you can't get anything out of her."
A cloud of worry appeared on Lady Cao's face. "How can I explain this to the Queen?"
Fan Gongzheng handed a thick stack of files to Cao Shanggong, "This is part of the confession that Mao Xiang sent over. Take a look at it and you will have a basic understanding of it."
At this moment, there was a sudden commotion outside the Gongzhengsi.
"My Lady, it's so hot, the sun is blazing, why are you here?"
The three fifth-rank female officials looked at each other in bewilderment: Well, the most difficult person is here again.
Concubine Hu was of noble status, so the three female officials of the Shang generation had no choice but to stand up, walk out of the cool room with the ice basin, and go outside to greet her.
"No need to be polite, just stand up." Concubine Hu came hurriedly, holding her big belly. "Where is Hu Shanwei? I want to see her." At this time, the concubine was sweating profusely. It was the hottest time in the afternoon, and the concubine's makeup was smudged by the heat.
Fan Gongzheng winked at the two palace maids at the door, and the maids understood. One of them quickly went to the room and hid the file given by Mao Xiang, while the other took off the bloody clothes of the unconscious Hu Shanwei, covered her with a thin quilt, and wiped the dirt off her face with a wet towel, making her look less scary.
The palace maid even sprinkled a few drops of Western perfume. I heard that many Westerners never take a bath in their entire lives, so it should be no problem to use perfume to cover up the bad smell and the smell of blood.
So when Concubine Hu came in, she saw a clean and fragrant Hu Shanwei.
Fan Gongzheng asked: "What is the purpose of the imperial concubine coming to the Gongzhengsi?"
Concubine Hu looked at Hu Shanwei who was unconscious on the bed. "Hu Shanwei and Jiang Quan went out of the palace to do some work. I heard that only Hu Shanwei came back, and she was covered in blood. I am worried about Jiang Quan's safety. Where is she? Why didn't she come back?"
Concubine Hu's belly is as big as a ripe pumpkin. It's her second child, so she could give birth at any time. Fan Gongzheng doesn't want the concubine to be frightened at this time. If she has a miscarriage or a difficult delivery, and the royal heir is injured, Hu Shanwei and even Gongzhengsi will be in trouble.
Fan Gongzheng's brain was quick, and he found an excuse in an instant: "People outside spread rumors that there was no blood on Shanwei's body, but splashed sour plum soup. Hu Shanwei came back early because she was weak and had heat stroke and fainted. In order to replenish her water and relieve the heat, they pinched her nose and poured several bowls of sour plum soup into her clothes. As for Jiang Quan, she was still looking for books and buying books in the bookstore outside, and she was guarded by ten Jinyiwei. How could she be in trouble?"
Concubine Hu was still suspicious and asked Ru Siyao: "You are a skilled doctor. Tell me, does Hu Shanwei have symptoms of heat stroke?"
Ru Siyao had been in the palace with Fan Gongzheng for ten years after all, so they had some tacit understanding. She nodded, "Your Highness, Hu Shanwei did faint from heatstroke."
At this time, we cannot fight among ourselves, we must face the outside world. Wang Shangfu pointed at her dress and said with a smile: "Look, Concubine, even my skirt has been splashed with sour plum juice."
Cao Shang Gong also said: "Your Majesty is in poor health, please take care of yourself and don't believe those rumors."
Concubine Hu took a deep look at the unconscious Hu Shanwei, as if she believed it, and stood up, saying, "When Jiang Quan comes back, ask her to come to the Yanxi Palace immediately."
Fan Gongzheng agreed.
Concubine Hu came under the scorching sun. As she was pregnant, she didn't dare use ice. There was no ice pot in the sedan to cool down, and it was extremely hot.
But Concubine Hu didn't seem to care about these things. She was thinking about the scene in Gong Zhengsi just now. She was pregnant, and pregnant women were sensitive to smells. She could smell the bloody smell under the thick perfume.
Besides, Concubine Hu clearly saw blood in Hu Shanwei's ear holes and scalp!
Concubine Hu spread out her hands, with a dark red spot on her fingers. This was because before she left, she quickly touched Hu Shanwei's hair under the wide sleeves of her robe, put her fingers to the tip of her nose, and smelled a sweet and fishy smell. It was blood.
Why did the three major palace ladies and the always honest Ru Siyao lie to her
Something must have happened!
Was that blood Jiang Quan's? Was she still alive? Did that person... discover Jiang Quan's true identity
The baby in the belly may have sensed the mother's nervousness and began to move. Concubine Hu only felt her belly suddenly twitch, and it kept tightening in waves, as if winding up a spring.
She had given birth to the King of Chu. Based on past experience, this was uterine contractions and her second child was probably about to be born.
This is the mother. When she is pregnant, she is connected to her child by an umbilical cord. The child can sense the mother's mood changes, and the mother can also sense whether the child has stayed in her belly long enough and wants to come out.
When the child is born, the umbilical cord is cut and the placenta is separated from the mother's body, but there will be an invisible umbilical cord that tightly connects the mother and the child!
At this time, she should immediately return to Yanxi Palace to wait for the birth of her baby, but...
"Go to Kunning Palace. I want to see the Empress." Concubine Hu, sitting in the phoenix sedan chair, ordered the palace servants.
In Kunning Palace, Concubine Hu was waiting to meet Empress Ma.
The person in charge of matters concerning the emperor and empress in the harem is the Siyan of the Shanggong Bureau. There are two sixth-rank Siyans, two seventh-rank Zhangyans, and four eighth-rank female historians, who take turns on duty. This department is extremely important, and is equivalent to the mouth of the emperor and empress.
The person on duty this afternoon is Liu Siyan, who is already sixty years old. She is also one of the earliest female officials to serve Empress Ma and has been with her for nearly forty years.
Liu Siyan said: "The Queen will not see guests today, Noble Concubine, please go back."
In fact, Concubine Hu's belly was too big. Everyone knew about the "battle" between the Central Palace and the Eastern Palace recently. Concubine Hu was pregnant with a big belly. If something happened to her, wouldn't the Queen be wronged
Honestly speaking, Concubine Hu came to Kunning Palace on the hottest day of the year, which made her look like she was deliberately trying to scam someone.
Concubine Hu was turned away, but she did not insist and walked out of the hall. She suddenly turned around, knelt down, and took off her hairpins and said, "Your Majesty! I was wrong. I came to Kunning Palace to take off my hairpins and wait for punishment. I beg the Queen to see you. I have something important to tell you!"
The incident happened suddenly, and no one expected that the usually domineering Concubine Hu would take off her hairpin and wait for punishment in the Kunning Palace. Everyone was shocked. Was Concubine Hu crazy
Once you bow your head, I’m afraid you’ll never be able to raise it again.
Everyone rushed over to help her, but Concubine Hu pushed them away and said, "I want to see the Queen. I won't get up unless the Queen sees me."
After a while, Liu Siyan came over and said, "You guys help the imperial concubine in."
Empress Ma sat on a wind chair, wearing a plain and simple hemp robe, and asked, "What's the matter?"
Concubine Hu knelt on the ground and said, "What I am about to say will bring both myself and the Hu family into an irreparable situation. I only ask for one thing—"
Empress Ma thought that Concubine Hu was going to ask for forgiveness of her crime, but Concubine Hu said, "Please forgive Lady Historian Jiang Quan for deceiving the emperor..."
At the same time, Jinyiwei prison.
The two criminals were tortured to the point of being on the verge of death and only wished for a quick death.
Mu Chun asked: "What's your name, where are you from, who ordered you to come, tell me everything!"
The criminal pointed at his throat that was about to smoke and said, "Water, give me water."
Muchun gave the criminal a bowl of water. The criminal drank half of it before Muchun snatched it away. "If you want to drink more, tell the truth!"
After four months in the Imperial Guard, Mu Chun had learned a lot from his surroundings and had already mastered how to extract confessions without any instruction.
Mu Chun and the Xu family's coachman and bodyguard, as well as the officers and soldiers of the North City Military Division who arrived later, worked together to capture two people alive, and the rest were killed in the resistance.
However, none of them found Jiang Quan.
Jiang Quan disappeared in the smoke of gunpowder, and no one saw him alive or dead.
The criminals said: "We are bandits from Jiangxi..."
It turned out that this group of people were bandits from Guaishiling, Nanchang, Jiangxi, who made a living by robbing people on the road and looting houses. Two months ago, a man came to the mountain stronghold with a box of gold bars, picked out 22 bandits with high martial arts skills, and told them to go to the capital to kill a man. After the task was completed, he would give them another box of gold bars.
Money is a great asset. With this gold, it is enough for three generations to live on.
The man disguised the bandits as merchants, carried the goods, and traveled by boat. Each person had a household registration and a pass, and they passed through several cities along the way.
When they arrived in the capital, they were arranged to live in a large house, provided with good food and drink every day, and trained to use bows and crossbows and other standard weapons that only the army had - they were not allowed to go out, and were told to take action when the time came.
One day, the employer said the time was up and showed them the portrait, which turned out to be a beautiful middle-aged woman.
The employer led them to set up an ambush in the alley, saying that this was a must-pass place and they only had this one chance, so they must attack with all their strength and kill everyone, leaving no one alive. In addition, they had to chop off the woman's head as evidence that the mission was accomplished so that they could get the other half of the ransom.
The woman was originally in the carriage, but for some reason, she suddenly came out of the carriage and sat next to the coachman. The bandits thought this was a good opportunity, so they first aimed their bow/crossbow at the woman's neck.
But the woman suddenly lowered her head, dodged the arrow, and saved her life...
Mu Chun knew the rest. Mu Chun waved his hand and said, "Stop! Who is the employer? Where is the house where you are hiding?"
The criminal said, "We really don't know. He always wears a mask and refuses to tell us his name. The house is in the south city. I can show you the way."
Mu Chun asked: "Even if I can't see his face, I can at least hear his voice, right? What's his accent?"
The criminal said: "He speaks Jinling Mandarin, but he can understand our Jiangxi dialect. Sir, we don't know how to do anything except killing people!"
At this time, Mao Xiang rushed to the imperial prison, and Mu Chun hurried over to ask, "How is Sister Shanwei?"
"She has been sent to the palace, escorted by fifty people. She is safe." Mao Xiang asked: "Have they confessed?"
Mu Chun handed the confession to Mao Xiang, "They are bandits from Jiangxi. The employer speaks Jinling elegant language, but has no problem understanding Jiangxi dialect. He must be from Jiangxi, or has lived in Jiangxi for a long time. But Jiang Quan is from Fujian, an unmarried orphan. Her family has set up a female household for her. Why would these Jiangxi people kill a Fujianese who is thousands of miles away?"
Mao Xiang understood something. He took the criminal's confession and went into the palace to meet the emperor without saying a word.
Mu Chun was puzzled, but suddenly, an idea came to his mind: Concubine Hu was from Jiangxi, and her father, Linchuan Marquis Hu Mei, was once the prime minister of Han Wang Chen Youliang under the Han regime in Nanchang, Jiangxi.
Later, Hu Mei secretly surrendered to Emperor Hongwu and offered his beautiful daughter to show his sincerity, on the condition that he was allowed to retain his existing military power.
Emperor Hongwu agreed. In view of this promise, Hu Mei has been in control of the army at that time. This special army receives salaries from the Ming Dynasty, but they only have eyes for Hu Mei, Marquis of Linchuan. Except for him, no one can command this team, which is equivalent to Hu Mei's private army.
Therefore, this army was targeted by the imperial court and was the focus of surveillance by the Jinyiwei. They stayed in Jiangxi and were not allowed to approach the capital...
Private soldiers were not available, so he used gold and silver to bribe the bandits? But why did Hu Mei take the risk of killing Jiang Quan in the capital
Mu Chun was puzzled, so he simply stopped thinking about it and went to the palace to see Hu Shanwei.
He decided to tell her about Wang Ning - the truth is crueler than lies, but Sister Shanwei is a very strong person. At the critical moment, she saved Jiang Quan and Ji Gang, so she probably hates my concealment more than accepting the cruel truth.
After all, I promised her that I would find the truth.
But when Mu Chun found Gong Zhengsi, Hu Shanwei had already been knocked unconscious by Ru Siyao's injection and had to take a sedative.
Mu Chun looked at Hu Shanwei lying on the sickbed and asked, "When will Sister Shanwei wake up?"
Ru Siyao is a kind-hearted doctor. She thought Mu Chun was representing the Jinyiwei to interrogate Hu Shanwei. She frowned and said, "Why are you all forcing her? Today's hunt was too bloody. It was her first time to kill someone. It's hard for ordinary people to bear this kind of pressure. She is almost mentally collapsed. She needs to rest and recover slowly. I can't wake her up by force. Too much stimulation will drive her crazy."
Ru Siyao is young, but has excellent medical skills. Mu Chun believes in her diagnosis. Sister Shanwei is not an iron man and cannot withstand the repeated blows. It is better to wait until she recovers.
Forbidden City, Kunning Palace.
As the founding queen, Empress Ma had seen all kinds of strange things and big storms, but she couldn't help but be surprised when she heard what Concubine Hu said: "Jiang Quan is your mother?"
"It's my biological mother." Concubine Hu nodded and shed tears.
It turned out that Concubine Hu's birth mother was the concubine of Linchuan Marquis Hu Mei. Because she gave birth to a daughter, Hu Mei thought it was okay and allowed her mother to raise the daughter outside instead of bringing her home.
However, as Concubine Hu grew up, she became more and more beautiful, with a face that could topple a country. Hu Mei felt that his daughter had political value, so he forcibly took her away, brought her home, and gave her to his wife to raise.
The concubine is a dodder who depends on Hu Mei for survival. She has no say in whether her daughter stays or leaves and can only remain silent. She can only see her daughter occasionally, and she is as happy as New Year's Day.
However, Hu Mei gave his daughter to Wu Wang Zhu Yuanzhang as a gift of surrender. Later, when the Ming Dynasty was founded, his daughter became a concubine in the harem, and the concubine never had the chance to see his daughter again. Hu Mei thought that she was old and ugly and was in the way, so he pushed her into the river, but told her that her biological mother had died of an acute illness.
The concubine was lucky and was rescued by a passenger ship on the river. In order to avoid Hu Mei's harm, the concubine changed her name to Jiang and Quan, settled in Fujian, did some business to support herself, and entered the palace to reunite with her daughter. It was Jiang Quan's wish.
Jiang Quan knew that at her age, it was impossible for her to enter the palace as a maid. So Jiang Quan studied hard for ten years, and finally at the age of 39, she passed the examination and entered the palace as a lady-in-waiting, just shy of the age limit of 40. In fact, the real Jiang Quan was already 45 years old, and she deliberately changed her age when she was registered, so that she would have the opportunity to enter the palace as a lady-in-waiting in the future.
Everyone said that Jiang Quan was particularly liked by Concubine Hu because he saved Concubine Hu who accidentally fell into the water while picking lotus by the lake.
In fact, on the contrary, Concubine Hu fell into the water because she was so frightened when she saw her biological mother, who was supposed to have been dead ten years ago, suddenly picking lotus by the lake in the harem.
After the mother and daughter met, Concubine Hu learned about her biological mother's tragic experience, the hardships she had to endure to study hard and become a female official in order to enter the palace to find her, and her father's cold-bloodedness.
Concubine Hu decided to take revenge on her father and let him know that she was definitely not the woman who was manipulated by her family.
First, she used the excuse that she was about to give birth and missed her family to call all the Hu family members from other places to the capital.
At the same time, Concubine Hu deliberately did all kinds of extraordinary things, and even angered Empress Ma, forcing her to order Fan Gongzheng to compile books, taking the concubines of Zhao Song as models, educating the concubines in the six palaces to be virtuous, and urging the concubines' families to correct family traditions and establish family rules.
Concubine Hu is a daughter of the Hu family. She cannot do anything to her cold-blooded father, but she can ask the emperor and empress to teach her father and the Hu family a lesson.
Concubine Hu deliberately caused a big disturbance in Tibet, accusing the female official of the Shangyi Palace of soliciting bribes from the Hu family, making enemies everywhere, and offending almost the entire court, just to let her father who was about to enter the palace know that she could bring glory to the Hu family, but also bring disaster to the Hu family.
The future fate of the Hu family is in her hands. She must make her father, the Hu family, kneel down and apologize in front of his biological mother after entering the palace!
Concubine Hu cried, "But, sister, I still underestimated Hu Mei. He should have planted spies in the Yanxi Palace and knew that sister's biological mother was not dead and became a female official Jiang Quan. He pretended not to know, but kept sending spies to keep an eye on Jiang Quan, so Jiang Quan has not returned since she left the palace. I heard that Hu Shanwei came back covered in blood, and sister guessed that Jiang Quan was probably captured by Hu Mei. Queen, Jiang Quan changed her name and concealed her true identity to enter the palace. This is a crime of deceiving the emperor, but she has her own difficulties. Please forgive her, Queen!"
At this time, Concubine Hu was crying so hard that her face was covered with snot and tears. She was no longer as arrogant and cool as before. There was no concubine here, only a daughter who was worried about her mother.
Seeing Concubine Hu like this, Empress Ma's heart softened and she said, "This is a serious matter, involving an important official of the court spying on the harem. I cannot make the decision. I can only report what you said to the emperor. The emperor will send the Jinyiwei and the Gongzhengsi to jointly investigate the truth, find out the spy who leaked the information, and confirm the truth of the incident before deciding whether to pardon Jiang Quan for deceiving the emperor."
Liu Siyan went to the imperial study and told Emperor Hongwu about Concubine Hu's accusation. At the door of the study, he ran into Mao Xiang, who was holding the criminal's confession.
At the same time, the hunting dogs of the Embroidered Uniform Guard tracked all the way and finally found Jiang Quan hiding behind the Sakyamuni Buddha in Jiming Temple in the north city.
At this time, Jiang Quan had multiple hidden weapons stuck in her back. She curled up and was bleeding and unconscious...
At dusk, Mao Xiang, taking the imperial edict and the Embroidered Uniform Guards, surrounded the Linchuan Marquis' Mansion. He confiscated the property and exterminated the entire family on charges of disturbing the palace and colluding with bandits to rebel. Even the son-in-law's family was not spared and their entire family was exterminated as well.
Emperor Hongwu, mindful of Hu Mei's great contributions in expanding the territory, showed him special mercy and granted him death, leaving his body intact.
Because it involved the palace, this case is known in history as the "Hu Mei Chaos in the Palace" case.
This was the first time that Mu Chun followed the Embroidered Uniform Guard to search a house. Marquis Linchuan and his father Mu Ying, Marquis Xiping were both hereditary marquises. Their entire families were wiped out overnight. Mu Chun couldn't help but feel sad: the Hu family had a noble concubine and their grandson was the King of Chu. How glorious it was!
But so what? They still confiscated the property and exterminated the clan. They even exterminated three clans in one go, not even sparing the son-in-law’s family!
Mao Xiang saw Mu Chun's thoughts and said, "He is just a marquis. At the beginning of this spring, the head of all officials, Prime Minister Hu Weiyong, was also exterminated overnight. Those who are disloyal to the emperor all have the same fate."
Mu Chun said, "Sir, those bandits came from the Guaishiling stronghold in Jiangxi. I request to lead troops to Jiangxi to suppress the bandits and wipe them out completely."
The bandits were so abominable that they almost killed Sister Shanwei! Mu Chun felt ashamed if he didn't take revenge.
Speaking of bandits, Mao Xiang's eyes became even colder. "You killed nine of my Jinyiwei in broad daylight. If I don't destroy the Guaishiling stronghold, how can I have the face to sit in the position of commander. It's just that I'm busy with official duties and don't have time to lead the team to Jiangxi in person. You and Ji Gang will lead 300 Jinyiwei to Jiangxi to suppress the bandits."
The time for revenge has come, Mu Chun was overjoyed, "Your Majesty obeys your command!"
Mu Chun and Ji Gang, who turned pale after vomiting, ordered three hundred Jinyiwei to board a ship on the Yangtze River tonight and travel by water to Jiangxi.
Mu Chun first bid farewell to the Emperor and Empress, and entered the palace. The Emperor and Empress gave him some instructions. Empress Ma was actually reluctant to let Mu Chun go to war at the age of seventeen, but her godson Mu Ying repeatedly said that "Mu Chun has not done anything, so it is not easy to ask for the title of Crown Prince", so Empress Ma had to harden her heart and let Mu Chun leave the capital, and instructed:
"Even though they are a group of mountain bandits, we should not take them lightly. Be careful in everything."
Muchun agreed.
Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang had a lot of experience dealing with mountain bandits - he himself started out as a bandit. Back then, Zhu Yuanzhang was the mountain king of Jiushan in Fengyang. He robbed the rich to help the poor, only killed corrupt officials, and did not bother ordinary people.
Emperor Hongwu said: "The mountain strongholds are all built in strategic locations, where one man can block the pass and ten thousand cannot. There are also various tunnels and caves, which are convenient for escape. If you want to attack the mountain stronghold, you can't attack it by force, you must break it from the inside. First find the insiders. The bandits are a motley crowd, and there will always be people who are dissatisfied with the king. You can gather them together and say that the court is recruiting them, promising official positions and money. There will definitely be some who rebel. Let them commit suicide and you will reap the benefits. This plan has been tried and tested many times."
Mu Chun said: "Thank you for your teachings, Your Majesty."
When the news that Mu Chun was going to Jiangxi spread, his uncle, Feng Cheng, the Duke of Ying, did not come to see him off in person. Instead, he ordered someone to bring him a good bow, which was said to be an old item used by his grandfather Feng Guo. He asked Mu Chun to keep it well and inherit his grandfather's bravery and wisdom.
His maternal uncle, Duke of Song Feng Sheng, came to the dock in person to see him off, and also sent a hundred well-trained personal soldiers to reinforce the military strength of his nephew and grandson. Feng Sheng had always expected Mu Chun to become the eldest son of the Marquis of Xiping, and a dead person could not become the eldest son.
Mu Chun accepted them on the spot because he saw that these 100 soldiers were really good at fighting, well-trained, and brought their own dry food and salary. They were supported by their uncle and grandfather, so there was no need to spend the Jinyiwei's funds.
In addition to sending soldiers, Feng Sheng also sent his experience in suppressing bandits. His story was similar to that of Emperor Hongwu. In fact, Mu Chun's grandfather Feng Guoyong and his great-uncle Feng Sheng also started out as bandits in Fengyang. Zhu Yuanzhang, the mountain tycoon on the next hill, wanted to expand his territory and attacked the Feng brothers' stronghold. Seeing that they could not win, the Feng brothers surrendered and joined Zhu Yuanzhang's account. Even the history books wrote this, and it was absolutely true.
His biological father, Xiping Hou Mu Ying, did not send his eldest son to the war—he only took 300 people to suppress bandits. To say that he was going to the war was simply a joke. However, Mu Ying still ordered his ten personal guards to protect Mu Chun.
Mu Chun drove all of his father's guards back, saying that it was unnecessary and that he could protect himself.
Mu Ying was so angry that he jumped up and down. This eldest son was simply his creditor from his previous life!
It's his biological child, it's his biological child, it's his biological child. Mu Ying repeated it three times in his mind, and finally suppressed his anger, saying: "He doesn't want you, you just follow him from a distance and protect him secretly."
Just like that, Mu Chun and Ji Gang, with three hundred Jinyiwei, one hundred reinforcements, followed by ten secret guards, boarded a ship on the Yangtze River, set sail, and headed for the first journey of his life - suppressing bandits in Jiangxi.
That year, Mu Chun was seventeen years old.
Meanwhile, in Yanxi Palace.
Ru Siyao came out of the delivery room with blood on her hands and said to Empress Ma, "Hu Shuren had a difficult delivery and has fainted from exhaustion."
The Linchuan Marquisate was confiscated and the three clans were exterminated. Hu was also deposed from the position of imperial concubine, became a commoner, and was banished to the cold palace. Considering that she was pregnant with the heir, she did not need to move for the time being and continued to live in the Yanxi Palace.
Empress Ma said, "Treat Jiang Quan's wound and ask her to accompany Concubine Hu in giving birth."
Hu Shuren is worried about his mother.
Jiang Quan endured the pain in her back and entered the delivery room. She brought a bowl of ginseng soup and gently woke up her daughter, "Bao'er, my bao'er, wake up quickly, make an effort, and give birth to the baby."
Half an hour later, Hu Shuren gave birth to a little princess. Ru Siyao sewed her up to stop the bleeding, but it was too late. Hu Shuren lay in Jiang Quan's arms, her body getting colder and colder.
Empress Ma came to see Hu Shuren for the last time. Hu Shuren seemed to be in a state of last revival, and she tightly grasped Empress Ma's hand, "My mother entered the palace to see me, but... I am leaving. I beg the Queen to allow her to continue to serve the court and watch the little princess grow up. Jiang Quan will be yours from now on, and will be loyal to you for the rest of her life. I beg the Queen... to grant this."
Queen Ma nodded.
Hu Shu Ren used up the last of his strength and smiled at Jiang Quan: "Mother, you carried me for ten months and brought me into this world. You were willing to live as a concubine and raised me. You studied hard at an old age and entered the palace to find your daughter. As a daughter, I only fulfilled my filial duty for four months, but brought you a fatal disaster. I am really... sorry."
Jiang Quan burst into tears and hugged his daughter tightly. "It's not your fault. I was in a low position back then. I gave birth to you and made you beautiful, but I didn't have the ability to protect you. I won't do this again. I will be loyal to the queen and protect the little princess for the rest of my life."
When the death knell rang, Hu Shanwei, who was in a coma at Gong Zhengsi, opened his eyes, his eyes clear.
The author has something to say: Will Chunchun’s virgin expedition win
After becoming famous in one battle, which department of the Sixth Bureau and First Division will Hu Shanwei join to start his career debut
Please be sure to watch tomorrow's update~~~
A 12,000-word update! I wrote until 3 a.m. last night, and all morning today, and finally finished the first chapter of the v-adventure!
Zhou must ask for praise~~~~~~
200 red envelopes were dropped today, and everyone is welcome to comment.