[R18] Will drink wine – “About Wine” Chapter 49 [English]

Chapter 47 Fighting

Li Jianheng shook his legs in fear and kicked the head away. He could no longer care about his appearance and wanted to retract himself into the dragon chair at this moment.There was a roar in his ears, and his clothes were soaked with blood. His throat felt as if someone had pinched him, and he couldn’t utter a single word for a long while.

Shen Zechuan knelt down on one knee and said sternly: “Don’t be afraid, Your Majesty, the assassin has already been killed. The humble minister arrived too late to save me and deserves death!”

Li Jianheng’s hands and feet seemed to be paralyzed. He squeezed the handle of the chair with difficulty, and his eyes moved from the corpse to Shen Zechuan’s face.He almost choked, grabbed Shen Zechuan’s sleeve, and said: “It’s not too late…it’s not too late! You…Lan Zhou did a good job! I, I was almost…”

“Go and call the imperial doctor!” The Queen Mother quickly approached, and regardless of the bloody corpse, she held Li Jianheng’s hand and called gently, “Your Majesty, Your Majesty?”

Li Jianheng was still in fear and panic. He swallowed hard and hurriedly took his hand out of the Queen Mother’s palm. He tightly grasped Shen Zechuan’s sleeve and begged: “You stay, you stay with the royal guards to protect me!”

“The Jin Yiwei are the emperor’s guards,” Shen Zechuan’s expression remained unchanged, “For the Emperor, the Jin Yiwei are willing to go through fire and water. We will immediately escort the emperor back to Mingli Hall.”

Everyone at the banquet was in shock. Xue Xiuzhuo stepped forward and said sternly: “First arrest the people from Shangshi Bureau, Guanglu Temple, Dessert Room, Royal Wine Room, etc. There is an assassin hidden among the emperor’s personal servants. The arrangements of the eunuchs and the defense of the personal guards are inseparable!”

“Who is in charge of patrol tonight?” asked the Queen Mother.

There was silence during the dinner. Xiao Chiye saluted and said, “Back to the Queen Mother, I am my minister.”

The Queen Mother did not attack, but looked at Li Jianheng, and the ministers also looked at Li Jianheng.

For this eunuch to be a member of the Food Bureau, he must first have a clean family background and clear origins.When did he enter the palace, which room of the Twenty-Four Yamen did he work in, and which eunuchs did he have good relations with in the past? All must be checked. Not only must they be checked, but the people he has come into contact with must also be checked.Xiao Chiye is in charge of the guards’ defense. These matters should have been investigated by him before the official banquet. People walked in through his layers of defense, so he couldn’t escape his involvement.

Li Jianheng was sweating and said with white lips: “First take down the eunuchs in each room, I…”

Before he finished speaking, the person fainted.

* * *

This night was destined to be a sleepless night. Li Jianheng was lying unconscious inside. The imperial doctors gathered together, and the Queen Mother once again lowered the curtain to auscultate.Hai Liangyi was waiting by the side, which was specially instructed by the Queen Mother.

Han Cheng led the royal guards and continued to stand under the eaves with their swords, while the ministers outside were kneeling.It was a bitterly cold night in Yuanchun, and many elderly ministers were shivering from the cold, but they relied on perseverance to hold on.

The entire palace was silent, and the atmosphere was particularly desolate.

Xiao Chiye was not included. He wanted to arrest the eunuch together with relevant members of the Ministry of Punishment and the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and the Imperial Guards were also detained. Tonight, the Imperial Army commander who was responsible for inspecting the manpower had his badge removed and was imprisoned together with the eunuch.

There was no brazier in the hall, only lamps were lit.

Xiao Chiye is sitting under Kong Qiu, the Minister of Punishment. On his left are Cen Yu, the left censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, and Fu Linye, the right censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate.

According to the past, Xiao Chiye had the power to sit on an equal footing with the Minister of Punishment, but now he had to avoid suspicion and had no choice but to submit to his subordinates and let the two chief officials of the Metropolitan Procuratorate exercise the power of supervision.

This year has been a troubled year, with ups and downs happening one after another. The Three Law Divisions have never held trials in succession like this, and the cases involved are all major cases related to the emperor’s life.

Kong Qiu drank a cup of cold tea and said nothing while waiting for the summons.In fact, since they sat here, no one has exchanged greetings. Everyone knows that now is not the time for jokes, and everyone looks solemn.

Xiao Chiye sat on his seat, turning his fingers silently, thinking deeply.

This case was well prepared, just like Xiao Fuzi’s case, it became a ghost the moment it happened, breaking away from the illusion of the moment it happened, as if being pulled by countless threads, hiding deeper reasons.

The eunuchs of the Shangshi Bureau want to test dishes for the emperor. From top to bottom, everyone has been traced to three generations of their ancestors. It is difficult to turn such people into assassins, but it is also very simple.

First of all, there must be people who have access to the eunuchs, or eunuchs who are hidden in the palace but working for forces outside the palace. Only these two types of people can intimidate or induce the assassinating eunuch.

When Xiao Chiye thought of this, he suddenly remembered something.He stopped turning his finger, and the prisoner who happened to be summoned also arrived, it was the Imperial Guardsman.

Kong Qiu didn’t talk nonsense and went straight to the point, saying: “You are the commander of the imperial army. Tonight, you will be responsible for reviewing the sword-bearing men of the imperial army and the eunuchs arranged by the Shang Food Bureau to taste food. How much do you know about this eunuch?”

The official’s name was Meng Rui. He was a military household promoted by Xiao Chiye in the sixth year of Xiande. He originally served as a capital official in the Forbidden Army and was very cautious.He didn’t squint his eyes and answered in a steady voice: “The assassinated eunuch’s name is Guisheng. He was twenty-six. He was from Chuncheng. His father was from a household on Baishui Street in Chuncheng. He died of illness in the sixth year of Xiande. He is the only son in the family. He entered the palace in Yongyi year and it has been twelve years. He entered the Shangshi Bureau in the first year of Xiande. From the fourth year of Xiande, he tasted food for the late emperor. He has no special hobbies and has few friends.”

Kong Qiu thought for a while and said, “Who is lining up to try the dishes tonight?”

Meng Rui replied: “Fu Ling, the female official of Shangshi Bureau.”

Kong Qiu first looked at the people from the Metropolitan Procuratorate, then looked at Xiao Chiye, nodded, and said, “The assassination weapon was the imperial gold chopsticks, and there was nothing the imperial army could do to search and examine him. In this way, Meng Qianshi will wait for a while and pass the Poria cocos to the Food Bureau.”

Meng Rui stepped aside. From the beginning to the end, he never made eye contact with Xiao Chiye.

Xiao Chiye was actually not as nervous as others expected. He knew that this assassination would not take away his military power.He may be punished and have his salary reduced afterwards, but it is neither painful nor itchy.He was too far away when the accident occurred, and there was no way to rescue him first. However, the seats were arranged according to the rules, and no one could blame him.Another point is that Shen Zechuan drew the sword too fast at that time. In almost the blink of an eye, the sword was sheathed and the head fell to the ground. This was completely different from the speed he showed last time on a rainy night. Even if Xiao Chiye was standing next to him at the time, he might not be faster than him.But what happened after the murder concerned Xiao Chiye the most. He had to take precautions and control the possibility of this incident burning him.

Xiao Chiye thought of Shen Zechuan’s last look again.

Jinyiwei’s practice is to promote promotions every eight years. They are first divided into twelve houses according to their household registrations, and then promoted based on on-the-job performance. There are too few opportunities to make exceptions.Shen Zechuan came from a special background. Although he has been exempted from the crime, he is still not considered a member of the military. If he wants to command the Jin Yiwei, he must find a way to get promoted.

Xiao Chiye has been suppressing the Jin Yiwei in the past few months, firstly to consolidate the absolute voice of the Forbidden Army, and secondly to guard against Shen Zechuan’s rise to power.The situation in Qudu is chaotic, but clearly differentiated. Everyone is already familiar with each other, but they are united for profit, and then fight for profit. Only Shen Zechuan is an unpredictable variable. Xiao Chiye tried in every possible way, but could not find out what he wanted to do.

If you can’t guess the purpose, you can’t cooperate with peace of mind.

Xiao Chiye hoped that Shen Zechuan could stay down there quietly, but this time the murder was Shen Zechuan’s answer.

impossible.

He is his own sharp blade, he wants to carve his own way, he will not be willing to be used by others, he wants to bite rather than obey.

What can a sexual intercourse change?

It was a roar of anger in the dark night, a gasp caused by the desire of two people. It gave rise to a feeling of sympathy from the collision of bodies, but this feeling was not enough to hinder the choice of the two people.

Xiao Chiye will not give up the power he has gained. This is the knife he relies on to survive. If he cannot go back to Libei, he must hold on to this knife.Shen Zechuan will not tolerate himself being subordinated to others and letting others decide his fate. If he wants to go up, he must go up.

Xiao Chiye suddenly clenched his fists.

Since Shen Zechuan participated in planning this case, who is his accomplice?

* * *

Li Jianheng hadn’t woken up yet, so Shen Zechuan was replaced and took a short rest.When he was wiping his hands in the signing room, he heard the door behind him being opened and someone walking in.

“According to the plan you mentioned, Han Cheng should come to the rescue tonight.” Xue Xiuzhuo rolled up his sleeves slightly, cleaned his hands in the cold water basin, and said with a smile, “We brothers were all fooled around by Master Shen.”

“The situation is critical,” Shen Zechuan said without looking back, “If Han Cheng has the ability, there is no harm in calling him to save him, but he is too slow, what should I do?”

“This matter cannot be taken away from Xiao Er. At most, he will be impeached for his negligence in governance. On the contrary, it is you who exposed your true colors in front of him this time. Even if you go up, it will not be easy in the future.”

“Master Si Cheng and I are in the same boat to survive the tribulation. It’s not easy for me,” Shen Zechuan looked back and said with a smile, “Can you feel comfortable?”

“I heard that there is a kind of mad dog that will bite its own people when it is so cruel.” Xue Xiuzhuo spread his palms and looked at Shen Zechuan, “Such a simple use of people as stepping stones makes people in the same boat very scared.”

“How can I say this,” Shen Zechuan said, “My brothers are the ones who have the upper hand tonight. Aren’t I the one standing in front of Xiao Er? From now on, I will be Xiao Er’s thorn in his flesh. He should hate me to death, both emotionally and rationally.”

“The Emperor and Xiao Er have a close friendship. The life-saving grace of Nanlin Hunting Ground is the most difficult to forget. If you take the lead this time, you may not be able to defeat Xiao Er.”

“Everything is difficult at the beginning.” Shen Zechuan said, “If the emperor is really grateful for Xiao Er’s life-saving grace, he will not trap him in Qidu again. What people call kindness is just such a small thing.”

Xue Xiuzhuo wiped his hands, smiled for a while, and said, “Although there was a slight deviation tonight, it worked out in the end. Lord Zhenfu, please take good care of me in the future.”

Jinyiwei Zhenfu is a fifth-grade official position. Xue Xiuzhuo is telling Shen Zechuan how much he can get in the future.

Shen Zechuan was not too surprised. He said: “The people from the Food Bureau are going to be tried. Kong Qiu, the Minister of the Ministry of Punishments, is a selfless and selfless master. Don’t fall into his hands.”

“Since I dare to do it, I’m not afraid of being investigated.” Xue Xiuzhuo straightened his sleeves and said politely, “I hope we can continue to work together in the new year and get what we want as soon as possible.”

“Thanks to the care of Master Si Cheng,” Shen Zechuan stared at he and said warmly, “I will definitely realize my long-cherished wish.”