Judge of the Lamp

Chapter 105
Wu Xu agreed to Tai Bu's request and asked Xu Zhiqiong to go to the palace.

As long as there is Wu Xu's guarantee, it's not impossible to go to the palace, but Xu Zhiqiong must understand two things:

First, what exactly is "The Record of Nu Zulu"?
The second is why Lantern Lang can enter the palace?

Back at Mingdengxuan, Wu Xu first explained "Ancestral Nursing Records".

"You should have heard of Nufu Cult, right?"

It really has something to do with Nufu Cult.

"When I was in Xiji, I saw a group of people gathering together on the side of the road, and I heard a story told by a person. The group of people said that they were taught by Nufu. I have never heard of Nufu before. .”

Wu Xu murmured, "There is also Nufu teaching Xiji..."

Xu Zhiqiong said: "What exactly is Nufu Cult? Is it the storyteller's teaching?"

Wu Xu shook his head and said with a smile: "They are not storytellers, they are preaching. In the early years, the Nufu Sect had almost no congregants in the capital, only a group of Confucian scholars in the east of the city established the Nufu Society, but it disappeared after a while.

I don't know why in the past two years, the Nufu Sect has gradually become popular in the east of the city. The members of the sect are all married men. You are unmarried and live by the Wang'an River. You have never heard of the Nufu Sect, so it is reasonable. "

Xu Zhiqiong scratched his scalp: "You live by the Wang'an River, why haven't you heard of Nufu Sect?"

Wu Xu said: "The capital city is the place of enlightenment of Daxuan. Fool?"

Xu Zhiqiong nodded, then shook his head again: "This subordinate understands, but doesn't understand."

"How?"

"The most stupid and ignorant religion must be an evil religion. Since it is an evil religion, why not eradicate it, but allow him to preach in public?"

Wu Xu smiled and said, "It's true that the evil religion is true, who do you want to eradicate?"

Xu Zhiqiong said in amazement: "Naturally, it is the imperial court, the emperor ordered the eradication."

"Why should the court take care of it? Why did the emperor order it? To be stupid and ignorant is what Liang's family wanted."

That's right, stupid people are better managed. Although Daxuan is more civilized, the emperor's wish remains unchanged after all.

Wu Xu said again: "The Nufu Cult and my Daxuan have a deep relationship. The founder of the Nufu Cult, Nujun Tianxing, is in brotherhood with the Emperor Taizu. He and the Emperor Taizu once conquered the country. I swear, Daxuan Guozuo is still alive, and the incense of Nufu will continue, that is to say, Daxuan cannot ban Nufu Cult.

The Nufu Sect was once strongly supported by the imperial court, and it was very popular for a while, but because of the large number of followers, it was repeatedly suppressed. Now the imperial court's attitude is neither to support nor to prohibit it, and it is left to fend for itself. "

"What are the teachings of Nufu Cult?"

Wu Xu sighed: "There are a lot of fragments in the doctrine, but there are actually two things. One is that the father is the sky, and the other is that the husband is the sky. If you are interested, you can go and listen to their sermons. Three sentences will make you sick."

Xu Zhiqiong has experienced it before, it doesn't take three sentences, two sentences can make Xu Zhiqiong vomit.

Xu Zhiqiong said: "The "Nu Zulu" records the teachings of the Nufu Sect?"

"No," Wu Xu shook his head and said, ""Nu Zu Lu" is a collection of quotations and anthologies that record Nu Jun Tianxing's words and deeds. This anthology has been lost for many years, and it is said that it contains the cultivation methods of Nu Fu's lineage."

Nufu lineage?
Xu Zhiqiong was startled: "Nufu still has his own line? Then the Nulord Tianxing is..."

"Some say it's a star official, some even say it's a star. "Nuzulu" is the lifeblood of Nufu Cult. If this book is in the hands of the crown prince, you should know what the consequences will be."

Wu Xu's expression became extremely serious.

Xu Zhiqiong also understood the key point.

The Nufu Sect has a large number of followers in Daxuanjiao, and now it has penetrated into the capital, which proves that the momentum of this Sect is growing day by day.

If the crown prince gets the lifeblood of the Nufu Cult, then he can do things that turn the world upside down.

This is the main reason why Tai Bu asked Xu Zhiqiong to investigate the prince.

But why didn't he check it himself?

Tai Bu's explanation is that the Yin Yang Division cannot enter the palace.

"Then we are in charge of the yamen, why can we go to the palace?"

Wu Xu said: "Do you know who is responsible for guarding the palace?"

This naturally knows: "It's the forbidden army."

"If the forbidden army has the heart of disobedience, what should I do?"

This is a bit special.

According to the history of the previous life, if the forbidden army messes up, they can only call the external army to quell it.

But if the external army is brought to the capital, the dynasty will most likely go downhill.

But Daxuan has another mechanism.

This set of mechanisms comes from eunuchs.

The eunuch has a unique practice system, and his combat effectiveness is beyond the charts, and he can also cooperate with his master to exert great power.

Although eunuchs have low defensive power and are not good at team battles, if they confront the imperial army head-on, eunuchs will not take advantage of it.

But they don't need to confront the Custodians head-on, they just need to kill the restless officers.

The eunuch organization in the palace is even more powerful, and has cultivated a group of top assassins, which is frightening to hear in the palace.

But what if the eunuchs colluded with the forbidden army?
Is there such a chance?

Have!And it happened, more than once!
The most recent one was five years ago, in the [-]rd year of Zhaoxing, Ji Guofu, the eunuch who was in charge of India, conspired with Hu Zhenwei, the commander of the imperial army, and almost killed Emperor Zhaoxing, which was known as the "Jihu Rebellion" in history.At that time, the eunuch of Genggu Division Jinshu made meritorious service, killing Ji Guofu and Hu Zhenwei successively, and letting the general of Wuweiying lead troops into the palace, which saved the emperor's life.

This eunuch is now the eunuch Da Bingbi, the supervisor of ceremonies, Chen Shuncai.

The general of Wuwei Camp at that time was Zhong Shen.

Although the chances of eunuchs colluding with the Imperial Army were not high, once such a thing happened, it would be a nightmare within a nightmare for the emperor.

In order to prevent eunuchs from colluding with the Imperial Army, there is also a special institution called Bingjingwu in the imperial city.

What is the ice well job?
Ice well affairs is one of the institutions of the Imperial City Department, and it was originally responsible for guarding the ice cellar for the palace.

But after the "Jihu Rebellion", Bingjingwu had an additional function, becoming Lantern Lang's secret agency in the palace, monitoring the exchanges between eunuchs and the imperial army.

This job originally belonged to Tsing Yi Pavilion, which is covert and good at tasks such as detection, surveillance, and assassination.

Before the "Jihu Rebellion", Tsing Yi Pavilion had been dispatching Tsing Yi as a court lady to monitor the eunuchs and the Imperial Army.

After the "Jihu Rebellion", serious problems were exposed in the Tsingyi Pavilion, and it was replaced by the Lantern Yamen for two reasons.

First, eunuchs know the palace very well, and they also know women very well. Tsing Yi pretending to be a court lady will be spotted soon. The eunuchs have seen too many fights in the palace, and they never underestimate the viciousness of women. During the "Jihu Rebellion", The seven Tsing Yis who were installed in the palace all died at the hands of the eunuch.

Second, Tsing Yi Pavilion has no judicial power. Although it can be executed first, enough evidence must be collected.In the palace, some evidence is not so easy to collect, and in this regard, it is much easier to handle it in the Yamen.

The yamen in charge of lamps has judicial power and does not need evidence. If you say black, you are black, and if you say white, you are white. When you encounter signs, kill them first.

Lantern Lang has been stationed in Ice Well for five years, can they hide their identities?
Can't hide!
In the palace, nothing can be hidden from the eyes of eunuchs.

If he can't hide it, he simply doesn't want to hide it. The Ice Well Affairs Department is originally an institution of the Imperial City Department. As for whether it is the person who manages the ice or the people, the eunuchs can also check it out. If he is not afraid of losing his head in the middle of the night, just check it out. up.

Identity is not a problem, what about the working environment?

not too good.

There is an ice cellar outside the East Palace, and there is a row of huts above the ice cellar, and Xu Zhiqiong works in the first hut.

His current identity is Higashi Miyai Supervisor, and he has [-] Lingren under his command.

Ling Ren is the worker responsible for harvesting ice, storing ice, and cleaning the ice room.

Are all these bullies carrying lanterns?

of course not.

How can there be so many lantern bearers in the palace?

They are all house servants and have no roots.

Among the servants, the servants of Bingjing Wu were hard-working. They were busy all day during the day, and at night, Ling people went to bed early. Xu Zhiqiong didn't have the habit of going to bed early, and he took the "Hua Gu Volume" as a test.

On weekdays, he is really not in the mood to do the questions. To improve his self-cultivation, he has to tick off the fence. What is the use of doing the questions?

Now there is no hook bar, no dancers, and the little face of Lin Erjie, so I can only read this exercise book to pass the time.

Before entering the palace, Wu Xu told Xu Zhiqiong three things:
First, you are not allowed to walk around in the palace, there are too many masters in the palace.

Second, no contact with any woman is allowed, everyone understands the truth.

Third, come back and report immediately when you see "Ru Zulu", don't do unnecessary things, if you don't see "Ru Zulu", you have to come back within ten days, that's your best effort.

It's not yet Haishi, and when the night gets darker, catch a mouse and go to the Prince's bedroom to have a look.

But he went very carefully, Xu Zhiqiong still felt chills all over when thinking of the prince's scary appearance in Anshuyuan that day.

Xu Zhiqiong calculated patiently with the straw paper, when he suddenly heard someone calling the door.

"Is the supervisor there?"

who?It's a big night.

Xu Zhiqiong put on his clothes and pushed open the door, but saw a servant standing at the door.

This waiter was about seven feet tall, fair and delicate, with a layer of powder on his face and bright red lips, as if he had put on lip balm.

An eunuch still wears such heavy makeup, what kind of hobby is this?
The servant looked Xu Zhiqiong up and down, cast a wink over him, and said softly, "Are you a prison officer? Why haven't I seen you before?"

Xu Zhiqiong smiled innocently: "I'm new here."

The servant covered his mouth with a smile: "He's quite handsome, I'm here to fetch ice."

Xu Zhiqiong said, "I don't know which room uses ice?"

The waiter snorted and said, "You ask Ye Duo why, just fetch it."

"That's not okay! Ice service is no small matter."

Ice service is indeed very important. The ice saved in the cold winter is stored in the ice cellar for one year's use. If there is excessive use, the ice will be used up before summer.

Not everyone is qualified to use ice. This is the ice cellar of the Eastern Palace. It is natural for the crown prince to use ice. Others need to have the crown prince's approval to use ice.

The waiter spat and said, "Little thing, this is the prince who wants to use ice, why don't you give it?"

Xu Zhiqiong said with a sullen face, "Is there any fish charm?"

"Of course, can our family still lie to you?"

The waiter took out a piece of fish charm.

The fish symbol is an iron fish, three inches long and one inch wide. After the craftsman casts it, he cuts it into two halves from the middle, with a mortise and tenon joint in the middle.

The half in the waiter's hand was the right talisman, Xu Zhiqiong took out the left talisman from the box, the two halves matched exactly, proving that the fish talisman was real.

Needless to say, Xu Zhiqiong returned the fish talisman to the servant, and went out to fetch the ice, so the servant stayed in Xu Zhiqiong's room and waited.

Ling Ren rubbed his sleepy eyes and complained, "It's only April, it's midnight, what kind of ice should I get?"

Xu Zhiqiong said: "I let you take it as you please, you talk too much, do you want to beat me?"

The so-called ice well is the entrance of the ice cellar, which is vertically downward from the ground, just like the mouth of a well.

Going down the well was hard work, Ling Ren took the ice, put it in an ice box, and delivered it to Xu Zhiqiong.

The royal ice box is very elegant, and it is divided into three layers. The upper layer is used to freeze fruits and drinks, and the middle layer is used to store ice. The ice melts and flows to the lower layer along the grid.

Xu Zhiqiong handed the ice to the waiter, and the waiter snorted again: "Be smarter in the future, young, how crazy are you? How much older are you than our family?"

Xu Zhiqiong imitated the servant's voice and said: "Isn't it just more external kidneys than you?"

"Bah!" The servant spat, twisted his waist, and disappeared into the night.

It seems that the prince has not yet fallen asleep, so he will use ice at this time, presumably to play tricks with his concubines.

What tricks can you play?

Shouldn't the concubine be eaten alive?

Xu Zhiqiong went back to his room and continued to read. Not long after, he heard someone call the door again.

"Is the supervisor there?"

Such a rough voice.

Xu Zhiqiong pushed the door open, but saw a man standing at the door, more than seven feet tall, wearing armor and full of beard.

"Lieutenant of the Right Army of the Forbidden Army, come here to fetch ice."

The imperial army also came to fetch ice?

Xu Zhiqiong frowned and said, "I haven't received an order to let the imperial army use ice."

"Look at your face, do you look down on people? It was the prince who saw us working hard and gave us ice."

The crown prince and the forbidden army...do I need to use ice?

What tricks can they play?

"Is there a fish charm?"

The captain took out the fish charm from his pocket and gave it to Xu Zhiqiong. Xu Zhiqiong checked it and ordered Ling Ren to fetch the ice.

The captain took the ice away, snorted and said: "Mouth face, a little inspector, how many are there?"

"I really just..."

Forget it, the Forbidden Army has a foundation, and there are as many as everyone.

Why did the prince give ice to the imperial army?
Buy people's hearts?
It's not the weather with ice either.

Are they going to do something big.

They all have foundations, what big things can they do?
While he was thinking, someone called the door again, Xu Zhiqiong frowned and said, "Who is it again?"

"The servant girl in front of His Highness, Xiaoyu."

maid?

What is the servant girl doing here?

The Ice Well Supervisor is a man, a complete man.

Everyone knows this.

A complete man can't have contact with women in the palace, doesn't she understand the rule?
Xu Zhiqiong didn't open the door, and responded, "Please go back, I've already fallen asleep."

"I came to fetch ice at the order of the prince."

Come to fetch ice again?

Is the prince crazy?
Xu Zhiqiong said: "You find a place to take refuge temporarily, and I will fetch ice for you."

"Why should I take refuge temporarily?"

Knowingly ask!

"It's inconvenient for me to see you, you find a place to avoid it first..."

"The concubine is not going anywhere."

While speaking, the woman opened the door and walked in.

What is this for?
Why is she so ignorant of the rules?
Xu Zhiqiong quickly put on his clothes and turned his back.

"Get out quickly, this is not the place you should be in."

The woman said: "Your Highness is afraid that the son will be lonely at night, so he specially asked me to serve the pillow mat. The concubine came here on orders. Why does the son refuse people thousands of miles away?"

Did the prince call her here?

Serving pillows?

The woman said again: "The concubine is carrying the prince's fish charm."

And fish charms?

wrong!

The prince set up a trap on purpose. If he wants to harm me, I have to leave the place of right and wrong as soon as possible.

Xu Zhiqiong bowed his head and left, the woman stepped forward to hold him: "Master, where are you going?"

"You stay away from me!"

Xu Zhiqiong wanted to push the woman away, but during the rubbing, he found a problem.

flat.

It's too peaceful.

Xu Zhiqiong raised his head and glanced at the woman.

The woman also stared at Xu Zhiqiong.

Between four eyes overlapping, Xu Zhiqiong saw a pair of blood-red pupils.

"Hey hey hey!" the woman laughed.

"Hehehe!" Xu Zhiqiong also laughed.

"You are the prince!" Xu Zhiqiong said.

"You're a mouse!" the prince laughed.

(End of this chapter)