Ming Dynasty: At the beginning, the house was ransacked and the ancestral temple was burned down.

Chapter 220: The plan changes! An assassin enters the East Palace! The Hero of the Stick arrives!
Looking at the burly man in front of him who was extremely manic and ready to pounce on him and strangle him to death at any time, Zhang Chonghui knew very well that something had gone wrong again!

This person is not a fool at all, but a madman!
A complete lunatic!

At the same time, Zheng Guotai and Zheng Mengjing, brother and sister, were discussing this matter.

"Brother, didn't we agree to find a fool? Why did you find a madman?"

Zheng Mengjing always felt a little uneasy. Although to her there was no difference between a fool and a madman, she was still a little worried that something might go wrong...

Despite this worry, Zheng Guotai smiled confidently and said, "How can a fool be as effective as a madman? A fool can only scare people, but a madman dares to kill people!"

Zheng Mengjing thought it made sense, but she still asked worriedly, "Then...will that lunatic betray us?"

"Don't worry, sister!" Zheng Guotai waved his hand and said with a smile:

“I had someone give that lunatic some drugs. He won’t survive the night. Even if he wants to confess, he won’t be able to do so!

Besides, you can’t trust a fool, but can you trust a madman?”

"That's right..." Zheng Mengjing nodded, but soon she became worried again: "What if it's too heavy..."

"Don't worry, Zhang Chonghui won't betray us!" Zheng Guotai answered directly.

"Ah?" Zheng Mengjing asked curiously, "How do you know he won't betray us?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you." Zheng Guotai smiled maliciously and said:
"That madman has a habit of twisting people's heads backwards, especially the heads of good-looking men!"

Zheng Guotai's meaning was very clear. Not only did he want to completely silence Zhang Chonghui, he also wanted to avenge himself!
Although Zheng Mengjing also wanted Zhang Chonghui to die so that she could silence him completely, she still didn't dare to imagine such a cruel death.

"What a pity that beautiful face..."

"Ah? What did you say, sister?"

"Nothing. By the way, brother, how capable is that lunatic you found? Could he... not be able to beat Zhang Chonghui?"

"How can we not beat him! That madman is nine feet tall! He's as strong as an ox! Even three of Zhang Chonghui's pretty boy can't beat a madman like him!"

"Um... Brother, being strong doesn't necessarily mean it's useful, right? And I remember that Zhang Chonghui seemed to be quite strong too, right? He was only a few years old back then, and it didn't take him just a few punches to knock out your teeth..."

"Hey! Sister! Why do you always boost others' morale and destroy your own prestige? You have to believe in me!"

"I'm just afraid something might go wrong... This is a capital crime punishable by extermination of the entire family..."

"Don't say discouraging words! Since we have chosen this path, we must go all the way! For Xun'er's position as the crown prince, and for your position as the empress dowager!"

"It can only be this way……"

……

It was already dark. Li Rusong, who had been exhausted from the journey and had not even had time to change his clothes or take a bath, hurriedly entered the Forbidden City through the palace gate to meet his Majesty the Emperor.

Li Rusong was actually not in a hurry to see the emperor, but the emperor seemed very anxious to see him.

Look, it’s already dark, but he is still asked to go to the palace to meet the emperor.

With an uneasy mood for some reason, Li Rusong entered the Forbidden City. On the way to the Qianqing Palace, he saw the three main halls that had become ruins in the night.

The last time he entered the palace to meet the emperor, the three main halls were still so magnificent. It is really sad to see them in such a state now.

Finally arriving at the Qianqing Palace, Li Rusong met the Wanli Emperor, the only person he was loyal to. After not seeing him for several years, he felt that his emperor seemed much more haggard.

"Your Majesty, I, Li Rusong, pay my respects to you. How are you?"

"I am at peace." Zhu Yijun raised his hand with a smile on his face and said, "My dear, please get up. You are innocent."

"Your Majesty..." Li Rusong did not dare to stand up, still kneeling on the ground, with a guilty look on his face:
"I was greedy for merit and reckless this time, and almost had my entire army wiped out in the Hun River. I am guilty!"

"How can a general always win battles?" Zhu Yijun said, motioning the eunuch Chen Ju to help Li Rusong up, and then said:

"Besides, victory and defeat are common in the military. I understand your difficulties. As long as you are safe and sound, I will be very happy. By the way, how is your injury? Is it all healed?"

After losing the battle, the emperor not only did not blame himself, he even cared about his health. It would be a lie for Li Rusong to say that he was not moved.

With Chen Ju's support, Li Rusong wiped away the tears of emotion and replied in a trembling voice:

"Your Majesty, my injuries have fully healed. I feel really guilty for making you worry so much..."

Li Rusong cried exaggeratedly. The usually stern-faced general cried so miserably in front of his king and father. It really felt a bit like a son crying in front of his father.

I just don't know how much filial piety is reflected in these tears.

After the emperor and his minister exchanged some polite words, Zhu Yijun asked Li Rusong to sit down and kept reminding him:

"Eat more. These are my favorite foods."

His Majesty the Emperor loves to eat it, so Li Rusong naturally has to love it too.

At this harmonious moment when the monarch and his ministers were living in harmony, a bloody scene was taking place outside the Crown Prince's Ciqing Palace!
……

"Puff puff!"

Three stabbing sounds rang out in succession, one after another, accurately and powerfully penetrating the clothes and piercing into the tight flesh!

When a person is being stabbed, he cannot make any sound!

The tall and strong man had his eyes wide open at this moment. He stared in disbelief at the beautiful boy in front of him who was clearly grabbed by the neck by him and was about to be strangled to death!
"Puff puff!"

Zhang Chonghui stabbed three more times in succession until the rough big hands that were pinching his neck were completely loosened, and then he pulled out the sharp little bayonet from the other party!

"You won't tell me your name? That's fine."

As Zhang Chonghui spoke, he wiped the bloody blade on the other man's arm. Before he could wipe it clean, the big man fell down.

Looking at the big man lying on the ground with a hideous and painful face, wanting to say something but unable to speak loudly, Zhang Chonghui comforted him very 'heartwarmingly':
"Don't worry, you won't die that easily. The wounds I stabbed you with are not fatal. As long as the bleeding is stopped, you won't die."

Zhang Chonghui's words seemed to have a comforting effect, and really calmed the big man lying on the ground. At the same time, the ruthless revengeful intent on his face became even stronger!
However, the next moment, Zhang Chonghui added two more sentences:
"Oh, no, I guess they won't let you survive this night either.

Forget it, just wait here and leave it to fate. I’m leaving now. Bye.”

Zhang Chonghui left after he finished speaking, and his clothes were inevitably stained with blood.

However, Zhang Chonghui did not care about this, but walked quickly towards the Imperial Stables next to the Ciqing Palace.

The Imperial Stables were separated from the Ciqing Palace by only a wall. It was a quiet and deserted place on ordinary days. It was already dark now, and it seemed even lonelier under the curfew.

When Zhang Chonghui arrived at the intersection, a figure had been waiting for a long time in the alley opposite.

As soon as the figure saw someone coming, he ran towards Zhang Chonghui in a swagger.

With the help of moonlight, Zhang Chonghui, who had excellent eyesight, could see the man's appearance clearly.

This person is tall and looks strong, but his clear eyes and overly swaying behavior make him seem a little abnormal.

Usually, people would call this kind of person a big fool. "Who sent you?" The first thing the big fool asked Zhang Chonghui was this.

Zhang Chonghui did not hesitate and replied directly: "Mr. Pang asked me to come. Oh, Mr. Liu also asked me to come."

The fool immediately believed Zhang Chonghui's words and asked hurriedly, "What do they want me to do?"

Zhang Chonghui did not immediately say what to do, but instead said in detail: "The uncle of the emperor has treated you so well, not only helping you pay off your gambling debts, but also treating you well for many years. Now he needs you to repay his kindness, are you really willing?"

"Of course I am willing!" The big fool patted his chest with a righteous look on his face, as if he was fearless!
"Okay!" Zhang Chonghui seemed to appreciate the big guy's loyalty. To be on the safe side, he asked again:

"Have you memorized all those speeches?"

"Of course I have memorized it! I can even recite it backwards!" The big fool patted his chest to prove it:
"I'll recite it to you now! Ahem! My name is Zhang Cha, and my family is very poor. My mother always told me that children from poor families should become…"

"Wait a minute." Zhang Chonghui interrupted the big guy's recitation and affirmed: "No need to recite, I believe you can recite it."

Being affirmed in this way, Zhang Cha immediately revealed a smug smile. Just as he was feeling complacent, Zhang Chonghui strolled in an empty alley.

It seems that he is looking for something.

"What are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for a weapon that's suitable for you."

"No need! I'm strong! There's no need for any weapons!"

"Found it, this is it."

As Zhang Chonghui spoke, he picked up a jujube wood stick lying in the corner and handed it to Zhang Cha.

"Here, use this."

"That's fine, right? What's next?"

"Next, you walk east along this red wall until you see a door. Stop and knock on it."

"and then?"

"Then, use this stick to hit anyone who opens the door, and also hit anyone who tries to stop you!"

"Do you swing at everyone you see?"

"Well, after you enter the door, go to where there are a lot of people, and then swing your sword until... you see me."

"Ah? Are you going to do that to me too?"

"No, just hit the guy next to me."

……

Qianqing Palace.

Li Rusong was once again forced to drink by the Emperor.

And this time, His Majesty the Emperor seemed to be drunk. As he drank, Zhu Yijun actually took the initiative to sit next to Li Rusong's seat.

"Li Qing." Zhu Yijun sighed meaningfully under the influence of alcohol: "Although I am the emperor, I am still a lonely man after all..."

The king lamented in front of his subjects that he was alone. At first glance, there was nothing wrong with it, but if you think about it a little, you will understand the meaning behind it.

Li Rusong could drink a lot, and as he was still sober, he didn't know whether the emperor was drunk or not. He could only sigh in his heart: Living with the emperor is like living with a tiger. Facing the sensitive and suspicious emperor, he had to flatter him and show his loyalty.

"Your Majesty, you are the Son of Heaven. The people of the Ming Dynasty are all your children. All the people in the world admire and love you. How can you be alone? It must be my fault. I made your Majesty drink and be unhappy. Please punish me!"

"Haha." Zhu Yijun smiled and said, "Li Qing, you are worrying too much. You are right. I just remembered that you almost died for your country before, and I am worried."

Zhu Yijun did not clearly state what he was "worried" about, because he wanted Li Rusong to ask himself.

However, Li Rusong did not ask what the Emperor wanted to hear. Instead, he said with a look of gratitude:
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am grateful!"

Zhu Yijun didn't say anything, just smiled, raised his glass and took a sip of wine.

Just when Li Rusong thought that the topic had passed, he heard a very straightforward question.

"Li Qing, I don't quite understand. How did Nurhaci know that you would be in trouble and rush to support you in time? Can he tell fortunes?"

Li Rusong was slightly stunned, and after some obvious hesitation, he said:

"Your Majesty, to be honest, I am also puzzled by this matter! At that time, Nurhaci was only coming to the border to exchange tribute, so why was he so generous and willing to send troops to support our army?
Your Majesty, to be honest, I have always suspected that Nurhaci was deliberately seeking credit. Maybe he and the Mongolian army conspired to design the ambush!"

Li Rusong's answer stunned Zhu Yijun for a moment. After all, he had never considered the existence of this possibility.

He even suspected Zhang Chonghui, and never suspected the possibility that Nurhaci was colluding with the Mongolian army...

Now, after listening to what Li Rusong said, he really felt that there was such a possibility...

Seeing that the Emperor was frightened, Li Rusong breathed a sigh of relief. He knew very well that at the critical moment he would rather push Nurhaci out than let the Emperor know that his father had contact with Zhang Juzheng's grandson!
however……

"Impossible." Zhu Yijun quickly questioned: "What are they trying to achieve by doing this? Is it just to get Nurhaci to come to the court to receive the reward?"

Li Rusong thought for a moment and replied, "Your Majesty! I dare to guess that they are trying to kill me."

This answer was really reasonable. Zhu Yijun was speechless again. After all, to kill Li Rusong was to take his arm as the emperor.

However, Zhu Yijun still did not believe Li Rusong's speculations. He always felt that the battle was not that simple!
Rather than believing that the Haixi Jurchens were colluding with the Mongols, he believed that there was a spy from the imperial court who informed the Mongols!

However, all this is just speculation.

Without actual evidence, no matter how wild the speculation is, it will be useless.

At this point, Zhu Yijun felt that there was nothing more to say. He had thought that Li Rusong's visit to Beijing this time would bring him different news, but he didn't expect that there was nothing.

He didn’t know if it was an illusion, but Zhu Yijun always felt that something had changed about Li Rusong.

Even a grown man like Li Rusong burst into tears in front of Zhu Yijun.

But suspicion is ultimately a problem that an emperor cannot change, especially for an emperor as sensitive as Zhu Yijun.

"By the way, Li Qing, I suddenly remembered something."

Zhu Yijun had another question to ask, and this time the question was about the Zhang family.

however……

"Your Majesty, this is bad! Something big has happened in the East Palace!"

Eunuch Tian Yi ran into the hall in a panic, not caring that Li Rusong was still beside him, and reported a very shocking "bad news"!
"Your Majesty! An assassin has entered the Eastern Palace! Something has happened to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

(End of this chapter)