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

Chapter 224: Refusing to See the Emperor! A Weird New Edition of the Demonic Book!
The evil book is here again, but this time it is not like the previous two times, with a gimmicky name like "Youwei Hongyi".

This time, the evil book didn't even have a title. It only contained the "so-called" conspiracy dialogue between the Wanli Emperor Zhu Yijun and the descendant of a guilty minister Zhang Chonghui.

The content is as follows.

[Emperor Zhu said: The Crown Prince has married, and a grandson will be born soon. By then, the position of the Crown Prince will be as secure as a rock, but where should my blessed son be placed? ]

【Zhang Chonghui said: Your Majesty, I have a plan that can relieve your worries.】

[Emperor Zhu said: "You are talking nonsense again, I order you to go to the East Palace to accompany the prince in his studies and find out the prince's mistakes! You have not yet accomplished such a small thing, you are simply a waste, what else can you do!"

【Zhang Chonghui said: Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has always been modest and upright, and it is difficult to find any mistakes in him. If you want to depose the Crown Prince and enthronize Prince Fu, I am afraid you can only find another way.】

[Emperor Zhu said: Speak! If it is useless! I will kill you!]

[Zhang Chonghui said: Your Majesty, I thought that you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing your child, so now I can only take a risk! ]

[Zhu Tianzi asked: What do you mean?]

【Zhang Chonghui said: I wonder if your Majesty has noticed that all cases related to the Eastern Palace cannot escape the two siblings, Concubine Zheng and Uncle Zheng. Whether these two do it or not, they will become the target of public criticism. Everyone knows that your Majesty loves Concubine Zheng, so I think that Uncle Zheng can be used as a stepping stone for Prince Fu! 】

【Emperor Zhu said: How to do it?】

【Zhang Chonghui said: Your Majesty, you can first lure Uncle Zheng to harm the prince, and when the truth is revealed, you can directly say that it was Uncle Zheng who did it alone and was so bold! Then, you can just sentence him to death to be done with! In this way, not only can it show your majesty's awe-inspiring demeanor of sacrificing relatives for the sake of justice, but it can also stop the previous dynasty and the world from gossiping! 】

[Emperor Zhu said: The emperor's uncle can be sacrificed, but the crown prince must not be harmed! ]

[Zhang Chonghui said: Your Majesty, the royal family has always been ruthless, so please do not be too soft-hearted! ]

[Emperor Zhu said: "Plotting to murder the crown prince is a serious crime punishable by the execution of nine generations of the clan. How can Concubine Zheng escape this?"

[Zhang Chonghui said: Your Majesty, if you really want to punish all nine clans, aren't you one of the nine clans of Zheng Guojiu? Who else dares to talk about punishing all nine clans? ]

[Emperor Zhu said: This...]

The evil book is over.

Qianqing Palace.

Emperor Wanli Zhu Yijun has finished reading this latest version of the evil book.

Zhu Yijun had never imagined that one day, he, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, would be rumored to be the protagonist of this evil book.

Or was he slandered together with Zhang Chonghui, the descendant of a traitor...

I don’t know if it’s because this time’s demon book is too absurd or if I’ve been numbed by the shock of the previous two demon books or something else.

This time, Zhu Yijun did not get angry for the first time, but laughed instead.

Chen Ju, who was standing by, saw that the Emperor was not angry but was laughing instead. Worried about the Emperor's mental state, he hurriedly said:

"Your Majesty, could this be Zhang Chonghui's doing again?"

Zhu Yijun smiled and shook his head: "It's not him."

Chen Ju was silent. He didn't know when it started, but the emperor, who used to suspect Zhang Chonghui of everything that happened, actually started to make excuses for Zhang Chonghui recently.

What's going on?
Just when Chen Ju was full of confusion, His Majesty the Emperor suddenly spoke.

"Zhang Chonghui has offended too many people. They want to use me to kill Zhang Chonghui and drag down Yu Shenxing and others behind Zhang Chonghui."

Chen Ju suddenly understood what the emperor was laughing at. It turned out that he could take this great opportunity to deal with Zhang Chonghui!

Just as Chen Ju was busy being happy for the Emperor and preparing to persuade the Emperor to take advantage of this incident and directly kill Zhang Chonghui, the scourge, the Emperor's next words left Chen Ju confused.

"Chen Ju, go call Zhang Chonghui and the prince. I have something to ask them."

……

The news of the emperor's summons soon reached the East Palace. When Zhu Changluo heard that his father the emperor had taken the initiative to summon him to the palace, he was afraid that all his words of not being nervous were lies!
Especially when Zhu Changluo learned that Zhang Chonghui was also summoned into the palace, he was so panicked that he was shaking even when walking!
It is a turbulent time right now. The case of the assassination with a stick has not yet come to an end, and the evil book has appeared again!
Zhu Changluo was afraid. He was afraid that his father, the emperor, would suspect that he had done all these things. He was even more afraid that his father, the emperor, would really want to use Zheng Guojiu to kill him as the evil book said!

After all, Zhu Changluo knew that Zhang Chonghui was covered in blood when he came back from the party that night!
Zhu Changluo remembered that according to what Zhang Chonghui said at the time, the madman who was stabbed six times by Zhang Chonghui was sent by Zheng Guojiu!
That madman not only wanted to kill Zhang Chonghui, he also wanted to kill him as the crown prince!

Zhang Chonghui also told him that Zheng Guojiu would not give up. Since the madman was almost stabbed to death, Zheng Guojiu would definitely send other assassins to assassinate him, the little prince!

Zhu Changluo didn't want to die, so after Zhang Chonghui's analysis and weighing the pros and cons, he resolutely chose to follow Zheng Guojiu's assassination plan and let nature take its course!
So, even though he could clearly dodge it, Zhu Changluo still gritted his teeth, took the risk, and stretched out his right hand to take the heavy blow!

I thought, since the price was to lose his right hand, this time the emperor father would feel a little guilty and feel sorry for his eldest son, right?

However, Zhu Changluo not only failed to gain his father's guilt and heartache as he wished, but also failed to take this opportunity to ask his father, the emperor, to release his biological mother, Concubine Wang Gong, from the cold palace.

He had sacrificed an arm for nothing and gained nothing in the end, which was fine, but now he had even aroused suspicion from his father, the emperor...

Zhu Changluo felt very uncomfortable and helpless...

Among the people he could count on, Zhang Chonghui had already been implicated in the assassination case and the latest evil book, and was now unable to protect himself.

Teacher Guo Zhengyu is nowhere to be found, as if he has been very busy every day since he entered the cabinet.

The isolated and helpless little prince could only go to the Qianqing Palace with a nervous mood, accompanied by his only confidant Wang An.

……

Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Changluo only saw his father, the emperor, and did not see Zhang Chonghui.

After a nervous salute, all he could do was quietly wait for the emperor father's loud questioning and scolding.

However, something unexpected happened to Zhu Changluo!

Looking at Zhu Changluo's right arm wrapped in layers of white cloth, Zhu Yijun unconsciously looked at his right leg that had been lame for many years.

The father and son, one has a lame right leg and the other has a disabled right hand.

Perhaps because he felt empathy, Zhu Yijun rarely felt truly distressed for this eldest son whom he had always disliked.

"Brother, come here and let me see your hand." Zhu Yijun waved to Zhu Changluo with a fatherly smile on his face.

The sudden kind fatherly love left Zhu Changluo stunned for a long time. He moved to Zhu Yijun mechanically.

The prince, who is already married and has a family, at this moment, is as at a loss as those left-behind children who see their father for the first time.

"Brother, does your hand still hurt?" Zhu Yijun gently touched his son's right arm, wanting to see how serious the injury was.

Zhu Changluo endured the pain and replied carefully: "Father... it's... it's okay... it doesn't hurt too much..."

Seeing his son's timid and frightened look, Zhu Yijun was actually a little impatient, but he still patiently comforted him:
"Prince, I know that these recent events have nothing to do with you, so don't be afraid."

Seeing that his son, who was about to become a father, was so moved that his eyes turned red and he was about to cry, Zhu Yijun hurriedly asked about the business, saying:
"Prince, I have a few questions for you. You must answer truthfully and not hide anything."

Zhu Changluo sniffed and said obediently, "Father, please ask, I will tell you everything I know."

"Okay, let me ask you, what did Zhang Chonghui do when he left the table on the night of Double Ninth Festival?"

"Your Majesty, I don't know what Zhang Chonghui did that night. I only know that he came back with blood on his body." "Blood? How did he explain it to you?"

"Your Majesty, Zhang Chonghui explained to me that it was... Uncle Zheng who sent a madman to kill him... He said that in order to save his life, he stabbed the madman several times in a hurry! He was afraid that someone would die, so he asked me to find someone to help him clean up the mess."

"You helped him?"

"I don't have it, and I don't dare to!"

"Why don't you dare?"

"Your Majesty, I am afraid that I might have offended Uncle Zheng and Madam Zheng..."

"Okay, let me ask you, what's the matter with Zhang Cha? Is he related to Zhang Chonghui?"

"Your Majesty, I don't know what happened to Zhang Cha. I don't know if he has any connection with Zhang Chonghui. I only heard what Zhang Chonghui said... He said..."

"What did he say? Don't be afraid, just tell me what you know, I won't blame you."

"He said... Uncle Zheng would not let me go so easily and would definitely send someone to assassinate me... At first I did not believe it, but not long after, Zhang Cha came in swinging a stick..."

From the beginning of the questioning, Zhu Yijun had been staring at Zhu Changluo's face and observing him. He did not miss any subtle expression on his son's face.

Looking at his son's nervous yet sincere eyes, and the subtle expression of stuttering and fear when Uncle Zheng was mentioned, Zhu Yijun could tell that his timid son did not seem to be lying.

However, how could the sensitive and suspicious emperor just believe the prince who was now in the middle of controversy?

Zhu Yijun has finished questioning Zhu Changluo. Later, he will ask Zhang Chonghui again.

He wanted to see whether the two people's words were exactly the same!

……

When Chen Ju arrived, Crown Prince Zhu Changluo had already left.

Zhu Yijun had already thought about what questions he would ask when testing Zhang Chonghui.

"He's here." Zhu Yijun waved his hand and said, "Just bring him here to see me. There's no need to move him to the side hall."

Zhu Yijun was too lazy to move. It didn't matter where he asked. Besides...

The more familiar a place is, the more flaws you are likely to reveal.

"Your Majesty..." Chen Ju's face was very tangled, and his tone was even more difficult:

"Zhang Chonghui said... this is a time of great trouble... For the sake of your reputation and his life... he said... he dared not enter the palace to see the emperor at this time..."

"What?" Zhu Yijun had never expected this result. He said in disbelief:
"How dare he not come? Didn't he always want to see me?"

Rather than being angry, I feel more confused.

Zhu Yijun remembered that Zhang Chonghui had always wanted to see the emperor whenever he got the chance, but now he dared not to come?!
Seeing that the Emperor was about to get angry, Chen Ju, who had originally wanted to persuade the Emperor that it was better not to meet at this time, had to change his words:
"Your Majesty, I will have someone tie him up right away!"

"Wait!" Zhu Yijun snorted coldly: "I don't want to see him, let him experience what it feels like to be forced into a desperate situation!"

……

His Majesty the Emperor was furious for a long time. When he heard that Concubine Zheng had come to pay her respects to him, he said impatiently:

"I don't want to see anyone!"

After reading the evil book, the poor imperial concubine was already worried that her husband, the emperor, would be as ruthless as described in the book.

She was so ruthless that she pushed her brother Zheng Guotai out to die in order to fulfill the emperor's "sacrifice one's own family for the sake of justice".

Zheng Mengjing was already scared, and now she came to plead for mercy but was rejected, so she couldn't help but think more about it.

Yes, Concubine Zheng’s not-so-bright brain almost believed the contents of the evil book.

There is no way. The arrangement in the evil book is too consistent with the whole story of this assassination case.

She wondered where Zhang Chonghui got such connections that he could send letters to her from outside the palace one after another. It turned out that the emperor had secretly approved it!
She said that the emperor didn't come to see her earlier or later, but just when she came back from the palace after meeting Zhang Chonghui, the emperor came to see her and even secretly pointed out that she smelled like other men!
At this moment, Zheng Mengjing realized!
It turns out that the emperor and Zhang Chonghui are in cahoots. They teamed up to paralyze her in order to drag her brother down with them! In order to make her brother a scapegoat!

But Zheng Mengjing was a little confused. If what the evil book said was true, the prince would definitely die this time.

But how come the prince was saved by Zhang Chonghui just after being hit with a stick?
Could it be that... the indecisive emperor was overwhelmed by his fatherly love and changed his mind?

Zheng Mengjing guessed that this was probably the only possibility. After all, she knew the emperor very well. He was such a fussy and indecisive man!
Seeing that her brother Zheng Guotai was stuck in a quagmire and was about to be pushed out to take the blame, her husband, the emperor, refused to listen to her pleas.

Zheng Mengjing was panicked. She even wanted to leave the palace and find Zhang Chonghui again.

After all, not long ago, Zhang Chonghui wrote arrogantly in a letter: Now that things have come to this, only I can save you, so please meet me at the old place soon!

……

Flower shop.

This time, Zheng Mengjing waited for Zhang Chonghui for a full hour. She became more and more annoyed and wanted to go back several times!
As the time was getting later and Zheng Mengjing could no longer wait, Zhang Chonghui finally arrived.

Zheng Mengjing thought that since Zhang Chonghui took so long to come, he must be dressed up even more flamboyantly than last time.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Chonghui was only wearing an ordinary plain green Taoist robe and a very inconspicuous blue-gray cloak.

If she wasn't tall and had a striking face, Zheng Mengjing wouldn't even look at her twice if she was dressed like this in a crowd.

The imperial concubine, who had been waiting for most of the day, thought that the young man was dressing up carefully to make her smile, but she didn't expect it to be the case.

She was so angry that she wanted to say - You are dressed so plainly, are you going to have an affair?

Even if Zheng Mengjing thought so, she would not really ask this question, not to mention that she had more important things to do at the moment.

But before talking about new things, she has to settle the old accounts first!
Just when Zheng Mengjing was about to question Zhang Chonghui whether he had teamed up with "certain people" to plot against her, the other party spoke first!

"My Lady, I was wholeheartedly cooperating with you, but you and the King's Uncle actually went back on your word and found a mentally ill lunatic to kill me!
Now the truth has been revealed, not only have all of us been implicated in this assassination, but I have also been dragged into this new evil book because of you two siblings!
It was a good hand, but because of your two brothers' inconsistency, it has become such a mess now!"

Zheng Mengjing was also stunned by Zhang Chonghui's scolding. She originally thought that she was very right, but for a moment she was speechless.

However, this was not the end. She originally thought that things could be turned around, but then she was shocked and stunned by what Zhang Chonghui said!
"My Lady, you don't think that the Emperor will still side with you now, do you?" Zhang Chonghui smiled maliciously and said faintly:

"To tell you the truth, now that the evil book has appeared again, it is obvious that someone wants to use the emperor to get rid of the emperor's uncle, me, and Yu Shenxing behind me!

Oh, by the way, let alone your brother-in-law, you, the high and mighty imperial concubine, can’t escape either!"

Seeing that Zheng Mengjing was already frightened silly, Zhang Chonghui was still not ready to stop.

He raised his hand and scratched the chin of the 'cat' presumptuously, just like playing with a cat, then quickly withdrew his hand and continued:

"I told you not to listen. Do you regret it now?"

"I am just a descendant of a criminal, and I am just risking my life."

"You don't have to be too scared, Madam Concubine. This is not the road to the underworld, and Zhang is here to keep you company!"

(End of this chapter)