Volume 4: Holy Capital Tribulation Chapter 217: The Heavenly Tribulation Has Begun (Part 2)
Heavenly Tribulation!!!?
"My Lords," Xu Zun stood up and asked, "What happened? Has the Xuanmen...really taken action?"
"Speaking of which... I am really ashamed!" Cai Kun shook his head helplessly and said to Xu Zun, "Xu Zun, Shangyuan City, we have already found some clues, but unfortunately... we looked in the wrong direction!"
"Ah? What?" Xu Zun was even more confused and surprised. "Master Cai, what happened?"
"At noon the day before yesterday," Cai Kun said with trembling cheeks and an embarrassed look on his face, "an unprecedented large-scale assassination occurred in Xuanmiao City. Including princes and ministers, a total of 17 people were killed tragically by the assassins..."
"What!!?"
Xu Zun just felt his head buzzing. Before this, he had never expected such a thing to happen.
"Duke of Liang Xue Guihua, Minister of Works Ying Rang, Duke of Lushan Li Ren, Governor of Songzhou Han Zhang, Cabinet Minister Lian Ge Lao, Dali Temple Minister Liu Jin..." Lin Chaofeng stood up and said solemnly, "There are also the Holy Capital Transport Envoy, the General of the Imperial Guards, the Prince's Guardian, the Minister of Personnel, the Master of Works, the Prison Warden of the Ministry of Justice, the Censor, and even the Imperial Physician Xu Chi were not spared..."
As she spoke, Lin Chaofeng's body swayed and she was about to fall. She had to hold on to the incense burner to support herself.
Oh my god…
Xu Zun was struck by lightning and asked in disbelief:
"This... this is impossible? These people are all nobles and ministers. They have bodyguards around them. It's daytime. How is such a large-scale assassination possible?"
"Xu Zun..." Cai Kun said tremblingly, "After you destroyed Qinglan Temple, didn't you find that Xuanmen had trained many beautiful assassins?
"At that time, we made a misunderstanding. We only thought that the female assassins entered the palace through Qinglan Temple and Changping Hou, so we only searched the palace, but... but... sigh..."
"Ah?" Xu Zun was shocked again, "This... so... those female assassins were not sent to the palace at all, but were all... all sent to the houses of these ministers?"
"Yes!" Cai Kun said with difficulty, "At noon the day before yesterday, a tragedy occurred and some assassins were shot dead on the spot. It turned out that the assassins were all concubines of these princes and ministers!
"They have been dormant for many years. They are so delicate and beautiful that they are completely defenseless..."
"Then..." Xu Zun asked hurriedly, "Have all the assassins been caught?"
“No,” Cai Kun shook his head, “Only a few were shot dead on the spot, and two of them committed suicide when they saw they could not escape.
"The rest all escaped successfully and disappeared without a trace!
"That day..." Cai Kun said helplessly, "The incident happened suddenly, and the city gate didn't receive any news. I guess they must have escaped from the city, right?"
"Huh..." Xu Zun staggered two steps and bumped into the chair behind him.
Even if he was given a thousand chances, he would never have imagined that those trained female assassins would be used in this way.
"This is a serious matter," Cai Kun continued, "Once the news gets out, there will be panic, so the Queen Mother has decided to temporarily block the news and investigate the case strictly.
"Now, there is nothing to be seen outside, but the palace and the ministers' homes are already in chaos!"
"Wait...wait..." Xu Zun suddenly became puzzled and said, "This doesn't seem to make sense, right? The Xuanmen rebels have spent so much effort and preparation for several years just to assassinate the princes and ministers of my Great Xuan?
"Lin... Lord Lin," he asked Lin Chaofeng, "where did you get the term 'heavenly calamity'?"
"The Heavenly Tribulation is the most difficult calamity in the Xuan Sect," Lin Chaofeng said, "Only those who go against the will of Heaven will suffer the Heavenly Tribulation. They are implying that I, the Great Xuan Sect, have violated the Way of Heaven!"
Lin Chaofeng spoke evasively and did not answer Xu Zun's question.
But Xu Zun had already guessed it. Since Xuanmen had become a threat, the Internal Guards must have already planted undercover agents in Xuanmen, right?
"Xu Zun..." Cai Kun frowned, as if he had aged many years overnight. "The purpose of Xuanmen's attack this time is very clear. Although it is not immediately fatal, it is almost fatal!"
"Oh?" Xu Zun was even more puzzled, "Why? My Great Xuan has so many talented people. Can killing these princes and ministers still affect the foundation of my Great Xuan?"
"Hehe..." After Xu Zun finished speaking, Lin Chaofeng suddenly laughed, but there was obviously bitterness in his laughter.
"It's not as simple as you think," Cai Kun said, "First of all, you may not know that among the 17 people who were assassinated, none of them were from the Inner Guard!
" There is no Inner Guard, no Divine Detective Department, no Wanfu Palace, and no one from the Lin family..."
oh?
After hearing these words, Xu Zun seemed to understand something.
Wanfu Palace is the Empress Dowager's bedroom. Her surname is Lin and the Lin family is her main family. The Internal Guard and the Divine Police Department are both the Empress Dowager's direct departments.
"But... huh..." Cai Kun took a long breath and continued, "Among the seventeen people, it seems that only the imperial physician Xu Chi and the queen mother did not celebrate the festival, while the others..."
Depend on……
So poisonous!
Xu Zun finally understood that the reason why Xuanmen assassinated these seventeen people was to stir up internal conflicts within Daxuan and take the opportunity to put the blame on the Queen Mother.
Xu Zun already knew that the court was mainly divided into three factions. One was the Empress Dowager's real power faction, which was also the current ruling faction;
One is the imperial faction headed by the cabinet, which loyally supports the emperor and has always wanted the emperor to rule the country personally.
The other is the emperor's uncle faction. These people are the brothers and relatives of the previous emperor. They walk between the two factions and do not offend either side.
Now, the seventeen people who were assassinated happened to be from the other two factions, which would inevitably arouse people's suspicion. Could the assassination of these seventeen people be the work of the Queen Mother?
sharp!
So awesome!
Xu Zun was secretly shocked. It seemed that this Xuanmen was indeed no ordinary person.
Assassination is not scary, the scariest thing is the human heart!
"In addition..." Lin Chaofeng added, "This assassination move was both a counterattack and a counterattack. It not only alienated the forces in the court, but also aroused the suspicion of the Queen Mother.
"The Queen Mother would think like this..." Lin Chaofeng said nervously, "Why were some ministers assassinated, but others were fine? Could it be that those ministers who were fine... had known about the assassination a long time ago?"
I click...
Xu Zun took a deep breath. Lin Chaofeng's words were really terrifying. According to the Queen Mother's meaning, could it be that the ministers who survived also... also...
"This move of Heavenly Tribulation is truly a stroke of genius!" Lin Chaofeng said bitterly, "These Xuanmen rebels should be chopped into pieces!"
"Sir..." Xu Zun swallowed and asked, "Since the assassination has already happened, then...then...I..."
"The Queen Mother originally wanted to summon you," Lin Chaofeng said, returning to normal, "but under the current circumstances, that is naturally impossible!
"Xu Tixing, the Queen Mother already knows what you did in Yonghui," he turned around and looked at Xu Zun and said, "Originally, the Queen Mother wanted you to handle that matter, but now it seems that there are other plans for you!"
"I don't know..." Xu Zun asked hurriedly, "What are your plans?"
"Hehe," Lin Chaofeng smiled, "Let me be honest with you! Over the years, no one has ever captured the Taoist master of Xuanmen!
"So... your next mission is to destroy Xuanmen!" Lin Chaofeng said, "As long as Xuanmen is destroyed, we can clarify this assassination incident, solve the Queen Mother's worries and difficulties, and save our Great Xuan from danger!"
"Well... Sir..." Xu Zun pondered for a few seconds, clasped his fists and said to Lin Chaofeng, "It is my duty to eliminate the Xuanmen rebels.
"But... Xu has three conditions that need your approval!"
"Wow?" Lin Chaofeng looked at Xu Zun and said in surprise, "You actually... negotiated terms with me?"
"Xu Zun..." Cai Kun rebuked, "Don't act rashly!"
"Don't!" Lin Chaofeng waved her hand and asked, "Xu Zun, tell me, what conditions do you want?"
“First,” Xu Zun said, “Give me my old house as a reward!
"Second, do not touch the Yuanzhou woman Timur Ani who is under my command, because if we want to destroy Xuanmen, this woman will be of great use."
"Old house? Woman?"
Lin Chaofeng looked at Cai Kun.
Cai Kun hurriedly explained Xu Zun's life experience and Ani's situation.
"Oh... I don't think of any conditions," Lin Chaofeng said with a smile, "You can just meet these two conditions, but the prerequisite is that you have to be really good at it, otherwise...
"Oh, by the way," he asked hurriedly, remembering something, "what about the third condition?"
"The third condition is that you give me the greatest investigation authority," Xu Zun said, "even the princes and ministers must cooperate with me unconditionally, otherwise, no one can handle this case!"
"Well... eh?" Lin Chaofeng heard something was wrong and asked hurriedly, "Xu Zun, what do you mean by that? Why are you investigating the princes and ministers? Do you think there is a traitor?"
"Sir," Xu Zun said solemnly, "I think this assassination is just the beginning. The real calamity has not yet come..."
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