The Grand Commissioner accompanied the Crown Prince to stay in Huazhen Garden to take care of the critically ill Emperor Zhao Qing, but had Junior Supervisor Ren take the Celestial Commissioner back to the capital. Before he left, he specifically told him to return to the capital to take care of Yu Shu. He seemed to have expected that something would happen to her.
In the afternoon, Ren Qiming heard that Yu Shu had brought people to the Zhou family to kidnap the bride, but had been arrested by Zhou Yede and thrown into the Ministry of Justice prison. The black-robed guards responsible for secretly protecting Yu Shu could not appear in broad daylight, so they came to ask Ren Qiming if they should wait until the night to rescue her.
Ren Qiming refused. He said to the black-robed guards, "The Grand Secretary only asked you to protect her life, not to help the evildoer. She dared to ruin someone's marriage, allowed slaves to commit murder on the street, and injured the Jinwu Guards. Shouldn't she be arrested? Don't worry, the Ministry of Justice will only lock her up for a few days. They won't do anything to her. "
The black-robed guards listened to the Grand Commissioner and could not act on their own. Now that the Grand Commissioner was not here and Ren Qiming was not willing to say anything, they could only wait quietly. They waited like this until the afternoon of the third day. Zhu Muzhao came back from Huazhen Garden without a word.
Ren Qiming was reading files in Taixi Tower when he heard a series of footsteps outside. He raised his head and saw the travel-worn Grand Commissioner walk in. He froze for a moment before standing up to greet, "Why did the Grand Secretary come back at this time? Is it the Emperor …"
He thought that Zhu Muzhao would stay in Huazhen Garden until Emperor Zhao Qing passed away.
"The Emperor is fine." Zhu Muzhao walked to the window and sat down. He leaned his upper body against the backrest and let out a long sigh of relief. It was unknown what he thought of, but the corners of his mouth curled up happily. He closed his eyes to rest for a while. He raised his eyelids to look at Ren Qiming standing to the side and said, "What do you want to say? Say it."
Ren Qiming wanted to say something but stopped. Zhu Muzhao stared at him for a moment and suddenly frowned. "Where is Yu Shu now?"
Ren Qiming lowered his head and said, "In the Ministry of Justice prison."
Hearing this, Zhu Muzhao's expression changed, and his voice sank. "What's going on?"
Ren Qiming then recounted how Yu Shu had brought men to the Zhou family to kidnap the bride, and how she had been captured by Zhou Yede. In the end, he explained why he had stopped the Blackguard from rescuing Yu Shu. "I know you have high hopes for her, but she cannot appreciate your good intentions. This is a good opportunity for her to see the reality. Without your protection, she is nothing."
After he finished speaking, he did not dare to raise his head to look at his face. After a few breaths, he sighed.
"You're confused."
His disappointed tone made Ren Qiming suddenly feel ashamed. "Grand Secretary, I …"
Zhu Muzhao sat up from the reclining chair and raised his hand to interrupt his words. He glanced at him with a serious expression and said, "Summon the Blackguard to follow me to the Ministry of Justice to get him. I hope she's still breathing. Otherwise, Celestial Commissioner's only chance of survival will be lost in my hands. "
*
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*
After Feng Zhaomiao sent Xue Jinxun to Wangji Restaurant, he single-handedly killed his way back to the Zhou family. When he found out that Yu Shu had been locked up in prison, he ran home in one breath to beg his father to save her. General Feng scolded him and ordered people to tie him up and lock him up in the woodshed in the backyard.
Who knew that Lady Feng loved her son and quietly let him go the next night. Once Feng Zhaomiao was free, he immediately ran out and went to the Yu Residence to beg for forgiveness. At that time, everyone in the Yu Residence was as anxious as ants on a hot pan. Yesterday, Yu Shu had gone out with a group of guards and had not returned. Pei Jing went out to inquire, and the family only found out that she had been locked up.
Zhao Hui and He Fangzhi had both been in prison and knew that it was a place of torture. They were afraid that something would happen to Yu Shu, so they ran to the Ministry of Justice's prison to see her. However, they were refused entry. At this critical juncture, Feng Zhaomiao came to beg for forgiveness. The family didn't have the energy to blame him and were thinking about how to save Yu Shu from prison first.
Thus, Feng Zhaomiao gritted his teeth and brought He Fangzhi and Pei Jing to the Prime Minister's residence to beg Xue Lingnan to be merciful. He hoped that he would ask the Ministry of Justice to release Yu Shu for the sake of Xue Rui. In the end, they didn't even get to see Xue Lingnan's face and were chased out.
Feng Zhaomiao settled for the next best thing and brought them to Prince Xiang's heir, Liu Jiong. He thought that Liu Jiong and Xue Rui used to be so close that they could wear the same pants, so he wouldn't leave her in the lurch. However, he didn't expect that Prince Xiang's residence would also be refused entry.
He had nowhere else to go. In the end, he begged Count Zhongyong's Mansion. Rui Lin, who had always been Xue Rui's brother, allowed him to enter the mansion. However, when he saw Feng Zhaomiao, he said these words —
"In the past, that Yu Lianfang used Xue Rui's power to bully others. She ruined my sister's reputation at the Hibiscus Gentlemen's Banquet. Why didn't she think of leaving a way out? I think she only has herself to blame for this. I advise you not to meddle in other people's business. In the end, you will only get yourself into trouble."
Seeing his face, Feng Zhaomiao spat on his face and pointed at his nose and scolded, "You damn fatty, don't forget when you met a kidnapper when you were young, who chased you for more than ten li and saved you from the hands of the human traffickers. Although Lianfang is a woman, she is much more loyal than you men. She won't leave you in the lurch and she won't be ungrateful! "
Rui Lin's face turned red and said angrily, "If you have the ability, go and save her yourself. Don't come and beg me!"
"I'm blind to come and find you!" Feng Zhaomiao turned and left. But when he left the Count of Zhong Yong's residence and faced He Fangzhi and Pei Jing waiting outside the door, he couldn't be tough anymore.
He Fangzhi and Pei Jing knew the result when they saw his face. They sighed and went home to think of a solution.
.....
Before sunset, Zhu Muzhao brought people to the Ministry of Justice's prison to ask for Yu Lianfang. The head of the prison had been instructed by the higher-ups in advance. Without the written order of the Disciplinary Officer, he wouldn't let them go. He shut the door tightly and didn't let them in. He sent a long-legged prison guard to quietly leave through the back door and run to deliver the letter.
Zhu Muzhao didn't have the patience to wait for long. He directly let the black-robed guards climb over the wall and subdue the group of prison guards before opening the door from the inside. The black-robed guards found two keys on the head of the prison guard and ran to the front to open the way. Zhu Muzhao walked in the middle and Ren Qiming followed closely behind him. They entered the dark and stuffy cell.
The black-robed guards took a torch from the wall and lit it up. They searched through the bars one by one. The prisoners were frightened and shrank into the corners like mice. They searched the entire cell but didn't find Yu Shu.
"Search, search again! If she's alive, I want to see her. If she's dead, I want to see her body. "Zhu Muzhao ordered in a deep voice. He stood at the end of the cell with his hands behind his back, suppressing his anger. Ren Qiming knew that Yu Shu was probably dead, but he didn't dare to say it in front of him.
After searching for about half an hour, a black-robed guard suddenly shouted, "There's a tunnel here. Someone who's been here before, help!"
A group of people gathered around and pried open the tunnel. They found a dungeon hidden below. Zhu Muzhao ignored Ren Qiming's advice and followed the black-robed guards into the dungeon. At the end of the smelly tunnel, he found a bright torture room.
The leader of the black-robed guards kicked open the door and several people rushed in. They saw the bloody person tied to the torture rack with her head hanging down. They didn't know whether she was dead or alive. They looked at each other and didn't know what to do. Zhu Muzhao then walked in and looked up. His eyelids suddenly twitched.
He strode forward and parted the bloody person's hair. He saw that there was a hole in the middle of her forehead and a lump of rotten flesh had already solidified. It was as if she had a third eye. Her face was covered in blood and he could not see her face clearly. His hand trembled and he carefully reached out with two fingers to check her breath.
Ren Qiming stared at his movements without blinking until he put down his fingers and let out a sigh of relief. He turned around and ordered, "She's still breathing. Put her down carefully and send someone to the Imperial Hospital to find Qing Jue. Ask him to come to the Celestial Commissioner as soon as possible."
Ren Qiming also let out a sigh of relief, but he didn't know whether he was more relieved or disappointed. The group of people came out of the prison. It was already dark outside, but the door was blocked. Xue Lingnan rushed over when he received the news and stopped them.
"Who broke the prison!" Xue Lingnan sat high on the back of the horse and searched for Zhu Muzhao in the crowd. He asked knowingly.
Zhu Muzhao came out surrounded by black-robed guards. He looked up at the old but vigorous Prime Minister Xue and said sternly, "If I didn't come, I wouldn't have known that the Ministry of Justice was so bold. They built a dungeon without authorization and privately tortured officials of the imperial court!"
Xue Lingnan was full of regret. He didn't expect Zhu Muzhao to return to the capital so quickly. He didn't know what happened to the Crown Prince and there was no news. He originally planned to interrogate Yu Shu tonight and then dispose of her. But Zhu Muzhao rushed to save her first.
He saw from afar that Zhu Muzhao's subordinate was carrying a prisoner covered in blood. Who else could it be but Yu Shu?
"This person is involved in a murder case. Even an official of the Celestial Commissioner can't bend the law for personal gain. Don't twist words and force logic. A prison break is a prison break. I advise you to put the prisoner down as soon as possible. Don't make mistakes again."
Zhu Muzhao laughed coldly, "Even if an official of the Celestial Commissioner commits a capital crime, he has to get my approval before he can be executed. I think you've gone senile and meddled in other people's business."
Xue Lingnan and Zhu Muzhao had been enemies for a long time. Today was the first time they had fallen out in public.
"Good, good. I will report everything that happened today to His Majesty and ask for his judgment!"
"Get out of the way!"
Zhu Muzhao was aggressive. Xue Lingnan knew that his black-robed guards were powerful and didn't want to fight with him here. He waved his hand and let them pass.
In this confrontation, it seemed like Zhu Muzhao had the upper hand. But if they investigated, Xue Lingnan didn't lose out. Yu Shu had been tortured in his hands for two days and two nights. She was a young girl. Even if she could survive, her personality would change greatly. She would never forget what she had experienced in the torture room. Fear would always accompany her. Even if she didn't die, she would be crippled.
Xue Lingnan wasn't afraid that Yu Shu would expose him in front of Zhu Muzhao. Emperor Zhao Qing was critically ill and didn't have many days left to live. His grandson would be the Crown Prince and the future Emperor. He would be the first Emperor who wasn't controlled by the Celestial Commissioner.
He watched as the Celestial Commissioner's men ran away into the night.
*
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*
Zhu Muzhao brought Yu Shu back to Taixi Tower and had people carefully send her to her bedroom upstairs. He first found two maids to clean her wounds and the others left to avoid arousing suspicion.
Basin after basin of clean water was sent upstairs. When they were brought down, Zhu Muzhao's frown deepened. Not long after, Zhu Qingjue rushed in. Zhu Muzhao led him to the second floor and briefly explained the situation. He warned him worriedly, "Save her at all costs."
Zhu Qingjue nodded. Although he was mentally prepared, he was still shocked to see Yu Shu covered in wounds when he entered the room. He didn't care about the etiquette between a man and a woman. After cleaning his hands, he went to check her wounds.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he came out of the room with an ugly expression. He wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and said to his father, "There are five iron nails in her left arm. The bone is cracked. There are many burns and pus on her back. In addition, one of her ankles was broken. The most serious injury is her forehead. I don't know if it hurt her brain. The torturer is quite vicious. He used no less than five kinds of torture on a woman. I don't know how she survived these two days. Even a man would bite his tongue and commit suicide. "
Zhu Muzhao looked in the direction of the bedroom with a strange gaze and asked in a low voice, "Can she be saved?"
"She can be saved." Zhu Qingjue hesitantly told him, "I'm afraid that even if she is saved, she will want to die."
"What are you saying?"
"The skin outside her forehead is completely necrotic. It will leave a scar for the rest of her life. I can't help her even if I have magic hands. A woman's face is disfigured. Isn't that forcing her to die?" Zhu Qingjue shook his head and said helplessly, "It's already a blessing to be able to keep her life. I hope she can get over it."
After that, he hurried to write a prescription and dispense the medicine.
Zhu Muzhao stopped at the door of the bedroom. He was deep in thought. Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from the stairs. He turned to look at Ren Qiming, who had a guilty expression. He pointed at the study across from him. The two of them changed places to talk.
"Taishu, I know I was wrong." Ren Qiming took the initiative to admit his mistake.
"You know you were wrong?" Zhu Muzhao asked him, "Tell me, what did you do wrong?"
Ren Qiming secretly clenched his fists and said, "I shouldn't have disobeyed you on the surface. I shouldn't have listened to your orders. It's all my fault for standing by the side and almost causing the death of the Life Destroyer."
"In your eyes, Yu Shu is only a Life Destroyer?" Zhu Muzhao saw through his thoughts at a glance. He said to him earnestly,
"I know that you have always been loyal to me. My position was originally prepared to be passed to you. However, the affairs of the world are unpredictable. None of us expected that so many unforeseen events would happen in the middle. I couldn't find the Book of Mystic Fairy's Six Rens, and I let Yun Hua and his son go. In the end, Jing Chen also rebelled and left. These are all my mistakes. Originally, it had nothing to do with you. However, you also know that we, the Celestial Commissioner, are bound together for good or bad. My position is related to the rise and fall of the world's Book of Changes. As the Grand Instructor, if I can't become the Emperor's top confidant, it will be equivalent to an empty title. Now that the position of the Imperial Astronomer is in imminent danger, you are no longer suitable to take my position. I am not passing it to you because I do not want you to become a sinner for all eternity and bear countless curses after your death. "
Ren Qiming had long passed the age of being swayed by his emotions. He was thirty years old. After following Zhu Muzhao for so many years, his biggest gain was learning to think. After listening to Zhu Muzhao's earnest persuasion, he was not in a hurry to fight for the position that originally belonged to him. Instead, he asked seriously, "I am not suitable, why is she suitable?"
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