Chapter 184

Just as Zhu Zai suddenly stood up and cursed Li Miao.

Inside the Forbidden City.

Wang Zhi knelt at the entrance of the Qianqing Palace, naked from the waist up.

A eunuch holding a whip walked tremblingly behind Wang Zhi.

This whip was twisted from iron wire, the thickness of a finger, with countless barbs distributed on it. A fishy smell faintly permeated the gaps in the iron wire, and if one looked closely, one could see hair and withered flesh mixed in it.

Even the Imperial Guard would shake their heads at this thing. If it were used for interrogation, the prisoner would be beaten to death before they could speak.

How could the eunuch holding the whip not know.

But he didn't dare to resist the imperial decree.

After hesitating for a long time, he suddenly raised his hand and whipped Wang Zhi on the back.

Swish——

In an instant, a wound like a baby's small mouth opened on Wang Zhi's back.

Wang Zhi suddenly gritted his teeth, cold sweat flowing down his face, but he opened his mouth in a rage.

"Don't hold back!"

"Master, this!"

The eunuch holding the whip turned pale. Wang Zhi had already dispersed his Zhou Tian true energy and was now only a little more resistant than an ordinary person. If he didn't hold back, Wang Zhi would be beaten to death by him!

"Do you want to kill me!?"

Wang Zhi said through gritted teeth.

"You've been by my side for so many years, why haven't you made any progress!"

"If you leave me a breath, I can still live! If you hold back, both of us are guilty of deceiving the Emperor, and both will die!"

"Hit!"

"Yes!"

Hearing this, the eunuch closed his eyes and whipped Wang Zhi on the back with all his might.

Clatter——

Flesh and blood were torn off and splashed on the ground. Wang Zhi's back instantly revealed white bones, and one could even see the wriggling internal organs inside.

Wang Zhi's eyes went black.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

The whip made a shrill whistling sound, constantly tearing away Wang Zhi's flesh and blood.

Inside the Qianqing Palace, the Emperor took a pill from a box, beckoned, and a palace maid presented a jade bowl containing half a bowl of clear water.

This bowl of clear water was sent from the "Dew-Receiving Terrace".

This Dew-Receiving Terrace was built in the palaces of emperors of all dynasties. It was generally a stone-carved immortal, holding a jade plate toward the sky, implying the reception of sweet dew falling from heaven.

But in the Jiajing Emperor's imperial garden, the one holding the jade plate was not stone, but people. They were dozens of young girls in their prime.

Every dawn, these girls stood on the terrace holding jade plates, letting the dew gradually collect in the plates, and after it collected and clarified, it was used for the Emperor to take medicine.

And these girls could not wear seasonal clothing, but had to wear thin palace attire to express their sincerity to heaven in seeking sweet dew.

This morning, one froze to death.

But, so what? As long as it didn't delay His Majesty's medicine, if she died, she died; no one cared.

The Emperor took the bowl of dew, looked into it, but frowned.

Casually, he sprinkled the bowl of dew on the ground.

Perhaps the bowl of dew was not clear enough, perhaps it was stained with the smell of menstrual blood from the palace maid; in short, the Emperor said lightly: "Change a bowl."

He was not an emperor who didn't know the suffering of the people; he knew that the girls who received the dew also had it hard, but mistakes were inevitable, so he didn't pursue it.

The palace maid hurriedly went out to pass the order, and in a moment, the Dew-Receiving Terrace sent another bowl of dew.

Only then did the Emperor pick up the pill and send it into his mouth.

And at this time, the whistling sound of the whip outside the palace also stopped.

The eunuch came in to report: "Your Majesty, seven lashes short, Eunuch Wang has fainted."

The Emperor nodded: "In that case, let it be."

"Find a devotee who knows how to heal wounds and treat him roughly. When he wakes up, let him come to see me."

"Yes."

The eunuch accepted the order and left.

The Emperor closed his eyes and took a nap.

After a while, Wang Zhi's staggering footsteps came from outside the door.

He didn't put on clothes, revealing the wound on his back that had only healed a little, still slowly oozing blood. His face was pale, he walked slowly to the Emperor's feet, and knelt on the ground with a thud.

"Your Majesty, your servant is guilty."

"Forget it."

The Emperor closed his eyes and waved his hand.

"Just be more alert in the future; I didn't intend to punish you, it's just that rewards and punishments must be clear. It was done according to the rules of the past, and I even exempted you from seven lashes; don't resent me."

Although the inner court was decided by the Emperor's word, the rewards and punishments for eunuchs passed down by emperors of all dynasties had formed certain rules. The Emperor didn't add a few extra lashes.

However, there was no rule about using a whip twisted from iron wire before.

"Your servant dare not..."

Wang Zhi didn't dare to look up.

The Emperor waved his hand, signaling that this matter didn't need to be mentioned again. He continued.

"However, since the last 'furnace' is lost, then, it can only be taken from 'there'."

As soon as these words came out, Wang Zhi's expression suddenly changed.

But he had just messed up the errand last night, and the wounds from the punishment hadn't healed yet; at this moment, he really didn't dare to persuade him again, his lips moved, making a sound.

"Your Maj..."

He didn't dare to say any more.

The Emperor knew what he meant, opened his eyes, and scanned him coldly.

"Don't talk about clichés like 'shaking the foundation of the country'."

"I don't want to move either, but those big sects, hiding and concealing over these years, actually don't have a single Heavenly Human in the Jianghu."

"If I don't use those people... should I use you?"

Wang Zhi broke out in a cold sweat, his thoughts turning rapidly.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, there are still! There are still Heavenly Humans, right in Shuntian Prefecture, right inside and outside the capital!"

"The Ming Sect's Heavenly Humans, use them."

The Emperor snorted coldly.

"Easily said, do you think I haven't thought about it?"

"There are only two days left until New Year's Eve. The Ming Sect is used to being caught; in two days, can you catch them?"

"Although that old thing Zhu Zai is not on the same path as me, he has the ability to handle errands. He hasn't caught them, can you catch them?"

"No, Your Majesty, no need to catch."

Wang Zhi said hurriedly.

"Last night, before Xue Jinxi rose up to hurt people, I heard an unusual sound, and just as I was about to go up to check, I was interrupted by Xue Jinxi. Later, fearing more mistakes, I didn't leave 'there'."

"But, afterwards I asked the guards. They blocked four people outside the mausoleum, their faces were all destroyed, clearly they were dead soldiers who came to investigate inside the mausoleum."

"Eunuch Huang stopped them, and they were almost surrounded, but they were saved by a Heavenly Human with a 'Great Nine Heavens Palm'. The four were also rescued. That person wore a bronze mask, and looking at his stature, it was precisely Ji Tianrui!"

The Emperor heard these things for the first time; Wang Zhi reported that the "furnace" was lost and went to receive punishment, not having time to say this matter.

He pondered for a moment and said.

"Could someone be impersonating Ji Tianrui?"

"No, Your Majesty."

Wang Zhi lowered his voice.

"Only the Yang family knows the secret of the Imperial Mausoleum."

"And only Ji Tianrui knows that method. Although I don't know who the current Ji Tianrui is, the two clearly have a close relationship."

"Therefore, the people who would run to the Imperial Mausoleum to investigate are only the Ming Sect. Plus that unique bronze mask, the person last night was absolutely Ji Tianrui!"

The Emperor nodded.

"Then, what do you want to do?"

Wang Zhi had already prepared his draft and blurted it out.

"Lure the enemy into the trap!"

"On the grounds that there is insufficient manpower in the capital on New Year's Eve, transfer the Imperial Mausoleum guards back to the capital, and order them to be transferred back after New Year's Eve."

Wang Zhi explained in detail.

"The Ming Sect thieves are desperate this time, scattering all their disciples over, treating them as abandoned pawns to confuse the situation, which is why Ji Tianrui's traces have never been found. But no matter what, these abandoned pawns used to confuse the situation should have been caught clean by the Imperial Guard in two months."

"No matter what plot the Ming Sect thieves have, it's within these two months. Their time is not much either."

"Even if they know it's a trap, they have to obediently roll in."

(End of chapter)