kingnovel Chapter 1653 There is a mole!
Chapter 1653 There is a mole!
The night is as dark as ink and the cold wind is howling.
In the alleys of East Street in the capital, the light of torches swayed in the wind, illuminating the mottled walls with flickering lights.
More than a dozen bodies of men in black were lying on the ground, blood flowing through the cracks in the bluestone slabs, emitting a dark red luster in the moonlight.
The air was filled with a strong smell of blood, mixed with the scent of scattered medicinal powder, which was pungent and strange.
Zhao Yu was wearing black armor and holding a spear. His stern face looked particularly fierce in the firelight.
He squatted down and pulled off the veil of one of the assassins, revealing a strange face - pale and stiff, with black blood at the corner of his mouth. It was obvious that he had committed suicide by biting the poison sac between his teeth when he was slashing the knife to commit suicide.
"Call the painter over!"
Zhao Yu ordered coldly: "Draw the faces of all these people and find out their identities immediately!"
"Yes!" The Jinyiwei behind him responded in unison.
Soon, several painters came forward quickly with lanterns in hand, spread out rice paper next to the corpse, and with the light of torches, they depicted the dead man's face stroke by stroke.
The rustling sound of the pen tip rubbing against the paper was particularly clear in the quiet street.
At this moment, there was a rush of footsteps in the distance.
"General Zhao!"
Zhao Yu looked up and saw the Minister of Justice Ling Haoran rushing over with dozens of yamen runners.
Ling Haoran was dressed in a dark blue official uniform, his face solemn and his brows furrowed, obviously aware of the seriousness of the matter.
"Lord Ling." Zhao Yu bowed.
After Ling Haoran returned the greeting, he glanced at the corpse on the ground and said in a deep voice, "I heard that it was General Zhao who saved Doctor Sun. Could you tell us about the situation at that time?"
Zhao Yu nodded and said in a low voice, "I have been ordered by His Majesty to bring Divine Doctor Sun into the palace to deliver Concubine Lan's baby. I didn't expect to see Divine Doctor Sun being chased by these men in black when I arrived here."
He pointed to the medicine box fragments and several silver needles scattered on the ground and continued, "All four of Divine Doctor Sun's sedan bearers were killed. If I hadn't arrived in time, the consequences would have been disastrous."
Ling Haoran squatted down, picked up a silver needle, and narrowed his eyes: "These assassins are well-trained. If they fail to hit, they will commit suicide. It is obvious that they have been prepared in advance."
Zhao Yu snorted coldly, "I wanted to leave some of them alive, but they all killed themselves with their swords. Not a single one survived."
Ling Haoran stood up, dusted off his hands, and said thoughtfully, "Since Divine Doctor Sun went to the palace to deliver Concubine Lan, the news must have leaked from the palace."
Zhao Yu frowned. "Lord Ling suspects there's a spy in the palace? But what if someone from Divine Doctor Sun's residence leaked their whereabouts?"
Ling Haoran shook his head, his tone firm: "If the Sun Mansion leaked the secret, there would be no time left. The other party would not be able to send out assassins to intercept us halfway so quickly."
He paused, his eyes deep, "Only if the news gets out from the palace can the other party make arrangements in advance and strike just when Divine Doctor Sun is halfway on his way."
Zhao Yu's face suddenly darkened when he heard this.
If it is true as Ling Haoran said, that there is a traitor in the palace, then things will become complicated.
To investigate people in the palace, one must obtain the emperor's permission, otherwise it would be a crime of usurpation.
"Lord Ling, this matter is of great importance," Zhao Yu said in a deep voice. "If it involves anyone in the palace, I'm afraid we need His Majesty's permission to investigate."
Ling Haoran took a deep breath and said, "How about this, General Zhao, seal off this area first and find out the identities of these assassins. I will immediately go to the palace and report this matter to His Majesty."
Zhao Yu nodded: "Okay, I will find out the origins of these people as soon as possible."
Ling Haoran bowed and said goodbye, then turned and left quickly.
His figure quickly disappeared into the night, leaving only the light of the torch swaying in the wind.
Zhao Yu retracted his gaze and gave a cold order: "Everyone listen up! Thoroughly check the clothes and weapons of these assassins. Don't let any clues go unnoticed!"
The Jinyiwei immediately took action, searching the bodies and collecting evidence. The only sounds on the entire street were the rustling of clothes and the crackling of burning torches.
Imperial Palace, Imperial Study Room.
The candlelight was bright, Chu Ning sat at the desk, holding a memorial in his hand, his brows furrowed.
"Your Majesty, Minister of Justice Ling Haoran requests an audience." Outside the palace, the chief eunuch reported in a low voice.
Chu Ning raised his head, a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes: "Xuan."
Soon, Ling Haoran walked quickly into the hall and knelt down to salute: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."
"No need to be polite." Chu Ning put down the memorial and asked directly, "How is the investigation going?"
Ling Haoran said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, General Zhao and I have conducted a preliminary investigation of the scene and found that those assassins were well-trained and acted swiftly. It was obvious that this was premeditated."
Chu Ning's eyes turned cold: "Go on."
Ling Haoran took a deep breath and said, "I suspect that the news of Divine Doctor Sun entering the palace was leaked from within the palace."
"what?"
Chu Ning stood up suddenly, his eyes flashing with coldness: "Are you saying that there is a traitor in my palace?"
Ling Haoran lowered his head and said in a serious voice, "I dare not speak rashly, but judging from the timing, the other party could only quickly send out assassins to intercept Divine Doctor Sun after receiving the news from the palace."
Chu Ning slammed his fist on the table, making the teacups clink. "Investigate! This must be done immediately! No matter who it is in the palace, they must be investigated!"
Ling Haoran bowed and said, "I obey your command."
Chu Ning said coldly, "This matter is fully under your and Zhao Yu's responsibility. Anyone who interferes will be charged with treason!"
Ling Haoran's heart trembled, and he quickly responded, "I will do my utmost to find out who is behind this!"
Chu Ning waved his hand and said, "Go down. I want to see the results as soon as possible."
Ling Haoran bowed and retreated, and silence returned to the hall.
Chu Ning stood in front of the window, looking at the dark night sky, murderous intent in his eyes.
"How dare you take action right under my nose? You must be tired of living!"
At this time, Queen Shen Wanying moved lightly with lotus steps, holding a celadon bowl in her hand. The bowl was filled with freshly cooked lotus seed soup, and the curling hot steam rose in the candlelight.
She was wearing a moon-white nightgown with a lavender gauze dress on the outside. Her long black hair was loosely tied up, and a few strands of black hair hung down on the side of her snow-white neck, adding a touch of softness.
"Your Majesty, it's late at night, it's time to rest." Shen Wanying advised softly, placing the lotus seed soup gently on the table.
The fragrance of lotus seeds mixed with the sweetness of honey filled the hall.
Chu Ning put down the memorial in his hand and looked up at his queen. Under the candlelight, her eyebrows were picturesque and her eyes were full of concern.
He reached out and held her slender wrist, which felt as soft as jade.
"The Queen understands my heart best." He whispered, his thumb gently stroking her wrist.
Shen Wanying's cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn't withdraw her hand. She just said softly, "Your Majesty has been working hard these days. I feel sorry for you. This lotus seed soup is the best way to calm your mind."
Before she could finish her words, Chu Ning suddenly pulled her hard and brought her into his arms.
Shen Wanying let out a soft cry, and the silk handkerchief in her hand fell to the ground.
Chu Ning held her slender waist and whispered in her ear: "Since you need to calm your mind, why not have the Queen accompany me personally?"
Without waiting for her response, Chu Ning stood up, one hand still tightly holding her soft hand, and the other hand pushed open the pearl curtain of the inner hall.
Shen Wanying lowered her eyes and smiled slightly, letting him lead her towards the inner hall.
As the bead curtain swayed, the candlelight cast overlapping shadows behind them, gradually disappearing into the curtains of the inner hall.