Chapter 50: The Prince of Qi
On the Qinhuai River.
There are rows of golden and powdered buildings, painted boats ripple with the sound of oars and lights, and there are crowds of tourists and prosperous business.
It is not easy to find an assassin in such a busy place.
Zhao Wumian followed the river bank, searching and thinking.
Being able to organize such a large-scale assassination operation, they must have extraordinary intelligence and power.
These people had made a plan one day in advance, clearly knowing the time and route for Zhu Biao's trip to the Imperial Examination Hall, and ambushed him in the early morning. They must have intelligence!
In addition, after the assassination, the Pacification Division mobilized all its forces to conduct a large-scale search, causing such a big commotion that ordinary people would not dare to shelter suspicious people. The assassin was seriously injured and his life was in danger. There was only one place for him to escape, and that was to find his accomplices!
With intelligence, great power, and the ability to protect...
The largest pleasure boat in the entire Qinhuai River is the "Feiyun Gaihai" that Shen Wansan gave to Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Yuanzhang did not want it, and Shen Wansan did not use it himself or give it to others. Now it is floating in the southwest corner of the Qinhuai River. The entire boat is in a closed state of formation, and one can only view it from a distance, and cannot board the boat.
The second most important person is Tao Zhufang of the Shen family. With Shen Wansan's ability, if he could allow the people of the White Lotus Sect to sneak into such an important place, he would no longer need to be the richest man.
The third largest is Fei Ju's Xiaoxiao Yanyu Tower. With the execution of the entire Fei family, the ship has been sealed by a formation. Even the Huaixi nobles who used to play on the ship can't get in.
The fourth largest...
Brothel, red sleeves waving!
Zhao Wumian's brain was working rapidly, and the suspicious person with the fate of "Unlucky Star" flashed through his mind.
"Hongxiuzhao is the most famous brothel in the entire Qinhuai area. It has considerable influence and can openly receive officials. It also has a source of intelligence. In addition, the two sneaky figures last night... Sir Qi!"
Zhao Wumian made a prompt decision and shouted to Qi Shizhou: "Follow me!"
After saying that, he used his Qing Kung Fu to leap towards Hong Xiu Zhao.
Qi Shizhou was stunned, and immediately flew over to catch up: "Has Captain Zhao made any progress?"
Zhao Wumian said: "Instead of looking for a needle in a haystack, it is better to try your luck first."
Qi Shizhou asked: "What do you doubt?"
Zhao Wumian pointed forward and said, "Red Sleeves Move."
Qi Shizhou is one of the "Four Prime Ministers". He is not only an outstanding martial artist, but also has a quick mind and quickly realized the problem.
He already had information about Hongxiuzhao: "Hongxiuzhao has only been established for a few years, but it is becoming more and more popular. The girls there are known for their beauty. And unlike some of the famous prostitutes, they are not weird and aloof. They never push customers away, provided they can pay. Such a place is mixed with good and bad people, and it is indeed suitable for Tibetans."
Zhao Wumian said: "It's not just the Tibetans, the most important thing is intelligence. When people are throwing money to buy laughter, they are often the most open-mouthed. With a little skill, you can get useful information. The only one who knows that the prince went to the Imperial Examination Hall this morning is an official. Officials have money and free time, and they are frequent customers of brothels!"
While talking.
The two came to the door of Hongxiuzhao.
As the fourth largest painted boat on the Qinhuai River, Hongxiuzhao is equally luxurious.
Different from the elegance of Tao Zhu Fang and the grandeur of Xiao Xiao Yan Yu Lou, the main color of Hong Xiu Zhao is overwhelming red, which is extremely festive and luxurious.
At this time, the three-story painted boat was bustling with people coming and going. Many dignitaries who had stayed overnight were walking out to the farewell calls of their beloved girls. Everyone looked relaxed, as if they were still unaware of the news of the prince's assassination.
As soon as Zhao Wumian and Qi Shizhou arrived, the atmosphere in the entire pleasure boat suddenly came to a standstill.
But this is normal.
Both of them were wearing flying fish suits. Even if the Jinyiwei came to visit prostitutes, they would wait until after dark and then come in the early morning wearing their official uniforms. It was obviously "official business".
The madam at the door was smiling as she saw them off. When she saw them, her face became a little stiff. She walked over quickly, forced a smile, and said carefully, "My two lords, what brings you here? I wonder what brings you here?"
Zhao Wumian used the "Observing Words and Expressions" technique, and blue light flashed in his eyes as he swept across the ground in front of the door.
Qi Shizhou casually said, "We are passing by here while chasing a wanted criminal. Come in and take a look." At the same time, he secretly sent a message to Zhao Wumian, "What's the situation?"
Zhao Wumian frowned and looked at the ground. Before he could say anything, there was a sudden crisp sound from the third floor of the houseboat. A waiter's second hand slipped and the plate in his hand fell to the ground, smashing both the dish and the plate into pieces.
"How do you work?"
The turtle man was very angry and cursed in a low voice: "Pack it up quickly!"
The third floor rooms are the best.
The room is equipped with sound-absorbing stones, so the sound from outside cannot come in and the sound from inside cannot come out, so there is no need to worry about being disturbed.
But there was no such thing in other rooms. Smashing plates and bowls so early in the morning was just asking for trouble.
"Yes Yes."
The waiter's face was pale. He nodded repeatedly and bent down to clear the plates. Suddenly, his foot slipped and he fell to the side. As luck would have it, he hit the door of a room upstairs next to him. After a bang, the door opened.
"?!"
The old man's eyes widened and he wanted to kick the waiter to death.
The madam downstairs was also surprised. When she saw which room it was, she was even more shocked. She quickly gestured to the pimp to deal with it quickly.
"Who?"
An impatient voice of a young man came from the room: "Why are you so restless so early in the morning? Are you looking for death?!"
The waiter turned pale and immediately knelt down, trembling: "Your Highness, please spare me! Your Highness, please spare me!"
The turtle rushed over with small steps, sweat dripping down his back as he smiled apologetically, "I am sorry for disturbing your sweet dream, Your Highness. I will take him away right away."
The young man in the house roared: "Get out!"
"..."
The old man wiped his sweat, looking relieved that he had survived the disaster. He carefully closed the door, grabbed the waiter by the collar and left quickly.
Qi Shizhou felt that voice was familiar, and suddenly an idea flashed through his mind: "Your Highness the Prince of Qi?"
King of Qi, Zhu Yu.
The seventh son of the current emperor.
The madam whispered, "It was His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi. He stayed at Xiuning's place last night. He seemed to be in a good mood, otherwise he would not have let it go so easily if we had disturbed him."
Qi Shizhou's expression changed slightly.
Zhu Gui is scheduled to be enfeoffed in Qingzhou Prefecture, Shandong Province next year. Once enfeoffed, he will attach great importance to the protection of his fiefdom and will not be allowed to enter the capital without permission. His parents and brothers will never see each other again.
Because of this, the closer it was to the time of his enfeoffment, the looser the supervision of the emperor, the crown prince and even the empress became, and they turned a blind eye to some of his extraordinary behavior.
After all, Zhu Yu was only sixteen years old.
Xiuning refers to one of the three famous prostitutes of Hongxiuzhao, Wu Xiuning, who is good at playing the guzheng and is both beautiful and talented.
"Is the madam warning us?"
Zhao Wumian looked down at the ground, stepped over the threshold, entered the lobby, and said, "His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi is inside, so we can't disturb him or investigate further. Is that what you mean?"
"No no no!"
The madam waved her hands and said with an apologetic smile, "If you want to investigate the case, go ahead. I will never stop you, nor dare to stop you. I think His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi will understand."
Qi Shizhou's face twitched, and he said to Zhao Wumian: "Captain Zhao, be cautious. The King of Qi is arrogant. If there is no real evidence, we should avoid him."
"indeed."
Zhao Wumian smiled slightly, looking relaxed, and transmitted his voice: "But it can't be avoided... There are scattered bloodstains on the ground, which were just cleaned not long ago. The flower petals on the red carpet are also to cover up the blood. If it is the blood of an ordinary person, there is no need to deal with it like this. Now, I can be sure that the assassin is hiding in this red sleeve, and it is very likely in the room of the King of Qi!"
"Blood? Petals?"
Qi Shizhou looked towards the lobby floor.
He majored in Yin-Yang magic "Nine Palace Soul Transfer Technique". When it comes to searching souls and reading minds, he is good, but when it comes to eyesight, he is really not that good. He can't see any signs of cleaning, nor can he smell blood.
But he knew Zhao Wumian. Zhao Wumian was valued by the emperor, so he must be superior to ordinary people. If he said there was a problem, then there must be a problem.
"how do you want to do it?"
Qi Shizhou transmitted the message: "Your Highness the Prince of Qi must be protected by a master. Meng Ji can enter through the five elements and sneak through walls and windows silently. We can't do that. We can't barge in without permission. Once we alert the enemy, the assassin will definitely use Meng Ji's power to hide and we won't be able to explain it! Besides, if we push him into a corner, he will do something desperate and hurt Your Highness. It will also be our fault."
"So, we need to call out the King of Qi first."
Zhao Wumian thought for a moment and asked, "Master Qi is from the Yin-Yang sect?"
Qi Shizhou said: "Yes."
Zhao Wumian asked, "So the inner strength you practice is the Five Virtues Reincarnation Sutra?"
The "Five Virtues Reincarnation Sutra" is the supreme secret of Yin-Yang Taoism. It is well-known and not considered secret.
Qi Shizhou said: "Captain Zhao is very knowledgeable."
"That'll be easy."
Zhao Wumian said: "There is a technique in the Five Virtues Reincarnation Sutra called [Seal the Ten Lands], which is a sealing formation in the Yin-Yang formation. It can use true qi to attract the vital energy of heaven and earth to isolate space."
Qi Shizhou understood a little: "You want me to seal the room first and cut off his escape route?"
"Exactly."
"and then?"
"Of course, it is to persuade people with emotion and reason..."
Zhao Wumian strode upstairs.
Qi Shizhou hesitated slightly and followed.
The madam and the pimp looked at each other and saw the nervousness in each other's eyes.
The two came to the door of Zhu Yu's room.
Zhao Wumian bowed and said, "Zhao Wumian, the captain of the Pacification Department, has something important to report to His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi."
The door was closed and the people inside could not hear it. This sentence was said to the guard in the dark, and it was also to reassure the others. After saying it, he went forward and knocked on the door, then opened it and repeated the previous words.
"Is it annoying? Is it annoying?"
Zhu Yu in the room was furious: "One after another, you are deliberately not letting me sleep comfortably, right?"
Snapped!
Two teapots and four teacups flew over and hit the wall, splashing water and broken porcelain pieces.
Zhao Wumian took two steps back, expressionless: "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was assassinated in the Imperial Academy."
"I will hit...what did you say?!"
The people in the room were shocked, quickly put on their coats and rushed out of the room. It was a handsome young man with narrow eyebrows, thin lips, and a sinister look. After rushing out, he grabbed Zhao Wumian's arm and shouted nervously: "You said that big brother was assassinated? How is he now?"
Zhao Wumian said: "Your Highness the Crown Prince is fine, but there is an assassin who escaped. He has a magic weapon on him, a robe made of Meng Ji Xuan bone, which can escape the five elements. Your Highness the Prince of Qi must pay attention."
While speaking, he made a gesture to Qi Shizhou.
Qi Shizhou began to secretly mobilize the yin and yang energies in his body, pinching his fingers to perform the spell.
Zhu Yu breathed a sigh of relief: "It's good that you're okay. Since you're okay, I'll go back to sleep."
He turned to leave.
What a big heart!
Zhao Wumian immediately said: "Do it!"
Others rushed into the room first.
Is this your way of persuading people with emotion and reason?
Qi Shizhou didn't expect that he could just barge in directly. This would catch the enemy by surprise, but if the assassin was not inside, it would be a big problem!
Now the arrow is on the string and has to be shot. Gritting his teeth, Qi Shizhou pointed his sword at the ground and his magic power burst out. In an instant, a huge Yin-Yang Tai Chi diagram spread outwards, the Yin-Yang formation was activated, and the space in the room was isolated from the outside world.
The madam and the pimp's faces changed drastically.
Zhu Yu was also surprised and angrily asked, "What are you doing!"
"what!!!"
Screams were heard from within the room.
After Zhao Wumian entered the room, he saw a disheveled woman lying on the bed. She looked okay, but unfortunately she had a dusty face.
"you wanna die!"
Zhu Yu obviously liked this prostitute very much. His face changed immediately and he flew into a rage: "Come here, beat her up--"
Zhao Wumian's eyes were as bright as lightning as he scanned the entire room and paused on the cupboard on the left.
"Got you."
"Observing Words and Expressions" can see through things, and Meng Ji's magical power can allow people to enter the five elements. But after all, humans are flesh and blood, different from earth, wood, metal and stone. Even if the two are combined, the internal structure is completely different.
Zhao Wumian drew his sword in a flash, and with a sweep, the dazzling blade light flew out and chopped into the cabinet on the left. There was a bang and a muffled groan, and the cabinet exploded instantly! The black-clothed figure in the cabinet revealed his true form, wearing a hood and with a cold look. It was the previous [Tian Sha Gu Xing].
"puff!"
The man in black spat out a mouthful of blood and his face turned pale.
"He's an assassin!"
Fu Yining, the eunuch who was secretly guarding Zhu Gui, heard the order and was about to attack Zhao Wumian to teach him a lesson for trespassing. In the room, Zhao Wumian had already forced out the real murderer. Fu Yining realized that the situation was not good. If he attacked Zhao Wumian at this moment and let the assassin who assassinated the prince go, Zhu Gui's life would be over!
He immediately changed his target and slapped the man in black.
The man in black had already been hit by the Five Evil Palms and was seriously injured. He was caught off guard and was chopped by Zhao Wumian. He was at his weakest moment, and then another palm strike came at this time. His internal organs were shattered and he was completely unable to resist. He flew backwards and was dying.
Zhu Yu was stunned.
He didn't expect that there was someone else in his room, and it was the murderer who assassinated his eldest brother!
"Your Highness..."
The woman on the bed was so frightened that her face turned pale. She got out of bed in panic and ran towards Zhu Gui.
Zhu Yu was still a young man after all, and when Wu Xiuning showed this attitude, he felt so much pity for her that he wanted to hold her in his arms without thinking.
At that moment.
The madam and the pimp outside the door attacked at the same time, pouncing on Zhu Gui like wolves and tigers.
The assassin has been exposed, and Hong Xiu Zhao is doomed to fail. The only chance to escape now is to hold Zhu Gui hostage!
"Be careful, Your Highness!"
Fu Yining was the bodyguard specially assigned by Old Zhu to Zhu Gui, so he was naturally knowledgeable. If he still didn't know the relationship between the assassin and Hong Xiuzhao by this time, he would have no need to live. This Wu Xiuning was very likely related to the assassin, but now there were wolves in front and tigers behind, and he could only deal with one side. After giving the reminder, he clapped his palms together, killing the madam and the pimp.
Wu Xiuning was only three feet away from Zhu Gui. With a flip of her wrist, the bracelet on her wrist turned into a sharp sword and stabbed towards Zhu Gui's throat.
Zhu Yu reacted and was horrified!
At the critical moment.
Zhao Wumian pressed his body down and drew his sword in an instant. It shot out like a black lightning and pierced through Wu Xiuning's body!
Heads fell to the ground.
The world is spinning.
Zhao Wumian sheathed his sword, and the remaining headless body fell into Zhu Yu's arms...
(End of this chapter)
