NCCnovel Chapter 398 The trapped beast still fights
Chapter 398 The trapped beast still fights
Outside the house, the moonlight was like water, sprinkling on this seemingly peaceful courtyard, but it could not illuminate the dark world inside the house filled with pain and hatred.
The two maids guarding outside the door looked at each other and sighed at the same time, their eyes full of sympathy and helplessness.
"Madam's illness has relapsed. It's so pitiful." A nanny whispered, with deep pity in her voice.
"Who says it isn't true? When the eldest young master was still alive, the lady was so glorious," another maid also shook her head and sighed, "Look at her now. Who could have imagined that the mistress of our Guo family would become so crazy?"
"Oh, stop talking!" the first maid interrupted quickly, looking around nervously. "Madam, this is going to be a while since she's been ill. We have to guard the door carefully and not let anyone out."
"I, an old woman, know the situation well." The other maid nodded, and the two of them returned to silence, quietly guarding the door, as if this could build a line of defense for the tormented soul in the house.
The news of the Guo Mansion soon reached the ears of those who were interested.
Crown Prince Zhao Hao had just come out of the main hall. He looked tired. He had been busy investigating the Jiangnan corruption case these days and had not returned to the palace for several months. This time when he returned to the palace, he was busy dealing with affairs again, and his expression showed a bit of haggardness.
When his personal eunuch saw him come out, he immediately stepped forward quickly, carefully leaned close to his ear, and whispered the news from the Guo Mansion to him.
"Oh? You said that Master Rong sent someone to contact the Guo family? When did the Guo family take refuge with Duke Rong's Mansion? I'm afraid there must be something hidden here." Zhao Hao frowned slightly, with a hint of vigilance and doubt in his eyes.
The eunuch looked around cautiously, and seeing no one paying attention, he lowered his voice and revealed the inside story: "Old Guo's eldest grandson, Guo Fanyu, was beheaded. It was the Rongguo Mansion that betrayed Master Chu."
When Zhao Hao heard that the Rongguo Mansion was involved in this matter, his eyes instantly became sharp as an eagle, his eyes narrowed slightly, and a cold light flashed in his eyes.
He knew very well that the power of Duke Rong's Mansion was complicated and difficult to deal with. He thought that the matter had been properly handled, but he didn't expect it to be brought up again. It seemed that the water behind this was much deeper than he imagined.
"What is he trying to achieve by winning over the Guo family?" Zhao Hao whispered to himself, his voice full of contemplation and vigilance, as if he was groping in the dark, trying to find the truth hidden behind the thick fog.
"Your Highness," the guard knelt on one knee, his voice low and respectful, "Our people haven't yet obtained any specific information, but after receiving the letter, the eldest master of the Guo family secretly dispatched a group of assassins to leave the capital."
Zhao Hao turned his gaze away from the window upon hearing this, a gleam of brilliance flashing in his eyes: "Sending someone to follow may yield unexpected rewards."
After knowing the true identity of Concubine Rong, he arranged many people to monitor the Rong Mansion day and night. Like a cheetah lurking in the dark, he patiently waited for the best opportunity to catch the other party's handle in one fell swoop.
Even though Concubine Rong is very capable, she is just a woman living deep in the palace, and many affairs need to be handled with the help of Duke Rong's Mansion.
As long as we get hold of something on Duke Rong's Mansion first, we will encounter less resistance when dealing with Concubine Rong later, and our losses will be minimized.
"Has Chu Lingfeng sent back any news during this period?" Zhao Hao asked again, with a hint of concern and expectation in his expression.
"Not yet," the guard paused, then continued, "but the secret guards we sent have arrived at Longmen City and have contacted Master Chu. The news should be sent back soon."
"Very good," Zhao Hao said, his lips curling up slightly, revealing a barely perceptible sneer. "Let someone be arrogant for a while longer, and then I will give her a great gift."
"Your Highness is wise." The guard responded in a low voice, his tone full of respect.
At the same time, Longmen Island, thousands of miles away, is presenting a lively and tense scene.
First, Murong Chen was nearly kidnapped by a mysterious force, and then a group of well-trained killers landed on the island to snatch him away. These sudden incidents one after another made the island's defenses extremely strict, with almost one guard every hundred meters.
However, even such a tight defense is difficult to stop a true master.
The ten secret guards sent by Zhao Hao quietly landed on the island like ghosts.
They were agile and, under the cover of night, cleverly avoided the patrolling guards on the island.
When they noticed the complex and exquisite layout of the island, combined with the information they had previously investigated, their impression of Chu Lingfeng changed greatly.
They originally thought that Chu Lingfeng was just trying to curry favor with the prince and would rely on him for survival in the future, but they didn't expect that it was actually the prince who needed to rely on Chu Lingfeng to get out of trouble.
Therefore, when they saw Chu Lingfeng, they were extremely respectful.
"Your Highness," the leading secret guard stepped forward, bowed, and saluted with a respectful expression, "Your Highness has sent people here to obtain evidence of that person's crime."
Chu Lingfeng was slightly startled after hearing this, and thought to himself, is the prince planning to launch a counterattack? However, words are not enough to prove it. How could such an important item be handed over so easily?
Before he could speak, the secret guard presented him with a token and a letter.
Chu Lingfeng first took the jade pendant, examined it carefully, and confirmed that it was a personal item of Crown Prince Zhao Hao before slowly opening the letter.
In the letter, the prince briefly mentioned the major events in the court, the increasingly tense situation, and the various forces ready to move. He also emphasized the difficult situation of Huo Shuixian in Concubine Rong's palace.
After reading the letter and confirming the identities of these people, Chu Lingfeng properly accommodated them and then found Murong Ling'er.
"There's news from the palace that your sister is in a bad situation." Chu Lingfeng said solemnly.
He didn't care about Huo Shuixian, but told her specifically for the sake of Murong Ling'er and Huo Jianjie, and he was also worried.
Huo Shuixian's identity is sensitive and is involved in an old case at the General's Mansion. If she cannot withstand Concubine Rong's tactics and reveals her identity, Murong Ling'er and her son may be implicated.
How could Murong Ling'er not understand his thoughts? As soon as he opened his mouth, she understood: "Don't worry, she is not that stupid. She will naturally not do such a thing that hurts the enemy by a thousand and hurts herself by eight hundred."
In fact, after Murong Ling'er knew the true identities of the two, she set up a restriction in Huo Shuixian's sea of consciousness.
In this way, even if Huo Shuixian wanted to make a name for herself with this incident, she would not be able to succeed.
However, she would not tell Chu Lingfeng about this. Some methods were better to be understood in one's heart and there was no need to publicize them.
Seeing that Murong Ling'er had a plan, Chu Lingfeng stopped talking and moved on to another matter. "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has sent someone to bring all the evidence proving Concubine Rong's background back to Kyoto. I guess he can't wait to act. The battle for the crown prince is becoming increasingly fierce, and the Crown Prince is currently gaining momentum. Moreover, the Emperor has changed his attitude for some reason. To prevent any accidents, the Crown Prince is very likely planning to expose this matter completely at the banquet."
After hearing this, Murong Ling'er pondered for a moment and commented, "This timing is perfect. On the Min'an side, if Prime Minister Li's family agrees to cooperate with us, the matter of Grand Tutor Ji will soon see results. We can each make our own plans and defeat them one by one, preventing them from leveraging each other's strength. That would be perfect."
Originally, Murong Ling'er was planning to remind Chu Lingfeng to reveal Min'an Country's arrangements to Zhao Hao, but now it seems that it is not necessary. The plans of both sides coincide with each other, which is really good news.
Chu Lingfeng was calm, as he knew very well that when the truth came to light, Kyoto would be in turmoil, with countless heads shed and rivers of blood flowing.
By then, it will probably be the most turbulent time. After all, "a trapped beast will still fight", and all forces will certainly make a desperate attempt, and the situation will inevitably become increasingly out of control.