At the same time, behind the Prince of Dai's manor, at Guanyin Chan Monastery.
A faint green lamp flickered, and the monastery gate was tightly shut. Two guards were keeping watch at the entrance, now drowsy and on the verge of sleep. This Guanyin Monastery was originally built by the first Princess of Dai as a private retreat. It was only the size of a courtyard, but fortunately, it was very secluded and adjacent to the manor, so few people came here, sparing it from the hustle and bustle of a crowd.
Precisely because of this, it had become a sacred ground for Zhu Chongju, the Prince of Raoyang, and the Princess of Dai to meet in secret.
At this moment, Zhu Chongju, the Prince of Raoyang, while sipping wine, looked full of ambition and laughed heartily, "Yin'er, once this is done, we'll be husband and wife in name, and let that old turtle die..."
"Oh, with all this gossip in the city, you're still making light of it..."
Zhu Chongju smiled, "With all this gossip in the city, won't it make people suspect even less?"
Just then, the Princess of Dai also moved closer, her face filled with joy. "My Lord Prince, do you think we can truly achieve our wish this time?"
Zhu Chongju snorted and said, "Of course. I've been working towards this day for twenty years, waiting for twenty years... This time, it will definitely succeed! Anda will take Desheng Fortress by tomorrow at the latest, and then the army will be at the city gates. Yang Xuan, Wu Ying, and Li Chong will lead the Right Guard out to meet the enemy. Then, if an uprising occurs at Huayan Temple, amidst the chaos, Yang Xuan and the others will kill Zhu Mo for the Grand Secretary. As for me, I'll dispatch that old turtle... Hmph, that manor rightfully belongs to me!"
As he spoke, his sinister expression became even more terrifying.
The Princess of Dai seemed mesmerized, but after a moment, her face clouded with worry. "I wonder, if the Tatars really break through, will we be alright? What if the court and the Emperor find out, then what?"
"Haha, Yin'er, I'll tell you the truth: The Great Ming will be in chaos this time! Anda's target will still be the capital. He wants to force Jiajing, this good-for-nothing, to sign a peace treaty at the city gates, and then he won't leave, directly stationing troops along the Xuanda and Jiliao lines... As for me, I'll first become the Prince of Nanping of the Great Yuan Jin Kingdom. The people of the Ming Dynasty won't be able to control me... In the future, the Ming Dynasty will fight Anda desperately. I will declare independence and fortify my territory in Xuanda, and when they are both exhausted from fighting, I will launch a surprise attack on the capital and ascend the Golden Throne..."
As he spoke, his eyes began to gleam with unconquerable aspiration.
The Princess of Dai had been captivated by his arrogant ambition since they met six years ago. Now, she suddenly felt afraid and murmured, "My Lord Prince, but that Zhu Mo is very formidable, I'm worried..."
"Bah!"
"Does he even deserve it?"
"Yin'er, let me tell you, that kid wants to reform the system, and he's already offended all the scholars and gentry in the world. He's destined to die sooner or later! He's someone Yan Shifan hates to the bone, how could he possibly live? Moreover, within Datong City, he killed Li Chong's son. Will Li Chong let him go? Tomorrow morning, this person will surely be no more..."
Although he said this, he still felt a bit of lingering fear in his heart—
This Zhu Mo was simply too strange...
He didn't take the bait in Xuanfu, and he couldn't be lured to Datong either. This time, he was almost caught, but then a porter suddenly appeared and rescued him. What he didn't expect was that Jiajing was equally strange, issuing such an imperial decree, which almost overturned the situation in Datong.
If it weren't for Yan Shifan and the others' brilliant strategy, spreading rumors and taking sides, and the brothers of the twelve guards following them, Datong would have been seized by him. At that time, if Anda, with his suspicious nature, suddenly stopped the invasion, it would have all been in vain.
Fortunately, everything was blessed by heaven. The old turtle, the Prince of Dai, finally showed some spirit and staged a scene of a husband catching his wife's lover. tomorrow morning, standing on the north city gate tower, everything would be settled.
Thinking of this, he gulped down a cup of wine, and a smile finally appeared on his lips.
At this moment, the Princess of Dai asked doubtfully, "My Lord Prince, but will Yang Xuan and Li Chong listen to you? How can you say you've gained control of Datong City? And you want to be the Prince of Nanping here?"
Zhu Chongju chuckled sinisterly and whispered, "The Ming Army was created by me. After the Yan family took it, I was sidelined... These scoundrels, they do everything in my name and then sideline me... Hmph! What Yan Shifan and Yan Song, they are nothing in my eyes!
To tell you the truth, on the Biansheng side, I've already had Zhao Quan and Qiu Fu build a troop. This time, when Anda enters the city, I'll take care of Yang Xuan and Li Chong... Then, when Anda enfeoffs me as the Prince of Nanping, Datong will be mine! In the future, when I march on the capital, I'll cut down the Yan Song father and son!"
Mmm,
This time, the Princess of Dai was finally reassured and said slowly, "Then I can also become a legitimate princess..."
Just then, the two of them suddenly heard a loud bang.
Zhu Chongju shouted, "Who's there?"
He casually extinguished the candlelight.
...
Zhu Mo and Ma Fang led a hundred-man squad. They had been eavesdropping for a while and felt that there were no more secrets. Then, with a flying kick, with a bang, they actually kicked down the entire door.
Holding a firearm, he strode into the room and cursed, "Son of a bitch! You dog and bitch! Get out here!"
At his command, the hundred-man squad had already surrounded the monastery.
Ma Fang also entered, carrying a large saber, and said, "Brother Zhu, His Highness has arrived."
With a whoosh!
The hundred-man squad lit their tinder, igniting the lanterns under the eaves, instantly illuminating the entire monastery.
"You! Who are you?"
Amidst a clamor of curses, a middle-aged man was dragged into the courtyard by Zheng Qin, holding him by the back of his collar. The Princess of Dai, also disheveled, was pulled out of the room by Zheng Qin.
"参将 Ma! This, this is..."
As the voice carried, several house guards escorting Prince Dai, Zhu Tingqi, also happened to enter the gate.
Upon seeing Zhu Chongju, the Prince of Raoyang, and seeing the princess disheveled and weeping with her head bowed, Zhu Tingqi, though panicked, understood everything—
Although Ma Fang had been rude and disrespectful just now, what he said was true... These two, a dog and a bitch, were actually doing such shameful things in their ancestors' private Buddha hall? httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
He, who had always been self-disciplined and valued his reputation, felt that he had been deceived for so many years. He couldn't help but fly into a rage and curse, "Stinking slut! I must have been blind!"
He almost wanted to slap her, but he forcibly restrained himself. Instead, he slowly walked up to Zhu Chongju, the Prince of Raoyang, and scrutinized him for a while before saying, "You, you, you are considered an elder uncle to this king... But you? How could you commit such a ridiculous and shameful act?"
Hmph!
Zhu Chongju, overjoyed tonight, had forgotten to be cautious and was turned over by Zhu Mo at this crucial moment. He regretted it deeply now, but he remained defiant, staring venomously at Zhu Mo and sneering, "Zhu Mo, oh Zhu Mo, you truly possess a strange spirit... I, the Prince, calculated everything, yet I still fell into your trap... If you have the ability, kill me!"
Crack, crack, crack!
Suddenly, several crisp sounds followed.
Zhu Mo had slapped him three or four times, then spat and cursed, "Idiot!"
Then he turned to Prince Dai, Zhu Tingqi, and said, "You old sycophant, marrying a slut and then asking for imperial investiture? You've disgraced the entire Zhu family! You must give me your word now, are you divorcing this slut?"
Zhu Mo's intention was that the Prince of Dai had to write a divorce decree first, and then he could be dealt with. Otherwise, it would still require the procedures of the宗人府 (Imperial Clan Court), which would take a month or two, and that would be too troublesome.
Prince Dai's face turned pale. He had lost all interest in life and finally nodded.
Looking at the sinister expression on Zhu Chongju, the Prince of Raoyang's face, Zhu Mo suddenly realized: his eyes seemed to reveal some mockery? As if he knew many things that he didn't?
He immediately reacted: this person must not be allowed to contact anyone else! After the great battle, he must interrogate him himself...
He immediately ordered Zheng Qin, "You quickly escort this person to the Censorate and hand him over to Commander Yu of the Embroidered Uniform Guard for imprisonment. Tell him—no one is allowed to contact this person! Not a single word can be spoken, and even meals must be delivered using a long pole, do you understand?"
Zheng Qin also realized the seriousness of the matter and nodded heavily.