Chapter 106: The Rhythm of Counterattack

  Fu Bo walked back to the inn in a daze, with one sentence swirling in his mind: "Xiao Wu is dead."

  During the Hongzhi period, Fu Bo began to take charge of the Imperial Guard, and he was a man who had seen all sorts of treachery and life-and-death struggles. But this time, Xiao Wu's death was different, because... Xiao Wu had died in his place.

  If Little Wu didn't take action at that time, then he would have had no choice but to take action.

  It was obvious that Xiao Wu made his move because Zhu Youxiao allowed him to do so. And why did Zhu Youxiao want Xiao Wu to make a move, and even let him use his hidden weapon? The reason is simple: because Fu Bo and Zhu Youxiao were too close, this move gave Zhu Houzhao ironclad evidence, all of which was manipulated by Zhu Youxiao behind the scenes.

  Xiao Wu was different, he had been deliberately sent away by Zhu Youjian since entering the capital, and was not allowed to follow him. Since no one had any evidence that Xiao Wu and Zhu Youjian were related, Zhu Youjian let Xiao Wu die in place of Fu Bo, so as not to expose himself.

  Fu Bo didn't know how he ended up back at the Yun Ge Inn, but when he pushed open the door to Zhu Youxiao's room, he saw Zhu standing by the window with his back to him. That thin and frail figure made one's heart ache just looking at it.

  Fu Bo looked at Zhu Youxiao's back and opened his mouth to speak, but Zhu Youxiao seemed to be muttering to himself and started talking first.

  "I met Xiao Wu eleven years ago, when he was twelve. I encountered him while passing through a forest on my way from Zhongxiang County to Jing Shan County. At that time, he was holding an axe with blood dripping from it, and there were three corpses lying on the ground. I had never seen a twelve-year-old boy who had just killed people yet still had such a calm gaze, so I went up to him and asked if those people were the ones he had killed, and why he had killed them."

  Xiao Wu was originally from Tong'an Township. His village was raided by bandits five years ago, and his parents were killed at the hands of the bandits. At that time, Xiao Wu hid in a water tank and escaped disaster. Later, Xiao Wu went to find a master to learn martial arts everywhere, and at the age of twelve, he already had the realm of the Five Small Tripods.

  I think I have a fate with Little Wu, so I brought him by my side. And let you teach Little Wu martial arts, I know you love Little Wu as your only legitimate disciple in this life. But today's situation is either you die or Little Wu dies. I must make a choice between the two, if not, the final result will be that we all die."

  "Xiao Wu may have killed Li Yun, but Zhu Houzhao will definitely guess that we are the ones manipulating everything behind the scenes. He won't let us off," Fu Bo said in a deep and solemn tone.

  Zhu Youhuan turned around, and it was only then that Fu Bo discovered that his face was already streaming with tears.

  Zhu Youdang wiped away the tears on his face with his sleeve, then said: "He knows we have nothing to do with each other, as long as he doesn't have any ironclad evidence, he won't be able to do anything to us."

  "Why?"

  Fu Bo was perplexed, for in his view, as an emperor, one would stop at nothing to eliminate anyone who posed a threat or had ulterior motives. If it couldn't be done openly, then secretly. How many officials were killed by bandits on their way home after retirement? And were those bandits really just ordinary bandits? Even if Emperor Xiaozong was known for his benevolence and righteousness, the number of people Fu Bo helped him secretly eliminate was not small either. So Fu Bo couldn't understand why Zhu Youxiao was so certain that Zhu Houzhao wouldn't kill him. After all, this involved the issue of imperial power, a taboo for monarchs.

  "It's easy to kill a person, but it's hard to be at peace after killing someone."

  "My mother, the empress dowager, had a favor to repay to Empress Ji and also to Zhu Youxiao's father, Zhu Youjian. It was because of my mother that Empress Ji was able to survive by hiding in Anle Hall. When Zhu Youjian was six years old, Emperor Taizong worried about not having an heir to inherit the throne, so my mother told him where Empress Ji and Zhu Youjian were. The emperor immediately went to find them and moved Empress Ji to Yongshou Palace, and also appointed Zhu Youjian as crown prince."

  It is laughable that it was in that year that my mother conceived me. And afterwards, she gave birth to two younger brothers, Zhu Youdun and Zhu Youyue. If only I had been born a year later, the one who would have been made crown prince instead of Zhu Youtang would have been me, and the one sitting on the throne today would be me, not Zhu Houzhao.

  "Before his death, Zhu Youdun had entrusted Zhu Houzhao to treat our mother well and to treat us kindly. Therefore, without solid evidence, Zhu Houzhao would not take action against us."

  Fu Bo had heard about the affairs of Ji Fei and Chen Fei when he was in the palace, but at that time he was just a small eunuch who didn't know much, and he didn't expect that there would be so many entanglements of love and hate, which even affected the present.

  Although Zhu Youxiao was very confident, Fu Bo still had some misgivings. He said to Zhu Youxiao, "Your Highness, no matter what, the capital is a place of right and wrong. I think it's better for us to leave early, lest we get burned."

  "Leave?" Zhu Youxiao shook his head, and with a bitter smile said: "Zhu Houzhao won't let me go that easily. I'm just saying that before he gets ironclad evidence, he won't kill me. But this doesn't mean he won't keep me here and gather evidence to kill me later. How can one sleep soundly with others by their side? For an emperor, whoever covets his throne will be killed, not even close relatives are spared, let alone me, the imperial uncle."

  At this moment, the words spoken by Zhu Houzhao and Jiang Xia in the leopard house coincided with Zhu Youxiao's conjecture. Zhu Houzhao also explained to Jiang Xia the grudges of the last two generations, while also making it clear that without ironclad evidence, Zhu Youxiao could not be moved.

  After Zhu Houzhao finished saying all this, Jiang Xia didn't say much either. He thought for a moment and then said to Zhu Houzhao: "Since that's the case, you promise me one thing."

  "You speak," said Zhu Houzhao.

  Jiang Xia smiled and said: "Hand over the Tianji Association and Zhu Houxi's case to Zhang Yong to handle, then tell Zhang Yong to cooperate with me."

  "Huh?" Zhu Houzhao was slightly stunned, and he asked Jiang Xia with some skepticism: "Do you think Liu Jin has a problem?"

  Jiang Xia shook his head, he didn't want to offend Liu Jin for now: "It's not that Liu Jin has a problem, but I want to change the way I play with Zhu Youxiao. He's already used up all his moves, and it's time for me to make my move."

  "Alright. I'll leave this matter to you and Zhang Yong to handle." Zhu Houzhao said with a smile.

  Jiang Xia also smiled, but he still didn't forget to instruct Zhu Houzhao that no matter what, he mustn't tell Liu Jin that this was his idea.

  After leaving the leopard house, Jiang Xia directly returned to the Carefree Mountain Villa.

  In the backyard of the Xiangyang Mountain Villa, the large round dining table was already filled with all kinds of delicious dishes. Those were the results of Cui Ruxue and Cui Nianshu's busy work for a whole morning.

  In the hall sat Li Dongyang, Jun Yang, Lie Jueqing, Zhong Bin, Han Muxuan, Cui Ruxue and Cui Nian'nu. Seeing Jiang Xia return, Cui Ruxue and Cui Nian'nu excitedly ran over together and called out: "Big Brother Jiang."

  "It's all right as long as you're fine, now the truth is finally out." said Cui Nian Nu.

  Jiang Xia smiled slightly and reached out to scratch Cui Nian Nu's nose: "Yes, yes, the truth is revealed. In a few days, it will be the imperial examination, after passing the imperial examination, I will be on the golden list...".

  Jiang Xia's words seemed to have a hidden meaning, and Cui Nian Nu and Cui Ru Shuang's faces immediately turned red. The two lowered their heads, and Cui Ru Shuang said in a low voice: "Today is the day you clear your name, so everyone came together to celebrate with you. We've been waiting for you for a long time, let's eat first, or else the dishes will get cold."

  "Good." Jiang Xia nodded and walked over.

  According to etiquette, Jiang Xia invited Li Dongyang and Lie Jueqing to come over for a meal. After everyone sat down, two maids poured fine wine for the guests. Jiang Xia raised his cup and said: "In these days, I was framed by someone without cause and wrongly accused. Thanks to the joint efforts of all of you, I can clear my name. The kindness of all of you will be remembered in my heart forever. Now, let me first toast a cup to everyone."

  "There's no need to be so polite." Han Mufeng said with a slight smile, and then everyone else also took a sip of their wine. During the meal, Jiang Xia told a few classic jokes from his past life, except for Zhong Bin, Jun Yang, and Li Jueqing, who never laughed. Li Dongyang, Han Mufeng, and the two sisters of the Cui family all laughed from time to time.

  After finishing a meal, Li Dongyang and Jiang Xia went to the study together. In the study, Li Dongyang asked Jiang Xia: "What's the plan next?"

  Jiang Xia smiled and said: "Others have bullied me to the point of no return, if I don't show my anger, he will think I'm still easy to bully."

  "Hmm. He should be taught a lesson." Li Dongyang nodded and said.

  Just as Jiang Xia was about to speak, Han Mufeng came forward and knocked on the door, saying: "Brother Jiang, Zhang Yong has arrived, saying he wants to discuss important business with you."

  "Oh? So soon." Jiang Xia glanced at Li Dongyang, and Li Dongyang nodded slightly.

  Jiang Xia immediately walked out of the room.

  After meeting Zhang Yong in the waiting room, Zhang Yong immediately said with a smile: "Brother's grievances are cleared up, congratulations!"

  "Thank you, Brother Zhang, for your concern. You've put in a lot of effort during this period, and I won't forget this kindness." Jiang Xia said with a clasped fist.

  "You and I are brothers, no need to be polite. This time I came here because someone asked me to discuss something with you. The Emperor has handed over the Tianji Society and Zhu Houxi's case to me for re-examination, he wants me to cooperate with you closely, what do you plan to do?"

  Jiang Xia nodded, smiling at Zhang Yong: "It's very simple. I hope Brother Zhang can immediately release He Qizong, the leader of the Tianji Society, and Zhu Houxi, the son of King Xingxian."

  "Released?" Zhang Yong was shocked and asked in confusion: "Why should they be released? These two are repeat offenders, releasing them privately is a serious crime."

  Jiang Xia smiled slightly and shook his head, saying: "Brother Zhang, just trust me on this one, let them go, and later someone will naturally bring them back again."

  "Will someone send them back?" Zhang Yong was still somewhat puzzled, but after thinking for a moment, he suddenly understood and looked at Jiang Xia: "You mean..."

  Jiang Xia smiled slightly and nodded slightly, Zhang Yong also followed with a smile and said: "This move is very decisive."