I have Immortality In The Cultivation World Chapter 601

Chapter 601: Chapter 440 Borrowing a Knife to Kill Someone

Lu Mansion.

Rear courtyard.

Madam Zhang sobbed imploringly as her two sons continuously offered consolation.

Today, while Minister Lu attended court, an agent from the Ministry of Personnel under Eunuch Yu's command arrived to inspect the goods of the Zhang family business, discovering prohibited items such as saltpeter and sulfur.

Ever since Emperor Tianshun took the throne, materials related to gunpowder, including civilian circulation, were banned.

Caught red-handed, the Zhang family business had no defense and the entire household was taken to the imperial prison to await trial.

Madam Zhang choked out, “My lord, they've passed on the message, just as you inform Imperial Attendant Yu, and immediately they will release everyone…”

“A woman's perspective! Do you think it's as simple as notifying?”

Minister Lu scolded, “As the head of the clean officials, I must set an example for the scholars of the National Dynasty, how could I collude with those eunuchs?”

Madam Zhang, wiping away her tears, retorted, “Should I just watch as my parents and brothers die? Then I might as well not live either!”

Minister Lu's brow furrowed tightly, quite discontent with the Zhang family members.

At a time when the court was in a vicious turmoil, they had committed such an offense–it was akin to handing a weapon to the enemy.

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The older son inquired, “Father, does this involve Chancellor Tang?”

Chancellor Tang referred to Tang Mingyuan, the first Grand Secretary of the Tianshun era, and the youngest since the founding of the Daqing, a clear sign of Emperor Tianshun's fondness for “setting precedents.”

Minister Lu, eyes widened with surprise, hadn't expected his usually reserved and silent older son to perceive the crux of the case, so he nodded in agreement.

“Just speaking to that eunuch, for my Lao Taishan's sake, I could even abandon my dignity. However, his objective is to rally the officials of the Ministry of Rites, to resist the new policies!”

The younger son commented, “Chancellor Tang is a distinguished servant of the emperor, and both an esteemed arm of His Majesty and held in high regard by the court and the people. How could Eunuch Yu dare oppose Chancellor Tang?”

Minister Lu turned to his older son, curious about his thoughts.

After pondering for a moment, the older son replied, “The new policies are Chancellor Tang's, not His Majesty's.”

“That's right, it's quite an achievement that you see this point,”

Minister Lu stroked his beard, somewhat relieved to find a worthy successor: “Indeed, the fundamental reason is that the Emperor is too lenient, lacking decisiveness in his actions!”

The younger son, puzzled, and following his father and elder brother's discussion, thought the Emperor was dissatisfied with Chancellor Tang, even sending a foster son to seize power from the six ministries–how could he be too lenient?

The older son's eyes reflected a touch of alarm as he witnessed the ruthless tug of war within the court.

The leniency of Emperor Tianshun lay in his reluctance to eliminate Chancellor Tang's family and clan, which would place the new policies and power entirely in the Emperor's hands.

“Do you support the new policies, Father?”

“An official must always do something for the people.”

Minister Lu stated, “Although Chancellor Tang has his head in the clouds with his actions, each reform shows remarkable results. With the prospect of the National Dynasty's resurgence, naturally, I will lend my full support.”

The older son mentioned, “That's why you co-authored a petition against the Marquis of Enze?”

“A eunuch appointed as a marquis–unprecedented in history.”

Minister Lu declared angrily, “As an official, I should impeach; privately, supporting Chancellor Tang, I must prevent the Nine Regular Attendants from harming the court!”

Madam Zhang, who had been crying, suddenly stopped her sobbing and asked, “My lord, would this bring disaster upon our family?”

“Perhaps,”

Minister Lu sighed, “In the past, I didn't dare stand against the Witch Empress, and to this day, I can't sleep peacefully at night. I can't hesitate again.”

The older son suggested, “Father, you could try to ally with Commander Zhou and Commander Yuan. Having served through three dynasties, they're fully capable of containing the Nine Regular Attendants.”

“Humph!”

Minister Lu spoke with a cold tone, “All eunuchs are cut from the same cloth. Zhou and Yuan deliberately indulge the Nine Regular Attendants because they want to force allies of the new policies to join them.”

“The Nine Regular Attendants are merely a scourge, but those two have even greater ambitions…”

As they were speaking,

Outside, a clamor arose with intermittent screams.

A maid came rushing into the back hall in a panic, her face pale with terror, stammering, “My lord, people from the Eastern Depot have come, they're saying… they're saying…”

Upon hearing the words “Eastern Depot,” Minister Lu sprang to his feet, “Saying what?”

Thwack!

An arrow whistled through the air, piercing the maid's back, and after a few convulsions, she fell silent.

A horde of Eastern Depot agents barged in, each clutching blood-drenched Embroidered Spring Knives, surrounding Sun Eunuch, the chief official of the Arrest Bureau, at the center.

“Hehehe…”

Before speaking, Sun Eunuch began with a strange laughter, sitting atop a horse, delicately pinching his fingers.

“Our people found a dragon robe and nine sets of armor in the garden of Lord Lu's residence; could it be that Lord Lu is planning to follow the Great Founding Ancestor and cause an uprising?”

When the Great Founding Ancestor raised his army, the Sacred Fire Sect funded nine sets of armor. After ascending the throne, he set a rule that whoever concealed nine sets of armor would have their Nine Clans executed.

Minister Lu roared furiously, “You castrated dog, how dare you frame me…”

“Lord Lu can talk all he wants in the dungeon with the marquis!”

Eunuch Sun, having heard similar words all too often, waved his hand to give the order, and the Imperial Bodyguards surged forward, capturing all the members of the Lu family. They were strung together and shoved into the Eastern Depot's dungeon.

After a rotation of eighteen brutal tortures, whether guilty or not, one would confess!

Night fell.

A woman in green flitted through the capital city.

She traversed several zhang in midair, her Qinggong skills could be considered top-notch in the martial arts world.

A dozen Imperial Bodyguards followed closely, each moving in a bizarre manner, resembling fierce spirits or wicked ghosts flitting about, occasionally throwing out several concealed weapons and darts.

The lead Eunuch Manager, wielding a strange hooked weapon, his voice ebbing and flowing in a haunting tone, said, “This lass's qinggong seems to be the Ascension Step of the Lingyun Sect.”

One of his Imperial Bodyguards said, “Sir, we'll issue an official challenge to the Lingyun Sect tomorrow.”

“Issue what challenge? We should just use the army to surround and annihilate them.”

Another Imperial Bodyguard said, “The scholarly family of the Lu Clan, to think that their legitimate son has intermarried with a martial sect, they must have been secretly cultivating warriors, planning a rebellion!”

“That makes sense.”

The Eunuch Manager praised, “You're quite astute. From now on, you shall work for me, and you will certainly rise through the ranks and grow wealthy.”

“I thank you, Eunuch.”

“What did you call me?”

“Godfather!”

“Hehehe…”

The eerie laughter was like the mournful hoot of an owl. The Eunuch Manager circulated his True Qi, his movements suddenly became much faster, and the strange hooked weapon shot out from his hand towards the back of the woman.

The woman leaped up in midair, dodging the hook weapon's sneak attack.

But at the end of the hook, several strands of silver thread were connected, the Eunuch Manager moved his fingers as if playing a zither, making the returning hook fly back again.

The hook skillfully changed directions as if it were an extended palm a dozen zhang away.

Rip!

The woman couldn't dodge in time in midair, and the hook embedded itself into her shoulder.

“Got her!”

Just as the Eunuch Manager was about to pull back the hook, by the light of the moon, he saw several round black balls thrown at him, crackling and sparking with fire.

“What is this…”

Frightened out of his wits, the Eunuch Manager did not bother pulling back the weapon, instead, he grabbed the closest godson and shielded himself with the boy's body.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

After several consecutive explosions, the Imperial Bodyguards who could not escape in time suffered heavy casualties, and those who survived were severely injured and no longer had the strength to pursue.

“Cough cough…”

The Eunuch Manager spat out a few mouthfuls of blood, threw away the half-body of his godson's corpse, and his eyes filled with venom and fury.

“The Lu family privately hoarding cannons, not executing the Nine Clans is insufficient to enforce the king's law!”

He summoned back the hook weapon. Of the five strands of Heavenly Silkworm Silk tied to his fingers, four were now broken, and repairing them would be quite troublesome.

The Eunuch Manager glanced at the tip of the hook, which was covered in dark purple bloodstains.

“This poison of mine, the Absolute Soul Poison, has a survival rate of one in ten for those poisoned; even if they're lucky to survive, they're left crippled!”

Meanwhile…

The woman, enduring severe wounds and deadly poison, desperately fled to South City. Eventually, she lost consciousness and collapsed.

With a thud, the old couple in the courtyard awoke with a start.

The brave old man came out to see what had happened and discovered a beautiful girl. Seeing her covered in blood, he was so scared that he was about to report to the authorities.

The midwife, who knew a bit of medical skill, felt the girl's wrist.

“She's pregnant!”

Chapter end

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