nycdaug Chapter 839 On weekdays
Chapter 839 On weekdays
The dark night changed the Dasheng Dynasty, in the autumn of the fifteenth year of Tianqi. The thick night as dark as ink enveloped the towering Forbidden City. The waning moon was like a rusty hook, emitting a cold and dim light, reflecting the frost flowers condensed on the glazed tiles with a faint blue-white, adding a bit of gloom and strangeness to this already solemn and solemn royal palace. The side hall on the west side of the Qianqing Palace was rarely visited on weekdays, but at this moment it was filled with a disgusting smell of blood and a strong stench of decay. The door of the hall was half-closed, and the cold wind carried dead leaves and kept pouring in, swirling on the ground, making a rustling sound, as if countless wronged souls were whispering. The candlelight in the hall was swaying, and the light and shadow twisted and swayed on the mottled walls, as if countless invisible hands were dancing wantonly. The eunuch chief Wei Mingyuan was wearing a black silk palace robe with python patterns. The python patterns were looming in the dim light, making him more majestic. He held a gilded palace lantern in his hand, bent down, and carefully examined the body on the ground. The swaying light cast a flickering shadow on his wrinkled face, making his already stern face even more eerie. The deceased was Lai Fu, a young eunuch in the imperial kitchen. He was only fourteen or fifteen years old. His originally tender face was now distorted by pain. The purple marks on his neck were shocking, deeply sunken, and the edges were still tinged with a strange black and purple color, as if he was strangled by a powerful and evil force. His eyes were wide open, his eyeballs bulged, and his bloodshot pupils still retained the fear and unwillingness before death, as if he was staring at an invisible enemy. His mouth was wide open, and the dried blood at the corners of his mouth was like strange lines, making his face look even more hideous. "Eunuch, this is the third one this month." The young eunuch Shunzi stood trembling, his voice trembling. The lantern in his hand shook violently in the autumn wind, and the orange-yellow halo flickered, casting strange and twisted shadows on the ground, like a monster with bared fangs and claws. He was still young, and although he had seen some life and death in the palace on weekdays, such a series of bizarre murders still frightened him. His legs couldn't stop shaking and he could hardly stand steadily. Wei Mingyuan frowned, forming a deep "chuan" character, and his eyes were as sharp as a hawk, scanning the crime scene back and forth. He noticed that Lai Fu was holding half a piece of cake tightly in his hand. There was still some dirt and blood on the surface of the cake. It was obviously dropped and held tightly during the struggle. Wei Mingyuan squatted down, and with gentle but unquestionable strength, he pried open the dead man's stiff fingers. When the beautiful red plum blossom at the bottom of the pastry came into view, his eyes instantly turned cold as frost. The red plum blossom was a unique mark in the palace of the current Concubine Shu. It was usually only used to reward confidants. Each piece of pastry with this mark was like a special pass, symbolizing the special relationship between the holder and Concubine Shu. "Block the news and don't let it spread." Wei Mingyuan's voice was low and cold, as if it came from the Nine Nether Hell. He carefully put the pastry into his sleeve, his movements were gentle but revealing a sense of tension and caution, as if he was holding not a small piece of pastry, but a time bomb that could overturn the entire palace. "Go and call the eunuch Wang from the Criminal Justice Department, and tell him that I have something important to discuss." Shunzi was as if he had been pardoned. He saluted in a panic, turned around and ran out of the palace. The sound of his footsteps echoed in the empty corridor and gradually disappeared into the darkness. Wei Mingyuan was left alone in the palace, looking at the dark night outside the window, and a trace of uneasiness rose in his heart. Since the death of the previous emperor, the new emperor is only eight years old and has not yet taken power. In the court, the aristocratic families headed by Prime Minister Zhou are powerful. They form cliques for personal gain and are eyeing the imperial power. In the harem, Concubine Shu is deeply favored by the Queen Mother and her position in the palace is becoming increasingly stable. The forces of all parties are surging undercurrents. A huge storm seems to be brewing, and this series of bizarre murders may be a sign before the storm comes. There must be a huge conspiracy behind it. At three o'clock in the morning, a burst of hurried footsteps came from far away and broke the silence of the night. Eunuch Wang from the Criminal and Prison Department hurried over. He was short in stature, but he was capable and fierce. Working in the Criminal and Prison Department for many years has given him a gloomy aura, as if he was a messenger passing through countless wronged souls and ghosts. This man is good at autopsy and is known as the "living king of hell" in the palace. No subtle clues can escape his eyes. Eunuch Wang stepped into the hall and saw the body on the ground. His brows slightly frowned, then he squatted down and began to examine carefully. His hands were covered with calluses, but they were extremely flexible. He gently felt on the body, his eyes focused and sharp. After a moment, his face was solemn and he stood up: "Eunuch Wei, the deceased was indeed suffocated to death, but this stranglehold... does not look like an ordinary rope, but rather like a thin steel wire." He took out a silver needle from his sleeve and gently probed the stranglehold. The silver needle turned black in an instant, "Moreover, there is still some poison left in the stranglehold. It seems that the murderer is not only cruel, but also meticulous and wants to completely cover up the truth." Wei Mingyuan's pupils shrank slightly, and his heart was surging with turbulent waves. Killing with thin steel wire, the means are so cruel and concealed, it is definitely not something that ordinary people can do. It must be a professionally trained killer. He remembered the eunuch who was in charge of the Silijian who died suddenly three days ago. He also died of suffocation, and his death was very similar. At that time, it was just a sudden illness, but now it seems that there must be something fishy. Could all this be related to a certain adult in the court? Was it Concubine Shu who wanted to eliminate dissidents, or was there someone else manipulating all this behind the scenes? Countless questions swirled in his mind, making his already tense nerves even more nervous. At this moment, a gust of cold wind suddenly poured into the hall, and the candlelight went out with a "puff", and the whole hall fell into darkness. Wei Mingyuan and Eunuch Wang were both startled, and their hands unconsciously touched the weapons at their waists. In the darkness, there was a faint laughter, eerie and strange, as if it was a call from the depths of hell. Wei Mingyuan suppressed the fear in his heart and said in a deep voice: "Who is it? Come out!" However, the only response to him was endless darkness and that creepy laughter, which echoed in the empty hall for a long time.
Undercurrents surged. The morning light was just beginning to appear. The faint glow of the sunset gave the Forbidden City a layer of hazy golden gauze, but it could not dispel the haze that shrouded the palace. Wei Mingyuan had not slept all night, and his eyes were red, but he still arranged his silk palace robe with python pattern meticulously. Wearing the white jade ring that symbolized the eunuch's identity, he walked on the heavy stone road towards the Yangxin Palace. Along the way, the palace people bowed their heads and saluted when they saw him, but no one dared to look him in the eye, as if this series of murders was a contagious plague.