NOVEL WEB Chapter 200: King Chun's Fury
The Minister of Justice was ambushed while out, and the news of the top scholar being seriously injured quickly spread throughout Chang'an.
The reason the news spread so fast was because King Chun had summoned all Imperial Physicians from the Imperial Hospital to the Li Mansion.
According to the Imperial Physicians who left the Li Mansion, the top scholar's shoulder had been pierced by an arrow poisoned with a potent toxin.
Had it not been for the top-grade Detoxification Pills refined in advance by the Medical School, he might have died on the spot.
This news shocked the whole of Chang'an.
The Minister of Justice, ah, a third-rank official of the court, one could say he ranked below one and above ten thousand.
And the top scholar, not only was he a Standard Sixth Rank official of the court, but also appointed by Your Majesty as the Prince Consort. Who would be so audacious to lay hands on them?
Moreover, the Princess was present at the time.
Conspiring against the Imperial Family and court officials was a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of one's entire clan. Once investigated and caught, not a single one in the family tree would be able to escape from beginning to end.
Even some great figures of Chang'an were horrified upon hearing this news.
Li Xuanjing would go out every year on this day to pay homage to his late wife; this was no secret to them.
Li Xuanjing had countless enemies who had tried several times to kill him while he was paying respects to his wife, but they were never successful.
Until later, Li Xuanjing rose in the ranks, took charge of the Spiegel Bureau, and became the Minister of Justice, and such attacks ceased to occur.
For one thing, the Spiegel Bureau was full of strongmen, and whenever he went out, his guards were strictly arrayed around him.
For another, assassinating a third-rank court official was a capital offense, not subject to pardon even during amnesty, not even by the Death Exemption Token.
Including the nobles of Chang'an, there was no person or organization that could bear the infamy of the crime, unless they were prepared to be extinguished from the clan, determined to kill Li Xuanjing.
In this battle, five assassins died.
Six assassins were captured alive and were being tortured for interrogation at the Spiegel Bureau.
Furthermore, four died during the transfer to the Spiegel Bureau.
No further news has been leaked for the time being, and everyone's eyes were focused on the Li Mansion.
Li Mansion.
King Chun paced anxiously in the courtyard, and seeing an Imperial Physician being helped to walk out, he immediately said, "Next!"
The line of several physicians waiting in the yard all wore expressions of distress.
The top scholar's poison had been cured, and what remained were just external injuries which, after some recuperation, would heal.
But King Chun commanded all the physicians to heal him with the Medical Family True Qi, which led to them depleting their True Qi one after another; this was already the fifth to be carried out.
Hearing King Chun speak, the physician being carried out quickly raised his hand and said, "Your Highness, there's no need to let more people in. The top scholar's poison has been cured, and the wounds have all healed. To continue would only be gilding the lily—it's not very meaningful..."
King Chun said, "But it's still beneficial, isn't it? Stop dallying, next!"
It was only after another physician came out that King Chun let them go back.
He strode into the room, looking worriedly at Li Nuo lying on the bed, and asked, "How are you feeling?"
Li Nuo sat up from the bed all by himself, feeling fantastic.
He looked at his shoulder, where the skin was smooth and fair, without a single mark from the wound, as if he had never been injured.
The Medical Family True Qi certainly lived up to its reputation.
It's just a pity for those physicians, whose True Qi was all expended on him; they would likely need a long time to recover.
King Chun patted his chest and said, "It's good that you're okay."
He then turned to Li Xuanjing and asked, "Xuanjing, are you really alright?"
Li Xuanjing nodded and said, "I'm fine, Nuo blocked that arrow for me."
King Chun reassuringly patted Li Nuo on the head and remarked, "Good lad."
Yet quickly, his expression darkened, and his eyes exuded a boundless murderous intent as he bit out, "I'd better not find out who's behind this, otherwise, I swear I'll exterminate their entire clan!"
At that moment, a young man walked in from outside, first presenting his respects to King Chun, saying, "I've seen Your Highness."
King Chun looked at him and asked, "Shen Qing, have you found out who's behind this?"
The young man shook his head and replied, "They are hired assassins that don't know the identity of their employer. But seven out of the fifteen assassins are from the Heavenly Mountain Seven Killers, who previously attempted to assassinate the young master. I'm afraid these two incidents have the same person behind them."
King Chun said solemnly, "Someone who hires assassins time and again, even inviting Grandmasters to do their bidding, must harbor deep hatred for Xuanjing, and be recklessly bold. There aren't many like this in Chang'an."
Li Nuo thought for a moment and then said, "I know who's behind the last incident."
Immediately, King Chun said, "Who?"
Li Nuo replied, "King Rui."
King Chun's expression changed drastically, "What?"
Li Nuo took a breath and said, "That day, King Rui's men appeared at the scene of the incident. If Yiren hadn't encountered it by chance, I wouldn't be alive today."
Moments later, King Chun stormed out angrily; he got in his carriage, and after returning to King Chun Mansion, he asked, "Where's King Rui?"
A figure swiftly left, returning shortly after, and reported, "Your Highness, King Rui has been hosting guests at Qujiang Garden today."
King Chun coldly commanded, "To Qujiang Garden!"
Li Mansion.
Inside the room, Li Anning looked at Li Nuo and questioned, "Are you really alright now?"
Li Nuo pointed to his unblemished shoulder and replied, "Does this look like the condition of someone with a problem to you?"
The six physicians had used all their True Qi on him; with that, even serious external injuries could have been healed.
Li Nuo felt an immense sense of relief as he looked at the figures of Jiaren Yiren and Anning standing by the bed.
Fortunately, they had all gone, and fortunately, he had been teaching them the Heavenly Mountain Sword Technique during this time. Even more fortuitously, among the fifteen assassins included the Heavenly Mountain Seven Killers, as if he had guessed the exam questions in advance...
Without any one of these factors, today might have been more dangerous than lucky.
At this moment, seven new portraits appeared in Li Nuo's mind.
The Heavenly Mountain Seven Killers had already been wanted last time; this time, whether they were killed or captured, their names would light up the Law Code directly.
To cultivate to the fourth realm, one must have perfected a certain martial art to the extreme.
So far, every fourth realm martial arts master has without exception been listed in the Law Code.
As for the others, their names should also appear in the Law Code after the Spiegel Bureau or the Ministry of Justice files a case.
It's just a pity that the Grandmaster got away.
If he could capture a Grandmaster, never mind the increased lifespan for now, he wouldn't be powerless even when facing a Grandmaster in the future.
The Gatekeeper of his house turned out to be a Grandmaster.
This was something Li Nuo had never imagined.
He also didn't know what great benefits his father had given to the one-in-a-million Grandmaster, who was actually willing to guard the door for the Li Family...
Housekeeper Wu walked in with a wooden plate, which held a plump peach.
As soon as he entered the room, a tempting fragrance filled the entire room.
Housekeeper Wu approached Li Nuo's bedside, holding the wooden plate, and said, "Young Master, this is sent by King Chun for your recovery. At this season, the peaches from the Sinong Si are not yet ripe, I don't know where His Highness found this, it must have cost quite a lot of silver..."
Li Nuo really hadn't tasted peaches cultivated by the Agricultural School for a long time.
However, his body, after being adjusted by the Medical Family True Qi, was in better condition than before he was injured, so there was no need for further recovery.
He cut the peach into four parts, giving a piece to both Jiaren Yiren and Anning.
But his wife and Anning both declined.
They had eaten plenty of such peaches before, and as the peach was intended for his recovery, they naturally wouldn't indulge.
Song Yiren took a small bite, nearly crying because it was so delicious.
She had never tasted such a delicious peach before.
Li Nuo had already picked up a piece, but seeing Yiren with tears in her eyes, he put the piece back.
Poor Yiren, in these years at the Sanqing Sect, she must have endured hard days, moved so deeply by a bite of peach.
He pushed the wooden plate towards her and said, "Alright, alright, no more crying. All of this is for you..."
Song Yiren wiped her eyes and said, "This is for you to recover, I don't want more."
Li Nuo jumped down from the bed, bounced a few times on the spot, and said, "Do you think my body still needs recovery? You haven't had the peaches from the Agricultural School, they're all yours..."
Song Yiren devoured the peach.
If her sister and Li Anning weren't there, she would have surely thrown herself into Li Nuo's arms and cried.
From a young age, no one had ever treated her this well.
She only regretted not escaping back earlier, which let Song Jiaren get there first...
Meanwhile, in the Qujiang Garden.
In a grand hall, court musicians played earnestly in the corner, enveloping the whole hall with beautiful music.
In the center of the grand hall, rows of gracefully moving dancing girls began to dance to the music, their steps light, their long sleeves fluttering, and their quick movements revealing a glimpse of their delicate navels through their thin gauzy dresses, adding an allure.
Inside the hall, guests filled the seats; some with less self-control had already stealthily slid their hands under the tables, making subtle adjustments.
King Rui sat at the head seat, sipping wine lightly, his gaze lingering on the dancing girls.
This batch of dancing girls was decent in appearance. He tilted his head slightly and said to a eunuch nearby, "The one in the front row, the middle; the second one from the right in the middle row; the third one from the left in the back row; send them to my mansion after the banquet."
The eunuch nodded slightly, replying softly, "Yes."
Behind King Rui, a figure gazed at the pointed-out dancing girls, fists clenched, eyes filled with jealousy and a murderous intent.
At that moment, a figure strode into the hall from outside.
The guards at the door tried to stop him but immediately retracted after recognizing the figure.
Surprise flashed across King Rui's face, but he quickly stood up and greeted with a smile, "Elder brother, why are you here? Please, have a seat..."
But King Chun paid no mind to King Rui's smiling face; he grabbed his collar and slammed him hard against a pillar.
Clang!
None of King Rui's guards dared to make a move; only a slender figure behind King Rui took a step forward, suddenly drawing his sword from its scabbard.
King Rui looked back at him and said, "Stand down!"
The young man with a cold and sinister demeanor sheathed his sword but continued to stare fiercely at King Chun.
King Rui looked at King Chun, puzzled, "Elder brother, what has happened to make you so angry?"
King Chun lowered his voice and said, "The assassins sent to kill father and son Xuanjing, they were from you, right?"
King Rui started internally; had the events of the previous two attempts been revealed?
Those were only attempts on Li Xuanjing's son. Despite his deep hatred for Li Xuanjing, constantly espousing his desire to kill him, he would not dare to truly attempt assassination on a third-rank official of the court.
Even Li Xuanjing's son, now a sixth-rank official and Prince Consort-to-be, he could not afford to be as reckless as before—what was King Chun talking about?
King Chun's gaze was fixed on him, his voice firm, "Li Rui, let me warn you, if you dare to touch one hair on the Xuanjing family again, don't blame me for not considering our brotherly bond!"