bookbashuk Page 406
Page 406
Jiang Ning didn't waste any more words with him, got into the sedan chair and rode for a while, bumping along.
"arrive."
Chen Qingyuan said.
Jiang Ning got out of the sedan chair and was slightly surprised by what he saw.
Before us stood the imperial palace.
Chen Qingyuan is now leading him in front of the palace gates.
At this moment, there were soldiers guarding the palace gate, and a man who looked like a eunuch was also standing there, as if waiting for something.
At this moment, the eunuch's eyes lit up when he saw Chen Qingyuan's sedan chair, and he hurried over. He especially smiled when he saw Jiang Ning, and said to Chen Qingyuan.
"Minister Chen, is this the great hero Jiang?"
Facing the eunuch, Chen Qingyuan showed no arrogance whatsoever, nodding and saying, "Indeed, it is Young Master Jiang."
Upon receiving confirmation, the eunuch's smile widened, and he said warmly to Jiang Ning, "Hero Jiang, we've been waiting for you for a long time. Please come in with me."
Things had come to this point, and Jiang Ning had a general idea of Zhu Shou's identity, but he didn't show it on his face. He prepared to go in with Chen Qingyuan, but Chen Qingyuan didn't move.
“Young Master Jiang, that person only instructed me to bring you here; the rest will be arranged by this eunuch.”
Chen Qingyuan looked apologetic.
Jiang Ning glanced at him, then at the palace before him, said nothing, and followed the eunuch into the palace.
"Master Jiang, be careful, there are steps here."
The eunuch led Jiang Ning into the palace, constantly fawning over him along the way; it was clear he was deliberately trying to please her.
Jiang Ning remained silent until they arrived at the Qianqing Palace.
The eunuch led him to a magnificent side hall.
"Master Jiang, please come in. The person inside has been waiting for you for a long time."
The eunuch said respectfully.
"Please show me the way."
Jiang Ning thanked him and entered the side hall while the other party was terrified and repeatedly said he dared not.
Jiang Ning entered the hall and found a man dressed in ordinary clothes sitting at a table reading a book.
The man who heard the noise looked up and his eyes lit up when he saw Jiang Ning. He stood up.
"Brother Jiang, it's been a long time!"
The man was Zhu Shou.
Zhu Shou looked at Jiang Ning with a happy expression and said, "When I sent people to Mount Hua last year, I was looking forward to Brother Jiang's return to the capital. Now that Brother Jiang has finally come, it is a cause for celebration!"
Hearing the man's slightly pleased tone, Jiang Ning's expression remained unchanged.
He had assumed the other person was of high status, but he hadn't expected them to be this high.
"Brother Zhu, it's been a long time."
Jiang Ning smiled slightly.
"How should I address you as?"
Zhu Shou said.
"Actually, my name is not Zhu Shou. Zhu Shou is just an alias. I did not reveal my real name when I met Brother Jiang last time. Please forgive me."
"Please allow me to reintroduce myself."
At this moment, Zhu Shou said solemnly, "My name is not Zhu Shou. My surname is Zhu and my given name is Houzhao. I am the current emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty and the ruler of all under heaven."
Chapter 546: Zhu Houzhao
Zhu Houzhao.
Jiang Ning was surprised.
He was indeed very surprised.
He never expected that the person he randomly met during his trip to the capital would be the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
"Brother Jiang arrived earlier than I expected."
Zhu Houzhao casually put down the book in his hand and smiled at Jiang Ning.
“I originally thought that a big shot like Brother Jiang would not remember me, a friend I had met a few times in the capital. I did not expect that Brother Jiang would actually travel so far to come to the capital again. It seems that in Brother Jiang’s heart I am indeed your friend.”
Jiang Ning also laughed.
"I am just a wanderer of the martial world, how can I be called a big shot? Compared to Brother Zhu's status, I am nothing. What surprised me was that a random person I met on the street was actually the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. It is said that if you hit ten people with a brick in the capital, nine of them will be princes and nobles. Now it seems that this is not false."
Zhu Houzhao's eyes lit up.
Jiang Ning now knows his identity but still addresses him as Brother Zhu instead of Emperor or Your Majesty, which means that Jiang Ning doesn't care about his identity, or that his identity means nothing to Jiang Ning.
Unlike the others, Jiang Ning did not fawn over him. Although as an emperor, he would not allow such behavior to challenge his authority, Zhu Houzhao was actually the happiest.
This shows that Jiang Ning doesn't care about his status as emperor and only associates with him as a friend, which is very rare for Zhu Houzhao.
"Actually, Brother Jiang may not know this, but I intentionally approached you that day."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning couldn't help but look at him, while pondering why Zhu Houzhao would say such a thing.
Did the imperial court already have a close eye on him?
While Jiang Ning was pondering, Zhu Houzhao continued, "Because I am very interested in you."
"Brother Jiang may think that I met you for the first time that morning, but I actually met you the day before, so I was quite interested in you."
Jiang Ning's thoughts were interrupted after Zhu Houzhao said this.
Zhu Houzhao had already met him the day before he made his public appearance.
After a moment's thought, Jiang Ning already had his answer.
"Brother Zhu, did you see Lord Zhang riding wildly and committing violence in the street?"
Two things happened to Zhu Houzhao after he arrived in the capital the day before he met Zhu Shou: one was encountering a young girl who sold herself to bury her father, and the other was stopping a marquis who was riding wildly and committing murder in the street. Compared to the first thing, the second thing clearly attracted Zhu Houzhao's attention.
Upon hearing Jiang Ning's words, Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but smile.
He is indeed an extremely intelligent person.
"good."
Zhu Houzhao smiled and nodded.
"I was very curious about Brother Jiang's skills, so I wanted to get to know him. I never expected that we would get along so well. Later, I learned that Brother Jiang was actually the famous King Ning Yan in the martial arts world. This was really unexpected."
Upon hearing Zhu Houzhao's words, Jiang Ning's expression turned serious, and he said, "Ning Yanwang was given to me by the evil sects. Please call me the Great Hero of Guanzhong."
The title of "Great Hero of Guanzhong" in Jiangning was officially recognized and awarded by the imperial court. However, Emperor Zhu Houzhao, like other martial arts figures, called him "King Yama Ning" instead of "Great Hero of Guanzhong," which left Jiangning feeling helpless.
It seems that his image as Ning Yanwang (King of Hell) has deeply resonated with the public.
Zhu Houzhao was taken aback, then burst into laughter.
"Interesting, interesting."
Zhu Houzhao's laughter reached the side hall, causing the eunuchs outside to look at each other in bewilderment.
For some time now, Zhu Houzhao had been wearing a gloomy expression, making the eunuchs and palace maids who served him extremely cautious. They were all astonished to see Zhu Houzhao so happy today as soon as this wandering man arrived.
This person is absolutely not to be messed with.
Many eunuchs thought to themselves.
After laughing, Zhu Houzhao said to Jiang Ning, "Brother Jiang, would you be interested in taking a look around this palace?"
Jiang Ning smiled and said, "Of course it's possible."
"please."
Zhu Houzhao walked out of the side hall and then took Jiang Ning for a stroll around the imperial city.
The imperial city was vast, and there were many guards. Along the way, the guards all knelt down to pay their respects and shout "Long live the Emperor!", which made Jiang Ning directly feel the power that came with the identity of the emperor.
Zhu Houzhao talked with Jiang Ning the whole way, but they only talked about his views on books and did not talk about the purpose of his invitation to Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning wasn't in a hurry and responded casually.
The guards and eunuchs along the way were shocked to see the emperor walking around the palace with someone they had never seen before, chatting and laughing. They assumed that Jiang Ning must be someone important.
The two then walked into a garden, surrounded by blooming flowers and lush greenery.
"I suppose Brother Jiang no longer doubts why I know your identity."
Zhu Houzhao said with a smile.
Jiang Ning laughed upon hearing this.
He truly had no doubt; it would be truly absurd if even the emperor couldn't uncover his identity.
"Actually, I invited Brother Jiang to the capital for another chat because I am very interested in the martial arts world outside the imperial court. However, I don't know any martial arts people, only Brother Jiang. So I wanted to invite Brother Jiang to the capital for a chat, and I wanted to learn from Brother Jiang what the martial arts world outside the capital is like."
Zhu Houzhao finally got to the point.
"Of course, I'm even more curious about Brother Jiang; that's the most important point."
"Why?"
I think you are very special.
Zhu Houzhao walked in the garden, talking as he went.
"special?"
Jiang Ning looked at him in surprise.
“Indeed, although you are not involved in officialdom and are a person of the martial arts world, I feel that you are different from those people of the martial arts world, different from the officials of my Great Ming Dynasty, no, I should say that you seem to be different from most people in the world.”
Zhu Houzhao said with a smile.
Jiang Ning also laughed: "Why do you say that?"
Zhu Houzhao smiled slightly but did not answer.
The two then arrived at a small lake. When Zhu Houzhao came to the lake, the guards on duty wanted to step forward to protect him, but Zhu Houzhao waved them away.
Zhu Houzhao squatted down by the lake, looking at the small fish swimming around in the lake, and said, "I remember when I took Brother Jiang to the brothel before, Brother Jiang compared many people in the world who are still suffering to these small fish in the water."
Jiang Ning looked at his crouching back without saying a word.
He did say that.
Zhu Houzhao did not turn around, but continued to look at the small fish in the lake.
“I have investigated you. I know everything you have done and some of the things you have said. I know you have killed many people, even though they were the most heinous criminals. According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, you have still violated them and should be executed.”
As Zhu Houzhao spoke these words, he seemed to feel a chill run down his spine. His eyelids twitched involuntarily, and he quickened his pace, saying, "However, I did not mean to pursue Brother Jiang's case. Because besides Brother Jiang, there are countless other people in this world who are killing people and violating the laws of the Ming Dynasty. But Brother Jiang is better than them. At least none of the people Brother Jiang killed were innocent."
"I have no objection to what Brother Jiang has done."
Chapter 547: There's no need
There was still no sound coming from behind him, but the chill on Zhu Houzhao's back had also disappeared.
Zhu Houzhao breathed a sigh of relief, realizing he had been careless.
Although he was in the palace and surrounded by many guards, the other party was very close to him. If he really wanted to harm him, even these guards probably couldn't stop him.
It's best not to say things that might provoke the other person.
Zhu Houzhao did not say again that Jiang Ning should be executed according to the law.
"However, although I have no objection to Brother Jiang's actions, I still have to say that what you have done is still a drop in the ocean for this world."
Zhu Houzhao stood up and looked at Jiang Ning.