The Legend of the Royal Cat

Eight Sages Palace

"Zhan Zhao, the fourth-rank imperial guard with a knife, has met the Eighth Prince, and the prince is a thousand years old." Zhan Zhao saluted.

"Excuse me. Excuse me. Zhan's guards have worked hard all the way. I am worried that you will not be able to come back." The eighth prince stepped forward to help Zhan Zhao, and looked up and down with joy: his figure has become thinner again, his eye circles are a little dark, and his eyes are a little bit. Red, dry lips, disheveled hair, and a bit—disappointed, how do you bring this to meet people? !How did Bao Zheng do it, didn't he let Zhan Zhao clean up?

Zhan Zhao was taken aback by the Eight Sage Kings, and it was even more inexplicable to see the Eight Sage Kings shaking his head repeatedly. He lowered his head and looked at himself. After returning to the mansion, he hastily changed his official uniform and went to see the lord, and then ran out, but Are you wearing the right clothes? ! "Eighth Prince, is there something wrong?"

"No, of course not! How did Bao Zheng tell you? You are going to meet Prince Huai with me, this—" It's no wonder that this disgraced haggard cat was not returned!Alas, but it was already very hard to get back in time, no wonder it was like this.The Eighth Sage King sighed in distress.

Zhan Zhao immediately understood what the Eight Wise Kings meant, and was a little bit dumbfounded: "Eighth Prince, Zhan Zhao still has something to report—"

"Come here, prepare hot water quickly, and prepare to bathe and change Zhan's guards!" The Eighth Prince completely ignored Zhan Zhao's wishes, and gave an order, and Zhan Zhao almost fainted.

"Eighth Prince, there are many doubts about the murder of Ma Zhifu. Mr. Bao suspects that the successive killings of officials are deliberately provoking disputes in the court and trying to reap the benefits of the fisherman. I also ask the prince to persuade the emperor to send the case back to Kaifeng Mansion for retrial. Don't wantonly search and arrest the innocent, and fall into the tricks of the traitor!" Zhan Zhao also ignored the etiquette, and said loudly while throwing up his robe and knelt down.

The Eighth Sage King was taken aback, but this time he listened to Zhan Zhao's words verbatim, and couldn't help but his face darkened: "Zhan Zhao, do you mean that the Ministry of Criminal Justice handles the case unfairly and indiscriminately arrests innocent people, or that your friends in the world are all wronged?" of? Do you have proof?"

"This—it's neither, and there is no definite evidence for the time being. Zhan Zhao wishes to issue a military order to ask for an investigation into the case. If the case cannot be solved within a time limit or if there is any act of bending the law for personal gain, he is willing to apologise with death!" Zhan Zhaowang asked Eight Sages Wang's gaze was persistent and firm.

Eight Wise Kings sighed, Zhan Zhao, Zhan Zhao, is it that difficult for you to unload that burden?A trace of guilt can't help but appear in my heart.For the sake of the great Song Dynasty and the emperor, I have to add a heavy burden to this young man, because only he can shoulder it and is trustworthy.

"Guard Zhan, get up!"

"If the lord doesn't agree, Zhan Zhao will never obey!" Zhan Zhao replied stubbornly.

After all, he is still a child, and it is really a headache to get angry. No wonder Bao Zheng insisted on keeping him in the Kaifeng mansion, "This king can persuade the emperor to withdraw the decision to investigate and suppress Jianghu sects, and try his best to prevent the promulgation of the military ban. But since the case has been handed over to the Ministry of Criminal Justice, and there is no evidence to prove the murderer's innocence, it is understandable for the Ministry of Criminal Justice to arrest and interrogate the case, so how can there be any reason to send it back to Kaifeng Mansion for retrial?" Baxian Wang walked behind Zhan Zhao with his hands behind his back, and saw Zhan Zhao Zhao bowed his head and remained silent, knowing that he understood what he meant, and continued, "You really shouldn't be involved in this case anymore. How about this, this king will strongly advise the emperor to hand over this case to the Ministry of Punishment and the Kaifeng government for joint trial, in order not to be in vain and not to let go The premise is - you want to be the personal guard of Prince Huai and Princess Huai Shuo with peace of mind, how about it?"

Zhan Zhao raised his head in surprise, is it so important to be the bodyguard or not?Or just keep yourself out of the case?It was actually worth the condition of the Eighth Prince!After thinking about it for a while, I knew there was another mystery, but since I had no choice, I could only agree: "Thanks to the Eighth Prince, Zhan Zhao will definitely not disgrace his fate. What is Zhan Zhao's real mission this time, please tell the prince clearly .”

clever!The Eighth Sage King smiled slightly and felt relieved: "Get up! Go to the guest room to freshen up and tidy up first, and wait for news from me. This king will enter the palace to face the saint. According to the report, Prince Huai will not arrive at the hotel until evening. The specific explanation ,Talk later--"

Eighth Sage King's Mansion Superior Room

After finally driving out all the attendants, Zhan Zhao took off his official uniform and soaked in hot water.What kind of characters are Prince Huai and Princess Huai Shuo?Why does the Eighth Prince attach so much importance to this task?And why did you choose me?Brother Jiang's imprisonment is inevitable, but as long as Mr. Bao can participate in the case, the truth of the case will be revealed. When the truth comes out, I only hope that Fifth Brother Bai can calm down and don't make any troubles.Arms ban?If it is really promulgated, with the current temperament of the master, he will definitely not let it go, and when the order is issued, the martial arts will turn against each other, and the world will be in chaos—— Zhan Zhao's head sinks more and more, the steam is suffocating, and the tiredness accumulated over the past few months Attacked together, consciousness gradually drifted away——

Imperial study room

What the Eight Sage Kings saw was that the emperor and Bao Zheng, one monarch and one minister, were at a deadlock while sitting and kneeling.

"Uncle Huang came at the right time! According to Ding Shangshu of the Ministry of Criminal Justice, the successive murders of officials were all caused by Jianghu rebels. Ma Zhifu in Xuzhou was brutally murdered by Jiang Ping, a Jiang Ping. There are all witnesses and material evidence. I ordered the Ministry of Criminal Justice to arrest the suspect. What's wrong with promulgating the ban on martial arts? But Bao Zheng didn't think so, and tried his best to stop it! It's really audacious!" The emperor said in a panic when he slapped the case.

The Eight Worthy King looked at the angry face of the emperor, looked at Bao Zheng's determination, and thought to himself, no wonder Zhan Zhao readily agreed to the conditions, and let the king forcefully remonstrate with the emperor, if not, Bao Zheng's straightforward nature might cause trouble to his upper body. "Cough, Your Majesty," clearing his throat, the Eight Sage King persuaded politely, "I think Master Bao's worries are reasonable, so we might as well take a compromise, why not let the Kaifeng Mansion assist the Ministry of Criminal Justice to try this case together? The suspect in the case of Ma Zhifu is relatively clear, so let's use this case as a breakthrough point. As for the military ban and the investigation and suppression of Jianghu sects, it is indeed too wide-ranging, and it violates the emperor's benevolence. It is better to suppress the implementation temporarily. What does the emperor think? "

Zhao Zhen has always respected the Eight Worthy Kings, and he didn't want to embarrass Bao Zheng at first, it's just that he couldn't face for a while. Seeing that the Eighth Prince said it was reasonable, he just pushed the boat along the way, and Long Yan was very happy at the moment: "Uncle Huang's proposal, I think Very good, since that's the case, let's do it this way, just solve the case within one month. Bao Zheng, what else do you have to say?"

"Your majesty is wise! I will do my best to solve this case." Bao Zheng was also relieved, and finally bought some time.

After leaving the imperial study room, Bao Zheng thanked the Eight Sage Kings, "Thank you just now, my lord, for rescuing the siege."

"You don't need to thank me, if you want to thank you, thank Zhan's guard. I really envy you for having such a right-hand man! Master Bao, I want to remind you that a month is neither long nor short. , Be sure to find out the mastermind behind the scenes. Your Majesty is young and energetic, if you don’t solve the case as soon as possible, I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop it then.” The eight virtuous king Nian Xu smiled and said: “Let’s hand over the guards to the king first. Alright, Master Bao, don’t worry about it.”

"This—yes, Bao Zheng sent the prince off respectfully!" I hope that Zhan's guards will be safe and sound.

Blood—bright red blood, soaking the boots and socks of both feet.There was a disgusting smell of blood in the air.Another black shadow rushed over, and instinctively stretched out his hand to fight back. After a shrill scream, the foul soul fell down, and what was left in his hand was another dirty heart dripping with blood.Boom, boom, boom—the heart was pounded and squeezed, and the feeling of suffocation surged up from all directions, and the hands unconsciously grasped upwards, and the moment they caught the wooden edge, they opened their eyes. !

Boom, boom, boom——"Master Zhan, Master Zhan! Do you want your servant to bring you some hot water? Master Zhan?" Accompanied by the rapid knock on the door, there was a voice of inquiry from the maidservant outside the door.

"Oh - no, thank you! I'm done washing, you go down first." He actually fell asleep while taking a shower, and, having that strange dream again, Zhan Zhao shook his head vigorously, wanting to Reduce dizziness in the head.The water was already freezing cold, and I was sweating all over while struggling just now. I was soaked in cold water, and I felt that my whole body was extremely cold, so I hurriedly got up and wiped off the cold water.There was a sudden piercing burning pain in the back of his heart, Zhan Zhao clenched his teeth and struggled to hold on.It's that brand again!What exactly does that mean?Why don't I have any impression of myself?Ever since Master handed Ju Que to him, the brand has never hurt again——

"Zhaoer, whenever there is a man and a sword, remember to remember!" Master's teachings are still in my ears, it was the former master, but now, the once kind master, the master who I regard as my biological father, does not even Ken goodbye to myself.What did I do wrong? !

"My lord Zhan, the prince has returned home, please meet in the back garden." The message from the maid outside the door interrupted Zhan Zhao's thoughts.

After the burning pain subsided a little, Zhan Zhao was fully dressed and came to the prince's back garden.

"Eighth Prince, what's the situation on the Holy Majesty's side?" After saluting, Zhan Zhao asked eagerly.

"Don't worry, don't worry!" Baxian Wang smiled helplessly, and when he looked up and saw Zhan Zhao's pale face as if recovering from a serious illness, he couldn't help asking: "Guard Zhan, are you alright?"

"Zhan Zhao is fine, thank you, my lord, for your concern. Also, my lord, please clarify the mission." Seeing that the left and right had been reported to retire, Zhan Zhao asked straight to the point.

"Hey! This king will tell you a story first." Eight sage kings looked up at the sky and fell into the memory: "The case of replacing the civet cat with the prince back then, the late emperor was hit hard. Facing the four rumors, his suspicion became more and more serious. Huai The prince was young and energetic, and he insisted on leading troops to guard the pass. Although the first emperor agreed, he was not at ease with the heavy troops in his hands, so he installed an eyeliner as his deputy. King Huai performed military exploits on the frontier, and the northwest frontier was peaceful. The military's prestige is increasing day by day, and the late emperor's scruples about it are also growing. Until the eyeliner sent back a secret report, King Huai rescued two women of different races in the desert while patrolling the frontier, and had a mutual love with one of them. Lifetime. At that time, the late emperor's health was not as good as before, and he had just appointed Zhen'er as the crown prince. Hearing the news, he suspected that King Huai had colluded with other races and intended to rebel. In order to appease the late emperor's anger and find out the truth without hurting the peace of the brothers, he alone Please ask the first emperor to call him back to Beijing on the grounds of the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven. If King Huai returns in time, it will prove that he is open-minded and has no wrongdoing in his heart. The first emperor agrees. How can it be that King Huai really did not come back!" Speaking of this, the Eight Sage Kings He sighed again, "If he came back that time, nothing would have happened!"

Born in the emperor's family, even Brother Gen couldn't believe it, it's hard to be a family, the emperor's position is really too high!Zhan Zhao listened silently, feeling a sigh in his heart.

"Finally half a year later, King Huai was summoned back to Beijing. At this time, the deputy general had issued a secret decree in the name of King Huai to drive the two women out of the barracks and leave them in the desert to fend for themselves!" Eight Sage Kings Speaking of this, I can't bear it anymore, "Unexpectedly, those two women are the saint Leng Ruyue and her maid Yue Nu of the Rakshasa Holy Maiden Palace. The following things are recorded in the file. All the witches in the palace attacked the border guards and bloodbathed the frontier. It's just that the truth of revenge was hidden."

"Prince Huai has never known the truth?" Zhan Zhao only felt that it was too cruel to break up lovers like this, but Leng Ruyue's revenge method was also outrageous.

"King Huai didn't know that what he saw when he returned to the frontier should be the tragic scene of corpses strewn all over the field, but for some reason he was seriously injured and lost his mind. How to save King Huai and let him regain his senses. Only later did I know that the injury was emotional, and what King Huai hated was that Leng Ruyue betrayed their feelings and harmed innocent people! Alas! It’s a sin, a sin!” If you have the courage to stop the emperor or tell the truth, maybe things won't get out of hand.

"Both of them thought that the other party had betrayed them and hated each other, right up until now?" Rakshasa Holy Maiden Palace, as cold as the moon; a place of extreme ice and snow, as cold as snow—would they be related? ?

"Probably so. Three months later, King Huai seemed to have healed up. He asked for orders to attack the Saintess Palace. He wanted to avenge the dead soldiers and civilians, and he also wanted to question the demon girl himself. The first emperor was afraid that the truth would be exposed. Naturally, he would not allow it. Because of this, King Huai resigned from military power and did not care about state affairs. Not long after the late emperor passed away, this secret was also buried in memory. Until the officials were killed one after another, King Huai suddenly returned to Beijing—" Sorrow clouded over the Eight Sage Kings face.

"The Eighth Prince is worried that King Huai's return to Beijing this time has another purpose, and the reason may be that he already knows the truth of what happened back then?" If he knew today, why did he do it in the first place?

The Eight Worthy Kings could not help but staggered when Zhan Zhao pointed it out, and fell into the grand master's chair: "That's right, because there was one person who knew the truth back then, besides the late Emperor and this King—"

"The eyeliner, King Huai's lieutenant?"

King Baxian nodded: "His name is Wei Bi. After King Huai resigned from the army, the deputy general refused to be promoted to general, and went to Youzhou with King Huai, and became the commander of the guards of King Huai's residence."

"This shows that he probably respects Prince Huai very much and sincerely follows him, so he is no longer an eyeliner." Sure enough, things are unpredictable.

"Zhan Zhao, you are only a guard, what a pity!" The Eight Wise Kings had to re-examine Zhan Zhao. Sure enough, he was well protected by Bao Zheng. In the past few years, he hadn't discovered that this imperial cat had such a past. Human intelligence!

"The Eighth Prince is absurdly praised! Zhan Zhao is not talented, guessing randomly, and please forgive me for being rude!" Hearing the overtones of the Eight Worthy King, Zhan Zhao suddenly remembered Bao Zheng's warning.

"Okay, okay, you don't need to hide your modesty. Closer to the point, my lord said just now that King Huai has a high prestige in the army. If he really knew the truth back then, I'm afraid——so, this king asked the emperor to issue a decree to send You go to be a personal guard, to protect the king clearly, but to investigate secretly. If King Huai really has a different intention, the emperor can take precautions earlier, I hope it is just this king who is too worried; if there is no second heart, this king can also take advantage of it Opportunity, on behalf of the first emperor, to compensate King Huai well." At this point, the Eight Wise Kings took a closer look at Zhan Zhao, such an excellent son-in-law who rides a dragon and quickly should be a good compensation.

No matter how clever Zhan Zhao was, he would never have imagined that he would play a pivotal role in the Eight Worthy King's wishful thinking. Now that he had agreed in exchange, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and complete the seamless agreement.If that girl Leng Ruxue really has something to do with Leng Ruyue, then maybe she can find some clues by staying with King Huai.Thinking of this, Zhan Zhao raised his head and smiled: "Zhan Zhao obeys orders! Kaifeng Mansion, please take care of the Eighth Prince!"

The Eight Wise King patted Zhan Zhao's shoulder to show his agreement, and suddenly asked, "Do you want to tell Bao Zheng about this?"

"Please ask the prince to keep it a secret!" If your lord finds out, it will only increase your worries. Once you miss, it's hard to guarantee that your lord will not be implicated and involve royal secrets. The less you know, the safer you will be.

"That's exactly what I mean!" If Bao Zheng found out about this matter, he must come to me to discuss it.

"Report to the Eighth Prince, King Huai's ceremonial team has entered Kaifeng City, and officials of all sizes have come to the hotel to welcome them."

"Guard Zhan, follow me to the hotel."