Chapter 140

Upon hearing the name “Mao Dongzhu,” the Empress Dowager was shocked, but she still forced herself to say, “What Mao Dongzhu? I am from the Khorchin grasslands…”

Before she could finish speaking, Nie Yun thrust his sword forward, the cold blade silencing her completely.

“Mao Dongzhu, my way of dealing with outsiders is very simple: those who obey me prosper, and those who oppose me perish.”

Nie Yun wore a kind smile, but his words were colder than the coldest winter ice: “If you behave yourself, I might be able to remove the Leopard Fetus Muscle-Changing Pill from you and the Skinny Monk. But if you keep beating around the bush, I’ll send your whole family to the Western Paradise.”

When the fake Empress Dowager, Mao Dongzhu, heard that he even knew such a secret matter, she lost all hope.

Seeing that her momentum had dissipated, Nie Yun turned around and sat down in a chair, saying, “Get up and talk.”

Mao Dongzhu stood up tremblingly, not daring to breathe.

Seeing that Nie Yun was completely unprepared, she had a sudden thought and wanted to use her ultimate move, the Bone-Melting Palm, to fight to the death. However, as soon as the thought arose, she saw Nie Yun looking at her with a half-smile, as if he had already seen through her plan.

Mao Dongzhu felt a chill in her heart and quickly put her mind at ease.

With a flick of his right hand, Nie Yun’s three-foot-long sword vanished from Mao Dongzhu’s sight.

Mao Dongzhu was startled.

He grew increasingly fearful of Nie Yun’s methods.

Nie Yun poured himself a cup of hot tea, took a small sip, and said, “Is your father Mao Wenlong, the General Who Pacified Liaodong who was stationed on Pi Island back then?”

Mao Dongzhu nodded and said, “That’s right. My father was Mao Wenlong. He fought against the Tartars for many years and made many meritorious contributions. Later, he was killed by Marshal Yuan Chonghuan.”

Actually… actually, it was due to the Tartars’ counter-espionage plot.”

“It was indeed inappropriate for Yuan Chonghuan to kill your father.”

However, it must be said that these were all counter-espionage schemes by the Tartars…

Nie Yun sneered, “Your father has served in the military for decades and has made many military achievements.”

However, he also did a lot of things like embezzling military funds and killing innocent people to claim credit.

I think you know very well how many of the heads he reported back then were enemy soldiers.

From this perspective, he is not innocent.

Mao Dongzhu was unconvinced and wanted to refute, but she didn’t know where to begin.

When Yuan Chonghuan executed Mao Wenlong, he announced twelve charges against him on the spot. None of the officers in the Dongjiang Army defended him, and the few who spoke up only used his previous merits as a reason.

This also shows that Mao Wenlong’s actions are indeed undeniable.

Nie Yun tapped the table and asked again, “When did you start impersonating the Borjigit clan?”

Mao Dongzhu said softly, “I entered the palace in the tenth year of the Shunzhi reign, the same year that the Empress Dowager Zhen entered the palace and was made Empress.”

I served her diligently for three years, and I learned her tone of voice, mannerisms and expressions perfectly.

Once I was certain my impersonation was flawless, I subdued her and then replaced all the eunuchs and maids in Cining Palace with new ones. Almost sixteen years have passed since then.

Nie Yun nodded and sighed, “Hong Antong is indeed a ruthless man. He dares to do such a daring thing, and he actually succeeded.”

Upon hearing the cult leader’s name, Mao Dongzhu trembled as if a mouse had heard a cat meow.

Seeing her like this, Nie Yun frowned and said, “Give me your hand, let me check the poison in your body.”

Upon hearing this, Mao Dongzhu hesitated for a moment. Hong Antong was ruthless, meticulous, and his martial arts were superb. In her mind, he had long been a superior and invincible figure.

Although Nie Yun had just displayed extremely profound martial arts skills, he looked to be only a young man, and was naturally not as terrifying as Hong Antong.

Now, Nie Yun clearly wants to subdue him. If he submits now, he will likely face extremely cruel punishment when Hong Antong finds out. At that time, even death will be a luxury.

Seeing this, Nie Yun sneered, “Mao Dongzhu, it would be easy for me to kill you, but I only wanted to save your life because you are a talented person and it would be a pity if you died.”

However, your sect also has the fat and thin monks, as well as the Azure Dragon Envoy Xu Xueting, the Black Dragon Envoy Zhang Danyue, the Yellow Dragon Envoy Yin Jin, the Red Dragon Envoy Wugen Daoren, and the White Dragon Envoy Zhong Zhiling.

Even Lu Gaoxuan could be one of my choices, so you are not irreplaceable, nor are you incapable of being killed. Do you understand what I mean?

Hearing that he was so familiar with the masters in the sect, Mao Dongzhu felt even more awe, and the chilling killing intent in his words made her break out in a cold sweat.

“It’s better to die in the future than to die now, so I’m going all in!”

She steeled herself and obediently extended her hand.

Nie Yun pressed down on her pulse point, and a surge of pure and powerful internal energy probed into her body.

“Such profound internal strength!”

Mao Dongzhu’s expression changed, and his opinion of Nie Yun rose again, almost to the point of being comparable to Hong Antong.

With Nie Yun’s current martial arts and medical skills, something like the Leopard Embryo Tendon-Changing Pill was naturally no challenge for him, and he found a solution in a short time.

He released Mao Dongzhu and said, “Bring me paper and pen.”

Mao Dongzhu was both surprised and delighted. She quickly picked up a pen and paper from the table and stared intently at Nie Yun.

Nie Yun picked up a brush and wrote a prescription in no time, then handed it to Mao Dongzhu.

Mao Dongzhu took the prescription and hesitated, “This…this prescription can really cure the poison in my body?”

Nie Yun smiled slightly and said, “What’s so special about the mere Leopard Embryo Tendon-Changing Pill?”

Go ahead and get the medicine. After you take it, you’ll know that I am the one worthy of your loyalty.

Mao Dongzhu was skeptical. The tragic fate of the thin monk after being poisoned made her constantly yearn to get rid of the poison in her body.

Since she began impersonating the Empress Dowager, she had repeatedly asked the imperial physicians to examine her, but none of them could find anything wrong with her body. Over time, she lost all hope.

Now, holding this prescription, she fears it will all be for naught again.

“With his martial arts skills, killing me would be effortless.”

“We’ve tried it for so many years already, one more try won’t hurt.”

Having made up his mind, Mao Dongzhu respectfully said to Nie Yun, “Thank you, Mao Dongzhu…”

She hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to address Nie Yun.

Nie Yun said, “My surname is Nie and my given name is Yun. You can call me Young Master from now on.”

Mao Dongzhu nodded and said, “Thank you for the prescription, young master.”

Nie Yun waved his hand and said, “There’s no time to lose. Go and arrange for the medicine to be prepared, and also have someone deliver a meal.”

As he spoke, he stood up, stretched, and pulled out a porcelain bottle from somewhere, then came to Liu Yan’s side.

He uncorked the bottle and poured some white powder onto Liu Yan’s wound.

A hissing sound came from the wound, and a wisp of smoke rose up. Yellow fluid kept flowing out of the wound. The smoke thickened and the yellow fluid flowed out more and more, emitting a sour and burnt stench.

The wounds on the corpse were getting bigger and bigger.

When the flesh of the corpse comes into contact with yellow liquid, it immediately emits smoke.

Slowly, it turned into water, and even the clothes were affected.

As Mao Dongzhu watched Liu Yan’s plump body disappear little by little, he felt a chill run down his spine and unconsciously took a few steps back, staring intently at the spot.

Nie Yun chuckled and said, “Your junior sister is quite robust; it seems it will take a while for her to fully dissolve.”

“If you had used the Bone-Melting Palm technique just now, it would have melted much faster than her.”

After saying that, he turned his head and glanced at Mao Dongzhu indifferently.

Mao Dongzhu was jolted awake and immediately knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly, saying, “This servant deserves to die for having such a rebellious thought. Please forgive me, Your Honor!” She thought about how she had almost made a move…

Knowing she would suffer the same fate as Liu Yan, she trembled with fear.

With a wave of his right hand, Nie Yun caused Mao Dongzhu to feel a powerful force and involuntarily stand up.

Nie Yun said calmly, “I am not Hong Antong. I don’t need you to express your loyalty with words. As long as you do your job well, I will not treat you unfairly.”

If you develop a disloyal heart, hehe… I can counteract the Leopard Fetus Tendon-Changing Pill for you, but there are also medicines a hundred times more potent.

Do you understand?

“Understood, understood. Rest assured, young master, I will do my utmost to serve you faithfully.”

Mao Dongzhu nodded hurriedly.

Nie Yun didn’t say anything and went straight into the inner room.

Mao Dongzhu let out a long breath, feeling that the clothes on his back were soaked through. Looking at Liu Yan, all that was left of her body was her feet; the rest of her body had turned into a puddle of yellow water.

She stood there quietly until Liu Yan had completely disappeared without a trace, then called out to the door, “Someone come here.”

At the moment she called for help, she suddenly realized something: why did the palace maids and guards outside the door seem deaf when there was such a loud noise coming from the room?

With the status of her mother, the Empress Dowager, Mao Dongzhu’s request was quickly fulfilled, and Nie Yun was able to eat his first meal since arriving in this world.

After confirming with the palace maids and guards that they had not heard any sound in the room, Mao Dongzhu finally submitted to Nie Yun completely.

With such miraculous abilities, Mao Dongzhu was willing to take a gamble.

The gamble paid off quickly. After drinking Nie Yunkai’s medicine, Mao Dongzhu soon felt the persistent heat in her body subside considerably.

Overjoyed, she immediately knelt before Nie Yun, saying with gratitude and reverence, “Thank you, young master. Mao Dongzhu is willing to pledge her loyalty to the death.”

“I told you, as long as you serve me faithfully, I will not treat you unfairly.”

Nie Yun put down his teacup, his face showing no surprise or astonishment, as if curing the Leopard Fetus Muscle-Changing Pill was as simple as eating and drinking, nothing to mention.

“Now, tell me how this world has completely subdued the Deer’s power…”

After discussing Dingji’s top female spy, Nie Yun began to get down to business, saying, “Let’s start with the Manchus entering the pass.”

Mao Dongzhu was somewhat surprised, but she still respectfully introduced the situation of this world to Nie Yun.

“Back then, during the Ming Dynasty, civil unrest broke out everywhere, and war raged across the land…”

As Mao Dongzhu recounted the story, Nie Yun grew increasingly shocked, for this world was also a fusion world, and one that did not conform to either the original novel or actual history.

More than 30 years ago, taking advantage of the internal turmoil of the Ming Dynasty, the Manchu Qing Dynasty bribed the garrison commander of Shanhaiguan to open the gates and sent their army south all the way to the outskirts of Beijing.

The Ming emperor Zhu Youxiao fled south in panic, only stopping after crossing the Yangtze River. He lost half of the country, and the regime changed from the Great Ming to the Southern Ming in a de facto sense.

The Manchus won a decisive victory, occupying vast areas including Northeast China, Mongolia, North China, Northwest China, and Shandong. The current emperor is Emperor Kangxi, Xuan Ye, who is sixteen years old.

However, due to Ao Bai’s monopolization of power, he has not yet taken control of the government.

Besides Xuan Ye, there was another Prince Bao, Hongli, who was sent to govern Shandong.

Meanwhile, Li Zicheng, the rebel leader, seized most of the two lakes and established the Great Shun regime, confronting the Manchu Qing dynasty along the Nanyang line and the Ming dynasty along the Hefei, Anqing, and Jiujiang line in Hanzhong. His generals, such as Liu Zongmin and Li Yan, were all capable and experienced warriors.

Zhang Xianzhong occupied Sichuan, established the Great Western Kingdom, declared himself emperor, and defended his territory. His subordinate Li Dingguo was a brave and skilled warrior.

Mu Tianbo, the Duke of Qian who was stationed in Yunnan, was loyal to the emperor and loved his country. When he saw the emperor in distress, he mobilized his troops to go north to defend the king.

Unexpectedly, his general Wu Sangui took advantage of the fact that his troops were weak and launched a mutiny. He not only killed Mu Tianbo, but also took the opportunity to capture Guizhou and Guangxi, forcing Zhu Youxiao to issue an edict to confer upon him the title of Prince of Pingxi.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Zheng Chenggong occupied Taiwan and forced Zhu Youxiao to bestow upon him the title of Prince of Yanping.

Although nominally still under the jurisdiction of the Southern Ming, it was actually Zheng’s own territory.

The pitiful Southern Ming Dynasty was beset by internal and external troubles, and could only hold out in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Guangdong and Guangxi and Fujian. It confronted the Manchus along the Xuzhou line, and although it was nominally a relationship between ruler and subject with Wu Sangui, they were actually wary of each other. It was also constantly scheming and clashing with Li Zicheng. The Zheng family in Taiwan was even more unruly and did not obey orders at all.

Zhu Youxiao died five years ago due to illness and anger. The current emperor is his younger brother, Zhu Youjian, whose reign title is Chongzhen.

The world was in chaos, with states fighting each other, and the martial arts world was also in turmoil.

The Red Flower Society, founded by the hero Yu Wanting, has branches in various northern provinces. The society is full of experts, and each of the thirteen leaders has unique skills.

The Red Flower Society continuously caused trouble for the Qing Dynasty in various places.

However, it seems to have quieted down recently, and I don’t know why.

Hong Antong’s Shenlong Sect is based on Shenlong Island in Liaodong and has a large number of followers. They are currently searching for the Forty-Two Chapters Sutra in an attempt to obtain the treasures buried by the Manchus outside the Great Wall.

During the reigns of the Southern Ming Dynasty, Li Zicheng, and Zhang Xianzhong, numerous gangs and bandits ruled the mountains.

Another mysterious force called the Heaven and Earth Society is constantly making friends with heroes from all walks of life and expanding its influence. It is clear that it has the support of a certain force behind it.

Chen Jinnan, the leader of the Heaven and Earth Society, was a generous and loyal man who kept his word. Hence, there was a saying in the martial arts world: “If you don’t know Chen Jinnan, you can’t call yourself a hero.”

Today, the Heaven and Earth Society’s influence has spread to the north, and many outlaws have befriended them. Among them, the most famous is Hong Xiguan, who once led the resistance against the shaving order and even gathered a crowd to attack and break through the county town.

In addition, there are many martial arts masters who don’t have much contact with official forces.

Mu Renqing, the leader of the Huashan Sect, nicknamed “Divine Sword Immortal Ape,” possesses unparalleled martial arts skills and has not met his match for over twenty years.

Master Mu Sang of the Iron Sword Sect possessed exceptional lightness skills, and his hidden weapon skills were renowned throughout the world.

Miao Renfeng, who called himself “Invincible Under Heaven,” and Hu Yidao, known as “Great Hero of Liaodong,” were renowned for their Miao family swordsmanship and Hu family saber techniques.

In the Tianshan Mountains of Northwest China, the couple Guan Mingmei, the Snow Eagle, and Chen Zhengde, the Vulture, are famous for their swordsmanship and their quarrels. There is also Yuan Shixiao, the Eccentric Swordsman of Tianchi, who claims to be proficient in a hundred schools of martial arts.

“It looks like a collection of Jin Yong’s novels about the Qing Dynasty.”

But what’s with Hong Xiguan? Will Fang Shiyu pop up later?

Nie Yun shook his head, dismissing the unrealistic idea from his mind.

This world should be a combination of the worlds of “The Sword Stained with Royal Blood”, “The Deer and the Cauldron”, “The Book and the Sword” and “The Flying Fox of Snowy Mountain” series.

However, we don’t know where Hong Xiguan, who lost his family, came from; perhaps we’ll find out when we meet him.

After confirming the world, Nie Yun inquired about Prince Hongli.

In the original novel, Hongli was exchanged from Chen Shixin by Emperor Yongzheng before he ascended the throne, in order to consolidate his position.

Later, Hongli ascended the throne and became the famous Qianlong Emperor.

Although he longed for his birth mother, he ultimately betrayed Chen Jialuo for the sake of his own imperial throne.

But in this world, Xuan Ye became emperor, and Hongli became the eldest son of Shunzhi.

Neither he nor Xuan Ye were born to the Empress as legitimate sons, yet he, being the older one, failed to inherit the throne. Perhaps there are some secrets hidden behind this.

Mao Dongzhu wasn’t quite sure either.

However, another situation she mentioned caught Nie Yun’s attention.

“This Prince Bao, Hongli, is indeed a bit strange. Before the late emperor passed away, he entrusted me with a group of people to monitor him, and told me to keep an eye on Hongli’s movements and to eliminate him immediately if he showed any disloyalty.”

Mao Dongzhu recalled the situation at the time with a puzzled look on her face. “At that time, he seemed to treat Hongli not as his own flesh and blood, but as an enemy to be guarded against.”

Nie Yun’s eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, “Did anything strange happen when Hongli was born?”

Mao Dongzhu thought for a moment and said, “Hongli’s mother was a concubine of the Han Banner Army. When a concubine in the harem gives birth, it should be handled by me, the Empress.”

But that time, the late emperor acted out of character, transferring all my men away and forbidding me from visiting him, instead personally guarding outside the palace.

Although everyone from top to bottom hoped that a prince would be born in the late emperor’s harem, he seemed to be placing too much importance on it.

The concubine went into labor at dusk, but after a day and a night, she still hadn’t given birth, which was said to be a difficult labor.

It wasn’t until midnight of the next day that news came that the baby had been born.

However, when I visited that concubine, she didn’t seem to have suffered any damage from childbirth.

“Oh? Why would the Shunzhi Emperor attach so much importance to the child of a concubine?”

Nie Yun asked with some curiosity, “Could it be that this concubine is as beautiful as a fairy, and is the apple of Emperor Shunzhi’s eye?”

Mao Dongzhu shook his head and said with a wry smile, “Although that concubine is quite beautiful, the harem is never short of beauties.”

Moreover, at that time, the late emperor’s heart was entirely with Consort Dong’e; he didn’t even realize I had replaced him as empress, so how could he possibly care about anyone else?

Nie Yun frowned and asked, “If that’s the case, why do you say that everyone, from top to bottom, is eagerly awaiting the birth of a prince?”

Upon hearing this, Mao Dongzhu revealed a sly smile and said softly, “Young master, you may not know this, but before Hongli was born, all the babies born and raised in this harem were girls. There were a few boys, but they all died before they were even a month old.”

At that time, the Manchus had just entered the pass, and the people were restless. There were rebel groups everywhere, and there were even rumors that the Manchus had seized the throne illegitimately, which would bring disaster to their descendants.

The late emperor was constantly troubled by these matters, so he desperately wanted to have a healthy prince to dispel these rumors.

Upon hearing this, a thought flashed through Nie Yun’s mind, and he quickly asked, “Are there any ministers’ families in the capital who went into labor around the time of Hongli’s birth?”

Mao Dongzhu was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized what he meant, his expression changed drastically, and he said in a trembling voice, “Young Master, are you referring to Hongli…”

“I’d guess most likely. Think back, which other ministers’ families had children at that time?”

Nie Yun was basically certain that this Hongli, just like in the original story, was also obtained from a Han official.

Mao Dongzhu had never thought about this before, but now that Nie Yun had enlightened her, many details that she had previously overlooked were connected.

“Back then, there was a Han Chinese official named Chen Shiguan, who was upright and capable, and was highly trusted by the late emperor.”

His wife, Lady Xu, also gave birth to a daughter on the same day Hongli was born.

Mao Dongzhu’s eyes were frighteningly bright, and her voice grew lower and lower, “I just heard that Xu’s childbirth started rather suddenly that day, without any warning, as if she had eaten something bad.”

At that time, Chen Shixin was kept in the Imperial Study by the late emperor to discuss state affairs and was unable to return to guard the palace.

After Miss Chen became somewhat sensible, the late emperor specially ordered me to assign two governesses to her. This was a favor that even Manchu officials from the lower three banners had never received!

According to the old woman’s report, the eldest daughter of the Chen family doesn’t look like her parents at all…”

“Chen Shixin!?”

A glint of light flashed in Nie Yun’s eyes. “Hehe…that’s right!”