Zheng Hongkui said through gritted teeth, "He is a wandering Fangshi surnamed Guan. He bewitched my eldest brother and injured Damu before leaving."
A wandering Fangshi surnamed Guan?
Why have I never heard of such an important person?
Zhu Ying asked in a low voice, "What is this person's background?"
Zheng Hongkui shook his head and said, "I do not know, but Zheng Damu should know something."
Zhu Ying asked again, "With his injury being this severe, can he still see me?"
Zheng Hongkui said heavily, "Damu said that as long as the General is willing to come, he must see him once."
Zhu Ying immediately decided, "I ask Lord Zheng to make the arrangements; I must see Zheng Damu as soon as possible."
Judging by Zheng Hongkui's appearance, Zheng Chenggong's situation was clearly not good; it was better to meet him first and see.
I don't even know what Zheng Chenggong's demands are.
At this moment, he had already cooled his temper. Since Zheng Chenggong was bedridden, arranging for Zheng Hongkui to come and welcome him was already a sign of great respect.
After all, Zheng Hongkui was his uncle, was now effectively the person in power on Jinmen Island.
Zhu Ying did not have to wait long; he had just arrived in the morning and was brought to Zheng Chenggong's residence by noon.
A medicinal scent and the smell of blood permeated Zheng Chenggong's bedroom. Zhu Ying was quite well-traveled and well-informed; as soon as he entered the room, he knew something was wrong.
Judging by the day the Great Ming was ambushed, Zheng Chenggong had been injured for at least ten days, the fact that he was still bleeding now clearly meant his wound had not healed.
If this continues, I fear the outcome will be more ominous than auspicious.
Zhu Ying suppressed all emotion on his face, leaving only a hint of concern.
When he entered, he only saw a pale young man with sunken cheeks and weak breath leaning against the bed.
Upon seeing him, Zheng Chenggong sat up slightly and attempted to offer his salutations.
Zhu Ying immediately stepped forward to support his hand and said, "Brother Damu, there is no need for such formalities."
Zheng Damu smiled weakly and said, "I have made a fool of the Admiral of the Fleet."
Zhu Ying shook his head and said, "This is an accident. Brother Damu is unwell, I will not beat around the bush. His Majesty has issued an edict: if Brother Damu can present the head of Alna, His Majesty will surely bestow a great reward."
When Zhu Ying said this, he actually didn't hold much hope. Zheng Damu was already in this state; even if he surrendered, he would have little value. It would be better to turn back and communicate with Zheng Hongkui instead.
It is said that Zheng Chenggong was able to break free from Zheng Zhilong and remain in Jinmen, leaving many of his subordinates behind, some of whom were due to the help of Zheng Hongkui.
After hearing this, Zheng Chenggong gritted his teeth and said, "There is no need for His Majesty to issue an edict; I am also irreconcilable with Alna."
Huh?
Seeing the confusion on Zhu Ying's face, Zheng Chenggong could only explain weakly, "The bandit who injured me was Alna. He lied about being surnamed Guan to infiltrate my father's side, later lobbied the Dutch Governor Kui Yi to join forces with the Tartars.."
Zheng Chenggong coughed a few times as he spoke to this point.
After hearing this, Zhu Ying thought to himself that no wonder His Majesty had specifically named this person to demand his head; he was indeed a troublemaker.
He immediately asked, "Where is this person now?"
Zheng Chenggong said with a bitter smile, "This person has already traveled north with my father; I fear he has already returned to the Qing Court by now."
Zhu Ying had already considered this outcome when she asked, hearing this now, she could only sigh with regret: "A pity. I fear it will be extremely difficult to kill him now."
Zheng Chenggong coughed twice and said, "It is difficult, yes, but it is not necessarily without opportunity. I have some capable subordinates in the army; I only ask that His Majesty be willing to take them in. I will certainly strive to meet His Majesty's requirements."
Zhu Ying said, "I cannot make the decision on this matter myself; I must request instructions from His Majesty. Can Brother Damu wait for two days?"
Zheng Chenggong nodded slightly and said, "I must ask the Admiral of the Fleet to hurry, my body.. I fear I won't be able to hold on much longer."
Zhu Ying nodded, as he left Zheng Chenggong's bedroom, he glanced at the nephew following beside him.
The nephew nodded slightly, falling two steps behind to chat with the Zheng family.
A short while later, he returned to where Zhu Ying was staying and said, "Uncle, I have investigated and found that Zheng Damu's injury is on his chest. Because the wound is festering, it has failed to heal, if it cannot heal soon, he truly only has a few days left."
Especially now that the weather is turning warmer, it is becoming even more difficult.
Zhu Ying immediately wrote a memorial in his chicken scratch and had it sent to the palace by express horse.
Upon seeing this, Zhu Ci immediately said, "Quickly, select an Imperial Physician to head to Jinmen Island with medicinal supplies for his injury!"
What a joke, what he wants is Zheng Chenggong himself; if he dies, what use is it even if he surrenders?
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: I won't let Zheng Chenggong die a butterfly death, right? *Cat panics and wags its tail. jpg*
Next update at 12:00 PM
Chapter 185
Zhu Ci's arrangement for an Imperial Physician to go to Jinmen Island left Zheng Hongkui feeling extremely surprised.
Is what the Admiral of the Fleet says true?
Zhu Ying said, "Why would I lie to you? To tell you the truth, Duke of Ping, oh, I mean that person of yours.."
Zhu Ying spoke and gave him a knowing look.
Nowadays, there is only one Emperor and one His Majesty, so he could not call Zhu Yujian Emperor.
Fortunately, Zheng Hongkui was no fool; he had long known the situation of his Emperor after he surrendered to Emperor Guanglie.
He nodded without saying a word, so Zhu Ying continued, "Your Majesty once inquired about the situation of the Zheng family, Duke of Ping. You once praised Brother Damu as a young and talented man. His Majesty has always been eager for talent and once expressed regret that he could not win Brother Damu's heart."
Zheng Hongkui leaned forward slightly and asked, "Did His Majesty truly say that?"
Zhu Ying opened his eyes and lied through his teeth, "Exactly."
In fact, Zhu Ci had never mentioned this to him. He had only judged it based on Zhu Ci's attitude.
To send an Imperial Physician directly for treatment—currently, only the Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat enjoys such treatment among the civil and military officials of the court.
Oh, Grand Secretary Fu has even better treatment; the Imperial Physician has practically taken up permanent residence at his home.
In any case, Zheng Chenggong must be highly valued by His Majesty.
Zhu Ying also didn't know why, so he could only attribute it to the Duke of Ping, Zhu Yujian; in reality, he had never even been in private contact with Zhu Yujian.
Zheng Hongkui felt a momentary sense of relief, but also a flicker of worry; it was a good thing that the Emperor valued Zheng Chenggong and intended to recruit him, as it proved they had made the right bet.
But given his current situation, if even his dear nephew doesn't survive, what about the others?
He really wanted to ask if the Duke of Ping had said anything else? For example, about the others.
After all, he had once been a Military Scholar during the Chongzhen era and had also been enfeoffed as the Duke of State Stabilization during the Longwu era, holding military power; had the Duke of Ping not said a few good words about him?
Seeing his complicated expression, Zhu Ying comforted him, saying, "There is no need to worry. His Majesty's previous decree was merely due to concerns that Brother Damu might be fickle. Now that he knows Brother Damu's situation, he will surely show mercy."
At this moment, Zheng Hongkui could only pray that Zheng Chenggong would survive; after all, everyone on Jinmen Island was counting on him.
However, based on the previous medical records, the situation was truly not optimistic.
What surprised Zheng Hongkui was that only a few days after the Imperial Physician arrived, Zheng Chenggong's injury had already significantly improved.
He was somewhat surprised: Could the medical skills really be that different?
But the doctors on this side had also once been imperial physicians in the palace, even among the common people, they had quite a reputation, whereas this one sent by the Emperor was someone they had never even heard of.
Zheng Hongkui sent someone to investigate and only then learned that the important thing was not the Imperial Physician, but the medicine brought by this Imperial Physician that emitted a strange odor.
It was said that the medicine could be taken orally or applied topically, after using it, Zheng Chenggong's festering wound improved significantly.
Zheng Hongkui immediately inquired again about what kind of medicine it was, but unfortunately, the Imperial Physician and the medicine boy he brought were both tight-lipped.
Zheng Hongkui was itching with curiosity; he cared about money and power, but he cared even more about his life.
For a military officer like him, getting injured on the battlefield was perfectly normal; it would be one thing if it were a minor wound, but if it were a serious injury, he would likely have to rely on luck.
The medicine of the Great Ming might not necessarily bring someone back from the dead, but it served as some measure of protection.
He hesitated for a long while before testing the waters with Zhu Ying.
During these past few days, he had been doing his utmost to host Zhu Ying; surely asking for some information wouldn't be too much?
Zhu Ying smiled and said, "Speaking of which, this medicine is indeed extraordinary. It was made back when His Majesty was in his former residence, it has saved many people. Later, when His Majesty met the Marquis of Huating, he gave the prescription to the Marquis of Huating, this medicine even saved the Marquis of Huating's life."
After hearing this, Zheng Hongkui suddenly had a flash of inspiration; what they had found most incomprehensible back then was why the Marquis of Huating would recognize that little Crown Prince as Emperor.
He is a rebel; if he intended to hold the Emperor hostage to command the various lords, he shouldn't have rebelled in the first place. What kind of move is it to rebel and then surrender?
Looking back now, it is highly likely because His Majesty saved his life.
As for whether His Majesty saving a rebel's life is an act of filial impiety.. it is a complete mess. The officials in the Great Ming Court have all acted as if this matter never happened, so they should stop overthinking it.
Zheng Hongkui said with great emotion, "His Majesty is truly learned and talented."
This Majesty is actually proficient in medicine; he had never heard of this before, he didn't know what else was being hidden.
He certainly had.
Zhu Ying said mysteriously, "You've seen my subordinates' firearms, haven't you, Military Scholar? Those were also improved by His Majesty."
"Huh?" Zheng Hongkui froze on the spot.
Zhu Ying said with an indifferent expression, "Sigh, gunpowder is still a type of medicine, so it is only natural that His Majesty has conducted research on it."
The problem was that this Emperor did not just have some research into it.
From the Divine Machine Rocket to the Birdlock Gun, these were all his handiwork.
So this one person is responsible for half of the Great Ming's military equipment?
That might sound a bit exaggerated, but the difficulty of firearms lies partly in design and improvement, on the other hand, in manufacturing.
Among them, design improvement is the most critical aspect; it must be designed in a way that is not only feasible to manufacture but also more advanced than before.
Otherwise, no matter how magnificent the drawings are, it won't matter if they can't be realized when the time comes.
The more Zheng Hongkui listened, the more he understood the Marquis of Huating, even feeling that the Marquis of Huating truly deserved his reputation as a heroic figure of the age, being able to yield or to push.
If it had been Zheng Zhilong or him, they might have hesitated, but once you hesitate, you might miss a golden opportunity; instead, he made a decisive move to succeed the Crown Prince at his memorial.
By turning treason into the act of clearing the Emperor's side, he remained a loyal subject; he simply could not stand the way the corrupt officials and the昏君 were mismanaging the government.