The old man placed the wooden spoon in his hand on a rock beside the vegetable patch and then slowly sat down with his hands on his waist. He appeared to be struggling.
It had just snowed, and the weather was cold. The vegetable patch was full of snow and mud. How could vegetable leaves grow, and how could they need to be watered? However, tonight, he unconsciously picked up the wooden spoon again and used clear water to water the ground. It was as if he wanted to wash away something.
The old man was very old. After Xiao En and Zhuang Mohan died, he became the only person in the world who was fortunate enough to personally witness the founding of the Qing Kingdom. After 50 years, the deep wrinkles on his face and the increasingly conspicuous yellow spots were telling of his history and the history of the country.
Three Emperors? More than that. How many Emperors had he served? The old man couldn't quite wrap his head around it. However, when the previous Emperor ascended the throne, he had, without question, chosen the correct path. That was why he had obtained an irreplaceable position in the military for his family. The current Emperor was, without question, the one he admired the most out of all the Emperors he had served. Three Northern Expeditions, Southern Expeditions, and Western Expeditions. Although he had always held the fort in Jingdou with the authority of an important military official, stabilizing the Emperor's rear, the sons and nephews in the military had followed the Emperor. Some had slept in foreign countries, and some had returned home in glory.
The Qing Kingdom was fought out on horseback using guns, knives, and crossbows. The old man had also dealt with these weapons his entire life. He had killed countless people and destroyed countless tribes around the Qing Kingdom. Millions of people had died in front of him, and his expression had not changed.
This kind of history could not be washed clean with a few spoonfuls of water.
In this long period of history, who knew how many famous generals, good ministers, wise monarchs, and grandmasters shone with their own unique brilliance. However, the one who left the deepest impression on the old man was actually a very young, very beautiful girl.
Every time he thought of that girl, the old man's heart began to tremble. No matter how outstanding a person was, they could only try to change the direction of history. That girl, from the beginning, seemed to be prepared to overturn the foundations of the Qing Kingdom and then the entire world.
The old man never knew if that kind of attempt had a chance of success. He only acutely sensed that if he allowed the situation at the time to continue developing, the entire Qing Kingdom's nobility would be swept clean by an undercurrent. Everyone knew that the Qing Kingdom's nobility provided the most powerful manpower support for the Qing Kingdom's military.
He was afraid of this kind of upheaval. This kind of upheaval that seemed to make the Qing Kingdom powerful but would make the Qing Kingdom not like the Qing Kingdom.
The old man was a soldier, a soldier loyal to the Qing Kingdom. For him, continuing the existence of the Qing Kingdom was the highest and most noble mission. Thus, he participated in a secret and had kept this secret until today.
The girl, or rather, the demoness, was dead.
That's great, isn't it? At least, the Qing Kingdom was still powerful. Furthermore, this Qing Kingdom was still the Qing Kingdom of the past. Nothing had changed. Using one person's death to exchange for the peace of the entire country, the old man had never regretted that decision.
…
…
The old man sat silently on the rock and looked at the dirty water in the vegetable field. He did not speak for a long time. He had already heard about what had happened in front of the Bureau of Military Affairs this afternoon. 200 heads …
The Emperor had treated him well. He had been the Head of the Bureau of Military Affairs for 30 years. This was an honor that had never been seen in the history books.
But this top figure in the military still saw himself as an ordinary member of the military just like he did many years ago. He saw the young men in the military as his own brothers, and as he grew older, he saw them as his own descendants.
Although his face was cold, his heart was kind. Thus, the old man's prestige in the military was not something a normal person could compare to.
The 200 good men in the military were the old man's most trusted private army. They had long been placed in Xiao Mountain for secret training. Originally, they were to be used in the future attack on Northern Qi. Now, he had no choice but to send them out early and use them in the plot to kill the court's imperial envoy.
The old man never paid much attention to the political matters of the court. This time, he had to pay attention. Regardless of whether it was for the continuation of his family or for the future of the Qing Kingdom, he had to kill that young man.
Yet, he did not kill him.
The old man coughed. He didn't know if it was because the coldness of the rock under his buttocks had seeped into his jacket or because a chill had risen in his heart.
Two hundred people.
The old man's face grew older and there was a faint trace of sorrow. They were all his children and should have been the beautiful future of the Qing Kingdom. Yet, they had died like this. Furthermore, there was no peace after death. Their names would never be left behind. Instead, they would be recorded in the history books and be cursed by people. They would become the first rebel army in the Qing Kingdom in decades.
The old man's heart ached and chilled.
…
…
The Emperor was too heartless and chilling to let that young man stay in Jingdou. Furthermore, he was weighted every day. Looking at the trend, there would never be a day when it would stop. Even if that young man could not move while the Emperor was alive, what about in the future? After he and the Emperor both died, would that young man not bring up old scores?
He had participated in the shocking murder case of Ye Qingmei. Did he expect her son not to bring up old scores?
Ever since that young man from Danzhou had been summoned to Jingdou by the Emperor a few years ago, an additional chill had appeared in the old man's heart. Other than Chen Pingping and Fan Jian, no one had thought that the old man had long known of Fan Xian's past.
However, the old man was silent, even more silent than before. Thus, in the past few years, the Qin family's silence in court had become somewhat strange.
Because that young man was the Emperor's flesh and blood, the old man could not do anything ahead of time. He was only watching to see how the Emperor would arrange this young man.
At the beginning, the old man was at ease because that young man seemed to be just a wastrel. He spent all day with Crown Prince Jing in the brothel, fighting over a woman's affections and boxing in the dark. He did not show anything special.
Then, the old man became slightly worried because that young man was going to marry Princess Chen and prepare to take over the palace treasury. Furthermore, he wrote 300 poems in one night in the palace and became famous. However, he immediately relaxed because how could a mere palace treasury be in the eyes of a military leader? No matter how powerful one's wealth was, it was no match for knives and spears. No matter how stunning the poems were, they could not stand up to the galloping of horses.
However, gradually, the development of the matter made the old man, who had been watching coldly from the side, wary. Only now did he know that the Emperor had secretly given this young man the Commissioner token of the Overwatch Council.
As the most powerful figure in the military, the old man had cooperated with the Overwatch Council countless times over the years. Of course, he was most aware of the terrifying power of Chen Pingping and the Overwatch Council. Thus, he felt a glimmer of unease and chose to declare his position for the first time — to speak to the Emperor and have Fan Xian go on a diplomatic mission to Northern Qi.
He knew that this diplomatic mission would not be as easy as it appeared. Because of Xiao En, there were still many difficulties. After the old man spoke, he once again fell silent. He secretly prayed that it would be best if the young man stayed in Northern Qi forever and never came back.
However, the development of the matter once again disappointed him. Fan Xian returned to Qing Kingdom in one piece and had even more power and fame.
…
…
The old man once again fell silent. He calmly and steadily watched the young man. He watched him happily fight with the Second Prince in Jingdou. He watched the Imperial College, the Hanging Temple, and the Palace. He found that this young man was indeed as he had expected. He was ruthless, clever, willing to pay any price, and held grudges.
Powerful.
The old man felt a glimmer of fear. Although Fan Xian was still far from enough to make him feel fear, each time he thought of that woman in the past, that Fan Xian was her son, and that Fan Xian seemed to be walking the same path as that woman, using a very short amount of time to obtain great power, and when he was even more ruthless and vicious than that woman … he felt a little afraid. Additionally, he did not know what the Emperor was thinking. So, other than silence, he began to try to find a gentle way.
He was gambling that Fan Xian would never know the relationship between the Qin family and the past.
Thus, the old man chose to retreat and not ask or answer. In fact, after the Emperor became angry because of Fan Xian's matter and gave the Imperial Censorate a beating, the old man directly chose to say he was sick and not go to court. He also did not go to the Bureau of Military Affairs to oversee matters. He just quietly stayed at home in retirement.
The Emperor was supporting Fan Xian, so the old man had to retreat. He kept retreating to the end to prevent the old matter from being dug up.
The old man knew the Emperor had this kind of ruthlessness.
This was not him being angry with the Emperor. Rather, he was expressing to the Emperor that he knew his place. He also unconsciously did not want to interact with Fan Xian in court. On the other hand, the old man arranged for his son to be on good terms with Fan Xian. He also invited Fan Xian to his manor for a chat and observed him closely for a long time.
…
…
If later matters continued to develop like this, perhaps the old man could still treat Fan Xian as a junior worthy of respect. The doors of the Qin family could always be open to Fan Xian. However, everyone knew that plans could never keep up with changes that came so quickly and left one at a loss.
The Ming family had the old man's shares. The Qin family was all in the military. If they wanted to get cash, it was much more inconvenient than the officials in court. Thus, many years ago, when the Eldest Princess sent someone to respectfully bring 10 percent of the shares to the Qin manor, the old man nodded his head reservedly. He had always thought that the Eldest Princess was an intelligent person rarely seen in the royal family.
Even if Fan Xian investigated Jiangnan, the Qin family would not be afraid. They only had 10 percent of the shares among the wealthy merchants in Jiangnan. How could the Emperor punish the always loyal top family in the military for such a small matter?
Yet, there was the matter on the East Sea island.
Privately moving troops and massacring an island was a shocking matter. As the head of the Bureau of Military Affairs, the old man was one of the few people in court who knew of this matter.
Thus, the old man once again fell silent and sank into deep thought.
Admiral Chang Kun of the Jiaozhou Navy.
Just as Deng Zi Yue of the Overwatch Council had reported to Fan Xian in Jiangnan, this first-level admiral had a good relationship with the Ye family, but he came from the Qin family.
The old man did not give Chang Kun any instructions. The Qin family did not interfere with Chang Kun's actions. It should have been the Eldest Princess's intention. After all, everyone had great benefits in Jiangnan.
But, the old man knew that the Emperor clearly knew that Chang Kun was a member of the Qin family.
Chang Kun was already dead, and the Jiaozhou Navy had been purged. Although the old man still had a few generals left in the Jiaozhou Navy and his nephew had already taken over the position of admiral, he was increasingly confused. What exactly was the Emperor thinking? Why did he still let someone from his family control the Jiaozhou Navy?
The Jiaozhou case had been investigated by Fan Xian.
…
…
Even so, it was not enough for the old man to make up his mind to strike a lightning-fast blow against Fan Xian. He knew that if the assassination of an imperial envoy, a true prince, was leaked, the Emperor would probably bestow a cup of poisoned wine upon him and his family would certainly wither away.
The last straw that truly broke down the old man's defenses was a piece of news from the Overwatch Council.
The Qing Kingdom's military and the Overwatch Council had worked together for decades and had long infiltrated each other. In particular, when the Overwatch Council recruited officials, their first choices were candidates from various places who had not passed the imperial examinations and retired military generals. After decades, who knew how many retired military officers and generals had become people with real power in the Overwatch Council.
As the top person in the military, the old man would not foolishly give up on these opportunities. He had long arranged for his own people to enter the Overwatch Council.
Naturally, the Overwatch Council also had spies in the military. This was something that both sides knew, but no one would expose. The Emperor also silently allowed his two hands to monitor each other.
It was the old man's most capable person in the Overwatch Council who sent a strange piece of news to the Qin manor.
The Overwatch Council had a power above the eight bureaus. It was currently secretly investigating certain things from 20 years ago. Although the things they were investigating did not seem to be connected, such as the change in Jingdou's defenses, the supply situation during the Western Expedition, and the defense situation of the Palace. There were even trivial matters such as the allocation of rations. They were scattered and did not form a system at all.
Because of his many years of vigilance, the old man smelled a glimmer of danger. When he looked at the file, he couldn't help but furrow his brows. If someone carefully weaved together these trivial matters, they would probably gradually point to the truth of the Taiping Courtyard murder case, the bloody truth. At that time, the disgraceful role the Qin family, who held the fort in Jingdou and was responsible for stabilizing the rear for the Emperor, had played in this matter would also be exposed to the world.
That power was investigating very carefully, for fear of alerting someone, but it was also very smart. It wouldn't be long before the layers of disguise were torn apart and the true history would be revealed.
Who was investigating what happened back then?
Who was the power in the Council that was above the eight bureaus?
The reports of the Council people, in addition to the old man's judgment, all pointed to the Qinian Unit that Fan Xian personally led.
The last straw had been crushed.
The old man gave the order to kill Fan Xian.
He was confident that he could temporarily hide the truth of the attack from the world and the Emperor. However, he did not want to face Fan Xian, who, once he knew the truth, would crazily seek revenge for that woman. Thus, he chose the simplest, crudest, and most direct method of killing.
Perhaps he had wrongly estimated Fan Xian's interest in revenge.
However, this mistake could no longer be changed.
…
…
Hearing the news of the failure and the tragic deaths of the 200 soldiers, the first person in the Qing military, the Head of the Bureau of Military Affairs, the old Qin Master seemed to have suddenly aged a dozen years. He rubbed his bark-like face and gradually calmed down.
Twenty years of faint worry and a glimmer of respect and fear for that woman's ghost made the old Qin Master, under pressure, make the most direct decision.
After the failure, this old soldier, who had roamed the battlefield for half a century and stood proudly in the court, finally sensed a problem.
It was not just Fan Xian alone who was able to mobilize so much power to search for clues from 20 years ago and was above the Overwatch Council. There was also Chen Pingping, that old dog.
Having Chang Kun massacre the island seemed to be for the Jiangnan matter, but in reality, it was to drag the old Qin family into this mess. This was the Eldest Princess, that crazy woman's favorite method.
The old Qin Master sat on a large rock and coughed. He finally thought through the cause and effect of this matter. This matter had nothing to do with Fan Xian, the Emperor, or the Eastern Palace. However, there were two people who, for different reasons, both wanted the Qin family to be involved in this matter.
Director of the Overwatch Council, Chen Pingping, and the Eldest Princess, Li Yunrui.
The two people who were the best at crafting conspiracies in the Qing Kingdom, and even the entire world, for different reasons and a common goal, had skillfully worked for over half a year and finally achieved the effect they wanted.
In the face of these two people's unintentional cooperation, even a big shot like Old Master Qin couldn't do anything.
…
…
"Father, the weather is getting cold. Go back to your room."
The second young master of the Qin family, the current Commander of the Jingdou garrison, Qin Heng, came behind the old Master and placed a large coat on his body. Respectfully, he asked for instructions.
The old Qin Master turned his head and glanced at his son. A sour feeling suddenly welled up in his heart. He was already so old, yet his son was only 30 years old. Once he died, would he still be able to protect the Qin family's dignity and position?
"If only my eldest son hadn't died."
Old Master Qin thought bitterly of that somewhat impulsive eldest son of the past. If his temperament had not been so fierce, he would not have been killed by a colonel in the army during the chaos. If he was still alive … why would he have to work so hard?
…
…
The details regarding the old man's attitude toward Fan Xian, as well as the relationship between the Jiaozhou Navy and the Qin family, have all been mentioned in the previous chapter. If everyone is willing, you can go and play with those details. It can be considered a bit of fun. The chapter's title is "Who Can Beat". Naturally, it talks about "If Sister Pingping and Sister Princess are of one mind, who in the world can beat them? I've always had this fantasy, but it's impossible in this book … Finally, I pull for monthly votes. Because the previous monthly votes were very effective, I am very moved. Thus, I took action to summon the monthly votes everyone still holds in their hands and summon them very seriously."
(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please log on to WWW. CMFU. COM. More chapters. Support the author. Support original reading!)
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