Before the sky brightened, the shaken Yuan Hongdao followed a small alley in the west of the city and fled toward the Lotus Pond Square. He was careful along the way, avoiding the Overwatch Council's pursuit and the Jingdou Garrison's patrols. With great difficulty, he came to a private house.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and sat woodenly by the table. Dumbfounded, he couldn't speak for a long time. In his life, he had done countless major things. He had even personally brought down the previous Prime Minister. However, the scene in the early hours of the morning still shook him to the core.
Presumably, everyone in the Eldest Princess' manor was dead. From a certain point of view, these people were all killed by Yuan Hongdao. The problem was, in everyone's understanding, Yuan Hongdao was a trusted aide by the Eldest Princess' side. If he hadn't escaped earlier, he would probably have been killed on the spot by the swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau.
If Fei Jie hadn't acted first.
…
…
This private house was one of the Overwatch Council's most secretive transfer stations. Yuan Hongdao turned his head and saw a cup of tea on the table. Without hesitation, he drank it to moisten his dry throat.
"Aren't you afraid there's poison in the tea?"
A middle-aged man walked out from the inner room with a slight smile. It was Sir Yan junior's father, the previous Commander of the Fourth Bureau, Yan Ruohai.
Yuan Hongdao glanced at him warily. After confirming the other party's identity, he quietly said, "I never had any hope of continuing to live."
In the eyes of this most successful spy in the Qing Kingdom, this half-hour arrest in the early hours of the morning already showed that the Emperor could no longer tolerate the Eldest Princess. Furthermore, he believed that given the Emperor and Director Chen's ability to move, the Eldest Princess' side would be cleaned out in just an hour.
If the Eldest Princess no longer posed any threat, then the traces of his existence as a spy would be erased. However, Yuan Hongdao did not feel a glimmer of sorrow. From the moment he began to follow Lin Ruofu many years ago, he had been prepared to sacrifice himself for the Qing Kingdom at any time.
However, Yan Ruohai only smiled and took out all the procedures and disguises he had prepared for him. He said, "You have not been in the Council for a long time. Perhaps you do not know, but the Emperor and the Director have never easily abandoned any of their subordinates."
Yan Ruohai was slightly startled before he smiled bitterly.
At this moment, another woman in civilian clothes came in from the back door with a panicked expression on her face. When the woman saw Yuan Hongdao's face clearly, she couldn't help but open her mouth wide in astonishment, as if she had never imagined that Yuan Hongdao would appear here.
Yuan Hongdao was also incomparably shocked because he had once seen this woman in Xinyang. At that time, this woman's identity was that of the Eldest Princess' trusted palace maid … so this palace maid was actually one of the Emperor's people!
Yan Ruohai glanced at the palace maid and said with a frown, "You came out a bit late."
The palace maid lowered her head and reported, "Last night, just as I left, Eunuch Hong personally went out and surrounded Guangxin Palace … I didn't dare to walk around casually, so I was slow."
Yan Ruohai glanced at the two of them and said, "Both of you have rendered meritorious service to the Imperial Court. His Majesty and the Headmaster are very satisfied with your performances over the years. Today's matter is urgent, so we have no choice but to have the two of you meet face to face. This is to prevent you from not knowing each other's identities in the future and bringing unnecessary losses."
Without too many superfluous words, Yan Ruohai gave some instructions and began to send the Overwatch Council's two most successful spies out of Jingdou.
Yuan Hongdao furrowed his brows and said, "Where are we going?"
"You return to Xinyang," Yan Ruohai said each word clearly. "Wait in Xinyang."
Yuan Hongdao couldn't believe his ears. He raised his head and asked, "You are saying … the Eldest Princess will return to Xinyang?"
"Just in case," Yan Ruohai said quietly. "No one can say for sure about royal matters … as for how to explain it after we return to Xinyang, I will slowly tell you."
He then turned his head to the palace maid and said, "Stay hidden in the capital. If there are any changes in the future, you will still need to enter the Palace."
Finally, this already nominally retired high-ranking official of the Overwatch Council bowed sincerely to Yuan Hongdao and the palace maid and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
The room quieted down. Yan Ruohai looked at the wall outside the window and thought of the colleague who had just left. He furrowed his brows slightly. No one knew what he was thinking. After a long time, he smiled.
Given the Eldest Princess's power and shrewdness, the Overwatch Council only needed an hour to dig out her hidden power in Jingdou and use the fastest speed and most thunderous methods to clean it all up. It seemed so easy and at ease. It was completely inconsistent with the people's assessment of the Eldest Princess's reverence. The Overwatch Council had long buried two spies at the Eldest Princess's side.
In particular, the spy, Yuan Hongdao, had been arranged to be at Scholar Lin's side when the Eldest Princess had taken a liking to the handsome scholar in the imperial examinations.
If it was said that the palace maid had only grasped some of the Eldest Princess's personality and likes and had arranged for Hong Zhu to "coincidentally" discover that shady matter, Yuan Hongdao was now a Xinyang strategist. He was well aware of the Eldest Princess's power and goals.
With such a person secretly helping the Overwatch Council send messages, how could the Eldest Princess's side stand up to the Overwatch Council's wind and rain? The reason Chen Pingping had never seen the Eldest Princess as an enemy worthy of attention and the reason the Overwatch Council's attack appeared so accurate and ruthless was all because of this.
Yuan Hongdao was the first basket of spies the Overwatch Council had thrown out when it was first established. After so many years of wear and tear in court and under heaven, he was the only one left in that basket of spies. However, he did not know that the present Overwatch Council was no longer the Overwatch Council of the past.
Chen Pingping had long coldly stood between these people and the Emperor. This was what it meant to be a figurehead. Everything was for the Qing Kingdom. This was the obsession in these people's hearts. In reality, everything for them had to be arranged by Chen Pingping.
… …
While the sky was still dark, in the large manor, the old man who liked to grow cabbage had already risen from bed and was using a wooden ladle to water the ground.
The military's most virtuous and respected elder, the old Qin Master, was old, so he woke up earlier than other people.
His second son also woke up early. Qin Heng, who was now the Deputy of the Bureau of Military Affairs but had been forced to leave the Jingdou garrison, rushed over from the front garden with a face full of worry. He had a carelessly thin jacket draped over his body. He moved closer to his old father's ear and quietly said something.
Although he was no longer the Commander of the Jingdou garrison, the Qin family had many eyes and ears in the military. At the first instant, he knew of the strange movements in Jingdou and the Overwatch Council's actions.
The old Qin Master furrowed his brows slightly. A glimmer of surprise appeared on his old face. "The Emperor is attacking the Eldest Princess … why?"
No one knew why the Qing Emperor would suddenly attack after being quiet for so long, particularly when the Eldest Princess had behaved so obediently these few months.
"What should we do?" Qin Heng asked worriedly. If the Emperor's actions today were only the beginning of a large operation, then who would be the unlucky ones next?
"We don't need to do anything." The old Qin Master sighed. "Do you want to rebel? You shouldn't even ask such a question. "
"But … the Eldest Princess knows some things about our family."
The old Qin Master smiled coldly and said, "What things? The Ming family's shares or the Jiaozhou Navy? Your cousin is handling the Jiaozhou side. There won't be anything that can be used against us in the Palace. As for the Ming family … the Emperor won't burn my old bones for 10% of the shares. "
"But …" Qin Heng was still worried. "If the Eldest Princess loses power today and we don't act … in the future, Fan Xian's faction will dominate the court. I am very worried about what Fan Xian will do in the future."
The old Qin Master furrowed his brows tightly and said, "What matters is whether or not Li Yunrui can survive today."
"You're saying that the Emperor will order the Eldest Princess to die?" Qin Heng's eyes widened. He couldn't believe his ears. "How could the empress dowager allow such a thing to happen? Is the Emperor not afraid that the court will fall into chaos? "
The old Qin Master laughed coldly and said, "If I were the Emperor, I would either not move against a crazy character like the Eldest Princess, or I would kill her … however, you're right. There is still the empress dowager in the Palace. The Emperor is also a ruler who cherishes his reputation, so Li Yunrui may not die."
"If Li Yunrui dies, nothing we do will be of use." The old Qin Master threw the wooden dipper to the ground. "If she can luckily survive, we can't do anything right now … believe me, as long as she can survive, her future counterattack will be very crazy. At that time … we will have a chance."
…
…
The Palace doors were tightly shut. The bronze nails on the doors were like the protruding eyes of a ghost, staring at the people outside the Palace walls with worried expressions. There were not many people waiting for news outside the Palace. It was mainly the Great Prince and the Commander of the Jingdou Garrison, Xie Su, and a group of people. They looked at the tightly shut Palace doors and didn't know what was happening inside. They already knew that the Overwatch Council had already captured all of the high-ranking officials on the Eldest Princess' side and sent them to the Supreme Court.
The Great Prince's brows were furrowed tightly. A moment later, he suddenly said, "No, I have to go into the Palace and admonish."
Xie Su carefully pulled on his sleeve and lowered his voice. "Commander, don't be silly. Don't be foolish, this isn't the time for us officials to speak. "
The Great Prince furrowed his brows and said, "I can't just watch as this happens. What about grandmother?"
The Qing empress dowager was still lying high in Hanguang Palace, sleeping soundly. The transmission of information inside and outside of Hanguang Palace had already been cut off by people the Qing Emperor had sent to ensure that no one from another Palace would disturb the empress dowager's rest or tell her what was happening in some Palace.
Not far from Hanguang Palace, Guangxin Palace was the palace where the empress dowager's favorite daughter, the Eldest Princess of Qing Kingdom, Li Yunrui, currently lived. Guangxin Palace was different from its usual quiet and beautiful scene.
An old eunuch with a hunched back stood in front of Guangxin Palace's door like a withered tree in winter.
With the withered tree here, there was nothing left of the quiet scene.
The Eldest Princess, Li Yunrui, stood outside the threshold of Guangxin Palace and looked coldly at the old eunuch outside the Palace. "Eunuch Hong, I want to see mother."
Eunuch Hong didn't speak. No one else replied. The eunuchs who had followed him to Guangxin Palace were busy in the Palace, busily moving bodies from every corner of Guangxin Palace.
The 27 serving girls in Guangxin Palace, including the Eldest Princess's personal serving girls who were skilled in martial arts, were all dead. A few bodies were at the base of the wall outside the Palace. It was clear that they had intended to climb over the wall to ask for help.
However, since old Eunuch Hong had personally brought people here, the serving girls in Guangxin Palace had no ability to fight back. They were all tragically killed. No one even had time to say a word.
No one wanted to hear them speak. The Emperor's order was clear. No one was allowed to speak. They were all to be killed.
The eunuchs carried the bodies of the serving girls onto a few broken carriages and then headed toward the burning field. Along the way, blood flowed down from the empty boards of the carriages and dripped onto the stone path inside the Royal Palace. It appeared particularly shocking.
A eunuch with a broom in his hand pulled a cart of yellow dirt behind him. As he sprinkled the dirt on the blood, he swept it clean.
A moment later, the carriages were far away. The blood and dust on the stone path gradually faded and turned into very shallow marks. It was as if there was nothing there at all.
Only now did old Eunuch Hong slowly raise his head and weakly say, "Your Highness, the empress dowager is currently resting. The Emperor doesn't want you to disturb her. Please wait a moment. The Emperor will come to see you in a moment."
A glimmer of hatred flashed through the Eldest Princess's clear and beautiful eyes. Her hands, which hung by her side, slowly tightened. A moment later, she smiled and bowed slightly with great politeness. "Then I will wait here for brother Emperor."
After saying this, she turned and entered the Palace, closing the wooden door.
Eunuch Hong's body was still bent like a withered tree, silently standing guard outside Guangxin Palace. Although the branches of this tree had no leaves, it gave people the feeling that it was beginning to spread around Guangxin Palace. It wrapped around the top and bottom of the Palace, making it difficult for the woman in the Palace to breathe.
…
…
The Eastern Palace was a mess of noise and chaos. Everyone was terrified and uneasy. The empress, who had come out without any jewelry, looked at the eunuchs who had entered without an invitation and flew into a rage. Her brows furrowed and she cursed loudly, "You dog servants! Do you want to rebel? "
Eunuch Yao bowed respectfully and gently said, "Your Highness, I don't dare. It is just that I have the Emperor's orders and have no choice but to obey."
At this moment, the pale-faced Crown Prince also walked out from the back of the Palace. He looked at the eunuchs and guards in the Palace. His pupils constricted slightly. He found that the people who had come were all his father's absolute trusted aides from Taiji Palace and the royal study. He didn't know what had happened for these servants to break into the Eastern Palace to make trouble, but he knew that this was his father's intention.
But … why was that? The Crown Prince forcefully suppressed the fear in the depths of his heart and calmly asked, "Eunuch Yao, what is this for?"
Eunuch Yao bowed and respectfully reported, "The Emperor has heard that there are people in the Eastern Palace whose hands are not clean. He is worried about the Crown Prince and the empress, so he has sent me here to take these servants to Taichang Temple for interrogation."
Naturally, this was a fake excuse. The empress and Crown Prince met each other's eyes and saw the unease and confusion in the other's eyes. The death of a serving girl could not have caused such a disturbance.
The empress forcefully suppressed the anger in the depths of her heart and gritted her teeth. "The affairs of the Palace have never been managed by me. The Emperor worries about the affairs of the country, so why bother him with these small matters? Eunuch Yao … which servant spoke too much and disturbed the Emperor? "
Eunuch Yao stood calmly below and did not reply.
The Crown Prince sighed and said, "Since it is father's intention, then take them for interrogation."
With these words, the eunuchs and serving girls who had already gathered in the Eastern Palace wailed. Although they didn't know what fate awaited them, they knew that Taichang Temple was a place even more terrifying than the black prison.
"How many people are we taking?"
"All of them," Eunuch Yao raised his head and said quietly.
The empress sucked in a cold breath. A moment later, her lips trembled. She said angrily, "Is there no one in the Palace to serve?"
"Immediately, new people will be sent to serve you two," Eunuch Yao said respectfully. He then waved his hand and ordered the eunuchs and guards to tie up the dozens of eunuchs and serving girls in the Eastern Palace.
Along the way, there were people begging for mercy in a low voice. However, the people Eunuch Yao had brought not only tied up people, but also bound their mouths.
The empress knew that there must be a big problem with today's matter. She turned her head and glanced helplessly at the Crown Prince. She wanted to know the truth of the matter from her son's eyes. However, the Crown Prince's face was pale. He had no idea how to respond.
Just as Eunuch Yao and his group were preparing to leave the Eastern Palace, the Qing Emperor walked in from outside the Palace. He furrowed his brows slightly and said, "What is going on?"
Seeing this scene, the empress quickly led the Crown Prince forward to bow. She said with grief and indignation, "Your Majesty, are you preparing to turn this place into a Cold Palace?"
The Emperor glanced at her with disgust but didn't even glance at the Crown Prince. Directly to Eunuch Yao, he said, "What did I order?"
It was a very light sentence. Eunuch Yao knelt to the ground with a thud in fright and repeatedly kowtowed. He then turned his head and viciously said something.
The empress and the Crown Prince stared at this scene dumbstruck. Immediately after, the empress let out a wretched cry and fainted on the Crown Prince's body.
Because …
Outside the Qing Kingdom's most sacred Royal Palace, the most benevolent Eastern Palace, the guards raised the knives in their hands and suddenly brought them down.
Countless sounds of knives rang out. Dozens of muffled grunts struggled to come out of their gagged mouths. Dozens of heads fell to the ground. Dozens of headless bodies twitched on the ground. Fresh blood suddenly dyed the Eastern Palace courtyard. The smell of blood wafted into the palace.
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