(The previous chapter misspelled the Fifth and Sixth Bureau. Apologies here. Also, allow me to sigh sorrowfully. I am truly tired.)
…
…
In one night, many people died. The news was like the first frost in early autumn. It immediately deflated the spirits of the conspirators and followers who had come in high spirits.
After the civil officials' battle to the death in Taiji Palace, the deaths that followed in the dark finally made these people understand that there was no such thing as a gentle end to a battle that involved the state. Furthermore, Sir Fan junior held the posthumous edict in his hand and had the Overwatch Council's black water under his feet. As long as such a person was not captured, no one could think of living their days of glory and wealth.
The empress dowager and Crown Prince in the Palace understood that this was the attitude Fan Xian, who was hidden in the darkness, was expressing to them. Faced with this attitude, the empress dowager and Crown Prince were unusually angry. This attitude was the same as Fan Xian standing in front of them and saying, "I have the power to kill anyone I want to kill. I am threatening you."
This was a very immoral method of terrorism. It was threatening the empress dowager and Crown Prince to temporarily not act rashly, not touch the Fan family, and not touch the dozens of officials in the Celestial Prison. Otherwise, if they truly acted rashly, who could kill who?
From a certain point of view, Fan Xian's method of intensifying the conflict was very likely a stupid choice. How could the people in the Palace be threatened by an official? If the empress dowager truly wanted to play a game where both sides suffered and led troops into the capital, what could Fan Xian do? The Overwatch Council could only use its magic in the darkness. Once it encountered a truly powerful army, it could only retreat.
For some reason, the empress dowager and Crown Prince temporarily chose to be silent and did not carry out their most powerful counterattack.
…
…
In the following two days, the Eldest Princess's faction gathered together and continued to search the streets and alleys of Jingdou for traces of Fan Xian. Such a powerful force of action, in the end, they only destroyed a few of the Overwatch Council's spies and killed seven swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau. They still did not capture Fan Xian.
The Jingdou government and part of the garrison stationed in the city immediately surrounded the Yan manor. After killing their way into the manor, they only captured a few servants in the manor and did not capture Yan Ruohai. They didn't even see the shadow of Lady Shen, much less Sir Yan junior, who had helped Fan Xian secretly contact the old Overwatch Council members in Jingdou.
The army had yet to enter the capital. The other side could only surround the square building by Tianhe Avenue from a distance and monitor it. They did not dare or have the ability to kill their way into the headquarters of the Overwatch Council. They were only ensuring that Fan Xian and Yan Bingyun had no way of entering the Overwatch Council.
The surveillance of King Jing's manor was tightened, but no one dared to lead soldiers into the manor. Everyone was afraid of Fan Xian's eyes hiding in the dark.
In just one night, most of the secret agents of the Overwatch Council received secret orders from above and did not return to the yamen to do their work. They disappeared into the sea of people in Jingdou, hiding their power and protecting their own safety. They returned to the darkness they were most used to.
A total of 600 people disappeared just like that. The disappearance of these Overwatch Council officials was the most direct threat to the nobles in the Royal Palace.
…
…
There was suddenly no follow-up news from the rumored Crown Prince's ascension ceremony. Although the Palace kept a tight watch on the news, how could such a shocking matter continue to be hidden after arresting over 40 officials and throwing them into prison?
Gradually, the people of Jingdou began to discover the truth of the matter and knew that a big mess had occurred in the Royal Palace. The people did not have the power to change history. At least, they did not have the courage right now. They could only be forced to calmly face all of this. They closed their shops, stocked up on enough fine food, and returned to their own homes. Crawling into their blankets, they pressed their palms together and prayed to the heavens to quickly resolve this matter.
It didn't matter who became Emperor, but there had to be someone to be Emperor.
The streets of Jingdou appeared unprecedentedly solemn and desolate. Even though there was only a curfew, not many people dared to go out during the day.
Originally, according to the Eldest Princess' plan, the Crown Prince, who should have become the new Emperor of Qing Kingdom, had already felt waves of unease among the people. The cause of the chaos was only accumulating within Jingdou. Once it spread out of Jingdou and extended to the provinces, then Qing Kingdom would truly fall into chaos.
Thus, he had to stabilize all of this in the shortest amount of time. In order to stabilize it, he had to find Fan Xian and kill him.
The Crown Prince looked at the mountainous pile of memorials beside him and smiled bitterly. He couldn't speak for a moment. In just three days, the number of memorials that had been submitted by the various provinces and provinces of Qing Kingdom had already reached 1,700. Usually, these memorials were taken by a few scholars of the Hall of Governmental Affairs. The important matters were given to the Emperor to decide, and the small matters were distributed to various departments to deal with.
However, the scholars were all in prison, and the officials of various departments had sunk into chaos. Everyone in Jingdou was in a state of panic. The court was gradually unable to move, and government affairs were already in chaos.
Taking down the memorials at the top of the small mountain, the Crown Prince glanced at them. His eyes gradually became confused. These memorials had arrived the latest. Other than Dongshan Road, the other six Governors had sent the news of the Emperor's assassination.
Although these Governors spoke respectfully, the sword intent hidden between the lines was very clear.
The Crown Prince sighed and thought helplessly, When did the civil officials of Qing Kingdom become so courageous? He suddenly thought of the dozens of officials in the Celestial Prison, led by the scholars Hu and Shu, who had endured two days and three nights in prison, yet not one of them had relented.
The Palace could not wait any longer. Since yesterday, they had used torture. However, they still had not worn down the officials' bones. He had even heard that starting at noon, Shu the Scholar had taken the lead in a hunger strike.
The Crown Prince rubbed his temples and felt a headache coming on. Did he really have to follow his aunt's intentions and kill all these officials? But, what if he killed them all? Who would handle court affairs? Did he really want to be a loner?
Eunuch Hou suddenly walked into the royal study with a face full of panic without being sent in. The Crown Prince raised his head and glanced at him. He narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew that Eunuch Hou was his aunt's trusted aide and a trustworthy person.
Eunuch Hou moved closer to his ear and said a few words. His face was slightly pale.
The Crown Prince suddenly jumped and slammed his palm on the desk, sending the memorials to the ground. Gritting his teeth, he said darkly, "The Third Prince has been assassinated! Who gave you the guts to do so! "
Eunuch Hou's body shook. He hurriedly lowered his body and said sorrowfully, "It has nothing to do with me. It has nothing to do with me."
"Unrelated!" The Crown Prince stared coldly into his eyes. "Right now, you are in charge of the Palace. Without your hand, how could an assassin have run to the Chen corridor?"
"It really has nothing to do with this servant," Eunuch Hou quickly begged for mercy and said in a low voice.
The Crown Prince only calmed his angry emotions a moment later. With a wave of his sleeve, he walked toward the back of the palace. Yes, he wanted to be the Emperor. He wanted to kill Fan Xian. He knew that his third brother was Fan Xian's student and the greatest enemy of his throne, but he still had not thought of killing the Third Prince. In his eyes, the Third Prince was still a child.
If something really did happen to the Third Prince, who knew how crazy the already chaotic Royal Palace and Jingdou would become? As he walked towards the back of the palace, the Crown Prince's face was ashen as he thought to himself, who was it that wanted to kill my third brother? Was his aunt using his third son's death to force him to be even more ruthless? Did Second Brother use Third Brother's death to intensify the conflict between him and the world?
However, he knew that no matter what, Old Third couldn't die.
The Crown Prince prayed in his heart.
… …
Li Chengping was the Third Prince. His life and death had a great effect, so he had to be careful. However, the officials in Jingdou did not have such good treatment. Putting aside the important officials who were currently locked up in the Celestial Prison by the internal court and suffering torture, some of the officials who still persisted in working in the Six Ministries were also living wretched lives.
There were no officials in the Hall of Governmental Affairs working, but the officials of the Six Ministries were still working hard to maintain the operation of the country. Although the memorials the Crown Prince temporarily approved in the Palace had not gone through the royal seal, most of the officials tacitly acknowledged the Crown Prince's authority.
The Minister of Revenue, Fan Jian, was hiding in King Jing's manor. The Minister of Appointments, Yan Hangshu, was busy arranging new officials into the various ministries to lay the foundation for the Crown Prince's ascension. The other four ministries were handling official affairs in a state of panic.
As for the officials whose positions were not stable or who had innate problems, they had already been ostracized. The people who had the deepest connections to Fan Xian's faction had been cleanly stripped of their official positions and detained in a prison to await trial.
The Celestial Prison could no longer hold them. It had been filled by the loyal followers Fan Xian's father-in-law had left behind. Minister Fan's connections in court were rather secretive and had not been completely dug out by the Eldest Princess. Fan Xian himself did not have much help in court. Logically speaking, it should not be a big problem.
Even the four disciples of Fan Xian's that everyone knew, Hou Jichang still shouldered a dangerous life and was watching the movements of the navy in Jiaozhou. He secretly communicated with Xu Maocai and was ready to act at any moment. Cheng Jialin had been arranged by Fan Xian in Suzhou to control the palace treasury with Su Wenmao. Yang Wanli had already been building the dikes in the south for a year. Shi Chanli should be in the Song Kingdom, continuing his journey as the greatest pimp in the world.
Even if the Eldest Princess wanted to act against Fan Xian's four students, with the current situation in Jingdou unsettled, the Crown Prince unable to ascend to the throne, and the attitudes of the Governors of the Six Roads unclear, she could not extend her hand that far.
Unfortunately, it was the beginning of autumn, just after the summer floods. After the Water Transport Governor's yamen finished building the dikes, as usual, they had to send someone back to the capital to ask for silver. This year, the person sent back to the capital to ask for silver was none other than Yang Wanli. He had been placed by Fan Xian into the Clear Water Department of Officials. He had done his best in the matter of repairing the dikes and had been praised by everyone in the water transport yamen. Additionally, they knew of his family connection to the Minister of Revenue, so they naturally sent him back to the capital.
They had thought it would be an easy matter for Yang Wanli to return to the capital and ask for silver from the court. Unexpectedly, the Emperor had been assassinated and Yang Wanli's teacher, Fan Xian, had been accused of plotting to assassinate the emperor.
Thus, the moment Yang Wanli entered the Ministry of Works, he asked for himself.
He had already been locked up in a dark room in a side alley for two days. During these two days, he had been tortured countless times. His body was covered in wounds. However, the people from the Ministry of Justice were unable to pry open his mouth and obtain a confession regarding Fan Xian.
Of course, Yang Wanli was innocent. He did not believe that his teacher would do such an evil thing that angered both man and god. Furthermore, he had no way of knowing where Fan Xian was.
At dusk, the internal court sent someone to detain him. Although his rank was far from enough to enjoy the Celestial Prison, the empress dowager gave him this honor on account of his teacher-student relationship with Fan Xian.
Yang Wanli narrowed his blurry eyes and held his waist like an old farmer as he walked out of the dark room. He felt that there was not a place on his body that did not hurt. The bloody scabs on his fingers had healed and broken and were beginning to seep blood again.
His heart was filled with despair. He knew that once he was taken into the Celestial Prison, it would probably be difficult for him to see the light of day again.
Two internal court guards held him and cursed as they walked outside. Along the way, the officials from the Ministry of Works saw this wretched sight but did not dare to look. They only turned their heads and pretended not to see.
The officials all knew what had happened in Taiji Palace two days ago, so they were not at all surprised by the Palace's bloody and ruthless punishment. If the Crown Prince wanted to ascend to the throne, he had to have these officials lower their heads and submit. Until the last step, the Crown Prince was unwilling to kill all of the officials. However, in two more days, the Crown Prince could not wait any longer.
…
…
Walking out of the Ministry of Works yamen and onto the prison carriage, they passed a corner of the street. The prison carriage suddenly stopped. A guard furrowed his brows and stretched his head out to look. His head had just poked out the curtain of the carriage when it fell down with a thud.
His entire head fell down.
Looking at the headless body in front of him and the fresh blood gushing out of the cavity, Yang Wanli's face suddenly paled. His empty stomach was uncomfortable. Acid rose up and made him want to vomit.
The other guard beside him was shocked and wanted to call for help, but a metal rod pierced into the outside of the carriage sealed his voice.
The curtain of the carriage was lifted, revealing Fan Xian's always calm and handsome face. Fan Xian looked at the still shaken Yang Wanli and smiled. "Do you want to come out?"
Yang Wanli's tears flowed freely. He looked at his teacher and nodded repeatedly. In a trembling voice, he said, "Teacher, it is too risky. Wanli is not worth it."
Fan Xian didn't have the patience to listen anymore. He pulled him down and climbed into the Overwatch Council's special carriage. In a moment, they had disappeared into the quiet streets of Jingdou and arrived at a secret meeting point.
"Recuperate. I didn't come to save you. I was just passing by …" Fan Xian looked at the heavily injured Yang Wanli and sighed. "Of course, if you actually died, I would probably feel sad for a while."
Fan Xian was not being pretentious. He was indeed passing by the Ministry of Works yamen. His destination was even further. That was why he had come to this secret meeting point. Looking at Yan Bingyun in front of him, he asked, "Has it all been confirmed?"
"The Eldest Princess, empress dowager, Crown Prince, and Lady Shu are all in the Palace," Yan Bingyun looked at him and said. "All confirmed. As long as the Royal Palace is under control, everything will be settled. "
"Does the empress dowager really trust the Great Prince that much?" Fan Xian furrowed his brows. "If I were her, I would have long swapped the Great Prince with someone from the old Qin family."
"Perhaps the empress dowager thinks that no one can save Lady Ning under the combined watch of the internal court eunuchs and guards."
"I can," Fan Xian said with a slight smile. Fan Xian smiled slightly and said, "Tonight, I will rescue all of my relatives and lock up the others."
Yan Bingyun smiled, but his smile was a bit bitter.
Fan Xian saw the unnaturalness in his expression and furrowed his brows. "What happened in the Palace? Or did something happen on Sir Yan's side? "
"Don't worry about father. He's probably in the Qin family right now," Yan Bingyun said with his head lowered. "There is something I should tell you before you enter the Palace."
Fan Xian looked at him.
"The Third Prince has been attacked by an assassin." Yan Bingyun raised his head to look at him. "You didn't give me your channels in the Palace, so I have no way of investigating the results of this assassination. However, I urge you to think of the worst. After all, he is only a child. Yi Guipin doesn't have much power to protect him."
"You're saying that Chengping was attacked by an assassin?" Fan Xian's eyes narrowed. He didn't speak for a long time. However, he gradually tightened his fist. His knuckles turned white and green, revealing the true feelings in his heart.
A moment later, he said in a heavy voice, "It wasn't the Crown Prince."
Yan Bingyun glanced at him and was slightly surprised. He didn't understand why he was so sure that the mastermind of the assassination in the Palace this time was not the Crown Prince.
"Blood has already been seen." Fan Xian raised his head to look at him. "The original plan to enter the Palace tonight doesn't need to be brought forward. Follow the original plan."
"With the help of the Jingdou government, the Black Knights have scattered into the capital. There are 400 people in total." Yan Bingyun knew Fan Xian's current mood, so he didn't misunderstand his particularly cold expression. Instead, he calmly said, "Since you've already decided to give up on the city gate department, then tonight's operation in the Royal Palace must be completed in one fell swoop. Not a single one can be missed."
"Of the nine city gates, which one can I control?" Fan Xian forced a smile. "I don't have enough soldiers at hand, so I can't face them head-on. I can only take risks."
"Of course, I trust that neither the empress dowager nor the Eldest Princess would think that I would dare to force my way into the Palace …" He stood and smiled slightly. "People who are used to the schemes of emperors often forget such a thing as courage. A drunkard may not have a clear mind, but when holding a kitchen knife, it is still very powerful. "
"Everyone says my mother-in-law is crazy. I want to know if my forceful attack without any sense of beauty will make her so angry she'll curse."
"This isn't a forceful attack," Yan Bingyun said. "At least, the Imperial Army won't stop you. However, we only have 400 people. The other people of the Seventh Bureau must set up a diversion outside the Palace. The Royal Palace is so big, and we don't have enough people. If we want to guarantee that everyone will be captured, we must know exactly where the targets are. "
He looked at Fan Xian and said with slight worry, "Charging straight into the camp is a great taboo in the art of war. The meaning of gambling is too heavy. I don't know where your confidence comes from."
"I have people in the enemy camp," Fan Xian said with a slight smile. He then touched his smooth cheek.
After learning of the Third Prince's assassination attempt, he hadn't said a word to Yan Bingyun about the matter. He only calmly arranged for the night's attack. In the end, Fan Xian couldn't resist slowly lowering his head. A wave of sadness rose in his chest. He silently prayed that nothing would happen to Chengping.
"You can't die." Fan Xian seemed to be saying this to himself and also to the Third Prince, whose life and death he didn't know. "You are going to be the Emperor in the future."
… …
Let us bring forward the time by two hours to see a Palace murder that could change history and many people. After the assassination attempt on the Qing Emperor on Dong Mountain, this was the second major event that shook the Palace.
The target of this assassination attempt was the Third Prince. The Third Prince was Li Chengping. His mother was Yi Guipin from Duke Liu's family. He had once followed the Duke of Danbo, Fan Xian, to study in Jiangnan for a year. Furthermore, he was the successor to the throne that Fan Xian had openly supported this year.
Until a long time later, no one knew the main culprit in this murder attempt. No matter how one looked at it, the Third Prince could not be considered an important target. Although everyone knew that this 10-year-old boy had a great influence on the Crown Prince's right of succession, this influence was mainly because of Fan Xian's support.
The Third Prince himself did not have any extraordinary magic or powerful power.
Even if the Crown Prince was worried that his little brother would cause trouble, he would only think of killing Fan Xian and not the Third Prince. The Third Prince's death would not benefit the Crown Prince at all. Other than making the opposition of the court officials a little fiercer and making Fan Xian's rebellion a little crazier.
Most importantly, with Fan Xian as the scapegoat, the Dong Mountain matter could forever be hidden behind the truth. If Li Chengping died in the Royal Palace, how would the present master of the Royal Palace, the Crown Prince, convince this little girl in history?
The Crown Prince was like his father. They were both people who cared deeply about their reputation in history. Thus, he would waver between killing or not killing officials. Thus, he would not order his subordinates to kill the Third Prince. This was also why Fan Xian determined that the main culprit was not him.
Then, who wanted to kill Li Chengping?
In the Chen corridor of the Royal Palace, the young Li Chengping's face was full of shock. He ran wildly as he also thought of this question.
Unfortunately, this was not Hanguang Palace. The empress dowager had no way to protect his life. He called for help, but the Chen corridor was too quiet. No one heard his cry for help. Li Chengping felt hopeless. He thought that if he had stayed obediently in Hanguang Palace, he would certainly not have died. He shouldn't have fallen for the trick earlier and run to the Chen corridor.
However, the other party had said that his teacher had something to tell him and had shown him a keepsake. Thus, he had fallen for the trick and secretly hid it from his mother and the eunuchs and serving girls in Hanguang Palace to come to the Chen corridor alone.
Run as fast as you can, child.
How could a child outrun an adult? Panting, Li Chengping fell to the ground. Looking at the two eunuchs closing in on him step by step, his face was deathly pale. He gritted his teeth forcefully.
These two eunuchs were not martial artists, but it was clear that they had received some kind of training to kill. Against a child without the strength to truss a chicken, it was too easy.
It was so easy that the two eunuchs already treated Li Chengping as a dead person. One foot stepped on him to the ground and one hand reached into their clothes to take out a knife.
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