One arrow pierced through the clouds, and thousands of soldiers and horses came to meet.
When that dazzling firework bloomed in Jingdou's silent night sky, although it was only for a moment, it shocked countless people.
The internal purge of the Imperial Army was the first work to begin. Before long, the Great Prince successfully controlled all of the power. The 3,000 or so Imperial Army soldiers left in Jingdou became the most powerful military force protecting the Royal Palace.
At the same time, the Overwatch Council subordinates hidden in the darkness also saw this firework. They revealed themselves from the darkness and began to advance toward their respective targets.
The yamen of the Ministry of Justice had always been sinister, particularly on a night like this. In the silence, a wave of hurried footsteps suddenly rang out outside the Ministry of Justice. The bailiffs responsible for the night watch watched the movement outside the yamen with astonishment. They then discovered with astonishment that a large group of people wearing black official robes were pressing toward the Ministry of Justice.
The bailiffs' faces were deathly pale. They immediately sounded the gong to warn the people in the Ministry of Justice, as well as the prison guards at the back of the Ministry of Justice. They immediately retreated toward the yamen of the Ministry of Justice because they knew that these black official robes were from the Overwatch Council. They were not a match for them.
The sound of the warning rang out. The subordinates of the Ministry of Justice all hurried to the back. Everyone knew that the Ministry of Justice's prison was of the utmost importance. The Crown Prince did not dare to imprison the civil officials who opposed his ascension into the Overwatch Council's prison and had locked them all up there. Although these people were only prisoners in the Ministry of Justice, when they were placed in court, they were officials that even the empress dowager had to be wary of.
…
…
There were not many terrifying sounds of killing. After a few wretched cries and a wave of chaos, the Overwatch Council's 300 or so people entered the depths of the yamen of the Ministry of Justice and charged into the large square.
The bailiffs of the Ministry of Justice and prison guards were surrounded in the center by Overwatch Council officials. The disheveled main official of the Ministry of Justice looked at this scene and couldn't help his heart becoming cold.
The two sides had about the same number of people. It seemed that they had the power to fight. However, this Minister, who was like the Commander of the Imperial Army and did not dare to go home and only guarded the prison in the Ministry of Justice, could not summon any thought of resistance.
The black-clothed men held crossbows in their hands. They were the Overwatch Council officials that Qing officials feared the most. The Minister knew that since the Overwatch Council dared to act so wildly, Sir Fan junior must have begun to stir up a bloody storm inside Jingdou.
The remaining power of the Overwatch Council still existed, and Fan Xian's dark name intimidated everyone's hearts. Without the help of the Eldest Princess' power, not many people dared to directly oppose this group.
Moreover, he had also heard that a signal arrow had been fired from the palace. Then, he woke up in a panic and clearly heard the heaven-shaking battle cries that soared into the sky from the Imperial City.
He didn't know that it was the Imperial Army, but he knew that there was a change in the Imperial City.
…
…
A number of corpses lay scattered on the field. The leading official of the Overwatch Council looked coldly at the surrounded Minister of Justice. Enunciating each word, he said, "I have come by the empress dowager's edict and Prince Heqing's military order to bring the old officials out of prison. I would have to trouble you, Minister, to hand them over."
Hand them over? No, this was a prison break. The Minister of Justice trembled and didn't dare to speak or curse. Last night, one of his right-hand assistant ministers had died in this hall without anyone knowing. No one knew how the assistant minister had died. The Minister didn't want to become a second wronged person.
If he surrendered, would he have a chance to live? The light of the torch made the Minister of Justice's expression strange.
Seeming to guess his thoughts, the leading Overwatch Council official stared into his eyes and said, "The empress dowager has said that all those who have rebelled will be forgiven if they truly repent."
The Minister of Justice smiled bitterly. He had even brought up the empress dowager's edict. It looked like the Duke of Danbo had already taken control of the Royal Palace. There was still no news from the Eldest Princess' side. Something had probably gone wrong. With such a situation, why should he bitterly hold on?
In a flash, he suddenly thought that if the battle in the Royal Palace had not been resolved and Fan Xian had not gained the upper hand, if he surrendered so easily, how would he explain it to the Crown Prince and the Eldest Princess?
The Minister of Justice gritted his teeth. His gaze changed endlessly.
The Overwatch Council official looked at him coldly and didn't continue to communicate with him. He slowly raised his right hand. Some of the hundreds of Overwatch Council officials around him raised their crossbows. Some pulled out metal drills. They began to prepare to attack the heavy doors of the Ministry of Justice's prison.
"On the count of three." The Overwatch Council official counted expressionlessly. "Three, two …"
"Wait!" The Minister of Justice was finally crushed by this monotonous count. In a hoarse voice, he yelled, "Wait! I want the Duke of Danbo's words! "
A mocking smile rose to the corners of the Overwatch Council official's lips. In such a dangerous situation, the Minister of Justice's courage had been crushed. He had not become stupid. He knew that the empress dowager's edict was only a piece of broken paper. What could truly save his life was the Commissioner's will.
He took out a document he had prepared a long time ago and tossed it over.
The Minister of Justice picked it up from the ground. Using the dim light of the torch, he read the document again and confirmed that it was the decree personally written by Sir Fan junior.
No one knew when this decree had been written or prepared, but it clearly said that the Eldest Princess and the Crown Prince had conspired with Dongyi and Northern Qi assassins to assassinate the Emperor on Dong Mountain. Each crime was clear. At the back, it said that the Governor of the Northern Expedition Camp, Yan Xiaoyi, was involved in the rebellion and had been personally executed by Fan Xian.
The crime was not important. What the Minister of Justice cared about was the last words. Reading to the end, his expression finally eased a little. In this document, titled "Summon the Imperial Edict to Punish the Traitors," there were about 400 words in total. In the last 100 words, it clearly said that the officials in court had been deceived by Li Chengqian. As long as they repented and performed meritorious deeds for the new throne, the past would be forgiven.
The Minister of Justice's hand trembled as he held the decree. This decree did not have the empress dowager's seal, but it had the Emperor's royal seal.
The most important thing was that Fan Xian had personally made his signature on it!
The Minister of Justice knew that at a time like this, no royal seal would be more effective than Fan Xian's signature. Furthermore, he believed that Fan Xian was not someone who would go back on his word.
His face grew increasingly pale. He glanced at the Ministry of Justice yamen guards around him who were summoning up their courage but had ashen faces. He lowered his head and knelt in front of the Overwatch Council official. In a wretched voice, he said, "I … plead guilty."
…
…
Disarming, finger binding, leashing. All of the Ministry of Justice's armed forces were brought under control in a very short amount of time. It was just that this group of people left some face for the Minister, except for the official robe and the black gauze that he was not wearing properly.
All kinds of knives, spears, and sticks were piled in the corner. All of the officials of the Ministry of Justice had their arms bound behind their backs with special steel finger cuffs made by the Overwatch Council. These finger cuffs were all tied together with sturdy hemp ropes. They were like grasshoppers strung together during a famine.
All of these actions appeared particularly familiar and fast. From the day the Overwatch Council yamen was born, they had used these methods to deal with the various yamens of the Qing Kingdom's enormous state apparatus.
It could not be said that the Minister of Justice was timid or the Qing Kingdom's yamen were useless. However, it had been many years. The terror of the Overwatch Council had been deeply rooted in the hearts of all Qing officials. Like a natural enemy, the officials faced this group of black-clothed people could not muster up any courage to resist.
After the Qing Emperor died and Chen Pingping was poisoned, the Overwatch Council, this terrifying royal secret service had become the sharpest blade in Fan Xian's hands.
While dealing with the remaining affairs of the Ministry of Justice, the two heavy doors of the Ministry of Justice had long been opened. Overwatch Council officials entered and split off many people to help out 40 or 50 wretched-looking officials.
These officials did not have time to remove their official robes, but they were already covered in wounds. From this, one could see how hurried and chaotic the Crown Prince had been when he had arrested these officials in Taiji Palace.
Many of the officials had no strength to walk after being punished. With the support of these Overwatch Council officials, they were barely able to move out of the door of the Ministry of Justice prison.
The eyes of the leading Overwatch Council official narrowed. He quickly walked forward and knelt on one knee in front of these officials. Making a heavy bow, he said in a low voice, "I am the head of the Second Bureau of the Overwatch Council, Murong Yan. On the empress dowager's orders, I have come to welcome you. Thank you for your hard work."
The civil officials who had been helped out looked at this black-clothed Overwatch Council official and couldn't help but feel a mixture of emotions. They couldn't say anything.
Murong Yan did not rise. Instead, he turned and bowed solemnly to the two leading officials. In a low voice, he said, "The Commissioner has ordered me to thank the two scholars on his behalf."
These two officials were the two first-level officials who had courageously rebelled in Taiji Palace and forcefully stopped the Crown Prince's ascension. They were the heads of the Hall of Governmental Affairs, Hu the Scholar and Sir Shu Wu.
There were still wounds on Shu Wu's face. Looking at this official, he sighed. He did not feel much joy at having escaped. There was only a deep worry for the situation in Jingdou. He knew Fan Xian's personality. Since he had risked his life to break into the prison tonight, the Royal Palace would certainly be in chaos. The Emperor … the Emperor, who knew how many of the Emperor's relatives would die in this storm?
Hu the Scholar smiled and said, "The Duke of Danbo is wrong. I did not help him. Where is the word 'thanks'?"
Murong Yan was surprised by these words.
There was no time to explain the situation in the Palace in detail. Ten carriages had already arrived outside the Ministry of Justice. They took the injured officials into the carriages and headed toward the Royal Palace. The situation in Jingdou was still very dangerous. These officials who had just escaped prison could not return to their manors for now.
Watching the carriages under the Overwatch Council's protection move along the long street toward the Royal Palace, Murong Yan, standing outside the door of the Ministry of Justice, finally let out a big breath. Although there were still many things he needed to take care of in the Ministry of Justice yamen behind him, his heart had already calmed down.
He was the head registrar of the Second Bureau. Originally, he was responsible for gathering intelligence. In the Overwatch Council incident, he had been given the task of forcefully attacking the Ministry of Justice by Sir Yan junior. Perhaps he had taken a liking to his calmness.
It was not difficult to forcefully attack the Ministry of Justice. What was difficult was to rescue the officials in the prison unharmed. Murong Yan knew this very well. Otherwise, the Commissioner would not have given him hundreds of people when Jingdou had so few people.
The specific mission had been given by Yan Bingyun, but the requirements had been personally drawn up by Fan Xian. Fan Xian had given a death order to the Ministry of Justice prison. He wanted to ensure the safety of the scholars Hu and Shu, as well as the civil officials.
He knew that if these courageous civil officials had not risen up in Taiji Palace and forcefully delayed the Crown Prince's ascension, throwing court politics into chaos and Jingdou into chaos, it would have been difficult for him to find an opportunity to successfully break into the Palace.
These civil officials, who did not seem to have much power other than opening their mouths to remonstrate, were the true heroes of Fan Xian's mission. Fan Xian had borrowed the bones of these officials, so he had to ensure that their bones were unharmed. This was gratitude and a faint sense of guilt.
…
…
When the Ministry of Justice prison was opened, the Jingdou government, which had seemed even more difficult to attack, had its main doors wide open and brightly lit. It appeared very strange.
The Jingdou government was responsible for Jingdou's security and had many bailiffs and officials under its command. When the signal arrow for the fireworks outside the Royal Palace rang out, the serious-looking second-level official, the Jingdou magistrate, Sun Jingxiu, walked into the main hall with a heavy expression.
His subordinates, who didn't understand what had happened, looked at the magistrate with wide eyes and tongues tied. They wondered why Sir Sun was still wearing his official robes so late at night.
After a few breaths, the sound of footsteps arrived like thunder. Sun Jingxiu glanced at his subordinates with a complicated expression and sighed with great regret. He ordered his subordinates to open the main doors of the Jingdou government.
Once the doors opened, the officials of the Overwatch Council filed in. Under the gazes of the Jingdou government officials, they took up advantageous positions in the main hall and surrounded Sun Jingxiu in the center.
The black-robed Overwatch Council officials parted and a person walked out. It was the head of the First Bureau of the Overwatch Council, Mu Tie. This steel-faced official looked coldly at Sun Jingxiu and asked, "Sir, you have ordered me to ask you, have you thought it through?"
Sun Jingxiu sighed again. After a moment of struggle, his legs seemed to suddenly lose strength. With a bang, he knelt to the ground and said in a low voice, "I know my mistake, but I do not dare to ask for your forgiveness."
After this scene appeared, the entire scene burst into an uproar. Everyone felt incomparably shocked. They didn't understand why the magistrate, who had been carrying out the empress dowager's edict and desperately trying to capture Fan Xian in Jingdou, would not resist when the Overwatch Council officials arrived and just surrender.
Mu Tie's expression remained like steel. It was as if he had not moved, but he was also incomparably shocked in his heart. He had come under orders to stabilize the Jingdou government. He had thought he was going to face the most tragic battle of his life. Unexpectedly, Yan Bingyun had only lightly given him an order and had him come like this.
Entering the Jingdou government, he saw the manor filled with light. Mu Tie had thought he had fallen into an ambush. Unexpectedly, the situation was just as Sir Yan junior had said. It had gone surprisingly smoothly.
Sun Jingxiu knelt on the ground with an unusually pale expression. His left hand held the black gauze in his arms. He thought that he had been forced. Putting aside whether or not the Jingdou government could resist the Overwatch Council, the conversation with the white-clothed man in the front and back gardens had left him with no way out. He could only surrender.
It was not until tonight that he learned that Fan Xian had been hiding in his manor for a number of days. The place of the change in Jingdou was in his back garden, in his daughter's room.
Of the assassins who broke into the Palace, 400 had used the Jingdou government's documents to sneak into Jingdou.
As long as this matter was revealed, no matter how he performed tonight, he would not be tolerated by the Crown Prince or the Eldest Princess. They would certainly think he was a spy on Fan Xian's side.
Thus, he had no other choice. He could only make a difficult decision and completely lean toward Fan Xian. In any case, people would think he was Sir Fan junior's man, so he might as well become Sir Fan junior. At least he could survive.
His future, safety … Pin 'er would probably speak up for him, right?
Thinking of this, Sun Jingxiu's blood involuntarily surged. He was so angry he almost fainted. The documents and precautions for the assassins who broke into the Palace to enter the capital had all been sent out from his study. Other than Pin 'er, who else could fake his handwriting and use his official seal without being suspected by his subordinates?
In his next life, he would never have a daughter. Daughters would always side with outsiders. The Jingdou magistrate, Sun Jingxiu, who had been forced to turn traitor, thought with incomparable sorrow.
…
…
Not long after the battle in the Royal Palace ended, a large group of Imperial Soldiers forced their way into the back of the Palace through the front door. In front of thousands of tiger-wolf-like soldiers, the already frightened internal court guards and eunuchs wisely chose to surrender. Even if there were some stubborn ones, they became corpses under the sweep of the Imperial Soldiers.
The back of the Palace temporarily recovered its silence. One could faintly hear the sound of orderly footsteps and the clatter of armor hitting each other.
With a heavy expression, Fan Xian pushed open the main door of the Eastern Palace and left the swordsmen who had broken into the Palace outside. Looking at the dead bodies along the way, he walked into the Palace that had just been repaired.
In Hanguang Palace, Fan Xian appeared calm. Only he knew how disappointed he was in the depths of his heart. Not capturing the Crown Prince and Eldest Princess was the same as tearing a large hole in his plan.
A hole that could never be mended.
He looked at the eunuchs and serving girls cowering in a circle. A moment later, he silently lowered his head. It was as if he could hear the sound of horse hooves ringing out outside the distant Palace walls.
He knew this was an auditory hallucination. However, he believed in the speed of the Great Prince's army. Since the Palace was basically under control, he must have already sent out large groups and begun to advance deeper into Jingdou in an effort to control a larger area. However, he would be careful not to come into contact with the 13 city gate guards and cause trouble. The Great Prince was like him. Since he had taken action, he would not hold back. The Imperial Army and Overwatch Council were doing their best to track the Crown Prince and Eldest Princess in Jingdou.
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