(At the end of last month, Baoyu's father's father said that it was okay not to read the book reviews. I deeply agree with him. Recently, I haven't read much, so I haven't added much. Please understand.
The reason I haven't read it is because I have always been the kind of trash most easily affected by emotions. I can tolerate criticism and accept criticism, but that doesn't mean I like criticism, especially the glorious, correct, and great kind. Today, I drank some wine and couldn't resist reading it. Many negative emotions rose to the corners of my lips like a treacherous official's smile. I was unable to be happy.
Writing a novel is making up a story. Once I explain it, it will become too boring. I can't say it. You will understand later. Regardless of whether I like it or not, I have to write it like this. In this world, there is no work that everyone likes to see. After all, I am not the director of the Spring Festival Gala, and I do not plan on participating in the five ones.
I understand that everyone likes this story, which is why they are discussing and criticizing it so seriously. However, I also hope that everyone can understand the irritation and unease of a person's body often staying at home and the mind often exploding. What I need the most right now is not advice or criticism, but the pleasure brought by praise or a calm space to write.
These were some explanatory words shamelessly asking for applause.)
…
…
One of Yan Bingyun's hands was broken and hung weakly by his waist. He looked at the Eldest Princess. His gaze appeared dim. The dull pain in his chest let him know that he had already suffered internal injuries from the touch earlier. The aces of the Junshang Conference beside the Eldest Princess were not people he could stand against.
At this moment, the 13 city gate guards had already been heavily surrounded by soldiers. The long spears were pointed at Xiaoyan. Two of the Junshang Conference aces beside the Eldest Princess separated and quickly closed in on Yan Bingyun. The sharp blades in their hands gave off a deathly stillness that enveloped his entire body.
"If only the Emperor had listened to An Zhi back then and cleaned out the Junshang Conference …" Before his death, Yan Bingyun couldn't help but think of this. He knew he was no match for these jianghu aces, so he didn't extravagantly beg the Temple of Heaven to give him a chance to escape. He only pulled out something from his clothes with a heavy expression.
Since there was a change in the city gate department, he had to report Zhang Deqing's fatal betrayal to Fan Xian in the Royal Palace before he died.
Yan Bingyun's index finger grabbed the ring of the arrow. Looking at the two black sword shadows that were getting closer and closer, his pupils shrank. He spat out a mouthful of turbid air, tightly pursed his lips, and forcefully pulled.
With a hiss, the command arrow ignited, but it didn't rise into the air because a small force had struck his wrist. A wisp of warm liquid splashed onto the back of his hand, causing his heart to tremble. This command arrow flew out diagonally. It didn't fly very far before it shot into the chest of a City Gate Department soldier and exploded with a pop.
Yan Bingyun didn't lower his head. From the corner of his eyes, he could see that his hand was covered in blood.
…
…
When his index finger reached into the ring, fear appeared in the eyes of the Junshang Conference ace closest to him. It was as if he had seen something unusually terrifying. Then, a thin line of blood appeared on the ace's neck.
The line of blood spread out in an instant and became a bloody gash. One could see the ace's ghastly white throat bone, unusually disgusting trachea, esophagus, and blurry flesh.
With a crack, the ace charged in front of Yan Bingyun and knelt down with a thud. Jolted by the force of the attack, his throat, which had been sliced open, was powerless to hold onto his head. With the vertebrae at the back of his neck as the center, his head flipped weakly to his back.
The upside-down, pale, dead face stared with wide eyes at the Eldest Princess and Zhang Deqing, who were protected by layers of aces and soldiers.
Fresh blood sprayed out of his throat like a fountain and struck Yan Bingyun's hand, painting his entire hand a bright red. Coincidentally, it also prevented the arrow of command from rising into the sky.
The other Junshang Conference ace who had charged over faced an even more wretched fate. He didn't charge in front of Yan Bingyun at all. His gaze only caught a faint shadow reflected by the torch passing in front of him. He felt a coldness at his throat.
A delicate and lusterless sword stabbed out from behind him on the right. With unusual stability and ruthlessness, it pierced through his neck at high speed and came out from the other side.
With a hiss, the tip of the sword extended and then retracted like a viper's tongue. Like lightning, it left his neck. The expert's zhenqi and life force also left his body along with the sword that had left his neck. His eyes were wide open like a dead fish, and he tried to cover his neck with one hand, but he found that he could no longer control any of the muscles in his body.
His legs began to soften, his eyes began to darken, and he began to lose control of his bowels. He fell down and rolled on the ground like a gourd. He rolled past Yan Bingyun's frozen body and touched the high threshold of the city gate office before stopping.
He was full of vigor, and a foul stench emanated from his body.
…
…
In a flash, a sword that seemed to have stretched out from hell used a terrifying method to finish off two Junshang Conference aces. No one could react to what had happened. Even Yan Bingyun, whose life had been saved, couldn't react. He stood in shock where he was.
Then, he felt his entire body lighten. In the next moment, he had been lifted by the neck by a black shadow and flown to the top of the city gate office. Following the shadows of the tall city walls, it moved toward the darkness of Jingdou.
The darkness before dawn grew thicker and thicker.
On the other hand, in the eyes of those people that intended to besiege and kill Yan Bingyun, they instead saw an even more terrifying scene. A black shadow seemed to have silently appeared within the crowd, and it easily and extremely swiftly killed two experts. It carried Yan Bingyun as if it was carrying a tattered sack, and it easily escaped from the encirclement of so many people.
Because it was easy, it was terrifying. With three bangs, Yan Bingyun had already been rescued by this person. The soldiers of the city gate office didn't even have time to raise the bows in their hands.
Who was this black shadow to have such terrifying power?
Protected by the aces and soldiers at the very back, the Eldest Princess's face was slightly pale. She waved her hand to disperse the subordinates in front of her and walked out of the crowd. Looking in the direction the black shadow had escaped, she didn't know how she felt. Only her eyes grew brighter and brighter.
The Overwatch Council … is indeed very terrifying, thought the mastermind of the Jingdou rebellion.
The mastermind of the Jingdou rebellion thought to himself. However, he did not feel too defeated. Since the person who had come today was the best assassin in the world. Given his reputation for being the best at killing people, she had no way of stopping him from using this ability to save Yan Bingyun.
However, it shouldn't affect anything.
Li Yunrui thought of this as she narrowed her eyes and looked at the soldiers at the city gate. At this time, the sky was gradually brightening. The sun below the horizon began to release countless little silver fish, allowing their bulging bellies to reflect their own light. Gradually, they chased away the thick darkness of Jingdou.
The torches were no longer as bright. The warm morning light fell on everyone's bodies and cast shadows on the ground.
— — —
Of course, the Overwatch Council was terrifying. The eight bureaus had hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Who knew how many heroes were willing to cover their faces, give up their former glory, and throw themselves into the great work of the Qing Kingdom's secret agents. When this power was twisted together, the power that could be unleashed was something that even the Qing Kingdom's most powerful Emperor was secretly wary of.
In name, the Overwatch Council was a secret agency directly managed by the Qing Emperor. However, everyone knew that the reason the Overwatch Council was able to attract the service of so many aces and survive so powerfully in the Qing Kingdom for over 30 years was all because of the old cripple in the wheelchair.
Presently, there were only a thousand Overwatch Council officials in Jingdou, yet they were already so terrifying. They had broken into the Royal Palace, suppressed the Ministry of Justice, forcefully opened the Celestial Prison, and subdued the Jingdou government. In one night, they had flipped the entire Jingdou upside down.
Fan Xian's plan was good, and Yan Bingyun's execution was good. To be able to achieve such an effect, it still relied on the Overwatch Council officials' powerful organizational abilities and iron-blooded obedience. These unique qualities of the Overwatch Council were all forged, bit by bit, into the soul of the Overwatch Council by Chen Pingping, the old cripple, and the first generation of the heads of the eight bureaus over decades.
Thus, the most powerful person in the Overwatch Council was not the Black Knights, Fan Xian, or the best assassin in the world. Rather, it was Chen Pingping and what he represented.
Strangely, the Crown Prince and Eldest Princess had planned the assassination of the Emperor at Dong Mountain. The Eldest Princess also knew the power of the Overwatch Council, but it seemed that she had put too little attention on the Overwatch Council. At least, in the eyes of the uneasy Crown Prince, if he was going to ascend to the throne, if he didn't first control Chen Pingping, who would sit on that throne?
Fortunately, Chen Pingping had been poisoned and was isolated outside of Jingdou.
The Crown Prince had thought that this was all his aunt's doing. No one knew that this matter had nothing to do with Li Yunrui.
From the beginning, Li Yunrui had never thought about dealing with the Chen Garden outside Jingdou and the old man in the wheelchair. It wasn't because she didn't value Chen Pingping or because she thought Chen Pingping was an old strange creature that could never be destroyed. It was because she had a secret.
…
…
The secret was only one person's secret. The rest of the people in the plan did not know. After the news of Chen Pingping being poisoned by the Dongyi master reached Jingdou, everyone's heart jumped. They thought the old cripple was pretending to be something. When the news of the assassination of the Emperor at Dong Mountain came, the empress dowager ordered Chen Pingping to immediately enter the Palace, but Chen Pingping remained in Chen Garden. Everyone began to guess something.
Had Chen Pingping truly been poisoned? Therefore, there was an old man who had known Chen Pingping for decades, who was tempted and had a thought. This old man had always had a secret fear of Chen Pingping. If he didn't kill him, he would not feel at ease. Furthermore, the present situation was not good. As the saying goes, take his life when he is ill. If he didn't take advantage of this time to take Chen Pingping's life, the old man would feel sorry for himself.
After the old Qin Master, who grew cabbages, left Jingdou to take control of the army and his son took back the power of the Jingdou Garrison, the first order he gave was to slaughter Chen Garden.
…
…
Chen Garden had become a wasteland.
In Fan Xian's eyes, Chen Garden, which was even more luxurious and luxurious than the Jiangnan Ming family's garden, had become countless black and gray ruins. Those beautiful and elegant gardens had already been burnt to black soil. Those exquisite and grand houses had already been reduced to innumerable halves of stone walls. Green smoke was still rising from everywhere, but it no longer had that scorching heat, and looked abnormally desolate.
If Fan Xian saw this scene, his heart would probably ache to death and he would loudly curse those people who didn't know how to treasure. From ancient times until now, the military had been an existence that had least need for artistic beauty. Thus, when a branch of the Qin family's army charged into Chen Garden with lightning speed, it was only natural that they set a fire.
The reason for this fire was not similar to the fire of the eight-nation coalition army. The bandits of the eight-nation coalition army thought there were too many things and couldn't move them away, so they simply burned it and didn't leave it for the people. The reason the Qin family's army set a fire was because they hadn't stolen anything or captured anyone.
The traps outside Chen Garden that had once terrified Fan Xian still existed. The Qin family's army had only broken into Chen Garden after over 300 people had died. However, they didn't find a single living person in Chen Garden.
What welcomed them was an empty garden. Director Chen, who was rumored to be poisoned and bedridden, was not in the garden. His beautiful serving girls were also not in the garden. The servants and servants were not in the garden. Everyone seemed to have left a long time ago. They had left unusually cleanly. Even the paintings and paintings hanging on the walls of Chen Garden had been taken down.
Chen Pingping liked those paintings and paintings.
This army controlled by the Qin family was mainly made up of the Jingdou Garrison. The leader was a general of the second generation of the Qin family. He was Qin Heng's cousin. He looked at the empty Chen Garden in exasperation. Thinking of how he had led the army to attack and had died so many people only to occupy an empty garden, he couldn't help but want to vomit blood.
In his anger, this Qin general had set a fire.
In the raging flames, he ordered a fast horse to report back to the Yuantai Camp. He didn't dare lead the army back because the old Qin Master had given a death order. Since he had moved against Chen Garden, he had to kill Chen Pingping before he could return to the army.
Helpless, he could only wipe away his usual pride and respectfully ask the black-clothed man beside him for advice. This black-clothed man had been sent by the old man to help him. On the way the army had attacked, he had said that Chen Garden would be empty at this time.
At the time, this Qin general still didn't believe it. Now, he had no choice but to believe it. He sighed in his heart. After all, he was an elder of the Overwatch Council. He knew Chen Pingping's power and calculations much better.
The masked Yan Ruohai rode beside General Qin and said, "Since the Director has left, then you should be mentally prepared. Don't think about catching him in a short amount of time."
General Qin paused.
Yan Ruohai glanced at him and mockingly said, "Don't forget, he is Chen Pingping."
After saying this, he pulled the horse's head and rode out of Chen Garden. He could not bear to look at the raging fire in Chen Garden behind him. He thought to himself, I wonder how this general who set fire to Chen Garden will be cut into pieces by the headmaster in the future.
He was a member of the Qin family. This secret seemed to only be known by the Qin family. The Crown Prince and Eldest Princess did not know. However, he was a member of the Overwatch Council. This secret was truly only known by the Overwatch Council. Of course, the Qin family did not know.
…
…
Jingdou gradually became a city of danger. Memorials from various roads and counties entered the capital, but no edict came out of Jingdou. Fortunately, in this day and age, the exchange of information was inconvenient. Everyone was used to a slow pace. Even if the provinces around Jingdou felt it was strange, they did not panic because of Jingdou's dangerous situation.
At least, for the next few days, the entire Qing Kingdom, other than Jingdou and Dongshan Road, was peaceful as usual.
The morning in Weizhou was no different from the morning in Jingdou. The Director of the Overwatch Council, Chen Pingping, who should have been in Jingdou dealing with the matter of the throne or treating poison in Chen Garden, raised his eyes to glance at the light in the sky above the courtyard. He furrowed his brows and began to raise his chopsticks to eat porridge and buns.
Usually, in Chen Garden, the old man also liked to eat these two things.
When the empress dowager's edict reached Chen Garden, this old ancestor of the Qing secret service immediately ordered his servants to prepare a carriage and pack his luggage. He did not return to the capital. Instead, he slipped away with unusual speed.
Fan Xian and the Great Prince stood on the palace walls with worried faces, thinking about running away. Unexpectedly, the elder closest to them did this much more cleanly and efficiently than them.
After a group of carriages left Chen Garden, they circled around the countryside to the south of Jingdou. The Qin family's army behind the carriages continued to persevere in searching for the whereabouts of the carriages, intending to kill them in one fell swoop.
However, Chen Pingping was not in a hurry. The carriages did not increase their speed. They didn't even purposely hide their tracks. They only lured the army to circle behind them.
The carriages circled three times to the south of Jingdou. The army also circled three times. The reason they never ran into them, other than the Overwatch Council's powerful intelligence network among the people outside the capital and their ability to hide their tracks, was because the army had an excellent guide.
Yan Ruohai led the Qin family to chase after Chen Pingping. Even if one thought with their buttocks, one would know that as long as Chen Pingping was not willing, then they would never catch up.
The fleeing carriages, which seemed to be on a tour, finally stopped in a manor outside Weizhou, the largest province to the south of Jingdou. Chen Pingping estimated that it was about time.
Chen Pingping was eating porridge. His teeth were fine and he was not leaning against the wall. However, the Overwatch Council elders sitting beside him looked at the Director's gaze and felt that he was somewhat shameless.
Jingdou is in such a mess, and your two nephews are risking their lives. How could you have the heart to run away by yourself?
There were three people sitting around Chen Pingping's breakfast table. One was an old servant who had served him for decades in Chen Garden. The other was the previous head of the Seventh Bureau, the baldy, whom Fan Xian had once seen in the Overwatch Council's Celestial Prison. The other was one of the wings of the Overwatch Council, who was as famous as Wang Qinian, Zong Zhui.
From the back of the manor came the faint sounds of young concubines washing up and joking after waking up. These women did not know that they were fleeing.
The expressions of the three Overwatch Council elders were not very good. Zong Zhui pressed his lips together and moistened his nervous and parched lips. "The pursuers are close. Director … we should make some plans."
"They are about to move their troops back. This matter is not urgent." Chen Pingping put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth neatly. "Go out and make arrangements."
"Yes." Zong Zhui and the bald head of the Seventh Bureau accepted their orders and left.
Only Chen Pingping and the old servant were left in the courtyard. Suddenly, Chen Pingping began to cough uncomfortably. The old man's face became blood red and then quickly became a deathly white. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his lips.
The old servant cried and said, "Master, we have to call Sir Fei back. Otherwise, what will we do with the poison?"
Chen Pingping had actually been poisoned. He sat in the wheelchair and smiled self-mockingly. "The poison won't kill him. It's just a bit uncomfortable."
…
…
"Master … the capital is dangerous. Are you really not worried about Sir Fan junior?" the old servant glanced at Chen Pingping and asked carefully.
The wrinkles on Chen Pingping's old face suddenly increased. A moment later, he sighed and said, "How can I not be worried? However, even if the matter fails, presumably he will still be alive. As long as he is alive, everything is fine. "
The old servant thought to himself that this matter involved the fight for the throne. If Sir Fan junior was truly defeated, how could he survive? Furthermore, if the Crown Prince truly inherited the throne, his group of carriages would probably not be able to find a place to stay in this vast Qing Kingdom.
The old servant suddenly thought of something and was overjoyed. "Yes, there is still Minister Fan and King Jing who have not acted."
These days, Chen Pingping had often discussed the situation in Jingdou with his old subordinates. The old servant had been listening to them from the side. He had a very clear understanding of the comparison of power in Jingdou. If the 13 city gate guards truly failed and the Ye and Qin families' armies entered the capital, how could the Overwatch Council stop them? Unless Fan Jian and King Jing had the power to flip the heavens in their hands, Director Chen would not be able to sit peacefully in his wheelchair and not worry for Fan Xian.
"King Jing and old Qin are the same. They only vent their anger at the ground," Chen Pingping said with slight mockery. "In Fan Jian's life, he wins by enduring silently, but he also loses by enduring silently. Where does he have enough power to change the situation? He is afraid that the Palace will suspect him. All these years, Minister Fan has endured silently. Now, he has also endured silently. "
After saying this, Chen Pingping fell silent. He knew where Fan Jian's greatest strength was, but the problem was that His Majesty had taken all those people with him when he went to worship the heavens. He still didn't know if any of them would survive.
A few white pigeons flew into the courtyard following the direction of the morning light. The old servant went forward to catch one and brought it in front of Chen Pingping.
Chen Pingping untied the thin tube on the pigeon's leg and looked at the words on it. His brows gradually furrowed. A moment later, he summoned an Overwatch Council subordinate and ordered in a heavy voice, "Follow the order from a few days ago. Everyone move. Continue to seal off any news from Dongshan Road. The court's group heading to receive the spirit is almost here."
"Yes."
…
…
After a long time, Chen Pingping finally woke up from his dazed state. It was not until now that this most powerful schemer in the Qing Kingdom finally felt a glimmer of powerlessness. Perhaps it was the power of the poison or perhaps it was the power of old age, but it made him feel a glimmer of fatigue and faint disappointment.
"Fan Xian won't die so easily." Chen Pingping didn't know if he was comforting the old servant or himself. Calmly, he said, "At least I've helped this kid attract 6,000 soldiers. The pressure on him will lessen a great deal."
"You have to know that it is not an easy matter to make someone die."
Chen Pingping pushed the wheelchair toward the back of the courtyard. The old servant quickly pushed it. As they passed by a flowerbed, Chen Pingping's expression did not change as he looked at a small white flower shivering in the early autumn. He stopped and looked at it for a long time. Then, he slowly bent down and plucked a flower. Carefully, he placed it on his ear.
The old servant smiled and pushed him into a side room in the back of the courtyard.
When he entered the side room, Chen Pingping suddenly said to him, "If Fan Xian knew he was a father, he would certainly learn to value his life even more."
The light in the side room was not very bright, but he could clearly see a woman around 20 years old looking at the baby in her arms with a face full of tenderness. This woman, whose face glowed with motherly love, was Sisi, who had disappeared in the Fan manor on the outskirts of Jingdou. The baby in her arms …
Chen Pingping pushed the wheelchair forward and took the newborn baby from her hands with a face full of tenderness. Looking at the blush on the baby's face and tightly closed eyes, he flicked his tongue and cooed a few times. Teasingly, he said, "Little girl is very good. When your father sees you, he will definitely like you very much."
Sisi smiled sweetly as she watched this scene. Suddenly, she saw the little white flower on the corner of Chen Pingping's forehead and asked curiously, "Director, why is there a flower?"
"Last time, when I held this child, she cried. It looks like I'm too ugly. Today, there's another flower … look, she's indeed not crying."
The wrinkles on Chen Pingping's face turned into a chrysanthemum. That kind of tenderness could not be faked. He probably really liked the little girl in his arms as if she was his own granddaughter.
Having just given birth, Sisi's strength was not very good. Gazing at Chen Pingping, she suddenly said with sadness, "However … I don't know when the young master will come back."
When Chen Pingping took her away, Sisi was also shocked. When she gave birth, Wan 'er and the people she was familiar with in the Fan manor were not by her side. There was only the midwife that Chen Pingping had arranged. This girl's state of mind had been greatly tormented.
However, she knew Director Chen did not have any ill intentions. She just didn't understand why she had to give birth outside the manor. She couldn't help but think of the secrets of some large family. Her mood had always been low.
"In a few days, Fan Xian will be back." Chen Pingping smiled and comforted her. "The most important thing for a pregnant woman is to be happy. That's why he asked me to take you out for a walk."
This reason was clearly a bit far-fetched, but Sisi's mind was clearly not very good after giving birth. She actually believed it.
"You rest first." Chen Pingping was so happy that he refused to let go of the little baby girl for a moment. He said to Sisi, "I'm going to take the child out for a walk."
Sisi said, "You can't let the wind blow."
Chen Pingping nodded obediently. In front of a mother, he had to be more obedient to steal her child to play with.
…
…
Chen Pingping played with the baby girl all the way to another room. He said to the person in the room, "Let me show you, Fan Xian's daughter."
The person was tied up tightly. His expression was uneasy and sad. Hearing these words, he suddenly became happy and said, "Director, has the young mistress given her a name?"
He suddenly saw the little white flower by Chen Pingping's hair and said with a thought, "Let's call her Fan Xiaohua. Sir will definitely like it."
The person who gave the name was Fan Xian's trusted aide, Wang Qinian. No one knew how this person had escaped from Dong Mountain or why he had been tied up in Chen Pingping's room.
Chen Pingping glared at him and said, "What dog sh * t."
Wang Qinian had clearly lost a lot of weight. It looked like after escaping from Dong Mountain, he had suffered a lot on the way. He looked at the little baby girl in the Director's arms. Amidst his joy, he suddenly thought of his family's daughter in the capital and Fan Xian, who was in the eye of the storm. For some reason, his nose became sore. "I wonder if Sir will be able to see his own daughter."
With a mournful expression, he said, "What exactly is going on? I don't understand."
Chen Pingping's expression was calm. "I also don't understand what will happen in Jingdou, but I know something will certainly happen in Jingdou."
… …
Fan Xian stood on the walls of the Royal Palace and looked at the rising sun in the east. His brows gradually furrowed together and he sighed. Up until now, he still had not found Wan 'er and Da Bao's whereabouts. Fortunately, King Jing's manor had sent word that his father and Lady Liu were both safe and well. They were heading in the direction of the Royal Palace.
Counting on his fingers, Sisi's due date had also arrived. He didn't know if the girl who had mysteriously disappeared was well or if the child was a boy or a girl.
Of all his family, the one he was least worried about was Sisi, who was about to give birth. Since the manor had tacitly approved of this matter, the person who had taken Sisi could not be anyone else. It had to be the lonely old cripple in Chen Garden.
What he was worried about was Yan Bingyun. After Yan Bingyun entered the city gate department, there had been no news. There was also no sign of the Overwatch Council person responsible for reporting information. All of this indicated that something had gone wrong. Fan Xian notified the Great Prince to begin making arrangements. He was only confused as to why Yan Bingyun had not sent out a signal.
The morning sun leaped over the horizon. Fan Xian's heart suddenly jumped. It was as if he felt that something beautiful was happening in the world.
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