In just one night, the people who had come down from Dong Mountain had taken care of all the matters. For the first time in the history of the Qing Kingdom, a rebellion in broad daylight had ended miserably. At least, the regicide had ended miserably and could not cause any more waves. Everyone, including the Emperor, cold-blooded and slightly nervous, waited for the changes in Jingdou in a dozen days.
The Emperor was already very tired. Getting rid of the two Great Grandmasters, Ku He and Sigu Jian, was indeed the most beautiful page of his life, but it had also used up too much of his strength and spirit. Particularly after such a long plan had become reality, the influence it had on his spirit made him not as powerful as people appeared.
In his life, this was actually his weakest and easiest time to be defeated. However, no one realized this. No one dared to take advantage of this. Other than surrounding Dong Mountain and sealing off the news, tens of thousands of provincial soldiers were also desperately chasing Dongyi and Northern Qi's two powers that had sneaked into the country.
The tiger was dozing off, but he forcefully narrowed his eyes and flashed with a cold light, scaring those who dared to offend him into wretched prey. Shang Shanhu was alone and had to take Ku He to the North, so he was powerless to do anything. Although Yun Zhilan, who was temporarily in charge of Dongyi's affairs, was also a master of swordsmanship, he was not a master of the art of war. He would not have thought that he would be able to turn back and seek some earth-shattering effect. This had nothing to do with courage.
The Overwatch Council had already begun to move. The people from the three Roads of Inspections that had been arranged beforehand were densely spread out on every road from Dongshan Road to Jingdou. Although Chen Pingping was in Jingdou, his subordinates still displayed the powerful and glorious tradition of the Overwatch Council and displayed a terrifying ability to seal off information.
Regardless of whether it was Shang Shanhu or Dongyi, even if they could send out information along the way to inform the Eldest Princess in Jingdou, they would not be able to do it within a few days. Additionally, they had taken a long detour to avoid being killed the entire way. When the truth of what happened at Dong Mountain reached Jingdou, it took 10 days longer than usual.
The inconvenience of sending information brought Emperor Chen Pingping great convenience.
Fan Xian was deep in the mountains carrying out his final battle with Yan Xiaoyi. He didn't know what had happened on Dong Mountain. After he had successfully killed Yan Xiaoyi, entered the Song Kingdom, and traveled south from Yanjing, the people who had escaped from Dong Mountain finally broke through the mountains and entered Dongyi's sphere of influence.
Fan Xian's luck was not good. He had left the Song Kingdom a few days early, so he did not hear the news. Not long after he entered the Qing Kingdom, the Commander of the Yanjing Camp had already received a secret edict and secretly took over the leaderless Northern Expedition Camp. At the same time, he forcefully separated the borders between the three countries.
Strangely, regardless of whether it was the Northern Qi or Dongyi people returning, they all seemed to unconsciously close their mouths tightly. By the time the Northern Qi Emperor received the news, it was already very late. Even if he sent a message to the Eldest Princess in the South, it would be too late to change anything. Sigu Jian of Dongyi, this madman, heavily injured and on the verge of death, for some reason, did not try to notify Li Yunrui in Jingdou.
The reason was actually very simple. Once the news that the Emperor was not dead got back to Jingdou, the internal chaos in the Qing Kingdom would probably end before it even began. The Qing Kingdom's national strength would not suffer any losses. This was something Sigu Jian did not want to see.
Sigu Jian had to consider what path Dongyi would take after his death. In order to delay the Qing Emperor's steps in unifying the world, it was perhaps more in line with Dongyi's interests to let the Eldest Princess know a few days later that the Emperor was not dead. If they could have the Eldest Princess cause a ruckus in Jingdou, the Qing Kingdom's national strength would certainly be damaged. Once the battle started, it would take at least two or three years for the Qing Kingdom to recover and send out troops.
Yanjing and Cangzhou were already under strict lockdown. Not long after Fan Xian entered the capital, Jingdou was sealed. Even if Sigu Jian wanted to notify Li Yunrui, it would not be so simple. Most terrifyingly, the Qing Emperor seemed to have calculated Sigu Jian's thoughts clearly. The thoughts of the Great Grandmasters were indeed interconnected.
There was another important problem, which was Fan Xian's safety. As long as Fan Xian could successfully break through Yan Xiaoyi and return to Jingdou, Sigu Jian could not let Fan Xian die so early for the sake of Dongyi's future.
In the last days of their lives, the Great Grandmasters had to consider even more, further, and deeper things. They had lost the most important battle at the hands of the Qing Emperor but had left their hope in the future. They had left it on Fan Xian, who, no matter what, could not be Dongyi's hope.
These were all things that would only happen a dozen days later. The Qing Emperor was not a precise calculator. He could only deduce a general possibility. Fortunately, the development of the situation was not too far from his analysis.
After taking care of the matter at Dong Mountain, he did not stay at the foot of the mountain. Instead, he headed northwest through the night until he reached Luozhou. In the early hours of the morning, he entered the city and took up residence in Governor Hou Yongzhi's manor.
That day, the entire city of Luozhou was on lockdown. The provincial soldiers of Jiangbei Road, who had followed the Emperor north, were ordered to take over the heavy responsibility of guarding the local provincial soldiers. A dozen officials and internal court eunuchs and aces took control of the entire manor.
The people of Luozhou stared dumbfounded at everything in front of them. They didn't know where so many unfamiliar soldiers had suddenly come from. Furthermore, their gazes were unfriendly. They looked like wild beasts and carried a faint scent of blood on their bodies. It was clear that they had just come from the battlefield.
The soldiers patrolled the streets of Luozhou, vigilantly watching everything around them. They brought a sense of solemnity to the largest city on Dongshan Road. It suppressed the common people so much that they no longer dared to whisper on the streets. Other than some essential matters, most of the time they retreated fearfully into their rooms.
In the Governor's manor of Dongshan Road, Governor Hou Yongzhi knelt before the Emperor. He was not frightened, but his face was ashen. He kowtowed twice and did not say a word. He knew he was going to die, but he didn't know if he would be cut into a thousand pieces or torn to shreds. He knew what would happen if he failed the moment he joined the Eldest Princess's plan.
However, he did not expect that His Majesty would so easily resolve the situation at Dong Mountain. Before anyone could react, the Emperor had pierced into the manor like a sharp arrow and landed right before him.
The Emperor did not look at him, and there was no disappointment on his face. He knew that the official kneeling at his feet would become the first Qing Kingdom's Governor-General to be executed in the past thirty years. He just counted the days coldly, trying to see if he could leave enough time for his sister.
Luozhou City had become a dead city. No one could leave. Even though the Eldest Princess had planted spies in Dongshan Road, they had no idea what had happened in the manor. Some people outside the city had noticed the strange phenomenon in the city and began to send news back to Jingdou. However, every time they traveled a few dozen li, they would be killed by the Overwatch Council's spies disguised as various characters.
Chen Pingping had invested up to 40 percent of the Overwatch Council's manpower in these three areas. No wonder he was forced to lead the Jingdou Garrison around Jingdou to engage in guerrilla warfare. For the sake of His Majesty's edict, the old Director had gone all out.
Just like that, he waited silently in Luozhou City for a few days. Estimating the time, the news of the Emperor's death on Dong Mountain should have reached Jingdou, and Fan Xian should have arrived with the edict. Only then did the Emperor's expression improve a little.
After a few more days, the court sent urgent secret reports from Jingdou to the manors of the various Provinces. The secret report regarding Dongshan Road and Luozhou Road arrived as quickly as possible. They began to question the truth of what had happened at Dong Mountain and seek confirmation.
The Emperor went through the procedures of the Governor's manor and confirmed the news of his death. Then, he waited for the arrival of the procession from the court to receive his soul.
The next day, the court bulletin arrived again. It mentioned the Crown Prince and Fan Xian's assassination attempt on the Emperor. All the Governors submitted petitions and began to oppose the court. Other than the Governors of Jiangbei and Jiangnan, who knew the inside story, the Governors of the other Provinces were purely acting from the perspective of a high-ranking military official and a loyal subject of His Majesty.
Although the Emperor had not received the petitions from the other Governors, he had a rough idea of what they would say. At this time, he ordered someone to bring out Governor Hou Yongzhi of Dongshan Road. Slowly, he said, "I have chosen the seven of you to protect the world for me. Six of them did not disappoint me. Only you …"
Hou Yongzhi had been imprisoned for many days and had not eaten or drank. He was exhausted. When he heard the Emperor's words, he did not dare to beg for mercy. He knew that the day the Emperor left Luozhou would be the day of his death. He only kowtowed with all his might, begging the Emperor to spare his wife, children, and mother.
The Emperor looked at him coldly and did not say a word.
The next day, the Emperor left Luozhou with the provincial army, ministers, and eunuchs. Before he left Luozhou, Hou Yongzhi was sentenced to death. His three children were beheaded, and all the people in the Governor's Office, as well as the officials from Dongshan Road who were held captive, were executed.
The Emperor was not a man who was easily angered, and he did not want to torture Hou Yongzhi, who had betrayed the court, with harsh punishments. In his opinion, killing a person was a necessary means for a ruler to retain power, and it had nothing to do with punishment.
On the sixth day after receiving the Crown Prince's coronation announcement and Fan Xian's crimes, the Emperor, who was slowly making his way from Luozhou to the capital, finally saw the procession that had come to receive him. Of course, the original purpose of this procession was to receive his body and soul.
After coming into contact with the procession, the Emperor gave an order coldly. The procession picked up its pace and continued to approach the capital.
A few more days passed. The capital was still far away, and the Emperor did not know what the current situation was in the capital. Chen Pingping and the Emperor were like two wandering ghosts in the fields of the Qing Kingdom, drifting in the air. They did not pay any attention to the task of gathering intelligence.
However, the cooperation between these two wandering ghosts was too perfect, and they appeared to be too powerful.
One day, the Emperor passed by the outskirts of Xinyang City. He looked at the unfamiliar city in the distance and said nothing. After a while, he turned his head and looked at the hearse behind the procession, and the huge coffin in the hearse, which was unknown in weight and layers. A self-deprecating smile appeared at the corners of his lips.
"Tell Yunrui," the Emperor said.
Eunuch Yao, who was riding beside him, quickly took out a pen and paper and listened attentively.
"I'm back," the Emperor said coldly.
Then, he squeezed his horse's abdomen and rode ahead of the procession past Xinyang, heading toward the capital in the distance.
— — — —
The strings of the zither had already snapped, and the flowering tree had already been destroyed. The Eldest Princess, dressed in a rainbow dress, was standing in a daze by the lakeside of Taiping Courtyard, looking at the intelligence report she had just received in her hands. She completely ignored Fan Xian, who was sitting not far from her feet.
From the beginning of the plan, she had already gradually moved her power from Xinyang to Jingdou. This process had taken two years. Including the dead Huang Yi and the living Yuan Hongdao, they had all moved from the Li Palace in Xinyang to Jingdou. However, on the stormy night before the new year, the Emperor and Chen Pingping had only used an hour to completely wipe out the Eldest Princess' power.
Presently, the Eldest Princess was mostly hidden behind the scenes in the rebellion, planning the overall situation and persuading the powerful people under heaven to take action. One reason was that she was good at this kind of role, and another was that she had no choice but to choose this role. She controlled the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, which was equivalent to controlling the Ye and Qin families.
However, her own intelligence network had already received a fatal blow. Within two or three years, it would be impossible for it to recover. Thus, when she received the urgent intelligence report from Xinyang, she couldn't help but furrow her brows and feel a glimmer of surprise.
This intelligence report was fake. As the ruler of Xinyang, Li Yunrui could tell at a glance that it was fake. However, this intelligence report was real, or it could be said that Xinyang had already been completely controlled by someone, which was why they could use their own channels to send an urgent secret report to her. Who was it?
Li Yunrui was surprised, curious, and hopeful. She tore open the sealed cover and swept her gaze lightly over it. Then, her gaze focused on the paper.
There were only four words on the paper, but these four words made her stare for a very, very long time. The emotions contained in her eyes were complicated, very complicated. These four words seemed to be reflected in her dark and bright eyes. As each word was typed out, it became the constriction and expansion of her pupils, the intensity of her gaze, and the faintness of her gaze.
First, there was a powerful shock in her eyes. Then, there was a faint disappointment. Immediately after, there was an inexplicable anger. Shortly after, it turned into a faint self-mocking smile. In the end, like a stone falling into a lake, it gradually became calm.
In just a moment, so many emotional changes had occurred in the eyes of the most beautiful and ruthless woman in Qing Kingdom.
Fan Xian watched her quietly from the side, watching the change in her eyes. He did not see the craziness that terrified him. His heart was slightly at ease. Immediately after, with a thump, he guessed the contents of the letter.
Even the Ye family's betrayal and his control of Jingdou had not made Li Yunrui lose her composure like this. Then, there was only one person in the world who could make her like this.
Li Yunrui once again lowered her head and carefully read the four words on the paper. "I have returned."
The handwriting on the paper was strong and powerful. It was the Emperor's handwriting. However, Li Yunrui could tell at a glance that this was Eunuch Yao's writing. Although the Emperor was a diligent ruler, he had to lead such a large country and handle so many memorials. He would still be mentally exhausted. Memorials that were not harmful were often given to Eunuch Yao for approval. Over time, Eunuch Yao had learned 90 percent of the Emperor's handwriting. It was enough to fool the officials in court and the Imperial Censors.
However, Li Yunrui had put a lot of thought into her brother. How could she not see the difference? She did not suspect that this was a lie. Someone had used Eunuch Yao's handwriting to pretend that the Emperor was still alive.
She knew that other than the Emperor, no one else would have thought of saying such simple and powerful words.
The meaning of these words was very simple. I have returned. I am still alive. Do as you see fit.
Two lines of tears fell from Li Yunrui's eyes without reason. This was an indescribable emotion that stimulated her tear ducts. It made this woman, who loved to cry in front of the empress dowager, cry in this lonely Taiping Courtyard.
This was probably the Qing Emperor's last message to his sister. His last words, Li Yunrui thought sorrowfully in her heart. Did he disdain to personally write his last words?
The Emperor would never have thought that these words would make Li Yunrui feel so many emotions. He was only announcing his return as an Emperor. Like a lion, he announced to the world that he had supreme authority over his territory.
Fan Xian did not understand why the Eldest Princess was crying. There was not a hint of madness on this crazy woman's face. She was only sad and sad. No matter what, he would never have thought that the Eldest Princess would be angry and sad because the Emperor did not personally write these words.
Without question, the Emperor and Fan Xian were both intelligent people, but they still could not understand women. For men, women were, without question, a completely different species, a stranger from a distant and unknown space.
…
…
Li Yunrui weakly let go of her fingers. The paper floated down from between her fingers. Brushed by the early autumn wind, it landed on the small lake in the middle of Taiping Courtyard. The paper was soaked in the lake water and immediately sank toward the surface.
Startlingly, Fan Xian saw the words clearly. His heart filled with shock. Although he had thought of the possibility that the Emperor was still alive after the Ye family rebelled, seeing it with his own eyes and confirming it, he still couldn't help but be shocked. He didn't know exactly what had happened on Dong Mountain.
Since the Emperor was still alive, the Eldest Princess had suffered a crushing defeat. Although she had said so earlier, Fan Xian knew that if she could destroy all the powerful men in the world in one fell swoop, that would be the most satisfying for her.
This was the good news Fan Xian had been waiting for. If the Emperor died, he was truly worried whether or not the Ye family would continue down this path.
Fan Xian clenched his fists with difficulty suppressing his excitement. Slowly standing, he gazed at Li Yunrui's back. He was worried whether or not this woman would give some crazy order after being provoked by this news.
Li Yunrui gently clapped her hands. Many aces surged in around the small lake. Fan Xian swept his gaze over them and was not afraid. Perhaps these people summoned by Xinyang were terrifying in the eyes of a normal person, but they were nothing to him. He was only worried about Wan 'er and Da Bao.
Unexpectedly to Fan Xian's surprise and the shock of the subordinates, Li Yunrui's expression was calm. She slowly opened her mouth and said, "You can all leave. We don't need you here anymore." She paused for a moment and then said, "Hide your names and live out the rest of your lives in peace. Don't think about such laughable things as revenge."
The subordinates were in an uproar. They looked at the Eldest Princess with disbelief and said in a pained voice, "Your Highness!"
From the moment Fan Xian stepped into Taiping Courtyard, these people knew that a major problem had appeared in the Jingdou rebellion. However, they still had great confidence in the Eldest Princess.
Li Yunrui only smiled indifferently and waved her hand. She didn't say anything more.
"Your Highness!" The subordinates knelt down in front of her on the small hill and around the small lake. They refused to leave. A few of them even began to cry.
Fan Xian looked at this scene in shock. Although he knew that Li Yunrui had already given birth to the thought of ending her own life after the failure, which was why she had sent her subordinates away, he had not expected that these subordinates would be so loyal to her.
He had very little contact with Xinyang and didn't know how the Eldest Princess controlled her subordinates. With the Emperor's indulgence and Chen Pingping's help, he had more victories than losses in the battles against the Eldest Princess these two years. He couldn't help but feel a bit of contempt toward Li Yunrui.
Seeing the crying subordinates unwilling to leave and feeling everyone's loyalty toward the Eldest Princess, only then did Fan Xian faintly understand something. For example, why this princess had so much power in court, why she could convince Ku He and Sigu Jian to act, why she could control the Crown Prince and Second Prince, why …
This was just a feeling. He still didn't know where the Eldest Princess' magic came from, but he knew that this was not an effect that could be achieved by peerless beauty. Unfortunately, Fan Xian didn't know in the past. It looked like he wouldn't have a chance to see the Eldest Princess' true power.
There were cries all around. The Eldest Princess, who was by the lake, furrowed her brows slightly. Appearing slightly annoyed, she waved her hand again.
A leading official looked at this scene and knew that the matter was over. Wiping away the tears at the corners of his eyes, he knelt down and kowtowed loudly. Resolutely, he turned and left. When one person left, many others also left. Perhaps none of these people were greedy for life or afraid of death. However, since Li Yunrui had given the order and Her Highness was clearly unhappy, other than leaving, they had no other choice.
Thus, only the Eldest Princess and Fan Xian were left in Taiping Courtyard. Although it had been like this earlier, Fan Xian knew that there were many people watching him outside. Now that he knew those people had all left, his heart felt even more lonely. Looking at the Eldest Princess' thin shoulders, he felt slightly lost.
Li Yunrui slowly turned around. Her two hands were placed elegantly on her abdomen. Her wide sleeves hung low, forming a beautiful and luxurious line.
There was still a slight smile on her face, but her gaze was particularly clear. She was no longer the sinister figure in front of her enemies. She was no longer the weak person who was often slapped and cried in front of the empress dowager. She was no longer the stubborn, angry, and sorrowful sister under the Emperor's iron hand.
She was the Eldest Princess. She was Li Yunrui, the one and only in the world.
Li Yunrui looked at her son-in-law with a slight smile and said, "You don't seem to be as happy as I imagined to know that the Emperor is still alive."
Fan Xian lowered his head slightly and said, "Recently, a lot of people have died. I can't be happy."
"So that's how it is. It looks like you really are like your mother …" Li Yunrui stilled slightly and then smiled. She used an inexplicable emotion to end this topic. She turned and asked coolly, "Have you ever thought why the Qin family rebelled?"
Fan Xian furrowed his brows. He didn't understand the meaning of these words. He also didn't know why, at such a time, she would suddenly mention the Qin family that had already been driven out of Jingdou by the Dingzhou army.
The Eldest Princess glanced at him with a slightly mocking gaze and then sighed. She looked at the piece of paper that had already sunk to the bottom of the lake. The lake water of Taiping Courtyard was extremely clear and shallow. The white paper gradually spread in the lake water like a piece of steamed bread that had been soaked in water. Countless red carps came forward to fight for it, and the water churned.
She watched this scene calmly and said, "In reality, we are all fish. It's just that the things we fight for are not the same. This time, I didn't get anything. I had thought I would be angry and disappointed. I was indeed angry and disappointed. In the end, I realized that he is still alive. In the end, I am still happy. "
Fan Xian thought with slight sorrow. Based on what the Eldest Princess had said earlier, she had already reached her goal in life. As for whether the Emperor died or not, what did it matter? Since the Emperor had returned, the Eldest Princess probably had no way out.
Then, he saw a scene that shocked him to the core.
Li Yunrui's expression was calm and tranquil. She slowly lowered her arms. The light colored wide sleeves of her palace robes hung down naturally and spread out. It was as if a great play had ended and an actor had walked out for the last time to express his thanks to the audience.
The last actor was not only herself, but also a black poisoned dagger. This dagger was stuck deep into her abdomen, up to the hilt.
Fan Xian's heart trembled. His entire body flew over and pushed her to the ground. He extended a hand toward her abdomen.
…
…
I still have some scenes with the Eldest Princess tomorrow, so I can't bear to write anymore.
Yesterday, the men's basketball team won, which gave me a lot of strength. Looking at the monthly vote rankings today, I found that during this period of time, the rankings have perfectly carried out the spirit of the Olympics. Everyone is chasing after each other. It is serious, serious, nervous, and lively. I haven't seen such a tense and interesting situation in a long time. The Olympics is about participation. Since I am participating, of course, I have to work hard to fight for the top. If anyone has extra monthly votes, brothers and sisters who have seen my torment from these 20 chapters, please vote them for me. I am very grateful.
I won't say much about asking for votes, but at least I fulfilled my promise. Fan Xian pushed down the Eldest Princess … ahem, don't slap my face.
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