Dazhou in the night, surrounded by torches, and filled with sparks in the sky and on the ground. Dazhou was not much darker than day. The previous Director of the Overwatch Council, the Qing Emperor's most loyal servant and closest official, Chen Pingping, sat in his wheelchair. He looked at the people kneeling on the ground and kowtowing to him on both sides of the road. The expression on his face did not tremble at all. The fine and deep wrinkles did not bloom into the shape of a chrysanthemum. Instead, they coldly spread out. It was like a shocking scene formed on a yellow plain after being washed by rain for thousands of years.
His withered and old hands slowly stroked across the wool blanket. This light gray wool blanket was always smooth and comfortable. Each time he stroked it, Chen Pingping always felt that he was stroking something he did not have the good fortune to touch.
It did not take long for him to learn from the internal court eunuch what had happened in Dazhou. He also learned who the court criminal being protected by the Overwatch Council subordinates and being treated was.
Gao Da? Chen Pingping was not familiar with this name, but he was not a stranger either. He knew that it was Fan Xian's trusted bodyguard. He glanced at the blood-covered criminal of the imperial court, and his cold eyes gradually narrowed.
The Overwatch Council did not know that Gao Da was still alive. Chen Pingping sighed in his heart. He thought to himself that even the leader of the Tiger Guards had been turned by Fan Xian into someone who valued his life. Although An Zhi usually appeared indifferent and uninteresting in his conduct, unexpectedly, he had such magic in the fine details.
Just as Chen Pingping had said to himself earlier, Qiao Qiao's mother had actually given birth to Qiao Qiao. This was not a very coincidental matter. Rather, it was preordained by cause and effect. The events of the past were preordained, and then they landed here. Just like how the convoy of 30 black carriages of the Overwatch Council was passing through Dazhou as normal. Outside Dazhou, they ran into the court's entourage searching for an imperial criminal. The criminal the court was searching for was one of Fan Xian's people.
This was not a coincidence, nor was it a chance encounter. Perhaps there was something hidden behind all of this.
"Sir He was actually able to find an escaped imperial criminal. How impressive," Chen Pingping said with a slight smile. Chen Pingping coughed twice and said with a smile. Behind him, the old servant who never left his side pushed his wheelchair towards the center of the crowd.
As the wheelchair rolled on the official road, it made a heart-palpitating sound.
The internal court eunuch He Qigan had a very high status in the palace. However, his personality was sinister and he had never been liked by the nobles in the palace. So his status was not very important. However, having suffered in the Imperial Palace for decades, he naturally knew what kind of attitude he should display at this time.
He led the two eunuchs and the aces from the Ministry of Justice's 13 yamens to disperse the encirclement. He was afraid that Director Chen would think that they were hostile.
He Qigan knew what kind of terrifying figure Old Director Chen was. He had never hoped that since they had met Director Chen today, if he gave the order, they would still be able to take the imperial court criminal away. Of course, from another perspective, he did not think that the old director, who had already retired, would go against the Emperor's decree for such an insignificant court criminal. After all, the old director was the Emperor's most loyal subordinate.
However, he had overlooked two things. First, Chen Pingping knew that Gao Da was Fan Xian's person. Fan Xian never liked other people coming to deal with his people, even if those so-called other people were people sent by the Palace. Second, Chen Pingping was immersed in a complicated emotion. He looked at the unconscious court criminal Gao Da on the ground and thought about things that bystanders could not understand.
The Overwatch Council's treatment was very effective. Gao Da finally slowly woke up from the pool of blood. He should not have been able to withstand such heavy injuries. However, in order to protect his wife and child, a few knife wounds had cut deep into his flesh. All of them had been forcefully received by his body and arms.
As soon as he woke up, his eyes were pierced by the torches around him. Gao Da's dry lips moved slightly. He then saw the black wheelchair close to him, as well as the important figure in it. He hadn't seen Old Director Chen many times, but he knew what kind of person he was, especially after seeing Old Director Chen's slightly worried and complicated gaze.
The mute woman saw that her husband had woken up and was overjoyed. Holding the child, she half-knelt by his side and repeatedly nodded her thanks to the Overwatch Council officials around her. This commoner woman did not know how delicate the current situation was. She also did not know that whether or not to save him was actually just a prelude to the major events to come.
It all depended on what Chen Pingping did.
Gao Da's expression darkened. He knew that if Chen Pingping kept his life for Sir Fan junior's sake, then He Zongwei could use this matter to drag Fan Xian and even Chen Pingping down with him.
His finger moved slightly. A ruthless light flashed through his eyes. He bent his finger and tapped it against his temple.
He wanted to escape earlier because he was alone with his wife and child. Even when faced with the powerful machinery of the Qing Kingdom, he still wanted to stubbornly live on until the day he could no longer live on.
However, he wanted to commit suicide now because he knew that if he lived, he would give Chen Pingping, or more accurately, Sir Fan junior, who Chen Pingping wanted to protect, a difficult problem.
Thus, he chose to commit suicide. Chen Pingping watched him take action and did not have any reaction. There was only a glimmer of admiration flashing through his eyes, as well as a knowing smile flashing across his face.
With a slap, the Overwatch Council official who had been standing guard by Gao Da's side the entire time easily stopped Gao Da's thought of committing suicide. He gazed at Gao Da and coldly said, "It's not easy to live for another three years. You already have a wife and child. Why are you in such a hurry to die?"
This voice was very familiar. Gao Da's heart jumped slightly. With great difficulty, he turned his head to look. He did not expect to see a completely unfamiliar face. However, the Overwatch Council official returned to his original tone of voice. Adding to the familiar teasing light in his eyes, Gao Da immediately knew the other party's identity.
Gao Da's dry lips moved slightly, but he could not speak. He looked at the Overwatch Council official like he was looking at a ghost. After a long time, he said in a low voice, crying and laughing, "So … you are also alive."
The Overwatch Council official smiled slightly and tightened the strips of cloth on his body. Patting his hand, he said, "Who doesn't want to live? With the Director here, your life and death is not up to you to decide. "
Chen Pingping leaned tiredly against the black wheelchair. The Chen Garden women on both sides of the carriages had dispersed into the woods to relieve themselves. Fortunately, the shameful voices did not come over. However, the teasing voices gradually grew louder.
The old man narrowed his eyes and looked at Gao Da. "You are not Gao Da."
Gao Da's heart jumped. He looked at Director Chen with confusion.
Chen Pingping slowly said, "You are only a minor figure. Your life and death is not a major matter, so it is best if you are alive."
After these words were said, not only Gao Da and the Overwatch Council official beside him, but even the Ministry of Justice aces scattered around, as well as He Qigan and the other three internal court eunuchs, sensed something strange. Tiger Guard Gao Da, who had escaped in the face of battle, was a court criminal that Scholar He had been secretly searching for a long time. In the eyes of the Overwatch Council, or, more accurately, in Chen Pingping's eyes, he was just an unremarkable minor figure.
He Qigan silently took two steps back. The Dazhou Zhizhou nervously moved over with small steps and bowed solemnly to Chen Pingping. He then invited the old Director into the city to rest.
The Overwatch Council was a secret service organization. It was the organization that all officials feared and hated the most. It was also the organization they wanted to establish a relationship with the most. From Chen Pingping to Fan Xian, these two people were powerful people who did not need to build relationships in court. Thus, the civil officials of the Qing Kingdom never found any opportunities.
Without question, this was a great opportunity for the Dazhou Zhizhou to curry favor with old Director Chen and continue to curry favor with the Duke. As an official, he did not want to pass up this opportunity no matter what. As for the court criminal, that was the business of the internal court and Ministry of Justice officials. It had nothing to do with him.
Chen Pingping paid no attention to this official. He only looked coldly at Gao Da, thinking about his own matters.
Just as he said earlier, Chen Pingping did not think that Gao Da's sudden appearance was a coincidence. He Zongwei's secret investigation of Gao Da and Wang Qinian could perhaps be hidden from the Overwatch Council, but it could not be hidden from the Emperor. Why did the Emperor choose to have this matter explode on his way back?
It was for a reason, an excuse, and an inquiry.
The Emperor was far away in Jingdou, separated by thousands of li, and was questioning Chen Pingping. He was using the matter of the court criminal's life to question Chen Pingping. Were you my black dog or a powerful official with your own will?
Powerful officials never had good endings. Even someone like Lin Ruofu, who had seen the opportunity and retreated cleanly and completely hid in Wuzhou to be a farmer, still had to be afraid at all times that the Emperor would be unhappy one day.
Chen Pingping was not a normal official. He did not need to worry about these things. He knew the Emperor only wanted to ask him a question and then see his attitude toward the Emperor.
Chen Pingping suddenly smiled. His smile was slightly strange. Under the blowing of the night wind and the illumination of the torches, it was like the endlessly blooming golden chrysanthemums under the Hanging Temple, unafraid of the cold wind and ignoring the mundane world as they bloomed in full bloom.
"Let Gao Da recover," he said with a slight smile as he gently stroked the arms of the wheelchair.
The dozens of people the court had sent from Jingdou to capture the criminal, as well as the hundreds of bailiffs and soldiers from Dazhou, heard these light words and felt a chill in their hearts at the same time. They knew Director Chen had decided to interfere. Although they did not dare to resist and were powerless to resist the Overwatch Council swordsmen and secret agents in the 30 black carriages, as well as the power hidden in the darkness, they still felt shocked.
If Chen Pingping wanted to protect this person, the Emperor would probably have to give him this face. He Qigan and the aces of the 13 yamens all thought this. Their expressions were very ugly and awkward. However, not a single person dared to express any opposition to Chen Pingping's words.
Opposition was ineffective. Opposition was useless. He Qigan's throat was dry. He was not satisfied. He had been sent by the internal court to Scholar He's side and wandered through Qing Kingdom's Chaojun for a year. He was about to capture Gao Da, but in an instant, He Qigan thought helplessly that even if he failed this mission, after he returned to the capital, as long as he told the main official and the head eunuch that it was Director Chen who had interfered, what did it have to do with him?
…
…
The sweet and witty Chen Garden beauties finally returned. They opened their eyes wide and looked curiously at the people surrounded by torches. They didn't know what had happened. They didn't know what their master was saying or thinking, but they were not worried. Regardless of whether it was in Chen Garden, during the guerrilla warfare during the Jingdou rebellion, or now on the road back home, they always had people from the Overwatch Council at their side to protect them. Regardless of which department the officials were, they were all very polite to them.
They were all orphaned girls Chen Pingping had bought from poor people. Other than being beautiful and able to sing good songs, they had no other strengths. However, Chen Pingping was willing to raise them and protect them. This kind of eccentricity also created these flowers in a greenhouse.
If Chen Pingping, this large mountain, fell, no one knew what kind of fate these flowers in a greenhouse would meet.
Chen Pingping lowered his head and listened to the familiar women's voices not far behind him. He smiled slightly.
He did not have the group of carriages follow the Dazhou Zhizhou's invitation into the city to spend the night. Instead, he sat calmly in his wheelchair and looked at the complicated expressions of the internal court eunuchs and Ministry of Justice officials around him. It was as if he was thinking about something and waiting for something.
Then, he closed his eyes.
There were not many people in this world who understood the Qing Emperor as well as Chen Pingping did. Gao Da was indeed a minor figure. Even as a touchstone, he did not have that kind of hardness. However, the human heart was always a subjective thing. It was as if the Emperor was saying to Chen Pingping in the dark mountains, "This criminal is the stone I left for you."
There were many choices placed in front of Chen Pingping.
He could save Gao Da and then leisurely return home. Although he knew that some people would immediately come before him, just as Ye Zhong and Eunuch Yao thought, in the mountains of the Qing Kingdom, who could stop Chen Pingping?
He could ignore Gao Da's life and death and take the women in the carriages back home to retire and live out the rest of his life.
…
…
The Emperor gave Chen Pingping one last chance to choose. Regardless of which one Chen Pingping chose, perhaps it was something the Emperor wanted to see. The Emperor knew that if Chen Pingping did not want to return to Jingdou to face him again, then no one could force him to return to Jingdou to face him.
Chen Pingping did not move. The atmosphere on the two sides of the road became more and more strange. Many people could already see that Chen Pingping seemed to be waiting for something.
Was someone else coming?
The Overwatch Council official who had been standing guard by Gao Da's side walked to the side of the wheelchair and lowered his body to quietly say something by Chen Pingping's ear. Chen Pingping slowly shook his head. He shook his head slowly but firmly.
Before long, voices gradually rang out from the back of the road. These voices were not very noisy. On the contrary, they carried a cautious tone.
The Overwatch Council officials did not stop this group. Instead, they cautiously used their gazes to escort them to the center of the circle of torches.
The Dazhou Zhizhou, He Qigan, and the other internal court eunuchs and officials of the Ministry of Justice finally saw this group clearly. They finally knew who Director Chen was waiting for. Other than shock, they couldn't help but feel a chill. Director Chen had long known what was going to happen.
If this was a large chessboard, then He Qigan, the internal court eunuchs, the officials of the Ministry of Justice who had worked hard for a long time, and even He Zongwei, who had laid out this plan in the beginning, were all unremarkable chess pieces on the chessboard.
The people He Zongwei had sent did not have an imperial edict in their hands. The Overwatch Council's interference could not be considered disobeying the edict. Given Chen Pingping's position, there was no problem.
However, the imperial edict had finally arrived.
It was like a red team suddenly jumping a horse onto the back of an elephant and then asking the old black general, "Do you want to move or kill the horse?"
…
…
There were no eunuchs announcing the edict in the small group of a dozen or so people. These Qing soldiers wore armor and were unusually valiant. However, they all wore complicated emotions on their faces.
The leader of the small group held the bright yellow imperial edict high in his hand.
The sound of horse hooves broke the silence outside Dazhou. All of the soldiers dismounted in unison and bowed solemnly toward Chen Pingping in the wheelchair. The leader of the small group holding the imperial edict began to read the Emperor's edict in a trembling voice.
The edict had nothing to do with Chen Pingping, who had returned to his hometown to retire. It was only directed at the court criminal Gao Da in the Overwatch Council carriage. It ordered the Ministry of Justice to immediately bring this traitor who deceived the Emperor back to the capital. No one was to stop him. Otherwise, he would be punished with treason.
After the reading of the edict, it was so quiet that one could hear the sound of water dripping from the grass not far away. Everyone's gaze turned fearfully toward the old man in the wheelchair. Even the stupidest person could see that something was wrong. How could there be such a coincidence in the world? Just now, the Overwatch Council had said that the internal court did not have an imperial edict. Now, the imperial edict had appeared in Dazhou.
The Dazhou Zhizhou unconsciously took a step back. Everyone unconsciously took a step back. They finally knew that this scene was actually a game between the Emperor and Director Chen. They did not have the right to participate in this matter. They didn't even have the right to take a look.
The leader finished reading the imperial edict in a trembling voice and put the bright yellow cloth back into his clothes. He then walked to the front of the wheelchair and knelt down on one knee. In a low voice, he said, "I am the Deputy General of the Jingdou Garrison, Guan Xiong. Following General Shi's orders, I have come to assist the Ministry of Justice of the internal court in capturing the court criminal. Please make things easier for me, old Director."
Chen Pingping's face was slightly pale. He knew that this scene would eventually come. In the end, the Emperor had not completely blocked off the final path. However, perhaps that was because the Emperor had long known that he would block off this path himself.
It was still the same old saying. This matter had arisen because of Gao Da, but it had nothing to do with him. It was just a mutual question between him and the Emperor.
…
…
In the distant mountains, it was all quiet. All of the horses were chewing. The Qing Kingdom's warhorses had been trained very well. They didn't even make a sound when they stepped on the ground. Thousands of elite riders of the Jingdou Garrison were waiting in this valley, waiting for the final order to launch the attack. Thousands of armored riders charging toward the 30 black carriages on the road should not be a difficult mission. Regardless of whether it was General Shi Fei, standing at the very front, or the Jingdou Garrison soldiers behind him who already knew the inside story, they all felt that this was perhaps the most difficult battle of their lives.
Shi Fei sat quietly on the back of his horse and put down the telescope in his hand. He did not forget that the Qing Kingdom only produced a few pairs of this telescope. The one in his hand was a gift from Sir Fan junior during the new year. Shi Fei had experienced countless battles in his life.
He could truly be said to be someone who had been through hundreds of battles. Three years ago, the Dongshan Road in the capital was in chaos. The Commander of the Northern Expedition Camp, Yan Xiaoyi, rebelled and led thousands of soldiers to surround the great Dong Mountain. The entire Northern Expedition Camp sank into chaos. Although the rebellion failed and the Northern Expedition Camp was like a group of dragons without a leader, it was very likely that a mutiny or defeat would occur. At that time, Shi Fei received the Emperor's important orders and entered the Northern Expedition Camp alone. With an imperial edict, he subdued tens of thousands of soldiers. It was because of this great service that he became the present Commander of the Jingdou Garrison.
One person could subdue tens of thousands of people. Now, thousands of people were going to deal with an old man in a wheelchair who could not move easily. Shi Fei was still very nervous.
The group announcing the edict had already left. Shi Fei prayed in his heart that Director Chen would retreat in front of the imperial edict. For some reason, he knew that Chen Pingping would not retreat, not even by a single step.
This was a very strange feeling. Perhaps the Emperor knew that Chen Pingping did not want to retreat, so he had left a path of retreat for him.
He didn't know what had happened between the Emperor and Director Chen, but he knew that it must have been deeply entangled between the two of them. Even though Director Chen was about to retire, it forced the two of them to choose to fight face to face.
The road illuminated by the torches seemed to sink into a kind of silence. Then, Chen Pingping seemed to slowly shake his head again.
Shi Fei took a deep breath. The cold wind in the valley entered his lungs and made him feel a bit cold. He slowly pulled down the mask on his face and said in a heavy voice, "Get ready."
Thousands of armored soldiers began to prepare to surround the former Director of the Overwatch Council, Chen Pingping.
…
…
"The Emperor wants me to go back and ask me some things." Chen Pingping sat in the wheelchair and said with a smile, "This is something I have long thought of, but I didn't expect that he would wait until now to ask about it. I also didn't expect that after asking about it, so many things would happen."
He shook his head and sighed. "The Emperor still doesn't understand me well enough."
The Overwatch Council official suddenly knelt down by his side and gritted his teeth. "You must follow the edict!"
"No, I've been following edicts my entire life. Now that I'm going to die, what more should I follow?" Chen Pingping smiled. "The Emperor wants to ask me some things. How could I not want to ask him some things face to face?"
Then, his face became cold, and his gaze became icy. Looking at the hundreds of people illuminated by the torches, he said in an icy voice, "In one's life, there are always some questions that have been lingering in one's mind for a long time that must be asked."
With these words, the sound of hooves thundered outside Dazhou. The shadows of armor reflected the moon. In an instant, it suppressed the light of the torches. A patch of dust rose in the dark night behind the road. In just a few breaths, it had come near the line of carriages.
Thousands of armored soldiers spread out silently and fiercely.
Everyone's faces turned deathly pale as they stared blankly at this scene. As for the delicate women in the caravan, they couldn't help but scream in fright when they saw this scene.
Chen Pingping's expression did not change as he sat in his wheelchair. However, a mocking smile rose to the corners of his lips. He didn't speak. None of the Overwatch Council subordinates acted. They only gripped the handles of the metal rods tightly. Their fingers curled around the rings of the crossbows as they stared nervously at the riders charging toward them from the fields on either side of the road.
What was different from normal battles was that the thousands of riders did not use this momentum to charge directly into the carriages and begin a slaughter. Instead, they willingly gave up the advantage of the riders' momentum and slowed down at the last moment. They only formed into three sharp points and surrounded the 30 carriages.
Thousands of armored cavalrymen marched on the black official road, under the red torches, and under the silver moon, forming a terrifying scene.
It was a murderous scene.
The old servant pushed his wheelchair and slowly turned around. Chen Pingping rested his chin on the armrest and looked at the general hidden from head to toe in armor in the fields beside the road. Smiling slightly, he said, "You want to capture me with just 3,600 people? General Shi, are you looking down on me too much?"
Riding on his horse, Shi Fei struggled in his heart. He didn't give his subordinates an immediate order to charge because he hoped the situation could still take a turn for the better. He was not willing to completely fall out with the Overwatch Council like this. He didn't know what Chen Pingping had up his sleeves and didn't care about them. He had to consider what kind of wretched fate awaited him in the future if he was loyal to the Emperor and became a mortal enemy of the Overwatch Council.
He was afraid of Chen Pingping and Fan Xian, but he was even more afraid of the Emperor. That was why he had come today but still hadn't taken action.
Hearing Director Chen's words, his body on the horse trembled slightly. In a raspy and pained voice, he said, "Director, if you resist the edict and take in an imperial criminal, I will have no choice but to …"
Before he could finish, Chen Pingping had already frowned and smiled. "As expected, it's always a problem of officials disobeying the imperial edict, and not a problem of the monarch sending troops to ambush an old official who has returned home …" He sighed and said, "Our Majesty, even at such a time, has not forgotten to maintain his grand and righteous image. Naturally, a shady character like me naturally has to play my role well."
Out of the 30 carriages, other than the carriages carrying luggage and women, the Overwatch Council escorts totaled less than 100 people. However, it was these 100 Overwatch Council officials who faced the Jingdou Garrison's 3,000 riders that did not show any signs of retreat. Their expressions were as cold as always.
Shi Fei watched this scene quietly and sighed in his heart. The Overwatch Council only had eyes for Director Chen. Where was the Emperor? Faced with the Emperor's edict, these Overwatch Council officials only knew to protect the Director's safety. They didn't even need to think about it. No wonder the Emperor was so afraid of this matter.
Shadows swayed faintly in the woods on either side of the road. No one knew how many assassins of the Sixth Bureau of the Overwatch Council were inside.
Shi Fei suddenly felt a glimmer of coldness.
Chen Pingping closed his eyes and leaned against the wheelchair. It was as if he was about to fall asleep in the night wind.
…
…
Regarding the matter of naming the children, thank you for everyone's trust. Many readers have made similar requests, but I have never dared to accept them because I know my standards are very poor. Thinking of Pingping, Suosuo, Dian Dian, Duoduo, Sisi, Ruoruo, Dou Dou … Uh, does anyone still dare to let me name them? I scratched my head.
In the past, I had given a few names to my friends' children, such as Yiwen and Yue Xu. Other than the latter, the first few were all cursed, particularly after the children grew up.
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