The first two rains of early autumn came and went abruptly, with an inexplicable feeling. It seemed that the first rain was just to welcome Chen Pingping back, and the second rain was to send Chen Pingping away. When everything on the execution field in front of the Imperial Palace came to an end, the misty autumn rain stopped just like that. The dark clouds in the sky were blown away, revealing an extremely high, faint, and clear sky. Other than the wet rain in the streets and on the black bricks, everything returned to normal.
The people of Jingdou saw such a shocking scene, but no one dared to discuss anything. They silently dispersed along the various streets. The officials in front of the Palace gates looked at each other. They didn't know what to do next. The Emperor had already returned to the Palace. The little Duke carried the old Director's body and left. The rainwater flowing all over the ground did not converge into one, making them very confused.
After thousands of years of traveling back to Jingdou, Fan Xian and the 500 Black Knights had already broken countless Qing laws and Overwatch Council rules. Furthermore, when he had broken into Jingdou, he had casually killed so many court officials. Additionally, he had caused a disturbance on the execution field in front of the Emperor. Logically speaking, this was an unforgivable crime. However, the Emperor had not spoken. Who could punish Fan Xian for his crimes? Who dared to punish Fan Xian for his crimes?
Hu the Scholar walked down from the top of the Royal Palace walls. Many officials bowed to him. This scholar had maintained his silence. He looked at the faint traces of blood on the wooden stage that had been washed away by the autumn rain. His brows suddenly twitched. Turning his head back, he saw the former scholar, Shu Wu, who seemed to have aged a dozen years in an instant, leave desolately along the foot of the city walls. He did not greet these people.
Hu the Scholar's heart dimmed slightly. He knew he could not be controlled by such emotions. Sir He had already entered the Palace. He had to stay here and sort out his funeral. His gaze slowly swept across the faces of the officials of the Six Ministries, Three Temples, and Three Courts. Calmly, he said, "The great punishment has ended. Open the city gates. Everything will be as usual."
Hearing these words, the officials in front of the Royal Palace involuntarily let out a big breath. They had been terrified about how to handle Sir Fan junior's matter. Looking at the situation, at least for a short period of time, the Emperor would be able to control his anger and not hand such a dangerous task to his officials to handle.
Hu the Scholar did not care about these officials' reactions. His eyes narrowed slightly. He did not see anyone from the Overwatch Council in the Six Ministries, Three Temples, and Three Courts. This was normal. The heads of the eight bureaus of the Overwatch Council were all locked up in the prison. Sir Yan junior seemed to have quietly left a long time ago.
It was not only the Overwatch Council that had been controlled from the inside and outside. A heavy expression flashed through Hu the Scholar's brows. He knew that there were also people in the Royal Palace who had been controlled, such as Lady Ning and King Jing, who had risked their lives to ask the Emperor for mercy this morning. They were both under house arrest in the Royal Palace, and their situation was unknown.
Furthermore, after Miss Fan had treated His Majesty last night, it seemed that she had not come out. Thinking of these things and the tens of thousands of Qing elite troops still stationed outside the Overwatch Council, a chill rose in Hu the Scholar's heart. He knew he had to immediately find Fan Xian and say something to this little duke who had the power and courage to oppose the Royal Palace.
… …
The noon sun shone fiercely on the Liujing River outside Jingdou. The river water was clear and cold. It was only slightly warm, but no cheerful fog rose. Across the river was an elegant courtyard that stood aloof from the world. It had gray-white walls, green and yellow bamboo, and a threatening coldness. The water on the tiles had been left wet by the sun, but there was an additional sense of the summer heat of turning back time.
In the stifling heat of early autumn, a black carriage sped past the bamboo sedan beside the Liujing River and stopped steadily in front of the courtyard.
This courtyard had been Ye Qingmei's former residence, the place where the Eldest Princess had died, and where Fan Xian had once bowed to the river several times. After the Ye family incident, it had been taken into the palace treasury property by the royal family and became a courtyard. However, over the years, the Emperor rarely came here. Furthermore, no concubine or prince dared to be so blind as to ask to temporarily live there. Thus, it had been empty for over 20 years. Three years ago, when the Eldest Princess was planning the Jingdou incident, for some reason, she temporarily lived there for a few days.
Because this courtyard was quiet and rarely visited, and because of the cold history it carried, it made everyone have the urge to keep a respectful distance. Thus, the internal court did not look after this place with much care or strictness. There were only four royal guards stationed there.
Seeing the black carriage disregard the royal seal outside the courtyard and charge directly in, the guards' expressions changed. They walked forward, but before they could say anything, they were restrained by a group of people surging out from behind the black carriage. They were disarmed and bound.
An Overwatch Council official walked forward and silently pulled open the curtain.
The sound of footsteps rang out slightly. Covered in rain, the pale-faced Fan Xian carried Chen Pingping's body down from the carriage. The rainwater on his body dripped down his black clothes and the Overwatch Council uniform on the old man in his arms, making a pitter-patter.
The door to Taiping Courtyard opened. Fan Xian did not glance at his subordinates. Solemnly, he walked in. With a creak, the door closed behind him. The Overwatch Council officials immediately spread out and controlled all the important positions at the end of the bamboo bridge. They watched their surroundings cautiously.
After a while, a hurried and slightly chaotic sound of hooves rang out. Hundreds of exhausted black riders rode over along the road on the other side of the Liujing River.
Immediately after, another thunderous sound of hooves stopped a bit further away. No one knew if it was the Jingdou Garrison or the Imperial Army.
Finally, a black carriage drove over and stopped on the other side of the bamboo bridge. An official with a frosty expression stepped out of the carriage. It was Yan Bingyun. He did not cross the bridge. He only looked calmly at the Overwatch Council officials at the other end of the bridge.
Other than a few members of the Qinian Unit scattered throughout Jingdou, most of the Overwatch Council officials who had followed Fan Xian to Taiping Courtyard were officials of the First Bureau. With the help of the Palace, Yan Bingyun temporarily controlled the situation in the square and sinister building of the Overwatch Council. However, he was unable to control all eight bureaus of the Overwatch Council, particularly the First Bureau.
Fan Xian had once been powerful and impressive in the First Bureau. The officials of the First Bureau all treated Fan Xian like an ancestor. Not long after the curtain fell on the show in front of the Royal Palace and Fan Xian left the square in front of the Palace with Chen Pingping's body, an official of the First Bureau drove a black carriage to receive him.
Yan Bingyun narrowed his eyes and looked at his colleagues at the other end of the bridge. He did not feel anything strange about the high prestige Fan Xian had in the Council, particularly in the First Bureau. He only felt it was strange. The Emperor had also sent people to keep an eye on the First Bureau. News did not flow smoothly. Fan Xian had just returned to Jingdou. How did these First Bureau officials know? Furthermore, they had so coincidentally received him. This was truly puzzling.
Yan Bingyun did not know that the young mistress of the Fan manor had reacted as soon as the news of Chen Pingping's attempt to assassinate the Emperor came out. She had already made preparations for her husband and had secretly maintained contact with the First Bureau the entire time. When Fan Xian rode alone into the execution field, the people of the First Bureau had already begun to move.
As for the hundreds of exhausted Black Knights who could not be underestimated, they had received Fan Xian's earlier orders and were set to gather at Taiping Courtyard. Before Fan Xian entered the capital, he had thought it through. Regardless of whether or not he could save the old cripple, he and these people would probably have to meet at Taiping Courtyard.
Yan Bingyun stood at the head of the bridge in silence for a long time. He tidied up his wet official robes and walked toward the bridge alone. The creaking sound continued. He finally reached the other end of the bridge. Under the wary, hateful, and disdainful gazes of the First Bureau officials and secret agents, he bowed and said in a heavy voice, "Yan Bingyun of the Fourth Bureau requests an audience with the Director."
…
…
Fan Xian didn't know that Yan Bingyun had already appeared outside Taiping Courtyard. He was certain that someone was coming to see him and persuade him. He could even accurately understand how many people followed behind him as he walked out of Jingdou step by step. How many of the Qing Kingdom's elite troops were gathered outside Taiping Courtyard, waiting for the success of his persuasion. Whether it was successful or not, this was all the Emperor's will, right?
He didn't think about this and couldn't be bothered to think about it. He only felt very tired and exhausted. His body was very empty. The zhenqi that was usually as abundant as mountains and rivers seemed to have been spat out in that cry earlier. The turbid air in his chest had been spat out, and the zhenqi had also been spat out. All that was left was emptiness.
Fan Xian felt that his footsteps had never been as heavy as they were today. His body had never been as weak as it was today. The old man in his arms was clearly very light, but why was he becoming heavier and heavier? So heavy that he almost couldn't hold him anymore.
His slightly damp hair fell on his forehead. He carried Chen Pingping across the grass, past the flowering tree, and the little lake. He came to a secluded place. There were flowers on the wall. He gently plucked a small yellow flower that was curled up and blooming.
Then, he stretched out his hand and gently pressed on a corner of the flower wall. With a few creaking sounds, a hole slowly appeared on the ground. There were stone steps leading down, and it wasn't too far away. At this time, the sunlight from the sky could completely reflect on the dry stone slabs below.
Presumably, it was no secret to the old people back then that there was a secret room in Taiping Courtyard. Even the young Eldest Princess had once found one in the courtyard. After the Ye family incident, the Emperor should have come to the courtyard to investigate the whereabouts of the box. However, he did not find it. Additionally, he always had strange feelings toward the courtyard, so he never came again.
For Fan Xian, this secret passage was very familiar. Many years ago, after he had opened the box, Uncle Wu Zhu had once brought him to Taiping Courtyard. Following this passage down, he had found the bullets that the fire stick needed the most.
Step by step, he walked down as if he was walking into the netherworld. In reality, it was just a secret room about 30 feet off the ground. The room was clean and dry. There were no other furnishings or treasures. There were only a few chairs and a few coffins.
Fan Xian placed one hand on the edge of the coffin and used a little force to lift the lid. He then carefully placed the old man's thin and weak body in his arms inside. Taking out a small porcelain pillow, he carefully placed it behind his head. Looking at the silk inside the coffin, Fan Xian tilted his head slightly and did not close it for him.
Chen Pingping's eyes were tightly closed. His naked body was only covered by the Overwatch Council robes that Fan Xian had taken off. Fan Xian stood by the coffin and quietly looked at his thin cheeks and sunken eyes. He suddenly felt that this completely black clothing was more suitable than those beautiful silks.
The completely black clothing was the Overwatch Council's official robes. What Fan Xian had taken off was the uniform of the Director of the Overwatch Council. In Fan Xian's opinion, Chen Pingping's life was difficult to say. Presumably, he would like to die as the Director of the Overwatch Council.
Fan Xian stood quietly by the coffin and looked at the sleeping Chen Pingping. He thought of how on the execution field earlier, in the autumn rain, this old man seemed to have gradually fallen asleep in his arms. Before he fell asleep, he held his hand tightly. He shouldn't be afraid, right?
Looking at the old and pale face, Fan Xian suddenly thought of many things. When he was very young, this old man, who liked to put a wool blanket on his knees, had Teacher Fei Jie teach him so that he could learn the ability to protect himself in this dangerous world. From a young age, he had familiarized himself with all of the rules and structure of the Overwatch Council. Probably from the day he was born, the old man had already decided that he was going to leave the Overwatch Council, which he viewed as his most precious treasure, to him.
Fan Xian thought of the first time he saw Chen Pingping. It was in that dark room in the Overwatch Council. It was clearly the first time the two of them had met, but when he looked at the old cripple in the wheelchair, it was like seeing an elder he hadn't seen for a long time. A natural closeness wrapped around the two of them.
That day, Fan Xian had lowered his head and gently hugged the thin and weak Chen Pingping. He pressed his face against it, just as he had hugged and pressed his face against it today.
Watching the fish by the shallow pond, discussing the world, gently playing with the flowers, and dancing in the two wheelchairs in Chen Garden were probably things that could never appear again, right? He couldn't think about it anymore. Fan Xian closed his eyes tightly and immediately opened them. Lowering his body, he picked up the cowering little yellow flower in his hand and gently pinched it into the white hair at Chen Pingping's temples.
…
…
After a long silence, Fan Xian didn't say anything more. He closed the lid of the coffin and picked up the large nails he had prepared at the side. Aiming them at the edge of the coffin lid, he channeled his qi into his palms and brought them down.
A series of muffled thuds rang out. Fan Xian silently brought his palms down one by one and hammered all of the large nails down. He nailed the entire coffin firmly and shut the old man in another world, a world he would never be able to touch again.
After doing all this, Fan Xian looked at the black coffin in a daze. This was only a temporary solution. There would come a day when Fan Xian would send the old man back to his hometown or a place no one knew about. He would not let him stay forever near this dark Jingdou. Although this was Taiping Courtyard and presumably Chen Pingping liked to live here, it was still too close to Jingdou and the Royal Palace.
Fan Xian's body swayed slightly. He felt a boundless tiredness and exhaustion begin to surge into his heart. He sat down on the tall wooden chair beside him. Placing his legs on the side of the chair, he buried his head deeply between his knees. His hands hung weakly by his side.
The cut on his right palm from the nail began to bleed. The blood dripped onto the ground.
Fan Xian sat with his head buried. He didn't know how long he sat. The rainwater that had accumulated on the lawn of Taiping Courtyard above his head began to flow down the stone steps, wetting layer by layer and cooling layer by layer.
…
…
The sunlight slowly moved in the sky. The light in the dark underground room also flickered between bright and dark. No one knew whether it was the angle of the light or the thickness of the clouds that caused all of this. A sliver of sound traveled into Fan Xian's ears. He slowly raised his head from between his knees and walked down the chair. Glancing at the silent and dark coffin again, he walked up the wet stone steps.
After a strange sound, the secret door above the stone room was tightly shut. No more sunlight or running water could seep in. The place returned to peace and darkness.
Fan Xian walked along the grassy path beside the lake toward the door of Taiping Courtyard. When he was not far from the wooden door, he heard the low voice of a subordinate reporting. A complicated expression flashed across Fan Xian's cold face. He quietly said something and then sat down on a broken tree in the courtyard.
The wooden door opened. Yan Bingyun walked in and stood in front of Fan Xian with his head lowered. He didn't speak for a long time. Perhaps he didn't know how to start.
"Starting from the day the Palace began to move, you should have been involved from beginning to end. I don't want to miss out on any details." Fan Xian sat tiredly on the broken tree root with his right hand on his knee. His face was unhealthily pale.
Yan Bingyun glanced at his right hand and found it was bleeding. His heart jumped slightly, but he didn't explain too much. Instead, he calmly said, "On the second day, I was summoned into the Palace. After receiving an edict, I began to make arrangements. As for Scholar He capturing Gao Da in Dazhou and the Emperor using this matter to keep the Director in Dazhou and then using the Jingdou Garrison to capture him, I only know the general situation and not the details. "
"Tell me the details you know."
Yan Bingyun looked at Fan Xian, who had his head lowered. He found that Sir Fan junior was different from any other time. His facial expression was calm, so calm that it made one's heart tremble. It was not a reaction a normal person should have.
From that morning when the Jingdou Garrison escorted the black carriage into the capital, to the argument in the royal study in the Royal Palace, to the Emperor being heavily injured, to Chen Pingping being injured by the porcelain cup and being sent to the Overwatch Council prison, Yan Bingyun didn't hide any details. He even clearly explained the ugly role he had played in all of it.
Fan Xian was silent for a moment. He then slowly raised his head and looked at him. "Then, why are you following me now? Do you want to drag that old cripple back and cut him a few more times? Or do you want him to die without a burial? "
Yan Bingyun didn't need to control his emotions in front of him. A sliver of unfeigned sorrow appeared on his face. In a raspy voice, he said, "I had to see you. I had to guarantee that you wouldn't go crazy."
"What is going crazy? Rebellion? " The corners of Fan Xian's mouth twitched slightly. His laughter was full of coldness. "Aren't the Jingdou Garrison and Imperial Army troops outside used to do this?"
At this moment, smoke and dust were faintly discernible outside the courtyard. It had clearly just rained, yet it was dry. Who knew how many troops were lying in ambush outside the Taiping Courtyard and how many aces were used to suppress Fan Xian?
Yan Bingyun valiantly controlled his state of mind. Looking at Fan Xian, he coldly said, "No matter what, the old Director is already gone. No matter how angry you are, you can't change anything. Even if you can escape Jingdou, what can you do? Deng Zi Yue is in Xiliang, Su Wenmao is in the palace treasury in North Min, Xia Qifei is in Suzhou, and the generals of the Qinian Unit and the most powerful officials and secret agents in the Council have all been sent out by me to places you control the most. Once you leave Jingdou, you can once again gather 60 percent of the Overwatch Council's power. But, what can you do? "
Fan Xian looked at him coldly and didn't say a word.
"Very well. Presently, you are the Master of Dongyi's Sword Hut. You have countless swordsmen under your command. Additionally, the Great Prince is currently leading 10,000 elite soldiers stationed in Dongyi. However, those 10,000 elite soldiers may not be completely under the Great Prince's control. Taking 10,000 steps back, would the Great Prince rebel against the Emperor because of you or the old Director?" Yan Bingyun's lips were a bit dry. His throat was a bit congested with blood, but he still forcefully said, "The heir, Hongcheng, is in Dingzhou. He is your best friend. Even if he raises troops for you, would the Dingzhou army listen to him?"
"It has to be said, in this world, only you have the power to stand against the Emperor. But, you are still not a match for the Emperor."
"Are you done?" Fan Xian looked at him with narrowed eyes and tiredly shook his head. "If you want to convince me, shouldn't you take out the letter Chen Pingping personally wrote for you?"
Yan Bingyun's body shook. He had thought that what he had done within the Overwatch Council these few days would anger Fan Xian. He had not thought that from the beginning, Fan Xian had already found out everything.
Fan Xian looked at him. "Even if you took it out, I wouldn't want to see it. It is nothing more than to take care of the big picture and prevent the Overwatch Council from losing control for a moment and being forcefully wiped out by the Emperor. Thus, you must become the Emperor's second dog and forcefully preserve this Council. In order to win that man's trust, you must do some things."
"I know you don't feel good and comfortable." Fan Xian looked at the slightly absent-minded Yan Bingyun and coldly said, "But, you brought this upon yourself. Do you think this is the joy of enduring humiliation? Wrong, you're just a fool. You're just going to listen to what Chen Pingping wants to do? If he wants you to kill him, you kill him? "
"The old Director is thinking on behalf of the thousands of lives of the Overwatch Council and the people of the world," Yan Bingyun said in a slightly raspy voice. "Even if I suffer some misunderstandings and become a thorn in the side of the Council officials, so what? Do I have to watch as the world falls into chaos? “
Why can't the world fall into chaos? Thinking on behalf of the people? " Fan Xian suddenly laughed strangely. There was a coughing sound in his laughter. He coughed up a few threads of blood. "How many of these people have thought on behalf of them?"
"I don't forgive you." Fan Xian looked at Yan Bingyun calmly. Each word he said made one tremble in fear. "Everything for the Qing Kingdom, everything for the Emperor, everything for the world. This is your attitude, not mine. For the people I care about, so what if tens of thousands of people die? You didn't do all of this for me. So, I don't forgive you. "
Yan Bingyun knew that under Fan Xian's gentle exterior was a heart that loved and hated intensely. After a long silence, he suddenly opened his mouth and said, "I don't need anyone's forgiveness. The old Director's choice is the same as mine, so I did it. For the Qing Kingdom, I can do anything."
"Very good. Only like this can you become a good official of the Emperor. For those dead people, he might be a good Emperor." Fan Xian slowly stood. "For me, neither he nor you are people I can place a sliver of trust in. In your hearts, there are things more important than companions."
"King Jing and Lady Ning are under house arrest in the Palace. The young lady of the Fan family is also in the Palace," Yan Bingyun said hurriedly as he suddenly felt cold.
Fan Xian's voice in reply was mocking and cold. "For the Emperor, this is a matter of course."
Watching Fan Xian walk tiredly toward the wooden door, Yan Bingyun's heart suddenly tightened. A difficult to suppress fear surged in his heart. It was not fear for himself. Rather, he was worried about Fan Xian. In a loud voice, he asked, "Where are you going?"
Fan Xian's hand froze slightly on the wooden door. He didn't turn his head. Tiredly, he said, "Going home to sleep."
…
…
Walking out of the wooden door of Taiping Courtyard, he looked at the officials of the First Bureau of the Overwatch Council at the end of the bridge as if they were facing a great enemy. He looked at the hundreds of travel-worn Black Knights on the other side of the bridge who were forcefully suppressing their exhaustion and barely forming a defensive formation. Fan Xian sighed in his heart. On the other side of the bridge, at the other end of the green and yellow autumn forest, were the troops the Emperor had used to suppress him. How could the subordinates he had hurriedly brought back to the capital stand against them?
The bright sun dazzled his eyes. Only now did he realize that exhaustion and sorrow could harm humans to such an extent. His steps were weak as he walked across the bamboo bridge. He gently gave a few orders to the subordinates who were still fighting to the death to follow him in such a tense moment.
The Deputy Commander of the Black Knights and the officials of the First Bureau were silent for a long time. They knew that the little Duke was thinking about their lives. Without another word, they knelt on one knee on the ground. No one knew whether they were kneeling to the young Director in front of them or the old Director buried in Taiping Courtyard.
After they knelt, the hundreds of people mixed together and retreated west along the beautiful and quiet Liuxi River.
Yan Bingyun, who had followed silently behind Fan Xian the entire time, glanced at those people with a complicated gaze. He followed him across the bridge and onto the road. He then saw the thousands of fully armored riders spread across the fields on the other side of the road. These riders were lined up densely, and their power was astonishing.
Fan Xian looked expressionlessly at these powerful martial forces. With his hands behind his back, he slowly walked over. Under countless wary gazes, he walked in front of the Commander. In a raspy voice, he said, "Have the scouts and ambushing soldiers withdraw. I want not a single one of my people hurt."
Ye Zhong narrowed his eyes slightly. A cold light flashed through them.
…
…
I've caught a cold. It's been two days. I can't take it much longer. I've taken large amounts of medicine, but my entire body is still sore. My head is dizzy, and I feel very uncomfortable. There are a lot of good things missing in the book review section because the leader has also been sick recently. I really feel sorry for the friends who worked so hard to write reviews. If you have a long review, please send it to my email, xfstz@hotmail.com.
Also: Thank you to the brothers in Shuimu who cast their illegitimate children. It's been a long time since I've gone diving. Yesterday, my thoughts jumped and I went to take a look. In the end, I saw the votes for idealism and rations. You like it, I'm very grateful.
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