In the middle of the night, a huge explosion shook the entire capital city!
Gu jumped to his feet. He didn't know where the gunpowder had come from, but when he saw that the Han Estate was fine, he lay back down.
He'd never been a curious man, nor did he have the leisure to meddle in other people's business. Whether it was the chaos in Tianning's capital city, Tianning Country, or Cloud Realm Continent itself, none of it had anything to do with him.
His childhood memories had been interrupted, so they wouldn't continue. Aside from his nightmares, he'd never think of them when he was awake.
He stared at the stars in the sky, which were reflected in his clear and bright eyes. His world had quieted down, but Tianning Country had begun an era of turmoil with this loud boom!
Han Yunxi was startled awake from her deep sleep. At first, she thought she'd had a nightmare, but when she heard the commotion outside, she knew something big had happened.
The explosion was so loud that even the houses in the capital city shook. Without a doubt, the explosion had happened near the capital, or even within it.
Even the explosion at Sky Domain Black Market had caused panic in the capital, to say nothing of an explosion so close by.
Han Yunxi hurried out the door and discovered that everyone in the Han Estate had been startled awake. The streets outside were noisy as well.
"Xu Donglin, Xu Donglin, come out!" Han Yunxi shouted. She knew there were guards around.
As expected, Xu Donglin immediately appeared. "Esteemed wangfei, you weren't scared, were you? Why don't we go back to the estate? It's safe there. "
"What's going on?" Han Yunxi asked seriously.
"I'm not sure either. His Highness ordered me to guard the place at all times." Xu Donglin was obviously lying. With his position in the shadow guards, he didn't even have the right to speak with His Highness Duke of Qin!
Han Yunxi didn't have time to expose his lies. She said anxiously, "This is a very serious matter. Hurry and go to the Duke of Qin's estate to see what's going on with His Highness. Find out where the explosion happened."
Xu Donglin grew anxious as well. He ordered the other guards to keep watch and left immediately.
"Where did the gunpowder come from?"
Han Yunxi frowned and pondered. She was really afraid that the whole city search would drive the Chu family into a corner, and they would use the gunpowder case to bite back at Long Fei Ye.
Other than General Mu's residence, only the Chu Clan had gunpowder in their hands.
At this time, Long Fei Ye had just returned to the Duke of Qin's residence and was also shocked by this matter.
"Your Highness, it's not far from the armory on the western outskirts of the city." The secret guard immediately investigated.
"Armory … Interesting."
Long Fei Ye's eyes flashed with a complicated light. After a moment of silence, he ordered, "Tell Chu Xifeng that your lordship is going into closed door cultivation for two days. Send more people to keep an eye on the Han Family."
After he finished speaking, he entered the palace and did not mention a single word about the explosion just now.
Does His Highness Duke of Qin have no opinion on such an important matter?
The guard was curious, but didn't dare to ask. He quickly went to find Chu Xifeng.
The entire capital city was brightly lit by lanterns. Both the common people and the imperial family were panicking, but Emperor Tianhui was the most panicked of all.
He was in the imperial study asking General Mu and Mu Qingwu about the betrayal of the imperial guards when the sudden explosion caused the teacup in his hands to shatter on the floor.
General Mu promptly sent someone to investigate. At this moment, everyone in the room was silent.
Emperor Tianhui sat upright and still, his hands clutching the armrests of his chair. His cold face was tense and solemn.
Since the explosion, he had allowed General Mu to send people to investigate without saying a word. In front of him, Crown Prince Long Tianmo, General Mu, and Mu Qingwu all had their heads bowed, their expressions ghastly.
Leaving aside the question of who was behind the explosion, Mu Qingwu, the commander of the imperial guards and the heavy responsibility of protecting the capital and the imperial palace, would be hard pressed to escape blame.
Moreover, Emperor Tianhui had just reprimanded Mu Qingwu over the betrayal of the imperial guards before the explosion. Now that such a thing had happened at such a sensitive time, how could Emperor Tianhui not investigate Mu Qingwu's negligence of duty?
In the silent room, Emperor Tianhui's breathing was heavy. Long Tianmo and the Mu family were both on tenterhooks and on tenterhooks.
The guards hadn't returned yet, so it was unclear what the situation was. Who wouldn't be nervous?
Of course, Long Tianmo was the most anxious of all. He was feeling uneasy.
Over the past two to three days, he and Mu Qingwu had put in plenty of effort to convince the emperor that the crossbow archers had something to do with the black market gunpowder case. Both of them were a threat to the capital.
But someone had whispered something into the emperor's ears, causing him to summon the Mu family to the palace that very night to ask about the betrayal of the imperial guards.
Everyone knew that the young commander of the imperial guards had been stabbed to death by Mu Qingwu in a moment of desperation, while the two captains had been imprisoned and interrogated. But who would have time to pay attention to such details when the city was still searching for the crossbow archers?
The emperor had only asked once before, then told them to use torture to interrogate them. After that, he'd stopped asking.
But tonight, he suddenly wanted to ask for more details. Then there was the sudden discovery of the explosion. Wasn't all of this too much of a coincidence?
Suddenly, a rush of footsteps broke the silence of the imperial study. The guards who'd gone out to investigate had returned.
In a flash, the tense crowd grew even more tense. Just what was the situation?
Eunuch Luo hadn't even brought him in before Emperor Tianhui couldn't take it anymore. "Where was the explosion? Just what happened?"
"To reply Your Majesty, it was the military depot on the western outskirts that exploded. The explosion destroyed two storehouses full of weapons. We're still counting the casualties, and the military doctors have all rushed back."
At these words, Long Tianmo, Mu Qingwu, and General Mu all looked up at the same time, their faces pale with shock.
The military depot exploded!
How could this be?!
The depot on the western side of the city belonged to the imperial guards under General Mu's command. It was a large storehouse for weapons and weapons, an important location that was heavily guarded. How could something like an explosion happen there? Moreover, there were no explosives stored there at all!
In Tianning's three countries, gunpowder was all in the hands of the military. Tianning Country's gunpowder was controlled by General Mu's estate because it was precious and limited in quantity. Unless there was a major war, it was rarely used. Even the cavalry and naval forces could only be transferred from General Mu's estate if needed.
Emperor Tianhui looked Icily at General Mu, his hawk-like eyes filled with anger and suspicion.
"Imperial Father, these people are too audacious. They dared to challenge our Tianning's military might! As erchen sees it … "
Before Long Tianmo could finish, Emperor Tianhui cut him off angrily. "General Mu, why would the military depot explode for no reason? Where did the gunpowder come from?"
Tianning's gunpowder storehouses were scattered all over the country, while the capital's was located on the eastern outskirts of the city. Without Emperor Tianhui's permission, even General Mu couldn't use it. Where did the gunpowder in the armory come from? Did someone do it on purpose, or was there a secret stash of gunpowder in the depot that accidentally ignited it? It was hard to say.
"Imperial Father, it must be those people from the black market. They're probably trying to create panic and divert attention so those archers have a chance to escape! Those people must be accomplices. Imperial Father, Tianning's gunpowder controls are so strict. I'm afraid the gunpowder was smuggled in by a foreign power! "Long Tianmo explained anxiously.
Although he didn't specify which country the foreign power was from, a smart person would know without thinking.
Such a sensitive matter could only be muddled through trade at the border. Northern Li and Tianning didn't have any trade, but Western Zhou and Tianning did.
Unfortunately, Emperor Tianhui didn't even spare him a glance. Seeing this, Mu Qingwu grew anxious as well. He was about to speak when General Mu silenced him with a look.
In the end, the crown prince and the young general were still too inexperienced.
Since the emperor had summoned them to ask about the betrayal of the imperial guards, it meant he was already suspicious of them. If they pointed the spear at the Chu Clan like before, it would only make the emperor feel disgusted and suspicious.
General Mu stepped forward and fell to his knees. "Your Majesty, this soldier is guilty!"
Seeing this, Mu Qingwu followed suit. Long Tianmo's eyes flashed with a complicated look, but he didn't dare to speak.
"Your Majesty, this soldier neglected his duties and allowed the assassins to run amok. The people's hearts were in a state of panic, and I know it's difficult to escape punishment. Whether or not the military depot was secretly stashed with gunpowder to cause the explosion, or whether or not someone else brought gunpowder to cause trouble remains to be investigated. But no matter what, this soldier is guilty of failing to supervise and protect the depot. These two crimes are heinous and unpardonable. May Your Majesty mete punishment! "
His words sounded like an apology, but he was tactfully explaining the two reasons for the explosion.
Emperor Tianhui's anger faded a little, but he still gave a cold snort. "So you know you're guilty too!"
General Mu kowtowed on the ground, not daring to speak. On the side, Long Tianmo and Mu Qingwu were even more afraid to speak.
Emperor Tianhui clenched his fists and slammed them against the table. After a long silence, he said, "Zhen will give you three days to investigate this matter clearly. Otherwise … hmph, don't think Zhen won't touch you just because you've been an official for two dynasties!"
"Thanks to Your Majesty for your grace!" General Mu thanked him repeatedly.
"Mu Qingwu, We will also give you three days. If you can't catch those crossbowmen by then, I'll give you three days. If you can't catch those archers, then you can go accompany your two subordinates in prison! "Emperor Tianhui said coldly.
"This soldier obeys!" Mu Qingwu was even more afraid to speak.
After the three of them left the imperial study, they exchanged glances. None of them dared to discuss the matter. It wasn't until they were far enough away that Long Tianmo lost his temper. "Young General, just what's going on with the defection? Don't tell this crown prince you didn't know! "
If it wasn't for the defection, how could the emperor have raised suspicions for no reason?
Mu Qingwu's gaze was still evasive, but General Mu was serious. "Your Highness Crown Prince, the two captains of the imperial guard are still locked up in the prisons. There's plenty of people who'd like to take advantage of the situation to hit them while they're down. It's inevitable that His Majesty would be suspicious. It's Qingwu's fault for being impulsive. He shouldn't have killed that commander! "
Since General Mu had already said as much, what else could Long Tianmo pursue? He sighed heavily. "Right now, the most important thing is to find evidence. As long as we can prove that the military depot didn't have any hidden gunpowder, this crown prince refuses to believe that Imperial Father will sit still! They even dared to touch the military depot. Hmph, those people must be tired of living! "
It was easy enough to prove that the explosion wasn't caused by the secret stash of gunpowder.
The military depot was heavily guarded and filled with people trained by General Mu himself. There was no way they'd betray General Mu, so General Mu was confident that the explosion had occurred outside of the depot.
As long as they could find the source of the explosion, the crown prince could continue to nip at the Chu Clan. For General Mu, who'd been in charge of the gunpowder depot for many years, finding the source of the explosion was easy.
But while General Mu and the other two split up, a woman in the Eastern Palace grew frantic. She was none other than Mu Liuyue.
What had she done?
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