While the three women were busy asking Gao Wenxin about the bet, Yang Ling quietly took Young-niang's hand and went back to his room.
He was still wearing the same dusty clothes. He didn't have time to change into them before he returned to his bedroom. The old nanny left and the young couple squatted beside the crib. They held hands and looked sweetly at the little baby sleeping sweetly in between the railings.
At that time, they didn't have the habit of making a crib. This was what Yang Ling had learned from Young-niang before he left the capital. There were also small toys such as bells hanging on it. When the child was about to be born, these things were prepared and placed in the bedroom.
It had been more than two months. He was a big fat boy. The flesh on his face was tight and especially sturdy. His short, fat legs kicked away the quilt and the diaper that was wrapped around him.
Women were the source of trouble, and men were the root of trouble. The little baby revealed his pocket-sized penis, which would make people like Liu Jin jealous and envious. Young-niang was afraid that he would catch a cold, so she quickly covered him with the quilt. Yang Ling gently stopped her. He used his warm palm to gently touch the smooth and strong legs of the child and said softly, "When you have nothing to do, touch his body more often. The baby will feel very comfortable, and it will improve the relationship between mother and child."
Han Youniang looked at him with admiration and said, "Husband really knows a lot."
"Of course, I was also the president of the labor union for two months." Yang Ling secretly muttered in his heart.
The child was sleeping soundly with his head in his hands. Since she found that he was very obedient when he slept and didn't scratch his face, Young-niang let go of his hands and feet. She no longer tied him up when he slept. As a mother, she couldn't bear to do that. It seemed that the methods of the village's aunties and aunties were not suitable for every child.
The child woke up and opened a pair of clear eyes, but he didn't cry. His eyebrows and facial features were very beautiful, more like Young-niang's. His skin was also like his mother's, with a bit of a healthy tan. It was true that a son took after his mother.
Because Young-niang had been practicing martial arts since childhood, his body was strong, and with the careful care of the female doctor, Gao Wenxin, he was much stronger than a two-month-old child of the same age.
The baby's bright eyes didn't know what he was looking at. He didn't have a clear goal. His little eyebrows were slightly knitted, and some saliva bubbles came out of his mouth, but he was still trying hard to hold them together, as if he was thinking. Yang Ling couldn't help but praise, "Good, my son has the temperament of a philosopher."
As soon as Yang Ling finished praising him, the little guy moved. His feet kicked randomly, and he stepped on the railing. His feet were very strong, and his body turned sideways. His little penis shook, and a bubble of urine shot out from the railing, spraying Yang Ling's face.
Very good, very strong, not a drop was wasted, and the little bed didn't get wet. After the little guy finished peeing, he happily kicked his chubby little legs, squeaked twice, and lazily burped.
Han Youniang covered her mouth and giggled. She stood up and covered her son with the quilt. Yang Ling squatted on the ground, dumbfounded. After a while, he wiped his face and shouted, "Mr. Yang, you … you're too awesome. Is this a welcome dinner for your father?"
At this moment, there was a flurry of footsteps outside the door, and Han Wei's voice hurriedly said, "Brother-in-law, something big has happened in the capital."
Yang Ling was shocked and quickly stood up. He had been thinking about going home as soon as possible, hoping that nothing big had happened at home. Seeing that nothing had happened at home, he was relieved. He also thought that he should immediately go to the capital to see the Emperor. The Emperor had even given him the title of Duke Wei, so he couldn't pretend to be dead at home. However, there were a lot of things to do at home. In fact, he had only been home for less than two hours, so he didn't have time to deal with these things.
Now that he heard Han Wei's anxious tone, he didn't even bother to wipe his face. He hurriedly ran out and asked, "What happened?"
Han Wei said in a low voice, "I don't know who threw a nameless secret letter to impeach Liu Jin in the golden hall today. Because the person who submitted the letter couldn't be found, all the civil and military officials in the imperial court, other than the six ministries, nine ministers, and the ministers from the Inspectorate, were all arrested by Eunuch Liu. Right now, the Imperial Bodyguard is sending them to the prison of the Ministry of Punishments.
The commoners in the capital were in an uproar when they heard the news. The merchants went on strike, the students went on strike, and the people from Hanlin Academy and Imperial College incited the commoners to surround the Imperial Bodyguard who was escorting the civil and military officials, blocking the streets. The officials from the Ministry of Punishments just came to inform me and want me to return immediately. "
Yang Ling pondered for a moment and immediately said, "Let's go, we have to see the Emperor once we're back. I'll go with you."
The two of them hurriedly went to the front residence and called Wu Hanchao and a group of guards. They galloped straight for the capital.
'Who is this person who is messing with Liu Jin? Liu Jin has been in the limelight recently. He's just like the number one person in the capital who is second only to the emperor and above tens of thousands of people. The Clear Stream Faction has been utterly defeated by him and more than half of the Imperial Censorate's power has been seized by him. Yet there are still people who dare to write a letter to oppose him. Isn't this the same method I had Qian Ning get the materials to deal with Marquis Of Shouning and Zhang Heling? '
As Yang Ling galloped his horse, his thoughts flashed like lightning. He analyzed the situation in the capital according to the information he had. Suddenly, a thought jumped into his mind. 'Could it be that Yun' er found out about my death and sent people to do it? No … her news shouldn't be so fast. I left the mountains on the third day and didn't stop all the way back to the capital. How many days would it take for her to send the news of my death to her and for her to send people to the capital? '
As it turned out, that day, when Yang Ling passed by the foot of Cockscomb Cliff, he saw the scene of the vegetation beside the stream sloping down. He suddenly noticed that there were some broken marks on the slope. Although there weren't many, it was a bit conspicuous among the primitive vegetation that no one had touched all year round. Out of caution, Yang Ling ordered the army to stop advancing.
After ordering the guards to rest, Yang Ling took the opportunity to observe the surrounding situation.
In ancient times, Cockscomb Ridge might have been a large cave. Due to a strong earthquake or the movement of the earth's crust, more than half of it had collapsed, leaving only one side of the mountain wall and a continuous dome that looked like the eaves of a house. After thousands of years of weathering, the side of the mountain wall was no longer smooth like lava, but it was still steep and difficult to climb.
Taking advantage of the chaotic activity of the soldiers, Yang Ling went down the river to observe for a while. As Tuoba Yanran only needed a few explosive points to place explosives and use the shockwaves from the explosion to cause the top of the cliff to collapse, there weren't many stones that fell from the dome. The broken stones that fell were all swept into the water by Ba Wang's men. The stones that splashed directly into the grass were few to begin with, and with the mountain torrents after the rain, it was impossible to see any flaws.
Yang Ling raised his head to look at the dark top of the cliff. Not even the Spirit Ape could climb it. Besides, the top of the cliff was shaped like an upside-down plate, making it even more impossible for anyone to climb it. Could it be that the top of the cliff was broken when the passing merchants stopped to rest?
Yang Ling went to the bamboo forest opposite to relieve himself. Since he didn't find anything, his suspicions gradually disappeared. However, once a person becomes suspicious of something, they will remember many things that they usually ignore. Yang Ling thought of the time when he went to Fujian. If General He who ambushed him on the road was not one of his own, he would have died without a doubt. At that time, he didn't think that the Fujian officials would make a move on him.
He had offended even more people on this trip to Sichuan. It was all the remnants of the Barbarian Palm Sect and Zhu Rangjin's subordinates. These people all had an irreconcilable grudge against him. Could they have done something along the way?
He even thought of Tuoba Yanran. When she sent him off at the mountain pass, when she turned around gracefully, the bright mandarin duck handkerchief on her waist was revealed. From the letters between the two of them, she and Zhu Rangjin were deeply in love with each other. Even if she knew that the person she loved was a sinister and cunning person, and that there was no love in her heart, she wouldn't have found a new lover so quickly. Why did she have a mandarin duck handkerchief on her waist?
It was better to be safe than sorry. Various suspicions flashed through his mind. Yang Ling couldn't help but become cautious again. He thought of all kinds of possibilities for an ambush. Throwing stones? The top of the cliff was like the vault of heaven. Standing under the vault of heaven, standing on the cliff wouldn't hurt anyone. An ambush? Even though this road had been repaired by the government, the widest part could only allow two carriages to pass side by side. If seven rows of soldiers were to march forward, there would be a sudden rain of arrows in front of them. How many people could be hurt? Or could it be that they wanted to set up a blockage to drown the seven armies?
Thinking of this, Yang Ling couldn't help but laugh. The road was opened at the foot of the mountain. Beside it was a stream. The forest on the opposite side was even lower. If the flood was to rush downwards, the water would have already turned into the forest before it could reach here. Therefore, it was impossible.
Holding on to his last instinctive suspicion, Yang Ling sent a few bodyguards up the mountain to search to see if anyone had done anything. The general sent by Li Sen to lead the troops, Captain Lu, saw that the merchant caravans had passed by several times. Yet, His Excellency still did not give the order to depart. He personally came over to urge His Excellency. He cupped his hands and said, "Sir Imperial Envoy, the army should have rested enough. Should we depart now? If we are late, I'm afraid we won't be able to reach Jiankou Town by night. We can only spend the night in the mountains."
Yang Ling said, "Captain Lu, please wait for a moment. My bodyguards will go up the mountain to investigate. It won't be too late for us to leave after they have descended the mountain. Let everyone rest for a while."
Captain Lu was stunned, "Up the mountain?" He raised his head and looked at the mountain. He asked hesitantly, "This mountain peak is barren and there's nothing much. Why are we going up the mountain?"
Yang Ling pointed to the broken weeds by the roadside and explained to him. However, the grass and trees had been trampled by the soldiers and were completely shapeless. There was nothing unusual about them.
Hearing Yang Ling's doubts, Captain Lu could not help but laugh. He cupped his hands and said to Yang Ling, "Daren must have been fighting and solving cases recently. You have been too focused and that's why you are so suspicious. This thousand-year-old cliff will occasionally have fragments falling down. It's not unusual for them to break the flowers and grass. Moreover, there are merchants who stop to draw water to wash their faces. So it's not unusual for them to break the flowers and grass.
Look at this cliff. It's not a problem to climb up from the side. But the top of this cliff is like the eaves of a house. We will be covering the bottom. So what if there are bad people standing on top? Why not... protecting Daren is my responsibility. Before we left, Daren Li Sen has instructed me repeatedly to ensure Daren's safety at all costs.
Since Daren has doubts... how about this. In a while, Daren Li Sen will lead your bodyguards through the bamboo forest. This lowly official will lead the guards of honor and take the main road. We will meet up after we pass the dangerous Cockscomb Ridge. Firstly, the sun is slightly slanted and is shining on this road. Daren Li can walk in the bamboo forest. Not only can you enjoy the scenery, but you can also enjoy the scenery. We are only separated by a small stream. If there's really someone lying in ambush here, we can still help each other. After we pass this dangerous road, we will meet up again. "
Listening to his words, Yang Ling felt slightly embarrassed. Captain Lu was a local general and should be more familiar with the situation. He was about to reject Captain Lu's good intentions when Liu Da Bang Chui licked his thick lips and said, "Marshal, I think Captain Lu is right. It's cooler to walk in the bamboo forest. Look at our soldiers, they are all from the capital. They can't walk as well as the Sichuan soldiers. They are all sweating profusely. When we enter the forest, we don't bask in the sun. When we turn around this cliff, won't the mountain ahead turn? The sun won't be able to directly bask in the sun. "
Yang Ling had always been easygoing and close to his subordinates. Otherwise, Liu Da Bang Chui would not dare to raise conditions and complain to the Marshal. As soon as he said this, Yang Ling went with the flow and agreed. Because if he did not go, his bodyguards would not leave him even half a step, no matter how tired or hot they were.
When Wu Hanchao led his men down the mountain, there was no sign of any abnormalities. Everyone was more at ease. Yang Ling's doubts were also mostly gone. He thought he was being overly suspicious. But since he had already promised Captain Lu and Liu Da Bang Chui, it would be too much to change his mind now. So, he followed Captain Lu's suggestion and split up.
When Captain Lu ordered the troops to assemble, the soldiers all ran out in confusion. Yang Ling and his three hundred bodyguards did not come out of the forest. Moreover, for the sake of safety, Captain Lu gave him two hundred men. They were divided into three teams, each to guard the front, back, and the side of the forest respectively, just in case.
The two teams advanced in sync, separated by a small stream and bamboo forest. Seeing that the front team was about to leave the Cockscomb Cliff, Yang Ling also felt that his strange thoughts just now were indeed too cautious. If he were to dawdle on the same spot, the two thousand men would not have much rations and would have to starve in the mountains.
At this time, there were a few muffled explosions, followed by a loud rumble. The entire mountain collapsed. Rocks of all sizes came crashing down. Some of the larger rocks smashed into the ground with a 'peng peng' sound. Like a wild boar charging into the forest, the branches and bamboos broke one after another. The forest was filled with debris. Wu Hanchao and the others pulled Yang Ling and hurriedly retreated another hundred feet into the depths of the forest.
At this time, the earth and sky were covered with dust. By the time the pungent smell had dissipated, Yang Ling and his bodyguards had all turned into terracotta soldiers. They stood in the forest in a daze, staring in shock at what was originally a precipitous cliff, unable to make a sound.
In the blink of an eye, the towering cliff had turned into a short mountain. Where the road had originally been, it had become a part of the short mountain. Amidst the flying dust, the two thousand soldiers had disappeared. Not only that, but the entire road and river had disappeared.
Yang Ling's hands were trembling. Explosives, it must be explosives. In this era, someone actually thought of using explosives that were strictly controlled by the imperial court to blow up a mountain! Who was this person?
Wu Hanchao had already checked the top of the mountain. If there were explosives, they must be on the inside of the cliff. Moreover, there must be a lot of explosives. The inside of the cliff was smooth and slippery, incomparably steep. It was impossible to imagine how to climb up. How much manpower, material resources and time would be needed? Moreover, how could they not be noticed by the passing merchants? How could they dig out so many explosive points and place enough explosives to blow up the entire mountain?
Two thousand people, who could be so ruthless? If not for the fact that Big Stick wanted to rely on the favoured path and wanted to take the easy road, and that he himself had been persuaded by Captain Lu to change his mind, these five hundred people would have all been buried alive. Not a single survivor would have been left at the scene.
Under such a natural barrier, with the help of manpower, who could withstand such earth-shattering power?
Yang Ling's eyes were red. He was about to rush out to see what was going on when the scouts in front of him ran back, saying that they had seen a large number of men dressed in the clothes of the local people. Their hands were holding steel blades, and they were rushing towards them along the mountain path and the small stream.
Wu Hanchao asked in shock, "How many men and horses are there?"
The scout shook his head and replied, "I can't tell, but the number of men and horses is definitely greater than ours."
At this moment, the scouts who had brought up the rear came back with the same information. When Wu Hanchao received this information, he did not dare to stay in the same place to investigate. Ignoring the frantic struggle of Yang Ling, Wu Hanchao and Big Stick picked him up and left. The two hundred men hurriedly retreated into the depths of the dense forest.
From the looks of it, the enemy had clearly come prepared. If they were to search the mountain and the enemy sent scouts back to the top of the mountain to spy on them, then it would be difficult for the troops hiding in the bamboo forest to hide their tracks. They would be seen by the people at the top of the cliff. There were countless soldiers lying in ambush on both sides, and the current situation was unclear. The best course of action was to leave and plan for the future. Only by staying alive would there be a chance.
Wu Hanchao and his men did not know north from south. Whenever they encountered swamps, puddles, and wisterias in the primitive forest, they would take a detour. As expected, the scouts that Ba Wang sent out to search for survivors did not find any traces of them. In the end, even they themselves could not find where they were because they were lost.
At this moment, the sky was already dark. They could only think of a way to get out at dawn. The soldiers had caught some wild beasts and started a fire in the forest to fill their stomachs. The mountain was high and the forest was dense. The trees were so tall that it was difficult for sunlight to penetrate through. Even if they were to start a fire at night, they would not be seen by people hundreds of feet away.
These people rolled and crawled, turning into muddy ghosts. Yang Ling was feeling sad and could not eat any of it. He knew that if he was in charge of everything, he would only be able to let the army live for a few more hours. Even if they had brought ropes with them, they would not know how to climb up the cliff. Furthermore, they did not know how long it would take. Who would be so ridiculous as to let the army turn back after seeing a broken path by the side of the road?
But, if I had been a little more careful, a little more suspicious, I could have at least split the troops into a few groups, and sent them over in groups. In the end, I was still too careless. Captain Lu's words had dispelled his suspicions. If not for the big club … Yang Ling shuddered. He looked around him. The soldiers were desolate, as if they were lonely souls.
At night, Yang Ling could not sleep. No matter how he thought about it, Tuoba Yanran's figure kept appearing in front of his eyes. The beautiful figure that suddenly waited under the maple tree at the foot of the mountain, the mandarin ducks that swayed in the wind, the charming eyes when they drank wine …
Tuoba Yanran was suspicious. To get so much gunpowder and mobilize so many people, she definitely had the ability to do this. But … why would she do this? She was only Zhu Rangjin's confidante, and reality had proven that Zhu Rangjin was hiding many things from her. With her personality, it would be good if she did not fling her sleeves and leave. Why would she take such a great risk to kill an imperial envoy?
For love? Would she be so stupid to still be deeply in love with Zhu Rangjin?
Speaking of which, there were three other powers that had more reason to kill him than she did. They also had enough manpower and money. First, they were all remnants of the Zhang Barbarians. It was hard to guarantee that one or two small villages would not be left behind in the deep mountains and forests. In addition, there were the scattered barbarians that had escaped. If they gathered together, with their habit of 'living on the cliff', they could do it in terms of technology and manpower. Only gunpowder was difficult.
For revenge for the annihilation of his tribe, this reason was enough.
Second, the remnants of Zhu Rangjin's troops that had fled after hearing the news. If they had the guts to seek revenge on him, the problem of gunpowder would not be difficult to solve. Yang Ling thought of the gunpowder that Zhu Rangjin had swindled from the Imperial Guards. That bit of gunpowder was not enough to equip the army and not enough to blow up a mountain. Clearly, he was making his own gunpowder.
Jianghu people did not care about loyalty, but there were still men who were loyal to their masters. With Zhu Rangjin's talent, it was impossible for him to befriend only mediocre people.
The third power … Thinking of this, Yang Ling felt a chill in his heart. After the incident with Zhu Rangjin, he was no longer so confident in the character of others that he had seen. Only he and Zhu Rangxu had heard about Zhu Rangjin's rebellion before he died. Although he had instructed Zhu Rangxu not to mention it in his memorials and made him cry tears of gratitude, who knew if he would not become more afraid the more he thought about it?
With this weakness in his hands, he, the King of Shu, was grasped by the neck and could be strangled at will. If this new King of Shu was not willing to be controlled by others, would he … No matter what others did for him, there were too many things he could do for himself.
Thinking of this, there was a murderous intent at every step. Looking around Bashu, there was no one he could trust anymore.
Because of my carelessness, I lost the lives of 2,000 people. I will never, ever be careless a second time!
On the second day, there was another storm. The heavy rain made it difficult for Zhu Rangxu and the others to rescue the people. In the forest, Yang Ling and the others also encountered difficulties. The flash floods made it even more difficult for them to find their way back. It was not until the morning of the third day that they unexpectedly found a small stockade deep in the mountains.
After spending a large sum of money to hire a hunter as a guide, they left the mountains and headed straight for the land of the Three Qins. Yang Ling was no longer a rookie in the officialdom. He knew that if there was a force that wanted to kill him, there would be a second time if they failed this time. Right now, he did not have the time to find the culprit, nor could he find any trustworthy helpers. The only thing he could do was to leave this dangerous place as soon as possible.
Since the culprit was willing to use such a large force and put in so much effort, he must be determined to get what he wanted. If they knew that he was still alive, there would be all kinds of assassination attempts. Therefore, the only thing he could do was to leave quickly and leave the enemy behind forever. Then, no matter how dangerous or powerful he was, it would all be useless.
When he was free and found the enemy, he could then turn from defense to offense.
Moreover, he had two reasons why he had to leave: his family and Cheng Qiyun!
It took him three days to leave the mountainous area. A pile of muddy monkeys found their way to a small county and obtained dozens of inferior horses. Some of the guards even rode on donkeys and mules and rushed to the big city in a sorry state. The rest of the guards had no choice but to travel slowly. When they arrived at the place, they continued on their way and exchanged for good horses. Yang Ling sent a group of people to contact the local foreigners. At the same time, there were a few people who personally rushed to Zhejiang to report the news, in case Cheng Qiyun went on a rampage.
On the other hand, he himself rushed to the capital without stopping. A courier station? Could a courier station be faster than the Great Wan colts that he obtained from the local tycoons? He informed the local courier station, but the courier who reported the good news did not have a personal attendant of the King of Shu who used gold and silver as a whip. Therefore, he would not be able to travel as fast as him.
Yang Ling was only worried that the news of his death would reach the capital before he did and that Young-niang would do something stupid. How could he continue to travel slowly? When he entered a safe place, he also slept in his clothes and leaned on his horse to sleep. This was the first time in his life that he was in such a hurry. Unexpectedly, when he rushed to the door of his house, he did not see a corpse, but a bridal sedan chair.
Thinking of this, Yang Ling felt warmth in his heart …
Judging from the time before and after, Cheng Qiyun's movements could not be faster than his. Even if Cheng Qiyun had other spies, she should have received the news of his death a day or two later than the time in the capital. She should not have had time to do anything. By the time she opened the brocade pouch and prepared to take action, the news of his resurrection should have reached her.
The secret letter in the brocade pouch was actually his arrangements for his funeral, for his family, for the court. In the past, he could not find a suitable executor for these matters. Ever since he started to have absolute trust in Cheng Qiyun, he had begun to plan and had already begun to make arrangements.
He had made some changes to his family arrangements in his latest plan. The Emperor's constant trust and favor and the existence of his adopted sister Tang Yixian could at least ensure that the already harmless Weiwu Manor would not be invaded. What he was worried about was his plan to change the fate of China and the powerful tool he had used to carry out this plan: the internal factory!
No one knew better than him how powerful the internal factory was now. It was a secret service organization that was above the law. Even Dongchang, the West Factory, and the Imperial Bodyguard had been reduced to its periphery. At the same time, it had a huge source of funds that did not need to go through the Ministry of Revenue and the palace treasury. In the process of doing business and transportation, not only did its intelligence network spread all over the world, but through the sharing of benefits, it attracted a large number of elites from all walks of life to be on the same side.
The huge power of this force was now completely dependent on his control. The direction it went was completely dependent on the personal will and character of its highest leader. If he was not here, who would control it? What direction would it go?
Such a huge power without restrictions and supervision was already a very dangerous matter. Yang Ling needed absolute authority now and had no choice but to acquiesce to this situation. Only by doing this could he avoid internal friction and quickly build up a huge sphere of power to serve his policies.
Yang Ling's battle of wits and strength with the officials and various factions in the court was just a concentrated manifestation of the various factions in the center of power. Even if he defeated them, it did not represent the final victory. Whether or not the policy could be carried out depended on the current inefficient bureaucratic system and the sluggish speed of information flow. It completely depended on the degree of obedience of the local officials. What guaranteed that everything would unswervingly proceed according to his will was the new interest group represented by the internal factory.
The internal factory was no longer a simple secret service organization that monitored the actions of the officials. If he was not here and this sharp blade fell into the hands of the opponent, not only would it destroy the reform he had worked so hard to push forward, it would also make the opponent's power uncontrollable.
Thus, in his letter, Yang Ling tirelessly and repeatedly exhorted Cheng Qiyun's requirements and methods for taking over this huge power. Wu Jie was an old man who held on to his achievements. He did not have the courage to take on this heavy responsibility, so he could only hand it over to Cheng Qiyun. Yu Yong, the God of Wealth of the internal factory, was actually the leader of an active force in the economic lifeline of Ming Destiny's world. He was constantly on the move and rarely showed his face in the internal factory. Were there really so many business deals that required a second-grade chief like him, who had so many business geniuses under his command, to personally discuss them?
The elites that the internal factory had trained according to the training methods of special forces had been sent out in batches to the capital. Now, even Yang Yiqing, who shared the same name as the Commander of Datong Garrison, had gradually disappeared. Where had all these people gone?
Why had Peng Jizu, Lian Delu, and the other hot-blooded men who were loyal to him been transferred out of the internal factory and promoted to new people? Cheng Qiyun was developing the internal factory to the south of the Yangtze River by herself, but she was using the name of developing the sea trade, and she was becoming more and more detached from the internal factory. In addition to the political forces that he had on the surface, he had already begun to secretly build another political force that no one knew about. These things had gradually begun to develop in the year or so that he was nearing the end of his life.
Yang Ling was consciously weakening and hollowing out the internal factory, gradually turning it into an empty shell. The various powers all had their own affiliations and worked under the shell of the internal factory. But once he was gone, the highest leader of these powers could quickly cut off all ties with the internal factory.
A certain eunuch who happily rushed to take over the internal factory would find that the internal factory he took over was even more pitiful than Miao Kui's West Factory, which had been bullied. There would be nothing left, and he might even have to pay off the large sums of money that the internal factory owed to the nobles, dukes, ministers, and members of the imperial family.
Yang Ling did not want to be an ambitious and ruthless person. Once his actions were discovered, it could almost be seen as treason and heresy. But he had to ensure that his efforts would not be wasted because of someone else. At the very least, he had to preserve a spark of hope, so that he could have a clear conscience.
The most important function of that letter was equivalent to a secret edict. If a person's life and death were determined by fate, what he cared about was not how Cheng Qiyun would stir up a storm of blood to avenge him, but to think of ways to ensure that the great plan of benefiting the people and extending the glory of the country to future generations could be carried on.
At the same time, he also knew Cheng Qiyun's personality well. If she knew that she had been harmed, just based on the power she currently possessed, her intelligence, scheming, and vicious nature, it would be enough to cause unimaginable harm. Her vengeance would probably not only be inhumane, but many innocent people would also become the targets of her anger.
Yang Ling had given her such a great authority and sense of legacy to be responsible for, which was to put a burden on her shoulders. It would also give her scruples. Whether she would take revenge at all costs for the sake of a quick death, or whether she would endure for the sake of her beloved's great plan and take care of the overall situation, it all depended on Cheng Qiyun's decision.
Thus, the first step of Yang Ling's plan with the silk pouch was to move the soul, move the soul of the Inner Factory, and request that Cheng Qiyun quickly take over and control it. And the second step of his plan was …
If Cheng Qiyun was carrying out the second step of the plan, then she would not use such gentle methods, and she would not only deal with Liu Jin. Thinking of this, Yang Ling finally relaxed.
The city gate was in sight. Although his limbs were sore from rushing all the way to the capital, he still braced himself and straightened his waist that was about to break. The city of Beijing was in chaos, and the people of the capital clamored to stop the market. As the officials were being sent to the prison of the Ministry of Punishments, the people sent them food and tea, treating them as heroes who had resisted Liu Jin.
Meanwhile, the scholars from Hanlin Academy and Imperial College blocked the road, swearing not to let them pass. There was a small stall by the side of the road, and the stall owner was a family that had escaped to the capital when Datong had been attacked by the Tartars. Thanks to Yang Ling's gruel and clothes, they had managed to survive.
When he heard that his benefactor had died, the old man knew how to be grateful and asked someone to write 'Buddha is born in all homes, his voice and face are forever'. The paper banners rattled, and when these officials who had been bullied saw the diao word and the few big words' Benefactor's Mighty Marquis Yang Ling 'in the center, they suddenly thought of how they had been going against Yang Ling all day, scolding him for his wild ambitions. When they scolded him, they scolded him, and when they sued him, they sued him. When had Yang Ling ever bullied people like this?
When they heard that he had died, they had even celebrated and congratulated one another, but how could they have forgotten that Liu Jin was willing to stay in the palace. It wasn't because he was afraid of them, but because he had Yang Ling to counter him. Now that Yang Ling was dead, Liu Jin's sharp claws had also stretched out, and even the three scholars were as silent as cicadas in winter, so who else in the world could restrain him?
"Heavens! Open your eyes! " Scholar Qiao of the Hanlin Academy cried out in sorrow as he was whipped on the shoulder by an Imperial Bodyguard. The Imperial Bodyguard scolded, "Old man, what are you shouting for?"
Scholar Qiao said angrily, "You dare to hit me?"
"Why wouldn't Father dare?"
The Imperial College students on the other side roared and wanted to rush over to save him, but they were blocked by the Imperial Bodyguard and the Yamachi soldiers from the Ministry of Punishments. The Imperial Bodyguard waved his whip and lashed it at Scholar Qiao. At this moment, a young man squeezed his way through the crowd. With a wave of his hand, two of the Embroidered Uniform Guards fell to the ground. Another young man, accompanied by two burly men, rushed over and snatched the whip from the man's hand.
The Imperial Bodyguard was furious, "Damn it, how dare you stop us from handling the case. Are you tired of living?"
The man stood under the vertical banner and smiled, but did not say anything. Someone beside him shouted loudly, "How dare you! The Admiral of the Inner Sanctum, the Mighty Marquis, Mr. Yang is here. Who dares to be presumptuous?"
The bustling and noisy crossroad street came to a standstill after this loud shout. Old Master Qiao rubbed his presbyopia and moved closer. Under the vertical banner, he saw a smiling face. Wasn't it exactly the appearance of the Duke of Wei, Wen Cheng, Wu De, and Wei?
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