The capital, as expected, was under lockdown again.
This time, the lockdown was even more stringent than the last.
Last time, no major incident had occurred; they simply couldn't identify the people who had made lavish purchases, suspected them of being undocumented, and that they had entered and exited the capital through covert channels. This time, however, someone had not only stormed the execution ground in broad daylight but had also broken into the imperial prison, a clear act of defiance against royal authority and a crime punishable by death.
Emperor Minghui, whose temper had somewhat softened, was, without a doubt, furious once more.
He felt these people were slapping him in the face, doing so in front of all the citizens of the capital. If he couldn't apprehend or eliminate them, he would lose face completely.
Therefore, this time, instead of merely summoning officials like the Dali Temple Minister to handle the matter, he convened an emergency grand court session.
As all the ministers arrived,
The execution supervisor from before, and the person in charge of the imperial prison were immediately called forth. They were instructed to describe in detail what had happened in front of all the officials.
Although the ministers had a general understanding of the situation upon their arrival—knowing that someone had stormed the execution ground and the prison—they were unaware of the specific details.
Thus, they listened attentively.
However, the more they listened, the more their brows furrowed. They found it increasingly unbelievable, and some even began to cast suspicious glances at the execution supervisor and others, wondering if they had suffered some sort of mental shock.
How could they spout such preposterous lies?
Even if they wanted to shirk responsibility, there was no need to fabricate such stories. Were they treating them and the Emperor like fools?
About ten minutes later, the officials responsible for overseeing the execution and guarding the prison finished recounting what they had witnessed. They then respectfully withdrew.
"I know you all find what you've heard hard to believe.
But I can vouch for them; everything they said is true. It's not just that they saw a group of black-clad figures appear out of nowhere, but also oval-shaped objects capable of flight appeared out of nowhere.
And they used these objects to transport those black-clad figures and the prisoners away.
Many of the spectators at the time, as well as the guards maintaining order, the prison guards, and even some of the Imperial City Guard personnel I dispatched, all witnessed this.
Some people nearby also saw it.
At the very least, they saw objects flying in the sky.
Ministers Zhu and Li, I truly never expected that your bold speculations, suspecting that those who spent vast sums of money across the country to purchase goods could fly and burrow underground, would actually be correct.
If I am not mistaken, those individuals whose tracks, origins, and destinations have remained unknown until now are the ones responsible for this storming of the execution ground and the prison. This suggests that their previous actions were likely more than just simple purchasing of goods.
You should all be aware of the specifics by now. Moving forward, I want you all to speak freely, share your conjectures, and discuss how to capture these audacious individuals.
And what exactly are those flying objects?
Does anyone know?
Ah, yes. I have already sent for an artist to sketch the flying object based on the eyewitness accounts. You can all take a look. Whoever recognizes it and can explain it, I will reward you."
When Emperor Minghui first received the news, he was undoubtedly extremely angry. However, as he gradually learned the specifics of the situation, his anger was mingled with a great deal of curiosity and even anticipation.
He began to wonder how those people achieved invisibility.
He wondered what those flying objects truly were.
And he was eager to know if these individuals were indeed celestial beings. If so, did they possess any methods for eternal life or any elixirs of immortality?
However, Emperor Minghui's words contained a considerable amount of information. For the ministers who were privy to the earlier events, it was somewhat easier to process and understand the situation after a moment's thought. But for those who were not privy to the earlier events, their minds were still in a fog.
They understood vaguely, but not completely.
Some simply decided not to dwell on it. It was not their concern, as they did not hold high positions and had little influence in court, so they chose to feign ignorance and listen.
They figured Emperor Minghui would not question them directly.
Following this, an artist presented the sketches for them to examine, and some ministers began to discuss among themselves.
"This thing looks like a metal hunk. How can it fly? In ancient times, I've only seen Kongming lanterns fly, but those things are so light. And this object can carry people inside, many people at that.
It's too strange.
Could it be some kind of immortal artifact...?"
"What immortal would be so bored?"
"Is it possible that some hidden force obtained an immortal relic or something and learned to use immortal artifacts to cause trouble? That seems plausible, doesn't it?"
"It's possible, but where would they find an immortal relic? Besides, if a hidden force obtained an immortal relic, why wouldn't they cause major trouble? They just came out, bought some things, and then rescued the Crown Prince's subordinate.
What was the purpose?"
"Could it be the Crown Prince's own faction? Even if the Crown Prince is dead, he still has connections and favors. So they wanted to protect his subordinates, but since they lack influence in court, they had to do it this way?"
"How could that be? If the Crown Prince had this kind of power, to put it bluntly, how could he have failed before? With such mysterious movements, who could have stopped the assassination!"
"Old Li, do you think there's any connection between these people buying so many things earlier and this prison break? Perhaps they knew they wouldn't be able to buy things after the prison break, so they bought them in advance for their use?"
"How would I know? One thing after another, it's exhausting. The most important thing is that their actions are completely baffling. We have no idea what they're trying to achieve!"
"Who says not?
In normal circumstances, there should be a cause and effect for every event. They wouldn't do things for no reason. When they were buying things earlier, the money appeared out of nowhere, and the items they bought disappeared just as mysteriously. We never saw where they came from or where they went. Doesn't that strike anyone as strange?
And now, rescuing people. We all know very well the connections of those Crown Prince subordinates. Who could possibly know such a capable force to rescue them?
It's truly impossible to figure out..."
"Should we investigate the family histories of those Crown Prince subordinates who were rescued over the past few hundred years? For example, were there any legends of encounters with immortals in the past?
I've read many storybooks that often write about how someone saved an immortal, or formed a karmic connection with an immortal. The immortal left behind something and told them that if they encountered a disaster in the future, they could contact him for help.
Could it be a situation like that?"
"You're being too outlandish. Do you believe those storybooks written by those impoverished scholars? And why do you even read such storybooks? Spreading this guess is too absurd."
"With invisibility and flying objects appearing, what's so outrageous about being a bit more outlandish? I think we shouldn't try to guess in a logical direction right now. We should think in outlandish directions. Perhaps the more outlandish the guess, the closer it will be to the truth."
...
Since Emperor Minghui knew that this matter would not be resolved quickly, nor would a solution be easily found, he was not in a hurry. While the ministers below were discussing, he simply closed his eyes and rested. It was only after an hour, and after waking from a short nap, that he spoke and asked:
"Alright, quiet down, everyone.
After such a long time, you must have some conjectures or ideas to share. Speak now."
"Hmm, Minister Li, you go first.
Your conjecture was bold, but quite accurate. Tell us, what do you think the situation is?"
After this, the ministers began to express themselves.
Each of them offered wondrous ideas, ranging from ghosts to deities, from hidden forces to remnants of the Crown Prince's faction.
Some even suspected foreign spies.
However, while they had conjectures, finding these individuals and capturing them completely stalled. Faced with beings capable of invisibility and flight,
Everyone truly felt powerless.
It was utterly impossible to devise a method of capture.
Let alone capture them...
If the other party didn't reveal themselves, they couldn't even find them.
In the end, it was Sima Pu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, always known as a stern official of this court, who spoke up with a proposal:
"Your Majesty, I have a method that may be somewhat inappropriate, but I privately suspect its feasibility is extremely high.
Does Your Majesty care to hear it?"
"If you have an idea, speak it!" Emperor Minghui felt somewhat weary by this point and harbored little hope.
He simply replied casually.
"Yes, Your Majesty!
Your Majesty, I privately believe that the force we are discussing is likely a compassionate or, rather, a soft-hearted force with excessive leniency, because from the beginning until now, they have not actively harmed a single life.
The purchasing was a normal transaction.
There wasn't even any haggling.
During the storming of the execution ground and the prison, although the situation was undoubtedly dangerous, they merely knocked the prison guards and soldiers unconscious, without harming their lives. The two who died were accidentally trampled to death in the chaos at the time.
This shows that there is no problem in calling them excessively lenient. Therefore, perhaps we can use this trait to force them to reveal themselves. With our thorough preparations this time, we might have a slim chance of apprehending them."
"As for the specifics, since this force rescued all of the Crown Prince's subordinates and their families, it is likely that they are either related to all of the Crown Prince's subordinates, or related to one of them, and rescuing everyone was merely a ruse.
Although we cannot currently determine if the force is related to only one family, and which one it is, we can arrest the three generations, or even nine generations, of relatives of those Crown Prince subordinates.
Then, we can proceed with an execution at the Meridian Gate, or something similar.
This, I believe, would have a very high probability of luring that force out."
"The justification is also readily available. Your Majesty was merciful earlier and did not even exterminate entire clans, only arresting the direct lineages of those Crown Prince subordinates. Now that they have escaped, it can be considered a heinous crime, equivalent to treason and rebellion. Exterminating three or nine generations of their families would be a natural consequence."
It must be said that those who specialized in interrogation had a far superior grasp of human nature compared to other officials, and their understanding and prediction of human hearts far surpassed others. Many of his judgments were quite accurate, and this poisonous scheme he proposed now had a very high probability of success.
As long as Ding Yun knew.
The possibility of her letting it go was very low.
After all, she truly couldn't bear to see innocent people suffer and die because of her, even if it meant regretting it later, she would definitely find a way to rescue them.
She might even overturn the table directly.
After hearing Sima Pu's words, the ministers present and Emperor Minghui fell silent. Some were considering the feasibility of such an action, while others were contemplating whether it would be inappropriate. Still others were diligently calculating whether they themselves were within the nine generations of those Crown Prince subordinates.
If they weren't, they would support it.
If they were, would they support their own demise?
That would be foolish, wouldn't it?
Following this, there was undoubtedly another heated debate.
Some felt that doing so was inappropriate, others felt it was acceptable, and some suggested merely putting on a show, that there was no need to kill everyone. If the other party intervened to rescue them before the executions even began, wouldn't the objective be achieved?
Thus, after arguing for over an hour, a compromise was reached: the extermination of three generations of relatives.
And as soon as the matter was decided,
Emperor Minghui immediately issued an imperial decree to arrest them.
At the same time, he began to mobilize the capital's guard forces, dispatching strong soldiers and generals. He even mobilized numerous weapons such as Zhuge Repeating Crossbows and Thunderclap Firecrackers, preparing to ambush and eliminate Ding Yun.
Possibly fearing that Ding Yun and her group might not be aware of what was happening in the capital, Emperor Minghui specially sent people to spread the relevant news everywhere, specifically reporting that the Emperor was furious after the Crown Prince's subordinates were rescued and demanded the extermination of their three generations of relatives. Now all three generations were being apprehended.
They were merely awaiting execution in a couple of days.
In addition to this, he also strictly prohibited any discussion of the events that occurred at the Meridian Gate today, and forbade the common people from privately claiming that celestial beings had descended to rescue those individuals.
The entire capital seemed to enter a state of emergency.
Many shopkeepers were so frightened that they closed their businesses, waiting to see how the situation unfolded in the next few days.
In short, the overall atmosphere immediately became tense.
Although Ding Yun was not constantly monitoring the situation in the capital, she had stationed several "fly robots" there to ascertain Emperor Minghui's reaction and had instructed them to notify her every few hours. Therefore, not long after Emperor Minghui took these actions, she became aware of them.
However, because Emperor Minghui feared that if he executed them immediately, the hidden force might not have enough time to react and rescue them, he specially postponed the execution to three days later. Thus, Ding Yun, upon receiving the news from the fly robots, was not in a hurry. She still had her normal dinner and went to sleep.
She planned to discuss the matter with others tomorrow.
At that time, they would decide whether to continue with the rescue or make other arrangements.