Chapter 1253 The Web of Intrigue (Part 1)

It was midnight, the dawn of the fourth day of the sixth month.

Only a slender crescent moon hung in the sky, its starlight faint as it quietly illuminated the sleeping city, concealing people's secrets within the dim light.

In Huaiyun Ward, Ning Ji returned to his courtyard. Qu Longjun lit the lamps and brought hot water for him to wash his feet. In the dim lamplight of the bedroom, he softly recounted the events of the previous night and the problems he would face in the morning. The two of them carefully deduced many things.

Not far from Houguan County, dark figures occasionally appeared on the rooftops of a courtyard, observing the surrounding movements. In the latter half of the night, people silently entered the courtyard through the back door.

This was the nerve center of Chen Shuangran and her group's operations. After successfully framing Yue Yun in the evening, many orders were issued from here that night.

A momentous event was brewing.

But the night curfew temporarily interrupted the progress of things. From midnight onwards, the lights in the courtyard were extinguished, making the place appear unremarkable in the darkness.

Apart from the occasional watchers on the rooftops, everyone seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep.

At some point, a crack appeared in the window of the second-floor bedroom.

Wrapped in a silk robe, Chen Shuangran sat on a stool by the window, looking out at the darkness, where everything was vague and indistinct.

Holding a teacup in her hand, she gently rotated it, as if it were some kind of living creature she held captive.

Unable to sleep, she savored the moments of accomplishment she had experienced in recent days.

She imagined the teacup in her hand as Yue Yun.

This once arrogant young official, who had made the city's underworld figures miserable, was now easily controlled by her. As long as she continued to move forward, she could easily crush him. She could imagine how the people in the city would discuss her and how they would view her.

A group of mediocre people who always found it difficult to succeed within the rules, but as long as they could break free from the rules, many things would become very simple. As a woman who grew up on the ships of bandits, she had always had a different perspective on things than ordinary people. Many people couldn't understand her, and only now, after the destruction of her father's generation, had she demonstrated extraordinary power.

Often scolded by her father, she had once felt distressed and inferior about her ideas, but now she could finally conclude that she was the true chosen one, the woman most capable of controlling and confronting the storm—especially as a woman, she felt particularly satisfied.

She was also fantasizing about her enemies in the dark.

The young emperor who was her opponent was not worth mentioning, he was just a mediocre talent who could only act with the assistance of a group of ministers. Behind him, the Confucian scholar Li Pin, Princess Zhou Pei, the poisonous strategist Cheng Zhouhai, the steady Wenren Bu'er, the old constable Tie Tianying, and the generals Yue Fei and Han Shizhong, as well as the Zuo family who had returned from the southwest, were all powerful chess players. To defeat them, to gradually make them feel her power, was the core of her fantasy.

They had all seen her methods.

Of the two generals, Han Shizhong was unpredictable, and his military discipline was not as strict as the Beiwei Army, which made him more difficult to deal with than the pedantic general Yue Fei, so he was left for later. As for Yue Fei, from Zhong Ergui in April to the subsequent framing, and now Yue Yun, he must be truly overwhelmed. He should have deeply remembered her as an opponent.

As for the others, the confrontations over these days, and the various things that were about to happen, would only make them remember her more deeply, until the moment of truth, they would be surprised to find that these things were all smoke and mirrors...

She held the teacup in her hand, imagining the excitement of that moment, her eyes looking out through the open window, and inadvertently, the murderous eyes she had seen in the Silver Bridge Fish Market flashed through her mind.

At this moment in Fuzhou City, there were not many people or things that she cared about.

That was just an assassin - a slightly more skilled thug.

As a person who stirred up the storm and was at odds with the upper echelons of the entire Fuzhou government, she told herself that she didn't need to care about people of this status.

But the gaffe that night made her feel a little humiliated.

In front of Jin, she was almost frightened to the ground by an eye contact that was made from a distance of dozens of feet. In the future, people would say that she was weak.

It was also strange, she had been on the ship since she was a child, and had seen countless cruel things, and she no longer cared about killing and abuse, but she didn't know why she was afraid of a young man's gaze.

In her heart, she actually had a vague idea.

But that was an even more shameful thought, she didn't want to think about it, and she would never admit it.

She would drag the other party into a certain situation, and then hold him in her hand like Yue Yun, and this occasional little demon would be resolved.

So she looked at the darkness and imagined the young man's eyes for a while.

The quiet courtyard, felt from the inside, was not completely peaceful.

Someone came in and whispered some reports outside. After a while, Chen Shuangran opened her mouth: "Uncle Yan."

The steward Chen Yan came in from outside.

"Miss hasn't slept yet? Do you want to light the lamp?"

"No, I just wanted to ask, what happened."

"It's Nian and the others." Chen Yan said, "The message came, asking the girl to go and talk to them as soon as possible when she has time."

"A few days ago...didn't they say they were dissatisfied with me, blaming me for acting too fast...and saying they wanted to support Pu Xingui..."

"Hey, they must have seen the girl's methods and understood the girl's painstaking efforts. Liao Bin said that they have all expressed their opinions and will fully support the girl's side next..." Chen Yan said these things, and he was also honored. After a slight pause, he said proudly, "...Actually, people have been spreading the word in the evening that the girl's methods are so clever that it is not impossible to call her a 'little demon'."

"Little demon." Chen Shuangran smiled, with a hook on the corner of her mouth, "...Why should I borrow someone else's name to gild myself?"

"Yes...but people are in the pugilistic world, and the names are given by others. Although the word 'little' is not grand enough, the girl is young after all, and it's not shameful to compare herself to that one."

"That one in the Southwest is powerful."

"Yes."

"Uncle Yan, you go out, I'll go to bed early." Chen Shuangran said, "Tomorrow...it's not easy."

"...Yes."

Chen Yan came out of the room and closed the door.

In the dark, Chen Shuangran was still sitting there for a long time in front of the window, holding the teacup in her hand, chewing on... the imagination of the situation.

……

The wind and clouds swept through the night, and on the other side of the city, in the Ministry of Justice's prison.

In the dimness, feeling the rats crawling through the damp corners, listening carefully to the heartbeat of the spiders.

"Creak" sounded, it was the sound of the door opening in the distance, and then footsteps spread, and a figure opened the prison door. Opening the lock and taking the shackles.

Yue Yun sat on the ground, looking at the sister dressed as a yamen servant in front of him.

"Change clothes."

"What are you doing?"

"Listen to my arrangements...you have to leave at night."

Yue Yun was stunned for a long time: "I don't...what happened to that… that girl?"

The black shadow flickered, and Yin Ping raised her palm, and a "slap" slapped Yue Yun's face fiercely.

"What are you doing—" Yue Yun shouted.

"Listen to me." Yin Ping whispered, word by word.

The sound of pulling and tearing rang in the prison for a while, and there seemed to be a sound of beating. After a while, Yue Yun, who wanted to be low-key but was dressed strangely, was dragged out of the abandoned prison that did not hold other prisoners by Yin Ping with a rope.

To the backyard of the Ministry of Justice, Yue Yun, whose mouth was blocked with a rag, got into the carriage in his sister's kicks and threats.

The carriage drove through the city in the night, the route was straight, and it left the city.

The switch was carried out under the bridge halfway.

Passing through the dirty stone bridge bottom, drilling through the dark passage, and passing through the alley, Yue Yun walked into the depths of the Zuo family's courtyard.

Before entering the brightly lit room, he had already felt the breath of many people. Yin Ping pulled the rag out of his mouth, Yue Yun said, "This is."

His palm raised again. Yue Yun's cheek was actually a little swollen, and his eyes narrowed, wanting to dodge, but fortunately, the ear did not ring again.

"You are only allowed to listen, not to ask. If you make a fuss again, I will twist your head off."

His sister's threat was always effective, and Yue Yun nodded.

Entering the room, several blackboards had been unfolded, and maps and various arrangements were attached to them.

In the room, Cheng Zhouhai, Tie Tianying, Zuo Wenxuan, Zuo Wenhuai, Xiao Jingyi and others were all present. Seeing their siblings coming, some people nodded, and some pointed to the two seats on the side for them to sit down. The one in charge of the arrangement was Xiao Jingyi. He was a cousin of the Zuo family. Like Zuo Wenhuai, who was the face to the outside world, he was also the deputy leader of the team. Under the overall planning of Zuo Wenxuan, Xiao Jingyi was best at arranging specific matters.

In front of them, several places in Houguan County on the Fuzhou map had been marked, and Xiao Jingyi was giving a speech.

"...According to their lobbying of the families of the victims before the curfew, the goal of this incident is mainly these places...Houguan County Yamen, and the Zhong Ergui incident last time are tied together...The Ministry of Justice Yamen, because Yue Yun was detained there, can force the government to ask him to come out and give an explanation on the spot...Or he can directly knock on the Heavenly Gate in the imperial city...There are these specific routes..."

"...Then, including the watchtowers we control, the nearby high points that need to be or can be requisitioned have been listed...This matter is assigned to the forbidden army by Wenhuai, and the specific matters responsible by Fanbu have been listed roughly, but please refine it here..."

"...Our people have been arranged to stare at those key people who are responsible for inciting...The army holds water and fire sticks, fishing nets and other equipment. Once the order is issued, the rear team blocks the street, and the front team takes action. No one is killed, but these key points are targeted. Catch them and interrogate them first, and clean them up as rationally as possible. The rest of the people are dispersed, and the military academy officers guarding the streets are responsible for explaining to the people...In the middle, we must focus on those underworld people with equipment and prevent them from rushing into people's homes, killing people and setting fires..."

"...Zuo Wensheng, arrange thirty medical officers, first find them from our own people, and then transfer them if they are not enough...Once the fight starts tomorrow, some desperate people will take risks, and injuries are inevitable, try not to kill people...Wen Xiao, the water dragon team is under your personal responsibility, and you will connect with Zhong Xingwang from Fuzhou Prefecture, if there is a fire, put it out immediately..."

There were a lot of things that needed to be arranged, and the people in the room discussed some possible details for a while, and then some people left after receiving orders. Some people patted Yue Yun on the shoulder. After the people responsible for the details had left almost completely, and Cheng Zhouhai, Tie Tianying and other main leaders were left in the room, Xiao Jingyi looked up at Yue Yun and Yin Ping.

"Miss Yue, did the Ministry of Justice do it according to your instructions?"

"Yes." Yin Ping put her legs together and nodded. At this time, she looked like a primary school student, "My little brother said what he should have said, but I guess not many people heard the movement."

"What should be said..." Yue Yun was confused, but was glared at by Yin Ping and didn't dare to speak again.

"In this way, their possibility of going to the Ministry of Justice has increased."

In front of the room, Tie Tianying saw Yue Yun's puzzled expression and smiled, and said to him: "There are many people and eyes in the Ministry of Justice, and there are many local police officers, who are Chen Shuangran and others' eyeliners...If they find out that Miss Yue secretly let you leave the city, they will definitely choose to go to the Ministry of Justice and force you, Brother Yue, to come out and confront them."

Yue Yun didn't dare to speak, so he quickly clasped his fists and nodded.

Those above were prepared for the whole thing. Yue Yun's heart was surging, and he no longer had the previous feeling of being dead. He looked at Zuo Wenxuan and thought of his arrangements a few days ago, and tears were about to well up in his eyes. Zuo Wenxuan stood up from his seat, walked to the door and looked outside, and then came back.

"To stir up a riot like Zhong Ergui in Fuzhou City, you have to use capable people. We didn't prepare the first time. This time, it's impossible that we don't have any. Chen Shuangran thinks that our city closure is not neat enough, and I'm afraid she will think that we are soft-hearted, then we should hit them and catch them. If we pull out a round, I don't believe she can have a second round of people like this to follow..."

When arranging a major operation, his emotions were not high, and his words were calm. He looked at the map in front of the room and marked another place.

"...Of course, it may not be easy to strip Chen Shuangran of her feathers. The situation of the riot is obvious, and now there is a hidden line...A few days ago, Young Master Yue and Miss Yue separated. I was worried that he was too outstanding and would be targeted, so I secretly arranged for people to take care of him. Yesterday afternoon, Zuo Wenrui followed Young Master Yue to Houguan County. It happened suddenly, he didn't see the person who threw out the little girl, and he didn't follow Zhang Li, but he followed the horse dealer who sold horses at the street in this incident, and then, he found this place..."

When he said this, Yue Yun couldn't help but stand up. He recalled what happened yesterday evening, and remembered the few horses that happened to appear at that street corner. Those horses happened to block his way in the chaos, so he took one...

Zuo Wenxuan looked at him calmly: "The whole scheme to frame you is very simple, it only needs four people, but these four people need to be more trustworthy core figures. 'Human Rat' Zhang Li was used once in the Zhong Ergui incident and has been exposed. There will be no great effect if he is caught. The person who threw out the little girl is highly skilled in martial arts, and we didn't stare at him. The headhunter Chang Lian who leaked the news to you...disappeared this afternoon. He can only be used once, and he was prepared long ago, only this horse dealer. Chen Shuangran thinks that he is not exposed. Wenrui reported back this afternoon, and we have sent people to follow the vine..."

"Tomorrow." Zuo Wenxuan sat down in his seat, "When the riots begin, we will pull out these two lines by the roots."

The light of the oil lamp was burning in the room, and the smell of smoke set off the yellow light, making the atmosphere solemn and murderous. On the side, Cheng Zhouhai nodded, and Tie Tianying smiled.

Yue Yun stood there, only then did he know that everyone had been prepared from beginning to end. He thought of many things in his ups and downs, but then he thought of one thing. His sister next to him didn't let him speak, but he finally asked softly with a fluke.

"Then...then...that little girl, she...is she okay..."

His voice trembled slightly.

No one spoke, but due to his question, the originally solemn room seemed to turn pale for a moment...

……

Soon after, the sky began to brighten.

In Huaiyun Ward in the northeast of the city, Ning Ji and Qu Longjun got up early and practiced martial arts diligently.

On one side of Houguan County, some people walked into a certain victim's house one after another, including respected elders, hot-tempered young people, and women who liked to make trouble. They first brought some condolences and belongings, and then expressed their opinions one after another. In the midst of the crying, a large number of people began to run around and connect with each other in the city.

The atmosphere of the riots began to brew as promised...

(End of this chapter)