Niao Ni
Chapter 496: Half an Hour
Fei Jie glanced at him and said, "So we need to kill people for Fan Xian, to solidify these doubts."
"Yes..." Chen Pingping said with a smile, "His Majesty is suspicious, so he finds it difficult to make decisions. So many years have passed, and he is no longer the brave general who dared to charge the Northern Wei iron cavalry with five hundred men... Killing people to steady the ruler's heart may be crude, but its merit lies in the fact that the dead cannot speak, but the dead can tell His Majesty what he wants to know."
Fei Jie coughed twice and said, "Although it's a bit convoluted, I basically understand."
Chen Pingping laughed, "His Majesty is suspicious and confident, so once he suspects something, he will only look for evidence in front of him that can prove his suspicion... So, in the end, His Majesty is deceiving his own eyes. Of course, in a way, it's not deception, because it's something that actually happened."
As he spoke, faint voices came from outside Chen Garden. Chen Pingping and Fei Jie exchanged glances. Chen Pingping said, "It seems the imperial decree has arrived. You should prepare to leave the capital."
Fei Jie nodded, then asked, "What about Hong Zhu?"
"Don't touch him for now." Chen Pingping frowned, thought for a moment, and pushed his wheelchair towards the front of the garden, saying, "I always feel that this little eunuch is not simple."
...
...
Far away in Jiangnan, Fan Xian, who believed he was coldly observing everything in the capital, didn't know that the deepest nail he had driven into the palace had simultaneously become the target of the two most powerful figures in Qing, which only proved that he was not a god. To be precise, this plan, which consumed the most of his energy and was hidden the deepest, still had many dangers that were completely beyond his calculations. If Hong Zhu hadn't had enough good luck, by the time Fan Xian returned to the capital, he probably wouldn't have been able to find any news of that pimply-faced little eunuch in this world.
He didn't know if there were gods in the Temple, but there was definitely no one who was a god in this world. Even Ku He, the National Master of Northern Qi, who was closest to the realm of gods, even the Qing Emperor, whose power and state of mind were enough to make the gods jealous... were all just mortals.
So the Qing Emperor, who always seemed somewhat unfathomable, was sitting under the long corridor of the Taiji Hall at this time, looking at the large palace courtyard in front of him, with a somewhat lonely and disappointed look in his eyes, like an ordinary middle-aged man.
Beside the Emperor was the black wheelchair. Chen Pingping lowered his head slightly, gently stroking the wool blanket on his lap, remaining silent.
The two ministers remained silent, calmly looking at the palace courtyard in front of them. It was still early spring, there were no fallen leaves, no fallen flowers, the palace was swept clean by the eunuchs, maids, and servants, spotless, and the soil in the gaps between the stone slabs was smoothed out, forming lines of humility.
It was already very late at night, but the lights in the Taiji Hall still illuminated the palace courtyard clearly.
"I was wrong." The Emperor didn't use the imperial '朕' to refer to himself today. He sighed and said, "I always thought that after three Northern Expeditions and conquests to the West and South, there was nothing in this world that I couldn't bear, so I could calmly watch all this happen, but when things really happened, I found that I had overestimated my resilience."
Chen Pingping glanced at him and said softly, "This is a family matter... The ancients said that even an upright official finds it difficult to judge family affairs, and His Majesty is no exception."
At this moment, Chen Pingping already knew what had happened in the palace, but the old cripple didn't deliberately show any shock or horror. His attitude was very calm, as if this wasn't a big deal. This attitude made the Emperor feel better. Yes, it was just a shameful family matter.
The Emperor changed his self-reference back to '朕' and said with a smile, "You always said that you didn't want to get involved in my family affairs, but you eventually did. How about it, do you want to handle this matter for me?"
Chen Pingping lowered his head even further and said, "His Majesty already has a brilliant plan. This servant only needs to follow the plan."
The Emperor remained silent for a long time, then slowly said, "Months ago, I told you here that I was going to play with them properly... However, she is, after all, my most beloved sister, and those little cubs are, after all, my sons, so I always had a bit of reluctance. But now, even if I'm reluctant, I have to act."
Chen Pingping slowly raised his head, his expression unchanged, but a strange emotion gradually filled his heart. He had done so much and waited so long to get the Emperor to make up his mind, and finally, he had waited for that moment when the Emperor spoke.
"You are outside the palace, and I am inside the palace."
The Qing Emperor slowly closed his eyes.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That night, the thirteen city gate divisions of the capital received a palace order and an intelligence document approved by the Supervising Department. The opening time of the capital city gates was delayed by half an hour. At the break of dawn, the villagers who were preparing to enter the city, carrying fruits, vegetables, and meat, formed a long line outside the city gates, looking bewildered and puzzled.
It was rare for the capital to delay the opening of the city gates, but according to the report from the soldiers at the front, last night, spies from Dongyi City attempted to sneak into the Supervising Department, so the capital was currently conducting a large-scale manhunt. To prevent the spies from escaping the city, the thirteen city gate divisions were on high alert.
The people immediately calmed down. No one complained anymore, and they were only quietly cursing those Dongyi City spies who didn't know the meaning of death.
And in the capital, the Supervising Department, personally overseen by Chen Pingping, had already taken action in the early hours of the morning. Director Chen had been staying in Chen Garden for years, and the Supervising Department was directly commanded by Fan Xian. But now, once he took back the power of the Supervising Department, the department's speed and secrecy immediately returned to an unprecedented and terrifying level. In less than an hour, the Supervising Department had secretly taken control of four residences.
The Kyoto Garrison Division didn't receive any news. The patrolling soldiers watched in amazement as the Supervising Department officials, wearing black uniforms, walked busily, and hurriedly reported to their superiors, wondering what major event had occurred in the capital.
The over a thousand Imperial Guards who protected the imperial city also didn't make any movement, simply guarding the gates of the imperial palace quietly.
The Kyoto Garrison Commander, who had just been promoted by the Qing Emperor, was a general who had followed the First Prince on the Western Expedition the year before last. After hearing the report from his subordinates, he hurriedly put on his clothes and rushed to the outside of the palace. However... he only saw an extremely calm palace city, without any anomalies.
Eunuch Hou, with sleepy eyes, stood behind the Imperial Guards with a batch of guards, coldly rejecting the commander's request to enter the palace to report.
Not long after, the First Prince, who was still sleeping in the Prince He's residence, also arrived on horseback. However, even his request to enter the palace was rejected by Eunuch Hou calmly and firmly.
The First Prince and the garrison commander exchanged glances, and they both saw the unease and vigilance in each other's hearts. At this time, the sky was not yet bright, but dark clouds drifted over the high sky, shrouding Kyoto in even more darkness. The Supervising Department's secret agents and officials all took action, but these two important figures responsible for the defense of Kyoto didn't know what was happening at all.
The Kyoto Garrison Commander cautiously glanced at the First Prince and said, "Your Highness, should we go to the Supervising Department and ask?"
In the Western Expeditionary Army, this commander was the First Prince's lieutenant, so he was still accustomed to calling him by his former title. The First Prince was stunned for a moment, then slapped his forehead in frustration. The Supervising Department had mobilized all its forces today. It must be a palace decree, and the person in charge must be Director Chen. Others wouldn't dare to ask Director Chen face-to-face, but what was he afraid of?
After a while, the two men led their personal soldiers from the gate of the imperial city to the Supervising Department. When they entered the courtyard, they weren't stopped by anyone, and they saw the old cripple by the shallow pool in the garden.
"Director, what happened?" The First Prince asked Chen Pingping directly.
Chen Pingping didn't look up and said, "Nothing. Last night, masters from Dongyi City sneaked into the courtyard and stole a lot of valuable intelligence. I entered the capital overnight and asked the Emperor for instructions. We are searching the entire city at this time."
The First Prince frowned. He knew very well that this was a lie. What kind of spies entering the capital would alarm Chen Pingping? And cause the gates of the imperial palace to be closed?
The Kyoto Garrison Commander respectfully asked for instructions, "Old Director, is there anything Kyoto Garrison needs to cooperate with?"
"Xie Su, ah..." Chen Pingping looked at the garrison commander and sighed, "You have only been in office for a short time. You have to quickly take control of the Kyoto Garrison. Now you only have the position, but you can't even command your own soldiers. How can you cooperate?"
Commander Xie Su was stunned, his mouth feeling bitter. He knew that what Director Chen said was the truth. The Kyoto Garrison had first been controlled by the Ye family for twenty years, and then it was managed by the Second Young Master of the Qin family. The Ye and Qin families didn't know how many confidants they had placed in the Kyoto Garrison. With the status of these two families in the army, it was indeed too difficult for him, an outsider from the Western Expeditionary Army, to take full control.
The First Prince asked worriedly, "Uncle Chen, tell me the truth. Is the matter serious? Why are the palace gates closed?"
"It's a small matter." Chen Pingping said calmly, "It will only take half an hour. There won't be any problems."
"Oh, right." He said, sitting in his wheelchair, "His Majesty has ordered that today's court session be postponed by half an hour. Go to the various residences and tell them, so that those old fogeys like Shu Wu don't wait too long outside the palace and start cursing."
Another half an hour, the First Prince was worried, but he knew that Director Chen wouldn't tell him the truth until the matter was over.
Chen Pingping finally said, "But there are a few residences that you don't need to inform. My people have already gone."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Supervising Department's people had already been dispatched, dispatched to Hechi Ward, where civilians lived. With the cooperation of the Kyoto Prefecture Office, they rounded up a group of fierce and ruthless men who were still dreaming. Although those *jianghu* individuals resisted desperately, they eventually had to lower their heads under the cost of a dozen corpses and were tied up with black ropes.
Another team of Supervising Department personnel came to the residences of several censors of the Censorate and rudely pressed these censors, known for their integrity, to the ground, completely disregarding their reputation and directly escorting them to the Court of Judicial Review. The censors' residences were filled with terror and weeping.
In the Supervising Department's team, a young man with his face covered by a black hat frowned and said to Mu Tie, the head of the team beside him, "Sir Mu, these are, after all, censors of the Censorate. Even His Majesty is tolerant of them. It is not a crime to report hearsay... If you arrest them like this, aren't you afraid of damaging His Majesty's reputation?"
"Sir He, you are now the scribe of the Censorate." Mu Tie said respectfully, "As for how to deal with the aftermath, it's all up to you to arrange."
It turned out that this person was He Zongwei, and he was also the censor that the Qing Emperor had inserted into the Supervising Department in the previous change of power. No one knew what Chen Pingping was thinking, but he actually allowed this person to follow the Supervising Department and participate in the operation against the Censorate.
He Zongwei snorted coldly. He knew that if he came forward after dawn and cooperated with the Supervising Department to imprison this group of censors, his reputation would be completely ruined. But he was also an extremely clever person and of course, knew that this morning's operation was the Emperor's will, and he had gradually sensed that His Majesty was sweeping away the few forces that the Princess was relying on.
So, he didn't dare to have any objections.
He was just very puzzled. Kyoto had been peaceful for some time, so why would His Majesty suddenly become intolerant of the Princess?
...
...
The third team of the Supervising Department was currently at the Yan residence.
With a cold expression, Yan Bingyun held the warrant in his hand, looking at Yan Xingshu, who was kneeling in front of him, and slowly and firmly reciting the crimes of Yan Xingshu, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, one by one, each of which was a deeply rooted and heinous crime.
Disheveled, Yan Xingshu knelt on the ground, listening to these crimes, his body already somewhat weak. He knew that unless it was a critical moment, His Majesty would never use these crimes to deal with him, a cabinet minister, and since these crimes had been thrown out, it meant that His Majesty was really going to destroy him!
Why?
There was only one reason: In recent years, he had been too close to the Princess. Yan Xingshu thought sadly in his heart, but he still howled desperately, "I want to see His Majesty's warrant! I want to see the warrant! Without a warrant, the Supervising Department is not allowed to interrogate officials of the third rank!"
Yan Bingyun glanced at him, shook his head, and took out the warrant and waved it in front of his eyes. Yan Xingshu, the dignified Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, suddenly turned black and fainted from the shock of the warrant.
There were still several teams of Supervising Department officials taking action. Because the timing chosen was in the early hours of the morning, when everything was quiet, most of the Kyoto officials and dignitaries were sleeping, so the action proceeded extremely smoothly. In less than half an hour, most of the officials in Kyoto who were too deeply involved with the Princess had been invited back to the Supervising Department's dungeon or the Court of Judicial Review's thatched house.
The last team of Supervising Department officials waited patiently outside a quiet residence. They had surrounded this residence for a long time but hadn't taken action, waiting for news from various locations.
This team of officials didn't have a leading official, didn't carry an imperial decree, and didn't even have a warrant personally signed by Chen Pingping. Their composition was the simplest, all members of the Sixth Bureau.
Because they didn't need to enter that residence to announce a decree. The decree they had received was... enter this residence, strictly prohibit any conversation with anyone in the residence, and kill everyone directly.
...
...
On normal days, there should already be a glimmer of dawn on the horizon, but today the dark clouds were too thick, and the sky was still so dim.
Fei Jie, with disheveled hair, walked out of the street corner next to the residence, nodded to the assassins of the Sixth Bureau who were surrounding the residence, and then left.
The Sixth Bureau assassins rushed in, but didn't encounter any resistance. They knew that this residence hid the Princess's most powerful martial force, most secret intelligence, most trusted confidants, most... but there was no resistance at all.
All the Xinyang masters had already been knocked out by the poison laid down by Fei Jie while they were still dreaming. Occasionally, a few masters with profound inner strength were immediately sent to the Yellow Springs, sleeping forever, under the care of the Sixth Bureau's swordsmen.
The whole courtyard was full of corpses.
Huang Yi, the chief strategist of Xinyang, looked at the swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau rushing in with a face full of despair. Some time ago, this strategist had been poisoned to half his life by Fan Xian, and today he was poisoned again by Fan Xian's master. He no longer had any chance to fight back.
He was just a little unwilling. His mind hadn't played a sufficient role, and he hadn't left even the slightest trace in the history of Qing, but... he was going to die.
A cold sword interrupted his thoughts, piercing his throat and causing him to die.
Entering the backyard, the swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau didn't give those young and beautiful men any chance to speak or beg for mercy, killing them at an extremely fast speed and then starting to dispose of the bodies.
But no one noticed that just before the swordsmen of the Sixth Bureau rushed into the Princess's other residence, at the moment when Fei Jie started planting the poison, a man named Yuan Hongdao, a close friend of Prime Minister Lin back in the day, the most trusted strategist of the Princess this past year, with a face full of horror and paleness, had escaped from the dog hole behind the residence.