Niao Ni
Chapter 553 Ruthless Measures (Part 2)
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Zhang Deqing, Commander of the Thirteen City Gates – Rank Three. His personnel file is in the樞密院 (Shu Mi Yuan – Privy Council). His residence is in the southern part of the city. His servants are selected by the監察院 (Jiancha Yuan – Supervisory Council). His salary is paid by the inner court. He has never attended a meeting at the Privy Council, nor has he ever stepped foot inside the old military headquarters. In name, he is a soldier, but his relationship with the military of Qing Yu Nian is like a widow and her father-in-law; they would never dare to get too close.
His family, his colleagues, and his social circle are all people that His Majesty has permitted him to associate with. The reason for this is that His Majesty keeps the keys to the nine gates of Kyoto on his belt, so the Emperor of Qing Yu Nian must keep Zhang Deqing's head tied to his own belt.
If Zhang Deqing dared to rebel, the Emperor had countless ways to ensure his demise. However, no one ever believed that Zhang Deqing would rebel, not only because his family had been loyal for generations, not only because even the wife he married was descended from generations of loyal subjects, but because, over the years, people had become accustomed to Zhang Deqing’s style of doing things.
He eats the Emperor's food and listens to the Emperor's words.
When Zhang Deqing eats, he doesn't praise the Emperor's sagacity, nor does he constantly find excuses to enter the palace and flatter the Emperor. However, he executes any imperial decree with exceptional firmness, including that night of bloodshed in Kyoto many years ago.
In fact, Zhang Deqing, like Ye Zhong of Dingzhou, has been managing this Kyoto for nearly twenty years.
Because he is like a pure white tofu and because the duties he manages are so sensitive, no faction dares to approach him, not even the Second Prince who vied for power with the Crown Prince back then. Approaching Zhang Deqing is like touching the Emperor’s crotch.
Therefore, Zhang Deqing is somewhat like an invisible person in the officialdom. Until a crucial moment like this, no one remembers him. After the Emperor of Qing Yu Nian valiantly sacrificed himself on Mount Dadong, Zhang Deqing’s allegiance transferred to the Empress Dowager with remarkable accuracy and speed. His figure suddenly became visible, and it was particularly glaring.
He showed allegiance to the Empress Dowager not because she was the Emperor's biological mother, but because before the Emperor’s sacrifice, he had announced to the world that Qing Yu Nian was now ruled by the Empress Dowager behind a screen.
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After reviewing the long years of surveillance reports from the Director of the Supervisory Council, Fan Xian believed that Zhang Deqing was a rare "foolishly loyal subject." Yan Bingyun also reached the exact same conclusion. These two young officials in the Supervisory Council could certainly guess that the Emperor must have other ways of controlling Zhang Deqing, but now that the Emperor was gone, they were helpless and could only start from the word "loyalty".
Tonight, Yan Bingyun had come to take Zhang Deqing’s hand and dance a moving dance of loyalty to the nation.
Zhang Deqing was old. The bags under his eyes were somewhat heavy, perhaps because he had been worried and unable to rest well these past few days. At this moment, sadness, anger, and many other emotions shone in the pupils above those eye bags.
This was inside the Thirteen City Gates headquarters. Yan Bingyun had arrived alone and, after handing over the copied imperial edict, quietly awaited Zhang Deqing’s decision.
The fact that the Supervisory Council could copy Qing Emperor's imperial edict in such a short time proved that their craftsmanship had taken a qualitative leap after successfully forging Old Master Ming's will. It also proved Fan Xian’s revolutionary spirit of not fearing boiling water, and it proved that even though Little Yan was loyal to the Emperor and patriotic, he didn't adhere to mechanical bureaucratic principles in the details.
The so-called imperial edict was actually just a letter the Emperor had written to the Empress Dowager on the night of the siege on Mount Dadong, in an extremely calm, world-weary tone. In the letter, he mentioned the matter of deposing the Crown Prince, as well as the treacherous roles the Crown Prince and Eldest Princess had played in the siege of Mount Dadong. At the same time, he clearly stated that after Fan Xian returned to Kyoto, the power of supervising the country would be transferred to him, and he unbelievably bestowed upon Fan Xian the power to choose the next generation ruler of Qing Yu Nian.
Two lines of old tears flowed down from Zhang Deqing’s eyes. Although he had known for a long time that the Emperor had died on Mount Dadong, the City Gates Commander of rank three could not contain the emotional turmoil in his heart when he saw the Emperor's own handwriting.
"Has... the Empress Dowager seen this imperial edict?" Zhang Deqing suddenly raised his head, staring at Yan Bingyun’s eyes.
At this moment, Little Yan became even more convinced that the strategy he and Fan Xian had devised should succeed. From every perspective, this commander, renowned in the court for his diehard loyalty, would stand on their side.
He said softly, "The Empress Dowager has already seen it."
"Then what was the meaning of the fireworks signal from the palace earlier?" Zhang Deqing stared at Yan Bingyun.
"The imperial edict ordered Lord Fan to assist the Empress Dowager in eliminating the rebels," Yan Bingyun said without any panic. As long as Fan Xian's raid on the palace succeeded and the Crown Prince and Eldest Princess were captured, there was no reason for the City Gates to cause problems. "The fireworks were the signal; it has already begun."
"This general cannot simply believe you based on one imperial edict," Zhang Deqing said. "I want to meet the Empress Dowager in person."
"That is only natural." Yan Bingyun replied frankly with an icy expression. In fact, he didn't know the situation in the palace at this time and didn't know whether the Empress Dowager was dead or alive, but at this moment, he had to answer with confidence.
"General, your family has been loyal for generations. At this time of crisis in Qing Yu Nian, you should follow the late Emperor's imperial edict."
Yan Bingyun never forgot to place every word on the Emperor's imperial edict. Back then, when he traveled incognito in Northern Qi, he was skilled at socializing and was a formidable figure who could deceive people without paying for it with his life. However, these years he had only been doing paperwork in the Supervisory Council and had been away from this kind of dangerous work for too long. Persuading the Governor of Kyoto tonight, and now persuading the Commander of the Thirteen City Gates amidst a forest of spears, could only be considered a return to his old profession.
"There is chaos in the palace," Zhang Deqing said after a moment of silence. "I must enter the palace immediately."
Yan Bingyun frowned. Zhang Deqing's eyes narrowed, as if he had noticed something. At this moment, Yan Bingyun coldly rebuked, "Lord Zhang, don't forget that His Majesty entrusted these nine city gates to you. It is your duty to guard the gates of Kyoto firmly!"
Upon hearing these words, Zhang Deqing fell silent again, as if he was weighing something. After a long while, he said, "Lord Yan, give this general some time."
Delay? Yan Bingyun faintly sensed something was wrong. Could it be that Zhang Deqing had not been persuaded by this imperial edict and still wanted to see how the situation in Kyoto developed? But at this time, he didn't know that the Eldest Princess and the Crown Prince had already escaped from the palace. To ensure Fan Xian's raid on the palace, if the Thirteen City Gates remained neutral for the time being, it wasn't an unacceptable outcome for him. It was even better than he had anticipated.
Since he wanted to delay, then so be it. Yan Bingyun leisurely sat down in the City Gates headquarters, remaining calm and composed amidst a group of officers pointing spears at him.
Seeing his expression, Zhang Deqing couldn't help but pause slightly, as if he hadn't expected him to be so confident.
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However, no one had expected that this delay would last for so long. Yan Bingyun was essentially under house arrest in the City Gates headquarters. There was no hot tea to drink, no melodies to listen to. It was indeed difficult to endure, and of course, the most difficult thing was the ubiquitous pressure.
He was drinking the northwest wind and listening to the sounds of fighting that occasionally echoed in Kyoto. Sometimes he could even smell a faint burning smell, probably from somewhere that had been set on fire.
Zhang Deqing didn't have that much time to keep him company. As the Commander of the City Gates, he had too many important matters to handle. At this time, he held the sword at his waist and walked on the city wall in the night, the bags under his eyes miraculously disappearing, and his pupils shone with the light of a hawk, staring at every move in Kyoto. At the same time, he constantly issued orders, suppressing his subordinates and strictly prohibiting them from participating in the coup in Kyoto, only allowing the three thousand soldiers to guard the nine city gates of Kyoto tightly.
Yes, in his eyes, the so-called righteous forces led by Fan Xian were actually a coup. Although after reading the imperial edict, he had to admit that Fan Xian had the moral high ground, he still subconsciously believed that everyone who attacked the palace was a bad person.
Compared to the ancient city of Shangjing in Northern Qi, Kyoto in Qing Yu Nian did not have much history, but it had more military traces. Therefore, although this city wall was not mottled, it was extremely thick. Although the height was not as high as the Imperial City, if it were really used for defense, its various configurations would be much stronger.
Zhang Deqing stood on the city wall, as if he was drawing endless power from this thick stone and brick mixed wall, allowing him to bravely make certain choices.
At a lookout point, he stopped and looked far in the direction of the Imperial City. The riots in Kyoto gradually subsided. It seemed that the Kyoto government had been subdued by Fan Xian, and yamen runners had begun to walk the streets, ringing gongs to appease the people.
He didn't know that at this time, the two masterminds of the palace coup in Kyoto, the First Prince and Fan Xian, were also standing on the Imperial City wall, looking far in the direction of the city gate. A faint look of worry flashed in his eyes. If things really developed this way, he would have to accept that imperial edict.
Perhaps this was also a good choice, but Zhang Deqing heard the sound of carriage wheels pressing against the stone slab road. The sound was very clear in his ears.
"It's the triangular stone road, near the city gate."
Zhang Deqing was exceptionally familiar with the area near the city gate, which he had managed for nearly twenty years, so familiar that he could even tell whether the carriage wheels were rolling over bluestone slabs or triangular stone roads. He was silent for a moment, then walked down the high city wall and headed to the City Gates headquarters.
When the sound of the carriage reached the city gate, Yan Bingyun had already stood up with a grim face. The soldiers responsible for guarding him became nervous, drawing their weapons and surrounding him.
Yan Bingyun's heart sank, not because he was surrounded by soldiers, but because of the sound of the carriage. Who would be approaching the city gate in a carriage in the middle of the night in Kyoto? The people of Kyoto had long been accustomed to court infighting. Commotion like tonight wouldn't be enough to scare them into fleeing their homes and families. Moreover, the people weren't so foolish as to sit in a carriage and wait to be tortured by soldiers with bloodshot eyes.
At this time, there was only one type of person who would be trying to leave Kyoto in a carriage.
At this moment, Zhang Deqing walked in, looked at Yan Bingyun with a grim face, and said, "Forgive me, Lord Yan."
Then he shouted, "Arrest this wanted criminal of the court!"
Yan Bingyun's pupils shrank slightly. He didn't know why Zhang Deqing's attitude had changed so drastically. Could it be that Fan Xian's raid on the palace had failed?
The soldiers surrounded him. Yan Bingyun didn't resist. Everyone knew that the biggest difference between Little Yan and Lord Fan was that his martial arts skills were somewhat low and he didn't have much offensive power in a fight.
And Yan Bingyun wouldn't risk his life. Zhang Deqing only wanted to arrest him. If he resisted and these dozen spears were thrust into his body, it wouldn't feel good.
The City Gates didn't have the steel finger covers of the Supervisory Council, but they had a type of small handcuff. Once it was locked onto a person's wrist joints, it was impossible to break free. After Yan Bingyun was tightly bound, Zhang Deqing breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the darkness outside with some doubt.
"I didn't expect you would actually come alone," Zhang Deqing frowned tightly. "I don't know whether to say Lord Fan is foolish or you are too bold."
Yan Bingyun, who had been kicked to the ground, made a rare joke, "Actually, it's just a matter of manpower." He paused, then said, "I can't imagine that I would misjudge a person."
Zhang Deqing was silent for a moment, then said, "The reason is very simple. If you win, I will naturally obey the imperial edict, but if you lose, what good will it do me to obey the imperial edict?"
Yan Bingyun frowned, then sighed after a long while, "Loyal subject, loyal subject, how loyal you are."
"I am loyal to His Majesty, but I will not be loyal to this imperial edict whose authenticity is unknown," Zhang Deqing's face was somewhat unsightly, as if he felt a trace of fear for disobeying the Emperor's imperial edict.
The City Gates Commander thought in his heart, "If His Majesty were still alive, I would naturally be a loyal subject for the rest of my life, but His Majesty is no longer here. Who would want to guard these nine broken city gates for the rest of their life?"
Yan Bingyun was silent. He had originally come to the City Gates at the risk of his life, but it was also based on his judgment of Zhang Deqing as a person. He still couldn't convince himself why this commander would so cleanly choose to stand on the opposite side of the imperial edict.
Has Fan Xian failed? Yan Bingyun's brow was still furrowed, as if he was pondering an extremely difficult question.
At this time, Zhang Deqing was only three steps away from him.
Yan Bingyun's brow suddenly relaxed, but a drop of cold sweat slid down from the corner of his eyebrow.
Zhang Deqing clearly heard a cracking sound, like a table leg being broken off by brute force.
Yan Bingyun suddenly raised his head and said, word by word, "Zhang Deqing, Commander of the Thirteen City Gates, disobeying the edict, aiding the rebellion, all citizens of Qing Yu Nian should follow His Majesty's imperial edict and execute him."
Zhang Deqing's eyes moved slightly. He didn't know who Yan Bingyun was saying these words to. At this time, the hall was full of his confidants, and no one would be foolish enough to step out and take action. But he felt a strange feeling in his heart and subconsciously retreated, wanting to distance himself from the tightly bound Yan Bingyun.
Someone moved. The person who moved was not Yan Bingyun, but one of Zhang Deqing's personal guards. After hearing Yan Bingyun's words, that person, with a grim face, gritted his teeth, raised the knife in his hand, and slashed at the back of Zhang Deqing's head!
As mentioned earlier, no matter how confident Qing Emperor was in Zhang Deqing's loyalty, he would always have informants scattered throughout the City Gates, and most of these informants were naturally sent out by the Supervisory Council. Fan Xian and Yan Bingyun couldn't contact these spies, but at this time, Yan Bingyun was using the imperial edict to gamble on the passion of these spies. Even if only one out of ten acted, it would be greatly effective!
The blade came down!
Zhang Deqing had a grim face. Without turning his head, he raised his sword and flicked it upwards. Only a crisp sound was heard. He was shaken forward a step, and the knife of the Supervisory Council spy behind him was blocked.
The spears stabbed together. In an instant, the spy was covered in blood and died.
However, Yan Bingyun also moved at this moment.
He had already moved when the drop of cold sweat dripped from his forehead! He bit his teeth and broke his left wrist in half! He was not an ordinary official or general, but the Deputy Director-designate of the Supervisory Council. He dared to come to the City Gates himself, so he naturally had confidence.
The Supervisory Council had studied the City Gates' restraints thoroughly and finally discovered the problem with this handcuff. As long as someone could dislocate the entire wrist joint in a short time, endure the severe pain, they could pull their wrist out.
Yan Bingyun could endure the pain and was willing to be ruthless to himself. So when Zhang Deqing took a step closer to him, he had already rushed over like a leopard, holding the handcuff in one hand and smashing it hard at Zhang Deqing's head!
A trace of terror flashed in Zhang Deqing's eyes. Perhaps betraying the Emperor had made his heart unstable, and he didn't dare to directly receive this blow. He retreated in a panic.
At this time, the personal guards behind him had just stabbed the Supervisory Council spy to death, blocking his retreat. He had no choice but to flee towards the door of the hall, intending to temporarily avoid this killing move.
Yan Bingyun floated up, chasing after him like a cloud. On the way, he flipped his wrist with the handcuff and had already snatched the sword from Zhang Deqing's hand. With a flash of green light, he cut off the arm of a school officer who wanted to come to his aid.
Like a maggot clinging to a bone, like a cloud devouring the sky, Yan Bingyun kept stride, stuck closely to Zhang Deqing's body and arrived at the door of the hall.
Feeling the cold sword energy behind him, Zhang Deqing was terrified. He had not expected Yan Bingyun to have such graceful and ruthless swordsmanship!
Yes, Yan Bingyun was not good at martial arts, but that was compared to the monster Fan Xian. Once he burst out to kill, would this most famous spy in the history of the Supervisory Council be someone that Zhang Deqing, who had guarded the city gates for twenty years, could resist!
The lightning-like chase gave the City Gates personal guards no chance to react. The two of them had already rushed to the hall door, and blood wounds were already visible on Zhang Deqing's body. If it wasn't for Yan Bingyun's intention to subdue him in order to control the City Gates, he would have already lost his life at this time.
At this moment, suddenly two fierce energies struck Yan Bingyun's body, extremely powerful and extremely abrupt!
Yan Bingyun groaned, sheathed his sword, and wrapped his arms around his chest, forcibly blocking the blow. Blood oozed from his mouth and nose. However, the fierce attack finally came to an end, and Zhang Deqing rolled to the feet of a person in a disheveled manner. He could see the faint palace skirt hidden under the ordinary clothes.
The Eldest Princess Li Yunrui, with a calm expression, guarded by two experts from the Junshan Society, smiled and looked at Yan Bingyun and said, "Let me tell Little Yan why Deqing betrayed, it's because... he was originally from this palace."
A trace of disbelief flashed in Yan Bingyun's eyes, which quickly turned into decadence. His left arm was already disabled. Standing in the hall of the City Gates, standing in front of the blood of that brave spy, he looked so alone.
The Eldest Princess nodded to this young official of the Supervisory Council and said with a smile, "Have a good journey."