At noon, Academician He shielded his eyes from the glaring sun with one hand on his forehead, disregarding the stinging sweat running down his face. He hurried out of the deep imperial city, not entering the small corner room of the Department of Affairs, but directly boarding his sedan and heading to the Yamen of the Censorate. As soon as he entered the Yamen, he realized that his official robe was already soaked with sweat. He walked woodenly to the hall, a solitary figure, and sat there for half a day before he regained his senses.

Earlier, when His Majesty summoned him to the Imperial Study, it was only a few simple words, but He Zongwei knew that the hidden move he had set up was all within His Majesty's sight. His Majesty knew what he was investigating, but was too lazy to ask or care, merely watching coldly.

At this thought, Academician He felt a chill run down his spine, filled with fear. After all, his investigation was somewhat improperly motivated. With His Majesty's keen eyes, how could he not see through it? However, to his surprise, His Majesty did not reprimand him severely, but rather, somewhat wearily, instructed him on a few matters and then dismissed him.

He Zongwei sank into contemplation in the cool hall of the Censorate Yamen. Why hadn't His Majesty been angry? Could it be that the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Justice had really found something in Dazhou? Was it the Tiger Guard Gao Da, or Wang Qinian, who was definitely not dead, that had revealed his whereabouts? Dazhou was not far from the capital, but the transmission of intelligence back and forth always took time. He Zongwei had no other choice but to wait in the capital, both excited and nervous, for the report from that place. Even now, he still didn't know that his actions in Dazhou to hunt down Gao Da would, providentially, block Dean Chen, who was returning home, outside the city, and also give Chen Pingping an opportunity to act.

Of course, this was also an opportunity for the Emperor to act.

Not only was He Zongwei unaware of all the internal details of what was happening in Dazhou, but the Grand Secretary Hu of the Department of Affairs, and the Qing Kingdom officials of the Six Ministries and Three Courts, also did not suspect that the Qing Kingdom was in a state of turmoil today. They only smelled a strange odor, but no one could connect this odor with the aging Dean Chen.

No matter how wise a person was, they would not think that there could be a problem between His Majesty and Chen Pingping, and the ministers did not even dare to think in that direction.

Even the officials of the Overwatch Council had never doubted the Old Ancestor's loyalty to the Qing Kingdom and to His Majesty. Loyalty to His Majesty, everything for the Qing Kingdom, was the education that all officials and spies of the Overwatch Council received upon entering the Council. For decades, led by Chen Pingping, all the black-clad officials had been working tirelessly towards this goal, for the strength of the Qing Kingdom, and for the safety of His Majesty. Who would have thought that today, the Overwatch Council would also become one of His Majesty's targets?

Precisely because no one would think of this, some people would sensitively explore that direction. As the most powerful intelligence system and espionage organization in the world, many signs of today's unrest in the capital undoubtedly fell into the eyes of the Overwatch Council officials. In particular, the increased defense level of the Imperial Guards, the sudden deployment of the Capital Garrison Division, and even Academician He's sudden entry into the palace and dejected departure, all fell into the eyes of different *zhen zi*, and were transmitted back to that square, gray building through different channels.

Except for the Fifth Bureau where the Black Riders were located, all the leading figures of the Eight Bureaus were in this gray building of the Overwatch Council. The sun had just begun to move westward, and the intelligence had already been compiled in the Second Bureau, sorted by different intelligence officials, and then placed on the desk of the intelligence director of the Second Bureau.

The head of the Second Bureau was a middle-aged man, one of the rare old ministers of the Eight Bureaus who had remained. Since Fan Xian became the Supervisor of the Overwatch Council and gradually began to take over the power of the Overwatch Council, Chen Pingping, in order to make his takeover smoother, began to persuade the old ministers of the Eight Bureaus to retire. And those old ministers were originally the people who built this Council with Dean Chen, so naturally they had no resistance to Miss Ye's son. Therefore, they retired extremely naturally and contentedly.

Mu Tie took over the First Bureau, Fan Xian's *shixiong* from the Poison Master's lineage took over the Third Bureau, Yan Bingyun took over the Fourth Bureau, the current commander of the Black Riders also became the Silver-Masked Jing Ge, the bald head of the Seventh Bureau left his post long ago, and the head of the Eighth Bureau was also someone Fan Xian picked out from the Qinian Group.

Only the Second Bureau, because intelligence was of utmost importance, was still managed by the old head, who conscientiously and dutifully cultivated his deputy, waiting for his deputy to be able to take over the entire Qing Kingdom's intelligence system before letting this close confidant of Supervisor Fan take over.

The Overwatch Council and the Censorate had been in litigation. Supervisor Fan was very unfriendly to Academician He, so He Zongwei was originally the focus of the Overwatch Council's secret surveillance. Although His Majesty had always opposed this kind of surveillance, the Overwatch Council, relying on its power, could do some idle things, and the court could not keep an eye on it every day. The middle-aged head of the Second Bureau frowned as he looked at the documents in his hand, wondering what His Majesty had said to He Zongwei today that made his face so ugly.

As for the adjustment of the Imperial Guards and the deployment of the Capital Garrison Division, this was also very sensitive information. The head of the Second Bureau frowned and thought for a long time, but still couldn't understand what forces around the capital of the Qing Kingdom today needed the court to deal with so carefully. Especially since the Overwatch Council had not participated in this matter from the beginning, and the palace hadn't even informed them, this was too different from the past.

He picked up the documents on his desk, coughed twice, walked out of the door, went upstairs, walked to the quiet secret room, knocked twice on the door, and then pushed it open and entered.

A young official dressed in white, completely incompatible with the sinister atmosphere of the Overwatch Council, was sitting behind a large table, intently scrutinizing something.

The head of the Second Bureau smiled slightly, looked at Yan Bingyun, and sighed in his heart, then stepped forward and put the documents in his hand on his desk.

The Old Dean had retired, Supervisor Fan had finally become the real Dean, and Young Master Yan obviously not only had to manage the affairs of the Fourth Bureau, but also would probably take over Fan Xian's position as the new Supervisor of the Overwatch Council. In these years, Chen Pingping had been recuperating, and Fan Xian was also impatient to manage the details, so the affairs of the entire Overwatch Council had been painstakingly borne by Yan Bingyun alone. Therefore, the officials of the Overwatch Council had already become accustomed to the fact that Yan Bingyun would become the Supervisor in charge of the miscellaneous affairs of the Council, and there would be no objections.

Moreover, for the old ministers of the Overwatch Council, Supervisor Fan was a man of amazing talent, and because of Miss Ye and Dean Chen's relationship, they were all loyal and respectful to Fan Xian. However, this respect always had a distance. In comparison, Young Master Yan, who grew up in the Overwatch Council since childhood, and the son of Yan Ruohai, who had paid a great price for the Council in Northern Qi, was undoubtedly closer.

"Uncle Liu, what is it that requires you to bring it up here personally?" Yan Bingyun smiled gently, completely without the frosty feeling he had in front of Fan Xian, stood up, invited the head of the Second Bureau to sit down, and then casually flipped through the documents.

"The adjustment of the Imperial Guards and the Capital Garrison Division only needs to be reported to the Imperial Household Department and the Privy Council, so it wouldn't matter if we didn't know." The head of the Second Bureau looked at Yan Bingyun worriedly and said, "But this is not in line with the usual practice. Such a big thing must have a purpose, but our Council still doesn't know what happened..."

At this time, Yan Bingyun had already finished reading these intelligence reports. The arc of his lips was still so steady, and he said with a smile, "The situation on the Dongyi City side has been uneasy recently. There are many masters in those places, and many Jianghu people are bloodthirsty. Perhaps the palace is worried that, like the Xuankong Temple incident that year, a few more assassins have sneaked in. It's not a big deal for the Imperial Guards to increase the defense level."

"It's the Capital Garrison Division side." Yan Bingyun shook his head and said, "I'll send a document to the Privy Council later to ask."

"The Privy Council may not pay attention to us." The head of the Second Bureau frowned and said, "And the problem now is that Shi Fei led the army himself, it must be an imperial decree from the palace."

He suddenly thought of something, and thought that Dean Chen's convoy had not left the capital for too long, but he immediately smiled self-deprecatingly and shook his head.

"What's wrong?" Yan Bingyun's eyes were deep, and he glanced at him casually.

"It's nothing." The head of the Second Bureau shook his head and said with a smile, "I'm really getting old, my head sometimes easily has wild thoughts."

Yes, he couldn't imagine that the palace would attack his most beloved Old Dean, so he subconsciously nipped that trace of speculation in the bud. Just like the incomprehension of Gong Dian and Ye Zhong, just like the uneasiness and fear of General Shi Fei, no one could think of this.

Yan Bingyun slowly lowered his head and said, "The Council's surveillance of the military has always been an unsavory matter, so it's better not to send a document to the Privy Council. What is the usual practice?"

"We can't interfere in the military, generally we submit a report of intelligence items to the palace for His Majesty to review." The head of the Second Bureau pondered for a moment and said, "Of course, for such anomalies as today, we need to react faster."

"Good." Yan Bingyun still had his head lowered and said, "Immediately turn these intelligence reports into a report of items and send them to the Imperial Study through the secret passage."

"Yes." The head of the Second Bureau subconsciously responded like a subordinate, and suddenly felt that Yan Bingyun's reaction was a bit strange. He had not raised his head, which seemed a bit rude. He was now an official of equal rank to him, and the other party had not yet truly taken office as Supervisor, but yet... He shook his head again. He had watched Yan Bingyun grow up since he was a child, and knew that he was not such a person, but only thought that there was something wrong with the Yan residence itself, so he didn't think much about it, picked up the documents and left the door.

The Overwatch Council's opportunity to react in the first time was thus missed. Of course, in the face of the Qing Kingdom's powerful state machine, if the Overwatch Council, as an espionage organization, did not react at all, it might be the best reaction for this country, this court, and even this square gray building...

The room returned to the unchanging silence of countless years. Yan Bingyun slowly raised his head. At this time, if someone was present, they would definitely be able to see the increasingly strong struggle and pain in Young Master Yan's eyes.

Yan Bingyun's hands under the table were clenched tightly, and he didn't let go for a long time. His thin lips were pursed tightly, so tightly that there was almost no blood color. He slowly stood up, walked to the side of the window, lifted the black curtain, and looked out. He immediately saw a corner of the bright yellow imperial city shining brightly in the clear autumn sunlight.

At this time, he thought of the first time he entered the Overwatch Council, when the old man in the wheelchair received him in this room. The black cloth on the window seemed to have never been taken down. It seemed that the old man was accustomed to the darkness and could no longer see the sunlight.

Later, the old man left this room and returned to Chen Garden. Fan Xian also didn't like to stay in the serious and sinister Overwatch Council every day, so the person who stayed in this room the longest was Yan Bingyun himself.

In the past, the heads of the Eight Bureaus would report matters on both sides of this long table. Now there was no one on either side of the long table. In the past, at the end of the long table, there would be a wheelchair, and behind the wheelchair was a shadow.

Now the wheelchair was long gone. Yan Bingyun slowly lowered the black curtain in his hand, sighed a long sigh, and the confusion, struggle, and pain in his eyes gradually disappeared. Since he was the second master of this room, he had to inherit the character and will of the previous master. Since he had made up his mind, he could no longer hesitate.

Yan Bingyun, one of the seven young ministers whom Qing Emperor brought into the palace when he infused new blood into the court. These seven young ministers were exactly the new people that Qing Emperor had prepared for the future of the Qing Kingdom. Except for Qin Heng, who died in the rebellion, the remaining six people had already begun to shine in the court of the Qing Kingdom.

Among the six, the one who climbed the fastest was naturally He Zongwei. At a young age, he was already a Grand Secretary of the Department of Affairs and also held the position of Left Deputy Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. And Yan Bingyun and Cheng Jialin, one of Fan Xian's Four Disciples, were undoubtedly assigned to Fan Xian's faction by everyone.

But no one knew how much effort and deterrence the great Emperor of the Qing Kingdom had invested in the Overwatch Council's Young Master Yan during that night talk.

In the eyes of His Majesty, the most important of the so-called Seven Gentlemen were He Zongwei and Yan Bingyun.

Yan Bingyun slowly sat down, his palms spread flat on the desk, gently stroking over the complicated and countless regulations, documents, and intelligence memorials of the Overwatch Council. Then he gently rang a bell, summoned his directly subordinate officials and the members of the Qinian Group that he could use, and softly issued one order after another.

These orders seemed to have no connection with each other and were not very noticeable. However, reinforcements to Dongyi City and the handover with Deng Ziyue in Xiliang Road would consume most of the Overwatch Council's attention in these ten days.

A total of four orders easily emptied a large part of the Overwatch Council's headquarters force and began to mobilize to various parts of the Qing Kingdom. These mobilizations were not unusual, so they did not attract anyone's attention. However, as a result, it was extremely difficult for the Overwatch Council to gather a strong killing force in the capital again.

There were not many people who could do this. Even if Fan Xian came to do it himself, he might not be able to do it as quickly as Yan Bingyun, because Fan Xian was ultimately a person who was impatient with details. He knew the Overwatch Council very well, but he still did not understand it as thoroughly as Yan Bingyun. A huge supervisory and espionage organization could cause such consequences just by moving a few points in it. Young Master Yan's planning skills were still so powerful.

The only bureau that could not be moved was the First Bureau of the Overwatch Council. The First Bureau was originally responsible for supervising the governance of the officials in the capital, and the First Bureau was originally managed by Fan Xian himself. Although Mu Tie had become the head of the First Bureau, the officials of the First Bureau actually still felt that their direct superior was the Dean. Although Yan Bingyun had Fan Xian's hand order, he could not use too bizarre orders to transfer them out of the capital.

After Yan Bingyun finished all of this, he took a deep breath, as if he felt that his actions just now were about to suffocate him.

"Everything for the Qing Kingdom." Yan Bingyun slowly closed his eyes, and could not help but think of the conversation he had with his father a long time ago. The smooth corners of his eyes couldn't help twitching. "Or is it everything for the Overwatch Council?"

……

……

When Eunuch Yao left the Imperial Study and came to the bottom of the imperial city to announce the imperial decree to Ye Zhong and Gong Dian, few people in the palace knew about this. After Ye Zhong and Gong Dian knelt on the ground, enduring the shock and unease in their hearts to receive the decree, Eunuch Yao handed over His Majesty's handwritten letter, and then said expressionlessly, "General Shi Fei is waiting for the decree."

Ye Zhong stood up and took over this handwritten letter from His Majesty, as if he had taken over a Great East Mountain. It was so heavy that his arms could hardly lift it. He was one of the few remaining Ninth-Rank experts in the Qing Kingdom, but facing this handwritten letter, he still felt that he could not bear it.

Fortunately, the person who really needed this handwritten letter was Shi Fei, an important minister of the Yan faction in the military. Because he had not been in the capital for a long time, he was sent by the Emperor to do such a fatal errand. Ye Zhong, as the Right Administrator of the Privy Council, could not help but feel a burst of sorrow for Shi Fei, and at the same time, a chill rose in his heart.

Letting the Yan faction in the military do this, instead of letting the Dingzhou army do this, besides the fact that Shi Fei's Capital Garrison Division was easy to manipulate, it had to be said that Ye Zhong had been living in the capital for a long time, and His Majesty was not very assured of his relationship with Chen Pingping.

Ye Zhong understood this, but his face did not show any emotion.

Eunuch Yao left the Imperial Guard's camp empty-handed, hunched over, and slowly walked towards the depths of the palace. In fact, like Ye Zhong, this chief eunuch's heart was also floating with many complex emotions. After serving in the palace for a long time, he had seen the conversations and dialogues between His Majesty and Dean Chen, which were completely different from those of ordinary monarchs and ministers. He knew that in His Majesty's heart, Dean Chen was definitely not just an ordinary minister.

Thinking of the scene in the Imperial Study where His Majesty was furious, the smile on Eunuch Yao's face could not help but become bitter. In fact, in his opinion, if His Majesty really wanted to punish Dean Chen, then when Dean Chen was in the capital, when Dean Chen entered the palace to say goodbye, wouldn't it be more convenient for His Majesty to take action? Why did he have to drag it out until Dean Chen had already left the capital and was on the road back to his hometown before taking action?

The matter was in Dazhou, the Tiger Guard who deserted was in Dazhou, the experts from the Ministry of Justice sent by Academician He were in Dazhou, and the experts sent by the Imperial Household Department to help the Censorate were also in Dazhou.

Eunuch Yao understood His Majesty's intentions better than anyone else. It seemed that His Majesty was still watching... Eunuch Yao knew that if Dean Chen really wanted to escape, unless His Majesty personally led troops to chase him, no one could stop that old monster.

He walked to the bottom of the Taiji Hall, leaned against a pillar of the corridor, and enjoyed a rare moment of leisure. The eunuchs and palace maids passing by respectfully and fearfully saluted and then left silently. Eunuch Yao closed his eyes and enjoyed the early autumn afternoon sunlight, and sighed secretly in his heart, saying to himself, "Old Dean, since you have left, don't come back. His Majesty doesn't want you to come back either."

Yes, the cold-blooded and ruthless Qing Kingdom Emperor, after investigating secretly for a long time, still went against his nature and gave Chen Pingping a chance, a chance to defend himself, and a chance to leave. However, before leaving, Chen Pingping did not defend himself, and now outside Dazhou City, he met the Tiger Guard Gao Da who was wanted by the court, and it was up to him whether he was willing to leave or not.

If Chen Pingping was willing to leave, perhaps this matter would be over. If he was not willing to leave, then he would have to return to the capital.

This was not Qing Emperor's affection for Chen Pingping, but more of an interrogation of Chen Pingping's heart, a question, a soft question.

Qing Emperor and Chen Pingping had known each other for decades. He could accept anyone betraying him, because a suspicious emperor never believed in anyone in the world, but he could not accept Chen Pingping betraying him. He himself did not even believe any of the truth he had found out.

A person living in the world is always afraid of being alone, especially the person sitting on the dragon chair. Perhaps Qing Emperor himself did not realize that Chen Pingping, this seemingly lonely old cripple, was the only warmth in his cold heart that could prove that he was a living person.

Therefore, the Emperor was angry, anxious, and until the end, still looked at himself and Chen Pingping's heart with a trace of insecurity.

Those involved are often confused. Perhaps the only one who could see all of this clearly was the head eunuch who was leaning against the pillar of the Taiji Hall, basking in the sun.

Eunuch Hong liked to bask in the sun, and Eunuch Yao also liked to bask in the sun. Eunuch Hou, who died at the hands of Fan Xian, also liked to bask in the sun. Perhaps these deformed people had too many secrets hidden in their hearts, and their eyes were sharper than anyone else's, allowing them to know too much of the Emperor's joys, anger, sorrow, and joy. But they could not say it, and they could not figure it out, so they had to let the sun constantly shine on their bodies, so as not to let the secrets in their bodies go moldy, so as not to let the cold emotions freeze them.

Eunuch Yao closed his eyes and slowly breathed. He was not a strong person like Hong Siyang, and he did not have the great spirit of sacrificing himself for the unification of the Qing Kingdom. He was just a cautious person. All his goals were to ensure that he could live safely and steadily, so he had no other thoughts about the matters between the Emperor and Dean Chen except fear.

"The sun is really nice today." Eunuch Dai, who came out from the side of the hall, leaned beside him and said with a smile.

Eunuch Yao smiled and looked at this old partner. The two of them entered the palace together, but Eunuch Dai's days in the palace were not as stable as his. Eunuch Dai was first in Consort Shu's palace, deeply favored by His Majesty. The important task of conveying imperial edicts to the residences of ministers was entrusted to him. Then, later, he fell out of favor and had a miserable time in the palace. It was not until Supervisor Fan helped him, and he showed outstanding performance during the palace coup, that he regained prominence in the palace.

All the eunuchs and palace maids in the entire palace were very afraid of Eunuch Yao. After all, he was the chief eunuch closest to His Majesty, but Eunuch Dai did not have that feeling of fear like ordinary people. After all, they were old acquaintances, and Eunuch Dai's power was not small now, and he also had Supervisor Fan behind him.

Eunuch Yao did not answer, but moved to the side, giving him half of the pillar's position.

Eunuch Dai glanced at him, hesitated to speak, and then sighed, "When we first entered the palace, we were lazy and basked in the sun here, and as a result, Eunuch Hong gave us fifty strokes with the board. Do you still remember?"

Eunuch Yao certainly remembered. Among the few young eunuchs at that time, Little Houzi was already dead. He sighed and knew what Old Dai wanted to ask. He must have noticed the strangeness in the palace today. But this matter was too big, and only five people in the world probably knew about it. Moreover, Eunuch Dai had a very good relationship with Supervisor Fan, so this matter had to be kept secret from him.

Eunuch Yao smiled, squinted his eyes, and glanced at the sun on his left hand, and said, "Of the partners in those years, in the end, some died and some scattered. How many of us still remember the friendship of being beaten together?"

"We are still alive, it's good to be alive." Eunuch Dai shook his head.

Eunuch Yao suddenly looked up towards the end of the long corridor, and saw a young eunuch hunched over, slowly walking over. He squinted his eyes and said, "How is Hong Zhu doing recently, following you?"

"This child probably suffered a great shock three years ago and has become increasingly taciturn." Eunuch Dai obviously liked that clever and silent little eunuch very much, and sighed, "He was also a favorite in the Eastern Palace back then, but who would have thought that he would end up like this."

"He also served in the Imperial Study back then. Taciturn... It's also a good thing." Eunuch Yao said calmly, "You talked too much in those years."

Eunuch Dai smiled self-deprecatingly and did not say anything more.

……

……

Two days later, in a mountain area outside Dazhou City, a unit of the Capital Garrison Division, which had been marching rapidly to this place and had only been resting for less than a day, received a special urgent secret report from the Privy Council of the capital. Shi Fei took the secret letter, destroyed the fire lacquer at the opening of the letter, and read the contents of the letter word by word, his pupils slightly contracted, and then returned to normal. He did not remain silent for too long before handing the letter to the orderly beside him.

"Keep this letter well, you are not allowed to show yourself tomorrow! If I die, give this letter... to Supervisor Fan." Thousands of Capital Garrison Division cavalry were on standby in the valley. General Shi Fei only stood with his orderly in the setting sun, watching the movements of Dazhou not far away.

The orderly was slightly astonished, thinking that the Yan army and Supervisor Fan, or even the Overwatch Council, had never had any dealings with each other. What kind of letter was so important?

Shi Fei sneered and did not explain anything. He looked at his subordinates in the valley and had no confidence in his heart, because even he did not know which of these Capital Garrison Division officers and soldiers had spies from the Overwatch Council planted in them.

Although the court's explicit decree stipulated that the Overwatch Council's regulations also stated clearly that the Overwatch Council was strictly prohibited from infiltrating the military, what kind of person was General Shi Fei? He simply did not believe these things.

Even a big figure like Qin *Lao Yezi* had been planted in the hands of the Overwatch Council's spies, Shi Fei did not think that he was more powerful than Qin Ye.

He took a deep breath and said, "Suppress the speed and approach Dazhou."

He was afraid that he would fail and die, and he was even more afraid that once he died, His Majesty would pin the crime of killing Dean Chen on himself in order to appease Supervisor Fan's emotions, so he handed His Majesty's handwritten letter to his orderly. If this mission failed, then this letter must be delivered to Fan Xian's hands.

……

……

(I'm starting to write hard, collecting monthly tickets from everyone! This is the first day of December, I want to see how many monthly tickets I can get after thirty days this month, let's play together!)