490-495

Chapter 490: Laughter In The Ming Garden

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Ming Qingda glanced at her coldly and said in an icy tone, "Mother did not know you were once the Eldest Princess' serving girl, but you know that I am very aware of this fact…so there is no need to purposely remind me of anything. The Prince and I have always been on the same boat, and I am not going to get off."

He paused and felt that there was no need to take out his anger on her. He shook his head and said, "The letter has long been sent to the Palace. The Eldest Princess must have a way to delay Fan Xian's hand."

If the Eldest Princess had some spare time, she would be able to come up with enough plots and plans and use debates in court to delay the Overwatch Council closing in on the Ming family.

The problem was, everyone was actually very busy right now.

…

…

The head shopkeeper of Zhaoshang money house sat coldly in Ming Garden's opulent Flower Hall. The tea next to him had not been touched. His right hand was bound in bandages, perhaps it had been injured the night during the attack.

Times change. Recently, Zhaoshang money house had actively pursued the Ming family to talk about business. Now, after the Ming family's secret attack had failed, they had no choice but to make the first move in inviting him out. Thus, the attitude of the head shopkeeper was clearly different.

Ming Qingda stole a glance at the other person's expression from the back and thought to himself, Although the head shopkeeper was angry, he still came. Presumably, the owner behind the scenes did not wish the incident from the day before yesterday to impact the large deal between them.

Just as he prepared to lift the curtain and go out, he found his sleeve being pulled by someone. He turned his head in surprise to see that the face of his favorite son, Ming Lanshi, was deathly pale. He began talking and then stopped again.

Ming Qingda furrowed his brows and scolded in a low voice, "We are at a critical moment, if you have something, then say it."

Ming Lanshi swept his gaze into the hall. His coloring became even worse. He pulled his father into the back hall. Without another word, he knelt down in front of him with a thud.

"I am not filial…please, kill me, father…" Ming Lanshi summoned his courage and raised his head. "You cannot let Zhaoshang money house use the silver to exchange for shares."

Ming Qingda was silent for a moment. He slowly pursed his lips and asked, "What exactly has happened?"

Ming Lanshi lowered his head in shame and said, "I…privately borrowed a sum of money from Zhaoshang money house and used a percentage of the shares in my hand as a deposit."

Ming Qingda sucked in a cold breath. The color of his face turned very nasty. However, he immediately regained his calm and hurriedly said, "When can it be exchanged back? What contract did you agree to? Can Taiping money house transfer the contract?"

These questions were all important ones. Since this involved the important matter of the shares that determined the ownership of the Ming family, Ming Qingda did not have the time to viciously scold his son. He took the time to ask questions first and hoped that Zhaoshang money house wouldn't be able to have these extra shares.

"Death contract…" Ming Lanshi said with tears on his face. "As for buying it back…at first, I thought it would be three months, but looking at it now, it looks like all the capital has been lost. Taiping should also know of this matter. They won't accept a transfer."

The Ming family has almost suffocated in this year of hardship and dependency on the production of the palace treasury controlled by Fan Xian. The Ming young master thought the same as he had told his father that day. He believed that they should adjust the Ming family's major area of business. Only in this way, could they avoid spending an eternity under Fan Xian's control.

Because of Ming Qingda's persistence, Ming Lanshi could only secretly carry out his own attempt. At the end of last year, he had used his shares in the Ming family to exchange for Zhaoshang money house's cash support. He had thought that this attempt would bring in great profits in a very short amount of time. Then, he could persuade his father, but unexpectedly…

A buzzing sound started up in Ming Qingda's head. He almost fainted. It took a moment before he breathed slightly and asked, "Just what business was it? How could it not earn anything back from the capital?"

Ming Lanshi looked at his angry father. He hesitated for a moment then said in a trembling voice, "It's…illegal salt."

Ming Qingda was shocked and couldn't speak for a moment. Of the three most profitable businesses in Qing Kingdom, one was the brothel business, one was being a royal merchant for the palace treasury, and the other was being a major illegal salt seller. Of these three, illegal salt had the quickest and largest returns.

"Why was there no return on the capital?" Ming Qingda stared at his son coldly and bit out each word. "I know you are a steady person. Even if it was a risky venture, you would definitely have a way to save the capital…tell me, why did you not earn back the capital?"

"Because…" Ming Lanshi wanted to cry but he had no tears. "A few days ago, the salt and tea yamen suddenly carried out an investigation. I don't know how they knew about it, but they locked down all 12 boats of illegal salt…I've gone to talk to some people, but there is nothing to be done."

He didn't notice his father's increasingly ashen face and continued to explain with fervor, "The related customs people have always been well treated by us, I had no idea they would suddenly act. Besides, Yang Jimei had always used that route and promised me that it would be fine…"

A crisp slap rang out. Ming Qingda slapped his son across the face and sent him tumbling to the ground.

Ming Lanshi covered his numb face and half lay on the ground. He could feel blood flowing out of his mouth. He looked at his father, who was raging like a sick lion, and couldn't find anything to say.

"Yamen? Yamen! So, you do know it's the yamen! The salt and tea yamen would not dare to investigate the Ming family…but would the Overwatch Council not force them to do so?" Ming Qingda lowered his voice and roared. His eyes were filled with unspeakable dejection and rage. "Yang Jimei! Is your head filled with water? That salt selling laborer is one of Xue Qing's dogs! Fan Xian lives in his garden in Suzhou!"

A chill settled in Ming Qingda's chest as he kicked his son. He gritted his teeth and cursed, "How could I have raised such a stupid wastrel like you!"

With great difficulty, he reigned in his emotions and said, listlessly, "Did you leave behind any information that can be used against you in the salt business? Be careful that the Overwatch Council doesn't use this to pin a crime on you and have you beheaded."

"Father, please be assured," Ming Lanshi struggled and knelt in front of him, "that batch of silver came directly out of Zhaoshang money house. Although that dog, Yang Jimei, knows it was me, the government won't be able to find any evidence."

"If Zhaoshang money house takes your contract with them into the court…the government will have evidence." Ming Qingda sighed helplessly.

Ming Lanshi's heart suddenly chilled, "This money house…it can't be Fan Xian's, right?"

Ming Qingda's body shook. He shook his head after a moment of silence. "It can't be Fan Xian's. The Eldest Princess has checked the Ministry of Revenue in the capital, and we have also kept a close eye on Fan Xian. He doesn't have enough silver to set this up."

These words were simple, but the effort spent behind them was enormous. For the Ming family to work with Zhaoshang money house, they had to fully investigate Zhaoshang money house's background and confirm that Fan Xian had no connection to it. However, Ming Qingda had no idea that although the results of his investigation were not wrong, that the owner of Zhaoshang money house was indeed not Fan Xian, the owner was Northern Qi's little Emperor.

"Everything will be done with great caution." Ming Qingda tilted his head back and barely managed to control his feeling of failure. "To give up 30 percent is letting down the ancestors, but it will let us draw out some time to wait for a follow-up action from the capital."

However, the gradual fall and eventual collapse of the Ming family was actually all because of the word "delay."

…

…

After a long time, after the head shopkeeper of Zhaoshang money house waiting in the hall had yawned for the 20th time. Ming Qingda walked out with a dark expression.

The head shopkeeper smiled slightly and said, "You've kept me waiting for a long time."

Ming Qingda did not raise his hands in greeting or say anything unnecessary. He coldly asked, "Hand over the contract for Ming Lanshi's shares and destroy all related documents, and I will agree to the owner's request."

"Certainly, Master Ming." The head shopkeeper's expression did not change. He drew out a document and delivered it to Ming Qingda. It was indeed the contract Ming Lanshi had left behind when borrowing money for the illegal salt. It seemed he had been prepared.

Without waiting for Ming Qingda to open his mouth, the head shopkeeper quietly said, "That other copy, I'll destroy it once I go back."

Ming Qingda nodded his head listlessly.

In the afternoon, the various account masters of the Ming family and Zhaoshang money house filed in. The wealthy merchants that the head shopkeeper had demanded to be invited to watch the proceedings were all sitting to the side. The government notary sent by the Suzhou government was also prepared.

Three white sheets of paper were spread on the table. A black brush danced across them. In a flash, three copies of debt into shares documents were written. To the side, the Sun, Xiong, and other wealthy merchants, as well as elders from Suzhou, looked for a while before understanding what was written on the paper. They couldn't help but draw in a cold breath and feel unspeakably shocked.

Zhaoshang money house was entering the Ming family with 30 percent of the shares.

Although the major figures in Jiangnan long knew of the Ming family's distressed situation, no one had thought that the extremely wealthy Ming family would be in such difficult straits. They couldn't be said to be broke, but to use 4 million liang in borrowed silver to exchange for 30 percent shares in the Ming family?

The merchants thought about it again and realized that the Ming family's current difficult lay in having insufficient cash flow, so they immediately understood this point and instead felt that Zhaoshang money house's price was very fair.

Ming Qingda lifted the brush and was silent for a moment. Without any posing, he signed his name with great calm and pressed his fingerprint onto the paper.

Everyone watched the scene silently. Regardless of whether they were friend or foe of the Ming family, they felt incomparable admiration toward the Ming Master's shrewdness and courage. For a large hundred-year-old clan to give 30 percent shares to outsiders, only an extraordinary person could do such an extraordinary thing.

The person signing and giving his fingerprint on behalf of Zhaoshang money house was a young man. A handsome young man who still continued to stand behind the head shopkeeper.

At first, no one had noticed his existence. It was not until now that they all came to their sense and cast strange glances at him, thinking, Was the mysterious owner of Zhaoshang money house was this unknown young man?

At this moment, Ming Qingda finally furrowed his brow and said, "So, you are the owner of the money house. I was lacking in manners the other day. Don't hold it against me."

It was no wonder Ming Qingda couldn't tell. Thirteenth Wang's careless attitude really did not resemble that of an ambitious and ruthless figure in the business world. There was not the slightest sense of being superior.

Thirteenth Wang paused slightly and didn't know whether or not he should acknowledge it because he didn't know, at this moment, whether or not Fan Xian would stay behind the scenes.

…

…

At this moment, there came a clamor from the doors of Ming Garden. Immediately afterward, there was the sound of the middle door opening, then the second door, and then the third door. The clamoring directly traveled to the large hall where the signing was taking place. The urgent footsteps came very quickly. It was even faster than the ritual singing and gave off a sense of brashness and arrogance.

Ming Qingda furrowed his brows tightly, not knowing who was coming.

The footsteps were quick and light because the mood of the owner of these footsteps was unusually light and happy.

Fan Xian, in black Overwatch Council official robes, stepped over the long threshold and walked in with a joyful expression on his face. Behind him came Hong Changqing and other Overwatch Council members, as well as Xia Qifei, the Seventh Master of the Ming family.

He didn't greet the other officials and merchants. Instead, he walked directly to Ming Qingda and gazed at him with considering way.

After looking for an indeterminable time, Ming Qingda furrowed his brows and looked at this imperial envoy, who was still supposedly in the Shazhou area, and asked, "The imperial envoy has graced us with his presence. Please excuse me for not going out to meet you."

Fan Xian smiled slightly and said, "Such a grand occasion. How could I not come? Particularly since I have to come to say thank you."

"Thank me?" Ming Qingda's heart trembled slightly.

"Thank you for 30 percent of your shares." He leaned close to Ming Qingda's ear. In a voice that only he could hear, quietly said, "Zhaoshang money house…is mine."

Ming Qingda furrowed his brows slightly, wondering if he had heard wrong.

Fan Xian looked at the documents on the table on which the ink had not yet dried and a smile grew from the corners of his lips. He had plotted hard for a year, endured for a year, and finally today he had reaped the rewards. How could he not be happy?

Although he knew that by exposing his identity Zhaoshang money house would not be able to escape the scrutiny of the court, this was something that would have happened eventually. He also needed to use this opportunity to have the Northern Qi little Emperor pull back with his earnings. Although, under the Emperor's gaze, Fan Xian may have to endure a loss of over a million liang, he didn't care much about it.

The Ming family that had expanded across Jiangnan for a hundred years, reached into the temples and the jianghu, and controlled the lives and deaths of countless people, had changed hands today. How could Fan Xian miss such a grand show? Spending a million liang of silver to buy a ticket to be able to personally witness this scene was truly worth it. He looked at Ming Qingda, whose expression changed endlessly, and narrowed his eyes with a naughty thought. If the old Ming Master suddenly fainted, then this ticket would be super worth it.

It was as if the heavens had heard his wish. Ming Qingda looked at Zhaoshang money house's head shopkeeper standing behind Fan Xian and the young man handing the contract into Fan Xian's hand, and he finally understood everything. However, he still didn't understand…it was impossible for the Ministry of Revenue to have emptied the national treasury…where had Fan Xian gotten all this silver to set up the money house?

Ming Qingda's entire body trembled. His eyes were slightly red. A gurgling sound came out of his throat, but he was unable to speak. Blood rushed to his heart. His body went rigid before falling down.

Fan Xian casually raised his hands in greeting to the people around who were meeting each other's eyes and began to laugh out loud in the Ming Garden's spacious and luxurious hall.

Chapter 491: Mountain Wolf Amongst The Descendants (1)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The laughter did not continue long before it stopped. Fan Xian suddenly realized that he was being too pleased and savage, which was not a good sign.

Ming Qingda woke from his faint. His silk robes moved without wind. His fists were clenched tightly, and his eyes were slightly red as he stared at Fan Xian's face.

The laughter stopped, and the fainted person awoke. It was as if the earlier scene had never happened. However, everyone knew that 30 percent of the Ming family's shares had already landed in Fan Xian's hands.

If it was just 30 percent, it was still far from sufficient.

Ming Qingda looked at Xia Qifei standing behind Fan Xian and thought of the 10 percent of shares that he held and then thought of the Fourth Ming Master, who was gradually growing distant from the family. He felt his heart grow colder and colder. However, he still maintained a spark of hope.

"Send off the guests." The old man took one last look at the document in Fan Xian's hands and spoke tiredly and listlessly.

Fan Xian did not move. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the beautiful construction in the Ming Garden with appreciation on his face, as if this garden was already his.

Ming Qingda's expression changed again.

Xia Qifei flashed out from behind Fan Xian's body and glanced at his elder brother. He then quietly said, "Send off the guests."

It was the same order to send off the guests, but it came from two people's mouths. This meant that Xia Qifei was already formally standing out and beginning to challenge Ming Qingda for ownership of the Ming family and identity of the Master of the Ming family.

The guests in the hall watching the ceremony knew that today's matter was going to blow up. They didn't know what would happen next or what the old Ming Master would do in his thunderous rage. In a wise choice to protect themselves, everyone quickly left without even bothering with etiquette. Everyone, including the witness officials from the Suzhou government, quickly bowed to Fan Xian and escaped out of the garden.

Immediately, the hall fell silent. The people left included Fan Xian's people and the men from two branches of the Ming family. Although there were a number of people, everyone knew that they were about to lay their cards out on the table. No one made a sound.

Ming Qingda glanced at Fan Xian coldly. He took out a contract and slowly ripped it apart. "Why were you not shameless and also take Ming Lanshi's shares?"

Fan Xian glanced at him and shook his head. "I am an official of the court not a businessman. What would I want with your son's shares?"

He walked behind his people and sat down on the chair without saying anything more. He just quietly appreciated the scene.

He had come to Suzhou today for two reasons. One was to see this show, and the other was to support Xia Qifei. The Ming family had been in Jiangnan for a long time and had thousands of private soldiers at their command. If things really did get messy, Xia Qifei's Jiangnan water bandits may not be able to handle it.

Xia Qifei stood in front of Ming Qingda and smiled slightly. "The owner of Zhaoshang money house had written an endorsement ahead of time. The 30 percent of shares in his hands would be controlled by me. Earlier in the year, the Suzhou government ordered you to provide compensation to me at your discretion. You were generous and gifted me 10 percent of the shares. I am forever grateful. In the future, when you retire to Ming Garden, I will certainly look after you well."

With the support of his son, Ming Qingda barely managed to stand in the hall. He glanced at the men of the Ming family behind him and a wretched smile rose to his face. "It looks like a number of people have secretly leaned to your side, otherwise you wouldn't be able to speak so confidently. Speaking of which, during this year, the Ming family's attention has all been focused on dealing with Sir Fan junior and had ignored you."

As these words came out, the expressions on the faces of the male members of the Ming family were complicated. Those who had already secretly fallen in with Xia Qifei looked ashamed while those who were not privy to inside information wore an expression of shock. Only the Fourth Ming master looked at the sky with an unspeakable indifference.

Ming Qingda took in a deep breath and looked very old. He knew that since the other party dared to fight for the position of the Master of the Ming family, then they must be very certain of the outcome. However, he still had the desire for one last struggle.

He turned his head to stare at the Fourth Ming master and bit out each word, "Did you give your shares to him too?"

"A wise man submits to the circumstances," The Fourth Ming master said slowly.

Ming Qingda gave three wretched sounding laughs and cursed while pointing at him, "Idiot! The Ming family is doomed because of this, and it's all because of you! How will you go greet the Ming family ancestors when you die, and how will you face your mother in a moment?"

The Fourth Ming master was slightly shocked but immediately smiled coldly. His smile appeared to be very vicious. "Brother, I have no face to see them? Last year, I was seized by the Suzhou government and thrown into prison. Not only did you not send people to save me, you actually sent people to assassinate me…such a brother, do you have the face to see them?"

Ming Qingda stared at him and said, "There was no other choice at the time…"

"I understand," the Fourth Ming master smiled maniacally and said. "You wanted the Jiangnan scholars to be sympathetic to our family, so you wanted me to die in prison…but did you not think that I am also a son of the Ming family? Why is it me who has to die? Why didn't you go die?"

Why didn't you go die?

Ming Qingda's entire body trembled. He turned to yell sharply at Xia Qifei, "Show me all your cards! Even if Third and Fourth, these two children of the concubines, have fallen in with you, you still don't have enough!"

Xia Qifei glanced at him and slowly opened his mouth to say, "Zhaoshang money house has more than 30 percent of the shares."

"More than 30 percent?"

"Correct." Xia Qifei was calm. "You know how much money the Sixth Ming master has owed these years…he was the old matriarch's favored baby son. You've always disliked him, so you have been very restrictive of his spending and strictly prohibited him from having a hand in the family property. However, he likes to have fun and is someone who loves to spend money, so he can only stretch out his hand to borrow from outside sources. He doesn't have property, so, of course, he could only use the shares the old matriarch had left for him as deposit."

"Sixth?" Ming Qingda's eyes widened. He would never have thought that the most important stroke in the Ming family changing hands would have come from his own brother. He abruptly turned his head to look at the terrified Sixth Ming master, who had been retreating towards the back. He said in a daze, "Sixth…are you crazy?"

At this moment, the Sixth Ming master's face was filled with grief. He hid, half bent, behind the group of people away from his brother's devouring gaze. Under the mighty Ming Qingda's, Master of the home's, these male members of the family were all scared back one step by his seemingly murderous stare.

"It's not he who is crazy, rather, it is everyone in the Ming family that has gone crazy," Xia Qifei said coldly. "Look at this garden. Everyone in here has their own agenda and a stomach full of vile…including me. Everyone with the family name Ming has selfishness and weakness shining innately from their bones. In a time of crisis, who still remembers their family name? After all is said and done, the reason for the collapse of the Ming family is still you. You were on guard against everyone in the clan, yet constantly retreated in the face of external pressure…with such actions, how could you not be defeated?"

Silence in the hall.

Ming Qingda suddenly laughed loudly. His laughter was unspeakably hopeless and angry. He pointed at Xia Qifei and said, "Do you think that because you have 50 percent of the shares your words count for anything in the Ming family? Don't forget, the Palace and military both have shares in the Ming family business. What you control…is still not enough.

At this moment, Fan Xian, who had long been silent, finally opened his mouth and quietly said, "Those are free shares."

The words "free shares" illuminated the situation.

Fan Xian looked at Ming Qingda, who had almost sunk into insanity, and said, "They are unlisted shares, can you use those openly in a trial?"

Ming Qingda stared at Fan Xian's disgustingly delicate appearance and said, "Sir Fan junior, do you…truly dare to take over the Eldest Princess and old Qin Master's shares?"

Fan Xian stood and tilted his head slightly. He thought for a while and then warmly smiled and said, "If I don't dare take them, then why did I come here today?"

…

…

In a quiet little courtyard in Ming Garden, Ming Qingda sat alone at a study desk. His appearance had lost its luster like a copper lamp that had burned dry its oil. It was unspeakably wan and sallow. This afternoon, Xia Qifei had already chased him off from the position as Master of the Ming family with the shares he held in his hand. At the same time, with the notarization, or perhaps it is better to say under the surveillance, of the Jiangnan Road and the Overwatch Council, all of the accounts had already been frozen. Everyone in the garden had been completely switched out.

The previous Master of the Ming family, who had endured bitterly for a year, at this moment, was completely unable to send out his orders. Although it had only been half a day, he knew that once he had sunk into such a situation, being forgotten by the people of the Ming family and the people in Jiangnan was only a matter of time.

"Why…did Fan Xian do this?" The old master could not understand no matter how much he thought of it. The deep lines in his forehead were the color of dead ash. He muttered to himself, "The Eldest Princess will help me."

"What do you think?" he asked vacantly.

A glimmer of terror appeared on the concubine's face. She had originally been the Eldest Princess' personal serving girl and had been sent to the Ming family in Jiangnan. One reason was for surveillance, and the other was to be responsible for communications. Last year, when Ming Qingda strangled his own mother, he had gone through her, the old matriarch's serving girl, and obtained the nod from the Palace.

"I don't know…the Palace never replied, has something gone wrong?"

Ming Qingda laughed wretchedly. "No wonder…no wonder Fan Xian would be so confident. He knew that the Palace wouldn't be able to help us. If even the Eldest Princess has run into problems and is just a fat piece of meat in his mouth that could be swallowed at any moment, and yet he still devised such a plan. It could be said that he thinks quite highly of me."

"It's not that I think highly of you."

Leading Xia Qifei, Fan Xian pushed open the door and entered. He rubbed his slightly cold hands and sat across from Ming Qingda. "From the very beginning, you and I both knew that if the court wanted to destroy the Ming family, it would be too easy a matter…the problem was, the court did not want to destroy you."

Ming Qingda glanced at him.

"The Emperor wanted a whole and complete Ming family, not a Ming family on the edge of bankruptcy and its final breath, or one where everyone was dead. So, it was actually quite difficult to bring you down," Fan Xian said. "Furthermore, it would be best if this could be resolved peacefully and not cause too many casualties or disturb the lives of the Jiangnan people…as you know, the Ming family is a giant beast. It is not an easy thing to tame it."

He continued, "I had given you an opportunity, but you didn't take it."

Ming Qingda took two rather rough breaths and said, "What are you going to do now? You have to know that I have almost half the shares in my hand."

"From now on, you no longer have the right to talk for the Ming family," Fan Xian said. "From today onward, Xia Qifei runs the Ming family."

To the side, Xia Qifei opened his mouth as if he wanted to explain to Ming Qingda but also as if he was carrying out one last attack on the depths of the old master's soul. "I have already given the order for all of the Ming Garden account books to be sent to the Jiangnan Road's Governor's manor. We will fully cooperate with the court's investigation into the frequent incidences of the palace treasury ships being attacked by pirates in the past."

Chapter 492: Mountain Wolf Amongst Descendants (2)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

He continued to speak, "As the Master of the Ming family, I will need to cooperate with the investigation. As for any members of the family who have acted with impunity against the law, I must hand them all over."

"Lanshi!" Ming Qingda stood up in horror.

"Correct. Ming Lanshi has already been transferred to the Suzhou yamen to explain the matter of illegal salt." Xia Qifei stared into Ming Qingda's eyes. "As for the matter of someone impersonating pirates, I trust that it will also come to light soon."

Ming Qingda took a few heavy breaths and said, "You don't know, but if this goes on, the Ming family will be truly done for! Even if mother and I had once mistreated you, but, after all, you're…father's youngest son, your family name is Ming! Are you going to watch as the Ming family is destroyed in your hands?"

He roared.

"Relax." Fan Xian lifted his eyelids and said. "The court does not have much interest in business. I also understand that if the government overly interferes in such a matter, it will only turn a bucket of gold into a toilet. Earlier in the year, I had already spoken with the Emperor. The court will not stretch their hands into Ming Garden. It will still be the Ming family's Ming Garden. However, this Ming Garden will be much more obedient."

He spread his hands and calmly said, "I will have the palace treasury transport company cooperate with the Ming family to the best of its abilities. Within a year, you will certainly see a newly flourishing, no, an even more prosperous Ming family!"

Ming Qingda was shocked and sat down powerlessly.

Amidst all the things that had happened throughout the year, the Qing government, or more accurately speaking, Fan Xian, had successfully obtained control over the Ming family. What was particularly important was that the present change in the ownership of the Ming family did not have too much governmental influence. Xia Qifei was originally the seventh son of the Ming family. He had every right to be the Master of Ming Garden. Furthermore, all the tricks had been commercial, so it would be much easier for the Jiangnan people to accept it.

At least there wouldn't be many scholars parading outside the Suzhou government saying that the Overwatch Council had forcefully stolen the people's property. The people's property was still the people's property. However, the owner of this property was now Xia Qifei, a secret member of the Overwatch Council.

Fan Xian shook his head and said, "In this year, neither you nor I have been living comfortably. Now that there is a result, you and I can be free."

"Although sir is someone who likes to humiliate others, I presume your visit right now is not as simple as just announcing your victories." Ming Qingda interrupted what he was saying and stared at him. "Presumably you will slowly use these people to prop me up, but you…cannot trap me in the garden. I can always go out."

"I came to talk about this matter." Fan Xian bit off each word carefully. "You, cannot leave the garden."

Ming Qingda smiled coldly and said, "How are you going to stop me?"

"I am under orders to investigate the case of the Jiaozhou Navy's rebellion. You are one of the witnesses in the case. If you don't care about being accused of escaping for fear of punishment, then you can leave all you like."

The Jiaozhou Navy case had ended a long time ago, but Fan Xian only needed to find an excuse. Ming Qingda laughed coldly and said, "Who are you trying to fool with that?"

"There is also the case of the attack on Zhaoshang money house and the assassination attempt on Xia Qifei," Fan Xian smiled slightly and said. "You stretched your hand out too far in the past. There are too many mistakes that could be used."

Ming Qingda was angry but, on the contrary, he smiled. With great interest, he looked at Fan Xian. "If you really wanted to investigate these cases, you could have done so before. Why wait until now?"

"Because, previously, you were the Master of the Ming family. If I investigated you, everyone in court would think the Overwatch Council was persecuting merchants and stealing their wealth," Fan Xian chuckled and said. "Now that you don't have this position, it's much easier."

"You seem to have forgotten to mention one reason," Ming Qingda replied coldly.

"Yes." Fan Xian sighed. "The Eldest Princess can't help you know. When I do something, anything goes. It is very joyous."

He glanced at the woman behind Ming Qingda.

Ming Qingda's brows furrowed tightly. "This is also something I couldn't understand earlier. If you're sure that Jingdou will not be able to help me, then you could directly destroy the Ming family with this method…why bother circling around so many times?"

"I said earlier, I wanted a whole and complete Ming family," Fan Xian said. "In the past, if I used such lightning methods you would, in your position as the Master of the Ming family, call to arms the entire Ming family to fight against the court. You could even cause unrest in Jiangnan…however, presently, you don't have this status anymore. Thus, what you say no longer has this power."

"Status appears to be unimportant," Fan Xian said seriously, "but actually, it is a very important matter."

He smiled slightly and said, "I have to admit, you are only a merchant, so you fall far short of me. No matter what, you would not be able to stand against the anger of the court. However, you were able to exhaust all your means and endure all the bitterness to delay me for an entire year…it is truly very admirable."

Ming Qingda smiled slightly and said, "At least I am still the landlord of the Ming family. You won't let me leave the garden but, presumably, you also won't be at ease in letting me stay in the garden. How are you going to deal with me? Given your methods, you won't kill me at this critical juncture and leave yourself open to gossip and derision."

"You're wrong again," Fan Xian said seriously. "I admire you, but your status is not comparable to mine. Even if you died now, it won't cause any big waves."

"Of course," he warmly urged, "a bad life is better than a good death. I urge you to enjoy a few days of retirement in Ming Garden."

As he spoke, Xia Qifei wore a complicated expression on his face. He took out a long piece of white silk and gently placed it before Ming Qingda on the study desk.

When the white silk came out, Ming Qingda's expression did not change, but it terrified the concubine behind him so much that her teeth chattered audibly.

"The white silk is here. When you have the courage to resist me with death, then please take it and use it," Fan Xian gazed at Ming Qingda and said. "However, I know that you don't have the courage to commit suicide, so you will continue living by following my orders until I no longer need you to keep living…a person who strangled their own mother must be very aware of the terror of death and must afraid of seeing that old woman below the Yellow Springs after they die."

"It is best if you don't die. It is very unlikely that Ming Lanshi will come out from prison. If you die, the shares in your hands will transfer to that not yet 2-year-old infant." Fan Xian furrowed his brows. "As you know, for a child to have this much money in their hands…it's not a good thing."

After he finished speaking, he turned and left the study. Behind him, Xia Qifei carefully closed the study room door properly, not leaving a single crack. The study once again sank into darkness.

Ming Qingda stared at the white silk on the desk. He was silent and speechless. It was after a long time before he slowly said, "What a vicious wolf cub…"

…

…

The guards in Ming Garden had already been cleared out and replaced. The beautiful garden sank into a quiet but uneasy atmosphere. Strangers could be seen everywhere. Now that Xia Qifei was in control, if he wanted Ming Garden to change, there were not many people in the clan who dared oppose his orders to his face.

"Ming Garden's private soldiers already had their weapons confiscated by the provincial soldiers that Sir Xue Qing had sent." After Xia Qifei received the message, he immediately came to Fan Xian's ear and said, "The power in Ming Qingda's hands has already been wiped out."

"Were there any problems?"

"Forty-something people died."

"Make a record of Sir Xue's favor." Fan Xian lowered his head and was silent for a moment before he raised his face with a smile. "Now, the Ming family is finally yours. How does revenge feel?"

Xia Qifei lowered his head and respectfully said, "The Ming family is yours."

Fan Xian shook his head in disapproval. Xia Qifei quickly explained, "What I meant to say was, the Ming family is the court's."

Fan Xian turned his head to stare at him and said, "The Ming family is yours, and that's it. When did it become the court's or mine? Do you think everything I said to Ming Qingda in the study was a lie? Relax…the court has no interest in the Ming family. They only want the Ming family to be obedient."

Xia Qifei was silent. He didn't know what to say. The court had spent a great deal of money to finally completely control the Ming family. Were they just going to hand it to him to manage?

Fan Xian sighed and explained, "People in different positions think about different things. Who is the Emperor? The Emperor is the master of the world. The people of Qing Kingdom are all his people. Since this is so, whatever his people have, he also has it. As long as the person manages this thing well…and can bring benefits to the people and the court, it is fine. If the court really brought the Ming family in, what would the merchants in Lingnan and Quanzhou think? Furthermore, given the court officials with their adherence to old ideas, who would be able to manage this large family business properly? So, you can relax."

Xia Qifei's mouth tasted bitter. He suddenly had a thought. If the Emperor was the master of everyone under heaven and didn't care about the people's property, what about Sir Fan junior? Why was he satisfied with not taking anything from the Ming family?

Fan Xian's words broke his train of thought. "I asked you earlier, how does getting revenge feel?"

Xia Qifei shook his head in a daze. "Walking through Ming Garden as the Master doesn't actually feel like anything because this garden is very unfamiliar. I always thought that since I had grown up here, if, one day, I would come back and take on the mantle, it would be a very joyous matter. However, for some reason, I just don't feel that much happiness."

"Revenge is like this." Fan Xian paused for a moment. "Once a great revenge is had, it feels very boring."

Xia Qifei suddenly thought of something and carefully asked, "Actually, my thoughts are very similar to Ming Qingda's. Looking at the scene today and then looking at your year-long preparations, it seems to be a bit overly cautious."

"A peaceful change is always a long process," Fan Xian smiled and said. "Stability is important above all else. A peaceful transition is the true way…I am just helping the Emperor to run errands. The Emperor requested there to be no blood spilled, so I can only do so…"

Following this, he forced a smile and said, "Besides, in the past, Ming Qingda had the help of the Eldest Princess and the princes, as well as the support of the military. How could I be as impudent as I have been today?"

Speaking of the Eldest Princess, Xia Qifei furrowed his brows and asked, "Just how should we deal with the percentage of free shares?"

"Get rid of all of it. In any case, they are just things on paper and not real goods." Fan Xian delegated, "Make a report, I will send it to the Palace."

Xia Qifei suddenly smiled bitterly. "This will really offend the Eldest Princess…I wonder how she will retaliate."

Fan Xian smiled and didn't say anything, but he was thinking that the Eldest Princess in the Palace had already offended him to the breaking point. As for retaliation…she wouldn't have the time to think of such things.

He waved his hand at Xia Qifei. The two illegitimate children began to wander around the Ming Garden that had recently changed ownership. As they walked, they talked about future matters in a quiet voice, as well as appreciated the beautiful scenery in one of the three most famous gardens in the world. Both the environment and their spirits became beautiful.

…

…

Deep in the Royal Palace in Jingdou, since one month ago, a rumor began to spread. In all places were nobility gathered together. The servants serving these nobility always liked to gossip, speak of old stories, and discuss their shameful secrets and scandals. However, this rumor was truly too shocking, so it only floated around for a few days before it quietly disappeared without a sound.

This was because it truly had no origin. No one knew where it had come from, and there was also no evidence. Furthermore, although the eunuchs and serving girls liked to gossip, it didn't mean they didn't have a brain. They knew that if it continued to spread and reached the ears of the nobles, then their own lives would certainly be removed.

Rumors have a long historical precedent and were an essential part of life in the palace. Most of them would be forgotten. No matter how sensational the topic, if there wasn't any explosive aftermath, it would be impossible for them to stay fresh for a long time.

The leading topic this year in the palace also disappeared like this very naturally. However, some people had not forgotten, particularly the most sensitive of people. In the dark of night, they still discussed this topic.

Eunuch Yao said, in a quiet voice, "The little bastards all have lowly mouths. I know what to do."

The middle-aged man on the low couch put down the memorial in his hand. Without a shred of the tyrannical air an Emperor ought to have, he calmly said, "I heard a serving girl died in the Eastern Palace?"

Chapter 493: The Three Nights In The Palace

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The night was already late, and the royal study was silent. The Qing Emperor was busy with state affairs, so he showed less favor to the harem in the palace. There were many nights like this one when he didn't rest in the rear of the palace and instead just slept in the royal study, so the eunuchs had long prepared everything he needed.

A light breeze burrowed in from the window. Although it clearly could not reach the lantern light through the glass, for some reason, it still made the room a bit dimmer.

"Yes. I heard that she had stolen a piece of watered jade the empress wore when she was young. After she was questioned, she confessed, and then found a moment to commit suicide."

Eunuch Yao very simply told the emperor everything he knew and didn't say a single word more.

"Watered jade?" The Emperor furrowed his brows and seemed to be thinking of something. A moment later, he smiled and said, "I remember now. That was something the empress wore when she was young. I remember that father had gifted it to her family after arranging this marriage. At that time, father had just taken the throne…the palace was in a mess. This item isn't superior in quality, but the empress liked it a great deal when she was young and always wore it."

He furrowed his forehead and pulled out from this rare warm memory. Faintly, he said, "I remember there were clouds carved on it."

Eunuch Yao remained silent. He didn't know what the Emperor's mood was like.

"Although the empress likes it, there is no need to beat a serving girl to death over such a small plaything." A cold smile rose the corners of the Emperor's lips. "Isn't she known as the most generous mistress in the Palace? A virtuous, moral, and kind mother of a nation? She had always played the role very well, so how could she have wrecked all her hard work on this little matter?"

Eunuch Yao had clearly said that the serving girl had committed suicide out of shame, but the Emperor directly said she had been beaten to death. Each person in the palace was cleverer than the last. Everyone knew what truths these words hid.

"Secretly check what happened." The Emperor raised the memorial again and recovered his calm.

…

…

The Royal Palace had long recovered its seemingly eternal calm. No one knew that Eunuch Yao was leading a few old eunuchs in secretly investigating something. The Emperor did not seem to care too much about this matter and didn't ask for any information for many days.

Once again in the night, Eunuch Yao politely reported, "There is no problem with the serving girl's death."

The Emperor nodded and said, "I know now."

"Only, the afternoon of the same day that something happened to the serving girl, she had delivered a roll of cloth to Guangxin Palace. A day earlier, the foreign cloth the empress had ordered from Dongyi had arrived. Following regulations, it was delivered to the various places the next day, and there was nothing strange." Eunuch Yao added.

The Emperor slowly pulled back his gaze from the memorial and glanced at him, and then lowered them again. "I know now."

"At the time, the Crown Prince was also in Guangxin Palace." Eunuch Yao's head could not be lowered any further.

The Emperor placed the memorial gently on the table and seemed to be thinking. He didn't say "I know now" again. Instead, he sighed and ordered, "Have Hong Zhu come over."

…

…

Hong Zhu knelt in front of the Emperor's low couch. The color of his face was like dirt and his thighs trembled. Even the cotton robes at the front of his body had layers of ripples on it.

He wasn't pretending. He was truly terrified…he had thought that Sir Fan junior had buried this clue very deep. Furthermore, it looked like it had absolutely nothing to do with him and should allow him to leave this matter far behind. Unexpectedly, he was kneeling in front of the Emperor.

The Emperor did not look directly at him and straightforwardly asked, "A serving girl in the Eastern Palace died?"

"Yes." Hong Zhu did not hesitate at all. In order to demonstrate his honesty and sincerity, he struggled to suppress his lungs and tried to make his answer sound as crisp as possible. However, the flow of air was too strong and made his voice break. It sounded very raspy.

The sound of his reply echoed in the royal study. It was eye-piercing and unpleasant to hear. The Emperor unconsciously furrowed his brows and said, "Be a bit quieter…tell me of the situation at the time."

Hong Zhu honestly related to him why the empress remembered that piece of jade, how the search in the palace began, how they found that serving girl, who carried out the questioning, and how the serving girl committed suicide.

The Emperor seemed to be listening carefully but also seemed to not have heard a single word. His gaze remained on the memorial. He casually asked, "When the serving girl ran into the column, did you see it personally?"

"No." Hong Zhu did not hesitate at all. Inside his heart, he loudly cried his good fortune. If, at the time, the empress had not kept him behind for some other matter, his answer right now would certainly not be so natural.

The royal study once again fell silent. After a long time, the Emperor suddenly raised his head and looked at Hong Zhu with a not-quite-there smile, "Why are you so scared today?"

Hong Zhu swallowed and a complicated expression of terror mixed with self-blame naturally appeared on his face. As he kowtowed to the ground, he said in a sorrowful voice, "I have betrayed your royal favor. I didn't report the serving girl's suicide promptly, I deserve death."

The Emperor was surprised and smiled. "I had you go to the Eastern Palace to serve the empress, not to be a spy. For such a small matter, there is no need to let me know."

Hong Zhu nodded his head furiously, but he was thinking about something else. A year ago, he had been chased by the Emperor, who had long shown him great favor, out of the study and into the Eastern Palace. In the eyes of the outsiders, it was because Fan Xian had said bad things about him to the Emperor. He knew that the Emperor was only using this opportunity to have him be a gold medal spy in the Eastern Palace. Furthermore, during this year, he had been a very good spy.

He comforted his timidity in his heart and forcefully raised his spirits. Even the Emperor didn't know who he truly belonged to, so what if he was a little bit shaky?

The Emperor had been about to open his mouth to ask something but he suddenly furrowed his brows and stopped his mouth. He changed the subject and said, "How has the empress treated you this year in the Eastern Palace?"

"Mistress is very generous to the servants, and everyone submits cheerfully." These words of Hong Zhu's were very artistic.

The Emperor smiled and muttered to himself in a very low voice, "To kill a serving girl for the sake of a piece of jade, this…counts as being generous?"

After Hong Zhu left, Eunuch Yao stood quietly beside the Emperor and waited for his order. The Emperor was silent for a long time then said, "Hong Zhu didn't lie. Looks like that there really isn't any problems with the death of that serving girl, only…" he smiled and said, "this process is a bit too smooth."

Eunuch Yao was shocked but understood the Emperor's meaning. Ever since Qing Kingdom began, all kinds of strange deaths had happened a number of times in the Royal Palace. No matter how shameful the plot or blood, they could all be covered with an open and public excuse. However, often, when the reasons were too sufficient and the process too natural, then the death was worth being suspicious about.

"There are some things that I don't believe, and you shouldn't remember," the Emperor calmly said.

Eunuch Yao knelt down.

"Have Eunuch Hong come."

In this moment of fear, Eunuch Yao did not hear the Emperor's words clearly and unconsciously replied, "Young Eunuch Hong just left."

The Emperor furrowed his brows and looked slightly unhappy. Eunuch Yao immediately came to his sense. Picking up the front of his robes, he ran toward the door and almost fell as he crossed the threshold.

…

…

Ever since the day Fan Xian's 300 poems caused an uproar at the feast, which was also the day that an assassin entered the Royal Palace, in the past 10 years, Eunuch Hong, who had been in the Palace since the conception of Qing Kingdom and the head eunuch at the time, became more and more silent and subdued. He only wanted to lay in the sun outside Hanguang Palace every day.

However, no one in the Palace dared to underestimate him. On the contrary, they increasingly felt that the old eunuch was not to be tested because of his silence. Even the currently popular Hong Zhu only had his current position because of his connection to him.

Even the empress dowager and Emperor maintained a certain etiquette with this old eunuch.

Today, the Emperor directly called him by his name, "Hong Siyang, what do you think?"

The last time the Qing Emperor had referred to the old eunuch like this he was asking for his opinion on Fan Xian. At that time, old Eunuch Hong had replied and said that he thought Fan Xian was overly fake.

Only in these important times when he needed Eunuch Hong's opinions would the Emperor seriously call his name. Others may have thought that perhaps this was a form of disrespect, but the Emperor's thoughts were exactly the opposite. He always referred to the Eunuch Hong as "eunuch." It made the other person remember the hidden ailment, whereas calling him by his name seemed much more appropriate.

Eunuch Hong's body was slightly bent. He had a half-sleepy, half-waking expression. He quietly replied, "Your Highness, in many things, it does not matter how you see it. Even if you see it with your own eyes, it still may not be true."

The Emperor nodded and said, "I have always been overly suspicious. I know this is not good, as I could see things incorrectly. That is why I am asking you to help me look."

Eunuch Hong bowed respectfully and did not say anything more.

The Emperor was silent for a long time and then said, "Chengqian has been quite spirited this past half a year. Other than the usual lessons with his royal tutors, he often visits Guangxin Palace to listen to Yunrui teach him about the three ways to govern a country. I am a bit curious, how could he have recovered so quickly?"

Although there were already cracks in the royal family, on the surface it still looked fine. The Emperor knew that his sister had studied deeply the arts of power, so he usually did not oppose the Crown Prince from getting close to the Eldest Princess. He had even secretly demonstrated his approval, however…

"I will have to trouble you." After the Emperor said this, he did not glance at Eunuch Hong again.

Eunuch Hong left the room with his body bent and slowly closed the door to the royal study. He walked some distance and turned his head to gaze at the lights inside before sighing from the bottom of his heart. He said to himself, "Since you know you are overly suspicious, then why say you are curious…Your Highness, ah, you need to change your personality. The future of Qing Kingdom all rests on you."

…

…

A few days later, a royal doctor fell sick and died. Another few days later, a noble living in the manor of a distant imperial relative, unfortunately, fell off his horse while out on an excursion. And another few days later, the famous Huichun Hall in Jingdou suddenly caught fire and a dozen people died.

The same night as when the fire happened, a wooden-faced Eunuch Hong once again appeared before the Emperor. In an aging voice he reported, "When my investigation reached the Imperial Academy of Medicine, the doctor died. When my investigation led me to the manor of the imperial relative, the noble also died. When my investigation led me to Huichun Hall, Huichun Hall burned down."

Tonight, the Qing Emperor was not annotating memorials. He listened closely to Eunuch Hong's report. After hearing these words, a strange smile flashed across the corners of his mouth.

"Someone wants to hide something. Regardless of whether it is in the Palace or in the capital, there are not many people who can get something done ahead of you," the Emperor said calmly. "I've always liked her methods."

Eunuch Hong didn't say anything. Everyone in the world was familiar with the Eldest Princess' methods. However, she hadn't had much opportunity to demonstrate it fully in recent years. If such methods were used in helping the Emperor maintain balance in the court and is pointed at the world, of course, the Emperor liked it. But, if they were used to destroy evidence and fool the Emperor, of course, the Emperor…would not like it.

Eunuch Hong took out a pill and handed it over. "I only managed to snatch a pill."

The Emperor gently rolled it around with his fingers. He applied a slight pressure and the pill crumbled, releasing a strange fragrance. His eyes were cold as he said, "It is indeed good medicine."

Eunuch Hong calmly said, "It could be a setup."

"That's why…everything needs to be seen personally," the Emperor said. "Go rest. Regardless of how this thing ends, don't tell mother."

Eunuch Hong made a sound of acknowledgement and left. He knew that, even with his position, there were still many things in the Palace that he could not see.

A slight breeze brushed across the buildings in the Royal Palace. In a garden not far from Guangxin Palace, the Qing Emperor, in yellow robes, flashed out from behind a tree. He lowered his head and felt slightly confused. Clearly, Hong Siyang had already made a great deal of ruckus, so why didn't she pull back slightly?

However, this confusion had long been shattered by the feelings of anger and absurdity in his heart. The Emperor's eyes were filled with failure, disappointment, and despondency.

The middle-aged man didn't return to his sleeping palace, rather, he continued to sleep in the royal study.

This night, he thought for a long time and asked the Eunuch Yao, who was beside him serving him, a strange question, "Would Hong Zhu know something?"

Eunuch Yao shook his head nervously and persuaded in him otherwise. He had to protect Hong Zhu's life while the Emperor was quietly angry so that he could best ensure his own safety.

"I want to kill him…" The Emperor furrowed his brows and said, "I want to…kill everyone in this Palace."

Then he calmed down and ordered, in a strangely cold tone, "Summon Director Chen into the Palace."

In the midst of winter, Eunuch Yao, with sweat beading on his forehead, rushed out of the Palace like he had been pardoned of a great crime and headed directly for Chen Garden to find the great savior. Not long after he left, a giant crashing sound came from the royal study. It sounded like the rare and precious meter tall vase had been pushed by someone to the ground.

Who knew what would make the usually very steady and stoic Qing Emperor express his rage in such a way.

"There's no problem with Huichun Hall, right?" In the Chen Garden, the old cripple who had spent many years on the wheelchair said to his closest comrade by his side. "I don't wish to make a mistake in the last moment."

Fei Jie, with a head of wild hair, said, "What problems could there be? Although it is Hong Siyang personally investigating, every step the Palace has taken has been within your plans. They won't find anything."

"Very good." Chen Pingping closed his eyes and thought for a long time, the lines at the corners of his eyes bloomed like flowers. He slowly opened his eyes and said, "I am thinking about a problem. Should I have Hong Zhu disappear?"

This was a strange question. The Emperor would occasionally think of this because, in his anger, he unconsciously wanted to kill everyone who would be able to guess the unsightly truths about the royal family. Furthermore, he immediately came to his senses and didn't make this decision. So, why would Chen Pingping think about killing Hong Zhu?

Chen Pingping furrowed his brows and said, "After thinking about it, Hong Zhu is the only thread in this entire matter that could go wrong."

Fei Jie shook his head. "Although we devised a way for Hong Zhu to see this, it is very clear that the Emperor did not learn of this through the little eunuch."

These words explained a very startling truth and a huge question that had spun around Fan Xian's head but that he could not ask.

Although Hong Zhu was the head eunuch of the Eastern Palace, how could his luck be so good…or perhaps, so bad, that he would be able to discover the secret matter between the Eldest Princess and the Crown Prince?

So…even Hong Zhu was only a piece with which Chen Pingping had used to start the wave.

"Precisely because of this, I feel that this little eunuch is difficult to see through." Chen Pingping furrowed his brows. "He is clearly a spy the Emperor had placed into the Eastern Palace. After knowing of this matter, why did he not report it to the Emperor? It even made me think that I would have to wait another two months before this matter would be incited."

"Perhaps he knows that if this matter came out from his mouth, he would die without question," Fei Jie said. "To be someone that can climb up in the Palace, of course, he is not stupid."

Chen Pingping suddenly smiled slightly and said, "For Hong Zhu to be able to hold it in, I am very admiring. However, the Emperor finally found out. That is very good."

Fei Jie also smiled. His smile was slightly dark. "You have a good heir, and I have a good student."

Chen Pingping nodded with a satisfied smile. "Up until now, I still don't know what he has planned. Just this point alone shows that he has grown a lot."

This old cripple knew that Hong Zhu was the Emperor's confidante, but he didn't know that Hong Zhu belonged to Fan Xian.

Chapter 494: Half An Hour

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Chen Pingping was silent for a moment and then said, "The Emperor is an overly suspicious man. I'll admit that it was clever of Fan Xian to use this method, but the problem is that the Emperor is a very suspicious person. These easily spotted points of suspicion would, on the contrary, make him develop a deeper level of suspicion…"

Fei Jie glanced at him and said, "That is why we have to help Fan Xian get rid of people, to solidify these suspicions."

"Correct." Chen Pingping smiled slightly. "The Emperor is overly suspicious, so it is actually very difficult for him to come to a decision. After all these years, he is no longer the ferocious general who dared to use 500 people to charge Northern Wei's iron riders…killing people eases a ruler's heart. Although it is crude, it is good that dead men cannot speak, but they can tell the Emperor what he wants to know."

Fei Jie coughed and said, "Although what you said is a bit confusing, I basically understand."

Chen Pingping smiled. "The Emperor is overly suspicious and self-confident. Once he suspects something, he will look at the evidence in front of him and search for the parts that prove his suspicions…thus, it is the Emperor who is lying to his own eyes. Of course, in some ways, this isn't lying as these are things that actually happened."

As they spoke, the sound of urgent conversation came from outside Chen Garden. Chen Pingping and Fei Jie met each other's eyes. Chen Pingping said, "Looks like the edict from the palace is here. You should prepare to leave the capital."

Fei Jie nodded and then asked, "And Hong Zhu?"

"Nothing for now." Chen Pingping furrowed his brows and thought for a moment. He pushed his wheelchair toward the front of the garden and said, "I keep feeling that this little eunuch is not as simple as he looks."

…

…

Far away in Jiangnan, Fan Xian, who thought he was coldly watching everything in Jingdou, did not know that the spy he had hidden the deepest in the Royal Palace had, at the same time, become the person that the two most powerful in Qing Kingdom wanted to kill. This only proved that he was not a god. More accurately speaking, this plan of his that took the most of his efforts and was hidden the deepest still faced many dangers completely outside of his calculations. If it were not for Hong Zhu's sufficiently good luck, by the time Fan Xian next returned to the capital, it would probably be impossible to find any information in the world about the little eunuch with acne all over his face.

Regardless of whether there were gods in temples, certainly no person in this world was a god. Even the person whose realm was closest to that of a god, Ku He, and the person whose power and state of mind were enough to make a god jealous, the Emperor, were still both mortal people.

Thus, the seemingly unfathomable Emperor was, at this moment, seated in the long corridor by the Taiji Palace looking at the large square in front of him. His gaze appeared to be somewhat lonely and disappointed, like a normal middle-aged man.

Beside the Emperor was that black wheelchair. Chen Pingping's head was half lowered. He was gently stroking the woolen blanket on his knee in silence.

Ruler and official were both silent, calmly watching the square in front of them. It was the beginning of spring. There were no falling leaves or flowers. The Palace had been cleaned well by the eunuchs and serving girls until there wasn't even a single speck of dust. The dirt between the stones were all flat and converged together into neat and tidy lines.

It was already late into the night, but the lights in Taiji Palace illuminated the square clearly.

"I was wrong." The Emperor didn't use his imperial title to refer to himself today. He sighed and said, "I had always thought that after three Northern expeditions, as well as having fought in the West and South, there was nothing in this world I couldn't handle. So, I am able to coldly watch as everything happened. However, when things truly happened, I found that I had overestimated my ability to handle matters."

Chen Pingping glanced at him and quietly said, "This is a domestic matter…the ancients have said, even an honest and upright official has difficulty in deciding family matters. Your Highness is not an exception."

Chen Pingping already knew what exactly had happened in the Palace, but this old cripple did not purposely show any astonishment or shock. His emotions were calm, as if this wasn't a major matter at all. This kind of attitude improved the Emperor's mood. Yes, it was only a shameful domestic matter.

The Emperor changed his self-referential title back again and smiled. "In the past, you always said that you didn't want to get involved in my family matters, but, in the end, you were still involved. How about it? Do you want to help me handle this matter?"

Cheng Pingping lowered his head even further and said, "Your Highness has already made a clever decision. I will just have to follow it."

The Emperor was silent for a long time then slowly said, "Many months ago, I told you right here that I was going to play along with them…after all, she is my favorite sister and that rascal is my son, so I always felt a sense of reluctance. However, at this time, even if I am reluctant, I have to make a move."

Chen Pingping slowly raised his head. His expression didn't change, but a strange emotion gradually spread through the depths of his heart. In order to have the Emperor make up his mind, he had already done so much and waited for so long. Finally, the moment he had been waiting for, the moment the Emperor opened his mouth, had arrived.

"You outside the Palace and me inside."

The Qing Emperor slowly closed his eyes.

…

…

That night, the 13 Jingdou city gate guards received orders from the Palace and authorization from the Overwatch Council to open the Jingdou city gates an extra half hour later. In the warm morning sunlight, the country folks preparing to enter the city with melons, fruits, vegetables, and meats on their shoulders made the long winding trip outside the city. Their faces were filled with frustration and confusion.

There was little precedent for Jingdou delaying the opening of the city gates, According to the report of the soldier in front, last night, a Dongyi spy attempted to enter the Overwatch Council, So, right now in Jingdou, there was a massive search going on. In order to prevent the spy from escaping out of the city, the 13 city gates were being closely guarded.

Immediately, the people calmed down. No one spoke resentfully anymore. They only cursed the damn Dongyi spy in lower voices. Inside Jingdou, Chen Pingping personally kept watch in the Overwatch Council and had begun to take action in the early hours of the morning. These years, the Director had stayed in Chen Garden and the Overwatch Council was directly commanded by Fan Xian. Now that he had taken the power of the Overwatch Council back into his hands, the efficiency and secrecy of the Overwatch Council immediately increased to a never-before seen terrifying pace. In less than an hour, the Overwatch Council already secretly controlled four manors.

The Jingdou Garrison did not receive any information, and the nighttime patrol stared with wide eyes and open mouths at the black-clothed Overwatch Council members hurrying to and fro urgently delivering reports. They wondered if something major had happened in Jingdou.

The thousand or so imperial guards that guarded the imperial city also didn't make any noise. They just quietly guarded the gates to the Royal Palace.

The Commander of the Jingdou Garrison, who had just been promoted by the Emperor, the General, who had followed the Great prince on the Western expedition the year before last, heard his subordinate's report and dressed quickly. He then charged to the outside of the Palace. However, he only saw a calm and normal palace without a sign of anything strange.

A sleepy-eyed Eunuch Hou stood behind the imperial guards with a group of palace guards and coldly rejected the Commander's request to enter the Palace to make his report.

Not long after, the Great Prince, who had been sleeping in his manor, also arrived on his horse. However, even his request to enter the palace was calmly and resolutely rejected by Eunuch Hou.

The Great Prince and Commander of the Garrison met each other's eyes. They both saw the unease and wariness in them. At this time, the sky had not yet brightened, but dark clouds floated over and covered Jingdou, making it even darker. The Overwatch Council agents and officials were all moving around, but these two figures responsible for the Jingdou Garrison had no idea what had happened.

The Commander of the Jingdou Garrison glanced carefully at the Great Prince and said, "Commander, should we go to the Overwatch Council and ask?"

During the Western expedition, this Commander was a general beside the Great Prince, so he was still used to referring to him as Commander. The Great Prince paused and then angrily patted his head. The Palace must have issued an edict for the Overwatch Council to come out in full force today. The person managing it must be Director Chen. Other people may not dare to ask Director Chen face to face, but what was he afraid of?

A moment later, these two, leading their personal soldiers, went from the door of the Royal Palace and turned into the Overwatch Council. As their entered the yard, they were not met with any resistance. They saw the old cripple beside the shallow pond in the garden.

"Director, what happened?" The Great Prince gazed at Chen Pingping and asked straightforwardly.

Chen Pingping didn't raise his head and said, "Nothing much. Last night, an ace from Dongyi infiltrated the Council and stole a number of important reports. I entered the capital during the night and went into the Palace to ask for an edict. At this time, we are searching the entire city."

The Great Prince furrowed his forehead. He knew for a fact that this was a lie. What kind of spy entering the capital would rouse Chen Pingping? And, what would cause even the door of the Royal Palace to be closed?

The Commander of the Jingdou Garrison respectfully asked, "Director, do you need any cooperation from the Jingdou Garrison?"

"Xie Su…" Chen Pingping glanced at this garrison commander and sighed. "You haven't been in the post for long. You have to quickly control the Jingdou Garrison. At the moment, you only have an empty position. You can't even order the soldiers under you, so how can you cooperate with me?"

Commander Xie Su was surprised. His mouth tasted bitter. He knew that the Director had spoken the truth. The Jingdou Garrison had first been controlled by the Ye family for 20 years and later managed by the second son of the Qin family. The Ye and Qin families put countless of their trusted aides into the garrison. Given the position of these two families in the military, as an outsider from the Western expedition army, if Xie Su wanted complete control, it was indeed a very difficult task.

The Great Prince asked worriedly, "Uncle Chen, tell me the truth, is it a major matter? Why are the Palace doors closed?"

"It's a small matter." Chen Pingping calmly said, "Only half an hour is needed. Nothing will go wrong."

"Oh right," he sat in his wheelchair and said. "The Emperor has an ordered that the court conference today will be delayed by half an hour. Go to the various manors to deliver the message so that Shu Wu and those other old folks so they won't wait for a long time outside the Palace and curse up a storm."

Another half an hour. The Great Prince was worried, but he knew that before this matter concluded, Director Chen would not tell him the truth.

Chen Pingping said, in the end, "But there are a few families you won't need to visit. My people have already gone."

…

…

The Overwatch Council people had already been sent out to the Lotus Pond Square, where the common people gathered. With the cooperation of the Jingdou bailiffs, they captured all of the ruthlessly and fierce men who were still in their dreams. Although the jianghu people resisted valiantly, they had no choice in the end but to lower their heads and be bound by black chains after paying the price of a dozen lives.

Another group of Overwatch Council members came to the manors of a few Imperial Censorates. Very roughly they pushed these famously iron-boned Imperial Censorates into the ground without a care to civility and directly took them to the Supreme Court. The Imperial Censorates manors' were filled with shock and crying.

Amongst the Overwatch Council group, a young man using a black hat to hide his appearance furrowed his brows and said to Mu Tie, the head of the First Bureau, beside him, "Sir Mu, these are, after all, Imperial Censorates. Even the Emperor has to show them understanding. Rumors and discussing business is not a crime…if you seize them like this, are you not afraid it will damage the Emperor's good name?"

"Sir He, you are now the scribe of the Imperial Censor," Mu Tie respectfully said. "As for the aftermath, it will all depend on your planning."

The person was He Zongwei, and he was the Imperial Censorate that Qing Emperor had inserted into the Overwatch Council during the change in personnel. Who knew what Chen Pingping was thinking having him following the Overwatch Council and participating in a mission that targeted the Imperial Censor.

He Zongwei huffed coldly and knew that if he showed his face after the day arrived and cooperate with the Overwatch Council to have these Imperial Censorates sent to prison, his reputation would be gone. However, he was also a very clever man. He knew this early morning mission was the Palace's intention. He gradually realized that this was the Emperor's only power with which the Emperor would rely on to sweep out the Eldest Princess.

Thus, he didn't dare to have any objections.

He was just confused. Jingdou had been peaceful for a long time, so why was it that the Emperor suddenly couldn't tolerate the Eldest Princess anymore?

…

…

The third Overwatch Council group was in Yan manor.

A cold-faced Yan Bingyun held the orders from the Council and looked at Yan Hangshu kneeling in front of him. He slowly and resolutely read out the crimes of the Minister of Appointments, Yan Hangshu, one crime after another. Each was a heart-shattering crime.

Yan Hangshu knelt on the ground with disheveled clothing. Hearing these crimes, his body was already feeling rubbery. He knew that unless it was a critical moment, the Emperor would never use these crimes to punish him, the head of a department. Since these accusations had been tossed out, it meant that the Emperor was truly going to destroy him.

Why?

There was only one reason. These years, he and the Eldest Princess had gotten too close. Yan Hangshu thought sorrowfully in his heart, but he continued to hopelessly cry out, "I want to see the Emperor's orders! I want to see them! If the Overwatch Council doesn't have direct orders, you cannot capture a third-rank official on your own!"

Yan Bingyun glanced at him and shook his head. He took out the orders and waved it in front of his eyes. Yan Hangshu's eyes went dark. He had actually fainted from fear of this order.

There were a few other groups of Overwatch Council members taking action. Because the time chosen was early in the morning, there was not a sound to be heard. Most of the Jingdou officials and elders were all sleeping heavily, so the missions progressed very smoothly. In less than half an hour, most of the officials in Jingdou too deeply involved with the Eldest Princess had been invited back to the Overwatch Council's prison or Supreme Court's hut.

The last group of Overwatch Council officials was waiting patiently outside a quiet manor. They had long surrounded this manor but had still not made a move. They were waiting for the news from other places.

This group of officials didn't have a leader or carry the edict with them. They didn't even have a copy of the Council orders that Chen Pingping personally wrote. Their structure was very simple—they were all people of the Sixth Bureau.

They didn't need to go into this manor to announce the edict. The orders they had received were enter the manor, do not converse with anyone in the manor, and kill everyone.

…

…

Usually, the horizon would already be a marble white, but this day, the clouds were too thick and the color of the sky remained dim.

Fei Jie with disheveled hair walked out from a side street beside the manor. He nodded at the Sixth Bureau assassins surrounding the manor and left.

The Sixth Bureau assassins swarmed in. They didn't meet any resistance. They knew that this manor hid the Eldest Princess' most powerful martial force, the most secret reports, her most trusted aides, the most…yet there was not any resistance.

All of the Xinyang aces had already been drugged in their sleep by the poison Fei Jie had spread out. The occasional ace who had refined internal strength was cut down by the knives in the hands of the Sixth Bureau swordsmen. Immediately, their spirits returned to the Yellow Spring, forever deeply asleep.

The yard of the manor was filled with the dead.

The face of Huang Yi, the head Xinyang strategist, was filled with hopelessness as the Sixth Bureau swordsmen charged into his room. A few days ago, he had been poisoned by Fan Xian and almost lost his life. Today, he had been poisoned again by Fan Xian's teacher. He had long lost any opportunity to retaliate.

He was just a bit unsatisfied. His mind had not been sufficiently used, and he hadn't even left a tiny mark on the history of Qing Kingdom, yet…he was going to die.

An ice-cold sword cut through his thoughts. It pierced through his throat and kill him.

Entering the back garden, the Sixth Bureau swordsmen did not give the young and beautiful men any chance to beg for mercy. With great speed, they killed them and began to deal with the bodies.

However, no one noticed that before the Sixth Bureau swordsmen charged into the Eldest Princess' manor, at the moment that Fei Jie had begun to spread his poison, a man called Yuan Hongdao, once a friend of Prime Minister Lin and now the Eldest Princess' most trusted strategist, escaping from a dog hole behind the manor with a deathly pale and terrified expression.

Chapter 495: Blood And Yellow Earth In the Royal Palace

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The day had not brightened as the panicked and uneasy Yuan Hongdao followed a small alley in the west of the city and escaped toward the direction of Lotus Pond Square. He moved carefully the entire way and avoided the Overwatch Council's search, as well as the patrolling Jingdou Garrison. With great difficulty, he came to a private residence.

He wiped the sweat off his forehead and sat down woodenly by the table in a daze. For a long time, he couldn't speak. In his life, he had done countless great things. Even the previous Prime Minister had been brought down personally by him. However, the scene in front of him this morning still shocked and frightened him.

Presumably, everyone in the Eldest Princess' manor was already dead. In some ways, these people had all died because of Yuan Hongdao. However, to the best of everyone's knowledge, he was still the Eldest Princess' trusted aide. If he had not escaped earlier, he would probably have been killed on the spot by the Sixth Bureau swordsmen.

That was if Fei Jie didn't act first.

…

…

This private residence was the Overwatch Council's most secretive transfer house. Yuan Hongdao tilted his head and saw a cup of tea on the table. Without hesitation, he drank it to soothe his dry throat.

"Are you not afraid that there is poison in the tea?"

A middle-aged man walked out of an inner room with a slight smile on his face. It was young Sir Yan's father, the previous head of the Fourth Bureau, Yan Ruohai.

Yuan Hongdao glanced at him cautiously. After confirming his identity, he quietly said, "I never had any hope that I would survive."

In the opinion of the Qing Kingdom's most successful undercover agent, the half-hour-long captures this morning already demonstrated that the Emperor could not tolerate the Eldest Princess. Furthermore, he believed that given the Emperor's and Director Chen's actions, only half an hour was needed before the Eldest Princess' faction would be swept clean.

If the Eldest Princess was no longer a threat, then a spy like him would also be wiped away without a trace. However, Yuan Hongdao did not feel any sense of sorrow. Ever since he began to follow Lin Ruofu many years ago, he had been prepared to sacrifice himself at any moment for Qing Kingdom.

Yan Ruohai only smiled and took out the paperwork and disguise that had been prepared for him. "You haven't been in the Council in a long time. Perhaps you don't know this, but the Emperor and Director never lightly give up any subordinate."

Yuan Hongdao [JW1] was slightly surprised and smiled bitterly.

Another girl in common clothing with a frightened expression flashed in through the back door. When she saw Yuan Hongdao clearly, she couldn't help but open her mouth wide in a shocked expression. It seemed that she had never thought that the other person would appear here.

Yuan Hongdao was also shocked because he had once seen this woman in Xinyang. At that time, the woman was the Eldest Princess' most trusted serving girl. So, this serving girl was also the Emperor's person.

Yan Ruohai glanced at the serving girl and furrowed his brows. "You came out a bit late."

The serving girl lowered her head as she debriefed. "Last night, I had just left when Eunuch Hong personally surrounded Guangxin Palace. I didn't dare move around carelessly, so I was a bit slow."

Yan Ruohai glanced at the two of them and said, "Both of you have provided meritorious service to the court. The Emperor and Director are both very pleased with your actions these two years. Today's matters are very pressing, so we had to let you expose yourself to each other. It is also prevents any unnecessary losses in the future because you don't know each other's identity."

Not much extra was said. Yan Ruohai gave a few instructions then began to lead the Overwatch Council's two most successful spies out of Jingdou.

Yuan Hongdao furrowed his brows and asked, "Where are we going?"

"You're going back to Xinyang," Yan Ruohai spoke each word carefully. "Go wait in Xinyang."

Yuan Hongdao didn't quite believe what he had heard and raised his head to ask, "Are you saying that the Eldest Princess will still return to Xinyang?"

"Just in case," Yan Ruohai said quietly. "No one is certain when it comes to matters of the royal family. As for how to explain everything after you arrive in Xinyang, I will tell it to you slowly."

He turned his head again to the serving girl and said, "You will stay hidden in the capital. If something happens in the future, we'll still need you to enter the Palace."

At the end, the nominally already retired high-level official from the Overwatch Council bowed sincerely to Yuan Hongdao and the serving girl. "Thank you for your hard work."

The room fell silent. Yan Ruohai looked at the wall outside the window and thought about the colleague that just left. He furrowed his brows thinking of something. After a long time, he smiled.

Despite the Eldest Princess' power, shrewdness, and tricks, the Overwatch Council only needed half an hour to completely dig out her hidden influences in Jingdou. Using the quickest speed and most brutal methods to sweep everything clean appeared to be very easy. It completely did not align with people's respect and estimation of the Eldest Princess.

This was because, long ago, the Overwatch Council buried two spies beside the Eldest Princess, particularly, Yuan Hongdao. As early as when the Eldest Princess set her eyes on the attractive and intelligent scholar Lin in the imperial examinations, Yuan Hongdao had been placed beside scholar Lin.

If one were speaking of the serving girl, she only knew of the Eldest Princess' preferences. At the same time, she had arranged for Hong Zhu to "coincidentally" discover the hidden matter. However, Yuan Hongdao was Xinyang's strategist and had a thorough understanding of the Eldest Princess' power and goals.

With such a person secretly sending messages to the Overwatch Council, how could the Eldest Princess' side stand against the storm that was the Overwatch Council? The reason why Chen Pingping had never considered the Eldest Princess as an important enemy and why the Overwatch Council's attack today appeared so accurate and vicious was all because of this.

Yuan Hongdao was among the first spies the Overwatch Council scattered out. After experiencing many years of wear and tear in the court and in the world, he was the last one left of that group. However, now, he did not know that the present Overwatch Council had long changed from the Overwatch Council of the past.

Chen Pingping had long ago placed himself between them and the Emperor. A so-called figurehead was like this. "Everything for Qing Kingdom" was still the mantra in these people's hearts. But, in reality, everything of theirs had to be organized by Chen Pingping.

…

…

While the sky was still dark, the old who man liked to plant bok choy had already awoken in that large manor and was watering the ground with a wooden dipper.

The most respected and prestigious elder in the military, the old Qin master was old, so rose from bed earlier than normal people.

His second son also rose early. Qin Heng, presently a Deputy in the Bureau of Military affairs who had been forced to leave the Jingdou Garrison, rushed in from the front of the garden with worry on his face. He wore a random thin coat thrown over his body. He moved closer to his father's ear and quietly said some things.

Although he was no longer the Commander of the Jingdou garrison, the Qin family had many eyes and ears in the military. At the first moment, he knew of the strange movements in the early hours in Jingdou and the Overwatch Council's actions.

The old Qin master furrowed his brows slightly. A glimmer of shock appeared on his old face. "The Emperor moved against the Eldest Princess…why?"

No one knew why the Qing Emperor would act so suddenly after being quiet for so long, particularly after how well-behaved the Eldest Princess had been these few months.

"What should we do?" Qin Heng asked worriedly. If the Emperor's actions today were only the beginning of a larger picture, then who would fall next?

"We aren't going to do anything," The old Qin master sighed and said. "Do you want to rebel? Such questions shouldn't even be asked."

"But, the Eldest Princess knows some things about our family."

The old Qin master smiled coldly and said, "What things? The free shares in the Ming family or the Jiaozhou Navy? Your cousin is handling things in Jiaozhou and won't let the Palace get hold of any leverage. As for the Ming family, the Emperor isn't going to burn me in my old age for 10 percent of the free shares."

"But…" Qin Heng was still a bit worried. "If the Eldest Princess loses power today and we don't help, it will only be Fan Xian's faction in power. I'm very worried about what Fan Xian would do."

The old Qin master furrowed his brows and said, "It is most important to see whether or not Li Yunrui will survive today."

"You're saying that the Emperor would grant the Eldest Princess death?" Qin Heng opened his eyes wide and couldn't believe his own ears. "How could the empress dowager allow such a thing to happen? Is the Emperor not afraid of the court descending into chaos?"

The old Qin master laughed coldly and said, "If I was the Emperor, when handling someone crazy like the Eldest Princess, I would either never move against them or kill them once I did. But, you're right. There is still an empress dowager in the palace. The Emperor is also a ruler who values his reputation, so Li Yunrui may not die."

"If Li Yunrui dies, nothing we can do will be of any use." The old Qin master threw the wooden dipper onto the ground. "If she is fortunate enough to survive, we still can do nothing right now. Trust me, as long as she can survive, her future retaliation will be very crazy. At that time, we will have an opportunity."

…

…

The Palace doors were tightly closed. The metal nails on the doors were like the protruding eyes of spirits staring at the worried-faced people outside the Palace walls. There were not many people waiting for news outside the Palace. They were mostly the Great Prince, Commander of the Jingdou Garrison Xie Su, and a group of their people. They looked at the tightly closed Palace doors and didn't know what was happening inside. They did know that the Overwatch Council had captured all of the Eldest Princess' high-ranking officials and sent them to the Supreme Court.

The Great Prince's brows were tightly furrowed. A moment later, he suddenly said, "No, I have to enter the Palace and speak my mind."

Xie Sue carefully pulled on his sleeve and lowered his voice to say, "Commander! Don't be so muddle-headed. This is not a time for us officials to speak."

The Great Prince furrowed his brows and said, "I can't just watch as all this happens. What about the empress dowager?"

At this moment, the Qing Kingdom's empress dowager was sleeping soundly in Hanguang Palace. The messages being delivered outside Hanguang Palace had been intercepted by people the Emperor had sent and ensured that no one from another palace would disturb the empress dowager's rest or tell her what was happening in another Palace.

In Guangxin Palace, not far away from Hanguang Palace, was the sleeping palace of the empress dowager's favorite daughter, the Eldest Princess of Qing Kingdom. At this moment, Guangxin Palace did not appear as peaceful and beautiful as it usually did.

A bent over old eunuch, like a withered tree in winter, stood in front of the door to Guangxin Palace. There was no sign of a peaceful scene.

The Eldest Princess, Li Yunrui, stood outside the threshold of Guangxin Palace and looked coldly at the old eunuch outside the Palace. "Eunuch Hong, I want to see mother."

Eunuch Hong didn't speak, and no one else replied. The eunuchs who had followed him to Guangxin Palace were, at this moment, busy inside the Palace. They were moving out bodies from every corner of Guangxin Palace.

The 27 serving girls in Guangxin Palace, including the Eldest Princess' personal serving maid who knew martial arts, were all dead. A few bodies were at the foot of the wall outside the Palace. Clearly, they had been trying to escape over the wall to go for help.

Since Eunuch Hong had personally brought people here, the serving girls in Guangxin Palace did not have the power to retaliate. They had all been tragically killed. No one even had the time to speak.

No one wanted to hear them speak. The Emperor's orders had been very clear. Do not allow anyone to speak. Kill them all.

The eunuchs lifted the bodies of the serving girls onto an old carriage and then headed toward the cremation field. Along the way, blood dripped through the gaps between the wood and landed on the stone road inside the Royal Palace. It was a ghastly sight.

There were also eunuchs with brooms in hand pulling a cart of yellow earth behind them. As they scattered dirt on the blood, they swept it clean.

A moment later, the carriage drove far away. The blood on the stones gradually faded, gradually became a very faint mark like nothing had happened.

It was not until now that Eunuch Hong slowly raised his head and said powerlessly, "Your Highness, the empress dowager is resting. The Emperor has asked you to not disturb her. I'll have to trouble you to wait a moment. The Emperor will come see you soon."

A resentful anger flashed through the Eldest Princess' beautiful eyes. Her hands hanging by her sides slowly clenched tightly into fists. A moment later, she smiled and inclined her body with great respect. "Then I will wait here for my brother, the Emperor."

Having said this, she turned, entered the Palace, and closed the wooden door.

Eunuch Hong remained standing with his body bent like a withered tree and stood silently outside Guangxin Palace. Although the branches of this tree did not have any leaves, it gave one the feeling that he was extending in all directions around Guangxin Palace and enveloping the Palace, making it difficult for the women in the Palace to breathe.

…

…

The Eastern Palace was chaotic and in turmoil. Everyone was scared and uneasy. The empress, without jewelry or makeup, looked at the eunuchs who had entered without invitation and flew into a rage. Her brows pulled together. She scolded loudly, "Stupid servants! Do you want to rebel?"

Eunuch Yao bowed respectfully and gently said, "Mistress, I wouldn't dare. However, I have orders from the Emperor and must follow them."

At this moment, a deathly pale Crown Prince came out from the rear of the Palace. He looked at the eunuchs and guards in the palace, and his eyes narrowed slightly. He realized that the people who had come were all from Taiji Palace and the royal study. They were all his father's most trusted servants. He didn't know what had happened for these servants to charge into the Eastern Palace, but he was certain that this was his father's intention.

But, what was this for? The Crown Prince forcefully suppressed a glimmer of fear in the depths of his heart and calmly asked, "Eunuch Yao, what is this for?"

Eunuch Yao bowed and respectfully reported, "The Emperor has heard that there are some people in the Eastern Palace who have unclean hands. His Majesty is worried about you and the empress, so he has sent me here to take these people to be questioned at the Supreme Court."

Naturally, this was a fake reason. The empress and Crown Prince met each other's eyes and saw each other's unease and confusion. The death of a serving girl could not cause such a ruckus.

The empress forcefully suppressed the anger in the depths of her heart and said through gritted teeth, "Has internal Palace matters not always been managed by myself? The Emperor is concerned with state matters, so why have such small things bother him. Eunuch Hong, which servant blabbered and disturbed the Emperor?"

Eunuch Yao calmly stood below her and didn't speak.

The Crown Prince sighed and said, "Since it is father's orders, then take them to be questioned."

Once these words were uttered, the eunuchs and serving girls gathered together in the Eastern Palace gave a sorrowful cry. Although they didn't know what fate had in store for them, they knew that the Supreme Court was even scarier than prison.

"How many people are you taking?"

"All of them," Eunuch Yao raised his head and quietly said.

The empress sucked in a breath of cold air. A moment later, she angrily said with trembling lips, "Are there to be no one serving in this Palace?"

"New people will immediately be sent over to serve master and mistress," Eunuch Yao respectfully said. He then waved his hand and ordered the eunuchs and guards under him to bind the dozens of serving girls and eunuchs of the Eastern Palace.

As they bound them, the people cried out for mercy in low voices. However, the people that Eunuch Yao had brought not only bound the people but also bound the mouths of these people.

The empress knew that there had to be something major behind this incident. She turned her head to glance helplessly at the Crown Prince, wanting to glean the truth of the matter from her son's eyes. However, the Crown Prince's face was pale. He had no idea how to deal with this.

Just as Eunuch Yao and his group of people were preparing to leave the Eastern Palace, the Qing Emperor walked in from outside the Palace. He furrowed his brows slightly and sad, "What's happening?"

The empress saw this and quickly led the Crown Prince forward to greet the Emperor. With grief and indignation, she said, "Your Highness, are you preparing to turn this palace into a Cold Palace [JW2]?"

The Emperor glanced at her in annoyance and did not look at the Crown Prince at all. He directly spoke to Eunuch Yao, "What did I order?"

It was a very light sentence, but Eunuch Yao knelt down in fright with a thunk and repeatedly kowtowed. Then, he turned his head and viciously said something.

The empress and Crown Prince stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed at this scene. Immediately after, the empress gave a tragic cry and fainted onto the Crown Prince.

Because…

Right in the Qing Kingdom's most sacred Royal Palace, right outside the most generous Eastern Palace, the guards raised the knives in their hands and ferociously chopped down.

Countless sounds of knives swinging through the air sounded out. Dozens of cries fought their way out from gagged mouths, dozens of heads landed on the ground, and dozens of bodies twitched on the ground. Fresh blood immediately stained the courtyard of the Eastern Palace. The stench of blood filled the Palace.

The empress fainted from fear, but the Crown Prince, pale-faced and shaking, stared at his father with a stubborn and vicious gaze.

[JW1 It said Yan Ruohai in the original, but this is a typo.

[JW2] The name of a palace where concubines are banished/exiled to.