Before dawn, the terrified Yuan Hongdao fled along an alley in the west city towards Hechifang. He carefully avoided the pursuit of the Overwatch Council and the patrol of the Kyoto garrison, and finally came to a room. In a private house.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and sat at the table in a daze, dumbfounded, unable to speak for a long time. In his life, he did not know how many great things he has done, even the former Prime Minister was taken down by him himself, but this scene in the early morning of this morning still made him feel thrilling.
Presumably everyone in the eldest princess Befu is dead. In a sense, these people were killed by Yuan Hongdao, but the problem is that, in everyone's perception, Yuan Hongdao is now the eldest princess The trusted aides around him, so if he hadn't escaped earlier, he might have been killed by the swordsmen from the Sixth Office of the Overwatch Council on the spot.
If Fei Jie hadn't made the first move.
…
…
This private house is the most secret transfer station of the Overwatch Council. Yuan Hongdao turned his head and saw a cup of tea on the table, he drank it without hesitation to moisten his extremely dry throat.
"Aren't you afraid that this tea is poisonous?"
A middle-aged man came out of the inner room with a smile. It was Mr. Xiaoyan's father, the former leader of the four departments, Yan Ruohai.
Yuan Hongdao glanced at him vigilantly, and after confirming the identity of the other party, he said softly: "I had no hope of living."
In the view of the most successful Infernal Walker in the Qing Dynasty, the half-hour arrest this morning has already shown that His Majesty no longer tolerates the eldest princess, and he believes that with the action power of His Majesty and Dean Chen, only half an hour is needed. At that time, the eldest princess' side will be cleaned up.
If the eldest princess no longer poses any threat, then the traces of his own existence will naturally be erased, but Yuan Hongdao does not feel a trace of sadness, because he has done well since he followed Lin Ruofu many years ago. Ready to sacrifice for the Qing Dynasty at any time.
However, Yan Ruohai just smiled, took out the customs clearance procedures and disguise necessary for him, and said: "You haven't been in the courtyard for a long time, maybe you don't know, your majesty and the dean will never abandon anyone easily. A subordinate."
After Yuan Hongdao was startled for a moment, he smiled wryly.
At this time, another woman in civilian clothes flashed in through the back door with a face full of panic. When the woman saw Yuan Hongdao's face clearly, she couldn't help opening her lips wide, showing a shocked expression, as if she never expected that the other party would appear here.
Yuan Hongdao was also extremely surprised, because he had seen this woman in Xinyang before. At that time, the identity of this woman was a trusted maid next to the eldest princess... It turns out that this court lady is also one of His Majesty's people
Yan Ruohai glanced at the court lady, frowned and said, "You came out a bit late."
The court lady bowed her head and replied: "Last night, as soon as I left, Eunuch Hong personally set out to surround Guangxin Palace... I didn't dare to walk freely, so I was slow."
Yan Ruohai glanced at the two of them and said, "Both of you are meritorious officials of the imperial court. Your Majesty and the Dean are very satisfied with the performance of the two of you over the years. Today's matter is urgent, so I have to let you meet face to face, so as to prevent you from not knowing about it in the future." Each other's identities bring unnecessary losses."
Without too many extra words, Yan Ruohai confessed a few words, and then began to send the two most successful spies of the Overwatch Council to the capital.
Yuan Hongdao frowned and said, "Where are we going?"
"Go back to Xinyang." Yan Ruohai said word by word, "Go and wait in Xinyang."
Yuan Hongdao couldn't believe his ears, he raised his head and asked, "You mean... the eldest princess will return to Xinyang?"
"Just in case." Yan Ruohai said softly: "No one can say for sure about the royal affairs... As for how to explain after returning to Xinyang, I will tell you slowly."
He turned his head and said to the court lady: "You are lurking in the capital, if something happens in the future, you will be required to enter the palace."
In the end, the nominally retired senior official of the Overwatch Council sincerely bowed to Yuan Hongdao and the maid, and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
The room fell silent, Yan Ruohai looked at the wall outside the window, thinking of the colleague who had just left, frowned slightly, not knowing what he was thinking, after a long time, he laughed.
With the strength of the Eldest Princess, the Overwatch Council only needs half an hour to dig out her hidden forces in the capital, clean them up with the fastest speed and the most thunderous means, and look so relaxed... It is completely inconsistent with the world's awe-inspiring assessment of the eldest princess, because the Overwatch Council had buried two nails in the eldest princess's side long ago.
Especially Yuan Hongdao, the nail, was placed beside Lin Shusheng when the eldest princess fell in love with the handsome Lin Shusheng in the imperial examination.
If it is said that the court lady only grasped some of the eldest princess' temperament and preferences, and at the same time arranged for Hong Zhu to "coincidentally" discover the secret affair, but Yuan Hongdao is now a Xinyang counselor, and the strength and goal of the eldest princess are incomparable clear.
There is such a person secretly helping the Overwatch Council to deliver news. How can the Eldest Princess be able to withstand the blows and rains of the Overwatch Council? The reason why Chen Pingping has never regarded the Eldest Princess as an enemy worthy of attention is why the Overwatch Council took action today. It seems so accurate and sharp-eyed, all because of this.
Yuan Hongdao was the first basket of nails cast out by the Supervisory Yuan at the beginning of its establishment. After so many years of wear and tear, he was the only one left with that basket of nails. However, he does not know now that the current The Overwatch Council is no longer what it used to be.
Chen Pingping had already stood indifferently between these people and His Majesty, the so-called overhead, that's what it was. Everything for the Qing Dynasty is still the obsession in these people's hearts, but in fact, everything for them must be arranged by Chen Pingping.
※※※
When it was still dark, in that huge house, the old man who liked to grow cabbage had already got up and watered the ground with a wooden ladle.
The most respected elder in the military, Mr. Qin, is getting old, so he wakes up earlier than ordinary people.
Today his second son also woke up very early. Qin Heng, who is now serving as the deputy envoy of the Privy Council but was forced to leave the defense of the capital, rushed over from the front garden with a worried expression on his face, wearing a single shirt on his body indiscriminately. He leaned over to the old father's ear and whispered something.
Although he is no longer the commander of the defense of the capital, after all, the Qin family has many eyes and ears in the army, and immediately knew of the changes in the capital this morning and the actions of the Overwatch Council.
Mr. Qin frowned slightly, and there was a trace of surprise on his old face: "Your Majesty did something to the eldest princess...why?"
No one knew why His Majesty the Emperor of the Qing Kingdom would suddenly attack after being quiet for so long, especially in the context of the Eldest Princess acting so well-behaved in the past few months.
"What should we do?" Qin Heng asked worriedly. If His Majesty's action today is just the beginning of a big action, who will be the next one to be unlucky
"We don't have to do anything." Mr. Qin sighed, and said, "Do you want to rebel? You shouldn't ask such questions."
"But... the eldest princess knows something about our family."
Mr. Qin sneered and said, "What's the matter? Is the dry stock of the Ming family or the naval division in Jiaozhou? Your cousin in Jiaozhou is dealing with it, and there will be no reason to fall into the palace. As for the Ming family... Your Majesty will not do it for 10%. Dry butts burn my old bones."
"But..." Qin Heng was still a little worried, "If the eldest princess loses power today, we won't take action... In the future, Fan Xian will dominate the court. I'm very worried about what Fan Xian will do in the future."
Mr. Qin frowned, and said, "The key is whether Li Yunrui can survive today."
"You mean your majesty will give the eldest princess the death?" Qin Heng's eyes widened, and he couldn't believe his ears. "How could the queen mother allow such a thing to happen! Isn't your majesty afraid of chaos in the court?"
Mr. Qin sneered again and again, and said: "If I were Your Majesty, to deal with a crazy character like the eldest princess, I would either stay still, or kill if I moved... But you are right, there is also a queen mother in the palace, Your Majesty is also a monarch who cherishes reputation, so Li Yunrui may not die."
"If Li Yunrui is dead, nothing we can do." Mr. Qin threw the wooden ladle on the ground and said, "If she survives by chance, we can't do anything now... Believe me, as long as she lives, the future The counterattack must be very crazy, and then... we will have a chance."
…
…
The palace door was closed tightly, and the copper nails on the door were like the protruding eyes of ghosts, staring at the worried people outside the palace wall. There were not many people waiting for news outside the palace, mainly the eldest prince and the guard Xie Su and his party in the capital. They looked at the closed palace gate, not knowing what was going on inside, but they already knew that the Overwatch Council had arrested all the senior officials from the eldest princess' side and sent them to Dali Temple.
The eldest prince frowned very tightly, and after a while, he suddenly said: "No, I want to enter the palace and give advice."
Xie Su pulled his sleeve cautiously, and said in a low voice, "Commander! Don't be confused, it's not us who are courtiers who can speak at this time."
The eldest prince frowned and said, "I can't just watch this happen, what about the imperial grandmother?"
At this time, the Empress Dowager Qing was still lying high in the Hanguang Hall, sleeping very soundly. The transmission of news inside and outside the Hanguang Palace has been cut off by the Emperor Qing, to ensure that no one from other palaces will come to disturb the Queen Mother's rest, and will come to tell the Queen Mother what is going on in certain palaces.
Guangxin Palace, not far from Hanguang Palace, is the residence of the Empress Dowager's most beloved youngest daughter, Princess Qing Li Yunrui. The Guangxin Palace at this time is different from the usual quiet and beautiful scene.
An old eunuch with a stooped body, like a dead tree in winter, stood at the gate of Guangxin Palace.
There are dead trees here, and there is no clear scene.
The Eldest Princess Li Yunrui stood outside the threshold of Guangxin Palace, looked indifferently at the old eunuch outside the palace, and said, "Eunuch Hong, I want to see the Queen Mother."
Old eunuch Hong didn't speak, and no one else responded. The eunuchs who followed him to Guangxin Palace were busy in the palace at this time, busy carrying corpses from every corner of Guangxin Palace.
The twenty-seven maids in Guangxin Palace, including the palace maids who were close to the eldest princess and had martial arts skills, were all dead at this time. There were several corpses under the wall outside the palace. It was obvious that they originally intended to climb over the wall to ask for help.
However, since the old eunuch Hong personally brought people here, the maids in Guangxin Palace did not have any ability to fight back. They were all killed, and no one even had time to say a word.
No one wants to listen to them, His Majesty's will is very clear, no one is allowed to speak, and they are all killed.
The eunuchs carried the bodies of the maids into several broken carriages, and then went to the burning site. Along the way, blood dripped from the empty boards of the carriage, and dripped on the stone road in the palace, which was particularly shocking.
Another eunuch held a broom in his hand and pulled the loess behind the cart. He sprinkled the soil on the blood and swept it away.
After a while, the carriage moved away, and the blood stains on the slate gradually faded into pale marks, as if there was nothing at all.
Only then did Old Eunuch Hong slowly raise his head, and said weakly, "His Royal Highness, the Empress Dowager is resting. Your Majesty told you not to disturb her. Please wait for a while, Your Majesty will come to see you in a while."
A trace of resentment flashed in the princess's clear and beautiful eyes, and the hands hanging beside her were slowly clenched. After a while, she laughed, bowed slightly politely, and said, "Then I... will wait here for the emperor's brother."
After saying this, she turned back into the palace and closed the wooden door.
Old eunuch Hong was still hunched over, like a dead tree, quietly guarding outside Guangxin Palace. Although the branches of this tree have no leaves, it feels as if they are stretching out around the Guangxin Palace, wrapping the upper and lower sides of the palace, making it difficult for the woman in the palace to breathe.
…
…
The East Palace was full of noise and chaos, and everyone was panicked. The empress, who came out without jewelry, looked at the eunuchs who had entered without invitation, and she was furious, her eyebrows were erected, and she cursed: "You dog slaves! You want to rebel, don't you?"
Eunuch Yao saluted respectfully, and said softly: "Your Majesty, I don't dare, but I have to obey the emperor's orders."
At this moment, the pale-faced prince also came out of the back hall. He looked at the eunuchs and guards in the hall, his pupils narrowed, and found that the people who came were all the absolute confidantes of the father in the Taiji Hall and the Imperial Study Room. He didn't know what happened to make these slaves dare to break into the East Palace to make trouble, but he knew that it must be the emperor's intention.
But... why is this? The prince forcibly suppressed the panic deep in his heart, and asked calmly, "Eunuch Yao, what are you doing?"
Eunuch Yao saluted and reported respectfully: "Your Majesty heard that there were people with dirty hands and feet in the East Palace, and he was worried about His Highness the Crown Prince and the Empress, so he sent a young man to bring these servants to Taichang Temple for interrogation."
This is of course a false excuse. The Queen and the Crown Prince looked at each other, seeing each other's uneasiness and doubts. How could the death of a court lady not cause such a big commotion.
The queen forcibly suppressed the anger deep in her heart, and said through gritted teeth: "The affairs of the palace have never been managed by this palace? Your majesty is worried about state affairs, why bother him with these trivial matters, Eunuch Yao... who are the slaves who startled your majesty by talking too much?"
Eunuch Yao stood calmly below, without answering.
The crown prince sighed, and said, "Since it's the emperor's intention, let's take it to trial."
As soon as this remark came out, the eunuchs and maids who had been gathered in the East Palace wailed. Although they didn't know what their fate was, they also knew that Taichang Temple was more terrifying than a black prison.
"How many people do you want to take?"
"All." Eunuch Yao raised his head and said softly.
The queen took a deep breath, shook her lips after a while, and said angrily, "Is there no one serving in this palace?"
"I will redeploy people to serve the two masters soon." Eunuch Yao said respectfully, and then waved his hand, commanding his eunuchs and guards to tie up dozens of eunuchs and maids in the East Palace.
Along the way, some people begged for mercy in a low voice, but the people brought by Eunuch Yao not only tied them up, but also tied up their mouths.
The queen knew that there must be a big problem with what happened today, she turned her head and looked at the prince helplessly, hoping to know the truth from her son's eyes. However, the prince's face turned pale at this time, and he didn't know how to deal with it.
When Eunuch Yao and his party were about to leave the East Palace, Emperor Qing came in from outside the palace, frowned slightly, and said, "What's going on?"
Seeing this scene, the queen quickly brought the prince forward to salute, and said in grief and indignation: "Your Majesty, are you planning to turn this place into a cold palace?"
The emperor gave her a disgusted look, but he didn't even look at the crown prince, and said directly to Eunuch Yao, "What did I order?"
It was an understatement. Eunuch Yao fell to his knees on the ground with a thud, kowtowed repeatedly, and then turned around and said something harshly.
The queen and the prince watched this scene dumbfounded, and then the queen let out a scream and fainted on the prince.
because…
Just outside Qing Kingdom's most sacred palace, the most benevolent East Palace, those guards raised their knives and slashed down!
Countless sword winds rang out, dozens of grunts struggled to come out from the gagged mouth, dozens of human heads fell to the ground, and dozens of headless corpses twitched on the ground. Chong Dianyu.
The queen fainted from fright, while the prince was pale and trembling, but immediately stared at his father with a stubborn and vicious look.