All the official yamen of the Qing Dynasty can be used to take prisoners, but in Kyoto, there are even more such places. Counting from the yamen of the Kyoto Prefecture, there are as many as seven yamen approved by the Qing Law to have the right to take prisoners. And those criminals involved in government affairs, as well as those criminals who have committed the most heinous crimes, are often detained in the prisons of the Criminal Ministry, the Dali Temple, and the prisons of the Overwatch Council. This is the abyss that the common people regard. The so-called sky prison that always appears in storytelling stories.
And since the establishment of the Overwatch Council, this spy agency directly under His Majesty the Emperor has played an extremely powerful and terrifying role in the government. High-ranking officials who have been arrested are often imprisoned here, and those with outstanding skills are also locked up for many years. Underground here, the level of this big prison gradually surpassed the Dali Temple of the Ministry of Punishment, and it became a veritable sky prison.
The Heavenly Prison is near the Overwatch Council. If you go out from the main entrance of the square and gloomy building, you only need to turn a corner to the side, and you will see the two extremely heavy iron doors. Naturally, there is a direct link to the Overwatch Council. For the secret passage of the prison, you only need to go back from the Daping courtyard behind the Overwatch Council, pass a small door, and you can reach it directly.
No matter which direction you enter the Overwatch Council prison, the first scene you see is the deep corridor. The cells responsible for guarding felons are deep underground, and the guards are extremely strict, so there is no fear of robbery or the like.
As the corridor went down, the air became more and more stagnant, and the lights became more and more dim. Although there was good ventilation equipment below, the decades of filthy atmosphere mixed together always made people feel an inexplicable sense of terror and suffocation. Feel.
Go down the corridor to the deepest part, pass through several floors of ordinary sill rooms, and arrive at the cells at the bottom of the Overwatch Council. The guards here are the strictest, and what is different today is that the seven officials in charge of guarding the prison have extremely complicated expressions, and the entire prison is full of experts from outside the courtyard.
For example, the masters of the Imperial Army and the Dingzhou Army, such as the masters of the inner court, what is even more frightening is that on both sides of the separate road leading to the bottom floor, there are four strangers wearing hats and sackcloth, standing indifferently. over there.
No one knew the identities of these four people, but they could clearly sense the powerful aura flowing in each other's body. These four people were sent by the emperor in the palace.
The assassin Chen Pingping was imprisoned in the lowest floor of the Overwatch Council Prison at this moment. Perhaps even this great terrorist figure, when setting up this prison, did not expect that one day, he would locked in.
The emperor remanded Chen Pingping to the Overwatch Council instead of being imprisoned in the palace, nor placed in the wall of Dali Temple. If he was to be rescued, he would be able to see more clearly the minds of the officials of the Overwatch Council by staying in this big prison.
If there are enemies in the world, let them jump out earlier and higher. As confident as Emperor Qing, he has acted in this way since the first day he sat on the Dragon Throne, including the siege of Dadongshan three years ago and the rebellion in Kyoto, all of which were the same. This method of self-confidence to the point of arrogance, suspicious to the point of inducing guilt, probably only His Majesty the Emperor, a monster with two top roles in the world, would dare to use it.
However, His Majesty the Emperor did not expect that the burning fire in the Overwatch Council's heart would be extinguished with one finger by Chen Pingping, who was on the verge of death. Therefore, the ten thousand Qing Dynasty elite troops stationed outside the Overwatch Council were of no use, and they forcibly entered the seven prisons. The masters in the group watched their surroundings vigilantly, and they didn't find the slightest sign of the Overwatch Council's rebellion.
The ground is damp and dark, but there is no trace of moss on all the stone steps and walls. It seems that the Seventh Division of the Overwatch Council has taken good care of the place. The pale yellow torch made of specially made bright oil was burning outside the deepest cell of the prison, clearly illuminating the ghostly land of the underworld.
On the lowest floor, there are only two cells, which are dug out of the underground granite. I don’t know how deep or thick the walls are behind, and in front of the cells is a heavy iron door, which is thicker than the one at the entrance of the prison. The two iron doors won't be too thin.
This is the most gloomy place in Qing Kingdom. Few people are qualified to be imprisoned here. Counting from the decades since the Overwatch Council was built, only one person has been imprisoned in this room on the first floor of Huangquan, the deepest underground. That person's name was Sean, and he had been imprisoned for decades.
And today, Chen Pingping was also imprisoned here.
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The iron door of the cell was not closed, and the firelight shone in, and all the arrangements in the cell could be clearly seen. A bed, a basin of water, and some things. It wasn't just weeds and rat sludge, as people imagined. On the contrary, this cell was extremely clean, but it was too clean and simple, not even a single cockroach could be seen.
Chen Pingping was lying on the bed, breathing slowly, her eyes were closed tightly, her gray hair was scattered around his face. Although the wound on the chest and abdomen had already been bandaged and healed by the imperial physician, the bleeding was so profuse that the old man His face turned pale, and his breathing seemed to be extremely labored. Every time he inhaled, his shriveled chest was like an aging machine. After struggling for a few times, his throat made a sound like a broken bellows.
On the long wooden bench outside the cell, four people sat in sequence, Yan Bingyun, He Zongwei, eunuch, and imperial physician.
These four people will keep looking at the old man, to ensure that the other party will not die, that the other party will not run away, that the other party will remain in the current state of semi-comatose near death, and will stay until tomorrow when the court meeting is held and the charges are convicted. Before the imperial city, under the gaze of all people, to accept the anger of His Majesty the Emperor.
Yan Bingyun's face was slightly pale, and he quietly watched the old man on the bed, not knowing what was going on in his heart. He Zongwei glanced at him indifferently from the side, not worried at all. At this time, the prison of the Overwatch Council was completely controlled by the military. It is completely impossible to get to the bottom floor and rescue Chen Pingping.
Looking at Chen Pingping's dying body, He Zongwei frowned and felt a chill. The beginning of this incident was caused by his fear of Fan Xian, but the ending of this incident has nothing to do with him. His mind was slightly perplexed and awe-inspiring, he didn't know how long he would have to walk down this dark road to the end, and even if he did, would he be like the old cripple in front of him, still unable to escape? What happened to the whole corpse
But He Zongwei had to go on. Ever since His Majesty the Emperor took a fancy to him and made him stand opposite Fan Xian, he could no longer retreat. That's why he exclaimed in the palace, in order to get Chen Pingping and the Overwatch Council together. Only in this way can Fan Xian, who will not return to Beijing in the future, go crazy because of Chen Pingping's brutal death.
All the civil servants and generals in the court of the Qing Dynasty were worried that Fan Xian would go crazy, but He Zongwei hoped that Fan Xian would go crazy. If Fan Xian was really so cold, and under the imperial power, he didn't care about the news of Chen Pingping's death and the humiliation suffered by the Overwatch Council, then he would still be that indifferent princess who is under one person, above ten thousand people, and invincible .
Such a vicious and indifferent Duke Danbo is not the enemy that He Zongwei wants to face. He Zongwei only hopes that Fan Xian is a passionate young official who will turn against His Majesty because of this incident. Standing behind His Majesty, it is possible to obtain the glory and wealth of a lifetime.
When he was thinking hard, Yan Bingyun suddenly said, "Master He, I don't know who those four people are outside."
He Zongwei glanced at Yan Bingyun, shook his head and did not answer. He knew that the other party was talking about the four mysterious figures in sackcloth and hats. These four people held the imperial decree, and their authority was higher than that of the imperial army, and they were responsible for guarding Chen Pingping. No one knew where these four masters suddenly appeared in the palace, and He Zongwei didn't know either, but when he looked at Yan Bingyun, he began to have other thoughts in his heart.
Back then, when His Majesty replaced the imperial court with new blood, seven gentlemen entered the palace, each of whom had been carefully entrusted by His Majesty. Except for Qin Heng who was brutally strangled to death by a black rider, Jing Ge, because of the family rebellion, the other six people have gradually shone in the court. fever. These young ministers are undoubtedly His Majesty's preparations for the future.
Among these six people, He Zongwei had the highest reputation and status, and was implicitly the leader. However, looking at Yan Bingyun's icy face today, Master He felt a little cold and faintly afraid in his heart.
What he was most afraid of in his life was a character like himself who was good at choosing a strong camp and covering himself up, but when he needed to act, he was extremely ruthless. But today when Chen Pingping assassinated the emperor, Yan Bingyun had already done a lot of countermeasures in the Overwatch Council. This fact made He Zongwei feel a little shocked, and found that this young master Yan was also a person with a cold nature and an exceptionally cruel nature. And it was obvious that the other party knew more about this matter than he did. In other words, His Majesty's trust in this person was still higher than his own.
Yan Bingyun didn't notice what was going on in the heart of this popular academician, he just looked at the old man in the cell quietly with complex and calm eyes.
That old man devoted all his life to the Qing Kingdom, spent too much effort, and in the early years, he fought desperately on the battlefield and suffered many serious injuries. He was half-paralyzed in recent years, and his energy and blood were blocked. All these things were added together. This made the Qing emperor's first counselor age extremely fast, and now this wrinkled and silver-haired appearance looks extremely old, and the life essence in his body is already about to be exhausted.
Today in the Imperial Study Room, His Majesty the Emperor struck with anger. Although he was hit hard, he still controlled his strength, but that celadon cup had already cut off Chen Pingping's life. Yan Bingyun didn't need to say anything from the imperial physician, Yan Bingyun could tell that the old dean's lifespan was over. If it wasn't for the precious medicinal materials in the palace to support his life, the old dean might not be able to wait until the opening of the dharma field tomorrow. Say goodbye to this world.
As soon as he thought of this, a trace of sadness flashed in his eyes, which was not easy to be noticed by others.
At this moment, Chen Pingping, who had been in a coma, suddenly moved, and the imperial doctor hurried forward to diagnose her pulse. After a long time, Chen Pingping opened her eyes with great difficulty and looked around, as if she wanted to confirm where she was first, then her dry lips slightly curled up, and for some reason, she actually laughed.
Chen Pingping's eyes were cloudy and had lost all brilliance. He glanced at Yan Bingyun indifferently.
Yan Bingyun also glanced at him, also very indifferent.
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I don't know the years in the mountains, and I don't know the years in the ground. I don't know how much time has passed, but those bright oil torches are still burning at the expense of their lives. The people in the prison of the Overwatch Council who hadn't slept all night felt an uncontrollable sense of exhaustion after spending the most tense night.
He Zongwei rubbed his eyes, subconsciously looked out of the window, but saw a stone wall, and then realized that he was deep in the ground at an unknown number of feet, so he smiled self-deprecatingly. At this moment, there was a sound of footsteps on the stone steps behind the cell, following these footsteps, the little eunuch who announced the decree came to the periphery of the cell.
He Zongwei's expression became serious, the imperial physician's expression relaxed, the eunuch's expression tightened, but Yan Bingyun's expression remained expressionless. The people in charge of guarding the prisoner Chen Pingping knew—
The time has finally arrived.
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A red sun in the east has already jumped out of the clouds, shining warmly on all the buildings in the capital of the Qing Dynasty. The group of people who walked out of the prison stood in the morning light, each of them squinted their eyes subconsciously. After a whole night of tension, nothing happened in the end. Whether it was He Zongwei, Yan Bingyun, or even the guards in charge of guarding, they all felt exhausted to the extreme.
He Zongwei waved his hand lightly. Among hundreds of full-body armor guards, a black carriage stopped at the gate of the prison. Chen Pingping, who was still lying on the stretcher, was lifted up again.
Yan Bingyun squinted at the Huanghuang Imperial City over there, and knew that the court meeting had already started. The ministers of various ministries must be berating Chen Pingping's treason with righteous indignation in the Taiji Hall. Those civil servants had prepared for many years. By chance, it was put on the neck of the old black dog.
The criminal Chen Pingping was carried out of the dungeon and was on the road to death. The sergeants all around were solemnly and nervously assigning the task of guarding the defense. Yan Bingyun and his most trusted subordinates of the Overwatch Council fell to the rear, and then heard a piece of news.
The old servant who has been by Chen Pingping's side for decades, the old servant who drove Chen Pingping back to Beijing in a carriage, was also imprisoned in the prison of the Overwatch Council last night, and now he knows that he has served for decades His master was about to step into the execution ground. The old servant committed suicide by hitting the wall in the prison cell, and the wall was covered with blood.
Hearing this news, Yan Bingyun's eyes were slightly wet, but he forcibly endured it, raised his face, and stopped looking at the imperial city, lest he be mixed with tears of complicated emotions in front of so many people. Flow down.
He raised his head, and saw countless rain clouds approaching out of nowhere, quickly piling up into the sky above the capital, completely covering the red sun that had just risen at the beginning, and allowing a darkness to envelop the green trees of the buildings in the city.
Another autumn rain is about to fall.