The crescent moon is hanging in the dark night sky.
Although there was no bright moonlight shining down on the earth in Kyoto on the night of the second day of the lunar month, at this moment, the lights in Kyoto were as bright as daytime. The lively atmosphere in the restaurants everywhere reached its peak, and the super-standard banquet held by the Moon Worship House had come to an end.
The banquet at the Moon Worship Tower was full of energy and lasted less than an hour.
But in just this hour, a bloody storm broke out in the capital of the Qing Dynasty. Everyone who got the news was horrified by the thunderous methods of the Overwatch Council tonight.
Acting like this was undoubtedly the most direct and brutal response to the assassination in the suburbs of Beijing.
Since we can't find the real murderer, we might as well just kill indiscriminately.
People have a better understanding of Lord Tisi of the Overwatch Council.
However, Fan Xian, the person at the center of tonight's topic, is not as happy as people imagined.
Lu Ze had already boarded the car back to the East Palace. Tonight's dinner was obviously more delicious than expected. Thinking that Fan Xian's face would not look good at this time, Lu Ze had a faint smile on his face and started the car. The curtains let in the night breeze from outside.
"Kyoto is lively enough tonight."
"After tonight, the second brother lost his real power. From now on, he can only tie the palace to the carriage of the eldest princess and the Ye family. The whetstone has lost its original function and will eventually be regarded as a useless stone. Throw it away."
Lu Ze muttered to himself. After a long time, he raised his head and looked through the car window in the direction of the majestic palace in the distance, with a bit of ridicule in his eyes.
The actions of Fan Xian and the Overwatch Council tonight were obviously the result of Emperor Qing's tacit approval.
Our second prince did not show more things that amazed Emperor Qing in this strange Kyoto. In addition, he had previously collaborated with Li Yunrui on smuggling from the inner treasury. Tonight, Li Chengze's men became targets of Fan Xian's anger. Sacrifice.
Emperor Qing seemed to intentionally unite the people in Kyoto.
So after he learned that someone in the military dared to openly attack Fan Xian in the suburbs of Beijing, although he was angry, there was also a feeling of joy in his heart. His Majesty, the emperor who had been in the supreme position for many years, really wanted to see Someone jumped out to challenge the king's authority.
Emperor Qing was a very conceited person.
His Majesty the Emperor wanted to complete his victory in one battle, but he still felt that the water in Kyoto was too shallow. He wanted to completely overturn Kyoto and break everyone's hearts apart. Just as Li Yunrui said of Emperor Qing, this is a conceited and arrogant person. But an extremely suspicious emperor.
"Eat and drink enough, go home and let your wife and children warm up on the bed."
"Fan Xian... I hope you can feel more stable. Otherwise, you can just go back and forth wherever you want."
"Tonight, it seems I have to turn around and go to Mud Bottle Alley."
...
The second prince, who looked indifferent, also left the Moon Worship Tower shortly after Lu Ze left.
The reason why the second prince stayed at the end was because he wanted to ask Fan Xian in front of him why he attacked him. Tonight, his power in the capital was uprooted, and even his long-time friend Xie Bi'an, who had been by his side, They all died in the alleys.
The hands under the second prince's sleeves were shaking uncontrollably.
There are only two ways before him now, to withdraw from this cruel war honestly, just like the old Prince Jing, who locked himself in the courtyard of the palace all day long and chose to escape everything with his butt raised high.
And the other way is...to burn the boat.
Thinking about what his wife Ye Ling'er in the palace had said to him during this period, Li Chengze turned pale and raised a sarcastic smile on his lips: "On the road to seizing the legitimate son, there is no way out. If I don't succeed, my mother would rather die."
Fan Xian watched the second prince slowly leave from the Moon Worship Tower.
Just as Lu Ze said, Fan Xian's mood at this moment was not as good as he imagined.
Lu Ze's words before leaving were like a sharp dagger, piercing into Mr. Fan's heart, because Lu Ze obviously saw the real intention behind Fan Xian's crazy behavior——
Fan Xian was afraid.
Because he is afraid.
That's why he used such crazy actions to show his attitude.
Fan Xian's weakness had already been exposed when he was assassinated from the suburbs of Beijing. With Fan Xian's level of force at this time, it was very difficult to deal with a small team armed with powerful crossbows. However, he was a ninth-level master. He wanted to escape with all his heart, but the sergeants could not stop him no matter what.
But it is a pity that Master Xiao Fan attaches great importance to the safety of his subordinates.
When the details of the assassination in the canyon were revealed, this advantage in Fan Xian's body became a weakness that could be overcome in the eyes of those who were interested. At least the future leader of the Overwatch Council was far less hard-hearted than the wheelchair at the moment. The one above.
Tonight, Fan Xian's mind has not calmed down for a long time.
Finally, we arrived at the dark courtyard. Lord Tisi's arrival did not seem to attract the attention of everyone on duty, because Dean Chen had issued the order early, obviously expecting Lord Fan to come to him tonight.
At this time, Chen Pingping was leaning against the warm fireplace, with a somewhat contented expression on her face. After seeing Fan Xian, she opened her hazy eyes and said with a smile, "You're here."
This was the first time Fan Xian saw Chen Pingping since he was assassinated in the suburbs of Beijing.
"I need to know your plan."
Fan Xian stared at the old man in the wheelchair in front of him. Compared with the Dean Chen he had met when he first arrived in Beijing, Chen Pingping's face had deeper wrinkles and sunken eye sockets. She was showing her age, and she had a feeling of twilight hanging over her. .
"This assassination in the suburbs of Beijing has nothing to do with me."
"A plan that must hold everything within a certain degree can be called a plan."
"The enemy has even moved things like military crossbows. You will die at any time. Do you think I will come up with such a shameful plan? This time it was just...an accident."
Fan Xian sneered coldly: "Do you think I'm stupid? How could those people know the specific itinerary of me, the Supervisory Yuan, if they didn't have the cooperation from the courtyard, or even the information from the courtyard? Although I was going out to relax, You’re not a fool to expose your back completely.”
Chen Pingping lowered her eyebrows and did not continue to answer Fan Xian's question: "Anyway, you must have vented your anger tonight, right? At least you can still stand in front of me properly now, and your enemies will fight tonight and tomorrow morning. Everyone will pay a heavy price in court."
Unexpectedly, Fan Xian shook his head. Lu Ze's smiling face appeared in his mind, and his mood suddenly became even more uncomfortable.
If Ruoruo really marries into the East Palace, Fan Xian will have the intention to kill someone.
Chen Pingping seemed to know what Fan Xian was thinking at this moment. He curled up his hands in the woolen blanket and said softly: "I have no involvement in tonight's actions, but the results must be good. The second prince has completely lost the power to compete for the throne. ...Are you doing it because of the crown prince? The fact that you can’t take action against this Donggong is what makes you unhappy.”
Listening to Chen Pingping's words, Fan Xian frowned.
Lu Ze's status is extremely special. Fan Xian can use the Overwatch Council to attack the Second Prince's men tonight at all costs, but he cannot attack Lu Ze in this way because Lu Ze occupies the identity of the Crown Prince of the East Palace.
Fight for reserves, fight for reserves...
At the moment, the prince of Qing is still sitting in the East Palace, so what kind of prince is he fighting for?
Tonight, the people on duty in the Overwatch Council knew that the two most powerful people in the courtyard were going to have a conversation, so no one was left around the room. Both of them had a disdain for the imperial power in their bones, so the topic of discussion was naturally a bit treacherous.
Thinking about Lu Ze's behavior at tonight's dinner, Fan Xian's heart sank even more.
The hatred between him and the second prince was only due to profit, but the hatred between his family and the queen was forged with countless blood. Fan Xian did not forget that when he was a child, there were assassins who came to Dan. Zhou Zhou assassinated him, which was nominally the assassin sent by Aunt Liu, but in fact it was the work of the queen and the eldest princess.
"I...can't find his weakness."
Fan Xian's tone sounded distressed and unwilling.
In fact, it is not that there is nothing that Lu Ze can dig deeper into, but the crux of the problem is that in the final analysis, these things are just trivial matters, and it is difficult to fundamentally shake the status of the East Palace.
Chen Pingping was silent.
In fact, in his original plan, the prince had a point that could completely defeat him and the eldest princess, but he did not expect that the prince would jump out of the pit on his own initiative. This incident still makes Chen Pingping confused today. They all felt very sorry.
"There is no need to take action against the East Palace."
When Fan Xian heard Chen Pingping's words, he immediately stood up from his chair and stared directly at the old cripple in front of him: "Didn't you tell me about the bloody night in Kyoto before? Once the crown prince takes office, won't we become eucalyptus? The Daozu on top?"
Chen Pingping glanced at him and snorted softly: "In the final analysis, you are only dealing with the people under his command when dealing with the second prince. Can you still pretend to be insane and kill the second prince directly?"
Fan Xian knew what Chen Pingping had not finished saying.
In fact, the real purpose of eradicating the Second Prince's foundation this time is to force the Second Prince onto another path.
And that road was exactly the road that Emperor Qing did not allow the princes to tread.
Fan Xian looked at the faint smile on Chen Pingping's lips and instantly understood what he really meant.
Thinking of this, Fan Xian's face turned horrified.
"That's right."
"What I mean is...the prince is already on that road, so why bother using us to force him?"
Fan Xian remained silent for a long time.
At this time, he suddenly remembered a classic saying - Why did your Majesty rebel?
Couldn’t this Prince of the East Palace not even be able to wait for twenty or thirty years?
"Are all royals so crazy?"
Listening to Fan Xian muttering to himself, Chen Pingping smiled hoarsely: "Aren't you also a member of the royal family?"
...
Mud Bottle Alley.
An extremely quiet and atmospheric house is located here.
Although it is called an alley, in fact, the specifications here are only slightly smaller than the Weiyang Avenue in front of the palace. The extremely luxurious house is built according to the specifications of the prince's mansion. In the yard, there is an old man in cotton-padded clothes watering the ground. water.
Even Deputy Chen, who was not afraid of Fan Xian in the Moon Worship Tower tonight, had to be extremely cautious when he walked into this farmhouse.
Although the dishes grown here are all very ordinary.
But because of the owner of this place, everything ordinary here seems so extraordinary.
He has served as an envoy in the Privy Council for more than thirty years. The old man of the Qin family has served countless emperors. This top figure in the military, even though he is extremely weak at the moment, is still the pinnacle of the military.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince...why did you come to my courtyard?"
At this moment, the old man of the Qin family frowned tightly and looked at Lu Ze who suddenly appeared in the courtyard with slightly cloudy eyes. He didn't even know how Lu Ze got here, and his thoughts were spinning rapidly.
His Majesty the Emperor strictly prohibits the princes from having any relationship with the military.
Mr. Qin knew what his majesty was, so he was extremely unhappy with Lu Ze's sudden visit.
"Mr. Qin, you dare to openly use private soldiers to assassinate the Supervisory Yuan Secretary, and you are still worried about me trying to gain access to the Qin family?"
Lu Ze's words made the old man in the field opposite instantly tense up.
Lu Ze leaned under the big tree. When he saw this, he smiled dumbly: "I'm in a hurry to go back, so to make a long story short, you were dragged into the water by the eldest princess and Chen Pingping. There is no way out at this moment."
Mr. Qin lowered his eyebrows.
He knew that Dong Gong had changed a lot in the past two and a half years, but he didn't expect that he would become like this.
"Your Highness, I don't know what you are talking about."
Lu Ze shook his head and couldn't help but sigh.
These old bastards in Beijing must have been trained by Emperor Qing for many years. They are all mellow and out of shape. Even if some things are
When the evidence is presented to you, you will not be able to admit it even if you are beaten to death.
"Ouch? Is that so?"
"I will be waiting for Mr. Qin in the imperial study."
Lu Ze turned around and planned to leave.
Soon, Mr. Qin's faint voice sounded: "His Royal Highness...could it be that you want to take advantage of our Qin family?"
Lu Ze turned around and glanced at him coldly: "Mr. Qin should be happy. Now your Qin family still has value. Since you have already entered the water, it is impossible to get back ashore."
Mr. Qin remained silent.
He didn't know how Dong Palace learned about the assassination in the suburbs of Beijing.
He only knows that the Qin family can no longer sit back and watch the fire like before.
"I wonder what your highness...want to do?"
Doubts flashed through Mr. Qin's eyes.
This is the doubt of Mr. Qin, and it is also the doubt of Fan Xian in the Overwatch Council.
No one knows why the Prince of the East Palace chose to wade into this muddy water. Anyone with a discerning eye knows that as long as the East Palace does nothing and makes no big mistakes, he can sit on the throne safely. His Majesty's territory in a hundred years will belong to the new emperor. foundation.
So, why is this?
Maybe, only the old guy in the wheelchair could vaguely detect something.
"conceited."
"Our great Emperor is arrogant, but this Prince of the East Palace is also so arrogant, even worse."
"Does His Highness think that with the help of the temple, he can overthrow the Qing Kingdom's old heaven?"
