The sky was not yet light when a terrified Yuan Hongdao fled along a narrow alley in the west of the city towards Hechi Lane. He was cautious along the way, avoiding the pursuit of the Overwatch Council and the patrols of the Kyoto Garrison. With great difficulty, he arrived at a commoner's house.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and sat numbly at the table, lost in thought, unable to speak for a long time. In his life, he had done many important things, even personally bringing down the former Prime Minister. However, the scene earlier that morning still filled him with dread.

He presumed everyone in the Princess Royal's residence was dead. In a sense, they had all been killed because of Yuan Hongdao. The problem was that everyone believed Yuan Hongdao was now a close confidant of the Princess Royal. If he hadn't fled, he would likely have been killed on the spot by the swordsmen of the Overwatch Council's Sixth Bureau.

If Fei Jie hadn't moved first.

……

……

This commoner's house was one of the Overwatch Council's most secret transit stations. 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 there's poison in this tea?"

A middle-aged man walked out of the inner room with a smile. It was none other than the father of Young Master Yan, the former Head of the Fourth Bureau, Yan Ruohai.

Yuan Hongdao looked at him warily. After confirming the man's identity, he said softly, "I never expected to survive anyway."

In the eyes of this most successful undercover agent of Qing, the roundup in the half-hour earlier that morning had already shown that His Majesty no longer tolerated the Princess Royal. Moreover, he believed that with the speed and efficiency of His Majesty and Director Chen, the Princess Royal's faction would be wiped out within half an hour.

If the Princess Royal no longer posed any threat, then he, as a suicide agent, would naturally be erased from existence. However, Yuan Hongdao didn't feel a trace of sadness because, ever since he started following Lin Ruofu many years ago, he had been prepared to sacrifice himself for Qing.

However, Yan Ruohai just smiled and took out the necessary passes and disguises he had prepared for him, saying, "You've been away from the Council for a long time. Perhaps you don't know, but His Majesty and Director Chen never easily abandon any subordinate."

Yuan Hongdao was slightly stunned, then laughed bitterly.

At this moment, a woman in civilian clothes rushed in from the back door, her face full of panic. When the woman saw Yuan Hongdao's face, her lips parted in surprise, as if she couldn't believe he would be here.

Yuan Hongdao was also extremely surprised because he had seen this woman in Xinyang. At that time, the woman's identity was a trusted palace maid of the Princess Royal… So this palace maid was also one of His Majesty's people!

Yan Ruohai glanced at the palace maid and frowned, "You're late."

The palace maid lowered her head and reported, "Last night, as soon as I left, Hong Gonggong personally surrounded Guangxin Palace… I didn't dare to travel recklessly, so I was delayed."

Yan Ruohai looked at the two and said, "Both of you are meritorious officials of the court. His Majesty and Director Chen are very satisfied with your performance over the years. The matter is urgent today, so I have to let you meet to prevent unnecessary losses caused by not knowing each other's identities in the future."

Without too much superfluous words, Yan Ruohai gave a few instructions and began to send the two most successful secret agents of the Overwatch Council out of Kyoto.

Yuan Hongdao frowned and asked, "Where are we going?"

"You go back to Xinyang," Yan Ruohai said, word by word. "Wait there."

Yuan Hongdao couldn't believe his ears. He raised his head and asked, "Are you saying… the Princess Royal will return to Xinyang?"

"Just in case," Yan Ruohai said softly. "Royal matters are unpredictable… As for how to explain it after returning to Xinyang, I will tell you slowly."

He turned to the palace maid and said, "You will lie low in Kyoto. If there are any changes in the future, we will still need you to enter the palace."

Finally, this nominally retired senior official of the Overwatch Council bowed sincerely to Yuan Hongdao and the palace maid, saying, "Thank you for your hard work."

The room fell silent. Yan Ruohai looked at the wall outside the window, thinking about the colleague who had just left, frowning slightly, not knowing what he was thinking. After a long time, he smiled.

With the Princess Royal's strength, cunning, and means, the Overwatch Council would only need half an hour to dig out her hidden forces in Kyoto and wipe them out with the fastest speed and most thunderous means, which seemed so easy and comfortable… This did not match the world's awe and assessment of the Princess Royal, because the Overwatch Council had already buried two nails beside the Princess Royal a long time ago.

Especially Yuan Hongdao, this nail, had been arranged beside that handsome scholar Lin when the Princess Royal took a fancy to him in the imperial examination.

If the palace maid only grasped some of the Princess Royal's temperament and preferences, and arranged for Hong Zhu to "coincidentally" discover that private matter, then Yuan Hongdao, now a strategist in Xinyang, was extremely clear about the Princess Royal's strength and goals.

With such a person secretly helping the Overwatch Council deliver messages, how could the Princess Royal's faction withstand the storm of the Overwatch Council? The reason why Chen Pingping never regarded the Princess Royal as a worthy enemy, and why the Overwatch Council's actions today seemed so accurate and insightful, was all because of this.

Yuan Hongdao was the first basket of nails that the Overwatch Council scattered out when it was first established. After so many years of attrition in the court and the world, he was the only one left in that basket of nails. However, he didn't know that the current Overwatch Council was no longer the Overwatch Council of that time.

Chen Pingping had already coldly stood between these people and His Majesty. This was what "hollowing out" meant. Everything was for Qing, or so these people believed, but in fact, everything they did had to be arranged by Chen Pingping.

———————————————————————

When the sky was still pitch black, in that huge mansion, the old man who liked to plant cabbage was already up, using a wooden ladle to water the ground.

The most respected senior figure in the military, Old Man Qin, was old, so he woke up earlier than most people.

His second son, Qin Heng, also got up very early today. He currently served as the Deputy Envoy of the Privy Council but was forced to leave the Kyoto Garrison. He rushed over from the front garden with a worried look, wearing a single-layer jacket. He leaned close to his old father's ear and whispered a few words.

Although he was no longer the Commander of the Kyoto Garrison, the Qin family had many eyes and ears in the military after all. He knew about the turmoil in Kyoto this morning, the Overwatch Council's actions, at the first moment.

Old Man Qin frowned slightly, a look of surprise appearing on his aging face, "His Majesty is taking action against the Princess Royal… Why?"

No one knew why the Qing Emperor would suddenly act after being quiet for so long, especially given the Princess Royal's obedient behavior in recent months.

"What should we do?" Qin Heng asked worriedly. If His Majesty's actions today were just the beginning of a large operation, who would be unlucky next?

"We should do nothing," Old Man Qin sighed and said, "Do you want to rebel? You shouldn't even ask that question."

"But… the Princess Royal knows some things about our family."

Old Man Qin sneered, "What things? Shares in the Ming family or the navy in Jiaozhou? Your cousin is handling things in Jiaozhou, so there shouldn't be any handles falling into the palace. As for the Ming family… His Majesty wouldn't burn my old bones just for a tenth of the shares."

"But…" Qin Heng was still a little worried, "If the Princess Royal loses power today, and we don't act… Fan Xian's faction will be dominant in the court in the future. I'm worried about what Fan Xian will do in the future."

Old Man Qin frowned deeply and said, "The key is whether Li Yunrui can survive today."

"Are you saying His Majesty will bestow death upon the Princess Royal?" Qin Heng's eyes widened in disbelief. "How could the Empress Dowager allow such a thing to happen! Isn't His Majesty afraid of chaos in the court?"

Old Man Qin sneered repeatedly, "If I were His Majesty, to deal with a crazy character like the Princess Royal, I would either not act at all, or kill her if I did… But you're right, there's still an Empress Dowager in the palace, and His Majesty is a monarch who cherishes his reputation, so Li Yunrui may not die."

"If Li Yunrui dies, there's nothing we can do," Old Man Qin threw the wooden ladle on the ground and said, "If she can survive by chance, we can't do anything now either… Trust me, as long as she can live, her counterattack in the future will be extremely crazy. When that time comes… we will have a chance."

……

……

The palace gates were tightly closed, the copper nails on the doors like the protruding eyes of ghosts, staring at the worried faces outside the palace walls. There weren't many people waiting for news outside the palace, mainly the First Prince and Xie Su, the Commander of the Kyoto Garrison, and his party. They looked at the tightly closed palace gates, not knowing what was happening inside, but they already knew that the Overwatch Council had arrested all the senior officials of the Princess Royal's faction and sent them to the Dali Temple.

The First Prince frowned deeply. After a moment, he suddenly said, "No, I want to enter the palace and offer advice."

Xie Su carefully tugged at his sleeve and said in a low voice, "Your Highness! Don't be confused. This is not the time for us ministers to speak."

The First Prince frowned and said, "I can't just watch this happen. What about the Imperial Grandmother?"

The Qing Dynasty's Empress Dowager was still fast asleep in the Hanguang Palace. The transmission of news in and out of Hanguang Palace had been cut off by people sent by the Qing Emperor to ensure that no one from other palaces would come to disturb the Empress Dowager's rest or tell her what was happening in certain palaces.

Not far from Hanguang Palace, Guangxin Palace was the bedroom of the Empress Dowager's most beloved youngest daughter, the Qing Dynasty's Princess Royal, Li Yunrui. At this time, Guangxin Palace was different from its usual quiet and beautiful appearance.

An old eunuch with a hunched back stood like a withered tree in winter at the entrance of Guangxin Palace.

With the withered tree here, all the beautiful scenery was gone.

Princess Royal Li Yunrui stood outside the threshold inside Guangxin Palace, coldly looking at the old eunuch outside the palace, saying, "Hong Gonggong, I want to see the Empress Dowager."

Old Eunuch Hong didn't speak, and no one else responded. The eunuchs who had come to Guangxin Palace with him were busy inside the palace, carrying corpses from every corner of Guangxin Palace.

The twenty-seven palace maids in Guangxin Palace, including the palace maids who were skilled in martial arts who were close to the Princess Royal, were all dead at this time. Some of the bodies were under the wall outside the palace, obviously trying to climb over the wall to seek help.

However, since Old Eunuch Hong had personally brought people here, the palace maids in Guangxin Palace had no ability to fight back at all. They were all miserably killed, and no one even had time to say a word.

No one wanted to hear them speak. His Majesty's decree was very clear, no one was allowed to speak, all were to be killed.

The eunuchs carried the corpses of the palace maids onto several broken horse-drawn carriages and then headed towards the cremation ground. Along the way, blood continuously flowed from the gaps in the carriage floor, dripping onto the stone road in the palace, making it particularly shocking.

Other eunuchs held brooms and pulled carts of yellow soil behind them, sprinkling soil on the bloodstains and sweeping them clean.

After a while, the carriages moved away, and the bloodstains mixed with ashes on the stone slabs gradually faded, gradually turning into extremely shallow imprints, as if nothing had happened.

It wasn't until this time that Old Eunuch Hong slowly raised his head and said weakly, "Your Highness, Princess Royal, the Empress Dowager is resting. His Majesty asks you not to disturb her. Please wait a moment, His Majesty will come to see you in a while."

A trace of resentment flashed in Princess Royal's clear and beautiful pupils. Her hands, which were hanging beside her, slowly clenched. After a moment, she laughed, bowing slightly with great courtesy, saying, "Then this palace… will wait here for Emperor Brother."

After saying this, she turned around, entered the palace, and closed the wooden door.

Old Eunuch Hong was still hunched over, like a withered tree, quietly guarding outside Guangxin Palace. Although this tree's branches had no leaves, it felt like it was extending towards the surroundings of Guangxin Palace, wrapping around the palace's upper, lower, and four sides, making it difficult for the woman inside the palace to breathe.

……

……

In the East Palace, there was a commotion and chaos, everyone was panicked and uneasy. The Empress, who was not wearing jewelry and had a plain face, looked at the eunuchs who had entered uninvited, and thundered, her eyebrows raised, and cursed, "You bastards! Are you planning to rebel?"

Eunuch Yao bowed respectfully and said softly, "Your Majesty, this servant dares not, but I am entrusted with the imperial command and must obey."

At this moment, the Crown Prince, with a pale face, also walked out of the back hall. He looked at the eunuchs and guards in the hall, his pupils constricted. He found that the people who came were all absolute confidants of his father from the Taiji Hall and the Imperial Study. He didn't know what had happened that made these slaves dare to come to the East Palace to make trouble, but he knew that this must be his father's intention.

But… why was this? The Crown Prince forcibly suppressed a trace of fear in his heart and asked calmly, "Eunuch Yao, what is this for?"

Eunuch Yao bowed and reported respectfully, "His Majesty heard that some people in the East Palace are not clean, and he is worried about His Highness the Crown Prince and Her Majesty the Empress, so he sent this servant to bring these servants to the Taichang Temple for examination."

This was naturally a false excuse. The Empress and the Crown Prince looked at each other, seeing the unease and doubt in each other's eyes. The death of a palace maid could not have caused such a big disturbance.

The Empress forcibly suppressed the anger in her heart and said, gritting her teeth, "The affairs of the palace have always been managed by this palace. His Majesty is worried about state affairs, why let these trivial matters trouble him? Eunuch Yao… which slaves were talkative and disturbed His Majesty?"

Eunuch Yao stood calmly below, without replying.

The Crown Prince sighed and asked, "Since it is Father's intention, then take them away for examination."

As soon as these words came out, the eunuchs and palace maids who had been gathered in the East Palace wailed. Although they didn't know what fate awaited them, they knew that the Taichang Temple was even more terrifying than the black prison.

"How many people are you taking away?"

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

The Empress took a deep breath. After a long time, she said with trembling lips and anger, "Isn't there anyone to serve in this palace?"

"People will be reassigned to serve the two masters immediately." Eunuch Yao said respectfully, then waved his hand, directing the eunuchs and guards under his command to tie up the dozens of eunuchs and palace maids in the East Palace.

Along the way, there were low sobs and pleas for mercy, but the people Eunuch Yao brought not only tied people up but also gagged their mouths.

The Empress knew that there must be a big problem today. She looked back at the Crown Prince helplessly, wanting to know the truth of the matter from her son's eyes. However, the Crown Prince's face was pale at this time, and he didn't know how to respond.

Just as Eunuch Yao and his party were preparing to leave the East Palace, the Qing Emperor walked in from outside the palace, frowning slightly, and said, "What's going on?"

The Empress saw this scene and quickly led the Crown Prince forward to salute, saying with grief and anger, "Your Majesty, are you planning to turn this place into a cold palace?"

The Emperor looked at her with disgust, but didn't even look at the Crown Prince. He directly said to Eunuch Yao, "What were my instructions?"

With such a simple sentence, Eunuch Yao was so frightened that he knelt on the ground with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly, and then turned his head and said something fiercely.

The Empress and the Crown Prince watched this scene in astonishment. Immediately after, the Empress screamed and fainted on the Crown Prince.

Because…

In the Qing Dynasty's most sacred palace, outside the East Palace, which was known for its leniency, the guards raised the knives in their hands and slashed down fiercely!

Countless sounds of knives rang out, dozens of muffled groans struggled to escape from the gagged mouths, dozens of heads fell to the ground, and dozens of headless bodies twitched on the ground. In an instant, blood stained the courtyard of the East Palace, and the bloody smell rushed straight into the palace halls.

The Empress was so frightened that she fainted, while the Crown Prince's face was pale, and his whole body was shaking, but he immediately stared at his father with a stubborn and vicious look.