About having understood the hour, Yan Bingyun closed the window tightly, sat back in his chair, took out a beautifully embroidered pouch from his bosom, took out a few melon seeds from it, put them in his lips, and cracked them carefully, seeming very bored. Only when his eyes fell on the pouch did they become gentle and affectionate, because the pouch was embroidered by Miss Shen.

These days, Young Master Yan was particularly leisurely. He no longer needed to manage the affairs of the Fourth Bureau, nor did he need to monitor court officials with a morbid sensitivity like the staff of the First Bureau. Besides the daily affairs of the Fourth Bureau, he did not have much to do.

--On the wilderness between Yanjing and Cangzhou, Shangshan Hu calmed down after suffering a great loss from Yan Xiaoyi. Although the Northern Qi people submitted a letter of state to reprimand them, the accidental injury investigation was still underway. There was no movement in Shangjing City, and the Dongyi City was extremely quiet.

The things the Fourth Bureau had to manage were these, and before His Majesty left the capital, the Fourth Bureau had released enough false information to ensure the tranquility of both sides. Yan Bingyun believed that with the power of the Supervisory Council, even if the Northern Qi royal family and Sigu Jian knew the news of the Emperor's tour, they would not be able to react in a very short period of time.

Moreover, he had to be leisurely, because even without these errands, the Kyoto pivot of the Qing Yu Nian (Qing Yu Nian) group was still under Yan Bingyun's control. In theory, for such a major event as His Majesty's tour, he should notify Fan Xian in advance... But what was puzzling was that as soon as Director Chen returned to the capital, he suppressed this idea, suppressing it resolutely.

This was the question that Fan Xian could not understand when he was in Danzhou. Yan Bingyun did not yet know that Director Fan had joined the imperial procession, and he was still vaguely at a loss in his heart.

And nervous.

Kyoto seemed calm. With the Imperial Guards and the Kyoto garrison, plus Director Chen, who exuded a dark and terrifying aura, nothing major could happen. If something major were to happen, it should be around His Majesty, who was far away from Kyoto...

Yan Bingyun stood by the window with a wry smile, looking at Tianhe Avenue below and the palace not far away. His position was not high, but his role was very complex. He was the de facto third-in-command of the Supervisory Council and a confidant of Fan Xian, but his father had another identity. Most importantly, he was one of the young people summoned into the palace by His Majesty that day. After a long night of conversation, he had another identity.

No wonder Director Chen suppressed himself as soon as he returned to the capital. Presumably, the Director also had some opinions on himself.

As for why Director Chen did not let him notify Fan Xian, Yan Bingyun vaguely guessed a trace of the truth based on his unique information from all three parties, but he began to be terrified by this truth—could it be that Director Chen even thought something major would happen around His Majesty? So he wanted to go with the flow and keep Fan Xian as far away from the imperial procession as possible!

But Director Chen was so loyal to His Majesty, how could he possibly value Fan Xian's safety more than His Majesty's life and death, no matter how much he loved Fan Xian?

Ding dong ding dong The copper bell rang, and the most special signal to go home in the major yamen of Kyoto sounded. Countless officials walked out of the square building of the Supervisory Council in a hurry. They were not busy spreading bad ideas, but were eager to go home. Special agents were also civil servants, and the Supervisory Council was full of civil servants, no different from ordinary people.

Yan Bingyun had nothing to pack up. He went straight out of the building, got into his own carriage, and hurried back to the viscount's mansion. He didn't go to chat with Miss Shen and talk about love. Instead, he went directly to his father's study and asked, "Is there any news from the Qin family?"

Yan Ruohai glanced at his son, shook his head, and said, "You are in charge of the Fourth Bureau. Is there any movement in the Xiaoshan Pass?"

Xiaoshan's location was special, precisely pinching the import of Dongshan Road. This place was in the northeast of Qing, not far from Dongyi, but because of the primitive dense forest between Danzhou and Dongyi that no one dared to cross, transportation between the two places mainly relied on the sea or bypassed Xiaoshan.

Originally, there was no great force in Dongshan Road that could threaten the imperial procession, but Xiaoshan happened to lie across the road from Dongshan Road back to Kyoto. The most crucial question was... the Yan family and his son were both clear that the Qin family's secret private soldiers had been training in that mountain pass. The team that assassinated Fan Xian in the suburbs of Kyoto during the New Year was transferred from Xiaoshan by the Qin family without the court's knowledge.

"The Xiaoshan Pass has been quiet. Since that incident, the Fourth Bureau has been staring at it with great vigilance. If there is any change, it will not be hidden from us." Yan Bingyun relaxed slightly and sat down.

Yan Ruohai said with a smile, "What we know is what Director Chen knows, and what His Majesty knows. Since His Majesty dares to take two thousand Imperial Guards to Dadong Mountain to worship the heavens, if he doesn't take the people in Xiaoshan Pass seriously, then he believes in the loyalty of Old Master Qin."

"Loyalty?" Yan Bingyun sighed. "Is secretly assassinating important court officials considered loyalty?"

"There are many levels of loyalty. Perhaps His Majesty has already suspected the loyalty of Old Master Qin in the last incident, but in fact, there is always a difference between a subject and His Majesty himself."

Yan Ruohai paused and then asked seriously, "I shouldn't ask since I've retired, but I'm still curious. Is there any problem in Dingzhou?"

Yan Bingyun shook his head: "Six hundred heads of Hu people were cut off at the beginning of the year. They should have returned to the capital to report their merits at this time, but it is obvious that Ye Zhong is also worried that the palace suspects him, so he left the team in Dingzhou and dared not return to the capital when His Majesty was away."

He gently clenched his fist in his sleeve, hesitant to speak.

Yan Ruohai looked at his son curiously and said, "You are not usually like this. Speak if you have something to say."

A trace of faint suspicion floated on Yan Bingyun's icy face: "I don't know if His Majesty's safety can be confirmed."

"What danger is there?" Yan Ruohai said with a frown, "My Great Qing Dynasty has seven elite armies, and the three that you suspect are completely impossible to approach Dadong Mountain. They are all under the Fourth Bureau's watch."

"What about Yan Xiaoyi?" Yan Bingyun stared coldly at his father's eyes, as if he wanted to see something else from his eyes.

Yan Ruohai naturally turned his head away, avoiding his son's gaze, and said, "What's wrong with Grand Commandant Yan?"

"There's a problem with the Cangzhou Victory!" Yan Bingyun lowered his voice and said, "I said there's a problem with this Cangzhou Victory! The secret agents of the Fourth Bureau who investigated military exploits have reported that although those heads have been disguised, there are some problems..."

"You are the head of the Fourth Bureau, taking over my position, you should know that killing civilians and passing them off as meritorious service... although it is a serious crime, it has never been completely eliminated, especially for these border generals, who need extra rewards from the court to balance the bleakness of the borderlands." Yan Ruohai said coldly, "Besides, even if Yan Xiaoyi falsely reports military exploits, what does it have to do with His Majesty on Dadong Mountain? Don't forget that the Northern Qi state letter has already arrived. Could it be that the Northern Qi people will act with Grand Commandant Yan?"

"That's what I'm afraid of." Yan Bingyun said coldly, "If it's just killing civilians and passing them off as meritorious service, so be it. If this matter is related to Northern Qi, I'm afraid things won't be so simple."

Yan Ruohai slowly stood up, stared at his son's eyes, and said word by word, "Do you know what you're saying? Do you think that Director Chen and Director Fan let you temporarily take charge of the Fourth Bureau, and you are the most amazing person in the world? You can see through all the cunning in the world? Even if Grand Commandant Yan and the Northern Qi people are acting, what problem can there be?"

"What problem?" Yan Bingyun looked at his father, a burst of anger rising in his chest. He said angrily, "The Zhengbei Army lost five thousand men! Is this a great victory? Eight thousand heads were cut off, I'm afraid more than half of them are fake! Did those five thousand people die or not? If they didn't die, where did these five thousand missing people go?"

He pointed at the table, pointing at the non-existent map of the Qing Dynasty's border, and said angrily, "Father, although the Zhengbei Camp is located between Cangzhou and Yanjing, if you draw a straight line, it's only five hundred miles away from Dadong Mountain! What if these five thousand people who should have died suddenly appear at the foot of Dadong Mountain?"

Yan Ruohai frowned, and after a long silence, he suddenly said coldly, "Stupid! Although it is close from Cangzhou to Dongshan Road, you have to detour around Xiaoshan, and you don't know how many prefectures and counties you have to pass through. The distance is also more than a thousand miles. Do you think five thousand people can quietly penetrate the territory like this?"

"What if they don't detour?" Yan Bingyun did not give in to his father, and said all the confusion that had been lingering in his heart these days: "If the Dongyi City opens the border gate and lets those five thousand dead people pass through the vassal state... what will happen?"

Two consecutive "what if" did not make Yan Ruohai nervous. He looked at his son and sneered, "Fool! Even if those five thousand people are really turned into dead soldiers as you said, even if Sigu Jian is as stupid as you and opens the gate wide, without any fear of my Qing army... have you ever thought about it, from Dongyi City to Dadong Mountain, you have to pass through Danzhou, and the high mountains and cliffs north of Danzhou are impossible for anyone to climb over!"

This was a fact, a fact that had been proven by maps, human eyes, and manpower. The primitive dense forests and mountains north of Danzhou were simply impossible for mortals to climb over, let alone a force of five thousand men.

"No one could climb over it before, but it doesn't mean that no one will ever be able to climb over it." Yan Bingyun's momentum weakened slightly when he thought of the geographical environment there, but he still refused to give up and said directly, "Besides, who knows if there are any secret passages in those mountains."

"Secret passages? Do you think this is a novel from the Danbo Bookstore?" Yan Ruohai sneered and prepared to leave the study.

Seeing his father's completely indifferent expression, Yan Bingyun finally couldn't help it. He slapped the table with his palm, making a loud bang, and said angrily, "I don't know if what I'm worried about is a novel. I only know that what the Supervisory Council is doing now is a joke... No matter whether these things will happen or not, since there are already doubts, I reported it upwards according to the rules of the Fourth Bureau, why did Director Chen suppress this matter!"

Hearing this, Yan Ruohai's body shook. He slowly turned around and looked at his son with a very complicated expression.

Yan Bingyun thought that his father had finally been persuaded by him, and a sense of relief rose in his heart.

Unexpectedly, Yan Ruohai flicked his sleeves, left the study, summoned his trusted guards, and said coldly, "The young master is feeling unwell. Let him stay in the mansion to rest, and don't let him go out even a step."

Several guards answered in a deep voice.

After a moment of stunned silence, Yan Bingyun felt a chill in his heart. Staring at his father's back, he suddenly thought of a conversation between him and his father a long time ago, and could not speak for a long time.

That day he asked his father: "If... I mean if, let you choose between the palace and the Supervisory Council, what would you choose?"

At that time, Yan Ruohai looked at him with an amused look and sighed, "Silly child, I would naturally choose the Fourth Bureau... If the Old Director didn't have this confidence in me, how could he have said so much to you?"

...

...

Yan Bingyun took a step towards the door, but was stopped by the highly skilled guards of the house. He didn't make any extra struggles, just sighed, and asked his father, "Where are you going?"

Yan Ruohai turned around, looked at his son with a smile, and said, "Since you are sick, I will naturally go to the Fourth Bureau to ask for leave for you."

Yan Bingyun didn't say anything more. He was loyal to His Majesty and loyal to the court. He had already done what he should do. After all, he was an official of the Supervisory Council, and his father's son, he could not do anything more.

--------------------------------------

"The Ye family is indeed too quiet, and Ye Zhong is indeed too obedient. Offering prisoners... such a good opportunity to enter the capital, he let it go."

Chen Pingping, sitting in a wheelchair, shook his head and said, "Of course, he is also afraid that the palace will be jealous of him and cause problems in advance... but the Second Prince must be muttering in his heart, thinking that the Crown Prince is about to be deposed. If the Crown Prince acts blindly at this time, and the Second Prince has the support of the Ye family, he will definitely be able to establish himself independently. He is probably begging and hoping that his father-in-law will return soon."

"Now everyone wants to take action, but no one has the ability and courage to take action first." The old man smiled and pushed the wheelchair away from the black cloth, saying, "If you want to destroy yourself, you must first make yourself crazy... The Eldest Princess is crazy enough."

Yan Ruohai laughed, understanding Director Chen's meaning, and said, "But you are in Kyoto. Even if she has ideas, she has to wait for news from the other side."

Chen Pingping said with a smile, "Our great Emperor... will definitely give the Eldest Princess a surprise. As for the news she is waiting for, she may never get it."

"But what about Yan Xiaoyi's five thousand elite soldiers?" Yan Ruohai frowned. "I have never understood this. Even if he risked his life to keep these five thousand soldiers and entered the country... how could he transport them to the foot of Dadong Mountain?"

"Yan Xiaoyi did a very good job in this Cangzhou Victory. I didn't expect that Yan Bingyun would see through the flaws." Chen Pingping praised, "This child is really good."

Yan Ruohai smiled bitterly: "He usually pretends to be frosty, but when a major event is imminent, he is still somewhat uneasy."

"He is not you or me, and he doesn't know His Majesty's arrangements." Chen Pingping sighed, "So it is normal for him to be suspicious of you and me."

"Afterwards... how will we explain to the palace?"

"His Majesty originally didn't want to startle the snake, so the Fourth Bureau of course cannot react to Yan Xiaoyi's actions in advance..." Chen Pingping coughed twice, thinking in his heart that the question to be considered was whether there would be an afterwards.

After Yan Ruohai left, the old cripple in the wheelchair habitually pushed the wheelchair back to the window, looking outside through the black cloth. The corners of his lips were slightly raised, thinking that there was indeed a secret passage from the vassal state of Dongyi City, straight through the mountains, passing through Danzhou and reaching Dadong Mountain. He knew it, and His Majesty knew it, but it seemed that the Eldest Princess's side also knew it now.

Even if five thousand people went there, they would only surround the entire mountain peak, and at most they could control the transmission of news from the group who performed the ritual sacrifice. In the entire incident, the only key point was probably on that mountain peak.

Chen Pingping scratched his gray hair with his dry right hand, thinking to himself that he had missed one point. The little fellow Fan Xian had run to the top of the mountain at this time. He only hoped that he would have a long life and not lose his life innocently in that earth-shattering sudden event.

His Majesty prepared a big surprise for the Eldest Princess and Ye Liuyun. Could it be that the Eldest Princess was not preparing some surprises for His Majesty?

Chen Pingping tilted his head and leaned weakly in the wheelchair, feeling the taste of life slowly draining from his body, but he became excited because of the scenes that were unfolding in his mind, as if he had found some elements that he had been excited about, excited about, and longed for in the past.

The agitation of his mind made him cough. Although the cough was extremely pleasant, it caused bursts of tearing pain in his chest. He subconsciously pressed the hidden bell on the desk, but found that the person who opened the door and came in was not Fei Jie.

He realized at this time that Fei Jie had left this place of turmoil in the Qing Dynasty according to his wishes, and should have arrived in Quanzhou at this time, preparing for the overseas life that the old poison had been longing for.

"I have a bit of a cough, find some medicine to eat." Chen Pingping looked at the subordinate who came in with a smile, and said kindly, naturally wanting to live two more years if he could.

The subordinate was overwhelmed by the favor and went to carry out the order.

--------------------------------------

As the Emperor on the mountain peak had guessed, as long as Princess Li Yunrui did not die physically, she could always find hidden forces in Kyoto. At this time, she was confined in the royal villa, with the people from the Supervisory Council responsible for monitoring her, but her life still maintained an extremely luxurious standard.

What was even more unexpected was that Yuan Hongdao, the strategist of Xinyang, who had fled Kyoto for several months, actually appeared in the villa at this time, sitting in front of the Eldest Princess, no one knew how the Eldest Princess had managed to do it.

"What His Majesty is thinking, even a blind man can see it... but this palace doesn't know where his confidence lies."

Li Yunrui's appearance was still beautiful, and her eyes were still charming and affectionate, but a truly careful person could see that there had been some subtle changes in this woman's mind. Beneath the affection was a touch of indifference carved deep in her heart.

...

...

(Monthly tickets are once again in a state of emergency, so I have to continue to deeply... summon the monthly tickets in everyone's hands, come on, come on, give me a hand.)