Emperor Qing successively issued several secret edicts, then frowned, and whispered a few words to Eunuch Yao. Eunuch Yao was slightly startled, but his head was lowered extremely low, for fear of revealing any inappropriate emotions.

The situation at Mount Dadong was that Emperor Qing used himself as bait to lure and kill the two Grand Masters. Naturally, he was prepared for everything that happened in the world, such as the five thousand rebel soldiers at the foot of Mount Dadong, and the impending rebellion in Kyoto.

Since the Eldest Princess had the ability to orchestrate such a grand scheme, she would certainly not miss the opportunity to control the Qing Kingdom in one fell swoop. This opportunity was granted to her by the Emperor. Once the situation developed, if she wanted the Qing Kingdom to maintain steady development, the Emperor, far away in Mount Dadong, seemed to have only one choice: to rush back to Kyoto and stabilize the situation with supreme authority.

The Emperor had long ago laid down state troops along the Jiangbei route. These troop movements were not involved with the Privy Council, and were all secretly planned with Xue Qing and the Governor-General of the Jiangbei Route. Naturally, the Qin family's forces would not be alerted. With such a hidden force, what were the five thousand rebel soldiers at the foot of Mount Dadong worth mentioning?

All the conspirators saw the Emperor as a tiger trapped in a pit, but they did not realize that this tiger had always been standing by the pit, coldly watching those hunters lose their footing one by one.

If Emperor Qing wanted to rush back to Kyoto and forcibly suppress the internal strife, it would not be difficult to do so. However, after the two conversations between the Emperor and Chen Pingping by the palace pillars in front of the imperial study, from the very beginning of setting this grand plan, he had never thought that once the affairs of Mount Dadong were settled, he would use his army to sweep through the Dongshan Route, then return to the capital in triumph and clean up the government. Although the affair of Mount Dadong happened on the coast, its impact spread throughout the entire Qing Kingdom. For him, this was a rare opportunity.

After a long period of planning, the primary goal of the Mount Dadong affair was, of course, to remove the two biggest obstacles to Qing Kingdom's unification of the world. These were the so-called external threats. But now that the external threats had been removed, what about the internal worries?

This was an opportunity for the Emperor to use his own death to lure out all the restless elements in the court. Those ministers who usually seemed so loyal to him, would they still follow his posthumous edict once they learned of his death? Would they still have any respect for him? Would the villains hidden in the shadows now jump out?

Just as His Majesty had always emphasized to Fan Xian and his several sons, he valued people's hearts above all else, and the current situation in Kyoto was undoubtedly the best opportunity to test people's hearts.

The Emperor stood before Ye Liuyun, who was sitting in meditation to heal his wounds. His face was calm, with slight wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. What he said to Eunuch Yao was very simple: to issue another edict to Chen Pingping, sealing off the news and sealing off both Fan Xian and Ye Zhong.

These were the two people the Emperor trusted most now. The Emperor wanted to see them one last time. Once Fan Xian and Ye Zhong passed this psychological test, they would gain his most absolute trust. However, at this moment, His Majesty on the summit of Mount Dadong really did not expect that the situation in Kyoto would be so dangerous, and that the people in the palace would suffer so much harm, and that his sister would be so formidable.

Ye Liuyun sighed and said softly, "If you don't rush back to Kyoto, I'm afraid there will be great chaos."

To achieve great order, there must first be great chaos. To wash out the gold from the sand with bloodshed and create a unified, ironclad Da Qing Dynasty, so as to lay a good foundation for the war to unify the continent in two or three years. Emperor Qing did not think much of such a price, but he did not underestimate his sister too much either, knowing that in this way, the entire Qing Kingdom might fall into turmoil.

"This land was conquered by me," the Emperor said indifferently. "Even if Yun Rui secures his position in Kyoto, I can still win it back."

With these words, the Emperor said no more. After coughing twice, he slowly walked towards the bloody mountain gate at the foot of Mount Dadong with the support of Eunuch Yao. At this moment, the order had been given, and the sounds of fighting rose again at the foot of the mountain. The officials and attendants who had accompanied the Emperor to the Heaven Worship Ceremony followed him down the mountain in panic. Several people had already prepared stretchers, humbly supporting Ye Liuyun as he lay down on one.

Although the speed of information transmission in this era was exceptionally slow, although Chen Pingping, far away in Kyoto, had already arranged everything, although the Overwatch Council was powerful enough to seal off the Dongshan Route and prevent the leakage of any real news, although the Emperor had calculated that at the beginning of the rebellion, his proud and crazy sister would send news of his death back to Kyoto, pushing the entire situation to an irreversible, frantic state – yes, once the bowstring was drawn, there was no turning back. Since the Eldest Princess had launched the affair of Mount Dadong, regardless of whether the Emperor was alive or dead, she had to deal with everything in Kyoto with the mindset that the Emperor was already dead. This was a desperate gamble.

However, Ku He and Si Gu Jian were still alive after all. The five thousand rebel soldiers at the foot of the mountain and the Jiaozhou naval rebel army at sea could not be completely wiped out. At most, in another seven days, the real situation of Mount Dadong would be spread.

Judging from the distance between the two places and the Overwatch Council's desperate efforts to seal off the route, in about thirty-odd days, the people of Kyoto would know this earth-shattering news.

And by then, the Eldest Princess would probably have launched her actions for more than ten days. It was not known whether Kyoto could be defended.

The Emperor thought about all of this as he silently walked down the mountain. Although he was confident, he still did not want too much turmoil to occur in his Kyoto, his Qing Kingdom. However, in comparison, he was still willing to take a risk to see the true feelings hidden in the depths of people's hearts.

To see people's abilities, especially Fan Xian's abilities, to see if Fan Xian could truly understand the Emperor's heart and keep watch over his homeland for the Emperor.

He had not expected that Fan Xian would fight a beautiful battle, but would be restrained by the Eldest Princess's more beautiful methods. Fan Xian eventually guessed His Majesty's thoughts, but the methods he used to guard that homeland of Kyoto were something the Emperor had never anticipated, nor wanted to see.

Because the Emperor, after all his calculations, still overlooked one point – that was the attitude of the Empress Dowager. This Emperor, known throughout the world for his filial piety and claiming to rule the world with filial piety, had forgotten that his mother, in fact, like himself, would always place the Qing Kingdom's land and the survival of the royal family above all else, more important than the lives of anyone other than himself.

However, before descending the mountain, this Emperor, who had just achieved the greatest success of his life, still calmly issued his last edict – to capture alive the leader of the rebel army at the foot of the mountain – although the man in black at the foot of the mountain was not a Grand Master, he was another very important figure in Emperor Qing's mind.

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Wang Qinian, with his head lowered, was escaping down the mountain through the dense forest in the heavy wind and rain. When Ku He's first palm struck Hong, the old eunuch, in the chest, this extremely quick-witted official of the Overwatch Council took advantage of everyone's inattention and secretly slipped down the mountain top. He was known as the "wings" of the Overwatch Council, and in his earlier years, was a notorious Jiang Yang highwayman who roamed the Northern Qi and Dong Yi states. Thus, these kinds of sneaky, stealing operations he was quite adept at.

The sharp edges of the leaves brushed against his body. Although they could not cut through the specially made uniform of the Overwatch Council, it still made him feel alarmed. He did not know what would happen on the mountain top, only knew that this kind of scene was not something that a person of his level should pry into, should be curious about.

In his opinion, His Majesty the Emperor was doomed to die. No one could survive the combined attack of three Grand Masters. Therefore, he decided to escape at the first opportunity. His idea was very simple: to transmit this earth-shattering news to Kyoto in the shortest possible time. Although he did not know if he could encounter Fan Xian, who was also on the run, he had to at least notify Director Chen.

After jumping over a small hill, he cleverly used the shelter of the wind, rain, and forest, and had silently arrived at the waist of the mountain. However, at this moment, he heard some movement behind him. Instinctively, he hid his body in a pile of weeds and watched the slanting stone path from afar.

Two bloody figures were walking down the stone path. Wang Qinian was very familiar with the young man, Wang Shisanlang, who he'd spent much time with in Jiangnan. Then who was on his back?

Wang Qinian's eyes widened as he listened to the weak but very comical dialogue between the two bloody figures. He finally knew who Shisanlang was carrying on his back.

The bloody figure with the severed arm was Shisanlang's master.

Wang Qinian was a confidant of Fan Xian, and knew even about the boxes, so he naturally knew the true identity of Wang Shisanlang. Wang Shisanlang was Si Gu Jian's last disciple from Dong Yi City. Then his master was...Si Gu Jian!

Wang Qinian's horrified pupils shrank sharply. He didn't dare to breathe, only daring to watch this strange and tragic pair silently as they walked down the stone steps step by step. After a long time, he came back to his senses, but was still somewhat dazed, wondering what had happened on the mountain top. Who in this world could injure Si Gu Jian so badly?

Before Wang Qinian could recover from his shock, a figure in linen clothes floated down from the mountain in a strange, half-suspended posture. Wang Qinian almost vomited blood when he saw this scene. What had happened to Grand Master Ku He? Was this magic? But why did the old bald donkey's face look like a zombie?

Two Grand Masters in a row walked past Wang Qinian's eyes in this way, and they were so dejected. Perhaps they had discovered Wang Qinian's mouse-like lurking, but at this moment, the two Grand Masters, who were nearing death, had no energy to pay attention to him.

However, Wang Qinian was infinitely shocked. He could not understand how the two Grand Masters, who had previously arrived at the top of Mount Dong like gods, had become like this in just a short while.

After a long time, he straightened his trembling legs and looked back at the towering peak of Mount Dong, wondering if His Majesty had won? Perhaps he should return to the mountain top to see what had happened. However, the shock in his heart and some vague palpitations urged his legs to continue moving down the mountain.

At noon, as night fell, with killings erupting everywhere, and fleeing figures scattered. Wang Qinian, hiding in the shadows like a bat, finally seized the opportunity to break out of the battlefield, and finally confirmed the fact – His Majesty was still alive, and very well. The rebellion had failed, and the Grand Masters were in trouble.

At this moment, he made a decision on his own initiative. He would no longer follow the Heaven Worship Ceremony procession, but would rush towards Kyoto at the fastest speed. He had to tell Fan Xian the truth of the matter, to provide Lord Fan with background information for reference, so as to prevent Fan Xian from making unforgivable mistakes in Kyoto.

Wang Qinian was an official of the Overwatch Council, a subject of His Majesty the Emperor, but the only identity he was sure of was that he was Fan Xian's confidant. He knew too many things about Fan Xian, too many thoughts. He was very afraid that Fan Xian would make some wrong decisions because of His Majesty's death.

Just like Xu Mao Cai, the admiral of the Jiaozhou Navy, tried to persuade Fan Xian while on board the ship.

For some unknown reason, Wang Qinian guessed His Majesty's thoughts. He was very frightened, very worried for Fan Xian, and very worried for everyone in Kyoto – so he rushed back to Kyoto at the fastest speed, experiencing countless twists and turns, ahead of the Overwatch Council, ahead of the Eldest Princess's spies, carrying this news that was destined to shock the world, and arrived at Chen Garden.

He was the first person in the world to spread this news.

However, he ultimately did not spread the news, because the old cripple of the Overwatch Council directly tied him up, gagged his mouth, and did not give him any chance to pass on the message.

In the days after knowing the situation of Mount Dadong, the old cripple had only one more habit: he would often sigh to his old servant, "You know, it is not an easy thing to let a person die."

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When Wang Qinian was preparing to slip down the mountain top, Gao Da had already slipped away. These confidants around Fan Xian had undoubtedly been infected with too much of Fan Xian's nature, and were different from the vast majority of people in this world. Deep down, they had begun to subconsciously value their own lives more than the Emperor's life.

In a society dominated by imperial power, this was a rebellious thought. However, although Fan Xian had never said it explicitly, his actions of secretly deceiving the court and the subtle influence he exerted on the people around him in his words and deeds all showed this point.

Proximity to vermilion renders one red; proximity to ink renders one black. Gao Da certainly did not think of this when he trembled and fled down the mountain. He did not see the injured figures of Si Gu Jian and Ku He as Wang Qinian had, but he also discovered the truth at the foot of the mountain.

He was afraid, terrified, because his identity was different from Wang Qinian's. Officials of the Overwatch Council were subjects of His Majesty, while the Tiger Guards… were His Majesty's slaves, or rather, the last line of defense. Wang Qinian could run, but the Tiger Guards could not, especially when the Emperor was facing a life-threatening situation.

Desertion in the face of battle was a disgrace for the Tiger Guards, an unforgivable crime. Gao Da might be able to downplay the feeling of shame in his heart, but he could not avoid this crime.

The stone path was full of the corpses of Tiger Guards and broken blades. All of his colleagues had died on Mount Dadong. And when he vaguely understood the outcome of the assassination on the mountain top, Gao Da became angry, sad, and afraid.

A hundred Tiger Guards had died just like that. When had His Majesty ever cared about their lives? Gao Da's heart was cold. He knew that he could never return to His Majesty's side. Once he appeared, he would be met with the severe punishment of the Qing law and palace rules. Not only would he die, but perhaps even his family would be implicated.

So he chose to run away even more firmly. He trusted Fan Xian, but he could not return to Fan Xian's side either, because he did not want to bring any trouble to Lord Fan.

He just wanted to leave that unfathomable palace, that inviolable Emperor, and go to a faraway place to live the rest of his life in peace.

In the epilogue of Mount Dadong, two confidants of Fan Xian chose their own paths. At the time, it did not attract much attention, and no one even noticed it. But who can say for sure about the future? Every drink and every peck is preordained. The cause planted today, who knows what kind of bitter fruit will be borne in the future.

……

……

On the roads of Gao Da and Wang Qinian's escape, the thousands of rebel soldiers at the foot of Mount Dong, and the ninth-rank assassins in Dong Yi City were also on the run. The Jiaozhou Navy ships at sea had not yet sailed into the deep sea when they were blocked by the fleet transferred from Shazhou, preventing them from escaping.

Although the combined strength of the state troops from the two routes was far inferior to Yan Xiaoyi's personal longbow unit in terms of combat power, the first priority in battles between armies was morale. Ku He and Si Gu Jian, two figures who were like gods in the hearts of ordinary soldiers, had ended up in such a miserable state. What would these rebel soldiers who had betrayed His Majesty the Emperor be thinking?

When His Majesty the Emperor, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, and Ye Liuyun, who had been the guardian god of Qing Kingdom for decades, walked out of the mountain gate and appeared before the rebel soldiers, this rebellion had already come to an end. Before the army moved, the army's morale had already collapsed.

Thousands of rebel soldiers just stood there at the foot of Mount Dadong in a panic. The roads leading to all directions had been surrounded by state troops who had come on orders. They knew that they had no way out, but they could not muster the last bit of courage to fight for their lives.

Because His Majesty the Emperor shattered all their hopes with one sentence: "I pardon your death."

Whether they believed it or not, it was still a sweet poison. The rebel soldiers abandoned their weapons and surrendered, but it was not known how they would be slaughtered and cleansed in batches in the next two years.

……

……

At the beginning of the state troops' encirclement, before Emperor Qing had descended the mountain, Yun Zhilan and a group of Dong Yi City assassins, who had survived the attack on the mountain, were still about ten in number. They were met by Si Gu Jian, who was carried down the mountain by Wang Shisanlang with bravery. Knowing the truth of what had happened on the mountain top, they left the rebel army in a cold sweat, and began to kill their way into the northern mountains. This team indeed possessed extremely powerful lethality, successfully breaking through the outer perimeter and disappearing into the mountain trails that once led to Danzhou.

Emperor Qing was a man, not a god. Even if he could predict everything, he could not be thorough in everything for the sake of giving the Eldest Princess an opportunity and for the sake of the overall situation. There were too many cracks in Qing Kingdom's interior. To try to wipe out all the opposing forces in the world was simply wishful thinking. He was not surprised by the Dong Yi City's breakout.

However, Emperor Qing issued an edict for the black-clothed commander of the rebel army, because he was very interested in that commander. Even if he knew that the chances of capturing the other party were not high, he still wanted to try.

Grand Master Ku He, with his ill-omened, yellowish face, was now sitting behind the black-clothed man's horse, breaking out with him. A generation of Grand Masters, but at this moment was in such a dejected state. A trace of sorrow flashed in the black-clothed man's eyes.

Because Emperor Qing had issued an edict, the pursuit of this black-clothed commander was the most vigorous. Although the state troops were not strong, and the Tiger Guards had all died, Emperor Qing's troops finally managed to block this black-clothed commander at an intersection.

It seemed to be a dead end. There were at least three hundred soldiers, and they seemed endless. And the sounds of pursuit were rising again from behind.

Emperor Qing demanded that he be captured alive, but if that was not possible, what if he was killed?

This time, the black-clothed man only brought two personal soldiers with him when he led the Zhengbei Army to surround the mountain. However, this man, leading unfamiliar subordinates, was actually able to divide and surround the imperial guards, without letting a single one escape. He could be said to be as skilled in using troops as a god. However, in the end, the situation on the battlefield was overwhelming. Even if he had the ability to reach the heavens, he could not make those personal soldiers of Yan Xiaoyi overcome the awe and fear in their hearts for His Majesty the Emperor and Ye Liuyun. In the end, he was defeated.

Looking at the hundreds of soldiers in front of him, the black-clothed man, who had always seemed somewhat calm and gentle during the mountain encirclement, finally slowly straightened his body and carefully tied Grand Master Ku He tightly on his back. The two personal soldiers beside him each held two objects wrapped in cloth. After untying the layers of coarse cloth, they revealed the metal rods inside, which were about the length of an arm.

The black-clothed man calmly took them with both hands. With a click, they were joined together. With a wave of his hand, the killing intent surged. A black refined iron spear was in his hand. With the spear in his hand, an extremely strong fighting spirit suddenly burst out from his eyes, which were like a calm lake. His entire body also began to emit a murderous aura, like a god of war.

He kicked his horse, single-handedly carrying Ku He on his back, and charged towards the three hundred soldiers, with the force of thunder, unstoppable, as if returning to that night in the capital, with the rain falling arrogantly.

……

……

"His two personal soldiers are dead, but he escaped with Ku He on his back," a state troop general knelt before Emperor Qing and reported in a trembling voice.

Ku He, Si Gu Jian, what kind of figures were they? But today, they were both tied on people's backs and escaped. Emperor Qing listened quietly, and couldn't help but feel a little different in his heart. Seeing the general's fear, he couldn't help but smile and said, "If he could be so easily captured by me, would he still be Shang Shanhu?"