Niao Ni
Chapter 565: A Glimpse of Interminable Time
Ye Zhong released his iron grip, while Gong Dian stood unsteadily, coughing blood. Old Master Qin, his eyes wide with disbelief, was submerged in a pool of blood, slumped against the wall, not yet resigned to his death, his hands reaching out as if to grasp something.
This veteran of the Qing Kingdom's military finally breathed his last, succumbing to a treacherous assassination plot that had been meticulously prepared and concealed for the longest time since the founding of the Qing Dynasty.
Fan Xian was unscathed, yet he felt a chill in his bones. He looked up, casting a peculiar glance at the silent Gong Dian to his right, regarding the first palace guard he had encountered after entering the capital at the age of sixteen as if he were a monster.
Then, he turned his gaze towards Ye Zhong, looking at him intently. At that very moment, Ye Zhong was also looking at him. Their eyes met, but no sparks flew. Instead, a shared understanding, clarity... and probing, permeated the air.
Fan Xian knew that his gamble had, in a way, been entirely successful. He dared to gamble on the imperial city not because he had any insider information, but because when he held down the Empress Dowager's foot, he remembered his grandmother's words in Danzhou.
"His Majesty never fights unprepared battles. His Majesty's will is so strong that ordinary people cannot imagine it. His Majesty has no weaknesses." Therefore, when facing a desperate situation, Fan Xian simply refused to believe that the Emperor would leave no backup plans in the capital. Knowing the situation in the capital, how could the Emperor dare to go to Da Dong Mountain for the ancestral sacrifice? So Fan Xian had to gamble, betting that some unexpected changes would occur within the rebel army!
The change finally came. The Ye family had rebelled—no, it should be said that the most formidable mole in the history of the Qing Kingdom had surfaced.
However, when deciding to gamble, Fan Xian still couldn't convince himself why the Ye family would suddenly make a move, until he saw what was in Ye Zhong's eyes.
A fleeting moment, perhaps lasting only a second, was enough for Fan Xian to understand so much. The past, all the questions he had once doubted, all the seemingly strange events in the Qing court over the past four years, which had seemed to prove the Emperor's paranoia and reveal his flaws, were now perfectly explained.
Fan Xian only looked at Ye Zhong for a second, but he had already seen through all the events of the past few years, even the past decade.
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A month ago, at the foot of Da Dong Mountain, Ye Liuyun arrived on a boat, riding the waves, with a sword from beyond the heavens, piercing through the reef and entering the cliff face, only the hilt remaining outside. At that time, Fan Xian stood on the reef, wounded by arrows, and narrowly escaped by diving into the sea.
A year ago, in Suzhou City, at the Baoyue Tower, Ye Liuyun arrived wearing a bamboo hat, wielding a sword that collapsed half the tower, standing up for the Junshan Society, forcibly taking away the accountant. At that time, Fan Xian cursed loudly, suffering internal injuries, but fortunately survived.
With Ye Liuyun's abilities, with the might of a Grandmaster, he had actually allowed Fan Xian to escape death twice. Using this as a clue, one could clearly see the old events of the Qing Kingdom.
Two years ago, during the Chrysanthemum Appreciation at Xuankong Temple, Gong Dian mysteriously abandoned his post, a sudden assassination attempt against the Qing Emperor erupted, causing chaos in the buildings. Fan Xian was seriously injured, Ye Zhong pursued but failed, the court was shocked, and the Emperor was furious, stripping Ye Zhong of his position as Commander of the Imperial Guard and sending him back to Dingzhou. Gong Dian was imprisoned but luckily survived.
Two years and two months ago, Fan Xian learned about the marriage between the Second Prince and Ye Ling'er in the Northern Qi capital, causing him great surprise. He secretly thought that His Majesty intended to force Ye Zhong to resign so as not to involve himself in the affairs of the princes.
Tracing back to eight years ago, when Fan Xian was twelve years old, he diligently cultivated the Overbearing Power Technique on the cliff in Danzhou. At that time, the singer Liuyun came, exchanging moves with Wu Zhu, and then drifted away on a small boat.
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After the Xuankong Temple incident, Fan Xian and Chen Pingping had a long conversation one night, knowing full well that the Emperor had deliberately arranged the incident to suppress the Ye family, remove Gong Dian from his position as Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard, and force Ye Zhong to leave the capital. At that time, he and Chen Pingping were perplexed, thinking that His Majesty was too suspicious, but they also thought it was a struggle between imperial power and a Grandmaster, and did not delve deeper.
The Qing Emperor's handling of the Ye family affairs clearly revealed his weakness of paranoia, and the methods he used, although subtle, lacked the righteous demeanor of an Emperor.
However, at this moment, Fan Xian thought of the singer he first met when he was twelve years old, and he had already understood everything clearly. He finally understood... the Emperor's paranoia, the Emperor's missteps, were all deliberate displays of weakness, intended to give the enemies of the world the courage to strike!
For eight years, Fan Xian had never seriously considered why Ye Liuyun was the first of the Four Grandmasters he met. He had never thought about why Ye Liuyun, traveling the world, would specifically go to Danzhou and so easily find Uncle Wu Zhu, whom many people wanted to find but could not.
Where was Wu Zhu? No one in the world knew, but some people knew that wherever Fan Xian was, Wu Zhu would be. And among those who knew Fan Xian's true identity at that time, there were only His Majesty, Chen Pingping, and Fan Jian.
Analyzing to this point, everything became clear. Ye Liuyun went to Danzhou because someone told him that Ye Qingmei's son was in Danzhou, and Wu Zhu was naturally there as well.
And the one who told him all this was naturally the Emperor!
Or rather, the Emperor solemnly entrusted Ye Liuyun to go to Danzhou and take a look at his strangely born illegitimate son.
Such a person was naturally the most trusted by the Emperor.
And how could such a person betray the Emperor!
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The Emperor's paranoia, the alienation of the Ye family, the marriage between the Second Prince and Ye Ling'er, and the sudden deviation of Ye Liuyun's transcendent existence were all just illusions, or rather, inevitable sacrifices. These were merely details that constituted a perfect double agent operation.
This plan must have been conceived for a year, two years, three years... If one considered Ye Liuyun's position as a patron of the Junshan Society, the plan might have started even earlier, more than a decade ago!
Using such a long time, paying such a high price, deceiving everyone in the world, including himself and the Princess Royal, it could be said that this was the most terrifying double agent operation in the history of the Qing Kingdom.
Compared to it, what were Yan Ruohai and Yuan Hongdao, arranged by the Overwatch Council?
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In just a second, countless images flashed through Fan Xian's mind. He withdrew his gaze, looking at the calm and steady Ye Zhong, and suddenly felt a chill, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. Even Chen Pingping probably didn't know about this plan. The Emperor's will was truly terrifying.
He looked at Ye Zhong, his lips dry, and took out his special waist牌 (waist牌) from his chest, handing it over, and asked in a trembling voice, "Is His Majesty still alive?"
At that moment, Ye Zhong was also looking at this young lord. His mood was extremely complicated. When he initially launched the assassination against Old Master Qin, he never imagined that Fan Xian in the imperial city could mobilize such momentum to cooperate with him. He was shocked. Could it be that His Majesty had told the entire plan to the young Lord Fan?
As Fan Xian spoke, Ye Zhong also asked at the same time, "Is His Majesty still alive?"
The exact same two sentences shocked both Fan Xian and Ye Zhong. Looking into each other's eyes, they felt a chill. Because only now did they realize that, even at this point, neither Fan Xian, the Emperor's trusted subject, nor Ye Zhong, the key figure in this grand plan, knew whether the Emperor was alive or dead.
"Where is Li Yunrui?"
"Taiping Villa."
The two stopped talking. Ye Zhong took Fan Xian's waist牌 (waist牌). Gong Dian lifted Old Master Qin's body and quickly left towards the square where the sounds of fighting were already deafening.
From the assassination of Qin Ye to this moment, only a blink of an eye had passed. The people involved had many thoughts in their minds, but the formal conversation consisted of only those two sentences, because the first sentence from each side had already explained too much. Everyone was just a pawn on a grand chessboard, doing their part. Man proposes, Heaven disposes. They did not know the situation on Da Dong Mountain, nor did they need to consider it.
Fan Xian took a few deep breaths, forcibly suppressing the irritability caused by the surging Overbearing Power Technique and medicine in his body, dispelling some of the chill in his heart, and did not notice the small hole in the wall.
Such a plan, which the Emperor had planned for so long, consuming so much mental energy, must have been aimed at something extremely significant. Eliminating all opposing forces within the Qing Kingdom was one aspect, but the Emperor's true goal was probably far more than that.
In Chen Pingping's words, in this world, only His Majesty stood the highest and saw the farthest. With His Majesty's vision, he had naturally been observing the beautiful scenery and elegant landscapes of the world for the past decade or so—especially those lands and people that did not yet belong to him.
This Ye family double agent plan was probably aimed primarily at Northern Qi and Dongyi. With Ku He and Si Gu Jian arriving together on Da Dong Mountain, and Ye Liuyun as the Emperor's hidden card, the entire situation of the world had probably undergone earth-shattering changes on that mountain.
However, there were still some things that Fan Xian did not understand. Even if Ye Liuyun suddenly turned against them on Da Dong Mountain, Ku He and Si Gu Jian were still extraordinary figures of unparalleled talent. Even if Ku He and Si Gu Jian suffered some losses during the meeting of the Four Grandmasters on Dong Mountain, how could they be brought under the Emperor's control?
He frowned. It seemed that the most crucial reason why His Majesty chose Da Dong Mountain as the place to wrap up the situation was that he was relying on Uncle Wu Zhu to make a move. However, he knew Wu Zhu's temperament and was afraid that he would disappoint His Majesty.
The sounds of fighting and screams coming from behind him pulled him out of his complex emotions, reminding him that he was still near the battlefield, and the situation in the capital was still uncertain. Countless people were still shedding blood for a conspiracy that had been woven for many years.
He took another deep breath, temporarily setting aside the Da Dong Mountain issue. He broke through the wall and disappeared into the heavy concealment of the houses. In the instant before he acted, he suddenly felt a surge of sorrow.
He suddenly felt some sympathy for the Princess Royal, the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Qing soldiers fighting desperately in front of the palace. He also began to feel sorry for himself. The intensity of the confrontation in the capital, reaching such a level today, would cause so much damage to the Qing Kingdom's national strength. Could it be that the Emperor, whose life or death was unknown, had not anticipated this?
The meeting of the Four Grandmasters on Dong Mountain, even a sleeve or a finger strike, could shake the heavens and earth. Could the Emperor really still be alive?
Why did he take such a great risk, expend so much energy, to do such a thing? Was it really just for the sake of unifying the world? Just for the title of ruler of all ages?
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At the same time that Ye Zhong, Gong Dian, and Fan Xian were assassinating Old Master Qin, the mid-level officers of the Dingzhou army, who had been somewhat silent, looked at each other, recognizing the trace of determination and confusion in each other's eyes. These officers had only received secret orders from Commander Ye and General Gong in secret upon entering the city, and to maintain secrecy, they were unable to mobilize the lower-level soldiers at all.
However, at this moment, the Dingzhou army of the Ye family had to attack, because they had seen the abnormalities in the rebel army's central camp. However, soldiers are not just robots who obey orders. Any army that is about to defect on the battlefield, without any pre-war mobilization, will appear somewhat confused.
One moment they were preparing to attack the palace, and the next moment they were suddenly ordered to turn their guns and point them at their comrades. No matter how strict the Dingzhou army's discipline was, their combat effectiveness would probably drop to an extreme point.
Fortunately, the excellent deputy generals and the mid-level officers who knew the inside story ingeniously solved the problem of fighting for whom.
They isolated the Second Prince's confidants, surrounded the Second Prince, and then shouted, "His Highness the Second Prince has ordered! The Crown Prince has murdered the Emperor and his father, worse than pigs and dogs! All Qing soldiers can rise up and attack him... Kill!"
Only at this moment did the Second Prince realize that something was wrong. His face turned pale in an instant. He did not know why these generals, who had always been respectful and polite, would surround him, let alone why they would suddenly issue such an absurd military order!
Could it be that his father-in-law saw that the palace had been opened and wanted to take this opportunity to get rid of the Crown Prince and help him to the throne? The Second Prince comforted himself in his heart, but when he saw his confidants being knocked off their horses and tied up by the Dingzhou army, his heart turned cold. He knew that something... had changed in a way that neither he nor the Crown Prince had expected!
As soon as the military order was issued, the ordinary soldiers of the Dingzhou army reacted quickly, attacking Qin's troops. Some may have truly believed this military order, thinking that the Crown Prince's assassination attempt had finally been exposed, and the Second Prince had made up his mind to avenge the late Emperor. More ordinary soldiers, however, self-righteously believed that His Highness the Second Prince had decided to take this opportunity to strike against the Crown Prince.
Regarding the latter judgment, all ordinary people seemed to think that way.
Therefore, the Dingzhou army's attack finally successfully overcame the most crucial issue of morale in all battlefield defections, and began their attack on the Qin family with great confidence and as a matter of course.
Of course, such a hasty defection ultimately failed to unleash the Dingzhou army's true strength. Fortunately, the Qin family still had a larger number of troops. However, with Old Master Qin dying violently, Qin Heng having been killed by Jing Ge's spear, and several generals escorting the Crown Prince to the rear camp, and the eight generals on the front line being killed five and injured three by Fan Xian, they were truly leaderless.
It was not difficult to guess the outcome of an army with slightly stable morale attacking an army without the command of generals.
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On the chaotic battlefield, few people besides the Dingzhou army heard the military orders of the Ye family's generals. Many people were still fighting hard, even if not to kill the enemy, but to preserve their own lives.
The First Prince, covered in blood, wielded a long blade, hacking out a bloody path. Although he had failed to reach the rebel army's central camp, he successfully joined up with the remaining Black Riders. Amidst the fierce fighting, he did not see the scene where Fan Xian, Ye Zhong, and Gong Dian acted at the same time, and thought that he had reached the end of the road.
Blood dripped from his hands, but his expression was solemn. As a Prince of the Qing Kingdom, he had fought for this palace until now, and he felt no regret in his heart.
A thunderous sound of horses' hooves rang out. The Dingzhou cavalry, which had been resting and recuperating, finally charged over.
The First Prince narrowed his eyes, glanced at Jing Ge, who was already extremely exhausted, tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, and was about to strike!
However... the Dingzhou cavalry swept past them, without attacking at all, but instead violently charged towards the Qin family's army!
"Kill!"
On the square in front of the palace, shouts of killing shook the heavens. Everyone watched this scene in stunned silence, watching the Dingzhou army, which had been in a relatively advantageous position due to the rebel army changing camps, suddenly charge towards their comrades-in-arms like madmen, charging towards those Qin family soldiers who had been fighting for several hours, who had become somewhat exhausted, and who were unprepared.