Niao Ni
Chapter 681: A Wheelchair in the Night Wind
His dry and aged hands slowly stroked the woolen blanket. This light gray woolen blanket was always so smooth and comfortable. Whenever he stroked it, Chen Pingping always felt like he was stroking something he was not fortunate enough to touch.
It didn't take long for him to learn from the inner court eunuch what had happened in Dazhou City, and also to know who the court-appointed criminal, who was being protected and treated by the Overwatch Council subordinates, was.
Gao Da? Chen Pingping was not familiar with this name, but he was not unfamiliar with it either. He knew that he was Fan Xian's trusted guard back then. He glanced at the court-appointed criminal covered in blood, and his indifferent eyes gradually narrowed.
The Overwatch Council did not know that Gao Da was alive. Chen Pingping sighed in his heart, thinking that the dignified leader of the Tiger Guards had also been turned into a person who knew how to cherish his life by Fan Xian. An Zhi, this child, seemed indifferent and boring in his daily actions, but he did not expect that he actually had such magic in the subtleties.
Just as Chen Pingping had said to himself before, Qiao Qiao's mother actually gave birth to Qiao Qiao. This was not a coincidence, but a destiny, a predetermined event, and then it landed here. Just like today, the convoy of thirty black carriages from the Overwatch Council was just passing through Dazhou normally, but outside Dazhou City, they encountered the array of the court arresting criminals, and the court-appointed criminal being arrested was someone who had been with Fan Xian.
This was not a coincidence, not an encounter. Perhaps behind all of this, there was something hidden.
"Master He was actually able to find the escaped criminal, truly remarkable." Chen Pingping coughed twice and said with a smile. The old servant who never left his side pushed his wheelchair towards the middle of the crowd.
The wheelchair ran over the official road, making a creaking sound that made people feel uneasy.
The inner court eunuch He Qigan was of a very high rank in the palace, but his temperament was gloomy, and he was never liked by the nobles in the palace, so his position was not very important. However, after working hard in the palace for decades, he naturally knew what attitude he should show at this time.
He led two eunuchs and the masters of the Thirteenth Yamen of the Ministry of Justice to disperse the encirclement, for fear that Director Chen would think that these people had any hostility.
He Qigan knew how terrifying Director Chen was. He never expected that since he had met Director Chen today, if the other party spoke, these people would still be able to take the court-appointed criminal away. Of course, from another perspective, he did not think that the old director who had retired and resigned would violate His Majesty's will because of such an insignificant court-appointed criminal. After all, Director Chen was His Majesty's most loyal subordinate.
However, he ignored two things. First, Chen Pingping knew that Gao Da was Fan Xian's person, and Fan Xian never liked other people to deal with his people, even if those so-called other people were sent by the palace. Secondly, Chen Pingping was immersed in a very complicated mood. He looked at Gao Da, the court-appointed criminal who was still unconscious on the ground, and pondered some things in his heart that others could not understand at all.
The Overwatch Council's treatment was very effective. Gao Da finally woke up slowly from the pool of blood. Originally, he should not have been able to withstand such a heavy injury, but in order to protect his wife and children, several knife wounds that went deep into the flesh were all taken down by him with his body and arms.
As soon as he woke up, his eyeballs were stung by the surrounding torches. Gao Da's dry lips moved slightly, and then he saw the black wheelchair close at hand, as well as the big man in the wheelchair. He had not seen Director Chen several times, but he knew what kind of person Director Chen was, especially after seeing Director Chen's slightly worried and very complicated expression.
Seeing her husband wake up, the mute lady was overjoyed, hugged her child and knelt beside him, nodding and thanking the Overwatch Council officials around her. This folk woman did not know how subtle the situation was at this time, nor did she know that so-called saving or not saving people was actually just the introduction to those big events later.
It all depended on what Chen Pingping did.
Gao Da's face darkened. He knew that if Chen Pingping saved his life for the sake of Little Fan, then He Zongwei could use this matter to drag Fan Xian into the water, and even drag Chen Pingping into the water.
His fingers moved slightly, and a look of ferocity flashed in his eyes. He bent his fingers and knocked towards his temple!
He wanted to escape earlier because he was alone, with his wife and children. Even if he was facing the powerful national machine of the Qing Kingdom, he still had to live stubbornly until the day he could not live anymore.
However, he wanted to commit suicide at this moment because he knew that if he lived, it would give Chen Pingping, or more accurately, give Little Fan, whom Chen Pingping wanted to protect, a problem.
So he chose to commit suicide. Chen Pingping watched him make a move without any reaction, but a hint of appreciation flashed in his eyes, and then a hint of smile that understood the ways of the world.
With a snap, the Overwatch Council official who had been guarding Gao Da easily stopped Gao Da's idea of committing suicide. He looked at Gao Da indifferently and said, "It's not easy to live for three more years, and you already have a wife and children. Why are you in such a hurry to die?"
This voice was very familiar. Gao Da's heart shook slightly. He turned his head with great difficulty and looked over. He did not expect to see a completely unfamiliar face. However, this Overwatch Council official changed back to his original tone of voice, and coupled with the familiar teasing look in his eyes, Gao Da immediately knew the other party's identity.
Gao Da's dry lips moved slightly, but he couldn't speak. He looked at the Overwatch Council official like he was looking at a ghost. After a long time, he said with a very low voice and a crying smile, "So... you're still alive too."
The Overwatch Council official smiled slightly, tightened the cloth strips on his body, patted his hand, and said, "Who doesn't want to live? The director is here. It's not your turn to decide whether you live or die."
Chen Pingping leaned wearily on the black wheelchair. The women from Chen Garden on both sides of the convoy dispersed into the forest to relieve themselves. Fortunately, those shy voices were not heard, but later the teasing voices gradually became louder.
The old man narrowed his eyes, looked at Gao Da, and said, "You are not Gao Da."
Gao Da's heart trembled, and he looked at Director Chen inexplicably.
Chen Pingping said slowly, "You are just a small person. Your life and death are not a big deal, so you better stay alive."
As soon as these words came out, not only Gao Da and the Overwatch Council official beside him, but even the Ministry of Justice masters scattered around and the three inner court eunuchs He Qigan, smelled a strange scent. Yes, Gao Da, the Tiger Guard who deserted on the battlefield, the court-appointed criminal that He University Scholar had been secretly investigating for a long time, in the eyes of the Overwatch Council, or more accurately, in the eyes of Chen Pingping, was just an insignificant small person.
He Qigan silently took two steps back, and then the governor of Dazhou moved over nervously with small steps, gave Chen Pingping a solemn salute, and then invited the old director to enter the city for a rest.
The Overwatch Council was a special agency, the most feared and hated agency by all officials, and also the agency they most wanted to get in touch with. Then, from Chen Pingping to Fan Xian, these two people were big shots who did not need to build relationships in the court, so the civil servants of the Qing Kingdom never found any opportunity.
And right now, there was no doubt that it was a great opportunity for the governor of Dazhou to please Director Chen, so as to continue to please Little Lord. As an official, he was unwilling to miss it no matter what. As for the court-appointed criminal, that was a matter for the inner court and the Ministry of Justice officials. What did it have to do with him?
Chen Pingping ignored the official. He just looked at Gao Da indifferently, thinking about his own things in his heart.
As mentioned earlier, Chen Pingping did not think that Gao Da's sudden appearance was a coincidence at all. He Zongwei's secret investigation of Gao Da and Wang Qinian might be able to hide it from the Overwatch Council, but it could not hide it from His Majesty the Emperor. And the reason why His Majesty chose to let this matter break out on the way back was for what?
It was for a reason, an excuse, an inquiry.
The Emperor was far away in the capital, across thousands of miles, inquiring Chen Pingping, using the small life of the court-appointed criminal to inquire Chen Pingping, are you really a black dog of朕, or a powerful minister with your own will?
Powerful ministers never had a good end. Even like Lin Ruofu, who was extremely opportunistic, retired cleanly and thoroughly, and hid in Wuzhou as a farmer, he still had to be afraid of His Majesty the Emperor being unhappy one day.
Chen Pingping was not an ordinary minister, he did not need to worry about these. He knew that the Emperor just wanted to ask himself a question, and then take a look at his attitude—his attitude towards the Emperor.
Chen Pingping suddenly smiled. The smile was a little weird. Under the blowing of the night wind and the illumination of the torches, it was like the golden thread chrysanthemums constantly blooming under the Hanging Temple, not afraid of the cold wind, ignoring the mundane world, just blooming wantonly.
"Let Gao Da recover from his injuries." He gently stroked the armrest of the wheelchair and said with a smile.
The dozens of people sent by the court's capital to arrest the criminal, plus the hundreds of yamen soldiers in Dazhou, felt a chill in their hearts at the same time when they heard such a faint sentence, knowing that Director Chen had decided to intervene. Although they did not dare to resist, and were unable to resist the Overwatch Council swordsmen and secret agents carried in the thirty black carriages, as well as the forces hidden in the darkness, they were still shocked.
If Chen Pingping wanted to protect this person, I am afraid that His Majesty the Emperor would also have to give him face. This was what He Qigan and those masters of the Thirteenth Yamen thought in their hearts. Their faces were very ugly and embarrassing, but no one dared to express any opposition to Chen Pingping's words.
Because opposition was ineffective and opposition was powerless. He Qigan's throat was dry and a little unwilling. He had been sent to He University Scholar's side by the inner court and wandered in the Qing Kingdom's prefecture for a year. He was about to arrest Gao Da, but... in a blink of an eye, He Qigan thought helplessly, even if this errand was messed up, as long as he explained to the chief official and the leading eunuch after returning to the capital that Director Chen had intervened, what did it have to do with him?
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Those charming Chen Garden beauties finally came back. They opened their big eyes and looked curiously at the people surrounded by the torches. They didn't know what happened, and they didn't know what the master was saying or thinking. They weren't too worried either. Whether in Chen Garden, or in the guerrilla warfare during the rebellion in the capital, or even on the way back to their hometown now, they were protected by the people from the Overwatch Council. No matter which official they were, they were treated with courtesy.
They were all orphaned girls bought back by Chen Pingping from poor families. Apart from being beautiful and singing a good song, they had no other strengths. However, Chen Pingping was willing to raise them and protect them. This eccentricity also created these flowers in the greenhouse.
If Chen Pingping's big mountain collapsed, I don't know what the fate of these flowers in the greenhouse would be.
Chen Pingping lowered his head and listened to the familiar voices of the women not far behind him, and smiled slightly.
He did not let the convoy follow the invitation of the governor of Dazhou to enter the city overnight, but just sat quietly on the wheelchair, looking at the inner court eunuchs and Ministry of Justice officials with complex expressions, as if thinking about something, as if waiting for something.
Then he closed his eyes.
There were not many people in this world who knew His Majesty the Emperor of the Qing Kingdom as well as Chen Pingping. Gao Da was indeed a small person. Even if he was used as a touchstone, he did not have that kind of hardness. However, the human heart was always a subjective idealism. At this time, His Majesty the Emperor was equal to saying to Chen Pingping in the dark mountains, this court-appointed criminal is the stone 朕 left for you.
At this time, there were many choices in front of Chen Pingping.
He could save Gao Da and then return to his hometown leisurely. Although he knew that some people would come to him soon, as Ye Zhong and Eunuch Yao thought, who could keep Chen Pingping in the mountains and fields of the Qing Kingdom?
He could ignore Gao Da's life and death and take the women in the convoy back to his hometown to retire and spend the rest of his life.
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His Majesty the Emperor gave Chen Pingping one last chance to choose. No matter which of the above-mentioned options Chen Pingping chose, it might be what His Majesty the Emperor wanted to see. The Emperor himself was also clear that if Chen Pingping did not want to return to the capital to face himself again, then no one could force him to return to the capital to face himself.
Chen Pingping did not move, and the atmosphere on both sides of the official road became more and more strange. Many people had already seen that Chen Pingping seemed to be waiting for something.
Was there anyone else coming?
The Overwatch Council official who had been guarding Gao Da earlier walked to the side of the wheelchair, leaned down and whispered something in Chen Pingping's ear. Chen Pingping slowly shook his head, the speed of shaking his head was very slow, but very firm.
Not long after, sounds gradually sounded from the rear of the official road. These sounds were not very noisy, but carried a kind of cautious taste.
The Overwatch Council officials did not block this team, but vigilantly escorted them to the center of the torch encirclement with their eyes.
The governor of Dazhou and the inner court eunuch He Qigan and other Ministry of Justice officials finally saw this team clearly, and finally knew who Director Chen was waiting for. In addition to being shocked, they also felt a chill. It turned out that Director Chen had already known what would happen later.
If this was a big chessboard, then including He Qigan and other inner court eunuchs, the Ministry of Justice officials who had worked hard for a long time, and even He Zongwei, who had initially laid out this plan, were actually just insignificant pawns on the chessboard.
The people sent by He Zongwei's side did not have an imperial decree in their hands. Chen Pingping's intervention at this time was not considered to be resisting the decree. With Chen Pingping's position, there was naturally no problem.
However, the imperial decree finally arrived.
This was like the red side suddenly jumping a horse on the chessboard, riding on the back of the elephant, and then asking the black old general, do you want to move or kill this horse?
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There was no eunuch announcing the decree in the military squad of about ten people. These Qing soldiers were armored and exceptionally brave, but their faces carried a very complicated emotion.
The captain leading the team held the bright yellow imperial decree high in his hand.
The sound of horse hooves broke the silence outside Dazhou City. All the soldiers dismounted at the same time and gave Chen Pingping in the wheelchair a solemn salute. Then the captain with the imperial decree began to read out His Majesty's will in a trembling voice.
The imperial decree had nothing to do with Chen Pingping, who had returned to his hometown to retire. It was only aimed at Gao Da, the court-appointed criminal on the Overwatch Council carriage at this time. It ordered the Ministry of Justice officials to immediately arrest this deceiving and rebellious traitor and escort him back to the capital. No one was allowed to stop them, otherwise they would be dealt with as treason.
After the imperial decree was read out, the scene was so quiet that one could hear the sound of water droplets dripping from the grass not far away. Everyone's eyes were terrified and cast towards the old man in the wheelchair. Even the stupidest people could see the problem at this time. Where in the world was there such a coincidence? The Overwatch Council had just said that the inner court did not have an imperial decree in their hands. At this time... the imperial decree appeared in Dazhou.
The governor of Dazhou took a step back to the periphery subconsciously. Everyone took a step back to the periphery subconsciously. They finally knew that this scene today was actually a game between His Majesty and Director Chen, and these people were not qualified to participate in this matter, and they did not even have the qualification to watch it.
After reading the imperial decree in a trembling voice, the captain put the bright yellow silk cloth back into his arms, then walked to the front of the wheelchair and knelt down on one knee, and reported in a low voice: "This humble general is Guan Xiong, the Vice General of the Capital Garrison Division. I am under the command of General Shi to assist the Inner Court and Ministry of Justice in arresting the court-appointed criminal. Please make it convenient for the old director."
Chen Pingping's face was slightly pale. He knew that this scene was bound to come. His Majesty had not blocked the last road after all, but that might be because His Majesty had known for a long time that he would block this road himself.
It was still the old saying, this matter started because of Gao Da, but it had nothing to do with Gao Da. It was just a mutual question between him and the Emperor.
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In the distant mountains, there was a piece of tranquility. All the horses had chewed on the muzzles. These Qing Kingdom war horses were extremely well-trained, and they did not even make a sound when they stepped on the ground. Thousands of elite cavalry soldiers of the Capital Garrison Division were waiting in this valley, waiting for the final order to attack. Thousands of iron armors charging towards the thirty black carriages on that official road should not be a difficult combat mission, but whether it was the general Shi Fei standing at the front or the Capital Garrison Division officers and soldiers behind who already knew the inside story, they all felt that this might be the most difficult battle in their lives.
Shi Fei sat quietly on horseback, and the monocular telescope in his hand was also put down. He did not forget that this monocular telescope was only produced in a few pieces in the entire Qing Kingdom, and the one in his hand was a gift from Little Fan during the New Year.
Shi Fei had experienced countless battles in his life. He could be said to be a veteran of hundreds of battles. Three years ago, there was a great chaos on the Dongshan Road of the Jing Kingdom. Yan Xiaoyi, the main division of the Northern Expeditionary Camp, rebelled and led thousands of personal soldiers to surround Dadong Mountain. The entire Northern Expeditionary Camp was in chaos. Although the rebellion failed behind him, the Northern Expeditionary Camp was likely to experience a mutiny or a rout without a leader. At that time, Shi Fei was entrusted with a heavy mission by His Majesty and entered the Northern Expeditionary Camp alone. He subdued tens of thousands of soldiers with an imperial decree. It was also by relying on this great achievement that he became the commander of the current Capital Garrison Division.
One person can subdue tens of thousands of people, but today thousands of people are going to deal with an old man sitting in a wheelchair who is inconvenient to move. Shi Fei's heart is still very nervous.
The team that announced the decree had already left. Shi Fei prayed in his heart that Director Chen would retreat in front of the imperial decree, but he didn't know why, he knew that Chen Pingping would not retreat, not even one step.
This was a very strange feeling. Perhaps His Majesty the Emperor knew that Chen Pingping did not want to retreat, so he left Chen Pingping a way out.
He didn't know what had happened between the Emperor and Director Chen, but he knew that that matter must be deeply embedded between the two of them, so that even though Director Chen was about to retire, he forced the two of them to choose to fight face to face.
The official road illuminated by the torches over there seemed to have fallen into a silence, and then Chen Pingping seemed to shake his head slowly again.
Shi Fei took a deep breath. The cold wind in the valley entered his lungs, making him feel a bit of coolness and pain. He slowly pulled down the armor on his face and said in a deep voice, "Prepare."
Thousands of iron armors began to prepare, preparing to surround Chen Pingping, the retiring director of the Overwatch Council.
……
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"His Majesty wants me to go back and ask me some things." Chen Pingping sat in the wheelchair and said with a smile: "This is what I had expected long ago, but I didn't expect that he would endure until this time to ask, and I didn't expect that after asking, he would actually cause so many things."
He shook his head and sighed: "His Majesty still doesn't know me enough."
An Overwatch Council official suddenly knelt down beside him and gritted his teeth and said, "You must obey the decree!"
"No, I have been obeying orders all my life. Now that I am about to die, what am I still obeying?" Chen Pingping said with a smile: "His Majesty wants to ask me some things, I... why don't I want to ask him some things in person?"
Then his face turned cold and his eyes turned cold. He looked at the hundreds of people illuminated by the torches and said in a cold voice: "In this life, there are always some questions that have lingered in my mind for a long time that must be asked."
As soon as these words came out, the sound of hooves was like thunder outside Dazhou City, and the shadows of the armor reflected the moon. In an instant, the light of the torches was suppressed. Only a cloud of smoke rose in the darkness behind the official road, and it only took a few breaths to kill near the continuous convoy.
Thousands of iron armors spread over silently and fiercely.
Everyone's faces turned pale and they looked at this scene blankly. The delicate women in the convoy, when they saw this scene, couldn't help but scream in fright.
Chen Pingping sat in the wheelchair, still unchanged, but a sneering smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He did not speak, and all the Overwatch Council subordinates did not attack. They just held the handles of the iron awls tightly, their knuckles clutching the rings of the crossbow arrows, and stared nervously at these cavalry soldiers who were rushing from the fields on both sides of the official road.
Different from ordinary battles, what was very touching and confusing was that thousands of cavalry soldiers did not take advantage of this momentum to directly charge into the convoy and start killing. Instead, they willingly gave up the advantage of the cavalry's impact and slowed down at the last moment, only turning into three sharp points and surrounding the thirty carriages.
Thousands of iron-clad cavalry soldiers formed a chilling scene on the black official road, the red torches, and the silver bright moon.
A piece of肅殺.
The old servant pushed the wheelchair and turned around slowly. Chen Pingping rested his chin on the armrest and looked at the general on the field next to the official road who was completely hidden in the armor, and said with a smile: "Three thousand six hundred people, and you want to arrest me back, General Shi, are you underestimating me too much?"
Shi Fei, who was riding on the horse, had been struggling in his heart. He had not issued an immediate order to charge to his subordinates because he hoped that things would still turn around. He was unwilling to completely turn against the Overwatch Council like this. He did not know Chen Pingping's backhand, and he did not care about Chen Pingping's backhand, but he had to consider that after he was loyal to His Majesty and became an eternal enemy of the Overwatch Council, what kind of miserable encounters would he face in his future life.
He was afraid of Chen Pingping, and he was also afraid of Fan Xian, but he was even more afraid of His Majesty, so he came today, but he still did not make a move.
Hearing Director Chen's words, his body on the horse trembled slightly, and he said in a hoarse voice: "Old director, if you... disobey the imperial decree and take in the criminal, this humble general has no choice but to..."
Before he finished speaking, Chen Pingping frowned and smiled: "Sure enough, it is always a problem of the minister disobeying the imperial decree, rather than the monarch sending troops to ambush the returning old minister..." He sighed and said: "Our Majesty, at such a moment, still has not forgotten to maintain his great, glorious and correct image. Naturally, a dark character like me naturally has to play his role well."
Thirty carriages, except for the carriages carrying luggage and women, the total number of the Overwatch Council escort team was only a little over a hundred people. However, these more than one hundred Overwatch Council officials, facing more than three thousand cavalry soldiers of the Capital Garrison Division, did not show any sign of retreat, and their faces were as cold as ever.
Shi Fei looked at this scene quietly and sighed in his heart. The current Overwatch Council only has Director Chen in its eyes, where is His Majesty? Facing His Majesty's decree, these Overwatch Council officials only knew how to protect the old director's safety, and they didn't even have to think about it. No wonder His Majesty was so afraid of this matter.
There were shadows shaking in the woods on both sides of the official road. No one knew how many assassins of the Sixth Bureau of the Overwatch Council were inside.
Shi Fei suddenly felt a chill.
Chen Pingping closed his eyes and leaned on the wheelchair, as if he was about to fall asleep in the night wind.
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(Regarding the matter of naming children, thank you for your trust. Many book friends have made similar requests, but I have never dared to respond, because I really know that my level is really bad. Think about Pingping, Suosuo, Diandian, Duoduo, Sisi, Ruoruo, Doudou... Uh, do you still dare to let me name them? Scratching my head.
I used to give names to my friends' children, such as Yiwen, such as Letong. Except for the latter, the previous ones were scolded miserably, especially after the children grew up, haha.
I have been writing all day today, so the update is a bit late, and I am still very seriously squeezing the monthly tickets in your hands. Anyway, I will write seriously, and I hope everyone can support me with the tickets in your hands.)