Niao Ni
Chapter 731: Azure Mountain Holds Snow, the Sword Holds Frost (4)
At least for that instant, atop the Imperial Palace city walls, the people before the corner tower were still quietly watching the soon-to-be-dead experts on the snow-covered ground before the palace. The surrounding elite Qing soldiers were completely unaware that the scythe of death had already sliced through the air, approaching their Emperor in a way that people in this world could never imagine.
From the Zhaixing Tower to the Imperial City walls, the death-bearing pulse would continue for about a second, enough for a person to blink several times. Emperor, who had been calmly watching the Emperor below, did not notice the occasional flash of light from the snow two to three *li* away.
So, the time left for this Grandmaster to react had become extremely limited. When he sensed a fatal aura suddenly appearing in the heavens and earth, an aura that even he could not resist, he only had time to blink. His face turned pale, the light in his pupils contracted and dilated, and his body retreated as fast as smoke and dust!
His Majesty the Emperor was injured and had consumed a great deal of *zhenqi*. However, at this critical moment of life and death, he erupted with energy that humans should not possess, disappearing into the distance in an instant, smashing into the corner tower like a wandering ghost!
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*Shu!* A muffled sound rang out at this moment. The high-speed rotating bullet, without a chance to tumble, grazed the shoulder of the bright yellow figure and shot past, blasting a hole about a foot square into the hard walls of the Imperial Palace, the depth of which was unknown!
At that moment, blue bricks and hard gravel separated from their source, spraying outward in a radial pattern, like a flower blooming.
Apart from His Majesty the Emperor, who retreated swiftly like a wisp of smoke, no one on or below the wall had reacted. No one had even noticed that anything had happened, because at that moment, the ferocious flower blooming on the brick wall was still in the process of scattering. The sharply angled stone fragments seemed to remain still in the air, mixed with the surrounding snowflakes, piercing everything!
Had His Majesty the Emperor dodged this shot? No. Regardless of the reason why the assassin in the snow atop the Zhaixing Tower paused for a moment when he gently pulled the trigger, causing what seemed like a certain kill to miss, the second shot came immediately after. As the first shot's muffled sound like thunder arrived, the second shot was already there like a shadow, piercing a fist-sized hole in the wooden door of the corner tower, entering the dark and quiet interior.
There had never been a sure kill, especially when the target was an unfathomable Grandmaster. The assassin in the snow atop the Zhaixing Tower, due to the strict lockdown of Kyoto today, had chosen a somewhat remote sniping location. He could clearly calculate the time it would take for the bullet to travel through the air. He never expected that such a shot could kill the Emperor, but he knew that the Emperor would tremble and not spare any effort to avoid this shot. That kind of physiological and psychological shock would force the Emperor to use all his abilities.
That was speed. The assassin atop the Zhaixing Tower clearly calculated the Emperor's dodging direction, dodging speed, and instantaneous displacement. His finger steadily squeezed the trigger a second time, firing toward the position where His Majesty the Emperor was retreating and exhausted. All his hopes were placed on this second shot!
To be able to calculate so much in such a short period of time and draw affirmative conclusions about the Emperor's choices, it was clear that the assassin understood the Emperor's nature and knew about the gun… or rather, the box known to the world… and was wary of it.
Most importantly, the assassin on the Zhaixing Tower actually knew the speed that a Grandmaster could display at a critical moment of life and death. Only in this way could he accurately calculate the Emperor's final landing point, the landing point where he could hardly shift a second time!
This could not be calculated or verified, because no one in the world, except for those few Grandmasters, could truly push a Grandmaster to the brink, let alone understand a Grandmaster's speed.
Unless… a Grandmaster had personally helped the assassin atop the Zhaixing Tower and trained him countless times!
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In a time span that was even less than half a blink, His Majesty the Emperor was suddenly overwhelmed by fear, replacing the calm and cold emotions from before. Countless domineering *zhenqi* exploded out of his body at that instant. His face was pale, his pupils contracted and dilated slightly, and he shifted with all his might, disappearing from the spot in an instant, crashing into the ever-silent corner tower.
At this moment, His Majesty the Emperor, who had always been incredibly confident and powerful, and had never known what fear was, finally felt a trace of fear, a fear of death. Because although he could not see what that awe-inspiring aura was, he knew that the box he was most wary of… had finally appeared.
A muffled explosion echoed above the Imperial Palace city walls. The second shot pierced through the wooden door of the corner tower. Along a straight, invisible line, the deadly bullet headed towards His Majesty the Emperor, who was trembling and in a dishevelled state, having just escaped to the rear of the quiet room in the corner tower!
This shot was too perfect, so perfect that it had calculated every thought and every action of the Emperor. The Emperor's domineering *zhenqi* had already exploded into an invisible airflow on the Imperial Palace city walls. His body was now empty, and there was no way he could make such a fairy-like dodging action again in an instant. What was even more terrifying was that the second shot followed one after another, with no apparent gap in between. When the Emperor perceived the soul-devouring aura coming like waves, he was already unable to react in any way.
However, the assassin on the Zhaixing Tower had calculated everything, but could not calculate that the quiet room behind His Majesty the Emperor in the corner tower of the Imperial City was not actually quiet. There were many, many people standing inside, a dozen silent people who did not even seem to breathe, wearing armor like ghosts and holding thick steel shields.
These people seemed to have been standing in this quiet corner tower for countless years, never changing their posture, blocking all possible shots toward the room. During the Kyoto rebellion three years ago, there was blood and slaughter on and below the city, but neither Fan Xian nor the Eldest Prince noticed anything unusual in this room. Where were these shield-wielding ghosts in full armor then?
Could it be that these shield-holders, who seemed to have been standing there indifferently for countless years, were the final arrangement made by His Majesty the Emperor to soothe the fear in his heart? Was the only mission in their lives to block the deadly bullet fired from that box for His Majesty?
But how could these refined steel shields from the Internal Treasury block the most powerful gunpowder weapon in the world? This was the last Dragon-Slaying Saber, the last Son of Heaven's Sword, left in this world by the Internal Treasury's mistress. How could her other legacies resist it?
No one could see clearly what happened in that instant. Only the shield-holder standing to the left of the Emperor trembled slightly. The dust covering the steel shield he held tightly in both hands trembled slightly. Then, His Majesty the Emperor behind the shield trembled.
The shield-holder fell down with a loud crash, and a hole appeared in the steel shield.
As if the heavens had sent down a hammer of punishment, His Majesty the Emperor was hit hard by this hammer, retreating suddenly and smashing through the back wall of the corner tower room, exiting through the wall and being knocked down onto the cold snow in a very miserable state!
Blood flowed from the Emperor's left chest. The wound from the earlier encounter at the Taiji Hall was also torn open again by the violent movements. The sword that Wang Shisanlang had slashed across his right chest, and the wound that Fan Xian's fingertip sword energy had cut on his neck, all began to bleed again, turning this powerful monarch into a pitiful bloody man.
The Emperor lay on the snow, breathing rapidly. His dark pupils flickered, and his left chest was slightly sunken, covered in blood, making it impossible to see the true wound. The snow was beneath his head. He stared with wide eyes at the cold sky that was weeping snow. His two hands outside his sleeves tried hard to grip tightly, not allowing himself to fall into darkness.
Endless fear and anger surged into his brain. The box, the box had finally appeared. In this world, His Majesty the Emperor had always thought that he was the person who understood that box the most, even more than Chen Pingping, because Little Ye Zi had used this box to silently kill two princes and put Prince Cheng's family on the dragon throne.
No one could not fear the existence of such a thing. However, Prince Cheng's son or the Crown Prince was not afraid, because this box belonged to her and was equivalent to belonging to him. But… but… ever since the incident at the Taiping Courtyard, the Emperor had become afraid. He was afraid every day and every night. He was afraid that he did not know when the box would appear, from what place a spark would suddenly erupt, and like a divine hand descending from the sky, would take his life and avenge its master.
Because of this fear, after the Taiping Courtyard incident, His Majesty the Emperor rarely left the palace. No, as Fan Xian had heard when he first entered Kyoto, the Emperor had hardly ever left the palace since then!
Although he had never seen that box, he knew its terrifying power. He hid like a turtle in the high Imperial City, surrounded by palace walls. No building could cross these walls in Kyoto.
The Emperor's subjects all thought that His Majesty was diligent in government affairs, so he remained locked in the palace. Who knew that he was afraid? They all thought that His Majesty was benevolent and loved his people, unwilling to disturb the regions, so he did not inspect the country. Who knew that he was still afraid?
This situation continued until Qingli 4th year, when that child from Danzhou finally entered Kyoto. Fifth Prince seemed to have really forgotten many things, and no one associated himself with the Taiping Courtyard incident. The Emperor gradually relaxed a little, and occasionally went out of the palace in civilian clothes. But even so, he still did not dare to leave Kyoto, because in those vast Qing fields, who knew if there would be the flames of revenge lurking in the darkness, waiting for him? During the Dadong Mountain incident, the Emperor had to leave Kyoto, but he summoned Fan Xian back to Danzhou in the first instance, summoning him to his side, because only with this son by his side did he seem to feel safe!
Speaking of which, what a sad life this was. The Emperor possessed boundless lands and billions of subjects, but he could not see or feel them. It seemed that he possessed everything in the second half of his life, but what was he in reality? He was nothing more than a prisoner imprisoned by himself in the Imperial Palace.
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The Emperor was not afraid of death, he was only afraid of not seeing his grand plan become a reality before he died. There were not many people or things in this world that could kill him anymore, except for that blind man and that box. So, when Chen Pingping returned from Dazhou unusually indifferent, unusually cold and ruthless, the Emperor felt a chill in addition to his anger.
Those soldiers covered in dust, holding shields, were hidden in the corner towers of the Imperial City. When His Majesty the Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, with his hands behind his back, watching that old dog die in the autumn rain execution ground, those people had been silently waiting behind him. But that day, the box did not appear.
But today, the box had appeared, and it had appeared so suddenly. His Majesty the Emperor was somewhat saddened to find that he had still underestimated the terror of the box, or at least underestimated the ability of the person using the box today. He had not thought that the aura of death could accurately find his position under the protection of the corner tower, easily penetrate the steel shield, and finally ruthlessly strike his body.
The white snow was stained red by the blood flowing from the Emperor's body. At this moment, the people in the corner tower finally reacted. Although they still did not know what had happened, they at least knew that something had changed!
Eunuch Yao prostrated himself in horror beside His Majesty the Emperor, his throat hoarse and unable to say a word, trembling all over. His palms instinctively groped at the wound on His Majesty's chest and abdomen, pulling out some broken metal fragments, pulling out some flesh and blood, but still unable to find the murder weapon.
The Emperor's body rose and fell with his rapid breathing. His somewhat distracted gaze looked at Eunuch Yao beside him: "I… won't… die!"
His Majesty the Emperor uttered these few words through gritted teeth, but after suffering such a heavy blow, no matter how harsh the words, they seemed somewhat weak. His Majesty the Emperor's gaze crossed Eunuch Yao's face, and he still stared fiercely at the snowflakes falling from the sky, howling tragically in his heart. I have been entrusted with the mandate of heaven, who can kill me! If I do not die today, it is because God does not want me to die!
The assassin on top of the Zhaixing Tower had calculated everything, but in the end, he had not calculated how strong His Majesty the Emperor's physical body was. To be more precise, he had not calculated that His Majesty the Emperor, who looked down on the world with such a majestic presence, was actually so afraid of death, and had actually placed a chest protector mirror on his heart inside his dragon robe!
The soul-devouring line shot out by the heavy sniper crossed the long distance of the Kyoto sky, penetrated the steel shield, and although it did not deviate in the end, hitting His Majesty the Emperor's chest accurately, it was already at the end of its strength. It only shattered a large piece of the Emperor's sternum, but did not tear apart all the flesh and blood it touched from the root bone, immediately and completely destroying the life of this monarch.
Earlier, in the abandoned garden, when Fan Xian took out the steel plate from his chest, the Emperor ridiculed him, saying that small tricks could not achieve great things, but who would have thought that His Majesty the Emperor would finally rely on this small trick to escape death.
Anyone who achieves great things must be cautious, no matter how extremely cautious is necessary. They must cherish their lives, no matter how embarrassing and uninteresting it is. From this perspective, the Emperor and Fan Xian, father and son, were actually two extremely similar shameless people in the world.
"Zhaixing Tower." The Emperor's scattered gaze stared at the gray sky. He knew that the person using the box today was definitely not Fifth Prince, because if the person who came was Fifth Prince, he would have already broken into the Imperial Palace. He gasped and said: "Kill them all."
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His Majesty the Emperor was suddenly assassinated, unconscious and his life was unknown. This thunderbolt-like change shocked all the officials and generals above the Imperial City, and they felt their bodies go numb. No one knew what to do next. The experts surrounded by countless people up and down the Imperial City had still not escaped. As long as the second wave of arrows was shot out again, everyone would die, including Fan Xian, who was still unconscious.
The imperial physicians were rushing over from the Imperial Hospital. Gong Dian had already rushed to His Majesty the Emperor's side with a pale face, taking out the wound medicine he carried with him, trying to stop the bleeding for His Majesty, but the effect did not seem to be very good.
But Eunuch Yao still firmly remembered His Majesty's last instructions before he fell unconscious. Trembling, he went around the corner tower and carefully approached the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards. In a hoarse voice, he announced His Majesty's last order to kill them all.
Eunuch Yao crouched on the Imperial Palace city walls, looking extremely comical, but he was really afraid, because he knew how powerful His Majesty was, but such a powerful monarch was actually seriously injured to this point by an invisible assassin. How could he not be afraid? He even feared that he would be torn into a mass of flesh and blood by invisible lines in the air in the next moment.
The scene that followed caused Eunuch Yao's pupils to shrink suddenly, and he prostrated himself on the ground, confirming his fear once again!
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With a muffled sound, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards, who was standing indifferently on the Imperial Palace city walls, was just about to wave his flag to give the order, allowing the soldiers on and below the city to unleash another rain of arrows, but his shoulder only moved, and his entire head was suddenly gone!
Yes, like a ghost story in broad daylight, the head of the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards suddenly exploded in its entirety, like a ripe watermelon, or a leather bag filled with water, bursting open for no reason and turning into a piece of blood, white pulp, and bone fragments on the city walls, scattering all over the sky…
What was even more terrifying was that after the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards' head exploded, it seemed that his body did not even know that his head had turned into brain matter all over the sky. His right arm still raised itself before falling down limply, looking like a broken puppet, collapsing in its entirety!
A burst of terrified screams rang out from the Imperial Palace city walls. Such a horrifying scene happened suddenly in front of countless officers and soldiers. How could they not be terrified? Everyone began to tremble, opening their eyes wide and desperately searching on the Imperial City, below the city, in the ranks of their companions, and even in the empty sky filled only with snowflakes!
Of course, they could not find anything. They did not know what had happened. They only knew that the deputy commander's head had suddenly exploded! These elite Imperial Guards of Qing would never have thought that the assassin was miles away. They shouted futilely and searched angrily.
The search was fruitless, and gradually turned into fear. How could mortals resist this kind of invisible assassin, this kind of unstoppable slaughter?
Endless panic began to spread rapidly across the Imperial Palace city walls. All the soldiers were searching helplessly. Some people were even pushed to the brink of collapse by this silent pressure. The bows and arrows aimed at the people below the Imperial City also subconsciously loosened a little.
The military discipline of the Qing army was strict, and it was impossible for them to turn into a disorganized mess because of the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards' tragic death. On the battlefield and during the suppression of rebellions, the soldiers of Qing had seen countless strange and gruesome ways to die. However, today's blow, like a divine act, forced secular people to think in those strange directions.
Another general roared a few times bravely, wanting to calm the emotions of his Imperial Guard subordinates, and at the same time issue an order to attack downward. However, his roar only lasted for a few sounds before stopping abruptly, because the murderous intent that terrified the officers and soldiers on the city walls arrived again. A very large hole was blasted through the chest and abdomen of this general, and his intestines turned into a mass of rotten blood. He did not even groan before falling down.
At this point, the atmosphere of panic could no longer be suppressed, and chaos erupted on the Imperial City walls.
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The changes on the Imperial City walls had naturally spread to those below the city. However, the soldiers who were ordered to seal off all sides did not know what had happened. The archers who were aiming at the people waiting to die in the snow felt that their hands were sore, but they still did not receive the order to release their arrows. The generals frowned even more, very worried about what had happened on the Imperial City walls, how it could be so chaotic.
If it was an ordinary battle, if the Imperial Palace today was just a simple battlefield, then no one would be foolish enough to wait for His Majesty's order before releasing the arrows. But today was different after all. The arrows were aimed at the Little Fan in the crowd.
Everyone knew what killing Fan Xian meant. Everyone also understood the grievances and affections between Little Fan and His Majesty. Without His Majesty's explicit order, no one dared to release the arrows so rashly. But at this moment, the generals below the city did not know that His Majesty the Emperor had been seriously injured, had fallen into a coma, and his life was unknown.
This strange silence did not last long. The generals were outside, and facing a tense situation, they inevitably had to react on their own. Even if they were only outside the Imperial Palace, the Qing army generals had their own initiative. General Shi Fei, who was hidden behind the archers, frowned and stared at the center of the snow, and found that the surrounded assassins seemed to have noticed the changes on the Imperial Palace walls and had begun to have the courage and idea to break out.
But Shi Fei was ultimately the powerful figure who could subdue Yan Xiaoyi's Northern Battalion with just one person back then. A sudden surge of feeling, from who knew where, made him not directly issue a military order to attack, but instead had it issued by the deputy general beside him. On one hand, the unknown fear made him make this choice. On the other hand, Shi Fei, like all the civil and military officials of Qing, would never, ever, want Fan Xian to die directly at his hands.
This idea directly saved Shi Fei's life, because the deputy general beside him had just raised the command flag when he fell directly to the ground.
It was not because he had not ridden the horse steadily, nor was it for any other reason, because along with the deputy general's body, the horse under him also fell into the snow, and countless blood quickly stained the white snow red.
Shi Fei's pupils shrank, and he looked at the blood and flesh of the deputy general beside him with a pale face. He knew that if he had given the order earlier, then he would have been dead as well. Who could stop this kind of formless, intangible, and unpredictable attack from the heavens!
Shi Fei also understood what the changes on the Imperial Palace walls were because of. It was just… was His Majesty still alive?
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After a slight commotion, the Imperial City above and below returned to a silent silence, a deathly silence. The military discipline of the Qing army was indeed the best in the world, but under the terrifying threat of the attack from the heavens, who dared to act rashly? The faces of all the soldiers were somewhat pale, even green. They were waiting for His Majesty's order, but His Majesty never appeared on the Imperial City again.
Another gunshot rang out, breaking the calm in the square in front of the Imperial Palace. A mendicant monk wearing a bamboo hat, trying to use his bravery to drive the silent soldiers to attack, was accurately shot down in the snow, turning directly into a corpse without even a twitch.
Deathly silence.
Another gunshot.
Another burst of deathly silence.
Another gunshot.
Like this four times, four more corpses were on the snow, and the gunshots had also fallen silent, as if they would never sound again. Everyone on and below the Imperial City understood that this supreme assassin who could complete the attack from the heavens was warning everyone in the Qing court not to try to take any action. Anyone who dared to move on this vast white snow was a target that he would kill.
One shot, one person dead, one bloody corpse lying in the snow, never any accidents. This cold and silent announcement froze everyone's hearts.
This was one person challenging a country.
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No one knew how long the deathly silence would last. How long would this snow fall before it stopped? At this moment, a young man in a light yellow shirt walked onto the Imperial Palace city walls step by step, stood on the edge of the city walls, and calmly looked at Fan Xian in the snow below.
At this time, the Imperial Guards on the city walls were already a bit chaotic. Most people subconsciously lowered their heads, avoiding the death reaping that might come from outside the heavens. So, this young man in light yellow shirt stood on the city walls, looking so tall, so brave.
"According to Qing law, if His Majesty is unconscious and unable to handle affairs, should I automatically become the regent?" Third Prince Li Chengping asked, his two fists clenched tightly in his sleeves.
Eunuch Yao, who was next to him with a pale face and looking around randomly, replied in a trembling voice: "But His Majesty has only been unconscious for less than seven days."
"Can the current situation wait? Do you want to watch the famous generals and marshals of our Great Qing be struck dead by God!" Li Chengping turned his head and looked at Eunuch Yao fiercely.
Eunuch Yao felt a chill in his heart and said: "Your Highness, this is a matter of national importance, and this servant should not be presumptuous, but if His Majesty wakes up, I'm afraid…"
"There is nothing to be afraid of. Withdraw everyone." The coldness in Li Chengping's eyes grew stronger and stronger, and the chill in Eunuch Yao's heart grew stronger and stronger. In these years, although the Third Prince seemed to have become a gentle and benevolent prince under Fan Xian's education, Eunuch Yao knew how ruthless this young prince was back then. Once the other party was really pushed too hard and remembered this great grievance, how would he survive in the future?
Moreover, the Jiangshan of Qing will always be passed on to the Third Prince in the future. If His Majesty really does not recover this time, the Third Prince will probably be sitting on the dragon throne tomorrow.
"Wait until they leave the square before pursuing them. At least it can be an explanation for Father Emperor. What's the point of wasting time here?" Li Chengping narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at his elder brother and teacher in the snow, not revealing any emotions that should not be revealed.
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Atop the Zhaixing Tower in the snow, the metal tube under the pure white, precious fur continued to make loud noises, tearing through the air and reaping life at the distant Imperial Palace. These sounds were extremely loud. Although the recoil was reduced a lot, the white snow on top of the Zhaixing Tower was still sliding down gradually, and these sounds even spread extremely far, disturbing the people in the surrounding streets and houses.
The Kyoto government yamen runners had already discovered the strangeness of this place. However, the Zhaixing Tower was a forbidden area of the imperial court. Although it had been abandoned for many years, no one could enter it to check without procedures. In addition, today was still the beginning of the new year, and the new year festivities were still going on. The yamen runners thought that perhaps it was some naughty children in the area setting off firecrackers, but the sound of these firecrackers seemed to be a bit too loud.
In the end, the reaction speed of the Internal Treasury was a bit faster. Before His Majesty the Emperor fell unconscious, he uttered the name of the Zhaixing Tower with unusual calmness. The masters of the Internal Treasury quietly slipped out of the Imperial Palace, followed the Imperial River on the left side of the Imperial Palace, passed directly through the mountains and forests, and arrived at the eastern city of Kyoto with the fastest speed.
Even from two streets away, they could still hear the loud noise coming from the Zhaixing Tower. The masters of the Internal Treasury were invigorated and forcibly suppressed the nervousness in their hearts, dividing into four directions and pouncing over. They believed that since the terrifying assassin was still on the Zhaixing Tower at this time, he would definitely not be able to escape before they surrounded him.
However, when the masters of the Internal Treasury bravely rushed into the Zhaixing Tower's garden, they found that no one was inside, and after searching to the top of the tower, they still did not find anyone. There was only a very obvious imprint in the thick white snow on top of the tower. Apart from this trace, there was nothing, as if no one had ever been there, silent to the point of making people feel empty in their hearts.
The snowflakes were still falling non-stop. The masters of the Internal Treasury carefully looked at the traces left in the snow on top of the tower but found that the terrifying assassin had not left any clues at all. Although the traces were obvious, they had been cleaned up, and it was impossible to see what the person's figure looked like.
An Imperial Guard was guarding an alley outside the Zhaixing Tower. His face was slightly pale, and he was vigilantly watching the few pedestrians. Suddenly, he saw a person who looked like a servant boy walking over, and his heart skipped a beat.
This servant boy was a teenager. What made the Imperial Guard suspicious was that this person was wrapped in a thick layer of fur. Although the fur looked very tattered and not worth much money, it wrapped the green cloth clothes inside very tightly, only the knees were turned over, revealing the other side of the fur.
The side as white as snow. This was an extremely valuable fur. Which servant boy could afford such a valuable thing?
The Imperial Guard's pupils shrank, and he blocked the servant boy in the first instance, wanting to call his companions, but he felt a blur in front of him, and then he felt a numbness under his jaw. This Imperial Guard leaned against the wall of the alley, dying on the spot, but his body was extremely stiff and did not fall to the ground.
The servant boy flicked his finger, took out the thin needle stuck under this person's jaw, wrapped the thick fur tightly around himself, as if he was a little afraid of the cold, walked out of the alley, and disappeared into the snow in Kyoto in an instant.
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There was a lot of wind and snow in Kyoto today, and there was a lot of commotion. However, not many people knew what had happened in front of the Imperial Palace, which had been sealed off. The censors of the Censorate who were petitioning at the palace gates had already been forcibly escorted back to their respective residences at night, and the adults of the various departments were also notified by the Supervisory Council to forcibly stay in their residences. Even Grand Scholar Hu could not get close to the Imperial City.
This suppressed tension and fluctuation did not last long before it spread to that street in the south city of Kyoto. How many wealthy families lived on this street, and the vigilant and suspicious gazes of all the people were only focused on one family, and that was the Fan residence.
The Fan residence was the same as usual today, with no panic, no sadness, no tension. They were boiling water and cooking as usual. The results of Fan Xian's negotiations with His Majesty in the palace had obviously not been reflected in the residence. The mistress of the residence, Lin Wan'er, did not take her family, taking advantage of this short period of time, and leave Kyoto to return to Danzhou with His Majesty the Emperor's implicit approval. She still remained quietly and a little frighteningly in the residence, sitting in the flower hall, waiting for that man's return. If he could not return, then what was the point of leaving Kyoto herself?
"Why hasn't Ruoruo gotten up yet?" Lin Wan'er smiled gently, but there was some faint sadness in her smile. She looked at Sisi, who was feeding the child, and said: "Did you call her?"
As she was speaking, the Fan family Miss, who had been released from the Imperial Palace last night, walked slowly from outside the hall, clean as usual, with a cold look between her eyebrows, and the shoes on her feet were not stained with any snow. She smiled at her sister-in-law, sat down at the table, and picked up her chopsticks. The hand she used to hold her chopsticks was so steady, without a trace of trembling.