Hearing the Emperor's voice rising, the assembled officials were filled with trepidation. It was rare to see the Emperor so angered, and even rarer to see him so severely reprimanding Lord Chen. Chen Pingping, however, remained impassive and defended himself, "Upon returning to the capital, I learned that some within the court intended to seize Sili Li, the Northern Qi secret agent. As this Sili Li was involved in the attempted assassination of Fan’s son some days ago, and given the magnitude of the matter, I took a detour after receiving the court report to escort the spy back, hence the delay."

"Hmm, so that's the reason. Very well then," the Emperor hummed lightly, seemingly raising the issue high only to drop it gently.

The officials had initially been greatly alarmed, thinking the Emperor seemed displeased even with Lord Chen. But upon this pronouncement, they understood that the late return was, after all, an impropriety, and the Emperor was using this opportunity to settle the score. However, the officials were immediately struck by Chen Pingping's mention of Sili Li. It was the first time they had heard of anyone attempting to snatch a prisoner. They were shocked, secretly wondering if there were truly high-ranking officials within the court colluding with Northern Qi, scheming to disrupt the government.

"The matter of Sili Li shall be set aside for now. First, investigate the case of the Prime Minister's son thoroughly," the Emperor said coldly, looking at Chen Pingping.

Chen Pingping shifted slightly in his wheelchair, glanced at Lin Ruofu, and then said with a smile, "These two cases... are actually one."

"How so?" Not only the Emperor, but even the other officials were intrigued. Only Lin Ruofu seemed to have realized something, and his face turned extremely ugly.

"Prime Minister, you are grief-stricken over your son's death, and some words I should not speak. However, as a subject, I dare not conceal anything before His Majesty. I beg His Majesty to forgive my imprudent words."

The Emperor frowned. "Speak."

Chen Pingping clasped his veined, withered hands into fists and coughed a few times, as if expelling all the phlegm from his chest. Then he said softly, "When the Prime Minister's second son, Lin Gong, was killed, he was with Wu Bo'an."

"Who is this Wu Bo'an?" The Emperor frowned. "Explain clearly."

Wu Bo'an had quite a reputation in the official circles of the capital. Most of the officials in the room knew of him. They had always thought that this strategist was wavering between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince. Who would have thought that he would be with the Prime Minister's son? Now, when they looked at the Prime Minister, they couldn't help but feel a little worried. After all, they were all civil officials, and if the mad dog Chen Pingping were to bite out something, they would all lose face.

Lin Ruofu, however, sat calmly on the round stool. His eyes were still red and swollen, but he showed no sign of worry.

"I recently investigated the assassination attempt on Fan's son. Sili Li confessed that the person who contacted Northern Qi was Wu Bo'an. The person who privately let the Ximan archers into the capital was Fang Daren, the Assistant Administrator of the City Patrol Department. The cavalry leader who attempted to seize the prisoner outside Cangzhou City was Fang Xiu's subordinate, the distant cousin of Fang Daren, the Military Advisor of Wuzhou... Now it seems that the planner of this event was Wu Bo'an, and Fang Xiu and Fang Daren were the executors, responsible for receiving the Northern Qi assassins and silencing them. As for the fact that the archers' bodies were cremated first, there are no leads yet."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I have no other intention, just curious why the Prime Minister's second son, before his death, was staying in the manor at the foot of Cangshan Mountain with the mastermind of the assassination attempt on Fan’s son."

As soon as these words came out, the officials were in an uproar. Guo Youzhi, the Minister of Rites, was the first to step forward to defend the Prime Minister. "Let alone whether that Sili Li was tortured and making wild accusations, even if Wu Bo'an is related to the previous case..." He turned to the Emperor and begged for forgiveness. "Your subject is anxious, Your Majesty, please do not be offended. The Wu Bo'an was a *jinshi* twenty years ago and has a considerable reputation in the capital, with a wide circle of friends. It is common for the Prime Minister's second son to be with him. How can we randomly slander the dead because of this matter? The Prime Minister has not recovered from the pain of losing his son, and Lord Chen is speaking such nonsense. It is truly... outrageous! Outrageous!"

Lin Ruofu stood up at this time, bowed to His Majesty, and said mournfully, "My unworthy son acted recklessly and met with misfortune. But if you say that he had such disloyal intentions, this old minister absolutely does not believe it." He added, "I have also met that Wu Bo'an. He is indeed a talented person and has traveled with me around the famous scenic spots of the capital. If having a relationship with Wu Bo'an is related to the murder, then wouldn't this old minister also be unable to escape suspicion?"

"That's right," another official shook his head and said, "I have also met that Wu Bo'an. Looking at his face, he seems quite upright. If this person is really a heartless and ungrateful villain, what does this have to do with the Prime Minister's second son? Lord Chen should be careful with his words."

Lin Ruofu appeared agitated and said, "If I am related to this matter, may heaven punish me, may heaven punish me!" Seeing that the Prime Minister had said such heavy words, several officials knelt down with him. Seeing the officials kneeling, the Emperor propped his chin on his hand and glanced at Chen Pingping, his eyes full of smiles. In an instant, the Emperor's face was as frosty as ice, and he asked the officials to rise. He said solemnly, "Chen Pingping has already begged for forgiveness. He has not finished speaking. Let him continue."

The imperial court was always like this. Chen Pingping held absolute power in the Supervisory Council, and the civil official system always liked to band together. Chen Pingping glanced at Lin Ruofu faintly and said, "Prime Minister, please calm down. This official just finds it puzzling. The Supervisory Council searched Kyoto for a day and a night and could not find Wu Bo'an. But your son was able to enjoy wine and chat with this strategist under the grape trellis. Naturally, I want to ask for clarification."

"It is still unknown whether Wu Bo'an is the mastermind behind the previous case. Perhaps he and Lin's second son agreed to go to Cangshan Mountain to enjoy the scenery. Chen Pingping, this matter will be discussed later," the Emperor suddenly said coldly, stopping Chen Pingping's account.

Seeing His Majesty standing on their side, the ministers of each department breathed a sigh of relief. However, Lin Ruofu's heart was struck by the words "will be discussed later," and a chill surged up. He knew that His Majesty was warning him not to take the opportunity to make trouble.

This was an exchange, an exchange that was understood by both sides without the use of words. Lin Ruofu believed Yuan Hongdao's judgment in the mansion that Gong'er's death should have nothing to do with the Fan family, so he remained silent and accepted this fact. After all, if the Supervisory Council really followed up on Wu Bo'an's collusion with Northern Qi, involving treason, he, the Prime Minister, would probably not be able to continue.

"You said earlier that these two cases were originally one. What exactly does that mean?"

Chen Pingping glanced expressionlessly at the ministers. The ministers were afraid of the coldness in his eyes and coughed uncomfortably a few times. He said softly, "After examination of the wounds of the deceased and the scene at that time by the Ministry of Justice and the Council, it was determined that the murderer was from the Four Great Swordsman's lineage of Dongyi City. Therefore, I assert that the two cases are originally one."

Upon hearing the words "Four Great Swordsman", even the ministers who were not familiar with martial arts were moved. No wonder they had heard that when the Cangshan Manor was attacked, the murderer was just one person, but he silently killed more than a dozen experts, and all of them were killed with one blow. Only Lin Ruofu's face remained unchanged, as if he had known about this matter for a long time.

"Hmm?" The Emperor frowned. Although the names of the Four Grandmasters were not yet in his heart as the supreme ruler, these transcendent martial arts experts were always difficult to tolerate for the authority of the court.

"Because among the assassins who were killed by Fan’s son some days ago, there were two female assassins. According to the Council's files, these two female assassins should be disciples of the Four Great Swordsman of Dongyi City, but I don't know if they are his disciples or grand-disciples. There was a Council report last month that the Four Great Swordsman was not in Dongyi City. According to my view, that Sword Maniac should have come to Qing Yu Nian."

The Emperor slowly closed his eyes and asked in a cold voice, "Why didn't he go to kill Fan's child, but found Wu... Bo'an?"

"Everyone knows that the Four Great Swordsman is a sword maniac. If his disciples assassinate others and are killed in retaliation, he will probably admire the other party's skill even more and will not regard him as an enemy. Moreover, this person hates conspiracies and tricks the most and strictly forbids his disciples from being involved in national disputes. If Wu Bo'an hadn't promised some benefits and persuaded the two female assassins, these two female assassins would not have died. I'm afraid that in his heart, only that Wu Bo'an is the real enemy."

Chen Pingping said lightly, his face did not change when he lied.

After a long time, the Qing Yu Nian Emperor's dignified voice echoed in this room of the palace, "Mei Zhili, the Governor of Kyoto, has submitted a memorial to plead guilty. He will be fined and demoted for one year. The Supervisory Council will station itself in the City Patrol Department to investigate and rectify. Jiao Ziheng will be relieved of his duties in the City Patrol Department. The Ministry of Justice will continue to investigate and supplement the two murder cases. After the case is closed, an edict will be issued to Dongyi City to hand over the mastermind. Handle it accordingly."

After saying these words, he stepped forward to comfort Lin Ruofu a few words, and then left the room.

The ministers retreated. Palace maids had already stepped forward to push Chen Pingping's wheelchair into the inner palace. The ministers were not surprised by this matter. They had never imagined that they would one day be able to obtain such favor as Chen Pingping, so they would closely band together on matters large and small, confronting the power of the Supervisory Council. It was also equivalent to confronting the Emperor's personal power. This was the traditional concept of the civil officials since the founding of the Qing Yu Nian Dynasty, and it seemed to have taken root deeply in their minds, never to be shaken off.

The ministers even thought with malice that the mad dog Chen Pingping was probably only so trusted by His Majesty without reservation because he was paralyzed and had no children.

……

……

In the quiet depths of the palace, there was not a single eunuch or palace maid. Only the Emperor and Chen Pingping were sitting opposite each other.

The Emperor picked up his teacup, took a sip, and seemed to find the tea temperature unsuitable. He frowned and smashed the cup in front of Chen Pingping's wheelchair. With a crack, the porcelain cup shattered into pieces, and the tea wet Chen Pingping's trouser legs. However, his legs were inconvenient, so he could not avoid it. Unlike before, the Emperor's voice was particularly cold and oppressive, "The Four Great Swordsman? This answer is a bit ridiculous, don't you think?"

Chen Pingping acted as if he hadn't seen the scene before him, with a full smile on his face and a very respectful reply, "Your subject would not dare to hide anything from His Majesty. The wound was miserable, with a sense of aimlessness. The Ministry of Justice and the Council have the same opinion on this."

The Emperor curled his lips and looked at him with a smile. Suddenly, a strange color flashed in his eyes, and he asked sharply, "Is Lao Wu in the capital?"

Chen Pingping slowly raised his head, opened his lips, and said after a long time, "Yes, Lord Five is now in the capital."

The Emperor seemed a little tired and rubbed his eyebrows. He said softly, "How many things are you hiding from me?" Then he sighed, "Well, since you even dare to hide from me, then you must hide it from the world. Don't let those people know the existence of Lao Wu."