Chapter 495: Blood And Yellow Earth In the Royal PalaceTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The day had not brightened as the panicked and uneasy Yuan Hongdao followed a small alley in the west of the city and escaped toward the direction of Lotus Pond Square. He moved carefully the entire way and avoided the Overwatch Council’s search, as well as the patrolling Jingdou Garrison. With great difficulty, he came to a private residence.
He wiped the sweat off his forehead and sat down woodenly by the table in a daze. For a long time, he couldn’t speak. In his life, he had done countless great things. Even the previous Prime Minister had been brought down personally by him. However, the scene in front of him this morning still shocked and frightened him.
Presumably, everyone in the Eldest Princess’ manor was already dead. In some ways, these people had all died because of Yuan Hongdao. However, to the best of everyone’s knowledge, he was still the Eldest Princess’ trusted aide. If he had not escaped earlier, he would probably have been killed on the spot by the Sixth Bureau swordsmen.
That was if Fei Jie didn’t act first.
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…
This private residence was the Overwatch Council’s most secretive transfer house. Yuan Hongdao tilted his head and saw a cup of tea on the table. Without hesitation, he drank it to soothe his dry throat.
“Are you not afraid that there is poison in the tea?”
A middle-aged man walked out of an inner room with a slight smile on his face. It was young Sir Yan’s father, the previous head of the Fourth Bureau, Yan Ruohai.
Yuan Hongdao glanced at him cautiously. After confirming his identity, he quietly said, “I never had any hope that I would survive.”
In the opinion of the Qing Kingdom’s most successful undercover agent, the half-hour-long captures this morning already demonstrated that the Emperor could not tolerate the Eldest Princess. Furthermore, he believed that given the Emperor’s and Director Chen’s actions, only half an hour was needed before the Eldest Princess’ faction would be swept clean.
If the Eldest Princess was no longer a threat, then a spy like him would also be wiped away without a trace. However, Yuan Hongdao did not feel any sense of sorrow. Ever since he began to follow Lin Ruofu many years ago, he had been prepared to sacrifice himself at any moment for Qing Kingdom.
Yan Ruohai only smiled and took out the paperwork and disguise that had been prepared for him. “You haven’t been in the Council in a long time. Perhaps you don’t know this, but the Emperor and Director never lightly give up any subordinate.”
Yuan Hongdao [JW1] was slightly surprised and smiled bitterly.
Another girl in common clothing with a frightened expression flashed in through the back door. When she saw Yuan Hongdao clearly, she couldn’t help but open her mouth wide in a shocked expression. It seemed that she had never thought that the other person would appear here.
Yuan Hongdao was also shocked because he had once seen this woman in Xinyang. At that time, the woman was the Eldest Princess’ most trusted serving girl. So, this serving girl was also the Emperor’s person.
Yan Ruohai glanced at the serving girl and furrowed his brows. “You came out a bit late.”
The serving girl lowered her head as she debriefed. “Last night, I had just left when Eunuch Hong personally surrounded Guangxin Palace. I didn’t dare move around carelessly, so I was a bit slow.”
Yan Ruohai glanced at the two of them and said, “Both of you have provided meritorious service to the court. The Emperor and Director are both very pleased with your actions these two years. Today’s matters are very pressing, so we had to let you expose yourself to each other. It is also prevents any unnecessary losses in the future because you don’t know each other’s identity.”
Not much extra was said. Yan Ruohai gave a few instructions then began to lead the Overwatch Council’s two most successful spies out of Jingdou.
Yuan Hongdao furrowed his brows and asked, “Where are we going?”
“You’re going back to Xinyang,” Yan Ruohai spoke each word carefully. “Go wait in Xinyang.”
Yuan Hongdao didn’t quite believe what he had heard and raised his head to ask, “Are you saying that the Eldest Princess will still return to Xinyang?”
“Just in case,” Yan Ruohai said quietly. “No one is certain when it comes to matters of the royal family. As for how to explain everything after you arrive in Xinyang, I will tell it to you slowly.”
He turned his head again to the serving girl and said, “You will stay hidden in the capital. If something happens in the future, we’ll still need you to enter the Palace.”
At the end, the nominally already retired high-level official from the Overwatch Council bowed sincerely to Yuan Hongdao and the serving girl. “Thank you for your hard work.”
The room fell silent. Yan Ruohai looked at the wall outside the window and thought about the colleague that just left. He furrowed his brows thinking of something. After a long time, he smiled.
Despite the Eldest Princess’ power, shrewdness, and tricks, the Overwatch Council only needed half an hour to completely dig out her hidden influences in Jingdou. Using the quickest speed and most brutal methods to sweep everything clean appeared to be very easy. It completely did not align with people’s respect and estimation of the Eldest Princess.
This was because, long ago, the Overwatch Council buried two spies beside the Eldest Princess, particularly, Yuan Hongdao. As early as when the Eldest Princess set her eyes on the attractive and intelligent scholar Lin in the imperial examinations, Yuan Hongdao had been placed beside scholar Lin.
If one were speaking of the serving girl, she only knew of the Eldest Princess’ preferences. At the same time, she had arranged for Hong Zhu to “coincidentally” discover the hidden matter. However, Yuan Hongdao was Xinyang’s strategist and had a thorough understanding of the Eldest Princess’ power and goals.
With such a person secretly sending messages to the Overwatch Council, how could the Eldest Princess’ side stand against the storm that was the Overwatch Council? The reason why Chen Pingping had never considered the Eldest Princess as an important enemy and why the Overwatch Council’s attack today appeared so accurate and vicious was all because of this.
Yuan Hongdao was among the first spies the Overwatch Council scattered out. After experiencing many years of wear and tear in the court and in the world, he was the last one left of that group. However, now, he did not know that the present Overwatch Council had long changed from the Overwatch Council of the past.
Chen Pingping had long ago placed himself between them and the Emperor. A so-called figurehead was like this. “Everything for Qing Kingdom” was still the mantra in these people’s hearts. But, in reality, everything of theirs had to be organized by Chen Pingping.
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…
While the sky was still dark, the old who man liked to plant bok choy had already awoken in that large manor and was watering the ground with a wooden dipper.
The most respected and prestigious elder in the military, the old Qin master was old, so rose from bed earlier than normal people.
His second son also rose early. Qin Heng, presently a Deputy in the Bureau of Military affairs who had been forced to leave the Jingdou Garrison, rushed in from the front of the garden with worry on his face. He wore a random thin coat thrown over his body. He moved closer to his father’s ear and quietly said some things.
Although he was no longer the Commander of the Jingdou garrison, the Qin family had many eyes and ears in the military. At the first moment, he knew of the strange movements in the early hours in Jingdou and the Overwatch Council’s actions.
The old Qin master furrowed his brows slightly. A glimmer of shock appeared on his old face. “The Emperor moved against the Eldest Princess…why?”
No one knew why the Qing Emperor would act so suddenly after being quiet for so long, particularly after how well-behaved the Eldest Princess had been these few months.
“What should we do?” Qin Heng asked worriedly. If the Emperor’s actions today were only the beginning of a larger picture, then who would fall next?
“We aren’t going to do anything,” The old Qin master sighed and said. “Do you want to rebel? Such questions shouldn’t even be asked.”
“But, the Eldest Princess knows some things about our family.”
The old Qin master smiled coldly and said, “What things? The free shares in the Ming family or the Jiaozhou Navy? Your cousin is handling things in Jiaozhou and won’t let the Palace get hold of any leverage. As for the Ming family, the Emperor isn’t going to burn me in my old age for 10 percent of the free shares.”
“But…” Qin Heng was still a bit worried. “If the Eldest Princess loses power today and we don’t help, it will only be Fan Xian’s faction in power. I’m very worried about what Fan Xian would do.”
The old Qin master furrowed his brows and said, “It is most important to see whether or not Li Yunrui will survive today.”
“You’re saying that the Emperor would grant the Eldest Princess death?” Qin Heng opened his eyes wide and couldn’t believe his own ears. “How could the empress dowager allow such a thing to happen? Is the Emperor not afraid of the court descending into chaos?”
The old Qin master laughed coldly and said, “If I was the Emperor, when handling someone crazy like the Eldest Princess, I would either never move against them or kill them once I did. But, you’re right. There is still an empress dowager in the palace. The Emperor is also a ruler who values his reputation, so Li Yunrui may not die.”
“If Li Yunrui dies, nothing we can do will be of any use.” The old Qin master threw the wooden dipper onto the ground. “If she is fortunate enough to survive, we still can do nothing right now. Trust me, as long as she can survive, her future retaliation will be very crazy. At that time, we will have an opportunity.”
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…
The Palace doors were tightly closed. The metal nails on the doors were like the protruding eyes of spirits staring at the worried-faced people outside the Palace walls. There were not many people waiting for news outside the Palace. They were mostly the Great Prince, Commander of the Jingdou Garrison Xie Su, and a group of their people. They looked at the tightly closed Palace doors and didn’t know what was happening inside. They did know that the Overwatch Council had captured all of the Eldest Princess’ high-ranking officials and sent them to the Supreme Court.
The Great Prince’s brows were tightly furrowed. A moment later, he suddenly said, “No, I have to enter the Palace and speak my mind.”
Xie Sue carefully pulled on his sleeve and lowered his voice to say, “Commander! Don’t be so muddle-headed. This is not a time for us officials to speak.”
The Great Prince furrowed his brows and said, “I can’t just watch as all this happens. What about the empress dowager?”
At this moment, the Qing Kingdom’s empress dowager was sleeping soundly in Hanguang Palace. The messages being delivered outside Hanguang Palace had been intercepted by people the Emperor had sent and ensured that no one from another palace would disturb the empress dowager’s rest or tell her what was happening in another Palace.
In Guangxin Palace, not far away from Hanguang Palace, was the sleeping palace of the empress dowager’s favorite daughter, the Eldest Princess of Qing Kingdom. At this moment, Guangxin Palace did not appear as peaceful and beautiful as it usually did.
A bent over old eunuch, like a withered tree in winter, stood in front of the door to Guangxin Palace. There was no sign of a peaceful scene.
The Eldest Princess, Li Yunrui, stood outside the threshold of Guangxin Palace and looked coldly at the old eunuch outside the Palace. “Eunuch Hong, I want to see mother.”
Eunuch Hong didn’t speak, and no one else replied. The eunuchs who had followed him to Guangxin Palace were, at this moment, busy inside the Palace. They were moving out bodies from every corner of Guangxin Palace.
The 27 serving girls in Guangxin Palace, including the Eldest Princess’ personal serving maid who knew martial arts, were all dead. A few bodies were at the foot of the wall outside the Palace. Clearly, they had been trying to escape over the wall to go for help.
Since Eunuch Hong had personally brought people here, the serving girls in Guangxin Palace did not have the power to retaliate. They had all been tragically killed. No one even had the time to speak.
No one wanted to hear them speak. The Emperor’s orders had been very clear. Do not allow anyone to speak. Kill them all.
The eunuchs lifted the bodies of the serving girls onto an old carriage and then headed toward the cremation field. Along the way, blood dripped through the gaps between the wood and landed on the stone road inside the Royal Palace. It was a ghastly sight.
There were also eunuchs with brooms in hand pulling a cart of yellow earth behind them. As they scattered dirt on the blood, they swept it clean.
A moment later, the carriage drove far away. The blood on the stones gradually faded, gradually became a very faint mark like nothing had happened.
It was not until now that Eunuch Hong slowly raised his head and said powerlessly, “Your Highness, the empress dowager is resting. The Emperor has asked you to not disturb her. I’ll have to trouble you to wait a moment. The Emperor will come see you soon.”
A resentful anger flashed through the Eldest Princess’ beautiful eyes. Her hands hanging by her sides slowly clenched tightly into fists. A moment later, she smiled and inclined her body with great respect. “Then I will wait here for my brother, the Emperor.”
Having said this, she turned, entered the Palace, and closed the wooden door.
Eunuch Hong remained standing with his body bent like a withered tree and stood silently outside Guangxin Palace. Although the branches of this tree did not have any leaves, it gave one the feeling that he was extending in all directions around Guangxin Palace and enveloping the Palace, making it difficult for the women in the Palace to breathe.
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…
The Eastern Palace was chaotic and in turmoil. Everyone was scared and uneasy. The empress, without jewelry or makeup, looked at the eunuchs who had entered without invitation and flew into a rage. Her brows pulled together. She scolded loudly, “Stupid servants! Do you want to rebel?”
Eunuch Yao bowed respectfully and gently said, “Mistress, I wouldn’t dare. However, I have orders from the Emperor and must follow them.”
At this moment, a deathly pale Crown Prince came out from the rear of the Palace. He looked at the eunuchs and guards in the palace, and his eyes narrowed slightly. He realized that the people who had come were all from Taiji Palace and the royal study. They were all his father’s most trusted servants. He didn’t know what had happened for these servants to charge into the Eastern Palace, but he was certain that this was his father’s intention.
But, what was this for? The Crown Prince forcefully suppressed a glimmer of fear in the depths of his heart and calmly asked, “Eunuch Yao, what is this for?”
Eunuch Yao bowed and respectfully reported, “The Emperor has heard that there are some people in the Eastern Palace who have unclean hands. His Majesty is worried about you and the empress, so he has sent me here to take these people to be questioned at the Supreme Court.”
Naturally, this was a fake reason. The empress and Crown Prince met each other’s eyes and saw each other’s unease and confusion. The death of a serving girl could not cause such a ruckus.
The empress forcefully suppressed the anger in the depths of her heart and said through gritted teeth, “Has internal Palace matters not always been managed by myself? The Emperor is concerned with state matters, so why have such small things bother him. Eunuch Hong, which servant blabbered and disturbed the Emperor?”
Eunuch Yao calmly stood below her and didn’t speak.
The Crown Prince sighed and said, “Since it is father’s orders, then take them to be questioned.”
Once these words were uttered, the eunuchs and serving girls gathered together in the Eastern Palace gave a sorrowful cry. Although they didn’t know what fate had in store for them, they knew that the Supreme Court was even scarier than prison.
“How many people are you taking?”
“All of them,” Eunuch Yao raised his head and quietly said.
The empress sucked in a breath of cold air. A moment later, she angrily said with trembling lips, “Are there to be no one serving in this Palace?”
“New people will immediately be sent over to serve master and mistress,” Eunuch Yao respectfully said. He then waved his hand and ordered the eunuchs and guards under him to bind the dozens of serving girls and eunuchs of the Eastern Palace.
As they bound them, the people cried out for mercy in low voices. However, the people that Eunuch Yao had brought not only bound the people but also bound the mouths of these people.
The empress knew that there had to be something major behind this incident. She turned her head to glance helplessly at the Crown Prince, wanting to glean the truth of the matter from her son’s eyes. However, the Crown Prince’s face was pale. He had no idea how to deal with this.
Just as Eunuch Yao and his group of people were preparing to leave the Eastern Palace, the Qing Emperor walked in from outside the Palace. He furrowed his brows slightly and sad, “What’s happening?”
The empress saw this and quickly led the Crown Prince forward to greet the Emperor. With grief and indignation, she said, “Your Highness, are you preparing to turn this palace into a Cold Palace [JW2]?”
The Emperor glanced at her in annoyance and did not look at the Crown Prince at all. He directly spoke to Eunuch Yao, “What did I order?”
It was a very light sentence, but Eunuch Yao knelt down in fright with a thunk and repeatedly kowtowed. Then, he turned his head and viciously said something.
The empress and Crown Prince stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed at this scene. Immediately after, the empress gave a tragic cry and fainted onto the Crown Prince.
Because…
Right in the Qing Kingdom’s most sacred Royal Palace, right outside the most generous Eastern Palace, the guards raised the knives in their hands and ferociously chopped down.
Countless sounds of knives swinging through the air sounded out. Dozens of cries fought their way out from gagged mouths, dozens of heads landed on the ground, and dozens of bodies twitched on the ground. Fresh blood immediately stained the courtyard of the Eastern Palace. The stench of blood filled the Palace.
The empress fainted from fear, but the Crown Prince, pale-faced and shaking, stared at his father with a stubborn and vicious gaze.
[JW1 It said Yan Ruohai in the original, but this is a typo.
[JW2] The name of a palace where concubines are banished/exiled to.