Chapter 144 – Tough Hand (Next)

Thirteen City Gate Department Commander Zhang Deqing – third rank, personnel file in the Privy Council, residence in the South City, servants selected by the Supervisory Court, salary taken in the inner court, never went to the Privy Council for a meeting, and never stepped foot in the entrance of the old military department’s Yamen, even if it was the old military department’s Yamen. Nominally, he was a soldier, but the relationship between him and the Qing military was like that of a widow and her father-in-law, killing him and not daring to get too close.

His family, his peers, and the people he socialized with were all those that His Majesty allowed him to interact with. This was so because His Majesty had always pinned the keys to the nine gates of Kyoto on the waistband of his pants, so His Majesty, the Emperor of Qing, made sure to tie his head to the waistband of his own pants.

If Zhang Deqing dared to rebel, His Majesty the Emperor had too many ways to let him die without a burial place. However, no one ever thought that Zhang Deqing would rebel, not only because his family had been loyal for generations, not only because even the wife he married was after generations of loyal officials, but over the years, people had gotten used to Zhang Deqing’s style of doing things.

Eat His Majesty’s food, listen to His Majesty’s words.

Lord Zhang would not wish His Majesty’s holiness when he ate, nor would he find some excuse to go into the palace to kiss His Majesty’s ass from time to time, but he was exceptionally resolute in carrying out any of His Majesty’s wills, including the night of bloodshed in Kyoto many years ago.

Counting on his fingers, this Lord Zhang Deqing, like Dingzhou Ye Chong, was an old man who had managed this Kyoto for nearly twenty years.

For such a figure as white as tofu, coupled with the fact that the duties he managed were too sensitive, no power dared to touch him, not even the second prince who had been competing with the crown prince for power back then, because touching Zhang Deqing would be like touching his father’s crotch.

Therefore, Zhang Deqing was somewhat like an invisible person in the official world, and no one could think of him until now at such a critical moment. When His Majesty Qing died heroically on Dadong Mountain, Zhang Deqing’s allegiance shifted to the Empress Dowager with exceptional accuracy and speed. His figure was immediately visible and extraordinarily piercing.

The allegiance to the Empress Dowager was not because the Empress Dowager was His Majesty the Emperor’s own mother, but rather that His Majesty had once proclaimed to the world before the heavenly sacrifice that the present-day Qing Kingdom was ruled by the Empress Dowager’s curtain.

After reading the surveillance report of the Academy of Supervisors for the past year, Fan Xian thought that this Lord Zhang was a rare “foolishly loyal official”, and Bingyun gave the exact same judgment. These two young officials of the Supervisory Yuan could of course guess that His Majesty must have other ways of controlling Zhang Deqing, but now that His Majesty was gone, they had no way to start, so they could only start from the word “loyalty”.

Tonight, Yan Bingyun is here to hold Zhang Deqing’s hand and perform a dance of loyalty that touches the heavens and the earth.

Zhang Deqing has been old, two eyes under the bags are a little thick. Perhaps it was also due to the fact that he had been worried all these days and had not rested well. And at this time, the pupils above this pair of eye bags shone with sadness, anger, and many emotions.

At this time it was in the government office of the Thirteen City Gates Division, Yan Bingyun arrived alone, and after handing over that copied posthumous edict, he quietly waited for Zhang Deqing’s choice.

Being able to make a copy of Emperor Qing’s posthumous edict in a very short period of time proved that the craftsmanship of the Supervisory Academy had taken a qualitative leap forward after successfully forging Elder Master Ming’s will, and it also proved Fan Xian’s spirit of revolutionary rebellion at this point in time, as well as the fact that Lord Xiaoyan, although loyal to the emperor and loving the country, was not upholding mechanistic bureaucracy when it came to the details.

The so-called posthumous edict was actually just a letter that the emperor had written to the Empress Dowager on the night of the siege of Dadong Mountain, in a tone that was extremely bland and saw through the world’s events. In the letter, he mentioned the abolition of the Crown Prince and the sinister roles played by the Crown Prince and the Eldest Princess in the siege of Dadong Mountain, while clearly stating that when Fan Xian returned to Kyoto, the power of the Supervisor of the Kingdom was handed over to him and, to everyone’s incredulity, gave Fan Xian the power to select the next generation of the monarch of the Kingdom of Qing.

Two lines of old tears flowed down from Zhang Deqing’s eyes, although he had long known that His Majesty had died on Dadong Mountain, but at this moment, seeing His Majesty’s handwriting, this third ranked commander of the City Gate Department still couldn’t stop the emotions stirring within him.

“Has this posthumous edict …… Empress Dowager read it?” Zhang Deqing suddenly raised his head and stared into the eyes of Yan Bingyun.

The young Yan Gongzi was more and more certain in his heart at this time that the strategy he and Fan Xian had drawn up should succeed, and that no matter which way he looked at it, this commander, who was known for his diehard loyalty to the dynasty, would be on his side.

He said softly, “Your Highness has already seen it.”

“Then what was the matter with the fireworks order in the palace earlier?” Zhang Deqing glared at Yan Bingyun.

“The posthumous edict ordered Lord Little Fan to assist the Empress Dowager in removing the rebellion.” Yan Bingyun was not flustered, as long as Fan Xian’s raid on the palace was successful and captured the Crown Prince and the Princess, there was no reason for anything to go wrong here at the City Gate Division, “The fireworks for the order has already begun.”

“This general cannot rely on a posthumous edict alone to trust you.” Zhang Deqing said, “I want to meet with the Empress Dowager.”

“It’s only natural.” Yan Bingyun had a frosty face and answered cleanly, in fact, he didn’t know what was going on in the palace at this time, he didn’t know if the empress dowager was dead or alive, but at the moment, he had to answer with a straight face.

“General generation loyal, when this Daqing in times of danger, when according to the late emperor’s legacy.”

Words Bingyun word not forget to buckle on top of his majesty’s posthumous edict, think when he traveled around in northern qi under a pseudonym, long sleeves, is also a habitually able to cheat the death of a powerful role, just these years only in the hospital to do some paperwork, and this dangerous work is separated from too long, in this night to convince Kyoto prefects, and at this time in the forest of guns between the thirteen city gates to persuade the commander of the division, can only be regarded as a return to the old profession.

“There is chaos in the palace.” Zhang Deqing said after a moment of silence, “I need to enter the palace immediately at this time.”

Yan Bingyun’s brows furrowed. Zhang Deqing’s gaze stared, as if he had sensed something. Right at this moment, Yan Bingyun indifferently reprimanded, “Senior Zhang, don’t forget that His Majesty entrusted these nine city gates to you. It is your duty to firmly guard the gates for Kyoto!”

At these words, Zhang Deqing fell silent again, seemingly weighing and considering something, and after a long time, he said, “Lord Yan give this general some time.”

Drag? Yan Bingyun vaguely sensed a hint of abnormality, could it be that Zhang Deqing was not convinced by this posthumous edict, and wanted to look at the situation in Kyoto again? But at this time, he did not know that the Eldest Princess and the Crown Prince had already escaped from the palace, and in order to safeguard Fan Xian’s raid on the palace, if the Thirteen City Gates Division was neutral for the time being, it was not an outcome he could not accept, and it was even a bit better than what he had expected.

Since he was dragging it out, Yan Bingyun calmly sat down in the City Gate Department’s office, between the spears of a group of generals and officers, sitting as if he were a vegetarian, his face calm.

Looking at his look, Zhang Deqing could not help but be slightly stunned, as if he did not expect him to be so confident.

However, no one expected that this delay was actually delayed for such a long time. Yan Bingyun was disguised as house arrest in the city gate division of the government office, there is no hot tea to drink, there is no little song to listen to, boiling really difficult, of course, the most difficult is that the ubiquitous pressure.

He drank the northwest wind, listening to the sound of killing in Kyoto from time to time, and sometimes even smell the faint smell of burning, should be where it was set on fire.

Zhang Deqing didn’t have that much time to sit with him in a withered state, as the commander of the City Gate Division, he had too many important things to deal with. At this time he gripped the sword on the side of his waist, walking on top of the city wall in the night, the eye blisters under his eyes miraculously disappeared, his pupils shining with a falcon-like light, staring at every move in Kyoto, at the same time from time to time issuing orders, bouncing off his own subordinates, forbidden to be involved in a coup d’état in Kyoto, and only allowing three thousand soldiers and officers to look at the nine gates of Kyoto to death.

Yes, in his eyes, the so-called force of justice led by Fan Xian was actually a coup d’état, and although after reading the posthumous edict, he had to admit that Fan Xian possessed the name of great justice, he still subconsciously believed that all those who attacked the palace were bad people.

Qing Guo Kyoto compared to the Northern Qi Shangjing City, not too thick history, but there are more military traces, so this city wall is not mottled but extremely thick, the height is not as high as the Imperial City, but if it is really used for defense, all kinds of configurations are much tougher.

Zhang Deqing stood on the city wall, as if from this thick stone and brick mixture of the city wall drew endless strength, so that he was brave to make certain choices.

At a lookout port, he stood still and looked far away in the direction of the Imperial City. The riots in Kyoto had gradually subsided, and it seemed that the Kyoto Palace had already been subdued by Fan Xian, and some government officials had begun to go out on the streets to sound gongs to pacify the people.

He was not aware that the two masterminds of the palace mutiny in Kyoto, the Grand Prince and Fan Xian, were also standing on the wall of the Imperial City at this time, gazing in the direction of the city gates. His eyes flashed a faint color of worry, if things really evolve like this, he can only accept the posthumous edict.

Perhaps this was also a good choice, yet Zhang Deqing heard the sound of carriage wheels crushing the stone road. The sound rang very clearly in his ears.

“It’s the triangular stone road, near the city gate.”

Zhang Deqing was exceptionally familiar with the vicinity of the city gate that he had managed for nearly twenty years, so familiar that he was even able to hear whether the carriage wheels were crushing over a green stone road or a triangular stone road. He was silent for a few moments, then walked down the high city wall and took the city gate division’s government office.

When the sound of the carriage resounded at the city gates, Yan Bingyun had already stood up with a sullen face, and the soldiers around him who were responsible for guarding him tensed up, drawing their blades to surround him.

Yan Bingyun’s heart sank, not because he was surrounded by soldiers, but because of the sound of the carriage. In the middle of the night in Kyoto, who would approach the city gates in a carriage? The people of Kyoto had long been tilted by the imperial court, and a commotion like tonight’s was not so frightening as to cause them to abandon their homes and flee, and the people were not so stupid as to sit in a carriage and wait to be tortured by those soldiers who were killing the red-eyed soldiers. There was only one kind of person who was riding in a carriage with the intention of leaving the capital at this time.

Right at this moment, Zhang Deqing walked in, looked at Yan Bingyun and said with a sullen face, “I am offended, Lord Yan.”

He then droned, “Take down this imperial criminal for me!”

The pupils of Yan Bingyun’s eyes shrunk slightly, he didn’t know why Zhang Deqing’s attitude before and after had changed so drastically, could it be that Fan Xian’s action to break out of the palace had failed?

The soldiers surrounded him, and Yan Bingyun did not resist. The world knew that the biggest difference between this little Lord Yan and little Lord Fan was that the force value was a bit on the low side, and there was no lethality in moving his hands.

As far as Yan Bingyun was concerned, he wouldn’t risk his own life, Zhang Deqing was just going to take him down, and if he resisted, these dozen or so lances poking into his body shouldn’t feel too good.

The City Gate Department didn’t have the kind of steel finger holsters that the Inspectorate had, but they did have a kind of small hand shackle that was impossible to break free of after clasping the joints of a person’s wrists. After Yan Bingyun was tightly bound, Zhang Deqing breathed a sigh of relief and looked outside at the darkness of the night with some confusion.

“I can’t imagine that you actually did come alone.” Zhang Deqing frowned extremely tightly, “I don’t know if I should say that Lord Little Fan is stupid or that you are too bold.”

Yan Bingyun was kicked to the ground and made a rare joke, “Actually, it’s just a matter of manpower.” He said after a pause, “I can’t imagine myself looking at someone wrong.”

Zhang Deqing was silent for a moment before saying, “The reason is simple, if you win, I will naturally serve the imperial edict, but if you lose, what is in it for me to serve the imperial edict?”

Yan Bingyun frowned, and after a long time sighed, “Loyal minister, loyal minister, what loyalty.”

“I am loyal to His Majesty, but I will not be loyal to this posthumous edict whose truth is unknown.” Zhang Deqing’s face was a bit ugly, as if he also felt a hint of trepidation at the fact that he had defied His Majesty’s posthumous edict.

This City Gate Department Commander thought in his heart, if His Majesty was still around, of course he would be a loyal servant for the rest of his life, but with His Majesty no longer around, who would be willing to guard these nine broken city gates for the rest of his life?

Yan Bingyun was silent, he had come to the City Gate Division to take a risk, but it was also based on his judgment of Zhang Deqing as a person, and he still couldn’t convince himself why such a commander would so cleanly choose to stand on the opposite side of the posthumous edict.

Was Fan Xian defeated? Yan Bingyun’s brows remained furrowed as if he was pondering an extremely difficult question.

At this moment, Zhang Deqing was only three steps away from him.

Yan Bingyun’s brows suddenly stretched, yet a drop of cold sweat slid down from the corner of his brow.

Zhang Deqing, however, clearly heard a cracking sound, as if a table leg had been wrenched hard.

Yan Bingyun suddenly raised his head and said word for word, “Zhang Deqing, Commander of the Thirteen City Gate Department, has defied the decree and aided in the rebellion, all the subjects of the Qing Kingdom should be executed in accordance with His Majesty’s posthumous decree.”

Zhang Deqing’s eyes moved slightly, not knowing to whom exactly Yan Bingyun said these words, at this time above the court hall, all are his close friends, no one will be stupid enough to come out and make a move, but in his heart he felt a trace of strangeness, and subconsciously retreated backward, wanting to be farther away from Yan Bingyun, who was being bound by the dead weight.

Someone moved, and the person who moved was not Yan Bingyun, but a person amongst Zhang Deqing’s own soldiers, and that person, after hearing Yan Bingyun’s words, sank his face, gritted his teeth, and raised the knife in his hand, slashing down at the back of Zhang Deqing’s head!

As previously stated, Emperor Qing was no longer assured of Zhang Deqing’s loyalty, but would always have eyes all over the City Gate Department, and naturally, most of these eyes were spread out by the Supervisory Yuan. Fan Xian and Yan Bingyun couldn’t reach these nails, but Yan Bingyun was betting on the blood of these nails with the posthumous edict, and even if one out of ten of them did, it would have a great effect!

The blade wind chopped down!

Zhang Deqing composed his face, without turning back, he raised his sword and flicked it, only to hear a crunching sound, his person was shocked to step forward, and the knife of that Secret Agent of the Supervisory Board behind him was also blocked away.

The lances stabbed in unison, and that secret agent was drenched in blood in an instant, killing him there and then.

However, Yan Bingyun also moved at this moment.

When that drop of cold sweat dripped from his forehead, he had already moved! He gritted his teeth and broke his left wrist hard from it! He was not an ordinary official or general, but the Tishee-designate of the Supervisory Court, and he dared to come to the City Gate Division in person, so naturally his heart was in the right place.

The Supervisory Yuan had researched the City Gate Department’s imprisons more thoroughly than he knew, and had finally discovered the problem with this shackle; as long as someone was able to disengage the entire joint of the wrist in a short period of time, and endure the excruciating pain, the wrist could be withdrawn.

Yan Bingyun was able to endure the pain, and was also willing to hit himself hard, so when Zhang Deqing took a step closer to himself, he already sprang up like a cheetah, holding the yoke in one hand and smashing it fiercely towards Zhang Deqing’s head!

Zhang Deqing’s eyes flashed with a trace of panic, perhaps it was the betrayal of his majesty that made his mind unstable, he didn’t dare to take this yoke, and retreated backward in haste.

At this time, behind him, the soldiers will be that the inspector general’s secret agent stabbed to death, just blocked his way back, he had to woefully swept towards the door of the court hall, intending to temporarily avoid this killing.

Yan Bingyun floated up, like a cloud chased after the past, on the way to wear a yoke wrist flip, has snatched Zhang Deqing hands of the sword, a flash of blue light, chopped off a want to come to the rescue of the school officer’s arm.

Like the gangrene of the bone, like the cloud of the greedy sky, Yan Bingyun took a step without falling, close to Zhang Deqing’s body to the door of the court hall.

Feeling the morose sword aura behind him, Zhang Deqing was scared and ill-intentioned, he completely did not expect that Yan Bingyun had such a clear and vicious sword skill!

Yes, Yan Bingyun was not good at martial arts, but that was in comparison to the monster Fan Xian, but once he stormed out to kill, this most famous spy figure in the history of the Supervisory Court, would not be able to be resisted by Zhang Deqing, who had been witheringly guarding the gates of the city for twenty years!

Like a lightning-like pursuit, simply did not give the city gate division soldiers any opportunity to react, the two have swept to the yamen hall door, Zhang Dejiang body blood has appeared, if it is not Yan Bingyun intention to restrain him to control the city gate division, I’m afraid that at this time he has long been sent to his death.

Just at this moment, suddenly, two powerful qi rushed straight to the body of Yan Bingyun, strong to the extreme, sudden to the extreme!

Yan Bingyun stifled a grunt, closing his sword around his chest, blocking a move, blood seeping out of his mouth and nose. However the overpowering attack finally ran out, and Zhang Deqing rolled in a state of disarray to the feet of a person, visible in the light-colored palace dress hidden within the unusual attire.

With a calm face, Her Highness Princess Li Yunrui, under the arches of two Junshan Association experts, looked at Yan Bingyun with a smile and said, “Let me tell little Mr. Yan, the reason why De Qing rebelled is because …… he was originally a member of this palace.”

The pupils of Yan Bingyun’s eyes flashed with a trace of unbelievable shock, and then turned to a disheveled color. His left hand was ruined, and he looked so lonely standing here in the court hall of the City Gate Department, in front of the blood of that brave secret agent.

The Eldest Princess nodded her head to this young Procuratorate official and said with a smile, “Go well.”