Chapter 32: Before the Privy Council, Great Heads

The city gate side is dark.

The city gate side was cold and empty.

That side of the city gate had long since been cleared out, and the residents of Kyoto were stopped outside the cordon, looking with shock at the line coming from the south, looking at the blood these people carried, looking at the corpses crouching on those horses, looking at the young lord who straightened up his back and rode on the first high horse at the head of the line.

There was an uproar!

The young Lord Fan, who had been absent from Kyoto for a year, had finally returned to the capital, but no one had expected that along with him were so many corpses and blood stains, as well as an all-black Supervisory Court carriage that was so tattered and torn that it seemed like it might fall apart at any moment.

The people who were watching from afar whispered and talked, shocked beyond measure. Looking at the scene in front of them, the people all guessed that something sinister must have happened to Lord Fan Jr. on his way back to the capital, only that no one had thought that the so-called sinister danger had actually taken place in the vicinity of the peaceful and prosperous capital.

The sergeants of the Kyoto guard were silent as they led their horses and escorted on both sides of the procession.

The people looked on with fearful faces, confirming that it was not the court that was after Little Lord Fan, and then began to make conjectures, thinking of Fan Xian’s shocking life, the rumors of the past year, and the sensitive words of the inner treasury, even if they were as foolish as the women of the people, they all knew that it must be that there were some people within the court who were trying to do harm to Little Lord Fan.

Fan Xian in Jiangnan things, although affects a certain reputation, but in Kyoto, he still has a very high reputation, the chun exam case, the only one, the poem before the temple, the northern qi line, in the hearts of the people of Kyoto, he is the biggest pride and the last conscience of the court.

“Lord Xuefan!”

“Learn from Lord Fan!”

The people looked at the wounded Fan Xian and did not know how to express their concern and support, nor did they know how to greet him, so they could only shout loudly from a long distance away, shouting and shouting.

Qin Heng glanced at him sideways, a hint of envy in his eyes, and immediately returned to calm.

Fan Xian looked at the overwhelming crowd over there and nodded his head slightly, his face softened a little, and he couldn’t help but be touched in the bottom of his heart, he asked himself that he hadn’t done anything for these people from the bottom of his heart in his second life, but it was just a little bit of the good that he had brought in every now and then that these people could remember for the rest of their lives.

Although Kyoto is dark, but these people’s hearts are still toward the light.

Some timid people suddenly shouted, pointing at Fan Xian’s group of horses.

Fan Xian didn’t need to turn around to know what had shaken the hearts and minds of the people.

Behind him, underneath the horses, dragged a door panel that had been folded off a carriage, and tied to the panel was a dying, bloody man. The blood on this bloody man’s body had already stopped, and the blood that had flowed out earlier had now changed to a dark color, painting his clothes and body in one place. Even more horrifying was the fact that both of this person’s arms had been broken at the shoulders, leaving only two bloody mouths, and one eyeball had deflated with blood plasma.

There were also two chopped off arms that were tied haphazardly to the edge of the door panel with strips of cloth.

This was the only survivor of the Snow Valley sniping attack, who had been dragged all the way to the gates of Kyoto by the people of the Supervisory Yuan, and the scene was miserable as the road bumped along.

Fan Xian did not have a trace of expression, waved the horse whip in his hand, and drove into the city gate first.

Passing through the dark city gate, Fan Xian took a deep breath when he saw the snowy scene of Kyoto in the depths of winter. Dozens of officials of the Supervisory Yuan wearing black lotus-clothed official uniforms greeted him, one of them silently holding the reins of Fan Xian’s horse, while the rest of them went to the rear to receive those fellow officers who had been seriously injured.

The official who held his reins had a dark complexion and said sorrowfully, “My humble servant has failed in his duty.” He glanced at Qin Heng beside Fan Xian, “The city gates were temporarily closed after the smoke and fire order, so I didn’t make it out of the city to meet them.”

Fan Xian nodded and said somewhat wearily, “Mu Tie don’t blame yourself, this has nothing to do with you.”

He then said, “Mu Feng’er!”

Mu Feng hurriedly ran over from the back and stood honestly beside the horse, a look of anger and unease also appearing on his face, “Mu Feng’er is here.”

Fan Xian bowed his head slightly and said, “You take some of the men to bring these brothers to nurse their wounds, and we’ll talk about the burial tomorrow.”

“Yes.” Mu Feng’er led the way.

Fan Xian said to Mu Tie, “Take the people and follow me to a place.”

Mu Tie was puzzled, thinking that his lordship was seriously injured, so he thought that the palace would not be in a hurry to summon him, so where would he go in such a hurry? But he knew that he could never ask at a moment like the present, and bowed his head to receive the order, while making a gesture to the liaison official down the street.

Fan Xian glanced at Qin Heng and asked, “After entering the capital, will anyone else dare to kill me?”

Qin Heng thought for a moment and said, “No.”

Fan Xian said, “Then why do you still follow me?”

Qin Heng thought about it again and said with difficulty, “I’m afraid you’ll kill someone.”

Fan Xian was silent for a moment before saying, “I’m not going to kill anyone today because I’m still not sure which person to kill.”

The officials of the Supervisory Yuan who had returned to the capital with Fan Xian were picked up to heal their wounds, and he was replaced behind him with officials and spies from one of his own original locations, so they walked quietly and solemnly deeper into Kyoto, and in a short while they arrived on Tianhe Avenue.

The rear of the procession is still dragging that fast falling apart carriage, and that door plate and that miserable bloody man.

All the way traveling, as much as in the eyes of the people of Kyoto, the crowd of onlookers on both sides of the road is getting bigger and bigger, can not help but let out a few sounds of cold air. At this time between the city has long been spread, small Fan Lord ordered to return to the capital to report on duty, unexpectedly in the capital outside the ambush attack on strong people, the Supervisory Yuan dead and wounded, small Fan Lord almost died.

Since the night of bloodshed in Kyoto fourteen years ago, Kyoto had been immersed in peace, and it had been many years since something so shocking had happened.

Fan Xian sat straight on his horse and walked forward, behind him, people from the Supervisory Yuan continued to gather in the line, which was getting longer and longer, but still remained silent and solemn.

Watching this scene, all the people in Kyoto were chilled to the bone, wondering if blood would soon flow in Kyoto, and no one dared to underestimate Fan Xian’s vigor and ruthlessness.

Most of the officials of the Supervisory Yuan in the capital belonged to one place, and Fan Xian was the ancestor of one place, and it was such a big event for the ancestor to be attacked, and it didn’t take much to mobilize the spies in one place in Kyoto to take action, those who accompanied Fan Xian joined the team, and those who secretly went to investigate began to notify the nails hidden in the various mansions.

Fan Xian suddenly pulled the reins, stopped the horse, looked back at his subordinates who had a resolute look on their faces, frowned slightly, and slowly said, “There are nearly two hundred people here, and we only have a total of three hundred and eleven in one place, so you’re not going to do your job?”

Mu Tie thought that today’s formation looks like it is going to kill someone to take revenge, how can it be done with fewer people? If you kill someone in Kyoto, even if you have a reason to do so, you will be suppressed in the end, and this time, one of them is betting all their lives on Fan Xian. He gritted his teeth and said, “I’ll listen to your arrangements.”

Fan Xian closed his eyes and thought for a while, “Don’t come back for more people, I’m not there to kill anyone.”

Qin Heng, who had been following close to him, heard these words and his heart trembled.

Then this group of people continued to drive, under the horrified gazes of the people of Kyoto, along the normally quiet Tianhe Avenue, the flowing water on both sides of that road, slowly traveling towards the distant imperial palace.

Yan Bingyun stood at the window, looking at the road downstairs through the glass window, looking at that team of murderous yet incomparably silent teams on the road. The crowds of onlookers had already been dispersed by the magistrates of the Kyoto Prefecture, and the Tianhe Avenue became more and more lonely.

He looked at the person riding in the forefront on horseback and let out a slight sigh.

A subordinate knocked and entered, kneeling on the ground and reporting, “Have sent someone to inform Chen Yuan that the alert has been raised to the first level, the six divisions are fully activated and have taken control of the streets and alleys near the Privy Council.”

“Have the second division throw down the unimportant work at hand and make every effort to investigate the ambush attack in the valley.” Yan Bingyun did not turn around, only looking at Fan Xian on the road.

The subordinate received the order and raised his head to ask, “Lord Tiji is heading that way, should we take over?”

After thinking for a moment, Yan Bingyun said, “Prepare, if the lord really moves his hand ……” His face changed slightly, then he said with a bitter smile, “Don’t worry, the lord won’t move his hand, he is more tolerant than we are. ”

That subordinate raised his head in shock and looked at Yan Bingyun, thinking to himself that the Lord Tishi had been attacked, how was little Mr. Yan so calm and collected? Actually not rushing out of the courtyard to greet Lord Tiji or …… stop Lord Tiji?

Between the palace and the gray and black inspectorate, there is another building with a pale dragon perched on top and a stone lion guarding the door, the yamen is wide open and the stone steps its down, it looks mighty and inexplicable.

Fan Xian rode in silence towards that building.

The door panel he was dragging behind him finally broke apart when it lurched on the rocky canyon at the end of the Tianhe road. That bloody man’s feet were still bound above the horse’s tail, and with a bounce on the ground, it was re-dragged again, only for the pair of severed arms to fall to the ground.

There were already officials from the Supervisory Court picking up the pair of broken arms.

The bloody man was awakened by the upheaval, groaning in distress, only half of his jaw had been shattered, and he was in a semi-conscious state, unable to say anything at all.

The man was dragged along the ground by Fan Xian’s horse, and blood burst out again, dragging out a long line on the snow.

The line of blood.

At the end of the line of blood was the building.

Fan Xian squinted his eyes and looked at the yamen on the stone steps, looked at the mighty and inexplicable stone lions on both sides of the stone steps, and sighed in his heart, in the past years in Kyoto, he had deliberately distanced himself from this place because of the emperor’s pressure and his own introspection, and counting up to the present day, this was actually the first time that he had come here.

Here is the center of the Qing military, when the Ministry of War, later renamed the Ministry of War in the New Deal, now early to return to the ancient place called the Privy Council.

Privy Council by the order of His Majesty, control all the military mobilization of Qing Dynasty, responsible for all foreign wars, in these decades of war, I do not know how many famous generals and marshals emerged, I do not know how much land and wealth for the Qing Dynasty.

Qing’s army is the strongest army in the world, and Qing’s Privy Council is the head of this strongest army.

The people in the Privy Council knew about this news that shocked Kyoto as early as when Fan Xian entered the city, and by the time Fan Xian and his party came towards the Privy Council, all the generals felt a hint of surprise and uneasiness, and there were already quite a number of military officials who ran out of the Privy Council and stood on the steps, watching Fan Xian and his party.

Fan Xian just sat quietly on his horse, not dismounting either, just looking at the closed gate on the stone steps.

The gate slowly pulled open, and five or six ministers of the Privy Council hurriedly walked down, while behind them, the soldiers of the Privy Council gripped their swords and spears tightly, staring vigilantly at the group of black-clad men of the Supervisory Council at the entrance of the court.

The scene seemed a bit tense.

But Fan Xian wasn’t nervous, he recognized that the two deputy envoys of the Privy Council and the third house’s deputy minister were the ones who went out to greet him. Now that the old man of the Qin family has always claimed to be sick and at home, the Privy Council is in charge of the affairs of these high officials.

With a wave of his whip, he stopped the Right Vice-Envoy of the Privy Council from speaking, not giving the other party a chance to express his concern, anger, nervousness, pity, or any other emotion.

Fan Xian slowly spoke.

“I know that many of you don’t want me to return to Kyoto, or at least don’t want me to return to Kyoto alive.” Fan Xian said indifferently, “But …… I still came back.”

The right deputy envoy of the Privy Council wanted to say something, but his eyes looked at the bloody man Fan Xian was dragging behind him, and looking at this miserable sight, this high official who had climbed up from the blood and fire only frowned slightly.

Fan Xian slightly bowed his head and said, “This official was attacked on the outskirts of Kyoto, and I’m sure all of you must know about this.”

The right deputy envoy of the Privy Council, Fu Shi, spoke, “It is truly shocking ……”

Not waiting for him to finish his sentence, Fan Xian intercepted, “Who the person who wants to kill this official is, this official doesn’t want to pay attention to it, this official only knows …… that it’s one of your people.”

Your people.

This set the tone of the words!

The right deputy envoy of the Privy Council was alarmed, frowning and retorting, “Fan Tisi was attacked, we and our colleagues all share the same feelings, it’s just that the incident hasn’t been cleared up yet, so please don’t go too …… far.”

Fan Xian ignored him, just gently caressing the smooth riding crop, and said from the horse with his head down, “Why bother explaining anything?”

“Do you guys recognize this person I’m dragging?” Fan Xian glanced at the bloody man behind his horse and said with a smile, “Of course, you guys certainly don’t recognize him, even if he must be the personal general of some big shot in the army.”

“This man is the only one left alive from today’s attack on this officer.” He sighed, “A very good soldier, a pity.”

Fan Xian backhanded a whip, the tip of which was extremely long, and snapped at the face of the bloody man in the snow behind him, only that man had long since been dying, and there was no reaction at all.

Soldiers have their own breath, and the Privy Council people have long known from the Kyoto guard, this ambush Fan Xian’s small group of troops, actually used the city crossbow, so, the military certainly can not be disassociated.

At this time, the Privy Council people are full of consideration is how to face the Supervisory Board’s anger, Chen Pingping’s backlash, His Majesty’s anger, so for Fan Xian so obviously to the military humiliation of a whip, but also only a slight change in color, the heart of the annoyed, but on the face but do not dare to show too directly what.

From the main door of the Privy Council, and slowly out of a person, only to see this person is not how tall, but looks exceptionally strong, especially that a pair of eyes God light convergence, but also aggressive, a face of solemnity, behind the back of a long bow.

Looking at the purple costume on his body, he was obviously an extreme minister.

If he wasn’t Yan Xiaoyi, the Governor of the North, who had returned to the capital to report on his duties, who else could he be?

Fan Xian did not even look at Yan Xiaoyi, but just backhanded a whip and hit the bloody man’s face behind him, leaving another horrific wound on the man’s already miserable face.

Immediately after that, the tip of the whip flew and rolled the man up, and with a flash of the blade, the rope tied behind the ponytail broke.

The bloody man flew straight up and over the soldiers at the bottom of the stone steps, falling heavily onto the snowy ground before the Privy Council Yamen, smashing up a snowflake and a blood splatter.

It fell right in front of Yan Xiaoyi.

Yan Xiaoyi glanced down, wondering if there was a slight change in his eyes.

Fan Xian raised his right hand.

Mu Tie drew out the matching sword beside him, walked over to the only remaining carriage, held the handle with both hands, and slashed down.

As soon as the blade fell, the last trace of the carriage’s ties couldn’t hold the force, and half of the carriage’s walls collapsed.

Countless round things rolled out from the carriage, rolled through the scattered wooden boards, rolled through the white snow, rolled to the Privy Council under the stone lion, go momentum is difficult to stop, gradually piled up, the entire side of the stone lion against the road submerged in half the height.

It was human heads.

Countless heads piled up between the carriage and the stone lion.

Dots of stained blood, countless bloodstained eyes that were either open or closed, and threads of flesh tied underneath the heads just flooded the chest of the mighty stone lion at the entrance of the Privy Council.

“The two hundred strong men of the army who ambushed me are all here.” Fan Xian said indifferently, waving his horsewhip and pointing it remotely at the great lords of the Qing military on the stone steps, “The living, I have given you, the dead, I have given you, and I hope you will give me something as well.”

Then he said to the indifferent Yan Xiaoyi, “How is your son?”

Finally Fan Xian lowered his head, tugged at his lips at the two hundred heads there at the stone lion, and said mockingly, “Great heads ah ……”

Yan Xiaoyi raised his head, a fine light appearing in his eyes.