The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 253: Chang'an Jun smashes the Prime Minister's mansion, rushes to Yongcheng, and kills Qin Xiang with a sword

The central palace is called Chengjiao Palace.

According to the Qin system, Ying Chengjiao, who had been granted the title of lord, was not allowed to live in the palace but should live in his fiefdom.

It’s just that the former king didn’t mention this matter when he was alive, and King Zheng of Qin didn’t mention this matter after he succeeded him, so it just stayed like that.

The royal palace is, after all, the palace of the King of Qin and his home.

Whoever the King of Qin wants to live there can live there.

Ever since Master Cheng Jiao moved back into Cheng Jiao Palace, the colors here suddenly became brighter, evolving directly from black and white to a variety of colors.

The female historian who is in charge of documents and records the affairs of the harem and is the head of the palace maids in all the palaces often comes to Chengjiao Palace. She says that her mood brightens as soon as she enters Chengjiao Palace and she really envies the Changyu who is in charge of Chengjiao Palace.

Chang Yu is a senior female official who commands a group of palace maids.

According to the Qin system, the chief officials of each palace group were of equal rank, with no distinction between high and low.

But in fact, depending on the palace group, the Changyu are divided into different levels.

Before Ying Chengjiao returned to Chengjiao Palace, the chief imperial attendant of Chengjiao Palace was indistinguishable from the crowd and was unremarkable.

Within just a few months after Ying Chengjiao's return, the status of the Chief Eunuch of Chengjiao Palace rose sharply, and he quietly reached the peak, shoulder to shoulder with the Chief Eunuch of Ganquan Palace, where the Queen Dowager Huayang lived.

The many new eunuchs and palace maids in the palace didn't know why the palace of a young master like Cheng Jiao had such a high status.

Today, they seem to know.

The Qin Palace in Xianyang is divided into five palaces, east, west, south, north and center.

Chengjiao Palace belongs to the Central Palace, but is independent of it.

This independence means independence of everything, including military equipment.

In October, at noon, Yang energy is at its strongest.

The sun is high in the sky, but there is still no warmth.

The Chengjiao Palace, which was filled with joy the moment before, was now filled with solemnity and murderous atmosphere.

The chaotic footsteps shattered the sweet dream of the nap, and the cold light of armor kept flashing under the gate of Chengjiao Palace, again and again.

There were a total of one hundred ordinary guards in Chengjiao Palace.

There will also be one centurion general, two garrison commanders, ten squad leaders and twenty platoon leaders.

The first year of the reign of Qin Shi Huangdi, October 2nd.

Chang'an Jun led Cheng Jiao and Gong Wubei into Zhangtai Street and rushed into the Prime Minister's Mansion.

After failing to find the Prime Minister, he smashed the Prime Minister's mansion to vent his anger.

Outside the Xiangbang Mansion, the Qin people, who had always been orderly, were in chaos.

The elderly people fled in panic, and some women and children who were born and raised in Xianyang and had never seen such chaos cried incessantly.

More Qin people were dumbfounded. Some men with strong determination had already chosen safe viewing spots to watch the excitement that was rare in the past ten years.

Smoke and dust rose from the plain, as if the heaven was falling into the mortal world.

A loud rumbling sound was heard towards the sky, and broken tiles and bricks hit the ground.

The Xiangbang Mansion built by King Huiwen of Qin for Zhang Yi, which has a history of nearly a hundred years, has truly become history.

The princess from Qi State and Ji Yaoyao rode in the same carriage with four horses and witnessed the entire...riot.

Since they smashed the prime minister's residence without the king's order, Tian Yan had to define it as a riot.

The princess was shocked when she learned that the Chengjiao Palace owned by Yingzi was not a palace but a group of palaces.

There was a shock when Chengjiao Palace deployed all its troops.

These 133 Qin elite soldiers were shocked when they destroyed the Prime Minister's Mansion without hesitation at Ying Zi's order.

There were three shocks, each one more intense than the last, and each one more incomprehensible than the last as to why the State of Qin could accommodate Ying Zi.

Gong Qun is still okay, which shows that the previous kings of Qin State favored Ying Zi.

It is outrageous that he can command 133 elite soldiers of Chengjiao Palace.

The Central Palace was not only where Ying Chengjiao’s palaces were located, but also where King Zheng of Qin rested.

There were 133 people sleeping soundly beside his couch. How could the King of Qin sleep?

What's even more outrageous is.

These 133 people who were soundly sleeping obeyed Ying Zi's orders, and when they woke up they became the most ferocious tigers and wolves!
There were people in the Qin Palace who thought about stopping these tigers and wolves, but none of the nobles who spoke were of any use.

Not to mention stopping the tigers and wolves from escaping the cage, we can't even stop them.

No wonder.

King Xiaowen of Qin took away all the concubines except Queen Dowager Huayang Mi Buming.

The previous king, King Zhaoxiang of Qin, had only two daughters in his life: Queen Dowager Zhao, Ji Yaotiao, and Princess Ji Yaoyao of Han.

King Zheng of Qin was still young and had not yet taken a concubine.

All in all, the only four people in the Qin Palace whose status was higher than Ying Chengjiao were King Zheng of Qin, Queen Dowager Zhao, Queen Dowager Huayang, and Queen Dowager Xia.

King Zheng of Qin, Queen Mother Zhao, and Queen Mother Huayang went to Yongcheng yesterday and have not returned yet.

Queen Mother Xia was forgotten by people and was forgotten by others.

When the previous king was still alive, he was content to live in seclusion, and only appeared in public once when the previous king ascended the throne.

The four did not show up.

No matter whether the head of the palace maids, the female historian, shouted or the head of the eunuchs, the eunuch, tried to stop it, it was of no use.

If the soft one doesn't work, what about the hard one? That doesn't work either.

There are two systems of soldiers in the Qin Palace.

One set is the palace gate guards under the charge of the Weiwei, including the soldiers guarding the palace gates and the sharp soldiers on the palace walls.

One set is the palace gates managed by the Langguan, namely the Langguan on duty outside the palaces and the Langguan patrolling in the royal palace.

The Weiwei and the Langzhongling were both Nine Ministers. They followed Qin Shi Huang to Yongcheng and have not returned yet.

In their absence, the defense of the palace was taken over by their two deputies.

That is, Weiwei Cheng and Langzhong Cheng.

As high-ranking officials second only to the Nine Ministers, these two were different from the new palace maids and eunuchs in the palace.

The two of them have watched Master Chengjiao grow up and witnessed the changes over the past decade or so, and they know a lot about Master Chengjiao.

Knowing that all the soldiers in Chengjiao Palace had left, the two secretly observed the soldiers' movement routes and found that they were heading outside the palace instead of inside.

The two of them chose to ignore it and let it go.

As long as they don't cause trouble in the palace, they will not be held responsible.

As for what they do outside... do whatever they want, they will not be able to lead troops to stop them anyway.

They did not forget that when the late king was still the crown prince, Palace Master Chen led more than 3,000 soldiers to the foot of Chengjiao's palace and ordered Prince Chengjiao to open the palace gates.

Prince Chengjiao led his troops in a standoff, but the battle was delayed until King Xiaowen of Qin arrived, and the city was not opened.

The prince said that the soldiers of Chengjiao Palace would not listen to him, so how could they listen to them? Bullshit!

They really dare to stop them. These soldiers in Chengjiao Palace really dare to fight them!

If they couldn't stop him inside the palace, they would be even less able to stop him outside.

After leaving the Central Palace, you will see Zhangtai Street, which is known as the official street.

During the New Year period, all major government offices only have a certain number of rotating staff on duty, and the rest are on leave.

These government officials didn’t react.

Even if they reacted, all the troops left behind by the government combined might not be enough to defeat 133 armored warriors.

The soldiers responsible for defending Xianyang were called Weizu.

These guards were each under the charge of the Nei Shi and the Tai Wei.

The Internal Secretary and the Grand Marshal both went to Yongcheng, leaving only their deputies.

The Neishi Cheng and Taiwei Cheng did not turn a blind eye like the Weiwei Cheng and Langzhong Cheng.

There was chaos in Xianyang and the two could not escape the blame.

But by the time they learned the news and ordered the guards to come, only ruins were left at the site, and it was too late.

The two men were in tears and cursed in their hearts.

What Yingzi?

Isn’t this still the same arrogant, domineering and lawless Young Master Cheng Jiao?
Are all other people blind?

Who provoked him again?

If you want to provoke me, do it at any time. Don’t provoke me during the New Year period when the Secretary of the Interior and the Grand Marshal are away!

Apart from Ying Chengjiao, few people in Xianyang knew what happened in Yongcheng.

natural.

Few people could guess why Master Chengjiao demolished the Prime Minister's Mansion.

The few people who knew the truth combined the cause and effect and guessed that Prince Chengjiao was after the dead hidden palace maiden, and they all sighed. He valued love and nature, this was Prince Chengjiao's character.

If you have a son, you should have one like Gongzi Chengjiao; if you make friends, you should make friends like Gongzi Chengjiao.

3:30 pm, Li Yigong.

After packing up and preparing for the long journey, Ying Chengjiao said:

"Mother, I'm going to Yongcheng.

"After I leave, if anyone dares to cause trouble, mother will find Wang Jian."

Ji Yaoyao smiled and shook her head:
"The leaders of Qin are all in Yongcheng. No one would dare to come to my son's palace to cause trouble. You don't have to worry, mother."

Ying Chengjiao nodded.

He also knew that this was the right thing to do, and asking Wang Jian to protect him was just an extra layer of insurance.

When he thought of this, he felt gloomy.

He thought of Afang, the girl he should call sister-in-law.

His sister-in-law should not have died.

He had only met Afang once and had forgotten what she looked like, but he was still angry.

How can such assassination methods be used in political struggles?

If he can kill his sister-in-law today, he can kill his brother tomorrow. This is crossing the line!

"Qiao'er." Ji Yaoyao hesitated and finally sighed, "Be careful."

"Don't worry, mother. I know what's going on and I'm not blinded by anger." Ying Chengjiao responded seriously, showing that he was still sober.

Princess Tian Yan of Qi felt that he was not sober at all.

You still call yourself sober after destroying the Prime Minister's Mansion?
If he is not clear-headed, will he even have to destroy the Qin Palace?
"I had something urgent to do and I am sorry for neglecting the princess." Ying Chengjiao forced a smile at Tian Yan and raised his hands to clasp his fists: "I will apologize to the princess when Chengjiao comes back."

Tian Yan's smile was even more forced:
"It's OK, please do as you please, Yingzi."

The two men looked at each other, and Ying Chengjiao walked towards the door.

The young man took six steps and was about to step over the threshold and walk out of the palace.

The girl bit her lower lip and suddenly shouted:

"Yan is waiting for Yingzi to come back!"

For Tian Yan, who has been exposed to Mencius' thoughts since childhood and knows, understands and observes etiquette, it would be better for her to recite the entire text of "Mencius" than to just shout it out.

Ying Chengjiao paused, turned around, smiled, and blew a kiss:
"gone!"

The girl blushed and lowered her head to spit secretly.

[shameless! ]
She lowered her head for only a moment, and then she couldn't help but raise it and saw the gold thread on Ying Chengjiao's clothes shining.

[You must come back...]
"Don't be anxious. Didn't I tell you?" Ji Yaoyao said with a relaxed look: "You have to trust Jiao'er. He knows his limits."

Princess Qi couldn't help but ask back:

"Is it considered tactful to order the palace guards to charge forward and smash the Prime Minister's Mansion into ruins?"

For a country as relaxed as Qi, this was a serious crime.

Ji Yaoyao sighed that her son was so lucky. The girl he found through political marriage actually had true feelings for him. She kindly reminded him:

“You only saw that the Xiangbang Mansion was gone, but you didn’t see that only the Xiangbang Mansion was gone.

“During the New Year holidays, there are few people working in the various government offices of Qin State, and the same is true for the Prime Minister’s Office.

“Although Jiao’er did not evacuate the personnel, no one died in the Xiangbang Mansion this time, and only eight people were injured.

"No one was killed. Isn't that considered being sensible?"

The clouds on Tian Yan's face gradually dissipated, and his mood gradually became brighter.

No one died.

Then the destruction of the Prime Minister's Mansion this time only slapped Prime Minister Lu Buwei in the face, but did not create any new enemies.

If no one holds on to it, a big sin can be turned into a small sin, and a small sin can be turned into innocence.

night.

Yongcheng.

The streets are brightly lit, a perfect substitute for daylight.

The 50-foot-wide rammed-earth main street had ice on the ceramic drainage pipes beside the road, and millet stalks and pine needles scattered between the wheel ruts.

On the rammed earth wall of the neighborhood, a white notice of "Wuxu Gengshu" was painted.

The common people, wearing short brown robes with white edges and double-toothed wooden clogs, happily celebrate the New Year with the sound of "clack-clack".

On a three-meter-high earthen platform at the intersection of an alley.

A witch wearing a black lacquered Taotie mask, holding a peach bow and reed arrows, scattered millet grains soaked in realgar to the crowd.

The crowd gathered to greet the millet grains and shouted in unison:
"Drive out the plague! Drive out the plague!"

Children hang "peach charms" carved into the shape of a tiger on the inner door.

The old woman tied a red-dyed canine tooth with a hemp rope and hung it under the eaves to ward off evil spirits.

They were not aware that this practice was the method of getting rid of evil weapons as recorded in the Daily Book.

They just do what their elders say and pass it on from mouth to mouth.

The wine shops along the street set up earthenware steamers, and the steam carrying the sour and spicy aroma of pickled mustard spread across the street.

The butcher dismembered the sheep in the street, and the blood seeped into the gaps between the cobblestones.

The cook used a bronze dagger to cut the roasted minced meat into a lacquered bowl and shouted:
"Is there any brave man who wants a pig shoulder?"

In the open space outside the tavern, two knights who had been awarded the title of "Bu Geng" bare their left arms and compete in throwing pots.

The copper arrowhead hit the tiger-shaped copper pot, making a clanging sound, which attracted the personal soldiers of the Weiwei wearing equestrian crowns to throw down two coins as a prize.

A group of young men split into two groups and used wooden sticks as spears to simulate fighting, causing clouds of yellow dust to rise from the rammed earth.

They sang the Qin army's battle song "Wu Yi":
"How can you say that you have no clothes, but you share the same robe with me!"

Tonight, Yongcheng is sleepless.

When the sound of bangzi at midnight faded in the streets and alleys, a carriage pulled by four horses cut through the darkness and rushed into Yongcheng.

Half an hour later, four pure black horses, with white mist coming out of their nostrils, stopped outside a mansion near the palace.

The carriage stopped and Master Chengjiao got off.

Following behind him was Gai Nie, who was dressed in white clothes that were brighter than snow and stood out from the black clothes worn by the surrounding people.

The driver, Hu, knocked on the door of the mansion and stretched out his arm to lead his master inside.

The person who opened the door was a boy younger than Ying Chengjiao, Gan Luo.

"Chang'an Jun, please follow me." Gan Luo led the way: "My lord has been waiting for Chang'an Jun."

Ying Chengjiao said nothing and just followed.

Gai Nie caught a glimpse of the cold light of armor flashing in the shadow of the porch.

They were twelve guards wearing fish-scale armor, the long halberds in their hands glowed faint blue in the moonlight.

The Sword Master placed his right hand, which fell naturally, on the hilt of the sword and took a step closer to his master.

The four of them walked for dozens of steps. Under the moonlight, a figure stood in front of the main room with lights on. A voice came from afar:
"Is it Master Cheng Jiao?"

Ying Chengjiao kept walking, his voice was cold:

"He who kills others will be killed.

"Before you killed Afang, did you ever think that you would be assassinated one day?
"Gane."

A white shadow flashed, like a ghost appearing in the night.

There was no one behind Ying Chengjiao, but someone appeared in front of Lu Buwei.

The sword master seemed to appear out of thin air, holding in his hand a sword with only a hilt but no blade, a sword that couldn't even be called a broken sword.

Turn your wrist and make a light diagonal cut.

Chengying Sword, tangible but invisible!

"Gai Nie." An old voice suddenly appeared.

A sword, just like the sound, suddenly appeared in front of Lu Buwei.

The man holding the sword was an old man with a hunched back and a face that looked like he was in his twilight years.

Gai Nie's pupils shrank to the size of a needle tip, and for the first time he looked extremely serious when facing a single person.

There was a "clang" sound.

The invisible shadow was blocked by the sword.

"Sword Saint." The old man's face was full of vicissitudes, and he spoke slowly: "What a familiar name."

(End of this chapter)