The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 412 Assassination
An Ziyang led the martial arts practitioners in a frantic run. Mei Qinghe was seriously injured after using "Sword Twenty-Three," but thanks to the Gu worms fed to her by An Ziyang, her injuries were gradually healing. She drew her sword to block the martial arts practitioners attacking from behind.

The two charged left and right, leading more than a dozen martial arts masters in a chaotic frenzy through the capital, waking up countless people, including many martial arts practitioners who had entered the city recently after receiving news from Yingzhou.

When I came out, I saw more than a dozen figures chasing and fleeing.

"Those are An Ziyang and Mei Qinghe up ahead!"

"Behind them are more than a dozen senior masters... and Master Liaoxing from Shuijin Temple! He's also chasing after them!"

The people in the martial arts world looked at each other, and a story instantly took shape in their minds.

"Mysterious Observation Technique!"

"Chase!"

"Li Miao isn't here...it's the perfect time!"

Countless shadowy figures leaped onto the rooftops and joined the pursuit.

These martial arts practitioners belong to different regions, sects, and forces. Their martial arts skills vary, and they are allies and enemies. Many of them also have old grudges. It is inevitable that they will bump into each other, sabotage each other, or even fight each other during their journey.

As a result, the group behind An Ziyang and Mei Qinghe grew larger and more chaotic, eventually forming a long, tumultuous line that swept through the capital.

Adding to the chaos, the fight between the fake Li Miao and the old Wudang Taoist priest at Wanggongchang was deafening.

The overwhelming sound gradually awakened half of the capital.

Among them was Tang Lanzhou, the Minister of Justice.

He was already an old man with graying temples, and his sleep was already light. Coupled with what Li Miao had done during the day, he was now like a frightened bird, sitting up abruptly at the slightest noise.

His elderly wife, who was in bed, was awakened by him.

"Official..."

"Please wait a moment, Madam, and do not make a sound. I will go out and take a look."

Tang Lanzhou put on his shoes and an overcoat, pulled a short knife from under the bed, and walked out shakily.

Seeing his appearance, his wife turned pale with fright but remained silent. After getting out of bed, she took a pair of scissors from the dressing table, held them, and took Tang Lanzhou's arm.

"My lord... husband and wife are one."

Tang Lanzhou gritted her teeth and pushed open the door.

His gaze swept across the courtyard.

There was no Embroidered Uniform Guard as he had guessed.

He let out a long breath, listened carefully for a while, and after confirming that the noisy sounds were coming from outside, he slowly helped his wife sit down on the ground.

Tang Lanzhou was genuinely afraid.

He remained in office for many years without falling from grace, relying on his caution, his ability to please everyone, and his avoidance of offending anyone or getting involved in any potentially fatal matters. Therefore, he did not get involved in any attempts to force someone to abdicate.

But he can no longer understand the current court.

In a single day, half of the heads of the six ministries were gone, three Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet were gone, and more than thirty officials who had gone to force the emperor to abdicate were so frightened that they resigned. As the head of the Ministry of Justice, he was now in the spotlight.

He was genuinely afraid that the Imperial Guards would come to kill him tonight.

"Ah... I'm getting old."

He smiled to himself.

In his youth, he was also a strong-willed official. It was because he dared to expose injustices that others dared not that he was appreciated and promoted by the late emperor.

But after twenty-three years of the emperor's tutelage, he has lost the courage of his youth and has become an old, timid yes-man.

The slightest sound or disturbance would terrify them.

"Once we get through this, I'll prepare to retire and return to my hometown... My wife is getting old, and so am I. Let's make our seats available for courageous young people..."

Tang Lanzhou felt the urge to leave and patted his wife's hand.

"Madam, help me up, let's go back to our room."

With this slap, my hand became completely wet.

He scoffed.

Could it be that the lady is already crying from fright?
I have wronged her, causing her to live in fear... In my decades-long career in officialdom, I have not only shown her little care, but I have also left all the family affairs to her. We have supported each other for decades, yet we have hardly ever gone on a trip together.

In her youth, she was a spirited and capable woman, and now she has grown old with me... After I retire from my official post, I will definitely take her to travel all over the country to make up for it.

Tang Lanzhou turned her head apologetically.

"Madam, there's no need to be afraid. Wait until—"

The voice suddenly stopped.

There was no face. There was no face he recognized.

At eye level with him, there was nothing but blank space.

"Where did the lady go... but her hand is still there..."

Tang Lanzhou's mind went blank for a moment, then she gripped the hand that was holding his arm tightly twice. The skin, the size—it was indeed his wife.

But what about her face?
Tang Lanzhou slowly lowered her gaze.

Oh... here.

on the ground.

Her face still wore that same stubborn expression—fearful yet trying to remain calm, not wanting him to worry.

"lady?"

Tang Lanzhou reached out, wanting to smooth the furrowed brows on that face.

"Madam, there's no need to be afraid..."

Just as his fingertips were about to touch that furrowed brow.

Bang!
A burst of scarlet burst open, and red and white substances splattered out.

It was sprinkled on his face.

Tang Lanzhou was stunned.

He stared at that spot for a long time, then his gaze shifted to the headless corpse leaning against his shoulder, and finally he looked down at the short knife he was holding.

Finally, let's turn our attention to the courtyard.

There is a person there.

Wearing a flying fish robe, a bearskin cloak, and embroidered gold black gloves, with long arms and a slender waist, a heroic face, and a lazy demeanor, he was looking at him with a mocking smile and his hands behind his back.

"I apologize for visiting so late at night, Mr. Tang."

"Yes, I know that the old lady is getting on in years and can't stay up all night, so I'll take her to get some more sleep. She can sleep as long as she wants, so as not to delay my conversation with Mr. Tang."

"Oh, by the way, I deliberately restrained my strength. If we find a good coroner, we can still piece the old lady's head back together, it might just look a bit messy... She's a wife who has shared hardships with us, Mr. Tang shouldn't mind, right?"

He shrugged and tilted his head with a smile.

Tang Lanzhou stared at him for a while without saying a word.

He stood up, leaning against the door frame, and after catching his breath, he struggled to lift the headless corpse in his arms, placed it against the door frame, and straightened his clothes.

Then he walked to the spot where the head had exploded, squatted down, and picked up the scattered head fragments from the ground and put them in his arms.

At the same time, he said in a hoarse voice.

"You are not Li Miao."

"Oh?"

The man raised an eyebrow.

"What are you saying, Lord Tang? Haven't you already met—"

"You're not, you're Yan Song's man."

Tang Lanzhou said in a hoarse but firm voice.

"Although you look exactly the same in appearance, voice, figure and even clothes, you are not."

"I am the head of the Ministry of Justice. I have interrogated countless criminals, and my specialty is judging people."

He picked up a fragment of the skull with half an eyebrow attached, ran his fingertips over the eyebrow, and slowly smoothed it out.

“If Li Miao were to come and kill me personally, he wouldn’t give me a chance to speak, much less kill my wife. He’s an arrogant thug, and any roundabout methods he uses to kill a cowardly old man like me would be an insult to him.”

"He would never involve my wife; he wouldn't stoop to doing so."

"Your underhanded tactics of psychological manipulation will only expose your true colors."

Tang Lanzhou carefully placed the collected fragments in the arms of the headless corpse, turned around, gripped the hilt of the knife tightly, and stared intently at the person.

"You are a shameless scoundrel, not worthy of being compared to Li Miao at all."

"You're smug about using other people's faces, but you become arrogant when faced with an elderly person who has no power to resist. You're a coward who only has strength but no substance."

He walked slowly toward the man.

Ignoring the man's expression, which gradually darkened as he spoke, he remained silent.

(End of this chapter)