About Cao Cao's reincarnation as the emperor's uncle

Chapter 25: Empty Letters Weave a Net, Four Directions Move (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)

The charcoal brazier crackled and popped, but it couldn't dispel the chill in Feng Fang's heart.

From the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), urgent reports from various departments rushed to arrive.

He received two orders from different directions...

One of the measures was to "block the news," but the sons of Qiao Xuan and a number of other important officials disappeared one after another, and the gates of Luoyang were already under the control of the five schools of the Northern Army.

Even more bizarrely, the Imperial Guards on patrol actually got into a fight with bandits dressed as Hu people, both sides carrying standard Han army crossbows.

"My lord, an urgent report from the Commandant of the Capital Region!"

The clerk kicked open the door, bringing with him a gust of cold wind, and his leather belt jingled loudly.

"More than ten corpses have been found in each of the six jurisdictions of Luoyang, and they all seem to be subordinates of the Yuan family..."

Before Yuan Ji could make his move, a loud bang was heard.

"boom--"

Feng Fang staggered back half a step, her fingertips brushing against the table and knocking over the bronze lampstand. The force of her fall caused her to knock over the charcoal brazier.

Amidst the flying sparks, he glimpsed the weeping nobles outside the door arguing across the threshold, and could faintly hear their cries of "Give me back my son!"

As a half-worn screen was knocked over, Feng Fang let out a muffled groan and collapsed amidst the mess on the ground.

As his hair ornament askew, he saw the registrar frantically directing the clerks to tidy up the charcoal brazier, while the commotion outside the threshold suddenly subsided...

The north wind blew in through the crack in the door, making the back of his neck stiff with cold.

As the sounds of carriages and horses gradually faded into the distance, the footsteps of the clerks in the office also disappeared at the end of the corridor...

Feng Fang slowly opened her eyes, revealing a slight smile.

The only problem was that the shoe prints on his robe were mixed with charcoal ash, and he didn't know which bastard had taken the opportunity to stomp on him twice.

He stared at the swaying curtains on the roof beams, recalling the secret letter he had received not long ago…

The silk in the letter was empty, but the sealed letter was sealed with two layers of mud.

This is a secret code unique to Feng Xu, and an empty silk scroll means that he should do nothing.

As the clerk's footsteps approached again, he curled up on the ground, moved his fingers, and let out a groan.

……

On the city tower, Jian Shuo pulled his cloak tighter, the slanting sunlight stretching his shadow on the city bricks.

He leaned on the stone railing and slowly climbed to a high place, looking down at the chaotic city of Luoyang.

His fingertips slowly traced a line through the air...

Luoyang Magistrate...

Zhijinwu...

City Gate Captain...

The Five Northern Military Schools...

Luoyang Six Ministries Commandant...

After a pause at the location of the Sili Commandant's Office, it finally landed at the Henan Governor's Office.

The clamor from below the city walls drifted faintly, yet it seemed to have nothing to do with him.

At this moment, Jian Shuo only had eyes for each node in this network...

He gently brushed the snow off the stone railing, and as he turned, his cloak drew a clean arc in the wind.

……

The wind lashed against the bamboo curtain of the green-curtained carriage. Qiao Xuan stroked the bamboo slips covered with annotations, and suddenly felt the carriage shaft jerk.

He twitched his fingertips slightly, lifting the curtain half an inch, and saw a bustling crowd on the street...

The people pushed and shoved each other as they surged away into the distance, their cries mixed with shouts of "Help!" and "Murder!"

Mixed with the grayish-yellow smoke rising from the air, it wove a giant, oppressive net over Luoyang City, where leaden clouds hung low.

"stop!"

Qiao Xuan pressed the bamboo slips heavily onto his knees.

Before the coachman could even grip the reins tightly, a young servant in blood-stained clothes suddenly stumbled out from the end of the alley.

His knees slammed heavily against the icy cobblestones, his hands gripping the wheel tightly.

"Master Qiao! Luoyang is in chaos... Young Master has been kidnapped!" Qiao Xuan suddenly stood up, the carriage curtain was flung open, and a cold wind rushed into his throat.

The violent coughing startled him, preventing him from speaking for a moment, but he couldn't suppress the sudden glint of cold light in his eyes.

Qiao Lan hurriedly helped Qiao Xuan up; her fingertips beneath the plain gauze dress were icy cold.
"Father……"

"Lan'er, hurry back to the manor."

Qiao Xuan grabbed his daughter's wrist with his backhand, the calluses from holding the sword years ago digging painfully into Qiao Lan's skin.

He watched as the many soldiers sped past at the alley entrance, some were officers from the Six Ministries, some were commanders of the Imperial Guard, and some were officers from the Five Schools of the Northern Army...

Qiao Xuan felt a chill creep up his spine. Just then, three long, wolf-like whistles suddenly came from afar.

The sound pierced through the wind and snow, startling the birds in the city into fluttering flight...

An emergency signal from the Sili Commandant's Office?
He pressed down on Qiaolan's icy hand, "If you don't hear from your father, don't step out of the mansion!"

Before he finished speaking, Qiao Xuan had already jumped out of the car, his mind racing with calculations.

In the past few years, he has held various positions, from Minister of Works to Minister of Education to Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and had long since resigned due to the corruption in the court.

However, some people couldn't stand seeing him idle, so they promoted him to the position of Grand Master of Ceremonies, and he is still serving as the Governor of Henan.
-
Henan Yin:
It governed Luoyang and 21 surrounding counties, directly controlled the security of the capital, and could mobilize local troops.

The Commandant of the Capital Region supervised all officials in the capital, while the Governor of Henan managed the administration of the capital region, forming a "dual-headed supervision" system.

However, during the period of eunuch power at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, these positions often became tools for relatives of the empress or scholar-officials to resist the eunuchs.
-
Chaos reigned in all camps, the sirens blared in Sili, the city was in chaos, and a young child was kidnapped...

How come he, the governor of Henan, only found out about this now?

This couldn't possibly be the work of a group of thieves who caused this disturbance for money.

I wonder whose hands... are trying to turn Luoyang into a mess.

Just as Qiao Xuan was hurrying towards the Henan Prefect's office...

At the entrance to a hidden passage, weeds swayed and trembled in the wind.

Xu Fengdang first parted the vines, then braced himself against the stone wall with his iron handguards, and flipped out of the secret passage like a raccoon.

Afterwards, Zhang Ji had a ring-pommel sword hanging from his waist, and Yin Duan's blue robe was already torn and tattered, but he still reached out to help Zhu Jun behind him.

Zhu Jun's left hand protected the item in his sleeve, while a blood-soaked red rope on his right wrist was particularly glaring; it was something he had worn since childhood.

As the group emerged from the secret passage one by one, they saw...

Yin Duan looked slightly disheveled, his face showing exhaustion and determination after surviving a disaster.

Zhu Jun's face showed a hint of longing, and the veins on the back of his hand were slightly bulging, with a red rope wrapped around it.

Zhang Ji then vigilantly observed his surroundings, not missing a single sound or movement.

Beneath the withered tree, Liu Fang, dressed in a black brocade robe and covered with a white fox fur coat, resembled a lone crane perched on a cold branch.

He stood facing the wind, and when he saw the crowd come out, he strode forward to greet them.

Xu Feng took the first step towards Liu Fang and knelt on one knee.

"My lord, fortunately you have lived up to your fate!"

Seeing this, Zhang Ji followed Xu Feng's lead and knelt before Liu Fang.

"Ji pays his respects to Your Excellency..."

Liu Fang slightly raised his hand, gesturing for them to stand up, but his gaze fell on Yin Duan's tattered clothes:
"Despite suffering such humiliation in prison, Lord Yin was still able to fight a fierce battle. He truly deserves to be called a tiger general on the frontier."

Yin Duan dusted off his clothes and flicked his sleeves; when he clasped his hands in a fist salute, the scars on his sleeves were visible.
"I originally thought that the Left School Office was doomed, but unexpectedly I was saved by Lord Yuanyi."

"This kindness and virtue, even if I were to be shattered to pieces, I could never repay even a fraction of it..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Fang quickly supported Yin Duan, stopping him from kowtowing:
"Lord Yin, please don't do this!"

Just then, Liu Fang caught a glimpse of Zhu Jun quietly adjusting his cuffs out of the corner of his eye, and changed the subject:
"This time... we have wronged Mr. Yin and Mr. Gongwei."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jun bowed deeply to the ground, the red rope around his wrist taut with the movement.
"On behalf of my teacher, I bow in gratitude to Lord Yuanyi for his great kindness. If you have any orders, I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Just as Liu Fang helped Zhu Jun up, a series of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from afar.

Zhang Ji instantly thrust his sword forward, while Zhu Jun stepped aside to protect Liu Fang, his fingers already gripping the crossbow mechanism hidden in his sleeve.

Only Xu Feng stared at the two points of light flashing from the bronze mirror in the distance, and suddenly whispered:
"My lord, it is Yuan Huo."

A man and a horse emerged from the mist; the newcomer was none other than Feng Xu.

Before he had reached within ten feet of them, he dismounted, bowed, and spoke:
"Zilie has made his move..."

(End of this chapter)