Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

The day after the emperor set a deadline for procuring grain, the capital was completely paralyzed.

The sky was overcast, and the sky was as large as a mat.

The gates of the thirteen major merchants in the inner city were tightly shut. Seals were affixed to the doors. Not a single grain of rice could be bought in the market. Grain prices were practically nonexistent; there was a price, but no market.

The starving people in the outer city could no longer endure it.

At first, a few dozen people gathered, then hundreds, then thousands. The crowd surged toward the Shuntian Prefecture government office like a gray swarm of ants.

"Distribute the grain!"

"We need to live!"

Driven to desperation, the starving people lost all reason. They overturned the grievance drum in front of the yamen (government office) and smashed open the vermilion gate. The yamen runners drew their fire-and-water clubs and broke dozens of legs, but they couldn't stop the thousands of bloodshot eyes that surged forward from behind.

Prefect Li of Shuntian Prefecture sat in the main hall under the plaque of the Bright Mirror.

He listened to the screams and banging on the door outside, his hands and feet turning cold. The national treasury was empty, the merchants were empty, what could he use to store the grain?

Lord Li stood up and untied his official belt.

Half an hour later, the starving people rushed into the main hall. They saw the Prefect of Shuntian hanging from the roof beam, his tongue lolling out. On the official's desk was a letter written in blood: "Your subject is incompetent, without food to feed the people, I can only atone with my death."

The news of the Shuntian Prefect's suicide spread like wildfire into the Forbidden City.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The earthworm was burning hot. The air was filled with a strong scent of ambergris and a pungent smell of cinnabar.

"Bang!"

A Ru ware vase smashed against the palace gate, sending shards of porcelain flying everywhere.

The emperor, with disheveled hair, paced back and forth in the palace. His eyes were bloodshot, his eye bags were dark, and his cheeks were sunken, presenting an extremely eerie morbid state of alternating excitement and emaciation.

"Dead? He dared to die?!" the emperor roared hoarsely, spitting on the face of the kneeling eunuch. "I ordered him to procure grain, and he hanged himself! Issue an edict! Imprison the entire Li family! Confiscate their property!"

The chief eunuch trembled, his head banging against the gold bricks: "Your Majesty, the Li family... was looted clean by refugees yesterday."

The emperor swayed and slumped onto the dragon throne.

A sharp pang of heart palpitation shot through his chest. He gasped for breath, feeling as if his heart was about to explode inside his chest.

"Medicine...give me medicine!" The emperor's withered fingers scratched at the armrest of the dragon throne.

A Taoist priest in a robe walked briskly forward carrying a tray. On the tray was a small white jade bottle.

The alchemist poured out a crimson pill the size of a longan.

"Your Majesty, this is the Nine-Turn Purple Gold Pill that I just refined. Taking it can calm the mind and communicate with spirits."

The head eunuch glanced at the dark red pill, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something. The amount of cinnabar in that pill was twice as much as last month.

The emperor snatched the pill, stuffed it into his mouth, and swallowed it whole without even drinking water.

Adam's apple bobbed.

After a short while, the redness in the emperor's eyes faded somewhat, replaced by an unnatural flush. He exhaled a long breath, leaned back in his chair, and his breathing calmed down.

"How much grain has Pei Zhihui managed to procure?" the emperor asked with his eyes closed.

"Your Majesty, Chief Minister Pei... is currently traveling to various prefectures, but has not yet obtained a definite number," the chief eunuch replied cautiously.

The emperor gave a cold laugh.

"Ten days. If he fails to raise the funds, I will sacrifice his entire Pei family, nine generations, as a sacrifice to the flag." The emperor suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils flashing with the madness induced by the elixir. "Order the Nine Gates Commander to seal off the inner city. Any refugees from the outer city who dare to approach the inner city will be killed without mercy."

"Here you are."

Outside the Forbidden City, the wind and snow intensified.

A fast horse galloped in through the north gate.

The rider on horseback wore a gray cotton-padded jacket, his lips were purple from the cold, and his eyebrows were covered in frost. His name was Xiao Weizi, the adopted son of Eunuch Wei, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Xiao Weizi lay sprawled on the horse's back, his legs gripping the horse's belly tightly. Large puffs of white steam billowed from the horse's nostrils, and its hooves were already wobbling.

He had an oiled paper package tucked close to his body. Inside was a secret letter.

Xiao Weizi kept replaying the scene he had witnessed outside Liangzhou City ten days ago in his mind.

He had been ordered to secretly scout the northern border for military intelligence. Having grown up in Liangzhou, he knew every narrow path intimately. He bypassed the Zhenbei Army's layers of blockade and climbed a solitary peak outside Liangzhou City.

He lay on the summit for a full day and night.

He saw Fu Chuan'ang's camp.

There were no Tartars. Not a single one.

Those cavalrymen wearing Tartar leather armor and swaggering around outside the city were all bandits from the mountains near Liangzhou! They carried broken swords discarded by the Zhenbei Army, rode skinny horses, and ran around the city twice a day, raising clouds of dust.

Fu Chuan'ang's "30,000 troops being surrounded" is a staged performance.

Fu Chuan'ang's "rebellion" was also a performance.

This is a complete scam!

Xiao Wei was so frightened he almost tumbled off the mountaintop. He immediately realized this was a massive undertaking. Fu Chuan'ang was putting on an act in the northern border; someone in the capital must be cooperating.

who is it?

It's Pei Zhihui, the Grand Secretary who just received the military command!

Little Wei scrambled down the mountain, stole a fast horse, and raced day and night towards the capital. He killed three horses in the process, but finally, today, he entered the capital.

"drive!"

Xiao Wei raised his whip and lashed it hard across the horse's rump.

Once you cross that long street, you'll reach the Meridian Gate. Once inside the Meridian Gate and hand the secret letter to your godfather, Pei Zhihui's death will be imminent!

Horse hooves trampled the snow on the street.

The shops on both sides of the street were closed and deserted. The deathly silence was unsettling.

Xiao Wei touched the oil paper package on his chest. The package still carried his body heat; it was the stepping stone to his meteoric rise to power.

Ahead, the vermilion gate tower of the Meridian Gate can be faintly seen.

The Pei residence. A secret room in the main courtyard.

Shen Qiongju leaned against the couch, holding a black chess piece in her hand. On the chessboard, black and white pieces intertwined, a killing move already accomplished.

Pei Zhihui sat opposite him, holding a cup of warm tea. His right hand was still wrapped in white gauze, and his movements were slightly slow.

"Checkmate." Shen Qiongju placed a black piece and looked up at him.

Pei Zhihui glanced at the chessboard, a faint smile playing on his lips: "Madam's chess skills have improved. This game in the capital is about to come to an end."

Before the words were finished, a very light knock came from outside the secret room. Two long knocks and one short one.

Pei Zhihui's smile vanished instantly. He put down his teacup, stood up, and pushed open the door.

Pei An knelt on one knee outside the door, his shoulders covered in snow, his expression extremely solemn.

"My lord, an urgent report from our intelligence network." Pei An handed over a slip of paper with both hands.

Pei Zhihui took the note and unfolded it.

There was only one line of text: "The fish that escaped from the northern border, Little Wei, the ninth adopted son of Eunuch Wei, has entered the north gate and is heading straight for the Meridian Gate."

Pei Zhihui's pupils suddenly contracted.

The note was crumpled into a ball in his palm.

Xiao Weizi, a man from the Directorate of Ceremonial. He returned from the northern border.

Pei Zhihui understood this better than anyone. Fu Chuan'ang's act in the northern border, though convincing, couldn't fool the spies truly familiar with the terrain. Once Xiao Weizi entered the Meridian Gate, met the Emperor, and revealed the truth that there had been no Tartar invasion from the north…

The crime of deceiving the emperor. The act of rebellion.

The entire Pei family, including Nian'an who is far away at Tingzhuxuan, will die.

"Where is he?" Pei Zhihui's voice was cold and devoid of any warmth.

"We've just crossed Chang'an Street; there are still three streets to go before the Meridian Gate," Pei An replied.

Pei Zhihui turned his head and looked at Shen Qiongju in the secret room. Shen Qiongju had already stood up, her face slightly pale, but her eyes were extremely calm.

She didn't ask what had happened, she just looked at him.

"Wait for me," Pei Zhihui uttered.

He turned around, his gaze fixed on Pei An. "Take the top-tier assassins. Go to the dark alley outside the Meridian Gate."

"My lord, that's right under the walls of the capital. If we make a move..."

"Stop him." Pei Zhihui interrupted Pei An, his tone ruthless and unwavering. "No matter the cost. The letter must be destroyed. The man must die. We cannot allow him to set foot in the Meridian Gate."

"Here you go!"

Pei An drew his short sword from his waist, turned and rushed into the wind and snow.

At the end of Chang'an Avenue.

Xiao Wei's horse was already foaming at the mouth. He could see the lanterns on the Meridian Gate tower swaying in the wind and snow.

"Finally back!" Xiao Wei shouted with joy.

The horses galloped into a narrow, dark alley. Beyond this alley lay the Meridian Gate Square.

Suddenly, a very faint whooshing sound came from mid-air.

"Whoosh!"

A pitch-black tripwire suddenly yanked up from the top of the walls on both sides of the alley.

The horse's forelegs tripped, and it let out a mournful neigh before its massive body crashed to the ground.

Xiao Wei was thrown off by the immense inertia and crashed heavily onto the snow. He rolled three times on the ground, feeling as if his internal organs were about to shift.

Before he could get up, four dark figures swooped down from the top of the wall like large birds.

There were no shouts of killing. There was no idle chatter.

Four short swords gleaming with blue light simultaneously stabbed at Xiao Weizi's vital points from four directions.

Xiao Weizi was, after all, a spy trained by the Directorate of Ceremonial. In the face of death, he suddenly rolled over like a lazy donkey, avoiding the three fatal blows. However, his left shoulder was still pierced by a single blade.

"puff!"

Blood splattered on the white snow.

Xiao Weizi screamed and drew his embroidered spring knife from his waist, swinging it wildly.

"Who are you! I am from the Directorate of Ceremonial! You dare to make a move right under the walls of the capital? You're asking for trouble!" Xiao Wei roared, trying to intimidate the other party with his status.

The assassins didn't answer at all.

Every move was deadly, every strike drew blood.

Xiao Wei's martial arts skills were mediocre; he was only holding on by his survival instinct. He fought and retreated, trying to get to the alley entrance.

Pei An slowly walked out of the darkness.

He glanced at the bulge on Xiao Weizi's chest.

"A swift and decisive victory," Pei An ordered.

Two assassins rushed forward, ignoring the blade that Xiao Weizi was swinging.

"Sizzle!"

One of the assassins was slashed in the shoulder by Xiao Weizi, but he didn't even flinch. He gripped Xiao Weizi's blade tightly with his left hand, while his right hand plunged a short knife directly into Xiao Weizi's thigh.

Xiao Weizi screamed and fell to his knees.

Pei An moved with ghostly speed, kicking the knife out of Xiao Wei Zi's hand. Then, he grabbed Xiao Wei Zi's neck with his left hand and swiftly reached into Xiao Wei Zi's arms with his right.

The oil paper package was torn out.

Xiao Wei's eyes were wide open, filled with despair. With his last breath, he bit his tongue, spitting blood onto Pei An's clothes.

Pei An remained expressionless, gripping the dagger in his right hand, and slit open Xiao Wei's throat.

Blood gushed out, staining the snow in the alley red.

Xiao Wei twitched twice, then became completely still.

Pei An tore open the oil paper package and pulled out the secret letter inside. He quickly glanced at it in the snow's light. After confirming it was correct, he took out a tinderbox and lit the letter.

Flames leaped up, turning the paper to ashes.

"Withdraw." Pei An stomped the ashes into the snow and turned to give the order.

Just then.

Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats and the clanging of armor plates came from outside the alley.

"Surround it! Don't let a single fly escape!"

A chilling voice pierced through the wind and snow.

The torches instantly illuminated the alleyway entrance.

A fully armed Imperial Guard blocked both ends of the alley, making it impassable.

The leading general sat on horseback, clad in gleaming silver armor, a long spear in his hand. The firelight illuminated his young and sharp face.

Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guards, Crown Prince Zhao Qiyan.

Pei An's eyes darkened instantly.

Zhao Qiyan was a well-known royalist and a staunch supporter of the emperor. Tonight, he was ordered to patrol the imperial city, but unexpectedly, he stumbled upon this ambush.

"Take him down!" Zhao Qiyan pointed her spear, her voice booming.

The atmosphere in the dark alleyway plummeted to freezing point.

Pei An made a hand gesture. The four assassins immediately formed a defensive formation back to back, with their short swords held horizontally in front of their chests.

Zhao Qiyan dismounted, picked up her spear, and strode into the alley.

He glanced at Xiao Weizi's corpse on the ground, then at the ashes trampled into the snow. His gaze finally settled on Pei An and the others.

They were all masked and dressed in unmarked night clothes.

"To murder and dispose of a body outside the Meridian Gate," Zhao Qiyan sneered. "You've got some nerve. Leave one alive; I'll interrogate him myself."

The Imperial Guards pounced on them like wolves and tigers.

Pei An did not engage in a direct confrontation. Their mission was complete, and the secret letter had been destroyed. Their primary objective now was to escape.

"Break the formation!" Pei An shouted in a low voice.

The five assassins simultaneously pulled out several black iron pellets from their waists and slammed them onto the ground.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Thick, acrid smoke instantly billowed out, obscuring visibility.

"Fire arrows! Don't let them escape!" Zhao Qiyan roared.

Arrows flew into the thick smoke like locusts.

Several muffled groans and the sounds of weapons clashing could be heard from within the thick smoke.

When the smoke cleared, only two Imperial Guard corpses remained in the alley, along with a suicide soldier who had been shot in the back with an arrow and had bitten off his own fangs to ensure no one else survived.

Pei An and the other three had already used the familiar terrain to scale the high wall and disappeared into the wind and snow.

Zhao Qiyan's face turned ashen.

He walked to the body of the suicide victim and knelt down.

The assassin's face was disfigured, making his features unrecognizable. Zhao Qiyan's gaze fell on the short knife the assassin was gripping tightly.

He reached in and drew his dagger.

The blade is slightly curved, the handle is wrapped with rough hemp rope, and there are three very deep blood grooves on the back of the blade.

Zhao Qiyan's pupils suddenly contracted.

He had worked in the Ministry of War. This type of short sword was not something that blacksmith shops in the capital could make; it was made by the Northern Garrison Command.

Why would people from the Northern Garrison be in the capital? And why would they commit murder outside the Meridian Gate?

Zhao Qiyan stood up and quickly walked to Xiao Weizi's body.

Xiao Wei's throat was cut, and blood was everywhere. Zhao Qiyan squatted down and examined him carefully.

He recognized Xiao Weizi. He was the adopted son of Eunuch Wei of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who had been stationed in the northern border to gather military intelligence.

Those who went to the northern border to gather military intelligence died at the hands of the Zhenbei Fusi (a military commander).

Zhao Qiyan's heart began to race.

He noticed that before Xiao Weizi died, he was clutching his clothes tightly with his right hand.

Zhao Qiyan pried open Xiao Weizi's stiff fingers.

On the lapel, a single word was scrawled in blood.

"Fake".

Zhao Qiyan stared at the blood-red characters, as if struck by lightning. All the clues began to connect frantically at that moment.

The northern border is in dire straits. Fu Chuan'ang has rebelled. The emperor is furious.

Despite strong opposition, Pei Zhihui took away the military tally of 30,000 troops in the capital garrison and handed it over to Fu Chuan'ang.

Grain prices in the capital skyrocketed. Thirteen merchant houses absconded with cash. The national treasury was emptied.

Xiao Weizi returned from the northern border with a secret letter, but was intercepted and killed by the Zhenbei Army's assassins outside the Meridian Gate. Before dying, he wrote the word "fake".

Fake.

What is fake?

The foreign invasion is a ruse!

Zhao Qiyan gasped, feeling a chill run from her feet straight to the top of her head.