Joy of Life: Me, the Second Prince? Summon Yuan Tiangang!

"Yes." Shadow bowed slightly and reported quickly, "Half an hour ago, the gates of the Second Prince's residence were flung open. Three thousand assassins in black poured into various parts of the capital."

Chen Pingping raised an eyebrow slightly, finally opening his cloudy yet sharp, eagle-like eyes: "Three thousand men? They entered the capital without anyone noticing? Is the Nine Gates Admiral just sitting around doing nothing?"

"The Nine Gates Admiral is dead," Shadow said coldly. "He was beheaded by an assassin wearing a ghost mask and wielding a dark red longsword. The entire Admiral's mansion, with over three hundred people, was wiped out within half an incense stick's time."

Chen Pingping paused slightly as she stroked the blanket.

"It's not just the Governor's Mansion," Shadow continued, each word dripping with bloodshed. "The patrol camp was burned down, and hundreds of soldiers were killed in the flames. Twenty-six families of officials who participated in the purge of the Second Prince's forces last night have already been wiped out."

He gave a sinister laugh.

The laughter sounded particularly eerie in the dimly lit room, like the hooting of an owl.

"The Net... what a Net! A net that can penetrate anywhere in the world." Chen Pingping sighed, a chilling glint in his eyes. "Three thousand elite assassins, and top-tier masters of the ninth rank... the relationship between this Net and you truly intrigues this old minister."

"Dean, should we intervene?" Shadow gripped the dagger tightly. "The Black Riders are outside the city. With just one order from you, they can enter the city and quell the rebellion in half an hour. If we let them continue killing, the capital's defense system will be completely paralyzed."

"Intervention? Why intervene?"

Chen Pingping gave a cold laugh, the wrinkles on his face scrunching together, revealing a cruel and indifferent look that suggested he had seen through the ways of the world.

He closed his eyes again, and his fingers began to tap lightly on the armrests of the wheelchair once more.

"Don't worry about it," Chen Pingping said.

"But..." Shadow hesitated for a moment, "What about His Majesty..."

"Your Majesty?" Chen Pingping's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Since Your Majesty dared to overturn the table last night and drive the Second Prince to the brink, didn't you expect him to resort to desperate measures? Your Majesty is the smartest man in the world. He holds the Imperial Guards, the Red-Armored Knights, and even that trump card that no one knows about. Although the Second Prince's three thousand 'Nets' are fierce, they are still far from being able to truly overthrow the imperial power."

Chen Pingping opened his eyes, his gaze seemingly piercing through the thick walls, looking towards the direction of the palace.

"Kyoto hasn't seen bloodshed for too long, so long that many have forgotten that the throne of power is built on bones. Since the Second Prince is willing to be the blade, to test His Majesty's true limits and hidden power for us, why shouldn't we?"

Chen Pingping gently patted the large blanket, his voice turning incredibly cold: "Let's sit here and watch a good show... of father and son killing each other."

"Yes." The shadow bowed deeply, then disappeared back into the darkness.

In the secret chamber, only Chen Pingping remained. He stared at the flickering candlelight and murmured to himself, "Miss, do you see this? This is the Qing Kingdom you once wanted to protect, this is the man you once loved. He even drove his own son to become a demon… Soon, the world will be plunged into chaos…"

……

At this point, Kyoto had completely transformed into a living hell.

The officials inside the Taiji Hall were still immersed in the false peace of "the Second Prince's submission," unaware that an unprecedented bloody storm was raging wildly in the vast capital city behind them.

The assassins of "The Net"

It perfectly illustrates what "the art of killing" means.

They didn't rob, they didn't rape, and they didn't even utter a superfluous cry. They were like a group of emotionless killing machines, strictly following the list drawn up by Zhao Gao and precisely carrying out the elimination mission.

The residence of the Minister of War in the east of the city.

The Minister, who had just received a secret decree from Emperor Qing last night to take over part of the patrol battalion's military power, was now hiding in a secret room in his study in fear.

Outside, the screams had gradually subsided.

Suddenly, the incredibly sturdy, thousand-pound stone door of the secret chamber emitted a teeth-grinding scraping sound.

"boom!"

The sturdy stone door was shattered by a violent sword aura, sending debris flying everywhere.

Amidst the rising dust, a burly man wielding two swords, one black and one white, slowly entered. Xuan Jian wore a hideous demon mask, and blood was still dripping from the swords.

"You...who are you! I am an official of the imperial court! If you dare to kill me, His Majesty will not let you off!" The Minister of War was so frightened that he wet his pants, collapsed to the ground, and roared hoarsely.

Xuan Jian didn't speak, but just gave him a cold look.

The next instant, black and white sword lights flashed and intertwined.

The Minister of War's voice abruptly stopped, and his head slid off his neck and rolled to Xuan Jian's feet.

"List confirmed, target eliminated." Xuan Jian coldly sheathed his sword, turned and walked out of the secret chamber. Behind him were more than two hundred corpses throughout the Minister of War's residence, their blood pooling into streams that flowed onto the bluestone slabs of the courtyard.

In the west of the city, there is a seemingly ordinary teahouse.

This is an important liaison point for the Imperial Treasury in Kyoto, secretly controlled by Emperor Qing's confidants, responsible for monitoring Li Yunrui's remaining commercial influence.

Inside the teahouse, dozens of imperial guards, disguised as tea drinkers, stood ready for action.

Suddenly, a strange breeze blew by, and pink petals filled the teahouse. Accompanying the falling petals was an intoxicating fragrance.

"Oh no! It's poisonous! Hold your breath!" The leader of the imperial guards' expressions changed drastically.

However, it was too late.

A graceful figure flitted through the teahouse like a butterfly flitting among flowers. With each swing of the pink slender sword in Jingni's hand, a stinging spray of blood appeared.

Those imperial guards who were usually highly skilled in martial arts seemed to have all their strength drained under Jing Ni's sword, and even their movements of drawing their swords became extremely slow.

In just a dozen breaths, not a single person remained standing in the teahouse. Jing Ni lightly flicked a drop of blood from the tip of her sword and drifted away, leaving behind only pink petals and crisscrossing corpses.

The killings spread through every street and every market in Kyoto.

Three thousand assassins from the Luo Wang network, though scattered, could also gather in large numbers at any time. They attacked the city gates, the armory, and the residences of officials loyal to Emperor Qing.

After losing their supreme commander, Kyoto's city defense forces and patrol battalions descended into utter chaos. Ordinary soldiers were utterly helpless against these highly skilled, well-trained, and fearless assassins. Often, a small squad of assassins could fight their way in and out of an encirclement of hundreds of soldiers and escape unscathed.

Blood stained the moat of Kyoto.

A strong stench of blood and billowing black smoke began to gather over Kyoto, obscuring the once clear sky.

……