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

In stark contrast to the terrifying scene of bloodshed and panic outside, the Imperial Study was a place of reassuring tranquility.

A faint scent of ambergris rose in the air, and sunlight streamed through the carved window frames, casting a soft glow on the gold bricks.

Emperor Qing did not wear the dragon robe that symbolized supreme power, but instead changed into a very casual, loose white robe.

His hair was casually draped over his shoulders, and he wore no crown. He looked like a hermit who was detached from worldly affairs and devoted to his studies. He sat cross-legged on the couch, holding a small file in his hand, and focused intently polishing a steel arrowhead.

"Snap... snap... snap..."

The sound of a file scraping against fine steel was exceptionally clear in the quiet imperial study, carrying a strange rhythm.

The chief eunuch, Eunuch Hou, knelt three steps away from Emperor Qing, his entire body almost touching the ground.

He held in his hands a thick, blood-stained document, the latest summary of casualties in various parts of Kyoto, which the Investigation Bureau had just sent in through secret channels.

Eunuch Hou's body was trembling violently, and cold sweat dripped from his chin onto the gold bricks, but he didn't even dare to wipe it away.

"Speak."

Emperor Qing did not look up, his gaze remaining fixed intently on the arrowhead in his hand, as if it were a priceless treasure, his voice flat and devoid of any inflection.

Eunuch Hou swallowed hard, his hands trembling as he unfolded the folded book, and began to read in a hoarse voice:

"Your Majesty, since the morning court session this day, there have been seventy-three assassination attempts in the capital."

"The residence of Minister of Personnel Yan Xingshu was attacked, resulting in over thirty deaths and injuries. Minister Yan was so shocked that he fell ill and was bedridden; Vice Minister of Revenue Zhao and his entire family of fifty-six were executed; the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate..."

With each name he uttered, Eunuch Hou's heart trembled. This document didn't just contain names; it represented half the entire Qing Kingdom's court!

"Furthermore... the Nine Gates Commander's Mansion was massacred, and the Commander died in the line of duty; three garrisons of the Patrol Battalion were burned down, with over a thousand soldiers killed or wounded; the South City Military Command..."

Eunuch Hou's voice grew softer and softer until it almost broke into a sob.

It was too tragic.

This was not an assassination attempt; it was a war! A war of one-sided slaughter!

Finally, after reading the last line, Eunuch Hou raised the folding tablet high above his head, pressing his forehead firmly to the ground, awaiting the emperor's earth-shattering wrath.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Inside the imperial study, only the continuous "scratching...scratching..." of a file could be heard.

There was no roar of slamming the table, no crisp sound of smashing a cup, and no imperial edict immediately ordering the Black Riders to enter the city and quell the rebellion.

Emperor Qing seemed not to have heard the horrifying list of casualties at all. His eyes remained focused, and his movements were extremely steady, without the slightest hint of panic.

As Eunuch Hou knelt on the ground, the fear in his heart grew infinitely larger.

He had served His Majesty for decades and knew the emperor better than anyone else.

If His Majesty is angry or roars, it means that things are still under his control; he is just venting his emotions.

But when His Majesty appears so calm, so completely undisturbed... that's the most terrifying thing. It means that His Majesty has already unleashed a truly chilling and deadly intent, or rather, that all of this was entirely within His Majesty's expectations!

"Snap."

Emperor Qing finally stopped what he was doing.

He raised the gleaming, polished arrowhead to his eyes, examining it closely in the sunlight. Its sharp edges reflected a chilling killing intent in the sunlight, flawless and perfect.

Emperor Qing blew away a bit of iron filings from the arrowhead with satisfaction.

"Second brother, oh second brother..."

Emperor Qing spoke slowly, his voice devoid of any anger, but instead carrying a strange mix of satisfaction and mockery, as if an elder were scrutinizing a junior's work.

"I pushed him a step further last night."

Emperor Qing gently placed the arrowheads on the table, then casually picked up a clean white silk handkerchief and slowly wiped his fingers.

"I never expected him to give me such a big surprise."

"Three thousand assassins... the Net." A faint smile appeared on Emperor Qing's lips, a smile so profound that a single glance would plunge one into an abyss. "Are they preparing to claim credit for their role in supporting the emperor?"

Eunuch Hou knelt on the ground, his breath catching in his throat.

He didn't know what to say, nor did he dare to say anything.

Emperor Qing stood up, walked barefoot on the cold gold bricks, and slowly strolled to the window.

He opened the window.

In the distance, above Kyoto, thick black smoke rose faintly, and a faint smell of blood could be detected in the air.

This was originally the most prosperous capital of the Qing Kingdom, but now it resembles a bleeding wound.

But Emperor Qing showed no pity for the city or for his dead officials.

His gaze was like that of a high and mighty god looking down on a group of ants tearing each other apart for food.

"Does he think that such retaliation would cause me pain?"

Emperor Qing chuckled, "In the end, you're still too young."

Emperor Qing stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the thick smoke in the distance, his eyes gradually becoming deep and cold.

The Net is indeed very strong, but so what?

"Issue my decree."

"Now that the second brother has set the stage, there must be new actors to take the stage in this play."

A chilling glint flashed in Emperor Qing's eyes, and a cold, ruthless smile curled at the corners of his lips.

"You can bring those people in now."

In the days that followed, Kyoto fell into an eerie silence.

This silence is not the peaceful and prosperous life under a prosperous era, but the deathly stillness of a peerless ferocious beast deliberately suppressing its breath before pouncing on its prey.

Those two assassinations that shocked the world, and that massacre that reaped the high-ranking officials of the six ministries, the governors, and the generals of the patrol battalion like weeds, seemed like nothing more than an absurd nightmare.

When the sun rose as usual the next day, the streets of Kyoto had already been washed countless times with clean water by the imperial censors and the yamen runners of the Kyoto Prefecture.

The dark red bloodstains in the cracks of the bluestone slabs were carefully removed, and the strong smell of blood in the air was masked by the smoke from the burning of atractylodes and mugwort in front of each household.

The morning court session is still in progress.

Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, many seats that once belonged to high-ranking officials were now empty. Those purple-robed officials who used to speak eloquently and give advice on the affairs of the country in court were now cold corpses, and even their families had been wiped out in the terrifying assassination attempt known as "The Net".

However, what was incredibly strange and terrifying was that the emperor on the dragon throne did not get angry, did not issue an edict of self-reproach, did not hysterically order the Censorate to conduct a city-wide search, and did not even mention the assassination attempt in court.

He simply instructed the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War to draft a list of replacements.

Not a single official in the entire court dared to speak out.

Everyone felt as if an invisible, cold hand had gripped their throats.

They lowered their heads, looking at the tips of their boots, trying to keep their breathing as calm as possible.

Everyone knew in their hearts that beneath the seemingly calm surface, a monstrous storm was brewing, one that could overturn the entire Qing Kingdom.

The calmer His Majesty is, the purer his killing intent is, so pure that he no longer needs to use any emotion to conceal it.

Kyoto is so quiet it's almost maddening.