Chapter 246
Before entering the mine, two watchtowers were erected to monitor the movements below the mountain. At this moment, one person was dozing off, while the other was idly weaving straw knots.
Suddenly, the man who wasn't asleep felt the watchtower trembling continuously, getting closer and closer, almost shaking the woven fabric in his hands to the ground.
He suddenly realized what was happening, looked up, and his face turned deathly pale. He hurriedly pulled the copper bell, clanging loudly and urgently.
Each strike resonated deeply in everyone's hearts.
Qiu Yanwen, who was below, turned around and shouted anxiously, "Quick! Let's go!"
"Everyone, put down your belongings, don't want anything anymore. Everyone, scatter and run in all directions. If you are caught, you can commit suicide. I will treat your families well!"
After saying that, he turned and ran towards a secluded path not far away, so fast that no one had time to react.
Qiu Yanwen, his face ashen, fled in a sorry state, his heart seething with hatred for Duan Gan.
He had originally planned to preserve these weapons that he had worked so hard to create, but they actually saw through his scheme to lure the tiger away from the mountain.
Fortunately, like a cunning rabbit with multiple burrows, some of them were still in other places. It's just a pity that so many weapons and armor made of real gold and silver were wasted, and the Ding family was also implicated.
He was absolutely furious!
Yunxian looked at the panicked crowd, and just as he turned around, he saw Yunxian's desperately fleeing figure. He gritted his teeth and hurriedly chased after him.
Before leaving, he looked back at those people, and after thinking it over again, he still left.
He is now the only one left in the Ding family. He must protect himself so that the Ding family can have a chance to return to its former glory. He also needs to wait for the Crown Prince to ascend the throne and make amends to the Ding family.
In less than half an incense stick's time, Chen Jinghe arrived at Laoshan Mine with his men. They had already arrested several people when they arrived.
Some even chose to commit suicide upon seeing them, which angered Chen Jinghe so much that he sent some men out to tie them all up and dislocate their jaws to prevent them from committing suicide.
Many people in the mine had not escaped and were fighting desperately with swords and knives. These soldiers seemed to have undergone rigorous training and were highly skilled in martial arts.
Relying on their superior numbers, the Ghost Guards were unable to take down the enemy immediately.
But the Ghost Guards were too fierce, their attacks ruthless and vicious, killing almost instantly. Crimson blood gushed from the wound, splattering onto the faces of the soldiers nearby, their wide pupils filled with terror.
Chen Jinghe sneered and angrily rebuked, "You may resist all you want. Even if you die, the Privy Council will find your families one by one. Rebels will have their entire families executed!"
Upon hearing this, many rebels were thrown into disarray. They paused for a moment, then suddenly a cold glint flashed before their eyes, a chill ran down their necks, and their heads fell to the ground in an instant.
The capital city, the imperial palace.
As dusk falls, the time of twilight arrives.
The man, dressed in a scarlet robe, was expressionless, but his eyes were filled with gloom. He walked hurriedly toward the Guangzheng Hall not far away.
Standing at the entrance of the palace, Gao Liangui saw a red figure in the distance and thought it was His Highness the Crown Prince.
But today is His Highness the Crown Prince's wedding ceremony, and he is the groom. He should be on his way to pick up his bride. How did he end up here?
Originally, the Emperor was going to the Eastern Palace to witness the marriage of Crown Prince Qi Heng, but because he had recently lost favor with the Emperor and was not favored, only the Empress went.
Gao Liangui narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but when he got closer and saw that it was Duan Gan, his pupils widened in shock.
"Why did Lord Duan come back in person?" he couldn't help but mutter.
He thought that Lord Duan would at most send a letter to tell him that he already knew, since the Crown Prince had married Princess Huaimin as his Crown Princess, and Lord Duan certainly didn't know, which was why he sent someone to inform him.
Just as he was pondering, the man was already close by, his face full of ingratiating smiles, and said, "Lord Duan, what brings you back? It seems you've come to attend the Crown Prince's wedding?"
It would have been better if the marriage hadn't been mentioned; the moment it was brought up, his face darkened and his eyes filled with hostility.
"Summon all the Imperial Guards except for the Palace Guard Command!"
After saying that, he tossed a dispatch token to Gao Liangui and then strode into the inner hall.
Gao Liangui hurriedly caught it with both hands, but before she could react, the person had already disappeared.
He looked down at the hot potato in his hand, and was instantly on the verge of tears. Just as he turned around and was about to leave with the token, a sharp sound of porcelain shattering on the ground suddenly rang out from inside.
"Outrageous! How dare the Qiu family commit such a heinous act! Kill them! Kill them all! Cough cough cough..."
Emperor Mingyou was so excited that he started coughing repeatedly, his pale cheeks turned red, and his eyes were bloodshot.
He was panting heavily, and cried out in despair, "It must be...it must be the Crown Prince! The Crown Prince colluded with the Qiu family to manufacture weapons and raise troops. This unfilial son wants to seize my throne!"
"I had long suspected his wolfish ambitions, but I never expected him to be so impatient. I fear that before long, he will dare to hold a sword to my neck and force me to abdicate!"
He became more and more agitated as he spoke, breathing heavily, slumped over the table, his eyes rolling back, looking like he was about to collapse.
He clutched his heaving chest, his eyes bulging, and reached out a trembling hand to plead for help from Wuxuzi, who was standing to the side in a Taoist robe. His voice was trembling as if someone was choking him.
"...Imperial...Imperial Advisor, save...save me! Quickly...quickly..."
Unexpectedly, the Imperial Advisor, who always put him first, glanced at the man in the crimson robe standing below, raised an eyebrow, and asked him with his eyes what to do.
Duan Gan strolled over leisurely, leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Your Majesty, the edict to depose the Crown Prince is still waiting for you to write."
"These are correspondence between the Qiu family and former Salt Commissioner Ding Yixu, conspiring to smuggle government salt; these are letters from former Commissioner Qiu Yanling, involving bribery and the buying and selling of official positions in the court; these are letters from the Crown Prince and Qiu Yanwen, discussing the private manufacture of weapons and the recruitment of soldiers..."
He explained the origin of each letter in his hand clearly, one by one, and after introducing the letters, he directly released them onto Emperor Mingyou's head.
The Xuan paper covered with writing fell gracefully from mid-air, like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.
The man stood beside him, chin slightly raised, looking down at him with condescending eyes, as if the emperor of the Celestial Empire before him was nothing more than a cowardly ant struggling to survive.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Mingyou had no right to refuse. He hurriedly nodded, terrified by the feeling of impending death. Driven by a strong will to survive, he agreed to do anything.
He quickly grabbed the blank imperial edict from the side, picked up his pen and began to write. But as he wrote about the deposed crown prince, his pen suddenly paused, and his expression became hesitant.
In his confused mind, he suddenly recalled the beautiful times he spent with his young son, Qi Heng, years ago, when they shared a deep father-son bond.
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