The night was as dark as ink, deeply enveloping the entire imperial city.
Inside the imperial study, the candlelight burned quietly, casting Emperor Xiao Che's long shadow onto the towering bookshelves behind him. The hall was deathly silent, save for the occasional crackling of the candle wick, echoing the faint rustling of the armor plates of the patrolling imperial guards outside.
Ever since the dramatic scene of the Emperor and Empress's "breakup" at the palace banquet that day, the atmosphere in the entire court has become strange.
Regent Xiao Yuan, the powerful imperial uncle, completely tore away the last shred of his pretense of warmth. He seemed entirely convinced that Xiao Che had been heartbroken by the foolish actions of that "ignorant woman" and was now utterly isolated. In just a few days, his faction's officials acted with increasing arrogance in the court, their words no longer showing the slightest reverence for the young emperor on the throne.
What used to be a covert power grab has now become outright robbery. A minor official in the Ministry of Personnel could be vacant, and the Regent would coldly reject the suggestion in court with a smile, immediately replacing him with his own confidant. His arrogance and domineering attitude has drawn the attention of the entire court.
The Grand Eunuch Deshun, bowing low, had just finished reporting the latest developments in court that day, his voice tinged with barely suppressed worry. He looked at the emperor, whose face remained calm and serene under the lamplight, and felt uneasy. His Majesty seemed indifferent to all of this, spending his days either reviewing memorials or lost in thought, as if he had truly been drained of his energy by that "family affair."
"De Shun." Xiao Che suddenly spoke, his voice flat and emotionless, revealing neither joy nor anger.
"Your servant is here."
Is the wind outside getting stronger?
De Shun was taken aback, then realized what was happening and quickly bowed his head, saying, "Your Majesty, it is...it is a bit too big."
A faint, cold smile curved Xiao Che's lips. A strong wind is good for starting a fire. The fish, thinking they had the pond under control, thrashed about wildly, unaware that the fisherman was already standing on the bank, ready to haul in his net.
He didn't speak again, but gently tapped the table, making three very rhythmic soft sounds.
De Shun immediately understood and quietly retreated to the outside of the palace gate, personally guarding it to prevent any flying insects from getting close.
Inside the imperial study, the light and shadow flickered slightly.
A black shadow seemed to emerge from the shadows in the corner of the wall, silently kneeling three steps away from Xiao Che. The whole process was as smooth as mercury flowing, without making a sound.
The newcomer was dressed in a black, close-fitting outfit, his figure like a sharp sword hidden in its sheath, exuding a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay. He was none other than Xuan Ying, the sharpest blade in Xiao Che's hands and the commander of the secret guards.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." Xuan Ying's voice was low and hoarse, like the low cawing of a night raven.
"Get up."
Xiao Che's gaze remained fixed on the table before him. There, instead of unfolding memorials, lay a massive blueprint. It was the irrefutable evidence Lin Wanwan had brought back from the secret storeroom that night—evidence powerful enough to condemn the Regent to eternal damnation—a map of the capital's nine gates' defenses and a complete set of accounts for privately manufactured weapons.
His finger slowly traced a spot on the drawing circled in red ink, where the words "Jingji Grand Camp" were clearly marked.
This was the last and most important barrier protecting the imperial city. And its commander, Shen Ce, the Grand Commander of the Capital Garrison, was a trusted and beloved general whom the Regent had personally promoted.
Xiao Che didn't let Xuan Ying see the complete drawing. He slowly took a small piece of clean white Xuan paper from the side, covered one corner of the drawing, and carefully used the rubbing tools he had prepared to rub down a small portion of the weapon's patterns and markings. Although the fragment was small, the unique markings and style on it were enough for any expert to recognize its authenticity at a glance.
After doing all this, he took out a plain white letter and dipped his pen in ink.
The pen moved across the paper, not with flamboyant strokes, but with each stroke steady as a mountain, conveying an undeniable authority and a chilling aura. The letter was short, just a few words, yet every word was piercing to the heart.
He folded the letter he had written and placed it, along with the rubbing of the blueprint fragment, into a black envelope, which he then sealed with sealing wax.
Throughout the entire process, Xuan Ying stood quietly to the side, head bowed and breathless, like a lifeless statue. But his eyes, hidden in the shadows, could sense the emperor's killing intent gradually solidifying and becoming almost tangible within the imperial study.
"Xuanying." Xiao Che handed over the sealed letter.
"Your subordinate is here." Xuan Ying stepped forward and respectfully accepted the gift with both hands.
The envelope felt slightly heavy in my hand, as if it carried not just the weight of paper, but the weight of a family, or even a war.
Xiao Che stood up, slowly walked to him, his gaze as deep and unfathomable as an abyss, and commanded, word by word:
"Escorted by urgent dispatch, leave the city immediately. Personally deliver this letter and this 'gift' to Shen Ce, the Commander-in-Chief of the Capital Garrison."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried the power of thunder, echoing throughout the empty imperial study.
“Tell him that after reading the letter, he has one incense stick’s time to make a choice.”
Xiao Che's gaze suddenly turned sharp as a knife, as if it could penetrate the palace walls and stare directly at the general in the distant military camp.
"Either let him wash his neck clean, and after the Emperor's birthday celebration, I will have him and the Regent's entire family executed, leaving no one alive!"
“Or…” he paused, his tone so cold it seemed to freeze the air, “…let him bring the heads of all the confidants the Regent had planted around him to this Imperial Study, and bow down to me!”
These words contained not a word of persuasion, not a trace of tenderness, but only the most naked and cruel choice: live or die. Either wealth and glory, or extermination of your clan and people.
This is the art of imperial strategy. To deal with a military general like Shen Ce, who is mired in the quagmire of power struggles, any gentle words are a sign of weakness. Only by showing him thunderous methods that can crush him instantly can you wake him from the beautiful dream woven by the regent and make him see who the true ruler of this world is.
Xuan Ying's heart clenched. He had served His Majesty for many years, watching him rise from a reserved prince to his current position, but he had never seen him display such domineering and ruthless side. This was no longer a scheme, but a blatant and open plot, a crushing defeat backed by absolute power.
He knelt on one knee, clutching the letter tightly in his hand, and said in a deep voice, "Your subordinate obeys!"
"Go ahead." Xiao Che waved his hand.
Xuan Ying's figure once again merged into the shadows, disappearing silently as if it had never existed.
The Imperial Study returned to its deathly silence.
Xiao Che slowly walked to the window, pushed open the window frame, and let the cold night wind rush into the hall, making his wide dragon robe flutter. His gaze pierced through the deep night, looking towards the southeast of the capital, in the direction of the Regent's Palace.
In his eyes, that brightly lit mansion was the center of a giant spider web. Over the years, Xiao Yuan had laid countless threads, both overt and covert, both inside and outside the court and within the capital's army, drawing countless people into its intricate and unbreakable web.
Everyone thought this net was unbreakable.
Everyone thought that he, the emperor trapped in the center of the net, could only sit and wait for his death.
But what they didn't know was that Lin Wanwan's intelligence network had already meticulously described every node and every connection in this network.
Tonight, the shadowy figure he dispatched is the sharpest pair of scissors.
He knew that tonight, he would personally tear open the first and most fatal hole in that seemingly impregnable web of treason.
The Emperor's birthday celebration is almost here...
A cold smile crept across Xiao Che's lips. "Uncle, you must like the birthday gift I prepared for you."
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