Chapter 672
The cheeky spots of light ran down slightly from the bright tiles of Taiji Palace . They slipped through the heavy wooden doors of the back palace, ran into Hanguang Palace, wormed into Shufang Palace, made a few loops around the scarred tree, and, in the end, ducked into the long empty Guangxin Palace . The palace was still caught in the slightly dry autumn wind and endlessly emanating a faint sense of coldness . The white curtains had long become shreds of silk . There were plums but no people . When the splendid withered away, there was still loneliness .
Compared to the quiet rear, the area around the front hall was not aligned with the calm atmosphere inside the palace . Particularly inside the Royal Palace, in the room deep behind the palace's red walls, there was a harsh and heavy atmosphere . A few firm and icy-eyed generals stood guard outside the room, not knowing what was being discussed inside .
"It is uncertain when the Great Prince will be able to return," Gong Dian said distastefully . He was the retuning Commander of the Imperial Army and responsible for the safety of the entire Royal Palace .
In this world, there were not many people who could have Gong Dian stand properly beside them . The person by the desk right now was one of them . The Head of the Bureau of Military Affairs had achieved great merit during the Jingdou Rebellion . Presently, he was Commander Ye, to whom the Emperor had given command of all the troops under heaven . He stroked a teacup with one hand as his eyes focused slightly . For a long time, he didn't speak .
"Brother?" Perhaps Gong Dian could not endure such silence . He eventually couldn't help but prod him a little .
"Yes . " Ye Zhong replied, seemingly wake from a deep thought . "Director Fan will be returning to the capital soon . The Great Prince probably will not return until the beginning of spring . "
He glanced at Gong Dian . A complicated gaze flashed through his eyes . After a moment, he said in a low voice, "What exactly do you want to ask? Even if the Great Prince returned, he would presumably be immediately sent to Yanjing by the Emperor to prepare for the Northern expedition . What exactly do you want to ask?"
Gong Dian was silent . Both he and Ye Zhong were the Emperor's most trusted confidants . The entire Royal Palace seemed peaceful, but there was a hidden murderous intent that he was unaccustomed to . He faintly guessed that this murderous aura had something to do with the major figure that just left Jingdou not long ago . Otherwise, Ye Zhong would not be waiting all day in the Royal Palace instead of overseeing affairs in the Bureau of Military Affairs .
"What are you waiting for?" Gong Dian asked, looking at Ye Zhong .
"I am waiting for the Emperor's order . " After Ye Zhong said this, he thought of the Emperor making up his mind . A sliver of worry and unease rose involuntarily to his eyes . Given Ye Zhong's status, power, and strength, there were few things that could make him feel such emotions . He slowly closed his eyes, not wanting Gong Dian to see it .
Gong Dian had already seen it and knew that he had finally guessed right . It seemed peaceful around the Royal Palace . In reality, hidden currents were surging . The entire Imperial Army's defense levels had been raised to the highest alert . Gong Dian had only received orders from the internal court and had no idea what the Emperor, deep in the palace, was defending against . In the morning, the Imperial Army had received a message from the Commander of Defense of the Jingdou Garrison . Only now did he know that Shi Fei had led 15,000 Jingdou Garrison soldiers in a massive formation toward the south of Jingdou . It seemed they were practicing, but it also seemed they were preparing for a major battle .
The Bureau of Military Affairs began to move . The internal court also began to move . Within the streets and alleys of Jingdou, various factions began to prepare .
Only the Qing Emperor could move so many troops and form such a large formation within a day . Presently, there was only one person who was worth it for the Emperor to confront so carefully and had the power to make the Emperor focus so much of his attention .
There was only one person that could make the Head of the Bureau of Military Affairs, Ye Zhong, feel involuntarily uneasy and worried as he waited for the Emperor's final order .
All kinds of situations combined together . Gong Dian finally confirmed that the Emperor was going to act against Director Chen .
"Why?" Gong Dian's throat felt dry . He sat down beside Ye Zhong and drank a cup of cold tea . He was still unable to extinguish the burning fear in his heart .
The Imperial Army guarded the Palace . The mobilization of the Jingdou Garrison and the Bureau of Military Affairs was, without question, an action targeting the Overwatch Council in Jingdou . Regardless of whether it was the Emperor, Commandery Ye Zhong, or Gong Dian, once they thought of the fact that the person they were facing was Chen Pingping, none of them was filled with confidence . Only people in the highest echelon of the Qing Kingdom knew what kind of power Chen Pingping, that withered old cripple, held in his hands . Although he was no longer the Director of the Overwatch Council, he had been a king in the darkness for decades . Once he was caught in danger, no one knew what kind of power he could call on .
What made Gong Dian feel the most afraid and uneasy, and even faintly angry at the Emperor, was the fact that he couldn't find any excuse or reason for the court to move against Director Chen .
Was it only because his achievements threatened the ruler? That didn't make any sense . If it was so, the Emperor would have wanted to kill him 20 years ago . Did Chen Pingping have treasonous thoughts? Everyone in the world knew that Director Chen was the most loyal subject by the Emperor's side . If it were not for him, the Emperor would have died countless times in the past .
Why? This was the explanation Gong Dian needed the most . He was beginning to think the Emperor was overly muddleheaded . Regardless of what the world thought of the Overwatch Council or of Chen Pingping, the Overwatch Council originated as the Emperor's Special Forces organization . Chen Pingping had always been the Emperor's loyal dog . How could the Emperor risk the danger of the court falling into chaos to do such an illogical thing? If this wasn't being muddleheaded, then what was?
Ye Zhong sat by the little table and was silent for a long time . He knew what Gong Dian was worried about . Even though he held countless troops and soldiers in his hand, the person they faced now was Chen Pingping, the entire Overwatch Council, so he still felt a shakiness and fear in the depths of his heart .
Chen Pingping's reputation was too magnificent . The thoughts in that mind were not things common officials were able to understand . Decades of history had long proven that anyone who wanted to use sinister plots to defeat Chen Pingping would eventually meet a tragic end .
Xiao En, at the height of his greatness, had been one of those people . Rebellions like that of the Eldest Princess and old Qin family turned into even greater jokes under Director Chen and the Emperor's alliance .
Ye Zhong took a deep breath . There was a sliver of unswerving determination on his square and dark face . "What you need to do is to protect the safety of the Palace . What I need to do is steady the troops of the Qing Kingdom . As for those other things, there will naturally be someone to do them . "
"You will have to attack . Otherwise, the Emperor wouldn't have summoned you here . " Gong Dian glanced with worry and unease at his elder brother disciple . Chen Pingping had been able to plant a 20-year-long spy in the old Qin family . No one knew if there were Chen Pingping's people in the present Ye family or even the most dependable Dingzhou Army .
"The Emperor… is muddled-headed . " Gong Dian thought if the Emperor truly broke with old Director Chen, no matter the result, the entire Qing court would suffer irreversible damage because of the instability .
"The Overwatch Council may not…" Ye Zhong closed his eyes tightly and faintly said, "The Emperor must have his own way of controlling the Overwatch Council . "
Gong Dian shook his head . Although he thought the Emperor was the most powerful person in the world and the most worthy of loyalty and worship, Chen Pingping was the most powerful person hidden in the darkness . The Overwatch Council would not be so easy to control . Furthermore, he immediately thought of another terrifying matter .
"If the old Director was really brought back to Jingdou," Gong Dian said through gritted teeth as he stared into Ye Zhong's eyes, "what would Sir Fan junior do? The Emperor is muddleheaded!"
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