Chapter 674
In the night, Dazhou was surrounded by flaming torches . With the sky and earth filled with twinkling lights, Dazhou was just as bright as daylight . The previous director of the Overwatch Council, the Qing Emperor's most loyal servant and subject, Chen Pingping, looked at the people kneeling to him in his wheelchair on either side of the road . The expression on his face did not tremble . His fine and deep wrinkles did not fold in like a chrysanthemum . Instead, they stood out coldly like the yellow dirt on the plains that have been shaped by thousands of years of rain .
His withered and aged hands slowly stroked across the woolen blanket . The light grey blanket was always smooth and comfortable . Each time he stroked it, Chen Pingping felt he was stroking something he wasn't fortunate enough to touch .
Without much time, he learned from the internal court eunuch what had happened in Dazhou and the identity of the court criminal being tended to and protected by that Overwatch Council official .
Gao Da? Chen Pingping was not familiar with the name, but he was also not a stranger to it . He knew he was once Fan Xian's trusted guard . He glanced at the blood-covered court criminal . His cold pupils gradually shrank .
The Overwatch Council did not know Gao Da was still alive . Chen Pingping sighed in his heart . He thought that even the head of the Tiger Guards had been twisted by Fan Xian into being a person who valued his life . An Zhi, who usually appeared indifferent and boring, would have thought that he had such charm in minutiae .
Just as Chen Pingping had muttered to himself earlier, coincidence's mother had actually given birth to coincidence . This was not a very coincidental thing . Causes and effects were destined, and past events were destined . Then it landed like so . Just like how the 30 Overwatch Council's black carriages formed a group as they were only passing commonly through Dazhou . Outside Dazhou, they had, by chance, ran into the court pursuing a criminal, who happened to once be Fan Xian's man .
This was also not a coincidence or a chance encounter . There was perhaps something hidden behind all of it .
"It is truly incredible that Scholar He was able to find an escaped criminal," Chen Pingping said with a slight smile and cough . Behind him, his ever-present old servant pushed his wheelchair toward the crowd of people . The wheelchair rolled across the road and made a squeaking noise that made one's heart ring with fear .
In the palace, internal court eunuch He Qigan's seniority was very high, but his nature was dark . He was never liked by the nobles in the court, so his status was not very important . Having served in the Royal Palace for decades, he knew what sort of attitude he should now display .
Leading the other two eunuchs and aces of the 13 Ministry of Justice Yamens in dispersing the siege, he was terrified Director Chen would think that they had some feelings of enmity .
He Qigan knew how terrifying Director Chen was . He did not dare to have any extravagant hopes . Since they had run into Director Chen, if he gave the order, they could still take this court criminal away . Of course, from a different perspective, he did not think the retired old Director would go against the Emperor's edict for such an unassuming court criminal . After all, Director Chen was the Emperor's most loyal subordinate .
However, he had forgotten two things . Chen Pingping knew Gao Da belonged to Fan Xian, and Fan Xian never liked others to deal with his people, even if the so-called others were people sent by the Palace . Second, Chen Pingping was caught in the midst of complicated emotions . He looked at the fainted court criminal, Gao Da, on the ground and considered things that others could not understand .
The tending of the Overwatch Council was effective . Gao Da finally slowly woke up in a puddle of his own blood . He should not have taken such heavy injuries, but he had been protecting his wife and child . There were some deep wounds that cut to his bones from using his body and arms to catch the knife strikes .
The moment he awoke, he was blinded by the torches all around him . Gao Da's dry lips trembled . He then he looked at the black carriage in front of him and the figure on the wheelchair . He had not seen Director Chen many times, but he knew what kind of person Director Chen was, particularly after he saw the Director's worried and complicated gaze .
The mute woman saw her husband had woken and was overjoyed . Holding the child, she half-knelt by his side and nodded her thanks repeatedly to the Overwatch Council members around her . This woman of the common folk did not know how delicate the present situation was or that regardless of whether he was saved, it was all a lure for the major things that followed .
It would all depend on what Chen Pingping did .
Gao Da's expression dimmed . He knew if Chen Pingping saved his life for Sir Fan junior's sake, then He Zongwei would be able to use it to drag Fan Xian and Chen Pingping under .
His finger moved slightly . A ruthless expression flashed through his eyes . His finger came down on his temple . He wanted to escape earlier because he was alone . With his wife and child, even faced with the powerful machinery of the Qing Kingdom, he would still stubbornly live on until the day he could not live on anymore .
However, he wanted to commit suicide now because he knew that if he lived, he would bring trouble to Chen Pingping and create a difficult problem for the Sir Fan junior .
Thus, he chose to commit suicide . Chen Pingping saw him move but did not make any reaction . A glimmer of approval flashed through his eyes and a tiny understanding smile flashed across his lips .
With a slap, the Overwatch Council officials who had been standing guard by Gao Da's side easily put a stop to Gao Da's thoughts of suicide . He gazed at Gao Da and said coldly, "You've managed, against all odds, to live an extra three years . You even have a wife and child . Why are you in such a hurry to die?"
This voice was familiar . Gao Da's heart trembled slightly . With great difficulty, he twisted his head but saw a completely unfamiliar face . The Overwatch Council official returned to his original tone . Combined with the familiar teasing light in the eyes, Gao Da immediately knew his identity .
Gao Da's dry lips trembled slightly, but he could not speak . Looking at the Overwatch Council official like he had seen a ghost, he finally said in a very low voice, with a smile and a sob, "So… You're still alive . "
The Overwatch Council official smiled slightly and tightened the strips of cloth on his body . Patting his hand, he said, "Who doesn't want to live? With the Director here, your life and death is not up to you . "
Chen Pingping leaned against the black wheelchair with apparent tiredness . The Chen Garden women on either side of the carriages had gone to relieve themselves in the woods . Fortunately, those embarrassing sounds did not reach them . Only the sound of the teasing smiles grew gradually higher .
The old man narrowed his eyes . He looked at Gao Da and said, "You are not Gao Da . "
Gao Da's heart jumped . He looked at the Director with confusion .
Chen Pingping slowly said, "You are only a minor figure . Your life and death is not a major matter, so it is best if you live . "
With these words, not just Gao Da and the Overwatch Council official beside him, but also the Ministry of Justice aces scattered around, He Qigan and the other internal court eunuchs sensed something strange happening . Tiger Guard Gao Da, who had escaped before the battle and the court criminal Scholar He had investigated in secret for a long time, was only an unremarkable and minor figure in the eyes of the Overwatch Council . Or, more accurately, in the eyes of Chen Pingping .
He Qigan silently retreated a few steps The Dazhou Zhizhou quickly moved over and bowed solemnly to Chen Pingping . He invited the old Director into the city to rest .
The Overwatch Council was a Special Forces organization . It was the organization the officials were the most scared of and hated the most . Yet, it was also the organization they most desired to make a connection with . Chen Pingping and Fan Xian were powerful people who did not need to form alliances in court, so the civil officials of the Qing Kingdom could never find such an opportunity .
This was a great opportunity for the Dazhou Zhizhou to curry favor with Director Chen, thus currying favor from Sir Fan junior . As an official, he would not want to miss such an opportunity . As for the court criminal, that was the business of the internal court and Ministry of Justice . It had nothing to do with him .
Chen Pingping did not pay any attention to the official . He only looked coldly at Gao Da and thought about his own matters,
Just as it was said previously, Chen Pingping did not believe Gao Da's abrupt appearance was a coincidence . He Zongwei's secret investigations into Gao Da and Wang Qinian could be kept from the Overwatch Council, but it could not be kept from the Emperor . Why had the Emperor chosen for this matter to come out during his return route? The only reason and excuse were to interrogate him .
Far away in Jingdou and separated by a thousand li, the Emperor interrogated Chen Pingping . Are you the Emperor's loyal dog or are you a powerful official with his own will?
Powerful officials never had good ends, even one such as Lin Ruofu who saw the opportunity and retreated cleanly and absolutely . He hid away in Wuzhou to be a landlord . Yet, he was still terrified at all times that the Emperor might become unhappy one day .
Chen Pingping was not an ordinary official . He didn't have to worry about these things . He knew the Emperor only wanted to ask him one question and then see his stance toward the Emperor .
Chen Pingping suddenly smiled . His smile was strange . Blown by the night wind and illuminated by the torches, it was like the gold chrysanthemum in the Hanging Temple that shone endlessly . It was unafraid of the cold wind, ignoring the dust of the world, just shining on .
"Let Gao Da recover from his injuries," he said with a smile as he gently stroked the arm of his wheelchair .
The dozens of people the Jingdou court had sent to capture the criminal and hundreds of bailiffs and Dazhou soldiers all felt their hearts chill upon hearing these quiet words . They knew Director Chen had decided to interfere . Although they did resist, nor could they resist against the Overwatch Council swordsmen and secret agents in the 30 carriages and forces hidden in the darkness, they still felt a shock .
If Chen Pingping wanted to save this man, the Emperor would probably have to allow it for his sake . He Qigan and the aces of the 13 yamens all thought this in their hearts . Their expressions were very ugly and uncomfortable . However, no one dared express any opposition to Chen Pingping's words .
Opposition would be ineffective . They didn't have the power to oppose . He Qigan's throat was dry . He felt could not resign himself to the situation . He had been sent by the internal court to Scholar He's side and drifted through the Qing Kingdom for a year . He had been moments away from capturing Gao Da . In an instant, he had messed up the entire mission . Once he returned to the capital and reported to his supervisor and the head eunuch that it was old Director Chen who had interfered, what did it have to do with him?
The delicate sounding and beautiful women of the Chen Garden finally returned . They opened their eyes wide and looked curiously at the people surrounded by the torches . They didn't know what had happened or what their master had said or was thinking . They were not worried . Regardless of whether it was in Chen Garden, in the guerilla warfare during the Jingdou rebellion, or now on their way home, they always had people of the Overwatch Council at their side to protect them . Officials from everywhere always treated them with great etiquette .
They were orphan girls Chen Pingping had bought back from poverty-stricken places . Other than being beautiful and having a good singing voice, they had no other talents . Chen Pingping was willing to raise them and protect them . If Chen Pingping collapsed, who knew what tragedy would befall these hothouse flowers .
Chen Pingping lowered his head . He listened to the familiar sounds of the women not far behind him and smiled slightly . He did not have the carriages follow Dazhou Zhizhou's invitation into the city to spend the night . Instead, he sat calmly in his wheelchair . Looking at the complicated expressions of the internal court eunuch and Ministry of Justice officials, he seemed to be thinking about something or waiting for something . Then, he closed his eyes .
There were not many people left who understood the Qing Emperor like Chen Pingping . Gao Da was indeed a minor figure, even a touchstone did not have such hardness . However, a person's heart was always subjective . It was as if the Emperor was saying to Chen Pingping in the dark mountains, "This criminal is the rock that I have left you . "
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