Chapter 676
On the mountain, silvery moonlight shifted in and out of the clouds, brightening and dimming the illumination . Jing Ge stared at the lonely carriage on the road at the foot of the mountain . An angry and cold huff came from behind the silver mask a little while later . A solid spear made of black material hung by his warhorse, but there was more than his pair of hands on this horse's reins .
After the rebellion in the autumn of the seventh year of the Qing calendar, the Qin family fell . In the eyes of the people in the Royal Palace, the silver-masked Jing Ge, who had challenged Qin Heng, had become a legendary figure . As Fan Xian's trusted aide, Jing Ge had taken over the position as the Commander of the Black Knights, the head of the Fifth Bureau of the Overwatch Council .
When the old man in the wheelchair had been taken into the carriage, a glimmer of hopeless anger welled in Jing Ge's heart . He had squeezed his legs around his horse and was about to lead his Black Knights down to take him back . He could not watch as Director Chen stepped onto the path back to the capital and death .
In the past, he had been bullied in the army camp . During a routine demonstration, he had given a wretched cry and struck out in self-defense . Unfortunately, he had accidentally killed the eldest son of the Qin family . From that day onward, he had been banished to the Qing Kingdom's death row while the wife and children he had left at home were secretly killed by the Qin family as revenge . He had been a dead man when he was unexpectedly rescued by Chen Pingping in secret and placed into the Black Knights with a silver mask to hide his true appearance . For the sake of revenge and to repay his gratitude, he had stayed in the Black Knights and worked his way up to the position of deputy commander .
Fan Xian gave him an opportunity for revenge, so he felt grateful toward Fan Xian . However, he knew that it was Chen Pingping who gave him a second life . The silver-masked Jing Ge regarded old Director Chen like his birth parent .
The Black Knights were on the mountain as Chen Pingping's wheelchair was put into the carriage . A killing desire surged in his heart . He was about to charge down when the bald man beside him coldly pulled on his reins .
Jing Ge gazed back angrily . He stared at the bald man through the opening on the silver mask with eyes as deep as hell but did not move . The bald man's seniority in the Overwatch Council was even higher than his . He once even had a more important position . This bald man was the head of the Seventh Bureau that Fan Xian had once met in the Overwatch Council's prison .
"The Director said your task is to take these Black Knights and escort the group of carriages out of this territory and ensure the Black Knights are wholly handed over to Sir Fan junior . "
The bald man's face appeared particularly aged and tired . Just like Jing Ge, the depths of his heart was filled with sorrow and anger, but he was Chen Pingping's most trusted old official . His appearance in the Black Knights was by order of the old Director to suppress any restless actions the Black Knights might make .
"Do you know that if the Director returns to the capital, he will never come out again?" Jing Ge said each word slowly as he looked at him coldly .
"This is what the Director wants . Everything I am doing is according to his wishes," the bald man said calmly, refusing to back down a single step .
Jing Ge stared dazedly at the road and saw the severe gaze Chen Pingping sent back from the door of the carriage . His body trembled . He slowly raised his right hand and gently formed a fist, reining in the wild emotions of the men beneath him .
After a long time, he watched as the black carriage slowly headed back to the capital escorted by the Jingdou Garrison's elite riders . Jing Ge took a deep breath and slowly took off the silver mask, revealing the terrifying and wretched wound . He did not speak for a long time .
He bid farewell to Chen Pingping, knowing that he might never see the old Director again . The eyes of the always cold and indifferent Jing Ge grew slightly wet .
The bald man gazed in the same direction silently with a slight smile on his face, but a joyful death wish gradually rose in his eyes . The bald man dismounted and knelt down facing the silent road . He then kowtowed respectfully .
Jing Ge looked at his expression and felt a shock . He knew that once this elder had finished his mission of watching him leave the kingdom, he would probably follow Director Chen . He felt a cold sorrow in his heart but did not say anything . He just watched him quietly . He then dismounted and kowtowed in the same direction .
All of the Black Knights dismounted at the same time . On this little mountain, they knelt densely and kowtowed toward the already empty road, making their farewells to the old Director .
After a moment, Jing Ge put on his silver mask and issued an order in a raspy voice, "Pull together and head east . "
These 4,000 Black Knights were the Overwatch Council's most powerful and dependable martial force . Regardless of how the Emperor wanted to deal with Chen Pingping or how the court wanted to weaken the Overwatch Council to cancel out the counter-attack that could happen because of Chen Pingping, the Black Knights were always the most important factor in the eyes of the court .
With Chen Pingping's orders, Jing Ge had to deliver these Black Knights safely and without any missing out of the Qing Kingdom's territory and into Fan Xian's hands . This was one of the last gifts Chen Pingping was giving to Fan Xian .
The silver-masked Jing Ge knew his mission was heavy . Like his figure, as he led the Black Knights down the mountain, he was also very weighted .
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If Chen Pingping truly wanted to openly declare war against the Emperor, these 4,000 Black Knights traversing across the provinces of the Qing Kingdom could, without question, begin their attack within the Qing Kingdom and carve out countless deep wounds in its abdomen . In addition, there were spies the Overwatch Council had inserted into various departments and armies . If Chen Pingping wanted to make one last struggle before he died, it would not be difficult to sink the entire Qing Kingdom into instability .
Chen Pingping did not choose to do this . He would rather return to the capital alone and face the incredibly powerful Emperor rather than have the Overwatch Council loyal to him turn against the court and begin a war . On the grandest level, he had protected the interests of the Qing Kingdom . After all, he was loyal to the Qing Kingdom .
Of course, as old and crafty as Chen Pingping was, he could not allow the men of the Overwatch Council to be manipulated by the court and the Emperor because of his return to the capital . He knew that with the Emperor's powerful strength and the Qing Kingdom's powerful national machinery, even if the Overwatch Council fought with all its strength, at most, it could sink the world into instability but be unable to ensure its survival .
He did not want the men of the Overwatch Council to be hurt, so he had chosen to go with the carriages out of the capital . When they arrived in Dazhou, he cleverly gathered the people he wanted to protect, the strength he wanted to leave Fan Xian, and had them go far away from Jingdou .
This included Wang Qinian, the luggage, beautiful women in the carriages, Overwatch Council officials most loyal to him, head of the Seventh Bureau who had followed him for 30 years, and the 4,000 Black Knights he had secretly been training for many years .
These were all people Chen Pingping believed had to survive . They were also people Fan Xian needed . These people were moving silently and sorrowfully through the night, preparing to leave the territory of the Qing Kingdom and enter deeply into Dongyi, which was already under the control of Fan Xian and the Great Prince . From there, they would leave the control of the Qing Emperor and truly become an independent and powerful force in Fan Xian's hands .
This force was the bargaining chip Chen Pingping left Fan Xian . It was a bargaining chip that would allow Fan Xian to negotiate with the Emperor .
The bargaining chips had their own emotions and loyalties . The Black Knights moved like spirits as they searched for the mountain path . Under the cold gaze of the bald man, the silver-masked Jing Ge could only destroy any thoughts he had about sending forth men to kill the riders of the Jingdou Garrison and bringing back the old Director . However, there were even deeper thoughts among the Overwatch Council officials and secret agents in the carriages the Black Knights protected .
Wang Qinian's appearance after his disguise was not only rigid but also aged . He glanced beside him at the blood-covered Gao Da . He suddenly said after a moment of silence, "The Director returning to the capital… only wishes for death . "
Gao Da was still half unconscious . The mute woman glanced at him, unsure who these words were for .
Slowly walking outside the carriage, someone suddenly sighed . A common-faced Overwatch Council official pushed open the carriage door and walked in . Sitting opposite Wang Qinian, he was silent for a moment . He then said, "Everyone knows but no one can stop it . You should know that the Director is doing this for the benefit of the Council . He doesn't want the Qing Kingdom to become destabilized or the duke to be involved . "
"Zong Zhui, you've been following me the whole time . Are you worried that I'm going to go inform Sir Fan junior?" Wang Qinian had not the slightest interest in making jokes . He looked coldly at the person across from him . "If the Director dies, it is impossible for Sir Fan junior to not become involved . Since this is so, why not do this ahead of time? In this world, there is only him who could stop what is going to happen in Jingdou . "
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