Chapter 682
After the words "imperial prisoner Chen Pingping" fell from Yan Bingyun's thin lips, all of the people in the secret room went crazy . Although their expressions remained calm, an iciness flashed through their eyes . They stared viciously at Yan Bingyun . It was as if they wanted to use their gazes to tear him into pieces .
The Overwatch Council had eight bureaus . Other than the head of the Sixth Bureau, who was temporary, and the head of the Fifth Bureau, Jing Ge, who was currently by the group of carriages heading slowly toward the east of the Qing Kingdom, all of the high-level officials were gathered here . They were the true power holders in the Overwatch Council . The head of the First Bureau Mu Tie, the head of the Second Bureau was that old man, the head of the Third Bureau was Fan Xian's brother disciple, and the head of the Seventh and Eighth Bureaus were both members of the Qinian Unit . With the head of the Fourth Bureau Yan Bingyun, all of the people in this secret room were Fan Xian's direct subordinates .
Of course, Fan Xian's direct subordinates were Chen Pingping's direct subordinates . Although they did not communicate much with old Director Chen, just like every other member and secret agent of the Overwatch Council, the old Director was their superior and held a lofty position in their hearts .
Other than Yin Bingyun, all six of the others suddenly stood up and stared at Yan Bingyun's face . Mu Tie's was ashen and filled with rage . In a raspy voice, he roared, "Sir Yan, what do you want to do?"
Yan Bingyun returned the gazes of the six people without shrinking back . After he had returned from Northern Qi, Chen Pingping and Fan Xian had both been too lazy to handle the large amount of Council affairs . During these few years, all of the affairs of the Overwatch Council had been managed by this icy young man . He was the son of Yan Ruohai and very experienced in the Council . When he was just a youth, he had been sent to the foreign and dangerous Northern Qi to carry out spy work . Afterward, he had been betrayed and sold out by the Eldest Princess . He had suffered cruel and unknown torments . Thus, his reputation was very good in the Council .
As Fan Xian's companion and closest subordinate, he conducted himself well regardless of whether he was handling the Ming family's affair in Jiangnan or the battle in the Royal Palace with the Eldest Princess during the Jingdou rebellion . He demonstrated powerful organization skills, great analysis of intelligence reports, and decisive decision-making ability .
With qualifications, experience, payout, sacrifice, and background, very smoothly, Sir Yan junior reached the third highest position in the Overwatch Council . All of the officials, even the nominal heads of the Bureaus, implicitly accepted his orders . They admired Sir Yan junior from the depths of their hearts .
The corners of Yan Bingyun's eyes twitched slightly . He looked at the six people in front of him and did not back down in the slightest . "Chen Pingping attempted to assassinate the Emperor and will suffer death by a thousand cuts tomorrow . By imperial order, the Council is to take over this imperial prisoner . Do you… want to rebel?"
The information in the palace concerning the Emperor's assassination had long gotten out . These high-ranking Overwatch Council officials had gotten ahold of this intelligence instantly . Amidst their shock, it was only now that they knew the old Director had not gone with the 30 black carriages back home to retire . Instead, he had appeared unexpectedly inside the Royal Palace and tried to assassinate the Emperor .
None of the Overwatch Council officials believed this was the entire truth of the matter, let alone these six head of Bureaus . They looked coldly at Yan Bingyun . In the end, it was Mu Tie who angrily said, "The Director has retired home to rest . How could he appear in the Palace? And, assassinate the Emperor? Who made up this rumor? What exactly happened in the Palace?"
The always silent head of the Third Bureau lowered his head and slowly said, "I think what is most important right now is to investigate clearly…"
Yan Bingyun's rage exploded . He slammed one palm down on the long table . With a buzzing sound, he said sternly, "The Emperor gave the order personally . Commander Ye, Eunuch Yao, Scholar He, and everyone else saw it for themselves . Investigate? Investigate what?"
The head of the Second Bureau, who had the longest experience and was the most senior, suddenly drooped his eyelids and said in a raspy and heavy voice, "So what if they saw personally? I think it is just that the Emperor wants to take action against this Council . " This old man coldly raised his face . "Charges can always be trumped up against someone . If the Emperor wants to kill someone, what excuse can he not use? However, this matter involved the old Director . Other than the crime of treason and assassination of the Emperor, what other crime would be able to stop him?"
The secret room was silent . The glass window usually covered by a black cloth appeared particularly translucent . It made everyone feel a glimmer of unease while the sun gradually moving east spilled light against the red brick of the palace walls and again into the secret room of the Overwatch Council . It enveloped the entire room in a blood-red light .
The head of the Second Bureau looked at Yan Bingyun with narrowed eyes and slowly said, "Sir Yan, the final confirmation for Commissioner has not gone through . You don't have any right to order us to do anything . And, you also have no right to pull down this piece of black cloth . "
The silence in the secret room added to everyone's fear . All of the high-level Overwatch Council officials were looking at Yan Bingyun . They wanted to see just how he would handle this shocking matter . After Mu Tie and the others heard the words of the Second Bureau senior, the suspicion in their eyes gradually thickened . They looked at Yan Bingyun with coldness .
"All of the Council intelligence reports go through me . A few days ago, the Jingdou Garrison mysteriously disappeared while the Imperial Army and palace defenses suddenly increased . The Bureau of Military Affairs secret mobilized troops… I sent all of these reports to your desk," the head of the Second Bureau said as he looked at Yan Bingyun coldly . "Looking at it now, these were the Emperor's moves in dealing with the old Director . But, why didn't you have any reaction?"
Yan Bingyun's earlier anger disappeared in the blink of an eye . His face was cold, and his entire body emanated a sense of chill . It was as if he was a block of ice .
"During this past fortnight, you moved more than half of the people in my bureau to Xiliang and Dongyi . Most of them are probably still on the road," the head of the Second Bureau said . "Presently, the strength of the Council is only a third of what is usually is . What exactly is it that you want to do? Did you know about what would happen today earlier and have been making preparations for the palace ahead of time?"
"A large portion of the Sixth Bureau's swordsmen and assassins were also transferred out of Jingdou a few days ago . " The temporary head of the Sixth Bureau looked coldly at Yan Bingyun . After the Shadow, he was the Overwatch Council's best assassin . His gaze was like a sword holding Yan Bingyun in place . It was as if he wanted to pin this block of ice under the dusky light to make him gradually melt . "You have to give us an explanation . "
The three most martially powerful bureaus of the Overwatch Council were the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth bureaus . The Black Knights of the Fifth Bureau were never allowed to stay around Jingdou . Furthermore, one part of the Black Knights was gone with the black carriages while another part was near Yanjing, waiting to welcome Fan Xian's return . The Fourth Bureau was under Yan Bingyun's control . They were scattered in various provinces and foreign countries . They also could not be gathered in Jingdou to lend their strength .
When Yan Bingyun gave the order to hollow out the swordsmen assassins of the Sixth Bureau, the strongest martial force of the entire Overwatch Council had already been weakened to its limit .
Mu Tie's heart shook . He dealt with the affairs of the First Bureau in Jingdou, so the mobilization orders in the Overwatch Council had not involved him . It was only now that he realized Yan Bingyun had already taken out so much of the Council's power . Connecting it to the shocking development in the Royal Palace and old Director, his heart chilled .
"I am a subject of the Qing Kingdom and of the Emperor, and an official of the Overwatch Council . " Yan Bingyun's preparations had been straightforwardly exposed by these officials . But, there was not a glimmer of guilt on his face . Coldly, he looked at the people standing on either side of the long table and said, "Don't forget the first sentence you learned when you first entered the Council!"
"Everything for the Qing Kingdom!" Yan Bingyun waved his hand coldly . "Being loyal to the Emperor is the only thing we have to consider . Your words earlier were already somewhat treasonous . I don't want to hear them a second time . "
The high-level officials of the Overwatch Council had sufficiently demonstrated their resentment toward the Royal Palace . If this was known by people outside of the Council, it would be no different to the crime of deceiving the Emperor .
Yan Bingyun walked slowly to the window and narrowed his eyes against the blood-red light reflecting in from the outside . A cold voice seeped out between his teeth as he said, "Chen Pingping assassinating the Emperor and committing rebellion is a clear-cut matter . If you insist on being willful and want to collude with this treasonous renegade to do something, don't blame me for being heartless…"
The secret room once again fell silent .
The temporary head of the Sixth Bureau slowly gripped the hilt of the metal rod at his side . Looking coldly at Yan Bingyun by the window, he said, "Although you've mobilized away a large number of my subordinates, I don't think it will be a very difficult matter if the Sixth Bureau wanted to kill you . "
"So what if you kill me?" Yan Bingyun's voice was cold and disdainful . "Do you want to rebel? Where can your family, the families of the swordsmen below you, escape to? There are 10,000 soldiers outside . Even if you could rescue the old Director, can you kill your way out?"
The dusky light struck Yan Bingyun's austere face, creating a complicated blood color . He slowly turned his head and he looked at the head of the Sixth Bureau . "The Emperor's orders arrived this morning . I have the Director's token in my hands . From this moment, I am the third Commissioner of the Overwatch Council! You must follow my orders or you will be punished according to Council regulations . "
"Sir Yan, I understand what you are thinking . " Mu Tie, who had appeared rather gloomy and confused these few years suddenly said sincerely, "Yes, with the remaining swordsmen assassins of the Sixth Bureau, we can, at most, rescue the old Director from within the Council and would have no way to send him out of Jingdou . "
"But," Mu Tie's eyes lit up, appearing particularly bright in his dark face, "the First Bureau is still here! With the eight bureaus combined, it is possible to rescue anyone we want in Jingdou!"
"The First Bureau has people hidden in all important yamens . The Fourth Bureau must also have backup personnel . If you can't, Sir Yan senior must have this capability," the head of the Second Bureau said coldly . "The Eighth Bureau will immediately provoke the Imperial College into making a fuss, no what for what reason, as long as Jingdou descends into chaos . The Third Bureau will immediately take action to poison the water source within Jingdou, forcing Jingdou to open its gates tomorrow . With fires everywhere and our combined efforts, it will be simple to rescue the Director alone . "
No wonder he was of the oldest Overwatch Council people . Speaking casually, he had laid out clearly the few actions needed to rescue Chen Pingping and easily spoke of such an evil and ruthless plan .
"Poisoning the Jingdou water supply?" Yan Bingyun's pupils shrank . "You want all of the officials of the Overwatch Council, their family members, and all the common people of Jingdou to die on his behalf?"
"The Overwatch Council has the power to turn Jingdou into a wasteland if we really wanted to . " The head of the Second Bureau's face was cold . It was as if he was speaking of a normal thing . "As long as the old Director can live, what does it matter if a few hundred thousand people die?"
Yan Bingyun's heart trembled . It was not until today that he realized the Overwatch Council he had given his entire life to had long forgotten the existence of the Emperor at its core . All of the officials were crazy . For Chen Pingping, they would actually pay any price and could do countless crazy things .
"I won't give you this chance . " Yan Bingyun's eyes narrowed . He gently rang a small bell on the table .
The sound of hurried footsteps rang out from outside the secret room . The faces of the eight heads suddenly changed . They knew something was wrong . Mu Tie's fingers trembled as he looked at Yan Bingyun's face with increasing agitation . In a loud voice, he said, "Do you want to watch as the old Director suffers the humiliation of death by a thousand cuts?"
Yan Bingyun's face was cold . He didn't say anything . The door to the secret room was pushed open as his trusted aides filed in . In a short amount of time, they controlled each corner of the room .
The temporary head of the Sixth Bureau's hand remained tightly wrapped around the metal rod . He didn't pay any attention to the people coming in behind him . He only looked coldly at Yan Bingyun .
The power of the Jingdou Overwatch Council was immense, but this square and sinister building only had one brain . The true strength lay hidden in each separate yamen and dark place . The heads in this secret room were essentially the brain of the Overwatch Council . As long as this brain was made obsolete, the officials of the Overwatch Council would be like a group of headless dragons . It would be difficult for them to form into a powerful force no matter how angry they were because of Chen Pingping's matter .
It was clear Yan Bingyun had prepared for this situation a long time . After the situation in the secret room was minimally controlled, the elite Qing troops that had been standing guard outside broke off a 1,000-person branch and moved toward the Overwatch Council .
All around the square and sinister building, a series of dense footsteps and the metallic sound of light armor clinking together rang out . It made one feel oppressed and angry . A few shouts came faintly from the large hall below . Then, there seemed to be someone proclaiming an edict .
No one in the secret room cared about these noises . The head of the Sixth Bureau only stared at Yan Bingyun's face with anger and hatred .
Yan Bingyun looked at Mu Tie, who wore an expression of disbelief, and calmly said, "In Jingdou, the First Bureau can get hold of the most people, so I cannot let you go . I'll have to trouble you to stay in the prison for a while . "
It seemed that fire was about to spray out of Mu Tie's eyes . He and Yan Bingyun were both Fan Xian's trusted aides . They always got along well . Usually, he would not believe Yan Bingyun would choose to stab the old Director ruthlessly in the back for the sake of glory and wealth .
The head of the Second Bureau closed his eyes and listened carefully to the sounds around him . His mind spun quickly as he endlessly analyzed the comparative strengths of the two sides . After a long time, he opened his eyes and sighed sorrowfully . He knew there was no point in calculating . With the powerful support of the army, Yan Bingyun had successfully separated the Overwatch Council's brain from its hands and feet . As long as Yan Bingyun controlled this square and sinister building, the Overwatch Council was, in effect, half useless .
"Don't move . " He gently patted the shoulder of the temporary head of the Sixth Bureau and made him release the hand gripping the metal rod . The head of the Sixth Bureau wore a fierce expression but knew the situation was set in stone . Involuntarily, he huffed and relaxed his hand .
The head of the Second Bureau looked at Yan Bingyun coldly and said, "We are probably all going to die . "
Yan Bingyun's eyelids drooped slightly and he slowly said, "You know nothing of Chen Pingping's assassination of the Emperor . As long as you don't step wrong, I can save your life . "
The head of the Second Bureau sighed and touched his already white hair . Suddenly remembering something, he smiled self-mockingly and said, "I wonder what Ruohai would think after today's events? Sir Yan, I suggest that you best kill us old folk . Otherwise, as long as we are alive, you won't be able to sleep easily . "
This was not a threat . It was a sincere and naked announcement . The details of what happened within the Overwatch Council would eventually leak out . If these heads of the eight bureaus were not silenced, Yan Bingyun would certainly be faced with the anger of Overwatch Council officials loyal to Chen Pingping and angry at his death .
How many of those officials were there? No one knew . How many times would Yan Bingyun have to die for their anger? No one knew that either .
After the head of the Second Bureau finished speaking, he was escorted outside by a few officials . His retreating figure appeared bent and dim . However, this was not because he was about to be put in prison . Rather, it was because he was thinking about Director Chen, who would die tomorrow .
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