klisemfg Chapter 886 The Eve of Rebellion
Chapter 886 The Eve of Rebellion
Cui Zhiyao leaned against the iron gate and cried silently, but no one paid attention to her for a long time. She couldn't help but feel an indescribable chill and sadness in her heart.
The snow outside was falling relentlessly, with no sign of stopping. After finishing his meal, Shangguan Yiyang put on his straw raincoat and went out to do some work.
Jiang Li watched him leave, and immediately ran to the door to look out impatiently.
After waiting for a moment, she patted her chest again and walked over to the side of "Shangguan Wenyuan". After giving him a look with lingering fear, she whispered, "This man actually believed you were his son. But if the princess sees you trying to kidnap her, will she be angry with you?"
Shangguan Wenyuan replied firmly, "No."
Then, he changed the subject and ordered in a slightly cold tone: "Go and report to the emperor that Shangguan Yiyang's lair is in Wushan, Kuizhou."
Jiang Li: @_@
The little girl thought he was talking to her and immediately exploded. "Hey, Shangguan Wenyuan, are you crazy? Last time you asked me to arrest the officials' families, and now you want me to report them... Can I do this? You are clearly pushing my luck and forcing me to do something I can't do."
Shangguan Wenyuan crossed her arms, shook her head and sighed silently. Seeing a dark shadow flash by behind her, she said, "Shangguan Yiyang should have gone to report to his master. Go and make arrangements and prepare to finish up and rescue him."
Jiang Li: ..., it changes so fast!
The little girl calmed down a bit and muttered, "That's more like it. This is what a little girl like me should do. Remember, you get triple the wages for working during the New Year. Your princess sister said it, so you can't deny it."
"Shangguan Wenyuan" hummed indifferently, as a response.
Jiang Li's eyes suddenly lit up, and he instantly became full of energy. He quickly took out the new poison developed by his master's wife and said happily, "My sister, the princess, is really my lucky star!"
On the other side, Shangguan Yiyang evaded layers of searches, and after many twists and turns, he arrived at the gate of a house and knocked on the door five times in a regular pattern.
The door opened quickly with a long creaking sound.
He looked around vigilantly, and after confirming that no one was following him, he quickly slipped in.
The door closed again, and Shangguan Yiyang immediately noticed an unusual and murderous atmosphere in the house.
The servant led him to the front of the hall, and the sound of arguing instantly reached his ears.
Someone shouted angrily, "Bad timing? What do you mean by bad timing, Leng Qingyin? Yanjing is in chaos right now. The city gates are locked tightly, and the Chen family army is surrounding us. The entire city is trapped, isolated and helpless."
"What's more, we have many officials and their families in our hands. Tomorrow, the prince will send people to seal off the Imperial Examination Hall, and all the candidates will fall into our hands. If all the candidates fall into our hands, there is no need to worry that the tyrant will not abdicate and make way for a wise man, or commit suicide in front of the Golden Throne Hall."
Then, a voice filled with anger and disgust rang out: "Release those women. You are actually trying to use women and children to threaten the officials. This move will definitely backfire. It has also alerted the enemy. The emperor will be alerted and will surely make arrangements. Don't forget how Prince Yuan and the Xie family were defeated."
Upon hearing this, Marquis Xuanping suddenly overturned the coffee table, and the teacups fell to the ground with a loud bang. The sharp sound of broken porcelain echoed all around.
His eyes were bloodshot and he pointed at Leng Qingyin angrily.
"How dare you compare me to that young brat? How could the decades-long plan of the Xuanping Marquisate fail so easily?"
"Leng Qingyin, don't think that just because I listen to you, you can stop me from carrying out my grand plan. If you weren't my brother-in-law and my sister's beloved, I would have killed you on the spot just because you have repeatedly contradicted me today."
Inside the hall, the atmosphere was tense and ready to explode, as if it could turn into a deadly murder at any moment and take someone's life.
Shangguan Yiyang raised his head slightly, which had been lowered, and the scene in the hall came into his sight. The seats were full and everyone was paying attention to the argument between the two.
At this moment, a man spoke up, "Don't argue, you two. The arrow is on the string and must be fired. Since ancient times, many heroes have accomplished great things without paying attention to trivial matters. Once this is over, we will send these women back unharmed and find a death row prisoner to punish them."
Leng Qingyin's lips curled up in a hint of sarcasm as he spoke righteously, "Using women and children as bargaining chips, even if you succeed by chance, you will be nothing more than a despised traitor. I, Leng Qingyin, will never bear such an infamy and bring shame to the Leng family for generations."
When Marquis Xuanping heard this, his eyes widened with anger and he was about to explode again, but the person he was confronting had already angrily thrown his sleeves and left.
Upon seeing this, Shangguan Yiyang quickly lowered his head and stepped aside.
At this time, Sheng Jingzhan, who had watched the entire scene, said, "Marquis Xuanping, please don't be angry. The head of the Leng family has never been to the court, so naturally he doesn't have such foresight. I think this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. While my royal brother is worried about the disappearance of his family, if we strike quickly, we will surely succeed."
Marquis Xuanping withdrew his angry gaze from the departing figure and turned to look at the speaker with admiration, expressing his deep agreement: "Indeed, success or failure will depend on tomorrow. If we succeed in one fell swoop, all of you present here will be able to avenge the tyrant. As long as the next emperor still bears the surname Sheng, the people of the world will not regard us as traitors, but praise us as loyal ministers and righteous men who saved the people from danger."
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of discussion arose in the hall. Everyone pretended not to see the person waiting outside, nor did they notice the slight irony that appeared on his submissive and humble face.
On the other side, Leng Qingyin got on the carriage back home with a stern expression, looking through the swaying curtains at the officers and soldiers passing by from time to time outside.
Seeing this, his subordinate whispered, "Master, this great event is about to take place. I'm afraid it would be inappropriate to break with Marquis Xuanping at this time. Our family has also paid a lot for this matter."
Leng Qingyin glanced at him lightly and said in a serious tone, "Marquis Xuanping is too eager to succeed. He's already on the verge of failure. If he makes a mistake, he could lose everything. We'll all be buried with him. If you retreat now, there might be a glimmer of hope. Then I'll join others and pursue another great cause."
The subordinate's eyes flashed with thought, and he asked worriedly: "Master, if Xuanping Hou succeeds, then we will..."
He raised his eyes and glanced at his master cautiously, then continued, "Then my master must not confine the lady to the house, lest Marquis Xuanping learns of this and cause trouble for you."
However, the master sneered, "Marquis Xuanping will never succeed. Besides the Chen family army, there is another army outside Yanjing City. Someone wants to take advantage of the chaos and reap the benefits, but that fool is unaware of it. Go and destroy all traces of our work for them. Don't let the higher-ups find out about us."
The subordinate's pupils suddenly shrank and he quickly responded, but he saw a hint of surprise in his master's eyes. He quickly followed his gaze and looked out onto the street, where he found two young scholars supporting each other and talking to the young master of Jingzhao Yin.
These two people were Lin Yuzan and Wang Cheng.
The subordinate turned his head to look at his master again, and as expected, he heard him order the car to stop, and he could hear the conversation between the three people in bits and pieces.
Lin Yuzan said, "I don't know if Sister Qing is obedient in the palace. Brother Liangchuan, when Lord Zhang goes to court tomorrow, could you please take my eldest brother-in-law and me to the palace? After we visit him, we can help you find the missing official's family."
Zhang Liangchuan: "Of course. My father originally wanted to go to the palace to apologize this afternoon, but His Majesty simply accepted the memorial and told him to leave. Tomorrow is a grand court meeting... There will surely be many people impeaching my father, and I don't know if he can leave the palace safely. I will send a carriage to pick you two up then. If you can help me make amends, I will work like a slave for the rest of my life to repay you two brothers."
Wang Cheng: "Brother Liangchuan, don't worry. With so many people working hard to find the missing officials and their families, we will definitely find them."