Chapter 21
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Xue Yuan’s hands suddenly exerted force.
But the young emperor didn’t faint as he had imagined.
After spitting out the blood, Gu Yuanbai quickly calmed down. Under his gaze, the eunuch who had come to report was already trembling. Gu Yuanbai’s face turned cold as he said, “Zhang Xu, take him and keep him under strict surveillance. Send someone immediately to the villa to verify his words.”
The eunuch went limp, dragged away by a tall and burly guard.
Gu Yuanbai wiped the blood from his lips with his sleeve and patted Xue Yuan’s arm, “Let me down.”
Xue Yuan stiffly released Gu Yuanbai, who then sat down heavily on the main seat, his eyes darkly fixed on the direction of the gate.
The imperial physician had already been summoned, but Gu Yuanbai’s mood was still sour.
He shouldn’t have been so agitated.
If something had truly happened to Wan Taifei, there should have been officials from the Supervision Bureau beside her. And if Wan Taifei was really unwell, it was improper for just one eunuch to report it without Gu Yuanbai receiving any prior information.
A palace attendant handed him a handkerchief. Gu Yuanbai lifted it to wipe away the blood from his hands and the corner of his lips. Suddenly, he looked up at Xue Yuan.
Blood from Gu Yuanbai’s coughing had stained Xue Yuan’s neck, clothes, and hair. Xue Yuan’s face darkened as he stared at Gu Yuanbai.
Gu Yuanbai said, “…Give him another handkerchief.”
As the male lead gong in the original story, Xue Yuan naturally had a striking appearance, with sharp eyebrows, thin lips, and a high nose. His expressions and movements carried a sense of danger.
Such sharp features, coupled with the blood on his face and neck, made even the palace maid tremble as she handed him the handkerchief.
Xue Yuan took the handkerchief and began wiping his neck. As he did so, he looked at Gu Yuanbai. Suddenly, he paused and asked, “Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell anywhere?”
Gu Yuanbai replied, “I’m fine.”
Xue Yuan’s expression grew even more peculiar. He was somewhat stunned by the blood Gu Yuanbai had just spat out, and now, looking at Gu Yuanbai, he couldn’t help but imagine him as sickly, as if he could cough up blood with any movement.
As the sticky blood stains were wiped onto the handkerchief, Xue Yuan’s expression became increasingly grim. His current appearance was enough to intimidate even the palace maids nearby.
Gu Yuanbai spoke gently, “Someone, take Guard Xue to clean up.”
For the first time, Xue Yuan heard him speak so gently and felt a sense of novelty. A palace maid approached him, “Guard Xue, shall we go?”
Xue Yuan snapped out of his thoughts, draped the handkerchief over his shoulder, and said, “Let’s go.”
Once Xue Yuan left, Gu Yuanbai restrained his smile. He closed his eyes and tapped the table, the crisp sound of his fingertips striking the wood as terrifying as the scythe of death.
Not long after, a guard rushed in, sweating profusely, and knelt before Gu Yuanbai. “Your Majesty, Wan Taifei is fine. She just misses Your Majesty and wishes for Your Majesty to visit the outskirts of the capital.”
As he spoke, the guard handed a letter to Gu Yuanbai. After the young eunuch inspected the letter, he carefully handed it to the Emperor.
It was a confidential letter from the Supervision Bureau, outlining the cause and effect of the entire incident. The person who deliberately spread false information had already been captured by the Supervision Bureau and was being interrogated with severe measures.
Gu Yuanbai was satisfied with the speed of the investigation. After burning the letter, ensuring no trace remained, the imperial physician arrived.
“Check,” Gu Yuanbai ordered, “investigate within the royal relatives.”
The head guard shuddered, bowing his head, “This servant obeys.”
***
The remnants of Lu Feng’s faction were terrified by Gu Yuanbai’s actions, fleeing to the south of Jinghu and Jiangnan. After cleansing the court and the inner palace, Gu Yuanbai’s second task was to root out Lu Feng’s agents within the military.
However, he couldn’t forcefully remove those hidden within the households of other ministers and royal relatives.
But there were advantages and disadvantages. He couldn’t root out these hidden individuals, but they also couldn’t flee to the capital with the rest of Lu Feng’s faction.
Now, some were starting to panic.
Gu Yuanbai planted Supervision Bureau personnel in the households of ministers and royal relatives, firstly to root out these hidden dangers, and secondly, to prevent those who were confused by their official position from taking advantage of the situation.
Gu Yuanbai’s mind was clear. After being treated by the imperial physician, Tian Fusheng wiped away tears and waited. Gu Yuanbai beckoned him forward and said only one thing, “It’s time to act.”
The senior officials of Great Heng were not fools; fools could not become senior officials. They knew who to follow and to whom their loyalty should lie. But there were always some misguided royal relatives who thought that with the current emperor’s poor health and lack of heirs, if the emperor were to die, they or their children might be supported to ascend the throne.
Those who had outstanding heirs or had a reputation for wisdom were more likely to engage in such foolish acts.
***
Within the capital, everything seemed calm, but dozens of eunuchs hurried out of the palace carrying imperial decrees.
These eunuchs were dispatched to various royal family mansions to proclaim the Emperor’s edict.
Gu Yuanbai gave them a chance to confess and receive a lighter punishment.
The language of the imperial edict was concise, but the eunuchs proclaimed it with fervor and severity, demanding that they surrender the remnants of the rebel Lu Feng hidden in their mansions and give up the tumor that incited disrespect towards the Emperor. As long as they surrendered, the Emperor would show leniency.
Everyone in the royal family mansions was trembling with fear, but no matter how they pressed, the eunuchs only said they had half an hour.
Half an hour later, if those who dared to act didn’t dare to come forward and confess voluntarily, they would face the Emperor’s thunderous wrath.
During this half hour, the eunuchs stood respectfully in front of the mansions of the royal family, coldly staring at the faces of the imperial relatives, some innocent, some anxious.
Not only were their hearts beating faster and faster, with sweat pouring down their faces as they hid among the crowd, but the cold sweat also dripped from their chins.
Afraid, terrified, yet still unable to believe what the Emperor might do.
As time passed by, it seemed like the whole capital knew something was about to happen. Ministers closed the gates of their mansions, and there was not a soul on the streets in front of the royal family mansions.
The dim sun of noon gradually moved westward.
The royal relatives who had done something felt their legs go weak as they knelt on the ground, unsure whether it was because they had been kneeling for half an hour or due to some inexplicable fear. As time passed, not a single person from the royal relatives’ mansions stepped forward to confess voluntarily. Finally, half an hour had passed.
Deep, heavy footsteps echoed within the palace. Thousands of soldiers clad in armor rushed out of the palace in a dense formation, heading straight for the mansions of the royal relatives.
Their footsteps were heavy enough to make the ground tremble, and their shields and long knives gleamed with a bloodthirsty light. The leading general roared, “By the decree of His Majesty, we shall eliminate the rebellious forces and clear the way for the innocent!”
On the streets, house doors were tightly shut, and people peered through the cracks of their windows as the long line of black-armored soldiers ran past their doors. The sharp tips of their blades reflected the last rays of the setting sun, casting terrifying gleams on the ground and before the doors.
These imperial guards, whom Gu Yuanbai had spent a fortune to train, had developed strong bodies through daily training and drills. The good meat and rice they consumed every day gave them the strength to bear armor and wield swords and shields.
Countless open mansions of the royal relatives watched with trembling as this troop of imperial guards approached. Only when these guards ran past their own doors did these relatives feel alive again, able to breathe. They collapsed to the ground, as did their servants. Only now did they realize that what the Emperor had said was true.
Indeed, someone had committed a transgression intolerable to His Majesty.
Wherever the black-armored guards ran past a mansion, the eunuchs who had been standing coldly before the mansion suddenly smiled warmly, helping up the fallen mansion owners with apologies. “Please don’t take offense, my lord. I was just following orders. Now that the guards have not surrounded your mansion, it proves your innocence! His Majesty will bestow rewards later. Please don’t let this bother you.”
The relieved and fearful mansion owners, still being assisted to their feet, now had a clearer understanding of the Emperor’s temper. How would they dare to say anything?
It was too terrifying, too terrifying.
Even more terrifying than them were the thousands of royal guards who finally surrounded the mansion of Qi Wang.
As the eunuchs descended the steps in front of Qi Wang’s mansion with a smile, the general leading the royal guards greeted them, “General Cheng, is this it?”
The general nodded, his expression serious. “Thank you for your trouble, Gong gong.”
The eunuchs exchanged pleasantries with him for a moment before stepping aside, allowing the people of Qi Wang’s mansion to face the stern gazes of the royal guards. Qi Wang, who was in his forties, was supported by trembling hands as he walked to the door. “What do you want to do?!”
The people inside the mansion saw this dark mass of royal guards outside, and someone fainted on the spot. Panic spread, and finally, someone couldn’t help but let out a sob.
General Cheng raised his voice coldly, “We are here by decree to eradicate the rebels. If there is resistance, kill without mercy!”
Qi Wang couldn’t catch his breath for a moment and almost collapsed. He stared fiercely at the soldiers in front of him, and the legs under his robe trembled more and more violently.
Beside him was a young child, the youngest son. He was born smart and intelligent, earning him the reputation of a child prodigy from a young age. At this moment, the child was clutching the hand of a servant, crying and shouting for his mother.
So, this child, who hadn’t even been weaned yet, was “as smart, kind, and righteous as the current Emperor”?
Nonsense! General Cheng’s eyes blazed, and the soldiers behind him were restless.
Qi Wang was the younger brother of the late Emperor, ten years younger than the late Emperor. When the late Emperor ascended the throne, Qi Wang posed little threat. He was also a well-behaved prince, thus gaining a good reputation.
But when Gu Yuanbai ascended to the throne, with his weak physique and the possibility of not being able to produce offspring, it gave Qi Wang the opportunity to expand his ambitions. When Lu Feng was in power, Qi Wang had already made a name for himself with gold and silver treasures under Lu Feng’s protection. While other imperial relatives bowed and bent, he had even bigger dreams.
Lu Feng didn’t dare to proclaim himself emperor. He only dared to support a puppet emperor after Gu Yuanbai’s death. Qi Wang was getting older, and Lu Feng was worried, but Qi Wang had sons.
He had many, many sons.
Qi Wang was filled with anger and fear as he looked at the black-armored soldiers outside and knew that what the eunuch had just proclaimed was true.
But how did Gu Yuanbai find out?!
How dare Gu Yuanbai?!
He’s his royal uncle!
Qi Wang’s voice trembled. “This Wang wants to see the Emperor!”
The royal guards blocking the door stared at him in silence.
Qi Wang’s heart suddenly sank, and he grabbed the arm of a servant next to him, pushing the servant out forcefully. “Go! Go and inform the Emperor! Tell him I request an audience with the Emperor!”
The servant staggered towards the direction of the palace, but after only a few steps, his head was chopped off by a deputy, and his bloody head rolled to the steps in front of Qi Wang’s mansion.
The bloodstains rolled all the way, and the deputy general snorted coldly, saying, “We are rough men with heavy hands. The Emperor said, when clearing out the rebels, there’s no need to hold back. This servant actually dared to flee in front of the royal army. Is he planning to inform the enemy and seek reinforcements?”
Qi Wang’s eyes widened, his hand trembling as he pointed at him. “You, you, you——”
In the imperial palace, Gu Yuanbai had personally instructed General Cheng and the deputy generals. The Emperor’s tone was indifferent, his words simple, consisting of only five words: “I want to see blood.”
Without seeing blood, some people never feel afraid.
The people in Qi Wang’s mansion stared blankly at the head on the steps, and it wasn’t until a startled cry tore through the sky that the silence was broken.
Qi Wang’s eldest son tried to remain calm as he supported his mother, saying, “They wouldn’t dare to lay a hand on us.”
After all, they were imperial relatives!
General Cheng ordered the soldiers to put away their swords and replace them with thick clubs. He asked a nearby eunuch to step forward and loudly declared, “Is Qi Wang truly unwilling to speak the truth and surrender the rebels?”
Qi Wang shouted loudly, “Do you dare to threaten imperial relatives? Do you dare to lay hands on me?!”
The young masters in Qi Wang’s mansion cursed loudly, “We want to see the Emperor! You said you were going to clear out the rebels, so why are you surrounding our mansion?!”
As more and more people cursed, it seemed as if they were gaining momentum, and more and more people pointed their fingers at the royal guards and cursed them.
Until one of the young masters from Qi Wang’s mansion was hit on the head with a stick and fell to the ground, bleeding profusely, did all the noise suddenly stop.
Large groups of royal guards stormed into Qi Wang’s mansion, the cries and shouts deafening, servants lying on the ground, turning the mansion into a h*llish scene.
The masters endured beatings, and so did the servants. But while the servants could be beaten to death, the masters had to preserve some dignity.
Qi Wang collapsed in a pool of blood, watching as the black-armored royal guards raided his study and quickly apprehended several of Lu Feng’s men.
They seemed to know exactly who these people were.
Qi Wang felt dizzy, the anger in his heart turning into trembling fear.
Gu Yuanbai, Gu Yuanbai… He was even more ruthless than the late Emperor, too ruthless, too terrifying.
This Emperor was too terrifying.
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