Chapter 475: Everything Is Under Control!

Today was Sun Youdao’s seventieth birthday.

By all logic, his residence should have been packed with guests. But Sun Youdao, who had more or less retired from official life, had announced long ago that he would not hold a celebration for his seventieth birthday.

No gifts.

No guests.

Most people in Yingdu’s official circles praised Grand Tutor Sun for being indifferent to fame and profit, broad-minded and modest.

But those who knew the inside story, or who had once served alongside Sun Youdao and understood him well, would only sigh.

Grand Tutor Sun had lost heart a long time ago.

Sun Youdao’s official career had been full of twists and turns.

More precisely, during the first half of his life, he had hardly possessed an official career at all.

He had merely been a schoolteacher.

Then he met Situ Lei.

Situ Lei had still been a young man then, and the two discovered they suited one another.

Later, Sun Youdao accompanied Situ Lei to Zhennan Pass.

Situ Lei fought Chu troops at the front.

Sun Youdao managed grain, supplies, and military equipment in the rear.

When Situ Lei eventually returned to Yingdu and reentered court, he did not take a single soldier from Zhennan Pass with him.

He brought only Sun Youdao.

After that, Sun Youdao advised him in politics, filling gaps and correcting oversights until Situ Lei finally defeated both of his elder brothers in the struggle for power.

Once Situ Lei ascended the throne, Sun Youdao was appointed Chancellor.

Had the Savage uprising never happened, had Great Cheng passed peacefully from one generation to the next, then Sun Youdao and Situ Lei might have become the subject of one of those legendary tales of harmony between sovereign and minister that later generations admired endlessly.

If one excluded Situ Yu’s brief reign of less than half a month after Situ Lei’s death, Great Cheng could almost be described as a dynasty that began and ended with a single generation.

From the day Situ Lei died, Sun Youdao’s heart had died with him.

He was tired.

But the Savages were still ravaging Jin, so he had no choice but to continue holding things together.

Then the Yan people came.

True, they too were invaders.

But at least Great Yan intended to annex Jin and govern it as its own territory.

The Savages and Chu people, by contrast, had continued behaving brutally.

Finally, once the Marquis of Jingnan expelled the Savages and captured Yupan City, Great Yan’s new order gradually took shape.

Sun Youdao politely declined the Emperor of Yan’s summons to Yanjing, citing age and poor health, and chose retirement instead.

Today, only one concubine and his three sons accompanied him for his birthday.

He had not even allowed his grandsons to come.

Sun Youdao found them too noisy.

His concubine was already fifty.

His principal wife had died after giving birth to his eldest and second sons.

The concubine later gave birth to his third son.

Other than that, Sun Youdao had never taken another woman.

His daily life had always been quite plain.

The dishes on the table were ordinary home cooking.

The wine was common wine.

Sun Youdao occupied the seat of honor.

To his right sat his eldest son, Sun Ying.

To his left sat Sun Liang and Sun Kang.

His concubine sat beside him and helped place food in his bowl.

Meals in the Sun household were served individually because Sun Ying’s lower body had been paralyzed by illness and he could not sit properly at the main table.

But there had never been many rules during meals in the Sun household.

For years, Sun Youdao had liked instructing his sons over the dinner table, hoping one or two among them might mature into capable men and inherit what he had built.

Halfway through the meal, Sun Liang spoke first.

“Father, Eldest Brother, I heard Count Pingye of Yan entered the city last night.”

Sun Youdao nodded.

“That Count Pingye truly is an extraordinary man.

“Great Yan really does produce an endless stream of talent.”

Sun Liang smiled.

“Yes, Father. If today were not your birthday, I would also have wanted to go to the relay station and find an opportunity to meet Count Pingye.”

Aside from his military achievements, Count Pingye had also snatched back a Princess of Chu.

His prestige was currently unmatched.

But at that moment, Sun Youdao put down his chopsticks and looked at his second son.

Because his eldest son was physically disabled, this second son had become the public head of the current Sun Clan.

Yet in both temperament and methods, the eldest son was actually far superior.

One could only say Heaven envied talent.

Looking at the smile on his second son’s face, Sun Youdao spoke very seriously.

“This old man has withdrawn from public affairs.

“The little residue of favor and reputation I left behind is enough to preserve wealth and comfort for your generation.

“Even by the third generation, the Sun Clan should at least remain a respectable household.

“But only if you stop tossing yourself around blindly.”

“Father, how am I tossing myself around blindly?” Sun Liang asked, clearly puzzled.

“Yan people are Yan people.

“Jin people are Jin people.

“Perhaps after another twenty years, another generation or two, the distinction between Yan and Jin will not be so great.

“But right now, the distinction remains.

“Great Cheng is gone.

“Our Sun Clan is nothing more than a household of former officials and descendants of a fallen state.

“Remember who you are.

“Do not seek friendships with Yan nobles and great officials.

“Do not imagine that you should go out and accomplish something again.

“Living quietly and peacefully like this is the safest and most profitable choice.”

Sun Liang did not dare argue with his father.

He could only nod.

“Yes, Father. Your son understands.”

Sun Youdao nodded, then looked toward his eldest son.

Sun Ying was drinking alone.

Seeing that, Sun Youdao asked:

“Eldest, what have you been busy with lately?”

Sun Liang answered first.

“Father, Eldest Brother has been repairing a pavilion recently. I heard he hired quite a few craftsmen.”

After Sun Youdao established his second son as the household’s public head, Sun Ying voluntarily moved out of the main Sun Residence and purchased another estate.

It was almost an early division of the family.

“Oh?”

Sun Youdao looked toward his eldest son.

Sun Ying set down his wine cup.

“Yes, Father.

“But it is not finished yet.”

“Then this father can look forward to seeing it.”

“When it is finished, your son will invite Father over to admire the flowers.”

“Good.”

Just then, a servant hurried inside.

Sun Liang stood and walked outside.

After the servant whispered into his ear, Sun Liang immediately returned to the hall.

“Father, Eldest Brother, something has happened.”

“What?” Sun Youdao asked.

“That Yan Count Pingye took troops to the Education Administration.

“I heard blood has already been spilled there.”

At the words “Education Administration,” Sun Ying’s gaze abruptly changed.

“Education Administration?”

Sun Youdao frowned slightly.

It was a newly established yamen.

He was unfamiliar with it.

He only knew that it handled the imperial examinations.

Naturally, it was also responsible for establishing schools and spreading education, but the imperial examination remained the function everyone remembered most clearly.

Those who passed the provincial examination could either be appointed locally or gain the qualification to travel to Yanjing for the metropolitan examination.

Anyone who succeeded there would possess a future no longer limited to Yingdu.

Soon, new reports arrived one after another.

Each was more shocking than the last.

“Count Pingye’s personal guards massacred the Education Administration.”

“Prefect Mao tried to stop him and failed.”

“Count Pingye left the city.”

“The Yan troops from the East Gate Camp suddenly entered Yingdu!”

“Count Pingye has occupied the Prefect’s residence!”

“The Jingnan Army is breaking down doors and arresting people. They are seizing candidates and officials implicated in the imperial-examination fraud!”

“Blood is already flowing like a river outside the Prefect’s residence. Heads are rolling everywhere!”

As one message after another arrived, no one in the Sun household had any remaining mood to celebrate a birthday.

Mass slaughter without trial.

Then troops brought into the city.

Collective implication and arrests.

These were not ordinary commoners being killed.

Nor was this soldiers murdering civilians on a battlefield and claiming military merit.

The dead were officials.

Men with names, status, and standing.

True, the chief officials of the Education Administration were Yan people, and several other Yan officials served there too.

But most of its personnel were Jin people.

And nearly all the people now being seized after Jingnan soldiers broke through their doors were Jin people as well.

Sun Liang raised one hand and rubbed his forehead.

He ordered a servant to bring a basin of water and washed his face.

Then he asked:

“Father, what exactly is happening?”

Sun Youdao answered:

“This affair cannot be so simple.

“That Yan Count Pingye is no madman.

“Besides, there is a distinction between civil and military authority.

“No matter how you look at it, an imperial-examination fraud case should not be handled by him.

“And even if he were the one to handle it, there would be no reason to use such a bloody and direct method.

“This father has studied his military career.

“He appears to favor dangerous gambits and unusual moves, but his grasp of what is important, what is urgent, and how far to push something is usually exceptionally precise.

“He is a military commander, yet he also knows how to simmer something slowly over a gentle flame.”

Sun Youdao’s level was naturally extremely high.

But he had retired.

His channels of information had inevitably become less effective.

Sun Ying spoke.

“Father, you mean what Count Pingye is doing now is merely a cover?

“That he has some other objective?”

Sun Youdao nodded.

“That is certain.

“Never naively assume that a man more intelligent than you has suddenly become stupid.

“Most likely, the stupid one is not him.

“It is you.”

“...”

Sun Ying.

Sun Youdao had not actually aimed those words at anyone.

He was simply explaining a principle.

But by extraordinary coincidence, Sun Ying instantly assumed his father had already detected what he himself had been doing.

In Sun Ying’s mind, his father was warning him.

Cold sweat immediately began seeping across his back.

His breathing grew uneven.

Mass slaughter.

Collective implication.

Troops deliberately mobilized into the city.

No interrogation.

No handover to the proper yamen.

Immediate execution.

What part of this looked like the method for handling an ordinary case?

This was clearly the kind of swift, ruthless cleansing used only when dealing with a major rebellion!

Sun Liang asked:

“Father, do you know Count Pingye’s true objective?”

Sun Youdao shook his head.

Then he sighed.

He had stayed away from politics for far too long.

After retiring, he had received the honorary title of Grand Tutor.

His son Sun Liang inherited the post of **Transport Commissioner of Yingdu**, which was the current public face of the Sun Clan.

Yet Sun Liang was completely confused.

Seeing this, Sun Youdao could not help turning once more toward his eldest son.

He found himself thinking that if his eldest had never become crippled, and if the eldest were the one currently supporting the household, surely he would not be completely ignorant of every sign and movement in Yingdu.

His second son was, in the end, merely of middling talent.

Moved by that thought, Sun Youdao found himself offering another warning.

“Do not try to create trouble.

“Do not reach for things you should not touch.

“This father rose from among common people and followed the late Emperor for half a lifetime.

“I never did it merely for the Sun Clan’s wealth and rank.

“But I still hope you can all live your lives safely and peacefully.

“Once a man grows old, he stops asking for much.

“All he wants is for his children and grandchildren to remain safe.”

These words came from the heart.

Yet in Sun Ying’s ears, they sounded like repeated thunder.

Father had practically stated it openly!

Yes.

Father had always been that wise.

Even if he had retired and spent his days resting at home, was there really anything happening in Yingdu that he wanted to know but could not learn?

Father’s meaning was obvious.

I made a mistake.

I am going to bring disaster upon the family.

Sun Liang did not understand why his father needed to remind him again, but he still bowed.

“Your son accepts Father’s instruction.

“I will remember it.”

Then he asked:

“Father, could this affair implicate our household?”

“Probably not.

“From what the servants have reported, the people being raided and arrested are middle-level officials.

“The truly prominent households have not been disturbed.

“The Sun Clan’s standing still exists.

“We should remain untouched by this storm.”

At that moment, Sun Ying suddenly spoke.

“Father, your son needs to relieve himself.”

Sun Youdao immediately waved him away.

“Go. Go.”

He knew his eldest son’s disability made it difficult for him to hold his bladder.

Two servants supported Sun Ying and carried him out.

Sun Youdao sighed again.

Then, as though suddenly remembering something, he asked his second son:

“Were you involved in the examination fraud?”

Sun Liang immediately shook his head.

“Father, how could I possibly be?

“If your son wanted to promote someone, saw some talented person, or wanted to form a friendship with someone, why would I need to go through so much trouble?

“Besides, Father has always warned me not to reach blindly into affairs.

“How could I involve myself in something this filthy?

“I had heard of these things, though.

“I actually found it regrettable.

“Some men originally possessed the chance to rise from commoner status through the imperial examinations, only to have that qualification stolen by others.

“Your son supports the imperial-examination system.

“Because I have always thought that if Father had not met the late Emperor while both of you were still obscure and powerless, you might never have received the opportunity to display your ambitions.

“If Great Cheng had possessed imperial examinations in those days, many learned men like Father could have gained the chance to benefit the people.”

Sun Youdao found those words very pleasant.

A faint comfort rose inside him.

His second son might not be especially outstanding when handling affairs, but he possessed a sincere and steady nature in dealing with people.

With him leading the family, the Sun Clan’s prosperity should continue for a while yet.

Elsewhere, Sun Ying had not gone to the latrine after being helped out of the hall.

Instead, he met one of his own subordinates in the outer courtyard.

“Eldest Master, the city is in chaos.”

The man was a trusted subordinate from Sun Ying’s separate residence.

Nearly a hundred righteous men were hidden inside that estate.

Sun Ying remembered what his father had just said.

He instructed the subordinate:

“Return immediately.

“Contact the men hidden in our other properties and have them all move into my residence too.

“I am the eldest son of the Sun Clan.

“That residence also bears the Sun Clan plaque.

“The Yan people... should not search there.”

After all, only middle-level officials and households were currently being raided.

The great households had not yet been touched.

That Yan Count Pingye might be ruthless and crude in how he handled affairs, but he still appeared to understand limits.

“Yes, Eldest Master.”

“Also, if... if...”

Sun Ying narrowed his eyes.

At last, he made his decision.

Because he was crippled, he could rarely appear on the front line and had to arrange and direct everything from behind the scenes.

That made sudden situations like this extremely difficult for him to handle.

“Remember.

“If Yan troops enter my residence, that means they already know what we have been doing.

“The great undertaking is not ready.

“But we will have no choice except to move early.”

The trusted man’s eyes widened in shock.

“Eldest Master, we move now?”

“The blade will already be against our necks.

“Do you expect us to close our eyes and wait to die?

“If the Yan people do not search my residence, then everything continues as planned.

“If they do search it, then it means every road of retreat is gone.”

“Yes, Eldest Master.

“Please give the orders.”

“If Yan troops break into my residence, immediately send messages outward.

“First: order **Commander Li at the west gate** to seize full control of the west gate at once.

“Second: send word to the south and north camps. Order **Assistant General Qian** of the South Gate Camp to assemble his troops, leave the camp, enter the city through the west gate, and march directly to Prince Cheng Residence.

“He must protect Prince Cheng.

“The Prince is the key to everything!

“Third: send word to **Zhou Ren** of the City Patrol Office.

“He is to launch an immediate surprise attack against the armory.

“Fourth: send word everywhere else.

“Every one of our people inside and outside Yingdu is to rise at once!”

The first three instructions targeted men who were absolutely loyal.

Once they received the message, they would certainly act.

They also controlled the three most critical positions.

The fourth order was much broader.

Some of those people were his own.

Many others had merely wavered or hesitated until now.

How many would actually rise, Sun Ying himself did not know.

But at the very least, the situation should become noisy enough to gather momentum.

In truth, there were several Lieutenant Commanders in the North Gate Camp who also belonged to Sun Ying.

But first, they controlled only limited troops.

Second, whether they could actually move those soldiers remained uncertain.

Naturally, if chaos erupted in Yingdu and they managed to sweep the entire North Gate Camp along with them, that would be ideal.

“The Jingnan Army has already entered the city, but the East Gate Camp does not contain many Jingnan troops.

“So long as we can build momentum, I can then ask Father to step forward and call upon every great clan in and around Yingdu to support Prince Cheng’s restoration!

“At that point, most of the Jin forces in the south and north camps will probably submit to the restored court.

“The great undertaking still has a chance!”

That final sentence was directed at the trusted subordinate before him.

But more than anything, Sun Ying was saying it to himself.

Give him one more year and he was confident he could win over the commanders of both the south and north camps.

Then, the moment they rose, more than ten thousand Jin soldiers from both camps could march directly into Yingdu.

At present, Assistant General Qian was only one of three Assistant Generals in the South Gate Camp.

He had fewer than three thousand troops under his personal command.

With enough time, Sun Ying could also plant more subordinates, more loyalists, and more righteous men in positions throughout Yingdu.

Once Yingdu rose, there would certainly be no shortage of responses throughout Cheng territory.

Combine that with hidden powers in western Jin stirring at the same time, and restoring the state, driving out the Yan people, and recovering their lands would all possess enormous hope.

But today, that Count Pingye had practically forced him to the edge of a cliff.

Sun Ying desperately hoped the Yan people would not storm his residence.

He desperately hoped all of this would prove nothing more than a false alarm.

He turned and looked back toward the hall.

Father already knew what he had been doing in secret throughout the past year.

Father had not spoken openly.

That meant Father actually supported him.

Great Cheng was Father’s dream too.

...

A detachment of Jingnan armored soldiers carrying an arrest slip smashed open the gates of Sun Ying’s residence.

The estate was quite large, but hiding more than a hundred people inside it was still impossible to conceal completely.

The Jin loyalists inside had already prepared themselves.

They opened with bows and crossbows, then immediately charged.

Caught completely off guard, the Jingnan soldiers who entered first suffered substantial casualties.

But the estate offered only so much room.

The Lieutenant Commander leading the detachment did not order a retreat.

Instead, he ordered his men to form ranks where they stood and sent someone back to report the situation.

The Jingnan Army was elite.

Even without horses, these soldiers remained first-rate fighters on foot.

Once they formed a proper formation, their numbers were inferior, but the disorganized assault of the loyalists could no longer drive them out.

Instead, the Jingnan soldiers locked onto them.

The two sides fell into a grinding stalemate.

At the same time, the exposure of Sun Ying’s residence caused the signal to begin the uprising to spread immediately through various outer channels.

In an instant, shouts of killing rose throughout Yingdu.

...

After learning that Count Pingye had led troops into the city and occupied his Prefect’s residence, Mao Mingcai did not explode in rage.

Nor did he hurry over with men to reclaim his yamen.

Instead, he went to the City Patrol Office and sat there.

Because he understood that by this point, the nature of the affair had changed.

Count Pingye had already mobilized troops.

What exactly was Mao Mingcai supposed to do?

Fight him head-on?

Take the Prefect’s seal, send men to mobilize the other military camps outside the city, and then wage a battle against Count Pingye?

Mao Mingcai was a civil official, but he had once served as Minister of War.

He understood military affairs.

And he understood Count Pingye’s prestige inside Great Yan’s army.

Count Pingye had already mobilized the Jingnan Army.

If Mao Mingcai now summoned the Yan force from the West Gate Camp, that force might outnumber the Jingnan troops.

But Mao Mingcai did not believe those Yan soldiers would obey him and draw sabers against the Jingnan Army and Count Pingye.

The most likely outcome was that the West Gate Camp troops would arrive, see the Jingnan Army and Count Pingye, cut Mao Mingcai down with one saber, and then merge with Zheng Fan.

If the West Gate Camp could not be used, then only the Jin troops from the south and north camps remained.

But he, Mao Mingcai, was Prefect of Yingdu.

He was a Yan man.

If he mobilized Jin troops into the city and ordered them to fight Great Yan’s Count Pingye, who commanded Yan troops...

Fuck his ancestors.

What kind of situation would that even be?

Was Count Pingye the one causing chaos?

Or was Mao Mingcai raising the banner of the Jin people and rebelling?

If that scene truly happened and Mao Mingcai were sitting in the Yanjing court receiving the report, even he would probably conclude that Mao Mingcai had rebelled.

So.

He could not outargue Count Pingye.

The man was excellent at war.

And when confronting others face-to-face, his temperament shifted hot and cold so unpredictably that he was extremely difficult to handle.

As for fighting him...

Ignoring the fact that Mao Mingcai could not win, the more important problem was that he could not fight him at all.

Count Pingye was killing people.

Count Pingye was raiding households one after another.

Count Pingye had occupied his residence.

Fuck it.

Let Zheng Fan do whatever he wanted.

Mao Mingcai was done caring!

If Count Pingye truly possessed the courage to commit some treasonous act, then at worst he could cut off Mao Mingcai’s head first.

If he was not rebelling, then he was still traveling to Yanjing to attend an imperial audience.

Let His Majesty decide everything.

Once Mao Mingcai thought it through, he suddenly felt liberated.

Truthfully, from the bottom of his heart, he never believed Count Pingye would rebel.

The Marquis of Jingnan sat at Fengxin with the main Jingnan Army.

If the Marquis of Jingnan rebelled, then Jin was simply finished.

But if the Marquis did not rebel, how would Count Pingye dare?

Besides, Count Pingye was Great Yan’s most celebrated and rapidly rising military noble of the past two years.

The Marquis of Jingnan valued him.

His Majesty appreciated him.

And he stood on the same side as the Sixth Prince, who was currently so powerful that he had completely suppressed the Crown Prince.

No matter how Mao Mingcai considered it, Zheng Fan possessed absolutely no reason to rebel.

Surely he had not suddenly lost his mind after snatching a Princess of Chu and listening to some pillow talk?

Was he going to steal the Princess and then immediately betray Yan for Chu?

Why bother taking off his trousers just to fart?

Ran Min stood beside him, watching his superior’s expression change from gloomy to furious, then puzzled, then absurd.

As a trusted subordinate, he no longer knew what to say or what to do.

Under ordinary circumstances, he could and should have handled many problems.

But faced with Count Pingye, Ran Min admitted he simply could not manage it.

Earlier, when he blocked the road outside the Education Administration, he himself had not lost courage.

His troops had lost theirs first.

Suddenly, shouts of killing erupted outside.

Vaguely, furious cries could be heard:

“Restore Great Cheng!”

“Drive out the Yan dogs!”

“Return our mountains and rivers!”

Ran Min jolted.

He immediately shouted to his men:

“Protect the Prefect!”

“Yes!”

The soldiers of the City Patrol Office immediately crowded around them.

Mao Mingcai jumped straight from his chair and roared at Ran Min:

“Go find out exactly what is happening outside!”

“Yes, Lord Prefect!”

Yingdu was chaotic now.

But this chaos was completely different from the earlier disorder created by Jingnan troops following arrest slips from door to door.

Before, it had been like using a toothpick to pick at a piece of meat.

Now, the entire chunk of meat seemed to have been thrown directly into boiling water, with white steam rising everywhere.

Yet first, the Jingnan Army was already inside the city.

Second, Sun Ying’s uprising had begun far too hastily.

So Yingdu was chaotic, but not yet in complete chaos.

Most people inside the city were still wondering what new performance had suddenly begun.

That created an extremely strange scene.

On one side, shouts of killing shook the streets.

On the other, messengers were still riding in and out of the city, passing reports almost normally.

The soldiers sent out to gather information returned batch after batch and reported to Mao Mingcai.

“Report!

“Jin rebels have been discovered inside the residence of Grand Tutor Sun’s eldest son!”

“Rebels?”

Mao Mingcai’s eyes widened.

Weren’t they investigating imperial-examination fraud?

How had they uncovered actual rebels?

What in the world was happening?

Mao Mingcai knew rebel groups existed.

Ever since the Three Jin entered Yan, small-scale rebellions had almost never stopped.

But they were always crushed quickly and had never developed into anything substantial.

“Report!

“The commander of the west gate has mutinied with his men.

“Warning smoke has been raised over the west gate!”

Mao Mingcai felt a chill spread across his back.

As a Yan Prefect governing Yingdu, one of his most important duties was watching the Jin people.

“No!

“The rebels intend to coordinate with Jin troops outside the city!”

Jin troops served as auxiliaries.

Great Yan had established many Jin military camps to compensate for its own shortage of manpower.

If Jin rebels intended to rise, naturally they would seek the support of Jin troops.

“Report!

“Guerrilla General **Kong Mingde** of the South Gate Camp has sent a messenger.

“One of his Assistant Generals attempted to lead troops out of the camp.

“General Kong personally suppressed the mutiny.

“The ringleader has already been beheaded!”

“So quickly?”

Mao Mingcai had not expected it.

The messenger replied:

“Count Pingye previously transmitted orders for every camp to close its gates and forbid anyone from leaving, specifically to guard against rebels creating disorder.

“So they were prepared.”

Had Assistant General Qian acted without warning, he might have used his own trusted men either to break out of the camp and enter Yingdu through the west gate, or to sweep the rest of the Jin troops in the camp into his uprising.

But the camp gates had already been sealed.

The commanding general himself was sitting inside headquarters.

Assistant General Qian truly did possess the heart of a “loyal and righteous man.”

After receiving Sun Ying’s message, he knew the situation inside the camp was unfavorable, yet still forced the uprising.

He was suppressed immediately.

He and his trusted officers were beheaded on the spot.

His soldiers were disarmed and detained.

“Report!

“Guerrilla General **Wu Jiadong** of the North Gate Camp has sent a messenger.

“Some men in his camp attempted to create disorder.

“They have already been executed according to military law.

“The North Gate Camp is stable.”

Hearing this, Mao Mingcai released a long breath.

So long as the two large Jin camps to the north and south remained stable, the rebels could create all the noise they wanted inside the city.

They could never succeed.

Their destruction was merely a matter of time.

And more importantly... the Jingnan Army was already inside Yingdu!

Suddenly, Mao Mingcai understood everything.

Every piece became clear.

All of this had been within Count Pingye’s calculations from the beginning.

He had deliberately used the violent investigation of the imperial-examination fraud as a feint, striking east while preparing west, so that he could uncover the rebels hidden inside Yingdu before they had time to react.

Everything had been planned by Count Pingye.

That was why he had forcibly violated military taboos and moved the Jingnan Army into the city early.

Investigating the examination fraud was merely an excuse to mobilize troops without immediately alarming the rebels.

That was why he had ordered the Jin camps outside Yingdu to seal their gates ahead of time.

He had done it precisely to prevent the rebels from coordinating with Jin troops outside the city.

Even the commanding generals of the north and south camps being able to suppress mutinies among their own subordinates so quickly must have resulted from Count Pingye warning them in advance.

Perhaps there had even been prior communication and cooperation between them.

Mao Mingcai suddenly felt ashamed beyond words.

Truthfully, Mao Mingcai had spent many years navigating officialdom.

He possessed ability.

He possessed methods.

And the fact that the Emperor of Yan had once appointed him Minister of War meant his personal character must also have been solid.

His Majesty’s judgment of people was accurate.

Mao Mingcai was not a mere bureaucrat.

He genuinely wanted to accomplish things.

That was why he had volunteered to come to Yingdu and preside over the region.

Deep down, he still carried the responsibility of a Yan man.

He was loyal to the court.

Loyal to His Majesty.

And loyal to Great Yan.

So when he remembered what he had said to Count Pingye inside the Education Administration earlier...

When Count Pingye had been working to eliminate rebels within the army, Mao Mingcai had stood there mocking and threatening him over the division between civil and military authority.

What had he been doing?

He had accused Count Pingye of acting without restraint.

Then what about Mao Mingcai himself?

As Prefect, had he not been the truly muddleheaded and incompetent one?

He remembered Count Pingye’s strange hot-and-cold reactions beneath his merciless questioning.

Yes.

Of course.

Those were the reactions of a man who had been wronged and misunderstood, yet still lowered his head and continued doing what needed to be done.

Mao Mingcai’s eyes began turning red.

Count Zheng.

Count Zheng.

Why didn’t you tell this official sooner?

If you had, how could this official possibly have misunderstood you so deeply?

Then Mao Mingcai suddenly remembered something.

When Count Pingye mobilized the Jingnan Army into Yingdu, he actually had explained everything.

Very clearly.

**“This Count carries an order from the Prince of Jingnan!

“I entered Yingdu to investigate a treasonous faction.

“Now the traitors inside Yingdu intend to rebel!

“This Count orders all of you to don armor and mount immediately.

“Follow this Count into the city and suppress the rebels!

“The order is given.

“Obey at once.

“Those who disobey will be executed!”**

Yes.

He had explained it from the very beginning.

It was Mao Mingcai himself.

His own stupidity.

His prejudice between civil and military officials.

His refusal to believe Count Pingye.

He had chilled the heart of a loyal servant!

Ran Min had only just returned when he saw his superior in this state.

He immediately said:

“Lord Prefect, please be at ease.

“Although one detachment from the City Patrol Office appears to have rebelled, this subordinate guarantees the remaining forces are sufficient to protect Your Excellency.”

“Fuck your ancestors, protect my ass!

“Follow this official back to the residence!”

...

The instant the killing began outside, Prince Cheng Residence went on full alert.

Fortunately, the residence still possessed many guards.

And Prince Cheng Residence was the old imperial palace of Great Cheng.

It was naturally easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Situ Yu was still a young man.

Earlier, when he learned Zheng Fan had mobilized troops into the city, he had managed to remain calm.

But when sudden chaos erupted outside and the entire situation clearly showed signs of losing control, his face finally turned pale and his lips began trembling.

He instinctively clutched the sleeve of the old eunuch beside him.

At this moment, only this old eunuch who had watched him grow since childhood could give him a sense of security.

“Master, we cannot remain here,” the old eunuch said solemnly.

“No.

“No, no.

“We will remain here.

“We are not going anywhere.”

The Prince’s residence was the safest place!

“Master, someone outside has already rebelled.

“This old slave does not believe they can succeed.

“Even if they gain Yingdu through temporary luck, once Great Yan’s main armies march here, they can never hold it for long.

“They must be looking for you now.

“Someone will certainly come toward Prince Cheng Residence!”

“Then... then doesn’t that mean the residence is even safer?

“If We go outside and they... if they...”

The old eunuch suddenly raised his head.

Both hands gripped Situ Yu’s arms tightly.

He nearly screamed:

“Master!

“What you need to do now is go to the Yan people immediately.

“Go to the Prefect’s residence.

“Count Pingye of Great Yan is there!

“No matter whether today’s rebellion succeeds or fails, even if the rebels never manage to break into Prince Cheng Residence, you must appear before the Yan people in time!

“Before Prefect Mao!

“Before Count Pingye!

“If you want the Situ bloodline to continue...

“If you want to preserve this hereditary princely title... then whenever something like this happens... you must show them your position!

“You must show them your attitude!”

...

Count Pingye, who had only just awakened from his afternoon nap, walked outside still feeling utterly bewildered.

He genuinely had not yet reacted.

He had merely been gathering enough heads to create a spectacle.

How had he gathered and gathered until he somehow gathered actual rebels?

And one military report after another continued arriving.

The rebels were not even small-time.

This was a large nest.

They actually had hidden collaborators inside the military camps outside the city?

At present, shouts of killing echoed everywhere throughout Yingdu.

Cries of “Drive out the Yan invaders! Restore Great Jin!” rose from all directions.

Count Zheng had only just stepped through the gates of the Prefect’s residence under the protection of armored soldiers when he saw Mao Mingcai hurrying toward him beneath Ran Min’s guard.

“Lord Mao...”

**Thud!**

Before Zheng Fan could even finish speaking, Prefect Mao dropped straight to his knees before him.

“...”

Zheng Fan.

“Count Pingye’s eyes truly see through all deception!

“You had already understood everything from the beginning!

“This official is muddleheaded and incompetent.

“Earlier, I spoke offensively many times.

“I am ashamed beyond measure.

“I nearly caused a great disaster!

“Fortunately, everything was already within Count Pingye’s calculations.

“Once Count Pingye has suppressed the rebellion inside the city, this official will personally hold a wine cup and apologize for my crimes!”

Count Zheng drew in a slow breath.

A grave expression settled over his face.

He nodded.

Then he said calmly:

“Lord Mao, be at ease.

“Everything... is under this Count’s control.”

[End of Chapter 475]