News of the incident related to the harem’s Noble Lady Xiang and her involvement in witchcraft spread far and wide. Everyone also knew about how the whole residence was ‘cleaned’ in one day, and the heads of the people that were killed gave off a bloody, pungent smell.
In addition, there were movements outside of the palace as well. Noble Lady Xiang’s father, Yuan Wailang, who was a fifth-class official in the Ministry of Labor, was placed in prison.
For days, cries sounded out from Yuan Wailang’s manor as all the young and strong men were taken into custody and the women were temporarily locked in the Music Division to wait for follow-up actions.
Anyone who dared to resist would be killed without mercy!
After just one night, Yuan Wailang could not stand the torture in prison and gave a few names that were involved in the witchcraft incident.
These people who were involved in the witchcraft incident were not very high-ranking officials, yet, they were spread out throughout the different divisions in the political court.
This time, everyone started to smell a strange aura revolving around this matter.
Two days later, a lieutenant general was also revealed to be involved in the witchcraft incident.
Without waiting for people from the Justice Division to come, the lieutenant general committed suicide at home, seemingly cutting off the trail of clues.
However, only after half a day, a high-ranking officer in the military who was also in the military privy council was deprived of his position and sent directly to prison!
It was astonishing, like everything was slowly being revealed. All eyes in the Imperial Capital had finally pinpointed the mastermind.
This deputy privy counselor had a lot of weight in the military, and the only reason why he could get away unscathed was because of his powerful background.
Later Ye Family!
Ye Bohu had personally spoken and given him the position of a deputy privy counselor. It was not a secret in the Imperial Capital.
Thinking about it again, the deceased chief eunuch of the Hall of Fragrance was the one who read the imperial decree that summoned General Jinwu to the Imperial Capital not long ago…hiss, it seemed like this matter was more far-reaching than expected!
Instantly, people in the Imperial Capital panicked. Even the oldest tortoises in the deepest waters of the Imperial Palace could not help but open their eyes.
They were thinking, ‘Our Majesty had finally bought some time for himself after the Heaven Inquiry, but now, something has happened again!’
The two pillars of the military, the Old and Later Ye families were the cornerstones of the empire. How could the elders of the Imperial Clan allow them to do anything that could sway the stability of the country?
However, the Imperial Palace was silent on this matter. Evidently, they were acquiescing to everything that was happening.
In the Justice Division of the empire, the upright and selfless Lord Shangshu had married a woman with the Ye surname when he first entered officialdom. She was not very beautiful, but she was virtuous.
The dark clouds were starting to hang over the city!
……
At Marquis Chongwu’s residence.
Of course, the turmoils of the outside world could not touch Qin Yu. However, everyone knew very well that he was the starting point of this turmoil to begin with.
After hearing about the death of that young eunuch, Qin Yu’s expression was calm. This was because back then, when he saw this person leave at the Capital Border Area, Qin Yu had already sensed that his body was being haunted by death.
Evidently, from that moment on, Wei Wei already knew about his tragic end.
In the Imperial Capital, with the imprisonment of the deputy privy counselor from the military, the turmoil that started with the incident of witchcraft in the Imperial Palace had completely transformed into a turbulent wave that swept across the West Desolate’s political court.
Privately granting requests and receiving benefits, forming alliances for personal gain, disregarding national laws, corruption and bribery…this attack was ahead of schedule, and it involved countless ministers and officials in the political court.
But anyone with a discerning eye could tell that all those who got unlucky from this incident were those that encouraged the impeachment of General Jinwu back then.
To say that His Majesty set off such a huge disturbance in the political court as a way of helping General Jinwu vent his anger was completely impossible.
Then, if one continued to think about it, one would find the root cause of this incident that was elusive even for the old tortoises in the deep water.
Most of these people were closely related to the Later Ye Family, either openly or secretly, directly or indirectly.
Qin Yu was happy to see the Later Ye Family meet with bad luck. If there was an opportunity, he did not mind throwing a huge rock to sink them down further.
To let them drown in the well did not sound very nice, but they were the ones who tried to kill Qin Yu in the first place. Were they really expecting him to be a gentleman this time? That would be silly.
However, after thinking about it again and again, a bitter smile formed on Qin Yu’s lips and he could not help but raise his hand to rub his temples. The Later Ye Family was only a chained dog held in the Imperial Clan’s hands.
This dog, however, was very strong. It had lived for countless years and had followers all over the West Desolate. In the military, it had countless confidants and supreme authority.
Therefore, even if the owner had thought of killing the dog to eat its meat, it was definitely not something that could be easily achieved.
Otherwise, why would such a ‘harem witchcraft’ scandal break out, and then suddenly many people who were related to the Later Ye Family were sabotaged from all angles?
To put it simply, the Later Ye Family was likely to be doomed this time.
However, completely destroying the Later Ye Family’s power was not something that could be accomplished overnight. If this matter was rushed, it might backfire. The chain on the Later Ye Family’s neck would definitely get tighter and tighter, but until the last moment came, there would still be some breathing room for them.
This made Qin Yu extremely worried for his own safety.
No one was a fool. He, too, did not believe that the Later Ye Family could not detect the alliance formed between the Imperial Clan and the Old Ye Family.
Therefore, as long as Qin Yu was killed, the whole chess game could be overturned.
The Later Ye Family had to do this at all costs.
The more he thought about it, the more bitter his smile became. Qin Yu took a deep breath and got up to go out. He felt that these days, it would be better if he temporarily stayed at his ‘wife’s’ courtyard to rest.
……
Later Ye Family.
Bohu Hall.
The Imperial Capital was shaken by the storm. As the target of everyone’s public criticism, everyone in the hall today looked heavy and solemn.
The atmosphere was extremely tense and depressing!
As direct descendants of the family, they had naturally known for a long time that their family was different from others. They also predicted that someday in the future, there would be a catastrophe that was going to happen to them.
But they did not think that this day would come so quickly and so suddenly.
Footsteps could be heard and everyone subconsciously got up, lowered their heads, and straightened their backs.
Ye Bohu stepped forward calmly, and the expression on his face was as determined as a rock.
“Family head!”
Everyone greeted him at the same time.
After walking to the main seat, Ye Bohu turned around, sat down, and glanced at everyone, “Get up.”
“Yes, sir.”
Without easing into it, Ye Bohu went straight to the point, “The turmoil that is happening in the Imperial Capital now is indeed targeted at us.”
It became even more silent in Bohu Hall as everyone gritted their teeth. Some looked angry and shocked, while others looked as calm as a quiet lake.
“Is the West Desolate’s Imperial Clan really going to betray their promise? We should not be afraid of them. We can just rebel against them and cause a world-shaking upheaval!”
Ye Bohu looked at the person who spoke, laughed coldly, and said, “You fool! Our family has been chained from the beginning. Since we are their dog, we must have this awareness that we are a dog. Rebelling against the West Desolate is the worst move that we can make. It’s too early to say now.”
Another person said, “Family head, the Imperial Clan and the Old Ye Family have clearly joined forces. If we do not rebel, even if we have deep roots all over the empire, we will still be killed off bit by bit.”
Ye Bohu replied, “As long as the big trees on the mountain live for a long time, their roots will burrow into the rocks and spread over every corner. If they want to destroy us, they will have to uproot us completely. This can only be a slow process. If done too hastily, it will only cause a landslide.” He exhaled slowly and said blandly, “I don’t think His Majesty would want something like that to happen, so, we still have time.”
“Family head, please give the order for us to kill General Jinwu Ning Qin.” In Bohu Hall, at the last seat on the right, someone stood up and spoke calmly, but his face was full of fierce killing intent.
Though this man was seated on the last chair, it did not mean that he was the least powerful. This man was born into a side branch of the Later Ye Family, but forcibly cultivated the true body of a barbarian. Back then, when he went crazy, his explosive strength was astonishing.
Over the years, he stayed in the Imperial Capital and never stepped out of the Ye Family’s mansion. No one ever saw him take action in person, but no one dared to underestimate him even in the slightest.
A bright light flashed in Ye Bohu’s eyes. He raised his hand and nodded at Ye Gui, “You are able to see the crux of the problem. His Majesty and that old tiger from the Old Ye Family have put all the preparations in place and are just waiting for us to make a move. We indeed have to kill Qin Yu, but it cannot be us who does it.” After pausing for a while, he continued, “At least, in the Imperial Capital, we must remain silent.”
Ye Gui frowned, turned around, and sat down. He had always been taciturn and indifferent, and everyone was accustomed to his slightly rude behavior.
“I gathered all of you here today was to tell you not to take any chances. Our Later Ye Family is indeed on the edge of survival right now.
“However, there is another point I would like to make. I want all of you to know that the roots of our Later Ye Family in the Imperial Capital are deep and long enough. It will not be so easy to get rid of all of us.
“All of you are dismissed. Remember not to act rashly and complete your own tasks properly. Although the turmoil is targeted at us, it will not be able to reach us that quickly.”
He was calm and confident.
“Yes, sir. We will take our leave now.”
Everyone stood up and saluted Ye Bohu before filing out of the room.
Ye Gui did not move, however, and stayed until the end.
Ye Bohu looked at him, frowned, and said, “When I need you, naturally, I will call for you.”
Ye Gui replied blandly, “I’ve already waited for many years.”
He then got up and left, his back as sturdy as a mountain.
If it were not for the kindness of the Later Ye Family back then, he would have committed suicide long ago.
He continued living for the day when he could repay the Later Ye Family’s kindness in raising and cultivating him.
Since it was stormy now, the moment he was waiting for was coming!
