novelhk Chapter 1218 Emperor Qing's Fear: He's About to Take Action!
Chapter 1218 Emperor Qing's Fear: He's About to Take Action!
Inside the imperial study, Emperor Qing did not recline on the soft couch as usual, flipping through those vexing memorials. Instead, he stood with his hands behind his back by the window. His gaze pierced through the layers of palaces, landing on the distant southern horizon.
Suddenly, a familiar, soft "clattering" sound came from the long palace road in the distance. It was the unique sound of fine iron wheels rolling over white marble slabs, slow and steady, with an innate composure, or even... provocation.
Emperor Qing's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.
The sound grew closer and closer, finally stopping at the foot of the steps of the Imperial Study. A moment later, a low laugh came, an old, hoarse laugh, yet full of energy, echoing in the almost frozen silence, carrying an indescribable eeriness.
"Your Majesty, Chen Pingping requests an audience."
The sound wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.
Eunuch Yao's expression changed slightly, and he subconsciously glanced at the tightly closed door of the Imperial Study. At this hour, how dare this Director of the Censorate enter the palace? And in that signature wheelchair no less? Did he not know why His Majesty had been so furious these past few days? Did he not know that three officials from the capital prefecture had already been beaten to death for some "minor matter"? Did he not know that the Crown Prince's palace had closed its doors to visitors and was living in constant fear?
Just when everyone thought His Majesty would not respond, and might even punish this uninvited guest, a calm voice came from the Imperial Study: "Enter."
His voice was flat, indistinct, like water from an ancient well.
Chen Pingping sat in a wheelchair, carried across the threshold by two eunuchs and gently set down. He wore a dark brown robe, a thin blanket covering his knees. His face was gaunt, his brows and eyes bearing the marks of years of illness and weariness, but his eyes remained deep and sharp, as if they could pierce through the heart. He was pushed into the imperial study, the wheelchair stopping three zhang behind Emperor Qing.
The light in the Imperial Study seemed to dim. Chen Pingping's gaze fell on the bright yellow figure standing by the window. He stared at him for a moment, then smiled slightly, neither bowing nor paying his respects, but simply waiting quietly.
After a long while, Emperor Qing turned around. His gaze swept across Chen Pingping's face, without anger or questioning, only a chilling calmness as if looking at a stranger. He walked back to his desk, slowly sat down, and poured himself a cup of hot tea. The fragrant tea rose gently, creating a faint mist between the two of them.
"I remember you rarely come to the palace at this time." Emperor Qing's voice remained calm, revealing no emotion.
Chen Pingping bowed slightly, his voice gentle yet hoarse: "Your Majesty, I have heard that there has been some... unrest in the palace recently, so I came to take a look."
"Restlessness?" Emperor Qing picked up his teacup, gently blew on the floating leaves, took a sip, and said calmly, "Why don't I feel anything?"
Chen Pingping smiled, a smile that seemed somewhat meaningful on his wrinkled face: "Your Majesty is a true dragon emperor, with the world in your heart, so naturally you don't feel this way. But the people below are timid and can't withstand the storms." He paused, then changed the subject, saying quietly, "For example, the death of Hong Sixiang has kept many people up at night."
The moment these words were spoken, the air in the imperial study seemed to freeze instantly. The chill that had been lurking beneath the surface suddenly sharpened like a knife. Emperor Qing's hand, holding the teacup, did not tremble in the slightest, but his gaze was truly fixed on Chen Pingping. That gaze was as heavy as a mountain, as cold as ice, as if it could freeze everything.
Yet Chen Pingping remained calmly seated in his wheelchair, meeting that gaze with composure, even managing to maintain that serene smile.
“You know,” Emperor Qing said. This was not a question, but a statement.
"This old minister knows more than Your Majesty might expect," Chen Pingping replied calmly. "Your Majesty's anger stems from two things. First, Hong Siyang is dead, dead in the capital, dead in the palace, dead right under the noses of countless people. This is a provocation against Your Majesty's authority, a trampling on the imperial power of the Qing Kingdom. Second..." He paused slightly, his eyes growing increasingly profound, "...the person who killed him is currently sitting peacefully on a pleasure boat in Jiangnan, drinking tea, waiting to see someone. And Your Majesty is powerless to stop him."
"boom!"
A dull thud. The fine celadon teacup in Emperor Qing's hand shattered silently between his fingers. Scalding tea splashed everywhere, soaking the memorials on his desk, but he seemed oblivious. Shards pierced his palm, and crimson blood seeped out, dripping onto his bright yellow sleeve—a horrifying sight.
However, his expression remained calm and composed.
"Chen Pingping," Emperor Qing spoke slowly, his voice even softer than before, as soft as a whisper, yet it instantly soaked the back of Eunuch Yao outside the study with cold sweat. "Are you reminding me that my palace has become a place where others can come and go as they please? That my servants can be slaughtered at will?"
Chen Pingping did not back down. He met Emperor Qing's gaze and sighed softly: "Your Majesty, I dare not. I am merely stating a fact. Hong Sixiang was the number one person below the Grandmaster level. Even in the entire world, there are only a handful who can surpass him. Yet, he still died. He died at the hands of an unknown person. This person was named Ran Min, and according to the investigation, he was a retainer of Gao Yao."
He paused, a hint of emotion in his voice: "Hong Siyang has immersed himself in martial arts for decades, possessing talent, perseverance, and opportunity—he has it all. It's just a pity that he is ultimately crippled, born with deficiencies. And that Ran Min, he's only thirty years old, and has followed Gao Yao for only four or five years. Four or five years is equivalent to forty or fifty years for others. Your Majesty, that's the truly terrifying thing. How many monsters like this are under Gao Yao's command? We don't know."
Emperor Qing fell silent. He looked at the blood seeping from his palm, then frowned in disgust. He casually grabbed a silk handkerchief and wrapped it around the wound. His movements were slow and meticulous, as if he were dealing with a trivial matter rather than an injury.
“Jiangnan,” he uttered softly.
“Yes, Jiangnan.” Chen Pingping nodded. “Her Highness the Princess has already occupied the three most prosperous prefectures in Jiangnan, with an army of 500,000. Although the combat effectiveness of these 500,000 troops is still unknown, with Gao Yao by her side and his unbelievable methods, everything has become unpredictable. Your Majesty, you should know better than this old minister that war is not just about military strength and supplies, but also about winning hearts and minds.”
"The will of the people?" Emperor Qing sneered. "Li Yunrui, a madwoman, dares to talk about the will of the people?"
Chen Pingping shook his head: "Your Majesty is mistaken. Princess Chang may be crazy in other matters, but she has learned a lot from you when it comes to winning people's hearts. Moreover, she now has Gao Yao. Gao Yao's greatest skill is turning the impossible into the possible. Isn't Your Majesty curious about what he will say to Princess Chang in Jiangnan?"