Late at night, the Copper Sparrow Terrace, which was usually as glorious as day, was filled with guests. Everything was unprecedentedly quiet. No one knew how many eyes were staring at this place.
Because tonight, someone was stirring up a storm in the Imperial Capital.
Because tonight's matter was just the beginning.
The Commander Of War, Jia Ying, who had disappeared for two years, had officially returned to the Imperial Capital. Her first move was earth-shattering. The political landscape of the Imperial Capital was about to usher in a new round of turmoil. No one knew what this famous Marshal of the Empire wanted to do … … Overnight, some people were happy and some people were sad.
And the matter of the Capital Governor, Bao Xiren, who had the title of King of Hell, coming and leaving with a black face, was about to be placed on the desk of the Imperial Capital's ministers. Everyone wanted to know what Bao Heizi and Sun Lang talked about.
Bao Heizi met up with his henchmen waiting outside.
He was able to govern the Capital Governor and suppress the thieves, not only because of his personal ability, but also because of the help of his assistants. After a long period of cooperation and sharpening, this strong and powerful core team had worked together seamlessly and had an extremely tacit understanding. When Bao Heizi came out, they saw some clues.
Bao Xiren calmly said: "Let's go."
The people followed behind him and silently left the Copper Sparrow Terrace. The soldiers outside checked their identities, counted the number of people, and then returned the horses and made a path.
Bao Heizi came aggressively and left without saying a word.
Everyone looked at Bao Heizi's back and was silent for a moment. After a moment, Bao Xiren's aide, Gongsun Ce, asked softly: "Dong Weng, did things not go well?"
Bao Xiren sighed deeply. His sigh had a strong sense of loss and frustration. Everyone had never seen Bao Xiren so depressed. For a moment, they were all surprised: "It did not go well."
Gongsun Ce was silent for a moment: "After all, it is that person."
The four bodyguards behind him looked at each other. They did not understand this riddle and did not dare to ask more. But there was someone who did not understand but still dared to ask. The person on Bao Heizi's right frowned: "Who is that person?"
Her voice was melodious and pleasing to the ear. Her tone could not hide a trace of laziness. This was her innate talent.
The person who spoke tilted his head and looked at Bao Xiren. "Sir, you look very unhappy. Is it because you were bullied inside?
The people here are very bad. They don't allow us to follow the guards and actually let Sir go up alone. "
She had a valiant and heroic appearance, a healthy and beautiful figure, and an exotic beauty. But the most eye-catching thing was her strange eyes. In the darkness, they were round and bulging, like two black pearls.
She had cute furry ears and a slender tail that swayed nimbly behind her back. A beautiful flower was tied to the tip of her tail. She wore soft armor and had two swords at her waist. She had both the charm of strength and beauty. In the eyes of the people of the capital, she was the most reliable warrior.
She was a descendant of the Dragon Sparrow Dynasty. Her ancestors were mutants who fled from the Green Wood Country. Her name was Zhan Zhao and she was the sword-wielding bodyguard of Bao Xiren. His Majesty gave her the title of "Imperial Cat". She was famous throughout the capital. She was the pride of the Celestial Empire. She was one of the best foreigners in the Empire.
Hearing this question, Bao Xiren just shook his head and smiled: "If that person does not want me to die, even if there are thousands of assassins in the Copper Sparrow Terrace, I will not be in danger. But if that person wants me to die, even if you all go in, it will be useless …"
Zhan Zhao snorted: "Is he really that powerful?"
Bao Xiren turned to look at her with a very serious expression: "Bodyguard Zhan, he is more powerful than you think. This is a serious matter. Don't make a decision on your own and don't provoke him."
Zhan Zhao nodded, but her two cat ears were already erect and her tail was unconsciously spinning in circles. No one knew what this "Imperial Cat" was thinking.
Everyone left the Copper Sparrow Terrace and hurried back to the Capital Magistrate's office. The yamen runners were ordered to block all visitors. The four bodyguards and Zhan Zhao were guarding the entrance. Bao Xiren and Gongsun Ce entered the house and checked to make sure there was no one around. Then they began to discuss what happened tonight.
In the officialdom, the relationship between officials and aides was very close. Bao Xiren and Gongsun Ce had been friends for many years. In name, they were master and subordinate, but in reality, they were as close as brothers. They had gone through many storms together and had reached the point where they could talk about anything. That was why Bao Xiren told Gongsun Ce the truth about what happened at the Copper Sparrow Terrace tonight.
After listening, Gongsun Ce's face changed.
He felt a pain under his chin and a few strands of his beard were unconsciously pulled out. When he came back to his senses, he found that he was covered in cold sweat. Gongsun Ce took a step forward and grabbed Bao Xiren's sleeve: "Dong Weng, this is a matter of life and death. You must not be impulsive!"
Bao Xiren smiled and patted his hand: "If Bao Xiren stands by and does nothing, then am I still Bao Xiren?"
Gongsun Ce also knew Dong Weng's nature and sighed: "But … but this is really …"
Bao Xiren said lightly: "I am the Capital Magistrate. This is my responsibility. I neglected the Copper Sparrow Terrace incident and I should make up for my mistakes. I can't just sit by and watch Sun Lang use this as a pretext to set up a lynching …"
Gongsun Ce sighed: "Dong Weng, are you going to risk your life for those heinous criminals?"
"This is not for them. This is for the country. If there is a crime, then it should be dealt with according to the law. It should not be changed because of a person's preference. Otherwise, over time, where is the dignity of the country's law?
After all, the rule of law is not as good as the rule of law … "
Bao Xiren said this and gently pressed his chest. He smiled bitterly: "I can only convince myself like this."
Gongsun Ce's body trembled: "Dong Weng …"
"Three thousand scholarly honors, eight thousand days and months, monarch, minister, minister, father, father, son, son, all that I have learned in my life, all that I have studied for more than ten years, all that I have thought and believed … Sigh …" Lord Bao smiled bitterly: "The world is unpredictable and fate is unpredictable. The truth of this world is innumerable but ordinary people cannot understand it. Knowledge is also boundless. Who can understand everything clearly and clearly?
In the end, I am a scholar and I only want to have a clear conscience. "
Gongsun Ce did not say anything. He did not know what to say.
But he knew that Dong Weng's heart was wavering. Some of his beliefs had already been shaken. But he still chose to abide by his duty. He only wanted to have a clear conscience.
Lord Bao took a deep breath. His expression became firm again.
"In any case, the rule of law can't be wrong. Even if those who commit serious crimes are unpardonable, they must be sentenced according to the laws of the Imperium and be made to pay the price fair and square, instead of fabricating facts and setting up a torture chamber in private to bring selfishness and schemes into the trial of justice … This is my duty."
"I will protect it. I will protect it. Because if it is only this matter, I will look straight into Sun Lang's eyes and tell him that I am right. For this, I can die without regrets."
Gongsun Ce's heart ached: "Dong Weng …"
Bao Xiren joked: "If you are afraid, you can leave now."
The advisor did not get angry. Instead, he laughed. He held Bao Xiren's hand tightly: "Dong Weng is a righteous man. I will follow you to the end. Even if I die, I will die with honor."
The two shook hands and looked at each other with a smile. They saw the determination in each other's eyes. But Bao Xiren still sighed in his heart.
It is enough to sacrifice one's life. As for the safety of Mr. Bao and Guard Zhan, there is no need to worry. Because Sun Lang, just like how you know that I will jump into a fire pit, I also know that you will not stand by and do nothing.
So … let's fight.
After the two of them expressed their intentions, Gongsun Ce immediately got into the mood: "As Commander Of War said, Dong Weng is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. If you want to bring those criminals to justice, you will definitely cross the bottom line of those aristocratic families. They will try their best to stop Dong Weng for the sake of their family's reputation."
Bao Xiren slowly nodded. This was the meaning of the question.
"But the situation may not be as bad as we think."
Bao Xiren was excited: "Oh?
I would like to hear the details. "
Gongsun Ce slowly said: "Forgive me for being presumptuous. This is not a conflict between Dong Weng and Commander Of War. It is a fight between the Commander Of War and His Majesty. He raided the Copper Sparrow Terrace and found a lot of evidence. He also wants to label it as the chaos caused by the Sky Demon. In the end, he wants to make His Majesty look bad."
"The people at the Copper Sparrow Terrace are all close to His Majesty. Commander Of War is swift and decisive. He wants to suppress the people who want to protect His Majesty. As for his methods, the most vicious is to sow discord."
Bao Xiren somewhat understood.
He raised his eyebrows: "You mean, His Majesty will not stand by and do nothing?"
"Of course, Commander Of War allowed Dong Weng to leave because he wanted to let the big families choose the lesser of two evils. But today, His Majesty should know the principle of choosing the lesser of two evils. He wants Commander Of War to sow discord and even control the forces of the big families who are originally loyal to the royal family. With His Majesty's wisdom, he should know …" Gongsun Ce said: "So, Dong Weng is not fighting alone."
If it was in normal times, Bao Xiren would be very touched to know that he might have the support of His Majesty. He would say a few words like "His Majesty is the Son of Heaven". But at this moment, after listening to Gongsun Ce's explanation, Bao Xiren found that His Majesty might be secretly providing support to him. His feelings were very complicated.
Irritated, irritable, and even a little … disgusted.
He gathered his irritated thoughts and sighed softly: "But His Majesty will not take sides."
His wisdom was like that of His Majesty. He would never personally go to the court, but would check and balance behind the scenes.
"So, we need strong and powerful helpers. Our opponent is the famous Commander Of War. If we confront him head-on, we will definitely lose. But this is essentially a trial of a big case. From this point of view, we still have a chance to win, because he is a general and we are constables."
Gongsun Ce said: "The four famous constables have reunited. Maybe we can turn this round."
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