PFC Chapter 484 A fish slipped through the net
Chapter 484 A fish slipped through the net
However, just as Jiang Peipei was about to step into Yuelai Inn, several masked men suddenly flew down from the roofs on both sides of the street and blocked her way. The leader sneered and said, "Little girl, hand over the letter and we can spare your life."
Jiang Peipei's heart tightened, but she didn't show any fear on her face. She looked at the other party coldly, and her hand quietly reached for the short knife at her waist: "Who are you? Why are you stopping me?"
The masked man laughed. "Stop talking nonsense! We have been eyeing you for a long time. Hand over the letter now!"
Jiang Peipei knew that it was useless to say more at this time. She suddenly pulled out her short knife and rushed towards the other party. The masked man obviously did not expect her to suddenly attack, and was a little flustered for a while. Jiang Peipei seized the opportunity, cut one of the men's arms with a knife, and took the opportunity to break out of the encirclement.
She desperately ran in the other direction of the cobblestone road, with the masked man chasing her closely. Just when she was about to run out of energy, a team of black-armored guards appeared and protected her behind them.
Jiang Peipei couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth. Her cousin Jixiang would definitely not let anything happen to her.
The armor of the Black Armor Guards glowed coldly in the moonlight, and the long swords in their hands flashed with cold light. The leading general said coldly: "Who dares to hurt my young lady?!"
Several men in black paused, and the leading man narrowed his eyes and spoke in a low and cold voice: "Get out of the way, we only want that woman, we don't want to hurt anyone."
The Black Armored Guards general sneered and waved his hand: "Capture him!"
Before he finished speaking, the black-armored guards had already surged up like a tide. Seeing this, the man in black no longer hesitated, and quickly drew the short knife at his waist and rushed forward. Between the flashes of swords and shadows, the sound of metal colliding echoed on the stone road, and sparks flew everywhere.
The black-clad men were agile and their moves were fierce, with each strike aimed directly at the vital points. However, the black-armored guards were numerous and well-trained, and soon surrounded the black-clad men. The leading general slashed at the leader of the black-clad men, who dodged sideways and slashed at the opponent's ribs with his backhand, but was blocked by the black-armored guards' armor, leaving only a shallow scratch.
"Hmph, such a petty trick!" The black armored guard leader snorted coldly, and his attack became more and more fierce. The man in black gradually became powerless and was forced to retreat step by step.
At this moment, the leader of the men in black suddenly pulled out a smoke bomb from his arms and slammed it to the ground. In an instant, thick smoke rose up, obscuring everyone's vision. The black-armored guards were panicked and retreated one after another. The leader of the men in black shouted in the smoke: "Retreat!"
When the smoke cleared, there was no trace of the men in black on the stone road. Only a few drops of wet blood and the angry curses of the Black Armored Guards were left. The Black Armored Guards clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, "Chase! We can't let them get away!"
In the darkness of the night, the cobblestone road of the town returned to silence again, with only the sound of footsteps and dog barking in the distance, intertwined together, as if telling the story of this brief but fierce confrontation.
Jiang Peipei finally breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed on the ground.
"Who is it? Who on earth wants to harm my cousin and the others?"
Seeing that she could no longer stay in the town, Jiang Peipei jumped on her horse and galloped in the direction where the black-armored guards were chasing the men in black.
In the Purple Palace of the Imperial Palace, Yan Henian, Xue Huai'en and other ministers breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that Jixiang decided not to go to the northwest and stay in Beijing to wait for the emperor's return.
"Your Majesty is wise!" Xue Huai'en was the first to flatter her.
Then, a burst of flattery of "Your Majesty is wise" rang out one after another in the hall.
Jixiang raised his hand to signal the court officials to be quiet. "Although Guo Ziyi and Prince Duan have already received the punishment they deserved, we don't know how many people followed them and hid in the dark. In order to ensure that the emperor can have a clean team after his return, I have decided to conduct a thorough investigation of all those who have contact with Guo Ziyi and Prince Duan from now on!"
As soon as Jixiang's words were spoken, the hall immediately became quiet.
Although none of the court officials spoke, it was obvious that some of them had begun to exchange quick glances.
There was a subtle sense of tension in the air, like a taut string that could break at any time.
The old prime minister standing on the left narrowed his eyes slightly, his fingers unconsciously stroking the embroidery on his cuffs, as if he was weighing something. The Minister of Works on the right lowered his eyes, his mouth twitching slightly, obviously dissatisfied with Jixiang's words, but he didn't dare to speak easily.
After a moment of silence, Shang He, the Minister of Rites, could no longer hold back. He stepped forward, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance. Would you please reconsider it carefully? After all, the situation in the northwest is complicated, and rash actions may be inappropriate."
Jixiang looked up at him, his eyes were sharp, but his tone was still calm: "Master Shang, do you mean that my decision is not cautious enough?"
Shang He was stabbed by this gaze, and immediately broke out in a cold sweat. He lowered his head and said, "I dare not, I just..."
"Just what?" Jixiang interrupted him. Although his voice was soft, it carried unquestionable majesty.
Shang He was speechless for a moment and had to take a step back without saying anything more. Seeing this, other court officials did not dare to speak easily and could only bow their heads in silence.
At this time, Yan Henian stepped out and said loudly, "I think there is nothing wrong with what the queen said. Before the emperor sends back new information, the situation in the northwest can only be considered unclear. Therefore, it is urgent for the party to purge Guo Ziyi and his ilk from the capital and even the palace. The safety of the palace and the stability of the capital are the fundamental reason for preventing rebellion in the northwest."
Xue Huai'en, Fu Shoutang and others nodded in agreement after hearing Yan Henian's words.
Shang He looked a little uncomfortable and looked at the Left Prime Minister in front of him.
This left prime minister was the former Lan Xing'an who was replaced. Although he was able to complete the tasks assigned by the emperor and the queen step by step, he was not as loyal to the emperor and the queen as Yan Henian and his men. Therefore, the former subordinates of Lan Xing'an and Kou Peilin in the court all gathered around him. Inexplicably, a force secretly opposed to Yan Henian and his men was formed in the court.
Yan Henian had already told these things to Jixiang and the emperor when he first ascended the throne, but neither of them said anything about it.
The hall fell silent again. Jixiang looked around, then slowly stood up and said in a steady and powerful voice, "I have made up my mind about today's matter. If you have any objections, you may submit your petitions in private. However, if anyone dares to disobey me in public, don't blame me for not remembering our friendship."
After saying this, she waved her hand, signaling the end of the court. The court officials bowed and left the hall one by one.
After walking out of the palace gate, several ministers slowed down their pace and exchanged meaningful glances with each other. The Minister of Industry lowered his voice and said to the Left Prime Minister beside him: "Prime Minister, what do you think about this matter?"
The old prime minister stroked his beard, his eyes deep: "Since the emperor has handed over the affairs of the Great Holy Dynasty to the queen, we old ministers can only do our best to assist. But..." He paused, and his voice lowered a few degrees.
"But what?" Yan Henian suddenly appeared behind them.
When they saw Yan Henian, they immediately returned to their serious appearance, straightened their court robes, and held their heads high, as if they were not the ones who wanted to gossip about the Queen.
"Mr. Zhou, as the prime minister of the dynasty, please do not let down the emperor and the empress who trust you." Yan Henian's voice was a little serious.
"What do you mean, Lord Yan?!" Left Prime Minister Zhou Huai was very displeased.
"I am just kindly reminding Lord Zhou that when you have nothing to do, think more about Prime Minister Lan who came before you. He worked hard for the Great Saint Dynasty his entire life, but in the end he took the wrong path and is now still toiling in a bitter cold land."
The officials who wanted to make the Cricket Queen suddenly changed their expressions. The Minister of Industry even left immediately. "My mother has been feeling unwell these days. I'm going to go back and see her first."
Following him in leaving were the Minister of Rites and several others. Soon, there were only a few people left who had originally gathered around the Left Prime Minister, Lord Zhou.
Zhou Huai looked at Yan Henian with displeasure, "Master Yan, what do you mean by this?"