115: Zhan Doudou wants to continue his offspring! Shen Zhong's family is in danger.

Chapter 115: Zhan Doudou to Continue the Bloodline! Shen Zhong's Entire Family in Peril! (33)

The next evening.

Wang Qinian hurried into the relay station and reported the news to Li Chang'an.

"Your Highness, last night, according to your instructions, I killed all the Brocade-Clad Guards near the eight families under the Emperor's faction."

"However, the eight Imperial Faction families were all cowards; not one dared to try and steal Xiao En's corpse."

Li Chang'an was not surprised at all. "The little Emperor's exact words to me were, 'Shen Zhong holds immense power in the court, and his henchmen are everywhere.'"

"Assume for a moment that if our Emperor Qing passed away, and Chief Chen Pingping was still alive, could the current Crown Prince do anything against the Supervisory Council?"

"Therefore, these people under the little Emperor's faction and Shen Zhong, who is under the Empress Dowager's faction, must be at odds."

"Shen Zhong, leveraging the authority of the Brocade-Clad Guards, has not disciplined these eight families lightly. How could these eight families dare to step forward so casually?"

The Empress Dowager and the little Emperor were only pretending to contend for power, but externally, they had to make it seem very real.

Therefore, the struggle between the Empress Dowager's faction and the Emperor's faction must also be bloody.

Since ancient times, political struggles involving intelligence agencies have always been the most brutal and ruthless.

Wang Qinian continued, "Then, as Your Highness instructed, I took the Net's experts to retrieve Xiao En's corpse."

"We killed a few Brocade-Clad Guards and retreated without harm, but Shen Zhong still managed to find some clues."

"Because our men had white mud from outside the Marquis of Liyang's mansion on their shoes, Shen Zhong used this to trace it back to the Marquis of Liyang's mansion."

Last night, the Brocade-Clad Guards' secret outposts near the eight Imperial Faction families were all slaughtered. Shen Zhong must have been furious.

In his perception, the Imperial Faction must have been conspiring against him.

Indeed, Wang Qinian continued, "Shen Zhong, accompanied by the Brocade-Clad Guards, arrested the Marquis of Liyang and imprisoned him at noon today, along with everyone in his Family who held an official position."

Intelligence agencies have always been under the direct control of the Emperor. Attacking an intelligence agency is an act of rebellion and treason.

Moreover, the little Emperor had decreed that Shen Zhong was to be fully responsible for the handover of Xiao En's corpse.

"Now, there is widespread panic in the capital. The remaining seven Imperial Faction families are all trembling with fear, closing their doors to visitors, wishing they could burn incense and pray to Buddha!"

In political struggles, changing allegiances is most taboo. These seven families dared not make any rash moves. If they did, they might be implicated as accomplices of the Marquis of Liyang.

"Your Highness, do we need to do it again tonight?"

Li Chang'an shook his head and said, "No need. Give all parties some time to react, then adapt as needed."

"Dealing with Shen Zhong and Shang Shanhu is not difficult, not because we are so strong, but because their internal stability is too poor."

"Tell the Net's people to remain hidden. Have everyone involved in this operation gradually leave Shangjing.

Within two days, bring in another group of people from the surrounding prefectures and counties."

Li Chang'an had a cheat, he had plenty of people. Although he couldn't have a human sea, he never lacked manpower.

In another courtyard of the same relay station.

Shadow hid in the dark, observing Fan Xian's every move.

Fan Xian carried a great secret and was a prized possession of Emperor Qing and Chen Pingping; not a single problem could arise.

Fan Xian and Zong Zhui were also discussing their next plan. "Zong Zhui, the residence of Yan Bingyun provided by He Daoist is already empty."

He Daoist was a secret agent of the Supervisory Council in Northern Qi, also Cheng Jushu's Master, a Ninth Rank Upper Level expert in Shangjing, and part of the Empress Dowager's faction.

"But I talked to some people nearby and found that Yan Bingyun was in close contact with an official Young Miss, and that official Young Miss was not afraid of the Brocade-Clad Guards."

Zong Zhui continued, "My subordinate investigated Shen Zhong's Family. He does have a younger sister. Sir, do you think it could be this Young Miss Shen?"

Fan Xian thought for a moment and said, "There's at least a sixty percent chance. We still need to investigate carefully before drawing a conclusion."

Zong Zhui complained somewhat, "We are the victorious nation, and Shen Zhong is too audacious.

He's been so troublesome with us during the hostage exchange!"

Fan Xian frowned, "The capital has already helped us pressure Northern Qi.

Now that Shen Zhong has agreed to hand over Xiao En's corpse, we have made a step forward."

"The game between nations is like this. If you don't want to go to war again, you have to push slowly, step by step."

"We'll have Young Master Guo go out to attract Shen Zhong's attention, and we'll go find Yan Bingyun privately. Shen Zhong has already noticed us today."

Zong Zhui immediately became worried, "If Shen Zhong sends another Ninth Rank Upper Level expert to tail us, things will get a bit troublesome!"

Fan Xian smiled mysteriously, "Not necessarily. Perhaps Shen Zhong will send He Daoist!"

Night fell.

Inside the little Emperor's bedchamber.

"Creak!"

A sound of a secret door, and a secret door appeared on the wall of the little Emperor's bedchamber.

Empress Dowager Wei, dressed in a casual robe and long skirt, quietly emerged from the secret door.

"Doudou!"

Zhan Doudou was sitting on the bed reading. Hearing the Empress Dowager arrive, she habitually didn't even lift her head.

"Mother has come, ah, come and sit."

Although the two mother and daughter sat at the highest level of power in Northern Qi, even the imperial palace had informers from the Brocade-Clad Guards and powerful officials.

Fortunately, years ago, when Ku He was around, Empress Dowager Wei had people build a secret passage between their bedchambers.

"Doudou, still reading 'Dream of the Red Chamber'? Haven't you met Li Chang'an? Ask him to write the rest."

Zhan Doudou gave a wry smile, "He doesn't want to write at all. Your child has no way to make him."

"Your child is the Emperor, but in his eyes, I'm narrow-minded and short-sighted. How can I force him to write a book?"

Empress Dowager Wei covered her mouth and smiled slightly, "Li Chang'an gained fame at a young age, and his vision is indeed extraordinarily high, but haven't you also got him under your thumb with Pianpian?"

"As long as you don't give in, he won't even think about touching Pianpian, so he has no choice but to find a way to deal with Shen Zhong."

Zhan Doudou put down her book, her face showing confusion, "But it's been several days, and his Shadow Guard hasn't made a move."

"He only sent people to visit those ministers under your child's faction. How would they dare offend Shen Zhong? Li Chang'an's tactic is truly not clever."

Empress Dowager Wei asked, "By the way, what happened with the Marquis of Liyang? He actually had the guts to raid the Brocade-Clad Guards' territory. If he had this courage earlier, you could have strongly supported him."

Zhan Doudou smiled helplessly, "Your child doesn't know either. Those few families, claiming to be the Imperial Faction, have all been self-preserving after joining your child's faction."

Empress Dowager Wei comforted her, "It's Shen Zhong who's too tyrannical. Look at how he handled the Marquis of Liyang's Family; it's been half a day, and the memorial hasn't even been submitted."

"Your mother estimates that by the time he submits the memorial, the Marquis of Liyang will already be beheaded."

Zhan Doudou stared at the flickering candlelight, saying with full confidence, "When your child grows up and takes personal charge of the government, I will definitely hold the authority of the Brocade-Clad Guards in my own hands!"

Empress Dowager Wei said with heartache, "You've worked hard all these years. As a female, you haven't lived a single day as a Young Miss."

Zhan Doudou said firmly, "Mother, rest assured, your child will definitely guard the Great Qi's territory and also continue the Zhan Family's Bloodline!"

"What a man can do, I, Zhan Doudou, can also do!"

Two days later.

The Southern Qing delegation and Shen Zhong completed the hostage exchange, but Northern Qi, using the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet as an excuse, kept the delegation in Northern Qi for another ten-plus days.

Shen Zhong also solemnly promised Fan Xian that before Fan Xian left Northern Qi, he would definitely return Yan Bingyun to the Southern Qing delegation.

As Fan Xian expected, Shen Zhong truly borrowed He Daoist from the Empress Dowager to watch Fan Xian, letting Southern Qing's secret agents monitor Southern Qing's people.

Thus, Fan Xian, along with He Daoist and Zong Zhui, began to watch Young Miss Shen, attempting to find Yan Bingyun through her movements.

General Shang Shanhu, with his trusted aides, angrily arrived at the Brocade-Clad Guards' yamen.

"Shen Zhong! Where have you hidden my adopted father's corpse?!"

After Shen Zhong completed the handover with Fan Xian, he moved Xiao En's corpse from Dashilan and hid it in a secret outpost of the Brocade-Clad Guards.

Even Zhuang Mo Han's request for it was sternly refused by Shen Zhong.

How could Shen Zhong easily hand over Xiao En's corpse, which allowed him to completely control Shang Shanhu, to Shang Shanhu?

Shen Zhong would not rest until he forced Shang Shanhu to reveal signs of rebellion and then brought him to justice.

"Oh! General has arrived. I failed to welcome you, I failed to welcome you, ah, I, Shen, deserve ten thousand deaths, ah!"

Looking at Shen Zhong's smiling, irritating face, Shang Shanhu truly wished he could punch him to death.

This scoundrel was truly too obnoxious!

"Mr. Xiao's remains are of great importance. The murderer who killed him has not yet been found."

"Currently, judging by the wounds, it was indeed the work of a Ninth Rank Upper Level expert, but there are quite a few Ninth Rank Upper Level experts in the world."

"I want to verify with the Saintess, but the Saintess comes and goes as she pleases, and cannot be found for a while..."

Shen Zhong babbled on with a silly smile, and Shang Shanhu finally lost his patience.

A general like him, who had killed countless people, detested slippery officials like Shen Zhong the most.

He grabbed Shen Zhong by the collar and lifted him up like a small chicken.

"Shen Zhong! Hand over my adopted father's corpse!"

"If you insult my father's remains again, I will eat your flesh alive!"

Shang Shanhu, in the war against the Northern Barbarians of the snowy regions, became famous on the frontier for eating horse meat raw.

Shen Zhong's shifty eyes suddenly became sharp, and his voice deepened, like a hissing viper.

"Shang Shanhu, kill me, ah... Kill me, and you'll find Xiao En."

"If you don't kill me, don't even think about getting Xiao En's corpse!"

Tan Wu saw the Brocade-Clad Guards' experts, fully prepared, and the faint sounds of breathing from the inner hall, and immediately broke out in a cold sweat.

"General, don't be impulsive!"

"This is Shen Zhong's poisonous plot; you must not fall for it!"

Shang Shanhu was furious, but he also heard the breathing from the back hall. Five hundred axe-wielding soldiers were nothing to sneeze at.

Shang Shanhu fiercely swung his long spear, splitting Shen Zhong's heavy work desk in half!

"Ah! Shen Zhong, I will kill you!"

Shang Shanhu roared in anger, furiously threw Shen Zhong to the ground, and then left with his trusted aides.

Shen Zhong straightened his clothes, tidied his hair, and enthusiastically rushed to the yamen's entrance, shouting towards the General's retreating figure.

"General hasn't eaten meat recently, ah, no strength in his hands, ah, it doesn't hurt when he hits..."

In the evening.

In General Shang Shanhu's mansion, on his desk, Wang Qinian threw in a piece of paper.

After Shang Shanhu finished reading it, he nervously broke out in a cold sweat.

He hastily called in his trusted deputy, Tan Wu, and handed him the crumpled paper.

"Tan Wu, take a look!"

Tan Wu opened the paper and saw the precise location where Xiao En's remains were stored written on it.

However, there were also a few lines below.

"Brocade-Clad Guard Commandant Shen Zhong, abuses his power, corrupts the government, acts like a jackal, deceives the Emperor, and usurps authority to harm the nation!"

"Tonight, at the third quarter of the Hour of the Ox, General Shang Shanhu, in alliance with the seven Imperial Faction families, will ambush and kill Shen Zhong!"

"First route: attack the Brocade-Clad Guards' yamen and ambush Shen Zhong's trusted aides!"

"Second route: attack the Brocade-Clad Guards' Nanshi outpost and seize Xiao En's remains!"

"Third route: attack Shen Zhong's residence, capture and kill Shen Zhong, and execute him on the spot!"

Detailed personnel assignments were written for all three routes. Shang Shanhu and the Panlong Mountain forces were all on the second route.

Tan Wu's hands trembled uncontrollably, "General, someone knows that we have already reached an agreement with Panlong Mountain?"

Shang Shanhu's eyes also showed fear, "The fact that the other party could throw the paper in under my nose means they heard our conversation."

"This person is either a Ninth Rank Upper Level expert or possesses extraordinary Qinggong!"

"I'm wondering if this note was also thrown into the mansions of the seven Imperial Faction families!"

Tan Wu's expression gradually calmed down, "General, if it's the seven Imperial Faction families, they would never surrender to Shen Zhong."

"Shen Zhong has oppressed them for a long time. If they tell Shen Zhong this news, they will not escape a bloodbath!"

"Since the Marquis of Liyang's entire Family was imprisoned by Shen Zhong, the Imperial Faction has been trembling daily, not daring to overstep in the slightest."

Shang Shanhu nervously swallowed, his eyes filled with fierceness.

"I also believe that these seven families must fight with all their might tonight, otherwise they will surely face retaliation tomorrow!"

Tan Wu also nodded, "Exactly. If the mission succeeds, those who don't contribute will be considered traitors!"

"If it fails, those who don't contribute are still accomplices and will inevitably be purged by Shen Zhong!"

Shang Shanhu clenched his fists, unable to help but ask, "Who is behind all this?"

Tan Wu pointed in the direction of the imperial palace, "To deal with Shen Zhong, the backbone of the Empress Dowager's faction, it can only be the little Emperor."

"The problem now is, no matter who is behind it, we also have no way out."

Shang Shanhu suddenly asked, "Could it be the Empress Dowager and Shen Zhong setting a trap?"

Tan Wu analyzed, "My subordinate has already inquired. The night before the Marquis of Liyang's incident, the Brocade-Clad Guards' secret outposts near the eight Imperial Faction families were all removed."

"That's why Shen Zhong was so enraged. His severe punishment of the Marquis of Liyang's Family was both a deterrent to the Imperial Faction and also to His Majesty."

"If tonight, the Brocade-Clad Guards around the General's mansion are all eliminated, then this matter is highly likely to be true."

"No matter how vicious the Brocade-Clad Guards are, they wouldn't dare to mass murder their own people, ah!"

Shang Shanhu was silent for a long time, then said, "Have our people and the Panlong Mountain forces prepare."

"Back then on the battlefield, we never had a guarantee of complete victory in every battle. When it's time to gamble, we must gamble!"

At the first quarter of the Hour of the Ox.

In the front courtyard of the General's mansion, several corpses were suddenly thrown in.

A few black-clad figures only left a single message, "By imperial decree, execute the national traitor Shen Zhong!"

Tan Wu examined the waists of the corpses, and sure enough, they were Brocade-Clad Guards' waist tokens.

The Brocade-Clad Guards monitored all officials, which was an honor for the officials. Even as secret agents, they always carried their waist tokens.

Shang Shanhu, holding his long spear, let out a low roar, "Go!"

In the mansions of the eight Imperial Faction families, the corpses of Brocade-Clad Guards' secret agents appeared simultaneously.

Last time, the Net members killed the secret agents but didn't throw in the corpses, but this time it was different.

"By imperial decree, execute the national traitor Shen Zhong!"

With the precedent of the Marquis of Liyang, every Family knew that not acting meant death!

In each Family, there were one or two Net informants and inside agents.

"Do it! Not doing it means death, ah!"

"If we're going to do it, then go all out! Bring all the experts and household guards!"

"We must kill Shen Zhong tonight! If Shen Zhong doesn't die, we have no way to live!"

"Kill Shen Zhong's entire Family! Completely eradicate the roots!"

"Act according to the plan on the paper, no mistakes allowed!"

PS: Young Miss Shen's mind isn't very good, she won't be taken. If no one says anything, then let her die, ah.