Chapter 424

Shenjing City.

Since the founding emperor of the Da Han Empire, Shenjing City has formed the pattern of "nine inside, seven outside, four imperial city".

I have to say, there is absolutely no such thing as seven inside, eight outside here!

The nine gates of the inner city include Zhengyang Gate, Chongwen Gate, Xuanwu Gate, Chaoyang Gate, Fucheng Gate, Dongzhi Gate, Xizhi Gate, Anding Gate, and Desheng Gate.

Each gate has its own function: for example, Zhengyang Gate is exclusively for the emperor's passage, Chaoyang Gate handles grain carts, and Xizhi Gate handles water carts.

The seven outer-city gates are mainly Yongding Gate, Zuo'an Gate, You'an Gate, Guangchu Gate, Guang'an Gate, Dongbian Gate, and Xibian Gate; the outer city is the commoners' residential area, with lower specifications than the inner city.

The four imperial city gates usually refer to Tian'an Gate, Di'an Gate, Dong'an Gate, and Xi'an Gate; these are gates reserved for the palace.

Therefore, Shenjing City is also called the "Four-Nine City".

With the imperial city at its center, the inner and outer cities form four districts—east, south, west, north—and the people living in each district differ; the popular saying goes: "East rich, west noble, south poor, north base."

The area where Da Han officials' residences are most concentrated is in Shenjing's eastern city, relying on the official district gathered on the east side of the imperial city; many officials and military achievers choose to locate their mansions here.

The reason they gather here is, first, for convenient socializing among colleagues, and second, for easy access to the palace for court attendance and office duties.

Because officials who regularly attend court often enter the palace via Dong'an Gate and Donghua Gate, and because the eastern city has a dense concentration of government offices, officials living here can greatly shorten their commute, avoiding delays in court assemblies and daily office duties.

However, as the head of the Da Han civil officials, the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet naturally differs from ordinary officials.

Most cabinet ministers place their residences in the vicinity outside Xi'an Gate in Shenjing's western city, for easy access to the Cabinet Duty Hall in the western garden of the imperial city to stand watch, and to be able to respond at any time to the emperor's summons.

August 1st, the initial moment of the Xu hour.

At the residence of the Grand Secretary Fang Congzhe.

The night lay heavy like an upturned iron pot, pressing down on this whole long street of the western city; no stars or moon were visible, only endless black clouds and low-hanging eaves.

Xiao xiao xiao…

Ta ta ta…

A sudden rush of horse hooves and footsteps came from the end of the long street, sounding especially clear in the silent night.

Some gatehouses facing the street were startled awake, cautiously opening the door cracks to peek secretly.

All that could be seen was that, at the originally guarded end of the long street, first a point of light appeared, then ten, then a hundred, then a thousand, as countless torches were lit.

Like a fire line slowly being split out of the darkness, winding and extending, it instantly flooded the entire long street.

First to come into view were cavalry clad in black armor, their hoofbeats fine and dense; as their hooves struck the blue stone slabs, the sound could not travel far before being muffled by the high walls on either side, the torches in their hands flickering slightly, casting a dim gleam on their armor.

Behind the cavalry were the Scarlet Riders of the Imperial City Guard, wearing dark-red short capes, with the torchlight flowing across the cape surfaces.

Lastly came the infantry of the Five City Military Command, forming neat ranks as they marched, their steps uniform, the sound of their boot soles striking the ground merging into a low, rumbling roar.

The torches extended in rows, illuminating expressionless faces, the bronze ornaments on waist-worn sword scabbards, and the night dew collected in the gaps of the armor plates.

This sight—rows upon rows of officials and soldiers, and the solemn, heavy atmosphere—made every secret observer's heart jolt.

Hilululu!

Accompanied by shouts and neighing horses, Jia Jing led his personal troops, the Five City Military Command forces, and the Imperial City Guard's Scarlet Riders—nearly three thousand men—swiftly arriving before the gate tower of Fang Congzhe's residence, which featured flying eaves and dougong brackets.

"Qiu Liang, you take your men and surround the Fang residence; guard every gate, wall, waterway, and passage around it—if a single thief escapes, I will hold you accountable!"

Jia Jing, with an indifferent expression, gave the order to Qiu Liang beside him.

Qiu Liang is the commander of the Five City Military Command and also the hereditary holder of the title of Jing Tian Marquis from the founding lineage.

These days, he has been actively seeking to ingratiate himself with Jia Jing, visiting the Jia mansion many times hoping to advance, yet unfortunately he never managed to see Jia Jing's face.

Today he suddenly received an imperial decree from the palace placing him under Jia Jing's command to investigate a major case and purge Shenjing, which thrilled him greatly!

Isn't this an opportunity delivered right to his door?

So, he waited at the city gate tonight until he saw Jia Jing enter the city, then immediately identified himself, and after gaining permission, quickly fell in behind him.

"Yes! If one person escapes, my lord, cut off my head!" Qiu Liang, about thirty years old and of sturdy build, declared loudly.

Immediately, he swiftly arranged for his subordinates of the Five City Military Command to seal the Fang residence completely watertight.

Jia Jing turned his gaze to the gate of the Fang residence; his eyes lingered momentarily on the plaque hanging above the lintel that read "Grand Secretary's Residence," and he faintly heard footsteps inside, then coldly said to Zhu Que beside him:

"Zhu Que, take your personal troops and the Imperial City Guard envoys inside to ransack the residence and seize the people! Fight quickly and decisively; kill anyone who obstructs!"

As soon as his words fell, the personal troops and the Imperial City Guard personnel spread out like a tide, swiftly and silently encircling the entire residence's gate tower, blades and torchlight merging into a silent wall.

The deputy commander of the Imperial City Guard led elite troops to guard the side gate, the armor plates gleaming coldly in the firelight.

Having received the order, Zhu Que stepped forward a few paces, drew his sword, but before he could knock, he saw the Fang residence's main gate slowly opening from within.

A steward-like figure poked his head out, saw the dense array of weapons and torches outside, his face turned deathly pale, and he shouted in panic:

"Who are you? What do you intend to do?"

Zhu Que's face was icy cold, and he shouted loudly:

"By order of the Marquis of Jingguo, the Fang residence harbors a wanted criminal, conspires in treason; immediately search the residence, open the gate and allow passage—anyone who dares to obstruct..."

Zhu Que's voice suddenly rose in pitch,

"Kill without pardon!"

"Insolent! This is the residence of the current Grand Secretary; without an imperial edict, no one may intrude recklessly—how dare you act so rashly!"

"Pu!" Zhu Que's blood-dripping sword slowly retracted, he kicked the corpse of that Fang residence steward aside, and bellowed:

"All follow me, the Marquis, in killing our way inside!"

However, just as the personal troops and the Imperial City Guard were killing their way into the Fang residence, nearly a hundred figures suddenly emerged from various parts of the front courtyard to offer resistance.

Among these figures were those in monk robes, those wearing Daoist caps, those dressed as scholars, and also retainers clad in armor and wielding weapons—a mixed assortment.

For a moment, firelocks were set up behind the colonnades, the bowstrings of crossbows drawn tight, blades lightly scraping against their scabbards—all enveloped by the night like a clenched fist.

Zhu Que charged to the forefront; his gaze swept over those figures, seeing their formation disordered, their footing lacking order, their steps hesitant, and a flicker of contempt crossed his eyes.

A firelock with a burning fuse went off with a "bang," smoke spreading, the lead bullet whizzing past Zhu Que's forehead, shattering a lantern; paper scraps and sparks fell together, drifting in the courtyard like an ill-timed fireworks display.

"Form ranks, release arrows!" Zhu Que bellowed.

The front-line charging personal troops simultaneously crouched, raising their shields, while the rear-line personal troops set up their crossbow mechanisms.

The bowstrings twanged in unison; several dozen crossbow bolts shot off together, whistling faintly as they cut through the smoke, and by the time they struck the ground they had already claimed over a dozen lives.

Some who were hit screamed and fell; others were pinned to the corridor pillars by the bolts, struggling twice before going still.

Next, the second rank of crossbowmen, without waiting for orders, stepped forward a pace, shifted positions, readied their bows, and fired another volley in unison.

Immediately, the third rank followed suit.

The three ranks fired in rotation without pause; the enemy gunners hadn't even had time to load a second shot, with the hot lead balls still resting in their waist pouches, when the crossbow bolts had already taken their lives.

"Draw your swords and follow me in!" Zhu Que shouted coldly.

The front-rank guards discarded their crossbows and drew their swords; the blades slid from their scabbards with a continuous, low metallic hum, like a breath drawn out in the night wind, and they stepped into the blood-soaked Fang manor.

Facing the veteran soldiers who had climbed out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the Fang manor's defenders were like a rabble, utterly no match for them!

The guards showed no hesitation; anyone within sight was either shot or hacked down, leaving no survivors, as if they intended to blood‑wash the Fang manor.

Under Zhu Que's fierce onslaught, the fighting did not last long; the guards quickly cleared the periphery, leaving bloodstains and bodies strewn everywhere, and hurried forward toward the main hall and the rear courtyard.