Chapter 425: Bloodied Night in Shenjing

In the main hall of the Fang residence, Fang Congzhe still held a tea cup in his hand; when he heard the voices, gunfire, and clashing of weapons from the front courtyard, tea spilled onto his lap and the porcelain cup fell heavily to the ground.

Opposite him sat a man in a sapphire brocade robe—Liu Banu—and three men in teal brocade, who were the heads of the Zeng, Chen, and Huang families of Jiangnan in Shenjing.

Today the few of them had plotted a major assassination, gathered together, and were waiting for news from the various forces.

Hearing the commotion in the front courtyard, Fang Congzhe's heart sank; just as he was about to rise and order someone to investigate, a young servant stumbled in, shouting:

"Master! Disaster! Outside... outside is full of soldiers! They kill anyone they see and have already pushed in from the front gate!"

Fang Congzhe jolted, his face instantly showing panic and disbelief, and he hurriedly asked in a trembling voice:

"What's happening? Where are these troops coming from?"

"Master, they say they are ordered to capture the imperial offender and raid the household! The residence is already completely surrounded! I counted Imperial City Office cavalry—at least a few thousand!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Congzhe's complexion turned white in an instant, his eyes went black, and he nearly fainted; trembling, he pointed at Liu Banu and shouted sternly:

"Didn't we say the plan was meticulous? Didn't we say it was foolproof? Didn't we say they were all die‑hard, and even if captured they wouldn't betray us? How did the Imperial City Office find us so quickly? What on earth is happening?"

Liu Banu now seemed even more frantic than him, muttering to herself:

"How could this happen? How could this happen? I don't know, I really don't know!"

Beside them, Huang Yan, the Huang family official, forced himself to stay calm and said seriously:

"It's impossible for trouble to arise this quickly on our side; the men we sent out are elite die‑hard, whether by design or accident, even if the assassination fails they wouldn't be captured so fast, let alone betray us so quickly!"

"Those Imperial City Office scum don't have the ability! Grand Secretary Fang, have you been hiding any other forbidden deeds, sheltering other people? You've really doomed us now!"

Fang Congzhe's nose twitched with anger, and he roared with a harsh voice:

"Damned you to the core!!!"

As a respectable Grand Secretary, they have seized a foothold on me, leading me step by step to this irredeemable abyss; just thinking of it makes me feel wretched, and now they even turn the tables on me!

Nevertheless, Fang Congzhe had no time to argue with them; after the outburst he sprang up, and the chair tipped backward.

"Quick, follow me through the back door; let's get out first!"

If we can escape today, when we later return to Jiangnan's main base, even the court won't be able to capture us easily!

Seeing Fang Congzhe rush out the door, the others exchanged glances, hesitated not, rose quickly, hurried past the screen, called the dozen or so guards outside, and sprinted toward the side corridor.

Driven by a fierce will to survive, they ran desperately, and Fang Congzhe could not even attend to his wife, children, and concubines still in the rear house!

But as soon as they stepped through the corner gate, their gazes froze and their steps had to stop.

On the steps of the corner gate stood a line of tall, fierce, black‑armored soldiers, their bodies exuding murderous aura and stained with fresh blood, forming a silent iron curtain; the tips of their swords glimmered coldly in the torchlight.

Sweating and panting, Fang Congzhe inhaled deeply, feeling a chill settle in his heart, trying to maintain the dignity of a Grand Secretary, his voice noticeably strained:

"You… you are soldiers of which office? If you're from the Five City Military Office, this Grand Secretary will look for Qiu Liang; if you're from the Five Military Governor's Office, this Grand Secretary will look for the Prince of Nan'an!"

"Do you know this is the residence of the current Grand Scholar of the Inner Council? Without an imperial edict, breaking in and entering is a capital offense!"

Unfortunately, no one answered; the elite soldiers simply formed a quiet circle, neither advancing nor retreating.

Fang Congzhe shouted the question again, but the opposing elite soldiers only surrounded them with blades, saying nothing.

Fang Congzhe and his companions were stuck, wanting to keep running yet fearing they would be slashed to death!

At that moment, footsteps came from behind the elite soldiers, drawing nearer; each step was steady and even, boots striking the torch‑lit, mottled blue bricks like an iron law marching forward.

Fang Congzhe turned and saw, in the torchlight, a figure clad in black armor, silhouette sharp, eyes calm as a deep pool, wielding a long blade dripping with blood.

Seeing the newcomer, Fang Congzhe's expression grew complex, his eyes flickered, and he whispered trembling:

"Marquis Wei Ning, what does this mean? This Grand Secretary is the current Grand Scholar..."

Before Fang Congzhe could finish, Zhu Que shouted:

"Fang Congzhe, you harbored the imperial offender, colluded with the Jiangnan rebel faction, twice assassinated high officials, plotted chaos in Shenjing; your crimes are exposed."

"Guards! Capture these dogs who intend to harm the Lord and interrogate them harshly."

Fang Congzhe immediately shouted:

"Who dares act rashly! I am a Grand Secretary of the current court; what right do you have to arrest me? I demand an audience with the Emperor..."

Zhu Que sneered:

"What a damn Grand Secretary, plotting against the Lord is a crime beyond pardon! I hope after the punishment you'll still be this stubborn!"

"Tie them up and drag them away!"

After Fang Congzhe and his group were dragged away, an elite soldier ran up to Zhu Que and asked:

"Lord Marquis, the residence has been largely cleared, all resistors killed, and in the rear house we captured over twenty of Fang Congzhe's wives, concubines, children and grandchildren. How shall we deal with them?"

"These people are useless; keeping them is a disaster! On the charge of brandishing a sword to resist arrest, execute all remaining scum on the spot, no survivors!"

Zhu Que said this without any hesitation; he was originally from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and today's raid and capture were truly his specialty!

As Zhu Que's orders were carried out, the Fang residence fell silent at first, then erupted in shouts and screams.

Soon the Fang residence truly quieted, while a thick scent of blood spread continuously in the stifling air!

An hour later, in the main hall of the Fang residence.

When Zhu Que entered the main hall, he still carried the mingled ash and blood stench of the Fang residence on his body.

He paused at the threshold, brushed his boot soles on the blue bricks, then stepped in, cradling a wooden box and several case files in his hands.

"Lord, the Fang residence has been fully searched and confiscated."

Jia Jing, seated on a huanghuali chair in the main hall, said in a deep voice, "Speak!"

Zhu Que opened the wooden box, took out its contents one by one, and laid them out on the desk,

"These are the preliminary items cleared; the rest are still being gathered."

Picking up a thin booklet, Zhu Que said:

"This is the account book Liu Banu kept on her person. It records every silver transaction of the Ren family and other Jiangnan officials and gentry in Shenjing, detailing year, month, recipient, amount in taels, and purpose, all meticulously noted."

"Among them, payments to Fang Congzhe total four entries, amounting to 170,000 taels; the most recent entry is from February this year, a month before Fang Congzhe entered the Grand Secretariat."

Zhu Que then pointed at a stack of thick letters:

These are the letters found in a hidden compartment of Fang Congzhe's study, correspondence with Jiangnan.

Among them are several letters personally written by Ren Bo'an and other Jiangnan officials and gentry to Fang Congzhe; the letters mention "matters of the court need a voice" and "the benefits of Jiangnan cannot be lightly discarded." Though the wording is veiled, the meaning is clear, and Fang Congzhe's replies are also present, each bearing his private seal.

Then Zhu Que gently pushed the bottom of the wooden box, revealing the silver notes and gold ingots laid inside:

These were taken from the cellar in Fang Mansion's rear courtyard: twelve boxes of finely packed gold and silver, silver notes amounting to about one million taels, and gold ingots weighing over three hundred jin. That does not include the calligraphy, antiques, land deeds and other items—Fang Congzhe has amassed a great deal during his years in office!

Zhu Que finally produced a formal accusation:

Fang Congzhe and Liu Ba Nu have both spoken. Fang Congzhe admits receiving bribes from the Ren family, speaking on behalf of Jiangnan gentry at court, and being aware of the recent murder.

Liu Ba Nu admits that, under Ren Bo'an's orders, she came to the capital to oversee the situation, orchestrated a forced palace coup and the murder. Additionally, according to her testimony, the officials' records were deposited by Ren Bo'an at the Wanyong Pawnshop outside Chaoyang Gate in Shenjing.

The pawnshop was opened by Lord Zhongshun; only the bearer of the proper ticket may withdraw, and both parties have signed; the accusation is here.

Jia Jing sat behind the desk, took the pieces of evidence one by one, examined them, and after a moment of silence raised his eyes to Zhu Que and said in a deep voice:

Now that the testimonies are in hand, there is no need to wait until tomorrow. Bring the Imperial City Office and Five Cities Military Office personnel, and arrest everyone on the list tonight, leaving none, and send them all to Zhao Yu.

Separate interrogations, no collusion; before dawn, I must see the second testimony.

Also, deliver this evidence to the Summer Minister, then have the Summer Minister go to the Wanyong Pawnshop, retrieve the officials' records, and present them directly to the Son of Heaven!

Zhu Que clasped his fists and said, "The junior officer obeys."

He turned and walked out, his footsteps quickly swallowed by the night in the corridor.

With Jia Jing's orders issued, the residential districts of officials in the Eastern and Western cities saw a massive number of Imperial City Office agents and Five Cities Military Office soldiers, following the list, begin the arrests!

Teams of Imperial City Office agents kept pounding the doors of offending officials, shouting loudly; anyone who refused to open the door or resisted was forced in under the pretext of evading capture, and slain without mercy!

Those officials who promptly opened the door and cooperated escaped the immediate danger, but still could not avoid the fate of being sent to Zhao Yu.

Some curious officials sent their household servants out to scout, only to step out and be met by cold‑glinting blades and spears!

For a moment, the entire Eastern and Western cities erupted in chaos; hearts were unsettled, countless officials turned pale, terrified enough to stay awake all night, fearing their own households would be besieged!

The Imperial City Office agents, one after another, were brimming with zeal, as if returning to the heyday of the Founding Emperor and the Successor Emperor, once again feeling a terror‑inducing might.

That night, Shenjing was filled everywhere with the sounds of footsteps, skirmishes, shouts, and horse hooves…

Jia Mansion, Rong Guo Mansion.