Chapter 219

Translation: "The aftermath of establishing authority at the drill ground had not yet subsided, when an even more biting cold current quietly swept across the entire Bianliangcheng as night fell."

The aftermath of establishing authority at the drill ground had not yet subsided when an even more biting cold current quietly swept across the entire Bianliangcheng as night fell.

We need to keep "Bianliangcheng" as per glossary.

By day, the emperor's god‑like image of bestowing power was still being passed mouth‑to‑mouth in the army, making blood boil.

But at night.

Another, utterly different power began to operate—silent, swift, deadly, like a poison‑coated dagger drawn from the shadows.

In the dungeon of the Inspection Bureau headquarters, the light was dim, and water beads condensed on the damp, cold walls.

The air mingled with mildew, blood, and a faint, heart‑racing chill.

Qian Gui sat upright on a plain wooden chair, his expression blank as he stared at the middle‑aged scholar bound in iron chains, his body covered in bloodstains.

This man was Sun Miao, outwardly an inconspicuous clerk in the Ministry of Rites.

But in the Inspection Bureau's latest secret file, he had been marked as an important sleeper agent of the Iron Crow Army embedded in the Bian Liang civil service system.

"Sun Clerk."

Qian Gui's voice was flat and unemotional, yet in this silent dungeon it rang especially clear.

"Where is your superior, 'Han Ya,' now?"

He did not ask whether Sun Miao was of the Iron Crow Army, but went straight to asking who his superior was.

This was a psychological pressure, implying that the Inspection Bureau already held much information.

Sun Miao lifted his head, his face bruised, flecks of blood still at the corner of his mouth.

But his gaze was unusually stubborn, even tinged with mockery.

"Qian……Qian Commander..."

He panted, his voice hoarse.

"You……you fabricate charges, frame the loyal……I……I know nothing……"

"Frame?"

Qian Gui lightly repeated the word, took a dossier from a subordinate beside him, and flipped it open.

In the third month of the twelfth year of Tianfu, you smuggled a batch of medicinal herbs into the capital via the Canal Gang, mixing in thirty catties of cold stone—a specialty of Nether Prefecture—one of the ingredients for the Iron Crow Army's secret medicine, Cold Soul Powder;

In the autumn of the first year of Kaiyun, you took advantage of repairs to the Exalted Literature Pavilion to bring out seven rubbings of diagrams concerning the former dynasty's palace secret passages; three days later the originals were burned.

Just half a month ago, on the eve of the mutiny at Chen Bridge Station, you met someone in secret at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion south of the city, passing along a detailed record of the changing of the guard at Bian Liang's defenses…

With each item Qian Gui read, Sun Miao's face paled a shade more, the mockery in his eyes giving way to fear.

He had thought his deeds flawless, never imagining that everything had already been recorded on file by those eyes hidden in the dark.

"Do I need to go on?"

Qian Gui closed the dossier, his gaze like an icy awl piercing Sun Miao.

"What did the Iron Crow Army give you?"

"Wealth?"

"Power?"

"Or did they promise you that, in this chaotic age, they could keep your family safe forever?"

He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice, yet it carried a deeper chill.

"Too bad, they can barely protect themselves anymore."

"The Chen Bridge plan failed, the Nether Shade lost most of its strength; now they hide like rats in dark corners—what can they still offer you?"

Sun Miao's body began to tremble uncontrollably, his lips moving but no sound emerging.

Each of the charges Qian Gui listed was enough to warrant death by slicing.

What frightened him even more was that the Inspection Bureau's understanding of the Iron Crow Army's internal state seemed far beyond his imagination.

"If……if I speak……will I be spared?"

Sun Miao finally broke down, shouting hoarsely, his eyes full of the desire to live.

Qian Gui did not answer directly, merely staring at him coldly.

"It depends on whether your 'Han Ya' is worth trading for your life."

At the same time, similar scenes were unfolding simultaneously in various corners of Bianliangcheng.

Four squadrons of the Inspection Bureau's Crimson Cavalry, following Qian Gui's prepared list and evidence, struck precisely at each target.

There were low‑rank officials dragged from their beds while asleep;

gang leaders pressed onto tables amid the clamor of gambling halls;

even wealthy heirs carousing in the Chu Brothel, appearing dissolute.

The arrests came like thunder before one could cover one's ears, often before neighbors even noticed.

The person was already taken away, leaving only empty rooms and shut doors and windows.

In the east of the city, behind what seemed an ordinary silk‑satin shop.

When Inspection Bureau personnel burst in, the shop's proprietor and assistants tried to resist.

They were agile, their moves vicious, clearly having undergone strict training, employing the Iron Crow Army's signature martial art imbued with a chilling, lethal aura.

Yet they faced Qian Gui's personally trained Inspection Bureau elites, equally skilled at killing and better equipped.

After a brief, fierce clash, three assistants were killed on the spot and the proprietor was gravely wounded and captured.

In the search, fragments of Nether Energy Crystal Ore not yet moved and poison‑coated crossbow bolts were uncovered in the cellar.

Along with several complete sets of standard Iron Crow Army equipment and a number of secret correspondences.

Imperial Palace, side chamber of the Chongzheng Hall.

Chen Wen had not slept; candlelight illuminated his calm face.

Qian Gui stood at attention below, succinctly reporting the progress of the operation.

"……Currently, we have arrested and confirmed, as well as highly suspected, twenty-seven Iron Crow Army secret agents, destroyed three secret contact points, and killed nine die-hard resistors."

They seized part of the Nether Energy Crystal Ore, weapons, and secret letters.

Preliminary interrogation revealed that the Iron Crow Army is attempting to rebuild the Investigation Network.

"And they plan, at the beginning of His Majesty's formal rule, to stage several 'accidents' to strike at the Imperial Court's prestige and provoke panic."

Qian Gui's voice had no inflection, as if he were stating something unrelated to himself.

"According to cross‑checked testimonies and secret letters, the person in charge of the Bian Liang region, codename 'Han Ya', may have his true identity hidden among the eunuchs left over from the previous dynasty; exactly who it is remains unknown."

Sun Miao and the others lack the rank to make contact."

Chen Wen's fingers lightly tapped the imperial desk.

"Eunuchs..."

A glint of cold light flashed in his eyes.

This is indeed a group that is easy to overlook, yet able to move freely within the palace and approach the core of power.

The depth of the Iron Crow Army's infiltration can be seen in this.

"Keep investigating."

Chen Wen ordered.

"No matter who is involved, no matter where he hides, dig him out for me."

But remember, the evidence must be solid; do not punish the innocent or let the guilty go."

He paused.

"Those captured hidden posts, aside from those who resisted to the death and were killed, the rest..."

He looked at Qian Gui.

"You, Inspection Bureau, handle it according to law."

I, I only want the results."

"Subject, I understand."

Qian Gui bowed.

The emperor's meaning is clear: for these stubborn enemies, no public trial is needed, no wasting time on cumbersome judicial procedures; the Inspection Bureau has the authority to act on the spot.

This is both a need for efficiency and a kind of silent deterrence.

"Moreover,"

Chen Wen added,

"Strengthen covert protection of the surrendered generals Han Tong and Zhang Yongde, as well as the civil officials Wang Pu and Li Su."

The Iron Crow Army, having suffered this setback, may well resort to desperate measures like assassination."

"Yes."

Additional personnel have been assigned."

Qian Gui replied.

When the dawn's light once again shone upon Bianliangcheng, the night's bloodshed and arrests seemed as if they had never happened.

Carriages and horses gradually increased on the streets, shops opened one after another, and the people began their livelihoods for the new day.

However, in the eyes of some sensitive officials and factions, the atmosphere of this capital has already changed.

An intangible tension permeated the air; familiar colleagues might vanish overnight, and usually bustling places suddenly became deserted.

A silent fear, like spreading vines, quietly entwined the hearts of those harboring guilt or wavering in allegiance.

The new dynasty's blade can not only display miracles in sunlight, but also mercilessly eliminate dissent in the darkness.

Emperor Chen Wen, in his unique way, tells all enemies lurking in the shadows and those still watching——this Bianliangcheng, this Great Chen realm, will tolerate no villainy.

The wave of suppression has only just begun its first surge.

And the contest between the Iron Crow Army and this nascent dynasty has shifted from open military confrontation into a deeper, more cruel and concealed shadow.