Chapter 232: Internal Investigation

The excitement from the great victory in the northern borders and the clamor of the Southern Tang envoys' visit could not completely conceal the tense atmosphere quietly spreading within Bianliangcheng.

The Inspection Bureau of Marquis Jing'an Qian Gui, like a leopard lurking in the shadows, finally revealed its sharp claws.

According to the clues provided by Inspector Wang Ru and the close surveillance of Zhao Si and his associates over the past few days, a hidden network lies in the capital region.

Even the Iron Crow Army's intelligence network that could reach the imperial court gradually surfaced.

The time has ripened.

On the same day Chen Wen departed from the northern borders and returned to the capital, a swift and precise internal purge unfolded.

At multiple deployment points inside and outside Bianliangcheng, it proceeded simultaneously.

Early morning, the sky still dark.

In Xiangfu County, Li Family Village was still shrouded in the chill and silence of a winter dawn.

A squad of able-bodied personnel dressed in black uniforms and wearing standard waist plaques surrounded the modest, slightly dilapidated earthen-walled courtyard of farmer Zhao Si like ghosts, silently and soundlessly.

The leading corporal gave a hand signal, and two agile Inspection Bureau agents nimbly scaled the low wall, silently landing inside the courtyard.

"Who?!"

From inside the house came Zhao Si's panicked shout, accompanied by the rustling sound of him getting up.

Before he could open the door, two agents had already approached the door, one of them launching a kick!

"Bang!" With a loud crash, the flimsy wooden door burst open!

Zhao Si, wearing only a single layer, stared dumbfounded at the black-clad intruders with icy gazes, trembling all over and unable to utter a word.

"Zhao Si!"

The corporal stepped into the house, his gaze like a blade, sweeping over the bare room and finally settling on Zhao Si's deathly pale face.

"Your affair has been exposed."

"Come with us for a while."

"Officer... sir, I... I am innocent!"

Zhao Si fell to his knees with a thud, tears and snot streaming down.

"I'm just a farmer; I haven't done anything!"

The corporal snorted coldly, not wasting words, and directly ordered his subordinates.

"Search!"

"Be thorough; let no paper, cloth, or suspicious item slip through!"

Moments later, an agent pried out a small scroll of paper wrapped in oilcloth from a concealed crack in the wall beside the stove.

Unfolding it, one saw the crooked handwriting recording seemingly trivial information, such as "Relatives from out of town have arrived at Old Wang Fifth's house east of the village," "The village head went to the county seat twice last month," and so on.

But at the signature, there was drawn an extremely simple symbol resembling a bird's claw print!

Exactly the covert mark used by the Iron Crow Army's peripheral informants when transmitting intelligence!

"This... this isn't mine! Someone is framing me!"

Seeing the slip of paper, Zhao Si turned ashen as if seeing a ghost, and protested in a hoarse voice.

The corporal picked up the slip, examined it closely, and the corner of his mouth curled into a cold smile.

"Whether it's yours or not, we'll talk about it later."

"Take him away!"

The two agents surged forward like wolves and tigers, lifted the limp Zhao Si, and dragged him out of the house.

The whole process was clean and swift, hardly disturbing the neighbors.

Almost at the same time, behind an apparently ordinary grocery shop in the Xishi district of Bianliangcheng,

several Inspection Bureau agents posing as customers, after confirming the target was inventorying goods in the backyard, suddenly launched an attack!

Two quickly subdued the shop assistants in the front hall, while several others charged into the backyard like arrows!

In the backyard, the peddler who had previously contacted Zhao Si was moving a batch of newly arrived goods into the storeroom.

Hearing the commotion, he reacted extremely quickly, drawing a short blade from the goods pile with a backhand; his eyes instantly turned fierce and ruthless, a stark contrast to his usual honest demeanor.

"Surrender and you'll be spared the pain!"

The lead agent shouted sternly, while simultaneously forming a combat formation with the others, cutting off all the peddler's escape routes.

The peddler's eyes flashed with a hint of desperate madness; he let out a low roar, advanced instead of retreating, and slashed his short blade in a tricky arc straight at the lead agent's throat!

His speed and ferocity far surpassed that of ordinary martial artists!

"Obstinate and unenlightened!"

The agent leader, already prepared, sidestepped to avoid the blow while drawing his iron ruler from his waist, precisely deflecting the short blade!

The other two agents acted in perfect unison, one on the left, one on the right; two specially crafted iron-wrapped chains shot out like snakes from a hole, instantly coiling around the peddler's arms and torso!

They exerted force and tightened!

The peddler grunted, the short blade flew from his hand, and he was locked down tightly, unable to move.

He struggled desperately, his eyes bloodshot, emitting hoarse sounds from his throat, even attempting to bite through the poison sac hidden between his teeth!

"You want to die? Not so easy!"

The agent leader, quick-eyed and quick-handed, delivered a fierce chop to the side of the peddler's neck!

The peddler's body went rigid, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

"Search his person! Check his teeth! Pry out everything he knows!"

Similar scenes unfolded almost simultaneously at several different locations inside and outside Bianliangcheng.

Relying on precise intelligence and thunderous tactics, the Inspection Bureau in one swoop dismantled three peripheral contact points of the Iron Crow Army, arresting a total of seven informants and couriers, including Zhao Si.

More importantly, from that peddler they seized an unsent secret letter and a list recording part of the contact methods and code names.

Qian Gui presided over the Inspection Bureau headquarters, listening as the various operation teams successively reported their victories, his face showing little joy.

Before him lay spread out the copy of the secret letter just seized from that peddler.

The letter's contents, after preliminary decoding, remained fragmentary, yet the pieced‑together information was shocking.

"……the time is at hand……chaos is the signal……focus on the emperor's return route……forest area……'Annihilation'……"

"'Annihilation'……"

Qian Gui repeatedly chewed over the word, a chill rising from his spine.

He could almost be certain that this pointed to an extremely dangerous assassination plot targeting the emperor's return!

Moreover, the methods they employed were likely beyond the ordinary.

"Interrogate!"

Qian Gui sternly told the capable officer in charge of interrogation.

"Focus all efforts, prioritize interrogating that peddler!"

"No matter what methods, I must pry open his mouth within twelve shichen!"

"I need to know the exact meaning of 'Annihilation'! Know their action plan! Know how many of them are lurking in Bian Liang, lurking in the palace!"

"Time is running out!"

"Yes, Marquis!"

The capable officer in charge of interrogation received the order and hurried away.

From the interrogation chamber deep within the yamen, a suppressed, spine‑chilling sound soon rang out.

At the same time, an urgent memorial, personally signed by Qian Gui, was sent via the fastest route to the troop escorting Chen Wen's return.

Although a Hidden Blade squad was already conducting reverse reconnaissance along the route, he must deliver the latest, most severe warning to the emperor's hands at once.

Having done all that, Qian Gui walked to the window, gazing at the brightening sky and the distant, imposing outline of the palace walls.

The internal purge had achieved phased results, removing some nails and obtaining crucial intelligence.

But this felt more like a race against time.

The Iron Crow Army's killing move had been activated, like a drawn bowstring ready to unleash a deadly arrow at any moment.

He must act before that, find it and dismantle it.

This war unfolding in the shadows was no less intense than the swordplay and blade light of the northern border.