Chapter 333

The twenty-fourth year of Jiajing, the eleventh day of the tenth month.

The sun hung low in the west.

Light pierced through the clouds, scattering into a scarlet hue that fell upon the ruins on both sides of the Heavenly Street, blending with the crimson liquid on the ground.

Suddenly, something moved within the ruins.

There was a faint sound of voices.

"Battalion Commander Li, there's likely a wall pressing down from above; I can't push it open."

"Let me."

A rustling sound came from within the ruins, like countless insects gnawing on something hard. A moment later, several collapsed roof beams crashed down.

Cao Hanyan exerted force to push open the lid of the secret passage. He first scanned the surroundings with his eyes, and only after confirming there was no danger did he jump out, then reached out to pull Xiaosi up.

The two walked toward the Imperial City to the east.

After walking for a while, Cao Hanyan's feet faltered, and he stopped in his tracks.

Xiaosi turned to look at him, only to see his eyes wide open, his mouth agape, and his trembling finger pointing toward the eastern sky.

"Battalion Commander Li, this, this, this, this, this..."

Xiaosi looked toward the east.

It was already the Hour of the Rooster, and with the sun setting in the west, the east should have been growing dim. Instead, it was a sea of red, faintly reflecting the setting sun in the west, as if another sun were setting over there.

But both Xiaosi and Cao Hanyan knew it was fire.

And directly to the east was the Imperial City.

Cao Hanyan had only met Li Miao in the eighth month; before that, he had only practiced Wu Gong and studied in his hometown. Even though he had seen many grand scenes with Li Miao, they were limited to the "Paojianghu." He had never seen the Imperial Palace burning in its entirety, even if this was the palace before the capital was moved.

Xiaosi, however, nodded indifferently.

"Oh, this is trouble... After the ancestral grave, the Commander's old home has also been ruined by the Regional Commander."

"The Commander is going to be furious."

Having said that, he stepped forward and continued walking.

Cao Hanyan stood stunned for a long while before following.

The two walked for a while when they suddenly heard the sound of hooves behind them, followed by an angry shout.

"Halt! Get down!"

The two turned back to see a troop of cavalry charging toward them, their long sabers already drawn, their eyes filled with hostility.

Cao Hanyan thought they were subordinates of the four Garrison Eunuchs and was about to draw his saber, but Xiaosi raised a hand to stop him. She took out her Embroidered Uniform Guard token from her waist, held it up, and shouted.

"I am Battalion Commander Li Xiaosi of the Northern Administrative Office of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Whose command are you under?"

The leader of the cavalry changed his expression, sheathed his saber, dismounted, and ran to Xiaosi, cupping his hands: "Battalion Commander Zhou Xiang of the Huai'an Guard, greetings, Battalion Commander. We received news from Company Commander You Zi'ang and came to suppress the rebellion."

Xiaosi nodded: "Where is Company Commander You now?"

Zhou Xiang said: "He went to Yangzhou to mobilize troops; he should arrive tomorrow by water."

Xiaosi nodded: "Good, Battalion Commander Zhou, do you know how big today's incident is?"

Zhou Xiang glanced at the raging fire in the Imperial City to the east and nodded slowly.

"I know."

*Slap.

Xiaosi raised her hand and patted him on the shoulder, startling him into a shiver.

"Battalion Commander Zhou, I am a woman, I don't know Wu Gong, and I rarely leave the capital, so I don't know much about the situation in the local garrisons... How far is your Huai'an Guard from Nanjing?"

"Si... sixty *li*."

"That's very close." Xiaosi tilted her head and smiled.

"Then usually, when the four Garrison Eunuchs say or do something, doesn't the Huai'an Guard hear a little bit about it? Why... didn't you report it?"

Zhou Xiang broke into a cold sweat and was about to cry out his innocence when Xiaosi interrupted him.

"Battalion Commander Zhou, Nanjing is the auxiliary capital. If something like this happens, many, many people will die—so many that the Court of Judicial Review, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Ministry of Justice won't have time to verify them one by one."

"Whether one is guilty or innocent depends only on whether someone wants to frame them or clear them."

Zhou Xiang was stunned for a moment, then, as if struck by inspiration, he knelt down with a thud.

"The Huai'an Guard is willing to be the running dog of the Battalion Commander!"

"Not me," Xiaosi said with a smile, "it's my Regional Commander."

Zhou Xiang nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes! You are right!"

Xiaosi smiled: "Save people, put out the fire, quell the chaos, and keep your mouths shut. Can the Huai'an Guard do that?"

"We can, we can!"

"With the Yangzhou Guard arriving soon, can you finish it by tomorrow?"

"Yes!"

"Then it's up to you. Once it's done, come to the Imperial City to see the Regional Commander and receive your reward."

"Yes!"

Cao Hanyan watched helplessly as an insect crawled into Zhou Xiang's collar along Xiaosi's hand. He turned his head away and said nothing.

Zhou Xiang led his troops away.

The two continued toward the Imperial City.

After walking for a while, they arrived outside the gate of the Imperial City. Cao Hanyan frowned, seeing several figures in the distance outside the gate, one of whom was waving their arms at him.

"Brother Cao—Brother Cao—"

Cao Hanyan walked forward quickly and saw who those people were.

Gu Feixuan, Wang Hai, and Gao Anyu, who was jumping up and down excitedly, waving at him.

When they reached them, Cao Hanyan looked around and asked.

"Why are you all here? Where is Senior Zheng? Where is the Regional Commander?"

Wang Hai was about to speak when Gao Anyu snatched the words from him.

"They are all inside the palace! Auntie Zheng told us to wait here! She went to the side to tear down houses!"

"Tear down houses?" Cao Hanyan was puzzled.

Wang Hai took over the conversation.

"The fire is too big, and it's a bit too late to put it out. Senior Zheng went to tear down the houses near the Imperial City to prevent the fire from spreading to the homes of the common people."

"She has already seen the Regional Commander, and the matter is settled, but there might still be Celestials hiding inside. The Regional Commander is killing them, and he told us to see him later."

Cao Hanyan finally understood and let out a long sigh.

The group waited for about half an hour before seeing Zheng Yi descend from the palace wall: "Let's go."

"It's all over."

She didn't look like she had any injuries, but her face was extremely haggard, as if she were burdened by some major event, and she didn't even notice Gao Anyu jumping around her.

The group walked along the road inside the Imperial City.

Of the three main halls in the center of the Imperial City, the Huagai Hall was in the middle and had been set on fire by the Brave Cavalry Right Guard, and along with it, the Fengtian Hall and Jinshen Hall were also burning in a sea of flames.

Cao Hanyan smelled the scent of charred flesh coming from the Huagai Hall. He exchanged a look with Gu Feixuan, who was also pale, and said nothing.

After walking for a while, the group arrived at the square in front of the Fengtian Hall and stopped.

Hundreds... no, perhaps over a thousand corpses, along with armor and horse carcasses, covered the entire square. Fresh blood flowed along the brick seams to their feet, accumulating into a vast expanse.

The firelight danced on the blood.

Gu Feixuan's face turned pale, his throat bobbed uncontrollably, and he quietly tugged at Cao Hanyan's sleeve.

"Brother Cao, this... is this Regional Commander..."

Cao Hanyan nodded.

Gu Feixuan covered his mouth, almost shouting out the title "Death-Dealing Regional Commander."

The group crossed the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, passed through the Wenlou to the east, crossed the Wenhua Hall, and arrived at the Chunhe Palace on the far east side of the Imperial City, which was the only palace not affected by the fire.

Entering the palace, they finally saw Li Miao.

And the several figures kneeling before Li Miao.