In the imperial court, the officials, whether loyal to the Great Liang Emperor or to the deposed emperor, actually did not need to worry too much about who would sit in that chair in the future. After all, it was the new emperor ascending the throne, and as long as they showed allegiance on the surface, they would not have to worry about the new ruler going on a killing spree. However, those old officials who had followed the Great Liang Emperor in rebellion could not help but worry, because they had once been rebels and traitors. If the late Crown Prince's faction were to once again become the ruler of the Great Liang Dynasty, they would undoubtedly face retribution.
To ensure their own safety, they had to throttle this possibility.
Chen Chao smiled, this was a perfectly reasonable concern.
It could be understood, but it might not be accepted.
Chen Chao nodded, memorizing those names, then pulled out the Cloud Mud that was embedded in the cultivator's body and said with a smile, “Alright, you can go now.”
The cultivator was taken aback and clutched his wound, asking, “Are you really not going to kill me?”
Chen Chao carried the saber, letting the blood drip from its blade, then turned around, not wanting to pay any more attention to the other person.
Before exiting the small courtyard, Chen Chao sheathed his saber in silence.
......
......
A carriage made its way through the night towards the imperial city. Someone had been waiting for a long time in front of the palace gates. The tall man who emerged from the carriage glanced at the quiet inner servant guarding the palace gate, nodded, and then followed him into the imperial city.
Along the way, Li Heng who was now the chief eunuch, did not speak. The other man who was once praised by the Great Liang Emperor as "Zhang Yu is equipped with both wisdom and courage, and his merits rank first," also did not speak.
The two were actually old acquaintances, but at this moment, both were silent.
It was not until they arrived at White Dew Garden that Li Heng stopped and smiled softly, saying, "His Majesty is waiting inside."
Zhang Yu nodded slightly without saying much, then turned and stepped into White Dew Garden.
Before long, he saw the Emperor sitting under the pavilion.
It had been many years since the ruler and subject had met alone.
Zhang Yu looked at the Emperor, the man he had once sworn to follow for life, and remained silent.
The Great Liang Emperor asked, "How did it go?"
Zhang Yu said softly, "The ambush failed, and he already knows about the plot."
Even though Zhang Yu had tried his best to calm himself, his voice still carried a trace of agitation.
"Ye Dayuan, tonight's matter, Your Father will settle it with you sooner or later! You worthless dog, if anything really happens, even if Your Father has to give up my position, I'll skin you alive!"
Song Lian was enraged to the extreme, but he did not linger long. He quickly left with his men, heading toward the small courtyard near the Left Guard's office.
But when he arrived at the courtyard, what entered his sight was nothing but ruins.
The once small courtyard had been almost entirely leveled to the ground.
The officials of the Left Guard stood looking at each other, dumbfounded.
Song Lian rushed into the courtyard and saw only corpses scattered everywhere. After searching for a moment, he did not find Chen Chao's body, and only then did he let out a sigh of relief, though his expression remained grim.
Song Lian shouted angrily, "Everyone, go out and search for Your Father! Turn the entire Divine Capital upside down if you have to, but find Deputy Commander Chen!"
The officials did not dare to be neglectful. In all these years, they had never seen their commander lose his composure like this, so they quickly scattered, heading in all directions across the Divine Capital.
Song Lian grabbed Wen Quan by the collar. "Go to the academy and inform Miss Xie about what happened here!"
Wen Quan was still somewhat dazed, but hearing this, he did not hesitate and sprinted toward the academy.
Song Lian stood on the spot, seething with rage.
He wanted nothing more than to find Ye Dayuan right now and skin that worthless dog alive.
But in that moment, this Left Guard Commander made up his mind, clenching his teeth, "Follow Your Father to the Right Guard!"
......
......
It was another restless night.
In a quiet and refined small courtyard, the doors were tightly shut.
However, soon there came the sound of knocking.
Hearing the noise, the gatekeeper muttered a few complaints, rubbing his eyes as he unwillingly went to open the door. Seeing a young man standing at the entrance, he could not help but act a little dismissively and asked impatiently, "What do you want?"
The young man who was dressed in black stood at the door and said with a smile. "I'm here to kill people."