Chapter 535 - 517: Confrontation
In the capital, the atmosphere was fraught with dread. The Jinyi Guard prison was overflowing with detainees: Marquis An Yuan’s wife, two concubines, three sons, one daughter, his younger brother’s entire household, as well as countless members of his extended family, spanning nine generations, were all thrown into jail. The relatives and children of several old generals, except for those not in the Capital City, were not spared. Anyone who had once been associated with the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion and was not fully aligned with Yuwen Jing’s interests in the last three years, regardless of their innocence tonight, was summarily imprisoned.
Marquis An Yuan was stationed at the Ministry of Industry this evening, fulfilling his duty to guard Hanguang Tower. He was not involved in Feng Shu’s escape and had no direct contact with Xie Xun. Understanding the stakes, Xie Xun deliberately avoided implicating Marquis An Yuan, knowing full well that in the Capital City, the repercussions would be catastrophic for the marquis and his entire clan, making escape impossible. Thus, Xie Xun only instructed Marquis An Yuan to delay Yuwen Jing as much as possible if he came to Hanguang Tower.
This night, the Ministry of Industry was urgently repairing Hanguang Tower due to an unforeseen incident: a craftsman had accidentally dropped a firestone that ignited the leftover gunpowder, causing the tower to collapse a second time. Many ancestral tablets from the past had yet to be relocated from the site, leaving them buried under rubble and ashes. At this juncture, Yuwen Jing’s decision-making was essential.
The collapsed section was highly perilous; the debris had to be entirely cleared before further steps could be taken. However, this meant destroying many ancestral tablets, including those of former emperors of the Yuwen Royal Family, which had not been removed yet. Alternatively, prioritizing the preservation of the tablets risked another collapse that would claim the lives of craftsmen. Marquis An Yuan entrusted this decision to Yuwen Jing, hoping to expedite the clearing of the ruins and reconstruct the tablets later. Despite doing his utmost to stall Yuwen Jing’s presence in Hanguang Tower for an hour, Marquis An Yuan was doomed to imprisonment alongside his family—an inevitable punishment not tied to Feng Shu’s escape but rooted in Yuwen Jing’s longstanding hatred of his ties to Marquis Zhenbei’s household, ties he made no effort to conceal over the past three years.
When Lin Helin and Zhang Boju arrived at the Jinyi Guard prison, Grandmaster Zhang and several old imperial court ministers were sitting on the steps before the prison, confronting the ferocious Jinyi Guard. Commander Chen Mo remained in the Imperial Palace, stationed by Yuwen Jing’s side, while the arrest and suppression were handed over to Zhang Shun, the deputy commander of the Jinyi Guard.
Zhang Shun was not related to Grandmaster Zhang, being of humble origin and elevated through Chen Mo’s support. Ruthless and highly skilled, he had Yuwen Jing’s absolute trust and was entrusted with full authority over the Jinyi Guard’s operations in the Capital City during Chen Mo’s absence. Following Yuwen Jing’s orders, Zhang Shun carried out mass arrests without hesitation, showing no mercy to the listed individuals.
During the arrests, General Chang confronted Zhang Shun directly and was immediately killed with a single slash from the Jinyi Guard’s blade. The Chang family, descended from a lineage of warriors, retaliated fiercely. Even the general’s nine-year-old great-grandson took up a longsword to fight against the Jinyi Guard. But despite their bravery, they were vastly outnumbered. When Grandmaster Zhang finally arrived, only the nine-year-old great-grandson survived; General Chang’s wife, his four sons, and eleven grandsons all perished.
General Chang had been one of the most venerable generals in Ningzhou, second in authority only to Marquis Zhenbei. Yuwen Jing had long schemed to neutralize Marquis Zhenbei and install the Chang family to lead the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry, causing division over time. He deliberately assigned General Chang to attend a mission in Liling during Xie Zhang’s wedding.
General Chang’s absence during Xie Zhang’s wedding left his wife to take his sons to offer congratulations. When tragedy struck, they were imprisoned in Marquis Zhenbei Mansion. Mrs. Chang witnessed its massacre firsthand, including the execution of several resisting generals. Terrified, she stopped her sons from joining Xie Zhang in fighting their way out. By the time General Chang returned to the Capital City and learned the grim news, four days had passed. Yuwen Jing had ascended to the throne, and the Chang family, rooted in its military heritage, remained tied to the Capital City.
In his grief for his children and grandchildren, General Chang set aside his former loyalty to the Yuwen Royal Family, renouncing his duty and compelling his sons to resign from their positions in the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry. Despite his sacrifices, the family could not escape the calamity that befell them three years later.
Zhang Shun never intended to kill General Chang. Yuwen Jing’s orders were explicit: capture everyone, kill only those who resisted. Yet the Jinyi Guard, accustomed to wielding unchecked power in the Capital City, swiftly carried out mass arrests of entire families of nobles and officials. Three years prior, they had undertaken similar operations where no household dared defy them, quietly awaiting judgment.
General Chang, however, brazenly resisted, leading to the clash with Zhang Shun that resulted in his death. If the Chang family had been civilian officials, the massacre might have been avoided. But as a warrior clan, every member was trained in martial arts from a young age, steeped in the tradition of serving their lord. The general’s death ignited the tensions between the Chang family and the Jinyi Guard, culminating in the catastrophic annihilation of the entire household.
Grandmaster Zhang was so enraged he nearly collapsed on the spot. Without his intervention, even the last bloodline of the Chang family—the young great-grandson—would have been slaughtered by the Jinyi Guard. Zhang Shun and his men were brazenly cruel, yet they dared not act against Grandmaster Zhang.
After all, Grandmaster Zhang had educated the former Crown Prince, the late emperor, and even the current Yuwen Jing. Despite the current emperor’s ruthlessness, he still harbored a measure of respect for Grandmaster Zhang. Thus, the Chang family’s sole survivor—the young great-grandson—was placed under the custody of Marquis An Yuan’s household, imprisoned along with them.
Nonetheless, the slaughter of the Chang family incited rage among other noble families, including General Zhou’s household, Vice Minister Chen, and Marquis An Yuan. From within the prison, they fought against the Jinyi Guard.
Amidst the turmoil, the families of over a dozen officials—elders and children alike—remained trapped in the overcrowded jail, their lives at the mercy of their captors. Had the Jinyi Guard succumbed further to bloodlust, no one would have survived. To prevent further atrocities, several royal uncles and Grandmaster Zhang drove the Jinyi Guard out of the prison gates, standing sentinel on the steps like guardian spirits. Despite the torrential rain and flashing thunder, they refused to allow the Jinyi Guard to re-enter the prison.
"What are you doing? Stand down!" Lin Helin braved the downpour as he rushed to the Jinyi Guard prison, finding the Jinyi Guard locked in a tense standoff with Grandmaster Zhang and the elder ministers.
Zhang Shun and his Jinyi Guard, now visibly impatient, had their scimitars fully unsheathed. Under the lightning’s illumination, the blades gleamed coldly, exuding bloodthirsty intent. The scene before the prison was incendiary: the aging ministers risked their lives to obstruct the younger, ferocious Jinyi Guard, determined to prevent further carnage and salvage Yuwen Jing’s reputation.
One side was a mob of fierce warriors, brimming with malice and numbers; the other was a dwindling group of feeble elders, fighting purely through silent protests and unwavering resolve. Even if their bodies were crushed underfoot by the ruthless Jinyi Guard, their defiance would not waver.
Lin Helin grasped an umbrella handed to him by a Shadow Guard and rushed forward, shielding the elders and the Grandmaster from the relentless rain. They were all in their seventies; how could they endure such mistreatment?
"Bai Qing... Bai Qing..." Grandmaster Zhang wept bitterly, his tears flowing freely. "It is our incompetence that invited this disaster. It is our incompetence!"
Lin Helin felt his eyes welling up, consumed by a pain so searing it was unbearable.