The Undercurrents Swirling in the Imperial Capital
Over the next few days, the Imperial Capital appeared peaceful on the surface, but undercurrents were stirring beneath the surface.
After a major battle, the once desolate Imperial Capital is now filled with many unfamiliar faces, with a constant stream of Imperial Capital arriving daily.
A few days ago, Nangong Wenqing was in a side hall of the Great Li Imperial Palace discussing with the heads of the major Clan Leader of Jiangnan Aristocratic Families. They secretly mobilized the power of their respective families to secretly cooperate with Ye Jing in order to take control of the Imperial Capital and wipe out the power of the King Zhennan's lineage in the court.
The many unfamiliar faces that have appeared in the Imperial Capital these days are the result of the Jiangnan Aristocratic Families secretly accumulating power, preparing to deliver a thunderous blow to the current Zhennan Prince's lineage.
Inside a main hall of the Great Li Imperial Palace.
Listening to the reports from his subordinates, the King Zhennan, seated on his throne, flew into a rage and roared at the Night Watch Envoy kneeling on the ground.
"Useless! A bunch of useless trash! What are you all doing in the Night Watch Division? So many unfamiliar faces have appeared in the Imperial Capital, such suspicious things, why are you only reporting this now!"
The Imperial Capital is of utmost importance, especially since it has just experienced a major battle. The remnants of the Great Li Imperial Family are causing trouble in the Imperial Capital, disrupting its safety and giving the Imperial Capital of King Zhennan a great headache.
Some time ago, after much effort, we finally managed to clean up some remnants of the previous dynasty and bring some peace to the Imperial Capital. But unexpectedly, another incident has occurred today.
With so many unfamiliar faces of unknown origin flooding into the Imperial Capital, who knows whether these people are friend or foe? The newly established Dali Imperial Capital needs stability the most and cannot withstand the slightest setback.
Hearing the King Zhennan's stern rebuke, the Night Watch Envoy kneeling in the center of the hall was filled with panic, kowtowing repeatedly and begging for mercy, his words full of grievance.
"Your Highness, please spare us! But this matter is truly not our Night Watch Division! Our chief officer submitted a report on this suspicious matter three days ago. Did Your Highness not know that?"
"What did you say? Your Night Watch Division reported this matter to me long ago!"
The Night Watch Envoy's words surprised the King Zhennan. A hint of seriousness flashed in the King Zhennan's eyes, and he vaguely realized that something was amiss.
He glanced at the eunuch beside him and gestured for him to go to the Grand Secretariat to take a look.
About an hour later, the eunuch in charge of writing returned to the main hall from the Grand Secretariat, leaned down and whispered a few words in the ear of the King Zhennan, which made the King Zhennan furious.
"What did you say? This memorial was actually withheld by Nangong Wenqing!"
The Prince of King Zhennan looked extremely grim. He never expected that these unfamiliar faces that had been appearing in the Imperial Capital recently would be related to the Jiangnan Aristocratic Families!
What exactly are they trying to do? What is their purpose? A hint of apprehension flashed in the eyes of the King Zhennan, his heart already filled with vigilance.
The entire Dali is vast and boundless, with countless landscapes and customs. Since the first Emperor Li founded the Dali, Jiangnan Circuit has been the most prosperous region in the Dali.
Those prominent Aristocratic Clan of Jiangnan have been operating in this area for over a thousand years, accumulating countless resources. For millennia, they have remained hidden in Jiangnan Circuit, unknown to outsiders.
It wasn't until he assisted Hu Jie this time that the King Zhennan saw the true strength of the Jiangnan Aristocratic Families; in just one month, they were able to assemble an army of 100,000.
The King Zhennan had always been extremely wary of the powerful Jiangnan Aristocratic Families. Ever since he overthrew the Great Li Imperial Family, he had been dedicated to suppressing the Jiangnan Aristocratic Families.
Once the Jiangnan Aristocratic Families are given some breathing room, it may not take many years before they can transform their millennia-old foundation into strength.
"That's right, Your Highness. This old servant asked the Grand Secretary in the Hanlin Academy, and apart from Nangong Wenqing, the others all said they had never seen or received any memorials."
There are six Grand Secretary in the Grand Secretariat. Five of them are his confidants, all of whom he placed in the Grand Secretariat. Only Nangong Wenqing belongs to Hu Jie's faction.
These five Grand Secretary were all his confidants, so they were naturally trustworthy and would not betray him. Therefore, it was highly likely that Nangong Wenqing had intercepted this memorial.
The more the King Zhennan pondered, the more strange things seemed, and the vigilance in his eyes grew stronger.
The Grand Secretariat is the institution that handles affairs of the court. He is able to control the entire court situation by relying on the Grand Secretariat. Through the Grand Secretariat, he can decide all matters of the court.
Nangong Wenqing is a confidant of Hu Jie, the current Lord of Great Li. Although Hu Jie is now a puppet in his hands, he still has a slight influence on the court, which is due to Nangong Wenqing's influence in the Grand Secretariat.
These past few days, he had been trying to remove Nangong Wenqing from the Grand Secretariat, completely control Grand Secretariat, and make Hu Jie a puppet with no power to resist, but he had not succeeded yet.
The reason is that Nangong Wenqing is too shrewd and meticulous in his work, never revealing any flaws. Even if he wanted to take action, he couldn't find a pretext.
The importance of Nangong Wenqing to the current Lord of Great Li is self-evident. It is unexpected that he would take such a great risk to stop that memorial and conceal the fact that so many unfamiliar faces have recently appeared in the Imperial Capital. Such behavior is truly unusual.
The King Zhennan glanced at the Night Watch Envoy kneeling on the ground, waved his hand to dismiss him, and then turned to look at the eunuch holding the scribe beside him.
"Grand Companion, why do you think Nangong Wenqing is hiding this matter?"
The eunuch holding the pens pondered for a moment before voicing his suspicions, "Your Majesty, do you remember that Nangong Wenqing went out of the Hanlin Academy some time ago?"
"You should know that the Hanlin Academy houses that very person."
Upon hearing the eunuch mention the Hanlin Academy, the King Zhennan's face turned extremely grim. The tragic deaths of his three Ancestor a few days ago had caused him heavy losses.
He had long been extremely wary of that Peak of Humanity in the Hanlin Academy, and his heart was filled with ruthlessness, wishing he could devour him whole.
However, this person's strength was too great, and the Great Ancestor and Second Ancestor were currently refining a fortuitous opportunity, so they temporarily set aside their hatred for this Peak of Humanity.
Today, the Hanlin Academy is a taboo place in the Imperial Capital, and all the former Hanlin Academy Official have been moved to the east of the city.
He already knew that Nangong Wenqing had gone to the Hanlin Academy some time ago, and he also knew Nangong Wenqing's purpose: to win him over. However, he felt that Nangong Wenqing would not succeed.
After all, this person remained unmoved even by the personal persuasion of the current Lord of Great Li. What could Nangong Wenqing possibly offer to sway him?
The King Zhennan understood the implication in the eunuch's words and objected, saying, "My Grand Companion, I know what you mean, but Lord of Great Li and that person are close friends, and neither could persuade him to leave his seclusion. For a mere Nangong Wenqing to think he can sway this person with just his silver tongue is simply laughable."
"But Your Majesty, these unfamiliar faces that have appeared in the Imperial Capital recently appeared precisely after Nangong Wenqing left the Hanlin Academy. Is this really just a coincidence?"
The words of the eunuch in charge of writing left the King Zhennan speechless and falling into silence.