Villains: Starting with the Landlady

Page 112

Ao Bai was the head of the four regents, wielding power and prestige. Many ministers were his protégés, subservient to him and following his instructions. Kangxi only had the Plain Yellow Banner and Plain Red Banner troops, insufficient to confront him directly.

Even if Emperor Kangxi wanted to eliminate Oboi, he had to find a legitimate excuse, otherwise the other ministers would also lose heart.

In many cases, apart from the founding emperor, ordinary emperors simply cannot have complete control over power, which is why Emperor Taizu of Song used the "banquet to release military power" as an example.

Kangxi had been waiting for an opportunity, and Lingyun had also been waiting and had already planned it out.

Aside from A'Zhu's ability to disguise himself, the reason he was able to infiltrate the palace was because he possessed the ability to read minds, allowing him to see through people's hearts and not be afraid of being discovered for saying the wrong thing.

Even if they are exposed, they can still exert mental control.

Although the latter is useless against powerful masters, there aren't many masters in the palace. Hai Dafu's martial arts are at most at the peak of the second tier. If Ling Yun is given a few days, he can take control of them one by one.

But why were the Manchus able to conquer the Central Plains despite having few skilled warriors?

This is the advantage of sheer numbers. Facing hundreds of thousands of Manchu soldiers wielding long-handled weapons and bows and arrows, even if all the martial arts practitioners in the world were tied together, they wouldn't be a match. Quantity leads to quality; even extraordinary masters would be submerged in the vast sea of ​​people. One person's strength is simply too weak.

In the preceding months, he had already met with members of the Heaven and Earth Society and the Red Flower Society.

They also discussed with members of the Heaven and Earth Society a plan to assassinate Emperor Kangxi in the palace.

A'Zhu is his contact outside the palace. After receiving his instructions, she will find the Heaven and Earth Society hidden in various secret strongholds, and then gather heroes to assassinate them.

If he doesn't come out for a long time, it means the plan has changed. In that case, let A'Zhu go out of the city first and ride back on a flying lightning bolt, and I will get away later.

After spending two days in the palace, Ling Yun not only turned most of the eunuchs and guards into his own people, but also sent messages to A'Zhu, waiting for the day Ao Bai would return.

Assassinating Emperor Kangxi? Absolutely unnecessary; they're already on our side.

Ling Yun's goal was to use the Heaven and Earth Society as a weapon to eliminate Ao Bai, his enemy. With Ao Bai dead, Kangxi could then fully assume control of the Qing Dynasty, and subsequent actions could be planned.

Furthermore, the Heaven and Earth Society consistently advocated "overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming," which had nothing to do with Ling Yun's Yan Kingdom, so no one would suspect him.

When there is only one voice in the world, even if some people realize something is wrong, they are powerless to change the situation, because the dead cannot speak.

On this day, Ao Bai returned to the palace.

He went to the front lines against the Liao Kingdom and fought a fierce battle with King Xiao of Liao. Although he was defeated, he was still honorable.

Ling Yun was quite shocked when he heard the news, because Ao Bai was at most a strong and ordinary man. How could he have fought Qiao Feng head-on and still return to the palace alive?

Ling Yun glanced at Ao Bai from afar and was somewhat astonished when he saw his A+ strength. As expected of a modified world, Ao Bai had actually been strengthened!

However, this would likely make things even more difficult for the members of the Heaven and Earth Society. If they wanted to kill Ao Bai, they would need his secret assistance.

He then ordered the palace eunuchs to pass the secret letter to A'Zhu outside, and the girl found the Heaven and Earth Society members through Ling Yun's secret letter.

"Miss A'Zhu, we beg the Prince of Yan to lend us a hand tonight!"

The leader of the Heaven and Earth Society was named Chen Jinnan. He was skilled in martial arts, but no match for Ao Bai. However, he made the same mistake as everyone else: he underestimated the experts in the palace, believing himself to be the true master of the martial arts world. He thought that with Ling Yun as an inside man, he could definitely kill the Manchu emperor.

"Don't worry, Chief Chen, our young master will help you."

Everyone was deeply impressed by A Zhu's incredible disguise skills, since when A Zhu first came to them with Ling Yun's edict, she disguised herself as Chen Jinnan, and the real person thought he had encountered a ghost.

Now that he has this trick up his sleeve, it's not a big problem for Ling Yun to stay in the palace for many days.

Ling Yun explained that there were many people and eyes in the palace. If he were just a martial artist, he could have chosen to die with Kangxi. However, he still held the identity of the Prince of Yan, so he could not easily expose himself. That was why he reached a cooperative relationship with them.

Chen Jinnan also expressed his approval, and deeply admired that Kangxi would risk his life to assassinate him even though he was already the emperor.

Because the Yan Kingdom had already withstood the Qing Dynasty's offensive, even leaving the Qing Dynasty no time to attend to them, Ling Yun could stay safely in the Suzhou Imperial Palace and enjoy his life.

After A'Zhu left, Chen Jinnan's passion was ignited. He immediately summoned the leaders of the various branch leaders and prepared to assassinate the emperor in the palace that night.

Late at night, a group of people sneaked up to the palace gates. A member of the Heaven and Earth Society meowed four times like a cat, and the palace gates were actually slowly opened!

"The earthquake-stricken hills, the ancient beauty of the Western Hills," a man dressed as a eunuch asked quietly.

"The gate faces the sea, where three rivers converge and flow for ten thousand years!"

Once the code was given, the eunuch and the guards opened the door, allowing the group of members of the Heaven and Earth Society to slip inside.

Chapter 276 The Modified Ao Bai

The entire palace has now become Lingyun's chessboard, allowing the members of the Heaven and Earth Society to move freely without hindrance.

When they finally reached the Qianqing Palace, countless torches lit up, illuminating the area as bright as day.

"Hmph, you bunch of traitors from the Heaven and Earth Society, I've been waiting for you here!"

Ao Bai was dressed in a Qing Dynasty official robe, with a full beard, an official hat, and a long braid at the back of his head. He walked like a fierce tiger.

Chen Jinnan and his entourage, their faces covered with black cloth, were surprised that Ao Bai had discovered their identities. But they had already arrived here, and were quickly surrounded by imperial guards, leaving them with no way to retreat!

"Damn it, could it be that Murong Fu betrayed us?"

"I don't know, but we have no way out. Killing even one is a bonus!"

The group exchanged glances, and without a word, grabbed their weapons and charged at Ao Bai.

Seeing that the other guards were about to come to protect him, Ao Bai waved his arm, ordering everyone to retreat, and then charged into the crowd of the Heaven and Earth Society alone, unarmed.

A master of the Heaven and Earth Society gripped a large knife and slashed at Ao Bai. Ao Bai simply raised his arm to block, and the knife broke in two the instant it touched his arm.

"Hahaha, you bunch of traitors with your paltry skills dare to assassinate the Emperor!?"

Ao Bai laughed loudly, grabbed the man's collar, and punched him hard in the chest with his other hand.

The man's pupils were wide open, his sternum was sunken, and blood was oozing from the corner of his mouth; he was clearly not going to survive.

"Brother Li!"

Chen Jinnan's eyes were bloodshot with rage. He watched as one of his brothers died at Ao Bai's hands, and as the leader of the sect, he naturally wouldn't let it go so easily.

He feigned an attack with his longsword, and after Ao Bai withstood his sword strike, Chen Jinnan formed his right hand into a claw and unleashed his ultimate technique, "Blood Coagulation Divine Claw".

This claw technique is extremely vicious. Those struck by it suffer from qi and blood stagnation, which is very difficult to resolve. Even if Ao Bai's external skills are excellent, he would not be able to easily treat internal injuries.

As expected, although Ao Bai withstood the force of Chen Jinnan's claw, he soon felt a tightness in his chest, immediately slapped away Chen Jinnan's palm, and took two steps back.

"Crooked ways."

Ao Bai roared and then charged at the other members of the Heaven and Earth Society like a madman, slaughtering them indiscriminately like a humanoid Gundam.

Chen Jinnan naturally wanted to rescue his brothers, but Ao Bai repeatedly used the bodies of members of the Heaven and Earth Society as human shields, preventing Chen Jinnan from launching an effective attack against him.

Seeing that his brothers were almost all dead, Chen Jinnan cried out in grief and was just about to fight to the death when a steel pellet was suddenly shot from not far away.

The iron ball struck Ao Bai precisely in the back of the knee, causing his legs to buckle and him to collapse to the ground.

Chen Jinnan immediately guessed that the person in the palace who was helping him was Ling Yun. Although he resented Ling Yun for not taking action, the biggest enemy in the palace right now was Ao Bai. Only by subduing him could he have any hope of survival; otherwise, he would be trapped and die!

He used the Blood-Coagulating Divine Claw again, grabbing Ao Bai's neck, but Ao Bai was too fierce, smashing his arm open and sending him flying several meters away with a single palm strike.

Chen Jinnan spat out a mouthful of blood, while Ao Bai, who was opposite him, was also in a bloodthirsty frenzy. He abandoned his hunt for the others and roared as he charged at Chen Jinnan.

Two more iron pellets flew over, and Ao Bai fell to the ground again. However, he could no longer stand up because the two iron pellets were embedded in his bones. Any exertion would cause him excruciating pain and leave him feeling weak in his limbs.

Chen Jinnan, clutching his chest, approached him and gripped his head with his Blood-Coagulating Divine Claw.

With his vital points attacked, Ao Bai, like a trapped beast, threw a final punch, but his head was also torn to pieces by Chen Jinnan.

With Ao Bai dead, Chen Jinnan seriously injured, and the other rebels of the Heaven and Earth Society were all killed by the Imperial Guards.

"You traitor!"

After the situation calmed down, a cheerful young voice rang out. Chen Jinnan, who was being held back by countless spears, looked towards the West Warm Pavilion, where a handsome young man walked out, fanning himself with a fan.

With Ao Bai dead and everyone else under Ling Yun's control, he naturally regained his previous physique and appearance.

"Murong Fu!"

In his excitement, Chen Jinnan tried to rush over, but was firmly held back by the imperial guards.

"You despicable and shameless scoundrel!"

"Despicable and shameless?" Ling Yun closed his fan and tapped it a few times in his palm. "What makes you say that?"

"I never imagined that the dignified Prince of Yan would actually become a dog of the Qing Dynasty! Cough cough..." Chen Jinnan coughed up several mouthfuls of blood because his tone was too agitated.

"Then you may have misunderstood."

Ling Yun stood with his hands behind his back and announced loudly, "Xuan Ye!"

Then, under Chen Jinnan's incredulous gaze, Kangxi quickly walked to Ling Yun's side and bowed obsequiously, saying, "Young Master Ling, what are your orders?"

"How, how is it possible..."

Chen Jinnan's pupils contracted slightly. He never expected that Kangxi would act this way towards Ling Yun!

Nothing is impossible in this world.

Ling Yun unfolded his folding fan and fanned Chen Jinnan: "Actually, I have another question I want to ask you. Are the members of the Red Flower Society going to the capital soon?"

The two major anti-Qing forces in this world are the Heaven and Earth Society and the Red Flower Society. These two troublesome organizations have considerable manpower, but these martial arts figures do not obey Ling Yun, the "leader of the martial arts alliance," and even if they succeed in their rebellion, they will still try to harm his Great Yan Kingdom in the future.

The leader of the Red Flower Society was Chen Jialuo, the son of a Qing Dynasty official. Strictly speaking, he was a brother of Emperor Kangxi.

But the one who stood out the most was Wen Tailai, the fourth leader of the Red Flower Clan, also known as "Thunder Hand".

When Chen Jinnan heard Ling Yun ask him these questions, he immediately knew what Ling Yun was planning, and without saying a word, he wanted to bite his tongue and commit suicide.

But just as he was about to bite down, his body seemed to lose control; his jaw tightened, and he couldn't bring himself to bite.

"Indeed, among all the people I've met, you have the best willpower."

Ling Yun used his powerful mental control to subdue Chen Jinnan, then used the handle of his fan to press against Chen's chin: "However, I don't need you to speak to know what you're thinking."

The young man's strange eyes seemed to see right through him, and Chen Jinnan only met his gaze for a moment before quickly closing his eyes.

"Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Wen Tailai will be here in the next couple of days... Okay, I understand."

Chen Jinnan suddenly opened his eyes, looking at Ling Yun in fear, his lips trembling, but he couldn't utter a single word.

"Don't worry, you won't die that easily." Ling Yun placed his large hand on Chen Jinnan's blood-stained forehead. Chen Jinnan felt his consciousness blur for a moment, and then he fell into a deep sleep.

The imperial guards carried Chen Jinnan to the prison, and the rest was left to Emperor Kangxi to handle.

Tonight's events can be described as killing two birds with one stone. It not only eliminated Ao Bai, Kangxi's biggest thorn in his side, but also rounded up the high-ranking members of the Heaven and Earth Society. Kangxi is probably so happy he can't sleep.

Ling Yun didn't know if he could sleep, but he knew that Princess Jianning and A'Zhu, dressed as Jianning's maid, wouldn't be getting a good night's sleep tonight.

Chapter 277 Wen Tailai's Tragedy

That night, two uninvited guests sneaked into the capital.

The two of them arrived at an inn and knocked on the door. The innkeeper opened the door, peeking out half his head, gave a secret signal, and then let them in.

"You two are staying in two guest rooms?" The innkeeper spread out his ledger and was about to write when his brush hovered above the page.

"Yes."

The man was of average appearance, but he looked heroic and fierce, and his words were firm and resolute.

"Alright then!" The innkeeper didn't ask any more questions, opened rooms for them, and had the sleepy waiter lead the two to their respective rooms.

After the waiter left, the woman sighed softly, "Brother Wen, I'm sorry..."

"Bing'er, there's no need to say anything more." Wen Tailai didn't dare to look the woman beside him directly in the eye, and said softly, "You and I are only husband and wife in name. It is I, Wen Tailai, who have delayed you."

"Brother Wen, if it weren't for you saving me, I wouldn't have ended up... crippled."

Wen Tailai was lost in thought, as if he had returned to the time when he first met Luo Bing in the Red Flower Society. At that time, the woman had fair and delicate skin, a beautiful face, and a clear and gentle voice, with the charm of a beauty from Jiangnan. Moreover, she was cheerful, had a charming smile, was kind and easy-going, and cared deeply for others, which captivated Wen Tailai instantly.

However, the Red Flower Society was, after all, an anti-Qing organization, and it was frequently wiped out by the Qing army.

Just before he was about to express his feelings, their secret base was raided again, and the leader was none other than Ao Bai!

They were no match for Ao Bai, but other brothers sacrificed themselves to buy them time. Wen Tailai could have left, but seeing Luo Bing about to die, he took a blow for her.

That palm strike destroyed his kidney acupoint, turning a man in the prime of his life into a useless cripple.

Luo Bing felt guilty towards him, and subsequently married him.

However, she ultimately had no affection for Wen Tailai, and after meeting the legendary Prince Murong Fu of Yan not long ago, she fell in love at first sight.

Wen Tailai naturally noticed her admiring expression, which made him very annoyed. He became displeased with Ling Yun and even argued with her several times during their conversations, but Chen Jialuo always managed to suppress his anger.

Luo Bing naturally understood why he was unhappy with Ling Yun, but she had already married Wen Tailai. No matter how useless he was, she couldn't leave him at this time. Otherwise, the brothers and sisters in the association would gossip about her behind her back.

When Luo Bing heard from the Heaven and Earth Society that Murong Fu had disguised himself and infiltrated the palace and was planning to join forces with the Heaven and Earth Society to assassinate Emperor Kangxi, she couldn't sleep for several nights. In the end, Wen Tailai agreed to bring her over to support Ling Yun.

"Binger."