thefictionvixens Chapter 111 The Right to Live
Chapter 111 The Right to Live
Chapter 111 The Right to Live
Two days later.
In Jiang Fuhai's barracks at the Jiangnan Navy's Chizhou camp, he sat behind a desk, holding a small piece of paper in his hand.
This note was taken from the leg of a carrier pigeon. The handwriting on it is fine and it is a secret document used by the Censorate.
He read very slowly, word by word.
Two days ago, the imperial court issued an edict appointing Lai Mingcheng, an imperial envoy of the Censorate, as the immediate envoy to Chizhou to conduct a full investigation into the assassination of the Princess.
No matter what is ultimately found out, the Chizhou military camp and local officials in Chizhou will not escape the charge of "inadequate rescue efforts."
His Majesty will use this as a pretext to take action against the Jiangnan navy.
Dismantle, adjust defenses, replace generals — like boiling a frog in lukewarm water, prying it open piece by piece.
Jiang Fuhai's gaze lingered on the word "adjustment" for a long time.
The Jiangnan Navy was built up by Miss Ye herself.
Miss Ye's influence can be seen in everything from warships and military pay to training regulations and even the selection of the first batch of officers.
Without Miss Ye, there would be no Jiangnan Navy today.
But now Miss Ye is gone.
His Majesty would naturally not allow such an army, which was not under his control, to be left alone. He wanted to take control of the Jiangnan Navy, and no one had any reason to stop him.
In the last few lines of the note, Chen Pingping wrote very straightforwardly.
The one who tied the knot must untie it.
The key to whether the Chizhou camp, or even the entire Jiangnan navy, can survive this calamity lies with Her Highness the Eldest Princess.
There might still be a chance if the eldest princess is willing to step in.
But the possibility of the eldest princess intervening —
Not big.
Jiang Fuhai held the paper close to the candle flame, watching it burn to ashes.
He was silent for a few moments before speaking: "Prepare the horses."
The guard hesitated for a moment: "Commander, where to?"
"A villa by the river".
A villa by the river.
Under the porch in the front yard, Huang Yi and the rest of the Junshan Society had been waiting for almost an hour.
The group of twenty-three people, except for Huang Yi, were all of the eighth and seventh ranks, each covered in dust from their journey and with old wounds that hadn't been properly treated.
They arrived in the morning.
When they arrived, the princess did not see them. Chunmei only came out for a glance and said to wait, and then no one paid any attention to them.
Huang Yi stood at the front, his hands hanging at his sides, his face expressionless.
Since he was wanted by the imperial court and rescued by the princess, and then established the Junshan Society, he has made the Junshan Society the sharpest weapon in His Highness's hands.
Over the years, Junshan has killed many people and completed many missions for His Highness.
He thought he had done a good job.
This time, however, they even leaked their departure time and route, failing to provide timely support to His Highness, which led to His Highness's peril. Thinking of the Princess's ruthless methods, Huang Yi's Adam's apple bobbed, and a trace of fear flashed in his eyes.
The people behind him began to exchange uneasy glances, and someone quietly took half a step forward.
"leader----"
"Shut up." Huang Yi didn't turn around, his voice very low. "Wait."
The corridor fell silent again.
Only the early summer breeze rustled through the courtyard, making the leaves whisper in the wind.
Just then, footsteps came from the backyard.
Everyone looked up at the same time.
Wu Feng, holding his embroidered spring knife, walked out of the moon gate with unhurried steps and stood directly in front of the group of people.
He stood with his embroidered spring knife planted on the ground, his hands clasped together on the hilt, just watching them.
He didn't say anything.
The sunlight shone on his face, revealing no emotion.
The people behind Huang Yi began to feel uneasy, but dared not move, and could only endure that gaze.
After a while, Huang Yi stepped forward and asked, "Sir, when will Her Highness the Princess grant us an audience?"
Wu Feng did not answer immediately.
He looked up at the sky.
As the sun rose higher, the shadows cast shrank into short, sparse clusters.
"It'll probably be noon in about 15 minutes." His voice was calm.
Huang Yi's heart sank.
He didn't understand what those words meant, but the tone made his back tense.
Wu Feng turned his gaze back and swept it over the twenty-three people.
"A group of assassins whose movements are so easily tracked and whose paths are blocked. His Highness is very disappointed in you."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the people in the courtyard changed slightly.
Because they knew what His Highness would do if he was disappointed.
Wu Feng didn't wait for them to speak.
"His Highness has no interest in knowing who the mole is," he continued. "Her original intention was to kill you all, leaving no one alive."
Fear flashed across everyone's faces.
Huang Yi stood there, his lips moved, but no sound came out.
"Now," Wu Feng said, "you might still have a chance to live."
He raised his hand and gestured around the courtyard.
"There are too many of you. Junshan Society doesn't need so many people."
"There are still 25 minutes until noon. I will come again at noon."
His gaze swept across everyone's face.
"At that time, whoever can still stand will have the right to live."
"Right here in this courtyard."
He pulled the embroidered spring knife from the ground, its tip pointing downwards.
"Don't even think about running away."
"If you choose to escape, I guarantee you will suffer a fate worse than death."
Done.
He turned and walked towards the Moon Cave entrance.
The footsteps were neither hurried nor slow, and soon disappeared behind the door.
The courtyard was deathly silent.
Everyone stood still, as if frozen in place by that sentence.
Two breaths.
Three breaths.
"Pfft!"
The sound of a knife blade cutting through flesh.
Huang Yi had already pulled the sword out of the throat of the person closest to him.
Blood gushed out, splattering on his face and dripping down his chin.
The man's eyes widened, he clutched his neck, made two gurgling sounds, and then fell straight down.
The body crashed to the ground, raising a small cloud of dust.
Everyone moved at the same time!
No one shouted, no one cursed.
Sword light, knife light, and palm wind exploded in the courtyard in an instant!
The sounds of clashing weapons, tearing flesh, muffled groans, and screams mingled together.
Someone tried to run away, but after taking only two steps, he was stabbed through the back of the heart by someone chasing after him.
Someone knelt down and begged for mercy, but before they could finish speaking, their throat was slit.
Many people were covered in blood, and it was impossible to tell whether it was their own or someone else's.
Huang Yi cleaved through the person blocking his path with a single sword strike, then slashed through another who lunged at him.
He knew His Highness's rules all too well.
This is not a threat, this is the last chance.
Only those who can stand up have the right to live.
At the entrance of the courtyard, Wu Feng leaned against the wall.
He listened to the increasingly intense screams and the sounds of clashing weapons inside, his face expressionless.
He didn't look inside.
He simply placed the embroidered spring knife across his lap and quietly waited for noon.
It was noon.
Wu Feng got up and pushed open the courtyard gate.
The pungent smell of blood hit me, thick as an impenetrable fog.
Nineteen corpses lay scattered haphazardly in the courtyard.
The bluestone slabs were soaked in blood, making them sticky to the touch.
There were three other people standing next to Huang Yi.
One woman and two men.
Four people.
Of the twenty-three people, four survived.
One is a ninth-rank official, and three are at the peak of the eighth-rank.
At this moment, a maid came to report that Jiang Fuhai, the military commander of Chizhou, had arrived and requested an audience with His Highness.
A smile appeared on Wu Feng's face. So they've finally arrived.
Immediately afterwards, he instructed a maid to bring Jiang Fuhai to this courtyard.