Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 690

Chapter 690: White Hair

Pei Que knew that Xu Wenyong had outside help, but he didn’t know who it was.

An Zhi sat opposite Pei Que, pouring him tea. “Xu Wenyong controls most of the military force in the capital, but fortunately, he has the Imperial Guards backing him up, so he doesn’t dare to act rashly.”

“But now, the return of the imperial clan to the capital has significantly strengthened the Empress Dowager’s side,” Pei Que continued. “Xu Wenyong uses the people from the Central Plains to restrain the Bai and Tao families, so he doesn’t dare to act easily. To break the balance, he can only borrow troops from outside.”

An Zhi nodded in agreement. “The northern grasslands have been buying salt and minerals from the Jin Dynasty for years. If Xu Wenyong makes some promises, they might help him.”

If Xu Wenyong gains the support of the northern grasslands, it might cause some trouble.

“This matter is difficult for us to handle,” An Zhi thought for a moment. If they intervened, it would be time-consuming and laborious; they themselves would be busy avoiding being targeted, and the northern grasslands were so far away. “It’s better to leak this news to the Yun family, let the two families continue their feud, and we will add fuel to the fire as needed.”

Pei Que laughed twice. “Madam has really become wicked.”

An Zhi glared at Pei Que. “One is influenced by one’s company; it’s because I’ve spent so much time with you that I’ve become like this.”

“Yes, Madam’s right.” Pei Que went out to find Shuo Feng to make arrangements.

After Pei Que gave his orders, the news reached the capital. The Empress Dowager sat up all night, unable to sleep, and sent people to investigate before dawn.

By March, the Empress Dowager had finally caught someone who had dealings with Xu Wenyong. However, the Empress Dowager was clever; she didn’t bring Xu Wenyong out directly but only killed the person she had arrested, seizing some power from Xu Wenyong.

From this point on, the Empress Dowager’s power was rapidly shifting from Xu Wenyong’s to that of the military.

However, Xu Wenyong was no pushover. After a month of relative calm, in mid-April, he had Xiao Zheng killed.

Xiao Zheng had finally risen to the position of Commander of the Imperial Guards, but Xu Wenyong used Xiao Zheng’s leave while he was drinking to have him murdered.

With Xiao Zheng dead, the Imperial Guards was once again leaderless. Without a suitable person to stabilize it, the Empress Dowager’s defenses were crumbling.

Unable to find a suitable replacement, the Empress Dowager had no choice but to appoint Lin Fan, who had lost an arm.

Lin Fan was capable and cunning, but his missing arm made it difficult for him to command respect.

Impatience quickly spread within the Imperial Guards. Within two days, several men had died suddenly, the deaths attributed to fighting and brawling.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xu Wenyong planted someone within the Imperial Guards. This loophole, exploited, unearthed a murder case from Yun Xingbang’s past, secretly supporting the victim in suing Yun Xingbang before the Prefect of the Capital.

Over a decade ago, Yun Xingbang had slept with a young woman, who then hanged herself. The woman was an ordinary citizen, silenced by threats from the Yun family, unable to speak out.

This incident suddenly resurfaced. Yun Xingbang’s official career was already mediocre; he had been suspended twice before, and now this scandal had surfaced.

The Empress Dowager wanted to help cover it up, but Xu Wenyong had gathered ample evidence, firmly implicating Yun Xingbang.

The case dragged on until June, when the people sat at the palace gates, petitioning for his execution.

The Emperor was subject to the same laws as commoners. Yun Xingbang, the emperor’s brother-in-law, had repeatedly committed crimes. Public anger, fueled by Xu Wenyong’s men, surged, and they demanded Yun Xingbang’s execution.

After several days and nights, streaks of white appeared in the Empress Dowager’s once-black hair, and she hadn’t slept much for several nights due to worry.