Shuhan

At this time in the Taiji Hall, Liu Chan was sitting upright on the dragon throne.

He was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe and a crown on his head. His face was stern, and his eyes showed majesty and worry.

Despite the chaos outside, he still maintained the calm and composure of an emperor.

"Your Majesty, the fire has been initially brought under control, but parts of the palace are still engulfed in flames."

A minister hurried into the hall and knelt down to report to Liu Chan. His clothes were a little messy and his forehead was covered with sweat. It was obvious that he had just rushed in from the fire scene.

Liu Chan nodded slightly and said, "Continue to increase the efforts to put out the fire and ensure the safety of the people in the palace. At the same time, pass on my order and have the imperial guards step up their alert to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos."

His voice was steady and powerful, echoing in the empty Tai Chi Hall, giving people a sense of security.

"Yes, sir!" After receiving the order, the minister quickly withdrew.

Liu Chan leaned back on the dragon throne, closed his eyes slightly, and pondered secretly in his heart.

The fire came too unexpectedly. Since the implementation of the policy of measuring land and registering households, although it has affected the interests of some people, it has also brought real benefits to the people.

Could it be that those powerful families were unwilling to accept defeat and deliberately set the fire in order to take advantage of the opportunity to harm themselves?
Thinking of this, a hint of coldness flashed in Liu Chan's eyes. He suddenly opened his eyes and said to the guards beside him: "Strengthen the defense of Taiji Hall. No one is allowed to approach at will."

"Yes!" The guards responded in unison, their voices uniform and loud.

At this time, Huang Yu and others had quietly approached the Tai Chi Hall.

They hid in a shadow and observed the situation around the Tai Chi Hall.

Outside the Taiji Hall, the imperial guards were seen patrolling vigilantly with spears in hand.

The palace door was closed, and several burly guards stood at the door with stern expressions, which made people feel intimidated.

"Brother, the Taiji Hall is so heavily guarded, how can we get in?" the thin soldier asked anxiously.

Huang Yu frowned, thought for a moment and then said: "Don't worry, there will always be a chance. Wait a minute, when they change shifts, we will find a gap and rush in. Remember, we must be quick and don't give them time to react."

Just as Huang Yu and others were discussing quietly, a hurried and chaotic sound of footsteps came closer and closer.

Huang Yu and the others instantly hid in a shadow like frightened rabbits, their bodies pressed tightly against the cold wall.

I saw several imperial guards carrying heavy buckets and running hurriedly towards the fire scene.

Their faces were filled with anxiety and fatigue, with sweat dripping down their cheeks and wetting the armor on their chests.

Huang Yu widened his eyes and looked carefully at the faces of the imperial guards in the flickering firelight as they passed by.

Suddenly, he saw clearly the appearance of one of the leading imperial guards, and his heart suddenly filled with joy, as if he had seen a ray of light in the darkness.

"Brothers, the opportunity has come." Huang Yu lowered his voice and said excitedly, with a barely perceptible tremor in his voice.

"The leader of the imperial guards is an old acquaintance of mine. Wait a minute, I will try to get close to him and distract their attention, and you can take the opportunity to rush in. Remember, you must be quick and don't give them time to react." Huang Yu said as he glanced sharply at the brothers around him, as if conveying to them the belief that they must win.

Time passed slowly in the tense waiting, and every second seemed as long as a century.

Finally, after a while, it was time to change shifts.

Huang Yu took a deep breath, adjusted his breathing and emotions, then strode out, forced a warm smile on his face, and shouted to the familiar imperial guard: "Brother Zhang, long time no see!"

His voice sounded particularly loud in the silent night, yet it was deliberately intimate.

When the imperial guard heard the shout, he was stunned at first and stopped subconsciously.

He turned his head and saw Huang Yu's face clearly in the dim light. He first showed a hint of doubt on his face, and then quickly smiled: "Brother Huang, why is it you? Why are you here?"

As the imperial guard named Zhang spoke, he put down the bucket in his hand and went to meet him.

Huang Yu walked forward, stretched out his broad palm, patted Zhang Jinjun's shoulder heavily, and said with emotion: "Alas, it's hard to explain. Today, the palace caught fire. It's such a big thing. I was sent by the higher-ups to help put out the fire. I didn't expect to meet you in this mess. By the way, how is the situation inside? Is the fire under control?"

As Huang Yu spoke, he glanced casually at the brothers behind him and gave them a secret wink.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries. Huang Yu appeared relaxed and cheerful on the surface, but his heart was like a taut string, ready at all times.

At this moment, the thin soldier, like a cheetah ready to attack, suddenly drew out the shining long sword from his waist and rushed towards the guards at the door.

Several other soldiers also drew their weapons at the same moment and followed closely behind, their eyes flashing with madness and determination, like a group of vicious wolves about to pounce on their prey.

The guards at the door were watching the surroundings vigilantly. Suddenly they saw several figures rushing over and were shocked. "There are assassins! Protect the emperor!"

A guard reacted quickly and shouted loudly, his voice sharp and urgent, instantly breaking the already tense atmosphere.

As he shouted, he quickly raised the spear in his hand, the tip of the spear flashing with a cold light, pointing directly at the assassin rushing towards him.

Huang Yu saw that the truth was revealed and he no longer pretended. The smile on his face disappeared instantly, replaced by a ferocious look.

He suddenly drew out his sword, let out a roar, and joined the battle like an angry lion.

For a moment, the flashes of swords and the sounds of metal clashing were heard everywhere.

The shouts and cries of killing echoed outside the empty palace, causing pain in the eardrums. Outside the Taiji Palace, there was an instant chaos of fighting.

At this time, in the Taiji Hall, Liu Chan was sitting on the dragon throne. He was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, and the golden dragon embroidered on the dragon robe seemed to be flying into the sky under the candlelight.

Liu Chan had a stern face, and his eyes showed majesty and worry. Despite the chaos and noise outside, he still maintained the composure and calmness of an emperor, as if all the troubles in the world could not shake him in the slightest.

Liu Chan leaned back on the dragon throne, closed his eyes slightly, and tapped the armrests lightly with his slender fingers.

He thought to himself that the fire was too strange. Although the policy of measuring land and registering people had affected the interests of some people, it also brought tangible benefits to countless people and made the country's foundation more solid.

Could it be that those powerful families were unwilling to accept defeat and deliberately set the fire in order to take advantage of the opportunity to harm themselves?
Thinking of this, Liu Chan's eyes flashed with a hint of coldness, as if he could penetrate the layers of palaces and see through the conspiracy in the dark. He suddenly opened his eyes and said to the guards beside him: "Strengthen the defense of Taiji Hall. Without my order, no one is allowed to approach at will, not even a fly is allowed to enter."

"Yes!" The guards responded in unison. Their voices were uniform, loud, and full of power, like an indestructible wall protecting Liu Chan.

At this time, the fighting outside the hall became more and more intense.

Huang Yu wielded the long sword, and every swing was accompanied by a whistling sound. The sword light flashed like a silver lightning, trying to break through the defense line of the imperial guards.

His eyes were full of madness and despair, as if he had disregarded his own life and death. He had only one thought in his mind, which was to kill Liu Chan.

Liu Chan was in the hall and heard the deafening shouts of killing outside. He was shocked and stood up quickly with clean and neat movements without any delay.

He reached out and drew his sword from the sword rack beside him. The sword gleamed coldly, reflecting his stern face.

"I want to see who is so bold as to assassinate me in front of me. He is totally disregarding the law!" Liu Chan shouted angrily, his voice full of majesty and anger, as if it could penetrate the wall and reach the battlefield outside the palace. The guards quickly surrounded Liu Chan. They were dressed in silver armor and held spears, like a solid human wall.

Under the escort of the guards, Liu Chan walked out of the palace.

He walked steadily, with his head held high and chest puffed out. Every step he took exuded the majesty of an emperor, as if declaring to the assassins that he would never be intimidated by their conspiracy.

As soon as he reached the palace gate, Liu Chan saw Huang Yu and others fighting fiercely with the imperial guards.

The flickering firelight illuminated everyone's faces. Some had distorted faces and were full of anger; some looked nervous, concentrating on dealing with the enemy's attacks.

"You traitors, you dared to assassinate me. Today is the day you die!" Liu Chan shouted angrily, his voice as loud as a bell, echoing in the night sky. His eyes were cold, as if they could freeze these assassins.

When Huang Yu saw Liu Chan, a glimmer of madness flashed in his eyes, like a hungry wolf seeing its prey.

He roared like a wild beast, brandished his long sword, and rushed towards Liu Chan recklessly: "You tyrant, I'll kill you!"

His voice became hoarse with anger, as if he wanted to vent all the resentment in his heart in this roar.

Seeing this, the guards beside Liu Chan rushed forward. They were agile and quick, with spears in their hands like a forest, blocking Huang Yu's way in an instant.

Although Huang Yu was brave and strong, and every time he swung his sword, it was with great force, he was outnumbered after all.

The imperial guards were well-trained and coordinated, attacking Huang Yu from all directions.

Huang Yu blocked left and attacked right, and gradually several wounds appeared on his body, and blood stained his armor red.

But he still resisted stubbornly, with no sign of retreat in his eyes.

After a fierce battle, Huang Yu finally ran out of strength and stumbled, and was subdued by the imperial guards.

After a fierce battle, the other assassins were all captured. They were brought before Liu Chan, all of them were covered in dirt, with despair and fear in their eyes.

"Take these assassins away and interrogate them strictly. I want to know who is behind them. Don't let them off a single word." Liu Chan said coldly, his eyes filled with bone-chilling coldness, as if he wanted to cut these conspirators into pieces.

He turned around, strode into the Taiji Hall, and swore secretly in his heart that he must catch these traitors in one fell swoop and never allow them to destroy the stability and prosperity of the Han Dynasty. He wanted to make the Han Dynasty more stable in his hands and allow the people to live and work in peace.

. . .

The imperial prison of Luoyang City is located in a secret corner outside the imperial city, and it usually exudes a gloomy and terrifying atmosphere.

At this moment, the place was shrouded in a solemn atmosphere. In the dark and damp cell, the torches on the wall flickered, distorting the figures of the assassins in a strange and distorted way.

Several jailers were gearing up to torture the imprisoned assassin and force him to reveal the mastermind behind the scenes.

However, just as they were about to take action, something unexpected happened. The assassins suddenly raised their heads, their eyes wide open, filled with fear and despair.

Then, their bodies began to twitch uncontrollably and their limbs shook violently as if they were being pulled by an invisible force.

"This...what's going on?" a jailer said in horror, and the whip in his hand fell to the ground with a dull sound.

His face was as pale as paper, his forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, and his eyes were full of panic.

The other jailers were also stunned by the scene before them. They stood there blankly, at a loss as to what to do.

The assassins' convulsions became more and more violent, with white foam constantly pouring out of their mouths and flowing onto the ground from the corners of their mouths.

After a while, their bodies stopped shaking and they fell straight to the ground, without a breath.

When the commander of the military department heard the news, his face turned pale instantly.

He was fully aware of the seriousness of the matter and did not dare to delay for even a moment. He immediately took a few of his men and rushed to the palace in a hurry.

Along the way, his heart was filled with anxiety and uneasiness, and the scene of the assassin's sudden death kept appearing in his mind.

"Hurry, faster!" The commander of the Jianjun Division kept urging, with a tremor in his voice.

Finally, the commander of the spy army arrived at the palace where Liu Chan was.

He hurried into the hall, knelt on one knee, and said in a hurried voice: "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Those assassins suddenly convulsed in the imperial prison, foamed at the mouth, and died on the spot!"

When Liu Chan heard this, his originally calm face suddenly became stern.

There was a flash of anger in his eyes, and he snorted coldly, saying: "Humph, so they are the dead soldiers. These people are loyal, but it's a pity that they are used in the wrong place."

Liu Chan narrowed his eyes slightly and fell into deep thought.

After a moment, Liu Chan raised his head, his eyes revealing firmness and determination, and said: "Investigate where these imperial guards who attempted the assassination are from, and who they have communicated with recently. In addition, screen the imperial guards in Luoyang City and make sure to find out those who have evil intentions to prevent those who are interested from plotting rebellion again."

Liu Chan's voice was deep and powerful, and every word seemed to carry a tremendous amount of weight.

"As you command!" After receiving the order, the commander of the Jianjun Division quickly stood up and turned to leave. His steps were firm and his eyes were filled with a sense of mission.

Liu Chan looked at the departing figure of the commander of the military department and pondered in his heart.

The forces behind these assassins must be very large and cunning.

Although the assassination failed, they will never give up.

I must handle this situation carefully and not let the Han Dynasty fall into crisis.

In the following days, the spies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs moved through the streets and alleys of Luoyang City like ghosts. They went deep into the tents of the Imperial Guards and carefully investigated the origins and recent whereabouts of each soldier who attempted to assassinate the Imperial Guards.

In a tent of the Imperial Guards, spies were questioning a soldier.

"Where are you from? Have you had any contact with strangers recently?" The spy's eyes were sharp, staring at the soldier's eyes.

The soldier's eyes flashed with panic, but he quickly calmed down and said, "I am from Nanyang. Apart from training, I rarely come into contact with outsiders."

The spies did not miss the soldier's momentary panic. They continued to ask questions, not missing any details.

On the streets of Luoyang, spies were also gathering information, talking to the people and trying to find clues from their words.

"Sir, have you ever seen anyone with suspicious behavior around here?" A spy stopped an old man and asked respectfully.

The old man pondered for a moment and said, "A few days ago, I saw a few strangers, looking hurried, walking towards the direction of the Imperial Guards camp."

The spies were delighted when they heard this and continued to investigate further.

As the investigation deepens, clues gradually surface, and a larger conspiracy seems to be slowly unveiling its mysterious veil. (End of this chapter)