Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 463 Debts must be repaid

into the night.

The fluttering snowflakes finally stopped, and the Yang family, who had been happy all day because Yu was pregnant, also became quiet.

In the bedroom of the main courtyard, Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi were already sleeping soundly.

But late at night, Yang Zhengshan suddenly opened his eyes.

He heard some noises that shouldn't have happened, sounds like fighting.

The sounds of fighting came and went quickly. He could vaguely hear people talking, but the distance was too far and Yang Zhengshan couldn't hear clearly.

Just as Yang Zhengshan was hesitating whether to get up and ask about the situation, someone suddenly knocked on the door of the main courtyard.

"who!"

The gatekeeper walked out of the gatehouse wearing a coat and asked.

"Ding Qiu!"

"Manager Ding?"

"I have something urgent to discuss with the Marquis!" Ding Qiu stood outside the door.

"Manager Ding, wait a moment. I'll go tell Miss Qingxia!"

In the bedroom, Yu Qingyi also woke up, "What happened?"

Yang Zhengshan stood up and put on his clothes. "It shouldn't be a big deal. Go to sleep first!"

If it was a big deal, it wouldn't be so quiet outside. Of course, it was definitely not a small matter. If it was a small matter, Ding Qiu wouldn't come and knock on the door late at night.

Yu Qingyi got up and put a fur coat on Yang Zhengshan. At this time, Qingxia's voice was heard outside the door.

"Master, Steward Ding wants to see you for something!"

Yang Zhengshan put on his clothes and walked out of the bedroom, "You guys take a rest, I'll go take a look!"

After giving these instructions, Yang Zhengshan left the house.

"what's up?"

Ding Qiu lowered his voice and said, "Master Wei is here!"

"Master Wei? That Master Wei?"

"Secret Weapon Guard Wei Cen!"

Yang Zhengshan nodded calmly, "Where is the person?"

"I have already invited him to the tea room!" said Ding Qiu.

Yang Zhengshan's lips curled up slightly, "He wants to sneak into the Marquis' Mansion?"

"Well, it was Shitou who discovered it. I thought it was a thief, so I captured him!" said Ding Qiu.

The stone he mentioned is the Yang family's guard, one of the second batch of guards trained by the Yang family.

The first batch of guards trained by the Yang family was trained after Yang Zhengshan went to Anyuan City, and there were only 20 people. The second batch was also trained in Anyuan City. At that time, all the selected people were teenagers aged 15 or 16, and there were a total of 100 people.

As for the third and fourth batches, they are not just guards, some of the managers outside have been trained.

A moment later, Yang Zhengshan came to the tea room in the front yard.

Seeing Wei Cen sitting next to the tea table with his teeth bared, Yang Zhengshan grinned, "What do you think my mansion is? How dare you sneak in?"

When he was in Anyuan City before, Wei Cen came to the Yang family as if he were in an empty house. No one could find him except Yang Zhengshan.

But now Wei Cen actually wants to sneak into the Yang family. He really thinks that anyone can come to the Yang family at will.

Wei Cen looked at Ding Qiu behind Yang Zhengshan and said, "His cultivation was far inferior to mine back then!"

"You also said that was back then, and it's been almost ten years!" Yang Zhengshan sat down and looked Wei Cen up and down.

Ding Qiu has been in the Yang family for more than ten years. At that time, Ding Qiu had already reached the acquired realm when he was less than thirty years old. Now, more than ten years have passed, and Ding Qiu's cultivation has reached the ninth level of the acquired realm. He is the person with the highest cultivation in the Yang family except for Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi.

For example, Wu Zhan and Wu Zheng are only at the eighth level of the acquired realm now, and those disciples of the Tianqing Sword Sect who joined the Yang family in the past are now at the seventh level of the acquired realm.

And what about Wei Cen!

His cultivation has now reached the eighth level of the acquired realm, but the Yang family guards all have extraordinary hearing. Even Gu Yunjian, who has entered the innate realm, cannot hide from the ears of the Yang family guards, let alone him.

"Do you have something to talk to me about?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

"It's not me, it's the Admiral!" Wei Cen said.

"Eunuch Lu is here too?" Yang Zhengshan was a little surprised.

Wei Cen showed a solemn expression, "Not only the Admiral, but also the Lord Governor!"

Yang Zhengshan opened his mouth, shocked.

"Which governor?"

He actually had already guessed who it was, but he still wanted to confirm it.

"Eunuch Wang!" said Ding Qiu.

Yang Zhengshan took a breath of cold air.

"You guys really brought me a lot of trouble!"

Wang Zhongzhi had been stripped of his post and imprisoned a long time ago. Logically, Wang Zhongzhi should be in the imperial prison of the Miwuwei Zhenfu Division now, but he appeared in Chongshan Pass.

Without thinking, Yang Zhengshan knew that there must be a problem within the Secret Guard.

"The admiral said you owe him a favor!" Wei Cen said.

The corner of Yang Zhengshan's mouth twitched slightly. He did owe Wei Cen a favor.

At that time, Wei Cen also said that one day he might need his life-saving help. Yang Zhengshan never thought that this day would really come.

However, the issue at the moment is not about saving lives, but involves a struggle within the imperial city.

If there is a problem within the Secret Guard, then there is only one possibility: there is a problem within the Imperial City.

He had felt that the situation in Kyoto was a little strange before, and now it seemed that the source of everything might very well come from the imperial city.

Yang Zhengshan took a deep breath and asked, "Where are Eunuch Wang and Eunuch Lu?"

"South City!" Wei Cen said.

Yang Zhengshan thought for a moment and said, "Forget it, let's go and take a look first!"

"Tell the people below not to spread what happened tonight!"

After giving Ding Qiu an instruction, he left the Marquis' Mansion with Wei Cen.

The two did not leave openly, but quietly and stealthily. They even climbed over the city wall to get from the North City to the South City.

Although Yang Zhengshan only needed to say a word to open the city gate, he still chose to climb over the city wall with Wei Cen.

Be careful and you won’t make a big mistake!
When it comes to the Secret Guards and the Imperial City, one cannot be overly cautious.

As he crossed the city wall, Yang Zhengshan glanced at the patrolling soldiers.

The martial arts masters crossed the city wall as if they were in an empty space, and it was difficult for the soldiers on duty and training to discover them. There was nothing that could be done about it.

The skills of ordinary soldiers are too low, and it is too easy for martial arts masters to avoid their sight.

Moreover, the walls of South City and North City are not the focus of the soldiers' guarding. The outer wall of Chongshan Pass is important. Therefore, it is easy to climb over the wall between South City and North City, but it is much more difficult to climb over the outer wall of Chongshan Pass.

The two men came to the south city, and Wei Cen took Yang Zhengshan into the alleys in the south of the city, and finally stopped in front of a small courtyard.

Dang Dang Dang~~~
Wei Cen knocked gently on the gate.

With a creak, the gate opened and Yang Zhengshan saw a familiar face again.

Luo Chenhu, a centurion of the Miwuwei Town North Division, helped the governor's office to check the heads of the people at the front line when Yang Zhengshan led the Anyuan City Garrison Battalion to defeat seven Hu tribes during the Battle of Beidi. Later, Yang Zhengshan led the Tenglong Guards to Chongshan Town to quell the rebellion, and Luo Chenhu stayed with Lu Hua.

"Your humble servant greets the Marquis!" When Luo Chenhu saw Yang Zhengshan, his eyes lit up and he saluted with his fists.

Yang Zhengshan nodded calmly.

Common people!

Didn’t you call yourself a subordinate?

Does this mean you are giving up your position as the Secret Guard?

That’s right. Now that they have rescued Wang Zhongzhi from the imperial prison, it is equivalent to betraying Emperor Yanping and the Secret Guard.

At the same time, this also means that Luo Chenhu has complaints against the Secret Guards and the Emperor.

The courtyard is small, but there are quite a few people here, more than twenty people.

Yang Zhengshan took a casual glance and was sure that everyone here was a master of the Zhenbei Division!
How powerful is the Secret Guard Zhenbei Division?
It’s really hard to describe.

In terms of strength, Zhenbei Division should not have any very strong masters. At most, there are only one or two martial artists at the ninth level of the acquired realm.

But in terms of power, the shadows, secret agents, and imperial guards of the Zhenbei Division are spread throughout the four northern provinces of Dayong and the two border towns.

Lu Hua has been in charge of Zhenbei Division for more than ten years, and his control over Zhenbei Division has long been deeply rooted.

Just look at the people around him and you will understand. Even though Lu Hua rescued Wang Zhongzhi from the imperial prison, there are still so many masters guarding Lu Hua.

As he stepped into the main hall, Yang Zhengshan saw a familiar figure standing in the hall, but when he saw the face clearly, he couldn't help but reveal a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"Eunuch Lu?"

He could hardly believe that the person in front of him was Lu Hua.

The once handsome and calm Lu Hua was now wrapped up like a dumpling.

That handsome face was wrapped tightly in cotton cloth, revealing only a pair of deep eyes.

The bright red bloodstains seeped through the cotton cloth, looking particularly horrifying and hideous under the dim candlelight.

This is Lu Hua!

Yang Zhengshan really wasn't sure.

"My Lord, long time no see!" Lu Hua's voice also became much hoarser.

Yang Zhengshan remained silent.

Lu Hua didn't say anything either, just looked at him quietly.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the simple main room became solemn and depressing.

After a long while, Yang Zhengshan finally said, "What does Eunuch Lu need me to do?"

Hearing this, Lu Hua felt relieved.

Although Yang Zhengshan owed him a favor, he couldn't do anything to Yang Zhengshan if he was unwilling to repay the favor.

"I would like to ask the Marquis to come and see the Governor!" Lu Hua said.

"Where is the man?"

"This way!"

Lu Hua led Yang Zhengshan into the east bedroom.

Looking at Wang Zhongzhi lying on the bed, Yang Zhengshan felt that his description of Lu Hua just now was a little inadequate.

Lu Hua is not the zongzi, the Wang Zhongzhi in front of him is the zongzi.

Lu Hua only wrapped his face with cotton cloth, while Wang Zhongzhi's entire body was wrapped in cotton cloth.

"what happened to him?"

"There is nothing else in the Imperial Prison except torture!"

"Did someone from the Pacification Department do this?"

"No, Imperial Guards!"

Yang Zhengshan narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking that he had heard it wrongly.

"Imperial Guard Division?"

"That's right, they're from the Imperial Guard!" A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Lu Hua's eyes.

Yang Zhengshan was a little confused about this.

Both the Pacification Division and the Imperial Guard Division are part of the Secret Arms Guard.

Wang Zhongzhi has been in charge of the Secret Armed Guard for decades. Not to mention that he has absolute power in the Secret Armed Guard, it is absolutely impossible for him to lose power in such a short period of time!
Lu Hua seemed to see his confusion and explained, "The Imperial Guard is divided into the Dark Guard and the Blood Blade. The Blood Blade only obeys Your Majesty, and even the Lord Supervisor has no right to command it. Although the Dark Guard is under the jurisdiction of the Lord Supervisor, it is actually always in charge of Eunuch Chen!"

Eunuch Chen, Chen Zhongshu!
Yang Zhengshan suddenly realized that, to put it simply, Wang Zhongzhi did not have control over the Imperial Guard.

This is normal. As it involves the safety of the imperial city, the emperor will naturally be extra cautious and must let someone around him take charge.

Chen Zhongshu had already gone to the imperial mausoleum to guard the tomb of Emperor Chengping, and the current seal holder of the Imperial Household Department is Nan Sheng.

"So it's Nan Sheng who's behind this?"

"It shouldn't just be Nansheng!" Lu Hua said in a deep voice, "Nansheng is the commander of the Imperial Guard Division, but it is not easy for him to control the Imperial Guard Division. But now he has easily taken control of the Imperial Guard Division and has also extended his hand into the Secret Guard Division."

"In the past six months, if the secret guards want to submit memorials to the emperor, they must go through Nan Sheng's hands!"

Why was Emperor Yanping dissatisfied with Wang Zhongzhi?

One reason is that Wang Zhongzhi was not promoted by him, which made him feel that there was always a veil between him and Wang Zhongzhi, making him unable to trust Wang Zhongzhi.

The second reason is that in the past six months, the Secret Guards have hardly provided any important information to Emperor Yanping. As the emperor's eyes and ears, the Secret Guards should always report to him about things outside the imperial city. However, the Secret Guards did not even report such important information as "the new emperor is immoral and has brought disaster to the people." Naturally, Emperor Yanping would be dissatisfied with Wang Zhongzhi.

But did Wang Zhongzhi really not report it?
How can it be?

If Wang Zhongzhi didn't even have this much self-awareness, why would Emperor Chengping give him the command of the Secret Guard?
It’s not that Wang Zhongzhi didn’t report, but that Nan Sheng intercepted all the memorials from the Secret Guard.

"If it was just Nan Sheng alone, it would be impossible for him to intercept all the memorials from the Secret Guard!" Lu Hua said.

Yang Zhengshan didn't know through what channels the Secret Guard's memorials were presented to the emperor, but he knew that it was not an easy task to cut off the channels through which the Secret Guard delivered memorials.

Although Nan Sheng was the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, he was far from having the final say in the imperial city.

"So there are still people in the Imperial City helping Nan Sheng! And it's a pretty big force!"

Yang Zhengshan had a vague bad feeling in his heart.

Lu Hua looked at the unconscious Wang Zhongzhi and said, "This force is hidden very deeply, even the Lord Governor has not noticed it!"

He also made such a guess. In fact, he did not know the situation in the imperial city. After all, he had been outside the capital for many years. He only returned to Kyoto after Emperor Yanping ascended the throne.

Yang Zhengshan shook his head, "No, no!"

"What's wrong?"

"If there is a powerful force hidden in the imperial city, the Secret Guards may not be able to detect it, but did the late emperor not notice it either?"

Emperor Chengping was such a shrewd man. During his thirty-five years on the throne, except for the first few years, there had never been any disturbance in the imperial city.

If someone said that someone could station a large number of people in the imperial city, Yang Zhengshan would be the first one to not believe it.

Of course, if one only bribes a few young eunuchs, that would be unavoidable.

But what Nan Sheng did was definitely not something that could be accomplished by bribing a few eunuchs.

Lu Hua fell into deep thought. He also found it a little unbelievable, but the facts were right in front of him and he couldn't believe it even if he didn't want to.

(End of this chapter)