Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1713 The Great Qian Dynasty's Response Procedures for Emergency Events
October 3rd, night
Yi Jing, Xicheng District

A plump, middle-aged man, bundled up tightly, walked through the alleyway. The alley was muddy after the rain, but he didn't seem to care. He quickly weaved through the muddy alley, constantly looking back as if someone was chasing him.

Fifteen minutes later, the man walked out of the alley. Looking at the lanterns hanging high in the East District and the constables patrolling back and forth, a hint of joy appeared in the middle-aged man's eyes. He then quickened his pace, wanting to go over.

One hundred steps, eighty steps, fifty steps. As the man got closer and closer to the East District, his expression became more and more excited. Then he heard a faint whooshing sound behind him.

The man paid no attention to the whooshing sounds; at that moment, all he could see was the East District in front of him and the patrolling constables. He couldn't care less about anything else.

Just as hope was within reach, the man felt something pierce his body from behind. A sharp pain shot through his back, followed by a limp body and blurred vision.

The man instinctively wanted to say something, but before he could utter a sound, he could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground. At that moment, a man wearing a straw hat quickly approached the fallen middle-aged man, and at the same time, the patrolling constables also noticed the fallen middle-aged man and rushed over.

The man in the straw hat approached the middle-aged man first, picked him up, and tried to leave. At this moment, the leading constable, Ye Feiyang, realized that this man was no good and immediately rebuked him angrily:
"What are you doing! I'm a constable from the Yijing government office, stop right there..."

Upon hearing Ye Feiyang's words, the man in the straw hat not only did not stop, but quickened his pace. However, the man in his hand was too heavy, and the constables behind him quickly caught up.

The man in the straw hat quickly assessed the situation and made a decision. He took out a box of matches from his pocket, struck a match, and threw it at the middle-aged man, seemingly intending to burn the man's body.

However, the air was still quite humid after the rain, so when the match landed on the man's body, it ignited, but the flame was very small. Just then, Ye Feiyang rushed over and struck the man in the straw hat with a palm strike, saying:

"Thief! Where do you think you're going!"

Facing Ye Feiyang's palm strike, the man in the straw hat didn't even raise his head and countered with his own palm. The two palms clashed, and the next second Ye Feiyang was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground.

Ye Feiyang, who had just landed, coughed up blood and then shouted in terror:

"This person possesses profound internal strength and cannot be defeated by force! We need help! We need help!"
Upon hearing Ye Feiyang's words, the constables who arrived later also realized the gravity of the situation and immediately took out their whistles and began to blow them.

The next second, a sharp whistle rang out throughout the street. Hearing the whistle, the man in the straw hat seemed to panic. He didn't care about anything else and hurriedly hid in the alley.

Seeing this, Ye Feiyang stood up from the ground in a disheveled state and stopped his subordinates from chasing after them, saying:
"Don't chase him. This man is highly skilled in martial arts and extremely vicious. It's too risky to pursue him. You all contact the others now to seal off this area, and then send some experts over from above. This thief is definitely not an ordinary person..."

"Yes!"

Under Ye Feiyang's command, the constables quickly sprang into action. Ye Feiyang walked over to the middle-aged man, carefully blew out the flames on his body, and then began to examine him.

Ye Feiyang has loved martial arts since childhood. He learned martial arts from the bodyguards of the escort agency. Later, after the Ye family became wealthy, Ye Feiyang used his family connections to visit famous masters and improve his martial arts skills. This is why Ye Feiyang dared to take the lead and catch up with them!
Since joining the Yijing Prefecture government, Ye Feiyang has been treated with great courtesy by all the officials, big and small, because of his status as a member of the Ye clan. No one dares to offend this spoiled brat. However, the higher-ups also dare not assign Ye Feiyang any dangerous tasks, for fear that these tasks might harm him.

So Ye Feiyang found his time at the Yijing yamen quite boring. If it weren't for his elders' disapproval, he would have resigned from his job as a constable long ago. Therefore, when he saw the case, Ye Feiyang was very excited. He thought that the opportunity had finally come, and he was determined to seize it and show his colleagues at the yamen how capable he was.

However, he was immediately knocked down with a single palm strike, a stark contrast that only heightened Ye Feiyang's curiosity. Who was the man in the bamboo hat? In his view, the only people in Yijing capable of defeating him with a single blow were a few palace guards and a few people from the Command and Control Department. He never imagined that a seemingly ordinary man in a bamboo hat could possess such terrifying strength; it was truly astonishing…

Based on his astonishment at the opponent's high level of martial arts, Ye Feiyang was also very curious about the identity of the middle-aged man who was killed, and why the man in the straw hat wanted to kill him.

Soon Ye Feiyang found a partially burned letter in the man's arms. Looking at the five big characters "Zuo Du Yushi Xuan" on the envelope, Ye Feiyang was a little stunned. Although the envelope and part of the letter were burned, he did not know what the last few words were.

However, if Ye Feiyang was not mistaken, this letter was addressed to Xuan Yifeng, the Left Censor-in-Chief. At this moment, not far ahead was Xuan Yifeng's residence. Obviously, this middle-aged man wanted to deliver this letter to Xuan Yifeng, but for some reason, someone wanted to kill him!
Thinking of this, Ye Feiyang also had an urge to open the letter. As a constable, his intuition told him that the letter contained the truth and could help him understand what had happened in the murder case that had occurred to him.

However, reason told Ye Feiyang that this case involved a high-ranking official like Xuan Yifeng, the Left Censor-in-Chief and a Grand Secretary, making it no ordinary case. Even though he was a member of the Ye family clan, he absolutely could not easily get involved…

Thinking of this, Ye Feiyang put down the letter and looked at the middle-aged man who had died. Although the man was dressed very plainly and looked like an ordinary peddler in Yijing City, Ye Feiyang was certain that he was not as ordinary as he looked, based on his fair skin and some features on his hands.
This person looks like he's used to a life of luxury and has never done any heavy work, otherwise he wouldn't have this kind of skin condition.

Realizing this, Ye Feiyang became even more curious about what the letter contained, but reason prevailed over desire. He tucked the letter into his pocket and turned to stride quickly towards the government office…

Half an incense stick later, Ye Feiyang returned to the Yijing Yamen. Ignoring the surprised looks of his colleagues, he went straight to the cell of Yang Tao, his good friend and the chief constable on duty that night, with blood still on his body. At this moment, Chief Constable Yang was sitting on the sofa with his eyes closed, resting.

Upon seeing Ye Feiyang enter the cell, Yang Tao immediately opened his eyes.

Upon entering the cell, Ye Feiyang's first action was to close the door, and without further ado, he handed the letter in his arms to Yang Tao.

Yang Tao glanced at the letter and his expression changed slightly. He immediately asked:

"Where did the letter come from?"

Ye Feiyang recounted everything that had just happened to Yang Tao, and then asked:
"Brother Yang, what do you think we should do with this letter?" "Naturally, we should hand it over. This is not a decision we can make alone. Even the prefect would have to think it over carefully!"

"By the way! Has that thief been caught?"

"No! This person's martial arts skills are extremely high. I have already ordered my men to contact people to seal off the area!"

Yang Tao nodded slightly, then noticed the bloodstains on Ye Feiyang's body and asked:
"Feiyang, how are your injuries? Are they serious?"

"I think my internal organs might be shaking a bit, but I'm wearing inner armor so it shouldn't be a big problem, Brother Yang, you don't need to worry!"

After saying this, Ye Feiyang also looked somewhat relieved. Every time he went out to patrol, his wife, Wang, would make him wear inner armor, but he found it troublesome and was unwilling. However, Wang never got tired of it and always insisted that he wear inner armor, and would not let him go out without wearing inner armor.

Ye Feiyang couldn't persuade his wife otherwise, so he reluctantly put on the inner armor and went out. Little did he know that the inner armor would save his life today.

Thinking of this, Ye Feiyang could only think of thanking his wife properly after catching the thief. If it weren't for her persistent and tireless efforts, he would probably have lost his 100-plus pounds today. That's right, he would also buy his wife two bracelets as a gift!
Just as Ye Feiyang was pondering how to thank his wife, Yang Tao spoke up:
"I already know what happened. I will report it to the prefect immediately. Feiyang, you should go home and rest to recover from your injuries!"

"Brother Yang, I can still keep going!"

Yang Tao patted Ye Feiyang on the shoulder and said with some advice:
"You've vomited blood, go back and rest, don't push yourself!"

Ye Feiyang wanted to say something more, but feeling Yang Tao's gaze, he realized something, and his expression immediately became somewhat dejected. He knew that although Brother Yang wanted him to go back and rest for his own good, it was also to avoid making him a burden. The thieves were fierce and difficult to deal with. If he were there, everyone would be hesitant and afraid.

Although Ye Feiyang felt somewhat helpless, he still obediently nodded and said:

"Brother Yang, I'm going home to rest now..."

After seeing Ye Feiyang off, Yang Tao immediately went to the residence of Bai Changjiu, the prefect of Yijing. Bai Changjiu, who had been disturbed from his sleep, was wide awake after hearing what had happened. He carefully considered the tattered letter that Yang Tao handed him before opening it. However, after just one glance at the contents of the letter, the prefect's pupils contracted, clearly indicating that the contents of the letter had greatly shocked him.

After drinking half a cup of tea, Bai Changjiu put down the letter in his hand, pondered for a moment, and then asked Yang Tao:

Have you opened this letter?

Seeing Bai Changjiu's expression, Yang Tao knew that the contents of this letter must be very sensitive, and immediately replied without hesitation:
"This matter is of great importance, and I dare not act rashly. After receiving the letter, I came directly to you, sir!"

Hearing this, Bai Changjiu nodded and said:

"Yang Tao, you did a great job! Your top priority now is to catch this thief immediately. I'm waiting for your good news!"

"Yes!"

After Bai Changjiu finished arranging work for Yang Tao, he immediately washed up and changed his clothes, preparing to go to the cabinet. According to the court's procedures, he handed the letter to the cabinet elder on duty that day, who would then convene all cabinet members for a meeting to make a decision.

However, just before leaving the room, the Prefect of Yijing seemed to have thought of something. After a moment of change in expression, he made a decision. He went to his desk, copied down the contents of the incomplete letter he had just received, and then found a trusted family member to send the letter out immediately…

After doing all this, Bai Changjiu, escorted by several personal guards, went to the cabinet.

Today, the Grand Secretary on duty in the Cabinet is Chief of the General Staff Zhao Han. After getting out of bed and seeing the contents of the tattered letter, Zhao Han gave the order without the slightest hesitation:

"Please summon Lord Cui, Lord Gu, and all other cabinet members to the cabinet for discussion!"

"Yes!"

Half an hour later, all cabinet members gathered in the cabinet. Zhao Han took out the tattered letter and handed it to Cui Shao. Cui Shao, the oldest minister, did not seem to be in good condition at this time because he was disturbed in the middle of the night. However, after seeing the contents of the letter, his expression immediately became serious. After carefully reading the contents of the letter, he handed the letter to Gu Sansi opposite him.

After reading the letter, Gu Sansi's expression was quite different from Cui Shao's. He then handed the letter to Liu Ning, the Minister of Justice who was yawning beside him.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, all the cabinet members had gone through the contents of the letter, and the room fell into complete silence.

After a long silence, Cui Shao, the most senior and prestigious Minister of Personnel, spoke first:
"Everyone has already read the letter. I wonder what your thoughts are?"

Upon hearing Cui Shao's inquiry, Liu Ning, the Minister of Justice, knew that this matter fell under his jurisdiction, and as the Minister of Justice, he had no choice but to speak up:
"I believe this matter is of great importance, and the cabinet is not in a position to make a decision. It is only right that we petition His Majesty to make the decision!"

As soon as Liu Ning finished speaking, everyone looked at Cui Shao, the de facto Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, who then made the final decision:
"If everyone agrees, then let's proceed as planned..."