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墨書 Inktalez
Tan Shaoping? That name was indeed familiar.
The establishment of the Jade Balance Bureau was the emperor's intention, aimed at creating a powerful backbone within the court to combat various crimes. The specific task of forming the Jade Balance Bureau was entrusted to Bai Qianfan. Understanding the emperor's intentions and relying on his own judgment, he effectively formed the core team of the Jade Balance Bureau during its establishment, which consisted of him, Nie Qiuyuan, Luo Dachun, and me. This was precisely why Bai Qianfan had come to speak with me privately while I was recuperating in Chang'an.
Thus, the selection of personnel for the Jade Balance Bureau was meticulously made by the four of us based on evaluations of officials' performance and character across the nation, combined with considerations of their backgrounds and upbringing. Bai Qianfan personally met with each candidate to finalize their selection. Therefore, I had a general understanding of who was part of the Jade Balance Bureau; I just hadn't met them all in person, which made it difficult to match names with faces.
Tan Shaoping, a Legal Military Officer from Bozhou in Anhui, if I remembered correctly, was particularly skilled in conducting investigative experiments. When I first read his introduction, I was quite surprised. Given the low level of ancient technology and lack of identification capabilities, investigative experiments were quite common in solving cases. However, I had never seen such meticulous and exquisite investigative work before.
Today's events clearly demonstrated that he, a civilian official without martial skills, had cleverly escaped right under the noses of several martial experts and even used his expertise in traps to turn the tables on his pursuers. This showcased his strong judgment and practical skills.
I suddenly felt a sense of pride in being a member of the Jade Balance Bureau.
“Brother Tan, how many assassins were there trying to kill you?” Nie Qiuyuan asked.
“There were five, and they have all been eliminated.”
“Only five…” Nie Qiuyuan frowned slightly, deep in thought.
“Lord Nie… do you know who they were?” Tan Shaoping asked cautiously. “It seemed their target was only me and had nothing to do with my family.”
We briefly explained our plan regarding Mirror Gate's surprise attack on the Jade Balance Bureau. Tan Shaoping informed us that he had not received any notification from Bai Qianfan before being suddenly attacked and had quickly left Bozhou at that time.
As we feared, calculating the timing showed that it would have taken too long for news to reach Bai Qianfan and for him to notify everyone individually. This situation was actually a misjudgment on Nie Qiuyuan's part; he believed that eliminating the Jade Balance Bureau would not be easy for Mirror Gate and that they would need careful planning. If they needed thorough planning, they wouldn't have acted so quickly. But Mirror Gate had shown boldness by taking action immediately.
“What were your original plans after eliminating those assassins?” Nie Qiuyuan asked.
Tan Shaoping replied, “To be honest with you, Lord Nie, I had a vague suspicion that this might be related to the Jade Balance Bureau. I originally intended to go to the capital to meet Lord Bai and see if anyone else had also been attacked. I didn't expect to run into you here. Could it be that Lord Nie also…”
Nie Qiuyuan nodded and said, "That's right."
He briefly recounted the incident of Su Liche's murder. Tan Shaoping, who also knew Su Liche, couldn't help but sigh upon hearing that Su Liche was no longer alive.
Since we had the chance to meet, we decided to travel together. Nie Qiuyuan gave my horse to Tan Shaoping to ride, while he and I shared one horse. The three of us took a shortcut westward toward Chang'an.
With the "tails" behind us shaken off, we encountered no further obstacles on our journey. Three days later, we successfully arrived in Chang'an and entered Yongzhou Prefecture, where we met Bai Qianfan.
Upon seeing us, Bai Qianfan let out a long sigh of relief.
"Qiu Yuan, sister-in-law, it's good to see you safe," he hurriedly welcomed us inside.
Once we entered Yongzhou Prefecture, we learned that over twenty officials from the Jade Balance Bureau had managed to arrive in Chang'an from various places. Some had come directly at Bai Qianfan's instruction and had not encountered any attacks, likely because they were personnel not yet targeted by Mirror Gate. Others, like Tan Shaoping whom we met on the road, had cleverly escaped from pursuing assassins and relied on their instincts to reach Chang'an.
Bai Qianfan had already reported this matter to the emperor. The emperor was extremely furious about Mirror Gate's rampant actions and had specifically dispatched Left Camp Soldiers to guard Yongzhou Prefecture. Now, Yongzhou Prefecture was secured like a fortress; even someone with exceptional martial skills would have to think twice before attempting any risky ventures here.
After running day and night for five or six days, we were filthy and utterly exhausted. Since others were also gathering in Chang'an, there was little we could do at the moment. Therefore, Bai Qianfan arranged accommodations for us so that we could take a good bath and get some sleep, planning to discuss matters further the next day.
I slept soundly through the night, from dusk until the second dawn. I felt that Nie Qiuyuan must have slept well too because I could sense his arm as my pillow. However, I truly couldn't tell how well he slept; I was so tired that I felt like a dead person.
The next day, feeling fully rested, I felt as if I had come back to life.
It was then that I noticed Melan, Lin Jiu, and Guilin were already here as well. The defenses at Dali Temple were not as strong as those at Yongzhou Prefecture; to ensure their safety, Bai Qianfan had brought them over early.
When we met, Melan chattered away with me for a while. The main point was that they had been extremely worried after hearing our reports until our return yesterday finally eased their minds. Lin Jiu stood silently behind Melan with a smile, listening without saying a word. Interestingly, Melan spoke freely without showing any restraint due to Lin Jiu's presence, which secretly pleased me and made me feel hopeful about the situation.
"Brother Jiu, you need to put in more effort!"
However, as we sat down with Bai Qianfan to carefully review the entire situation, a sense of unease began to settle in.
Currently, there are about fifty people registered with the Jade Balance Bureau. The situation is that around twenty have not been attacked; a little over ten, like Tan Shaoping, managed to escape from danger and make it to Chang'an; nearly ten have lost contact; and only twelve confirmed deaths, including Su Liche.
Among those who defeated the enemy, after thorough discussions and inquiries, we found that their descriptions largely matched Tan Shaoping's. The assassins sent by Mirror Gate consisted of only four to five members per group, and they were not top-tier experts; otherwise, they wouldn't have fallen into their trap.
None of the groups mentioned any signs of Ren Pingsheng's presence.
So what is Mirror Gate up to? Our losses are not due to prior knowledge or preparation; Bai Qianfan's warning had not even reached various locations in time. In such a sudden attack, knowing that the Jade Balance Bureau members are difficult to deal with, why did Mirror Gate send only four or five people per group? This led to significant casualties on their side while they only harvested twelve lives from our Jade Balance Bureau?
As a large-scale plan, this outcome seems far too minimal compared to the effort expended in its execution.
Perhaps there is an even greater conspiracy against the Jade Balance Bureau still in the works? But now, we are concentrated in Chang'an, protected by heavily armed forces sent by the emperor. Does Mirror Gate really intend to openly rebel?
Rong Fu—what exactly does he want? And what is Ren Pingsheng doing?
Nie Qiuyuan pondered for a moment before suddenly asking, "Brother Qianfan, has the unrest caused various regions to keep an eye on Mirror Gate?"
Bai Qianfan paused for a moment before replying, "They might have been somewhat affected; no confidential reports have come through."
Nie Qiuyuan said, "It's best to strengthen our personnel now and continue monitoring their movements. I have some concerns."
"What are you worried about?" I couldn't help but interject.
"I am worried..." Qiu squinted, seemingly deep in thought. "I worry that the target of the Mirror Gate might not actually be the Jade Balance Bureau at all."
"What?!" I was taken aback. They had been relentlessly pursuing us; if they didn't intend to eliminate the Jade Balance Bureau, then what was their true target? Where did this insight of yours come from, Qiu?
"You, with your understanding of Ren Pingsheng, if he didn't want the White Tiger to escape, would the White Tiger have any chance of getting away?" Nie Qiuyuan asked me.
"Ah? You mean, Ruo Chanjuan came to find us not because she successfully escaped, but because Ren Pingsheng turned a blind eye to her fleeing?" It dawned on me what he meant.
"If that's the case, then the news that the Mirror Gate intends to cleanse the Jade Balance Bureau is deliberately being conveyed to us. With the White Tiger's situation and these recent assassination events, it’s enough to make us focus all our energy on the survival of the Jade Balance Bureau, creating blind spots regarding other matters."
I nodded quietly, feeling that Qiu's analysis made sense. I believed he was right about Ren Pingsheng; from what I knew of that person, if he didn't want Ruo Chanjuan to leave his sight, she would have no power to resist.
If it were the Mirror Gate, and if they truly had a hidden agenda, then that agenda must be quite sinister and terrifying.
Next came the intelligence-gathering phase, and several days passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, members of the Jade Balance Bureau who had narrowly escaped stumbled into Yongzhou Prefecture covered in blood. Among those who had lost contact, seven appeared over these few days. The cleansing that the Jade Balance Bureau suffered ultimately confirmed fourteen casualties.
After Bai Qianfan intensified surveillance on known hideouts of the Mirror Gate, strange intelligence was relayed back. The communication activities at various hideouts of the Mirror Gate were stagnant, and unusual movements of their disciples heading out to other regions were observed.
Upon observation, it became clear they were gathering. The personnel of the Mirror Gate were flowing towards a single destination: Luoyang.
Thus, we decided that we should pay a visit to Luoyang.
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