Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 44 The Consequences of Betraying the Emperor

As the night sky over the Xuanfu border garrison was silently pierced by the headmen and servants of the Eastern Depot and the new army led by Sun Yingyuan, Zhangjiakou Fort, further north, a town that was half border and half trade, remained immersed in a luxurious tranquility.

The grand feast at the Fan family mansion had long since ended.

The air still held the rich aroma of top-quality Shaoxing wine mixed with the fat from roasted whole lamb—an aroma of extreme luxury, almost rotten.

Gilded cups and plates were piled haphazardly on the table, their dim light reflected by the candlelight.

Several nimble servants were quietly cleaning up the mess, their movements cautious as if they were afraid of disturbing the true master of the mansion.

Fan Yongdou, the Shanxi merchant leader who could still chat and laugh at the dinner table and decide the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people outside the Great Wall with a few casual words, and even influence the allocation of food supplies for the Ming Dynasty's border army, was now fast asleep in his bedroom behind many curtains.

His snoring was even and heavy, like an old bellows, echoing regularly in the warm and luxurious bedroom.

The snoring was filled with complete trust in the world and a dullness to danger that comes from being at the top of the food chain for so long.

……

At 1:15 AM.

There was no sound of a night watchman's clapper on the streets of Zhangjiakou, because in the eastern part of the city, the Fan family's rules were the only rules.

The cold wind swept down from the Bashang Plateau without hindrance, carrying sand and dust, swirling in the empty streets, making a wailing sound, like the soft weeping of countless wronged souls who died inside and outside the border wall.

Suddenly, a subtle yet penetrating sound pierced the howling wind.

The sound of footsteps approached from the end of the darkness. The sound was soft yet deep, as if countless feet wearing thick felt boots were treading in the same rhythm on the ground, which was frozen as hard as rock.

There was no disorder in the sound, only a rhythm belonging to killing.

Immediately afterwards, streaks of black shadow silently seeped out from the corners of the streets and alleys in all directions, spreading rapidly and mercilessly like ink dripping into clear water.

They didn't use torches; they only used the faint starlight in the sky to outline their silent yet menacing silhouettes.

Their goal was singular—the sprawling cluster of luxury homes in the east of the city.

At the head of the list, naturally, was the Fan family mansion.

Surrounding it were the mansions of the Wang, Liang, and Jin families, and the other seven Shanxi merchants, all slumbering in the darkness, within this silent encirclement.

Leading the ghostly army was an unusually tall middle-aged man.

He was dressed in a luxurious everyday robe woven with flying fish patterns, which only a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was allowed to wear. The embroidered spring knife hanging at his waist had sharkskin wrapped around its hilt, which gleamed dimly in the darkness.

He wore a large black cloak, the brim of which was pulled low, almost obscuring half of his face, revealing only a pair of eyes that gleamed with a sharp, hawk-like light in the darkness.

It was Tian Ergeng, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Unlike Wei Zhongxian, who had been immersed in the court for decades and had long since mastered the art of power and intrigue, and unlike Sun Yingyuan, who was young, sharp, and had ideals and ambitions, Tian Ergeng possessed only one thing—pure, cold violence driven by the emperor's will!
After his second face-to-face conversation with the emperor, Tian Ergeng understood deeply that he was the emperor's most direct killing machine, the terminator of laws and rules!
When the emperor is unwilling to reason, Tian Ergeng and his Imperial Guards are the ultimate form of reason.

Behind him were hundreds of Imperial Guards officers, also dressed in flying fish robes.

They were the most intricate parts of this violent machine, each one expressionless, their eyes reflecting a detachment from life honed from years of dealing with death and betrayal.

Their appearance itself signifies the arrival of the emperor's will, representing the confiscation of property and the extermination of clans, as well as endless bloodshed!
Behind the sharp blade of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were well-equipped soldiers of the New Army.

They embody the weight and power of the sword. These soldiers share the same origin as the troops Sun Yingyuan led in Xuanfu Town; both were imperial guards nurtured in the Xishan camp with the strictest discipline and the most abundant provisions. However, their mission is entirely different from that of Xuanfu Town.

Sun Yingyuan's task was to "take" the spoils, and what he needed was to maintain control.

Their mission is to "slaughter," to completely eliminate, to eradicate completely!

Tian Ergeng stopped at a street corner.

He raised his head and, across the street, quietly glanced at the Fan family mansion not far away, which lay prostrate in the darkness like a prehistoric behemoth.

The tall courtyard walls, the sturdy gate tower, and even the corner towers for observation that can be vaguely seen at the corners of the walls all demonstrate the wealth and... usurpation of the owner of this mansion.

A cruel, cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

Tian Ergeng knew how many heinous crimes were hidden in this mansion, enough to shake the entire Ming Dynasty court. He also knew how wealthy and arrogant the people in this mansion were, and that they probably no longer took the emperor in the capital seriously.

But he knew even more that from this night onward, all of this would turn to ashes!
Without uttering any unnecessary words, Tian Ergeng raised his hand and casually waved it forward.

A death net woven from steel and human lives was instantly unfurled.

Countless dark figures silently followed the predetermined route, completely surrounding the Fan family mansion and the seven surrounding Shanxi merchant courtyards.

Like ghosts, they occupied every exit, blocked every street, and even skilled climbers, like geckos, silently scaled the surrounding rooftops, monitoring everything in the courtyard with cold eyes.

Every corner, every shadow, even the drains used by wealthy families to excrete sewage, were blocked by soldiers wielding sharp blades.

This is a real case of trapping and beating a dog.

Moreover, the goal is to beat these fat dogs, who think they are tigers, to death in the ornate cages they themselves have built.

A commander of the Imperial Guard, who was leaving the capital for the first time but had won Tian Ergeng's favor, slid up to Tian Ergeng like a ghost. His voice was extremely low, as if afraid of disturbing the tranquility before the killing: "Sir, shall we announce the imperial edict first?"

"Shout out a message?" Tian Ergeng's tone was tinged with mockery, as if he had heard the funniest joke. "What's the point of shouting messages or proclaiming imperial edicts to a bunch of traitors who should have been torn to pieces long ago?"

His voice was so cold it carried no human emotion, like a chilling current blowing from Liaodong.

“His Majesty has indeed issued a decree,” he said slowly, each word like a block of ice hitting the ground.

“The core members of the eight families, including the Fan, Wang, Liang, etc., except for the heads of the families, regardless of age or gender, will all be eliminated!”

"Anyone within the Eight Families' residence who dares to resist will be killed without exception!"

"Tonight, I only want one result! As for the process..." He paused, a bloodthirsty glint in his eyes, "...the bloodier the better! His Majesty didn't say it, but we must understand that His Majesty wants the whole world to know the consequences of betraying the Emperor!"

　I wanted to add more chapters, but it's the new book release period!
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　　Really!

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(End of this chapter)