Yesterday I wrote about the Mid-Autumn Festival on July 20, 2020, and some friends pointed out that the Mid-Autumn Festival should be in September. It's my fault, I didn't come to Earth for a long time, so let's just look at it like this.

Today is the "heavy snow" of the 24 solar terms, and the big one is prosperous, and the snow is prosperous so far.

- Plus the above sentence is not my whole person has become cultured, ha, ha.

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July 20, 2020.

Yanjing.

This was once the best place in the Empire, and some mysterious power in the underworld seems to have taken a considerable degree of "preferential treatment" to this area on the day it came to Earth - the area around Yanjing is the most extensive "natural" quarantine area within the empire.

The western suburbs of Yanjing used to be the residence of many dignitaries, but after the arrival of the isolation belt, one of them happened to cross near the western suburbs, turning it into a border area within the Yanjing range.

As a result, most of the population has moved away – some whose lives are always more precious, and who are not willing to risk the possibility of re-movement in the quarantine zone, have moved to the city centre, which they once disdained.

This makes this area of villas that were brightly lit the night before deserted, and after nightfall, a residential area in Nuoda is rarely lit, like a long-abandoned ghost town.

But tonight it seems to be getting lively, and there is traffic on the road.

In fact, compared to the continuous traffic of a few years ago, it can only be regarded as sporadic and sporadic, but such a scene is rare to see here.

Their destination was a large mansion on the east side of the villa complex. The house had been uninhabited for previous years. Only a few servants were stationed to maintain it. But since the quarantine zone arrived, it's got some popularity – the owner is back.

The master is from the north, and his surname is Ying.

Ying resolutely stood on the balcony on the second floor, breathed a sigh of relief in the thick night, and looked downstairs.

There were more people in the courtyard than he had imagined. Some of them were well-dressed, as if they had just returned from a banquet. Some of them were covered in dust and seemed to have traveled a long way. Others are ordinary—the most common wrinkle-looking salarymen on the streets of Yanjing, who have lost interest in everything.

These people, who seemed to have different statuses, gathered in the courtyard of Yingjia's Yanjing villa in the western suburbs at this time, with a cautious look on their faces, and occasionally whispered to each other. From time to time, I looked up at the man standing on the balcony on the second floor.

Whenever the two look at each other. Ying Ran hooked a smile on the corner of his mouth and nodded towards the other party.

The nearly 100 people in the courtyard all have the same identity - former executive officers of the Special Affairs Office.

By ten o'clock in the evening, the road leading to the villa had not been passed by cars for a long time.

A woman walked out onto the balcony from the room and whispered, "It's almost time for people to come." ”

Ying resolutely nodded.

The woman hesitated. And he said, "It's a little less than last year." ”

Seeing that the other party did not react. He added: "Every year it is getting less and less. ”

"The number of people doesn't mean anything. There are many reasons for this. Ying resolutely turned around and smiled, "Let's go down." ”

The lights in the courtyard came on, and a low "hum" sounded in the venue. It's July. It was supposed to be the height of summer, but the night on the outskirts of Yanjing had already seeped into the coolness that made people shiver slightly, as if it had reached the season when the yellow leaves had fallen.

But when the deep voice sounded, there was more warmth in the open-air courtyard, and the warm and fresh air wafted out from the flowers and leaves, which made many people subconsciously breathe a sigh of relief.

Ying De appeared outside the door of the hall on the first floor, and the courtyard gradually fell silent.

He walked to the steps and stood still, sweeping his gaze over everyone's faces, and was silent for a moment. Then he said, "Another year has passed, and I didn't expect so many people to come." This year, you have been working outside, and I know that everyone has worked hard. I remember saying this last year, but I'm going to say it today. Because apart from the phrase 'hard work', I don't know what else can express my feelings at this time. ”

"There are ninety-six people standing here today, and one hundred and two last year. Sun Dingkang, Zuo Songyu, Feng Yuan, Liu Limin, Liang Xiaolan, Zhang Panhui are missing. Of the six, only Zhang Panhui had spoken to me before, and the other five, I only knew what they looked like — I regretted not being able to talk to them more at this time last year. ”

"In fact, in addition to these six, we also lost 34 people in the space of last year. At the moment, we have 442 comrades outside of Yanjing, who for various reasons cannot make it back, and I wish them all the best. ”

After he finished speaking, he bowed, and the crowd in front of him slowly lowered down like a rice field blown by the wind.

Ying resolutely straightened up slowly and continued: "When I stood here five years ago, I told everyone that we were being treated unjustly – that some people didn't realize what else we could do, and we had to prove it to them. But perhaps you thought that I was just a fan of passion and didn't want to see the name of the Special Affairs Office disappear – I studied and grew up here, and most of you are like me. ”

"But at this point in the day, I realized that we had made the right decision."

"We've done a lot in five years – even better than we used to. Our men are all over the country, and our intelligence network still covers the entire territory of the empire. We're keeping an eye on those people's every move, and there's nothing in the world that we don't know. ”

"So after these five years, maybe someone wants to ask me today - why are we still hiding? I told you before, we listen, we watch, we record everything, we wait. ”

"I didn't tell you what to wait for at that time, so some people left. But you stayed. But today, I think I can tell you something—and it doesn't seem to be a secret. ”

Ying Ran took a deep breath and smiled, "He's back." ”

Whispers resounded in the crowd, as if a breeze was blowing up waves of wheat.

Ying resolutely waved his hand. Then he saw a light coming on outside the gate of the courtyard – the headlights of a car.

People noticed his eyes and turned their heads to look out.

It was a nondescript black van.

There was a slight whisper in the whisper - many people were speculating whether it would be the "one" Ying Ran said in the car.

The car drove into the courtyard of the villa and stopped on the west side. Some people went to see the response.

And their former chief seemed to have expected such a guest tonight, and walked down the steps with a calm face to the side of the business car.

The car door opened, and two men stepped out.

Not the one people suspect.

But nevertheless. The people in the courtyard were still silent for a moment.

There were two people coming. They are all very familiar with it.

A man with gray hair and a tall figure wore a dark green military dress. The military dress has epaulettes on the shoulders, and on the epaulettes are two golden dragon stars.

This is an imperial lieutenant general – a general who really holds real power.

To these people, his appearance is even more familiar than the one next to him - he is Dai Bingcheng.

Uneasy and agitated emotions spread through the crowd. Some people are even glaring at him.

Because these people remember. It was General Dai who facilitated the abolition plan of the Special Affairs Office five years ago. It was also because of this "merit" that the official worshiped the lieutenant general and was made an uncle.

What exactly is he going to do when he appears here?

And the other one......

It's almost impossible to figure out what the One came here for. But in fact, it is precisely because of this person's existence. People suppressed their anger and excitement in their hearts, and did not let the words of provocation and swearing blurt out.

Because maybe in a few years, that young man will become a symbol of the empire.

Crown prince.

Dai Bingcheng glanced at these people and sighed softly.

He saw the suppressed emotion in their eyes, but he smiled instead.

So Ying resolutely walked in front of him and bowed slightly: "Dean." ”

Then he bowed to the crown prince: "Your Highness." ”

The resolute move made waves in the crowd again. However, before the voice of doubt was heard, Ying resolutely turned around and said in a deep voice: "Maybe many people have doubts in their hearts, but this is indeed a long story. ”

"You don't know, five years ago, the dean left me a sentence - the enemy is clear and I am dark."

People were slightly stunned. Some of the brightest minds have realized something, and have become silent and agitated.

"Dean Dai has never left us." Ying resolutely said, "In the past five years, it is because of his protection that our group has survived to this day. I can understand what was going on in your mind, but today, you should know all about it. ”

He spent ten minutes recounting the incident. And in the process, the people were silent, but their eyes changed from suspicion and fear to incredible reverence, and finally irrepressibly excited.

Five years ago, the Special Affairs Office faced its most difficult situation in 200 years – it faced the fate of being abolished.

In fact, such calls have existed for nearly a hundred years, but they have never become as threatening as they were five years ago.

No mature regime would allow a powerful agency to have much authority, but the existence of the Special Affairs Office is a notable exception - as long as it is related to the "capable person", the executive can use a large amount of resources with one of his own documents.

This fact worries many. Some simply see this as a violation of the rule of law, which creates a privileged gap in the empire's legal system, which, if widened under certain circumstances, may be a heavy and terrible blow to the country.

But others think only from a political point of view – in the centuries of the empire's history, there was an institution called the "Jinyiwei". The deformed swelling of that privileged institution threatened to bring the empire to extinction, and it is evident that there is a tendency in the Special Affairs Office today to be accompanied by a contest of force in the course of political struggles. No one can guarantee that they will not be tempted by such a powerful force.

And that time coincided with the awakening of the species, the arrival of the quarantine zone, and the entry of the empire into a state of war. The growing number of capable individuals has led some to believe that the Secret Service, as an independent body, is no longer fit to be "arbitrary" in matters related to the "capables" – a growing group that should be included in the military system in order to monitor them more effectively and play a significant role.

From a political point of view, such an approach seems justifiable – the Office of Special Affairs was originally created for this purpose.

However, in the past two hundred years, this institution, which is a gathering place for the able, has developed a consciousness of its own.

They don't just have to "regulate".

They have to fight for something else for such a group.

The dismantling of the secret service and the inclusion of capable people under the military system is undoubtedly a barbaric step backwards – their situation has returned overnight to pre-1990 levels.

However, it was not only these reasons that made this decision come true, but also because the other person was not heard from after the moon landing, and everyone believed that he was dead.

Dai Bingcheng can't turn the tide – not anyone. The resolution was finally passed. Dai Bingcheng made a decision in the last moment. He cooperated with the resolution with an appropriately positive attitude. and interprets his own impression in the minds of some people more profoundly.

All he did was ask for something. Few would doubt the thirst for power and wealth on a person of civilian origin, even if he is a capable person. Especially when this impression has long been known to many people.

He broke through the "pane of glass" above his head, and he was accepted as a member of that class.

And Ying Ran came to Yanjing at that time - this was not his intention.

At that time, in the northeast of Yanjing, a wide separation zone appeared. This zone had cut off the northeastern provinces from the vast territory further south for an entire year before the change. Throughout the year, Binh Duong became the de facto center of power in the northeastern provinces.

In order to avoid certain unnecessary suspicions. He was dispatched to Beijing to assist in the dismantling of the Northern Base of the Special Affairs Bureau.

So in that year, he should resolutely "turn against each other" with Dai Bingcheng. The two are strangers.

He tried to use his personal influence to preserve something for the Secret Service. But no one believed that such a young boy could really do anything within Yanjing. The big guys acquiesced to some of his "small actions" because of their scruples about the old man in the northeast, but almost no one knew about it, and he was definitely not alone.

There was silence in the courtyard for a while. Finally, one person couldn't help but ask, "So you said 'he's back'." What do you mean—"

Dai Bingcheng spoke for the first time: "This is the one you think." ”

Another asked, "So...... How sure are you that he will definitely come back? We've been waiting for him for five years? If his attitude isn't what you thought it would be—"

Dai Bingcheng smiled gently. He leaned slightly to the side, revealing the crown prince behind him.

In fact, most people are still in their minds at the moment and have doubts about the arrival of this "VIP". Because no matter how you look at it, this royal should not be present on this occasion.

The young man smiled mysteriously at himself. He whispered, "I said that." As for how I got the news...... You should know that we have a prophet. ”

"The Prophet saw something a few years ago that would happen in the future, and the Prophet told me that the man was not dead. And when he returns, it will be when we reappear to the world. ”

Of course, everyone knew about the existence of the mysterious prophet, but no one could have imagined that the crown prince seemed to know the true identity of that one.

Of course, many more people also smell some kind of danger from the words they heard tonight.

As former executives, they had actually violated Imperial law by gathering here, which was an illegal meeting. However, Dai Bingcheng and the crown prince appeared in front of them in a grand manner - there were more than a hundred people here, and any one of them leaked out about tonight's situation, which could cause a big "earthquake" in Yanjing.

It is said that the emperor's health is no longer optimistic, and the prime minister has been re-elected for four consecutive terms due to special wartime regulations - according to imperial law, even the emperor cannot remove the prime minister until the state of war is lifted.

In fact, no one can predict how long this "state of war" will last. Maybe years, decades, maybe nearly a hundred years—the legislators never imagined that one day the species would awaken in this world, or that the empire would one day be swept into a quagmire from which it might not be able to get out for ten years.

So these people realized that they might have been involved in something big enough to be recorded in the history books.

In fact, some people have been prepared for a long time.

Every organization has its own program and ideas, even the current underground organization is no exception. If Li Zhen had been in it for the past five years, he would have found that the things that Ying Ran had instilled in these people were the things that the old man in the Jinghu Courtyard in Pingyang had instilled in him in the past.

Five years have passed on those who disagree, those who do not support, and those who are not firm have all been eliminated, and the more than 90 people here tonight are the most devout believers.

Therefore, they were even more surprised by the arrival of the crown prince.

The crown prince let out a soft breath in the night and said, "Hundreds of years ago, there was a man surnamed Shen who transformed this country. ”

"And every time I think about it, I feel terrified and ashamed—especially when I read about the rest of the Empire."

"Because that thing should be done by a person surnamed Zhu."

"I wasn't born in such a magnificent era, but I was fortunate enough to be born now. So I knew I could do something about it. ”

"The country is terminally ill. However, my surname and the history it carries make it impossible for me to abandon it and not to give it up. So, if you are willing to make it a little better, then tonight, we are like-minded. ”

The crown prince slowly raised his right hand, clenched his fist, and placed it on his chest: "For us, and for this empire." ”

The people were silent for more than ten seconds.

After more than ten seconds, more arms were raised, and a low, chaotic, but soothing and determined voice sounded in the courtyard—

"For us, and for this empire." (To be continued......)