The sound of horse hooves faded into the distance.
The dark night of Guyuan was so cold it felt as if a light touch could form ice in mid-air. It was as if Chen Wenzong had shattered the ice, braving the darkness of the night all alone.
Standing in the backyard of the Relay Station, Zhang Zheng praised: "Chen Ji, your Chen Family finally has a decent figure!"
Zhang Xia said softly: "When a great man changes, his stripes are clear like a tiger's; when a petty man changes, his face simply changes expression; when a gentleman changes, his spots are clear like a leopard's."
Zhang Zheng scratched his head: "What does that mean?"
Zhang Xia smiled and explained: "A King is like a tiger; his aura and arrogance are resplendent and terrifying, and he can tame power and influence; a petty man is panicked and fearful, lacking his own opinions and drifting with the current; a gentleman is like a leopard, hiding and remaining low-profile when there is no issue, but making prompt and decisive decisions when encountering a situation."
Chen Ji gave an "Mhm": "Eldest Brother is indeed worthy of the word 'gentleman'."
As his voice fell, a
pa
sound echoed in the courtyard. Madam Liang had slapped Wang Gui across the face!
Wang Gui was in disbelief: "Madam, why did you slap me?!"
Madam Liang said in a condensed voice: "If you had taken the initiative to go to the Regional Military Commission just now, how would it have come to Wenzong personally risking danger?! On normal days, you eat better than the other servants and wear more expensive clothes than the other servants! It is a waste that our Chen Family has fed you for so many years; raising you is not even as good as raising a loyal dog!"
Wang Gui's expression changed back and forth several times. Finally, he got down and knelt on the ground: "Madam, please quell your anger. This lowly one will go catch up to Eldest Young Master right now to protect him!"
Madam Liang said ruthlessly: "You protect him?! On what basis can you protect him?!"
Wang Gui stood up and said: "Madam, Eldest Young Master has a warhorse. Ordinary evildoers definitely wouldn't be able to intercept him..."
Madam Liang said angrily: "Who gave you permission to get up?! Kneel down!"
As far as she was concerned, treating a husband required one to act as if Treading on Thin Ice, serving him carefully. If her husband took concubines, she would still need to ponder on how to vie for favor; ultimately, he wasn't her most intimate and closest person.
But a son was different; a son was her greatest reliance for the future! Whoever caused her son to fall into danger, do not blame her if she Turned Her Face And Recognized No One!
Chen Ji had no time to watch the theatrical play. Carrying his blade, he returned inside the Relay Station, meticulously and thoroughly searching the first and second floors of the Relay Station once over. Only after confirming there were no assassins lying in ambush within did he lead Xiaoman and the others to sit down on the stone steps.
Madam Liang and Chen Wenxiao sat by the stone table in the courtyard. They sat on the stone steps opposite them, the two sides distinctly demarcated like the Jing and Wei rivers.
"Meow."
Sitting on the stone steps, Chen Ji raised his head to look up. Wu Yun was standing on the Eaves of the second-floor roof, vigilantly keeping an eye on the surroundings just in case the assassins decided to make a comeback and return.
Only with Wu Yun present did he relax his mind slightly.
Chen Ji said in a low voice: "No matter who the person driving the assassins is, to dare to poison the entire Chen Family, the other party must be a ruthless and vicious person who treats human lives like grass! When dealing with this kind of person, if we aren't careful, I fear it will be very difficult to retreat completely unscathed! It's just that, who exactly is it? To actually strike this ruthlessly when the Chen Family has just arrived?"
Sitting on his left side, Zhang Xia recalled: "Today, nine people entered the Relay Station. Among them, five were Relay Station minor officials, and they have all been poisoned to death! As for the other four, there was one middle-aged man, two women, and one old man! If I see them again, I will definitely be able to recognize them!"
Chen Ji changed the topic and asked: "Second Miss Zhang, did the Crown Prince have conflicts with the Border Army in the past?"
Zhang Xia pondered for a moment: "No. This Crown Prince has always been kind to others, and handles matters pragmatically as well. In his early years when he first left the palace to handle matters, His Majesty merely conferred upon him the Official Position of Deputy Education Intendant, ordering him to manage matters pertaining to the Imperial Examinations. He helped quite a few scholars from humble backgrounds. Nowadays, these Juren from humble backgrounds have also begun to distinguish themselves; some are even governing a prefecture-level region! Among the commoners and those of humble backgrounds, they all hold him in the highest esteem!"
Zhang Xia continued saying: "Later on, His Majesty ordered him to thoroughly investigate the private minting of Copper Coins. He confiscated numbering up to millions of privately minted Copper Coins! Because of this, the privately-minted Copper Coins that were short of weight and lacking in material on the market were completely swept clean!"
Chen Ji was deep in thought: "Did the matter of privately minted Copper Coins implicate the Border Army?"
Zhang Xia shook her head: "No. The ones he killed were a batch of Shanxi merchants and Zhejiang merchants! The Shanxi merchants held copper mines in their hands. They mined the ore themselves in the mountains, refined the copper, and minted the coins! As for the Zhejiang merchants, they simply gathered the copper coins on the market, melted down the copper coins that weighed five Zhu, and reminted them into Copper Coins weighing four Zhu to spend! It was an extremely profitable business that required no capital!"
Sitting on Chen Ji's right side, Zhang Zheng wrapped his arms around himself from the cold and said: "The prominent Confucian scholars all say the Crown Prince is like uncarved jade, simple, unadorned, and flawless. I, on the contrary, feel he is extremely shrewd! Those with discerning eyes all know the prominent aristocratic families have been privately minting copper coins for a long time, but observe: has the Crown Prince ever touched the Xu Family, the Chen Family, the Qi Family, or the Yang Family?! He knows his limits in his heart."
Chen Ji smiled and said: "Brother Zhang possesses great Wisdom that appears as foolishness; Lord Zhang underestimated you."
Zhang Zheng acted cocky and smug: "Ain't that the truth!"
At the side, Zhang Xia suddenly spoke up: "If we truly have to mention some entanglement between the Border Army and the Crown Prince, then I fear it's related to Prince Fu! Prince Fu is His Majesty's eldest legitimate son. During the early years when the Crown Prince was to be established, news spread from within the palace, saying His Majesty originally intended to establish the eldest legitimate son, Prince Fu, as the Crown Prince! For whatever reason, later on, he established the current one instead. And the current Guyuan Regional Commander, Hu Junxian, is precisely Prince Fu's maternal uncle! Prince Fu also has an extremely senior youngest maternal uncle, who is precisely that Little Martial Uncle of the Mount Laojun Daoist Court, the young Director of the Imperial Observatory, Hu Junyan!"
Chen Ji asked curiously: "Prince Fu intends to fight for the position of Crown Prince?"
Zhang Xia shook her head: "That I haven't noticed. On normal days, Prince Fu indulges in wine and women; he doesn't look like someone who wants to fight for the position of Crown Prince. But regarding the matter of the Crown Prince, who can say for sure?"
Chen Ji was puzzled: "Behind Prince Fu is the Hu Family; who is behind the Crown Prince?"
Zhang Xia cast a surprised glance at Chen Ji, and after hesitating for a moment, she said: "It's exactly your Chen Family, ah..."
Chen Ji: "..."
He saw Zhang Zheng, Zhang Xia, and Xiaoman shivering in the cold wind, so he stood up and carried his blade into the Relay Station, using the tongs to carry the charcoal brazier out of the room.
Chen Ji hailed Xiaoman to grab firewood from the rear kitchen, lighting a bonfire in the courtyard.
Zhang Zheng was so happy he could cry: "I still have to follow Chen Ji, ah! I don't suffer wherever I go!"
On the other side, Madam Liang and Chen Wenxiao saw the bonfire was roaring. They had the mind to go over to warm themselves, but couldn't put down their face and pride, so they could only stay freezing.
Right at this time, Wu Yun on the roof suddenly perked up her ears and let out a low "meow".
Chen Ji stood up abruptly, gripping the Whale Blade tightly in his hand.
Someone had come! However, Wu Yun only heard the sound, and did not see the person!
Seeing Chen Ji stand up, Zhang Zheng instantly grabbed a half-burnt piece of firewood from the bonfire in a panic, asking nervously: "The assassins are back?!"
Chen Ji did not answer. He merely used his left thumb to slowly push open the handguard of the blade, exposing an inch of snow-bright blade body.
Breath.
Chen Ji's breathing went from rapid to steady, becoming slower and slower.
He didn't know how many assassins had come, or what their strength was. He could only caution in a low voice: "Hide behind me."
Xiaoman cast a surprised glance at her family's Young Master, and then pulled Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia, obediently standing behind Chen Ji.
The Relay Station was deadly silent, as if nothing was happening.
In the next moment, the sound of several creaks transmitted from inside the Relay Station; it sounded as if someone had pried open a wooden window. The location was precisely in the direction of the Man-Character common sleeping quarters!
Following that, Chen Ji slowly turned his body, the hilt of his blade always facing the direction of the sound.
It was as if an invisible thread existed between the hilt of his blade and that sound, pulling tighter and tighter!
Just as that string was about to snap, someone inside the Relay Station suddenly let out a shrill and miserable howl: "Big Brother! H-h-here! There are so many dead people here, bleeding tears of blood!"
Chen Ji was taken aback. Not assassins?!
He immediately moved and dashed into the dark and gloomy Relay Station. Passing through the corridor, he arrived before the doors of the Man-Character room and swung out with a slash. The already closed suite doors violently exploded apart!
In the split second the room doors widened open, Chen Ji's gaze passed through the wood chips. He saw that the two windows opposite the common bed were wide open. Reflected by the moonlight shining in, several children were paralyzed on the ground from terror by the corpses weeping tears of blood. Not far away, a young man with a scarf covering his mouth and nose froze in place.
It was the thief who had instigated the children to snatch their belongings during the day!
Seeing Chen Ji's figure, the thief instantly regained his senses: "Run!"
As his words fell, like diving into water, he leaped out violently toward the outside of the window.
Crossing a few steps, Chen Ji arrived first despite moving later, cutting off the thief before he could leap out of the window! Slapping the flat of his blade across the other party's back, he smacked him down onto the floorboards!
Following the sound, the thief fell sprawling onto the ground, wailing incessantly. He wanted to prop his body up, but Chen Ji stepped on the back of his neck, stomping him back into the ground!
Those three children drew razor blades from their sleeves and pinched them between their fingers. Trembling, they roared: "Let my Big Brother go!"
The thief struggled and yelled at the children: "Don't move! You are not his match... Hurry and scram, ah!"
However, the children didn't move. They merely held up their razor blades nervously, caught in a dilemma.
Chen Ji looked at the children, and then lowered his head to look at the thief on the ground: "The thief from the daytime?"
The thief panted: "These... Were all these people killed by you?! I admit defeat! But let those children go, don't kill them!"
One foot stepping on the thief's back, Chen Ji crouched down. Staring into the other party's eyes, he asked: "What did you come here to do?"
With half his face pressed against the floorboards, the thief answered: "During the day you injured our people, so we came to take revenge against you!"
Chen Ji asked again: "How were you going to take revenge?"
The thief answered: "Cut all your clothes to shreds, and strip you of all your belongings!"
Chen Ji said calmly: "You didn't plan on injuring people? Your words can only fool small children."
The thief remained silent.
Chen Ji said softly: "I ask, you answer. Only if you answer properly can you keep your life! First question: what major events have occurred in Guyuan recently? Think clearly before you speak. Tell me everything you can remember!"
The thief hurriedly closed his eyes to recall: "The Crown Prince arrived in Guyuan with several hundred personal guards; wearing silver armor, he's extremely majestic! Everyone says he came to investigate the case of killing civilians to claim military merit, to put General Hu to death!"
Chen Ji frowned: "Killing civilians to claim military merit?!"
The thief hurriedly said: "The populace on the streets all say this! Some say the Border Army slaughtered a Jing Dynasty village, cutting off the ears of the commoners in the village to claim merit! Still others say the County Magistrate of the neighboring Tianshui County was plundered by bandits and his whereabouts are unknown! As a result, two months later, the County Magistrate's ears appeared among the military merits, and were recognized!"
Chen Ji said nonchalantly: "Who can recognize the original owner through a single ear? What nonsense are you blathering?"
The thief retorted: "I didn't lie to you! It's said that County Magistrate had a hairy black mole behind his ear! The person responsible for verifying military merits happened to be his brother-in-law, and recognized it at a single glance! And now, his brother-in-law has gone missing as well! Who knows if he was killed by the Border Army or hidden away."
Chen Ji was stunned. The other party spoke with such certainty; the details and logic were all present! Could it be true?!
But how could this Guyuan Border Army possess such massive guts?! Not only colluding with bandits to plunder the County Magistrate, but even daring to use the County Magistrate's ears to make up military merits!
If it were true, then these guts were enough to pierce through the heavens!
Chen Ji drew the Whale Blade, pressing the icy cold blade edge against the other party's neck: "What other major events?"
The young man said: "There's more, there's more! After the Crown Prince arrived, the Regional Military Commission placed a bounty of one hundred taels of silver, searching for the whereabouts of Jing Dynasty spies and bandits! As long as one can help the Imperial Court catch spies or bandits, they can collect the money!"
Chen Ji said without a change in expression: "How many have been caught?"
"I haven't heard of anyone being caught..."
As they spoke, the sound of iron hooves transmitted from outside the Relay Station! That was a sound that could only be produced by warhorses nailed with iron horseshoes: crisp and explosive! Barring the unforeseen, it should be the reinforcements Chen Wenzong brought back from the Regional Military Commission!
Chen Ji remained silent for a moment, and stood up straight.
He held the Whale Blade upside down in his hand, the tip of the blade hovering in mid-air right above the thief's temple: "I can let you go, and I can also let those young children go. But you still have to do a few things for me."
The thief hurriedly asked: "What things?"
Chen Ji said calmly: "It's not the time to tell you yet. It's just, how do I find you later?"
The thief answered: "You go to Longmen Inn! Tell the shopkeeper you are looking for 'Third Brother Hu', and he will naturally pass on the message for you!"
"Longmen Inn?" Chen Ji was deep in thought: "Can I trust you?"
"Of course you can!" The thief said in a panic: "For better or worse, I, Third Brother Hu, am a figure with a name and a surname in this Guyuan! I absolutely do not eat my words!"
"Go, ba." Chen Ji got up and lifted his foot. Using hands and feet, the thief scrambled up, hailing the young children before vanishing outside the window like a wisp of smoke.
(End of this chapter)