Longmen Inn?
Earlier, Escort Chief Liang had said there was an inn in Guyuan with vast capabilities, opened by the former subordinates of General Wentao, which could send people to the Jing Dynasty.
He wondered if the one Escort Chief Liang spoke of was this one?
Chen Ji looked out the window. The thief, Third Brother Hu, led the children and ran far away. Only he and the dozens of corpses remained in the room, along with the silvery-white moonlight spilling in from outside the window.
He heard the sound of iron hooves drawing closer and closer, finally stopping before the Relay Station. The dense, rustling friction sounds of iron armor shards rang out as over a hundred people dismounted before the gates.
Someone shouted: "Surround the Relay Station!"
Amidst the shouting, Zhang Xia charged into the Man-Character room. Looking at Chen Ji standing in the moonlight, she said: "Chen Ji, people have arrived outside the Relay Station. They should be the Crown Prince's people!"
She cast a glance at Chen Ji, and went straight to tear the bedsheets off the common bed. When she arrived before the bed, she saw the corpses weeping tears of blood, and her movements halted hesitantly.
But after hesitating for merely two breaths of time, Zhang Xia braced herself and tore off a bedsheet.
Chen Ji paused slightly, not understanding what she intended to do.
Zhang Xia came before him. Lowering her head, she used the bedsheet to re-wrap the Whale Blade: "I wager you definitely do not wish to draw attention. This blade is too eye-catching; it's best to help you cover it up."
Chen Ji remained silent for a moment, before his face broke into a smile: "Second Miss Zhang remains unruffled in the face of danger, and is as meticulous and careful as a strand of hair. I am in awe. Let's go, let's go out and take a look."
The two arrived in the courtyard just in time to see Chen Liqin lifting the hem of his Official Robe and running inside hastily: "Madam, Wenxiao?!"
Madam Liang took a few running steps to throw herself into his embrace, weeping and complaining plaintively: "Old Master, you've finally returned! If you had been any later, I fear you wouldn't have been able to see us!"
Chen Liqin let out a cough: "The Crown Prince has also arrived; do not lose your Propriety."
Madam Liang raised her head in surprise. Her gaze bypassed Chen Liqin's shoulder to look outside the main gates of the Relay Station.
She saw a noble young master draped in a white fox-fur cloak walking toward them. Following closely behind him were over twenty armored soldiers wearing silver armor and white capes on their shoulders, their hands pressing down on the longswords at their waists.
That noble young master had his hair gathered and pinned with a white jade hairpin atop his head. With red lips and white teeth, it was as if he had walked right out of a painting.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince?!" Madam Liang hurriedly extracted herself from Chen Liqin's embrace. Wiping her tears, she performed a Ten Thousand Blessings Greeting: "May Your Highness the Crown Prince be well and safe."
The Crown Prince cupped his hands in return, saying gently: "Aunt Chen, please do not stand on ceremony. Today is entirely to blame on my negligence in handling matters. I clearly knew this Guyuan was not peaceful, yet I didn't think of arranging armored soldiers in advance to protect your safety. Fortunately, you are all fine, otherwise, I fear I would not be able to shirk the blame even with ten thousand deaths."
Seeing the Crown Prince returning her greeting, Madam Liang felt overwhelmed by the unexpected favor for a moment: "Your Highness the Crown Prince absolutely must not say such things."
Chen Liqin bowed at the side: "The Crown Prince needn't blame himself. Who could have imagined the violent evildoers in this Guyuan would be so unbridled and rampant to actually dare to secretly harm the family dependents of an Imperial Court official? For you to personally come here, this humble minister is already endlessly grateful."
Chen Wenxiao cried as he said: "Father, this matter must be thoroughly investigated to the bitter end!"
Chen Liqin's face darkened: "What propriety is this, crying and weeping before the Crown Prince? Learn from your Eldest Brother, look at what he did!"
The Crown Prince praised: "Worthy Brother Wenzong is truly an outstanding talent among men. After experiencing such a disaster, he actually dared to come to the Regional Military Commission alone to deliver the news; this is sufficient to highlight his courage and boldness."
Chen Ji, Zhang Xia, and the others stood in a corner of the courtyard. Zhang Zheng muttered softly: "They've been here for quite a while, yet no one has gone to look at those maids and pages. They all died in vain."
Zhang Xia glared at him fiercely: "Brother, speak less."
Zhang Zheng said carelessly: "Our Zhang Family and the Xu Family aren't afraid of him!"
Zhang Xia lowered her voice: "You don't plan on becoming an official, but don't drag everyone else down with you!"
Zhang Zheng cast a glance at Chen Ji and shut his mouth.
At this very moment, Chen Ji remained completely silent.
The instant the Crown Prince appeared, the Molten Flow within his body surged and churned madly, akin to a vicious tiger!
His heart beat furiously. The burbling, pulsing sound as the blood pumped from his heart flowed through the blood vessels in his forehead was like the roar of the Molten Flow!
It took a full dozen breaths of time for the Molten Flow to gradually return to silence.
This was still the first time the Molten Flow had shown such a maniacal reaction... Was it because he saw the Crown Prince of a nation?
While he was pondering, the Crown Prince looked into the courtyard. His gaze swept past Chen Ji's face. When he saw Zhang Xia, his gaze paused slightly, and then he looked at Zhang Zheng and Xiaoman: "These few are..."
Chen Wenzong stepped forward from behind: "To answer the Crown Prince: on the left is my younger brother Chen Ji and his personal maid. On the right are Lord Zhang Zhuo's son and beloved daughter. The two of them followed us to Guyuan this time with the original intention of playing and sightseeing, but didn't expect to fall into danger."
The Crown Prince nodded slightly, cupping his hands toward Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia: "I received orders to come to Guyuan this time to thoroughly investigate the case of killing civilians to claim military merit, and have implicated you two..."
Before his voice fell, torchlight lit up outside the Relay Station!
Everyone turned their heads. A squad of armored soldiers marched over openly holding weapons and torches, glaring like wolves and tigers! The armored soldiers wore rattan armor, and axe, chisel, and saber hack marks could still be seen on the rattan armor!
It was the Border Army armored soldiers!
Behind the Crown Prince, the twenty-odd silver-armored personal guards drew their swords. Wearing tattered and dilapidated rattan armor, the Border Army armored soldiers didn't even draw their waist sabers, their footsteps never halting!
A brilliant and terrifying aura, forged through life-and-death struggles in mountains of corpses and seas of blood, soared into the sky, forcing the personal guards to subconsciously retreat two steps backward!
The Border Army stood on the steps of the Relay Station, while the Crown Prince's personal guards stood beneath the steps of the courtyard. The two sides were at daggers drawn. The flames of the torches swayed incessantly, producing
pu pu
sounds as they were blown by the wind.
Right at this time, Chen Ji suddenly felt someone grab his arm, the strength growing increasingly tighter.
He looked sideways, only to see Zhang Xia staring in the direction of the Border Army.
Zhang Xia's lips parted slightly, her voice as faint as a mosquito's: "The person standing behind the Border Army general came to the Relay Station this afternoon! At the time, that person was not wearing rattan armor, but there is a scar on his right cheek; I wouldn't recognize him wrong."
Chen Ji's pupils sharply contracted. His gaze swept over, and that scarred man's gaze passed over the others, scrutinizing the courtyard as if searching for something.
Something was wrong!
According to the minor official, this Relay Station was left unused year-round, and they didn't even have plentiful firewood on normal days.
For a Border Army armored soldier to change into civilian clothes and secretly come to the Relay Station was intrinsically illogical to begin with!
If this person truly was the murderer, wasn't this a bit too arrogant and rampant?! After killing thirty-four lives of the Chen Family, he actually still dared to swagger back here?!
Exactly what confidence did this Border Army have to actually dare to act so rebelliously and discordantly against the Crown Prince of a nation?!
Zhang Xia asked in a low voice: "Should we expose him?"
"Absolutely not." Chen Ji responded without a change in expression: "This is the Border Army's territory. If we truly push the other party until a cornered dog jumps over the wall, no one will survive! Furthermore, we only saw the other party come here; there's no way to prove he came to poison us! Do not be nervous. Do not let the other party discover any clues."
Zhang Xia nodded, her expression gradually calming down: "Understood."
Amidst the tense standoff, the Crown Prince raised his head to look at the Border Army on the steps: "For what matter have you all come here?"
The leading Border Army general cupped his fists in response: "To answer the Crown Prince, the final general heard reports from the garrison guards of the Regional Military Commission that a murder case had occurred at the Relay Station, and led men here to arrest the violent evildoers."
Li Xuan stepped forward to block the Border Army: "Everyone need not enter. My Feather Forest Army is sufficient here."
Hearing this, the Border Army general sneered. Instantly pressing his hand down on his waist saber, he said in a sunken voice: "Lord Li, my Guyuan Regional Military Commission governs thirty-six Chiliarch Offices and is in charge of this entire city! Catching spies and arresting murderers are both the responsibilities of my Regional Military Commission! I hope the Crown Prince and Lord Li do not overstep your bounds!"
Resting his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist, Li Xuan retorted tit-for-tat: "How do I know if this wasn't done by your Guyuan Border Army?! If this case is handed over to you, it would be giving you the exact opportunity to destroy the evidence!"
The Border Army general's expression changed, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes: "What is the meaning of Lord Li's words? My Border Army garrisons the border here, shedding our blood and sacrificing our lives! I will not tolerate you throwing dirty water at us!"
Li Xuan laughed coldly: "Whether or not I'm throwing dirty water, you are well aware of it in your heart."
The Border Army general said angrily: "When we Border Army kill people, we have always fought the Jing Dynasty thieves white-blade-in, red-blade-out! When have we ever used such underhanded methods like Poisoning?!"
Li Xuan wanted to say something more, but his shoulder was pressed down by the Crown Prince.
He turned his head to look at the Crown Prince: "Your Highness the Crown Prince—"
The Crown Prince said slowly: "No harm, I will speak with General Zhou."
Li Xuan hesitated for a moment, before retreating to the side.
The Crown Prince raised his head to look at the Border Army general on the steps: "General Zhou, for Lord Chen to suffer this misfortune freshly upon arriving is already horrifying and shocking. After I return, I must definitely write a Memorial to the Throne overnight and send it to the Capital City via Six Hundred Li Express to report this to Royal Father, so as to thoroughly investigate this matter. Now that the Border Army is also a suspect, it's best you avoid suspicion."
General Zhou's expression was grave: "Your Highness, it's not that we intentionally mean to offend Heavenly Might! It's just that we are also worried someone will plant stolen goods and pass the blame onto us! In recent years, the Border Army has suffered much criticism and controversy; we truly cannot bear such a stigma and infamy anymore! The Crown Prince came to investigate the case of killing civilians to claim military merit; this has nothing to do with this matter, so why must you intervene?!"
The Crown Prince gently shook his head: "Not so. Lord Chen is currently the Junior Supervisor of the Household in the Supervisorate of Instruction! Having entered the official bureau of my Eastern Palace, his matters are naturally the matters of my Eastern Palace. General Zhou, you brought men to surround my Feather Forest Army; could it be you intend to commit treason and rebel?!"
General Zhou stared straight at the Crown Prince: "The Crown Prince needn't try to scare me! I, Zhou, crawled out from mountains of corpses and seas of blood! I stand tall and unyielding between heaven and earth, and my conscience is clear! Even if we go before His Majesty to reason this out, I am not afraid! If Your Highness the Crown Prince insists on not letting us trace and investigate this matter, then we can only offend you!"
The Crown Prince looked at the vicious and terrifying Border Army armored soldiers. After pondering for a moment, he said: "How about this: the Border Army and the Feather Forest Army shall investigate this matter together! If the Border Army is truly clean and innocent, it will be easier for my Feather Forest Army to act as a witness for everyone."
General Zhou's eyes flickered, making a decision after several breaths of time: "Good!"
The Crown Prince turned his head to look at Chen Liqin: "Lord Chen, this Relay Station can no longer be lived in. Everyone, follow me back to the Regional Military Commission; there are still several empty courtyards there."
Chen Liqin cupped his hands: "Everything shall be according to Your Highness the Crown Prince's arrangements."
The Crown Prince then looked at Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia: "What are your two thoughts?"
Zhang Xia answered: "To answer Your Highness: we will go together with the Chen Family."
The Crown Prince walked up the steps first, and the Border Army armored soldiers parted to make a path one after another.
Behind them, Zhang Zheng asked in a low voice: "How about we run? The Regional Military Commission is the Border Army's old lair! By moving in, aren't we just throwing ourselves into the net?! When the time comes, we'll be trembling in fear every day, not even daring to eat."
Zhang Xia rebuffed: "If we run, it will definitely cause the other party to harbor suspicions, Beating the Grass and Startling the Snake."
Chen Ji said calmly: "If it truly was done by the Border Army, they absolutely will not allow anyone to die inside the Regional Military Commission! Let's go, it's actually safest to go to the Border Army's territory at this time."
(End of this chapter)