Chapter 48: The Drunkard’s Intent (Palace Secrets, General Xie and His Majesty’s Childhood…)
Dong Gu dragged Zhu Zhao right in front of him. The short blade that had just skewered the magistrate was still dripping blood. Before Ying Xi could activate the system, Zhu Zhao remained immovable as a mountain.
The Dishi stood like a statue, completely blocking his student.
A dull pain came from his lower right abdomen! Zhu Zhao frowned slightly.
But no mixture of blood and rain flowed down.
What hit Zhu Zhao was the hilt of the knife.
The short blade twirled in Dong Guâs hand. The bandit chief shoved the knife back into his belt and scoffed, “First-rank high official. Dying isn’t that easy. For civil officials like you, death just completes your good reputationâtake him away! The brothers rely on him for meat and wine in the future!”
“Yes, Big Boss!”
Dong Gu laughed arrogantly, raised his whip, and spurred his horse away.
The bandits tied people up, and naturally, they hijacked the carriage too.
Two bandits jumped onto the carriage board, driving the carriage to follow Dong Gu.
Up ahead, Dong Gu galloped; behind, this carriage was driven as if stirring beans in a wok. The people inside couldn’t sit steadily on the bench at all, jolted until they felt nauseous and disoriented.
Ying Xiâs head slammed against the solid carriage wall!
The Emperor’s mouth was gagged with a rag. The cloth was unknown in origin, likely used to wipe something before, smelling moldy and foul.
He narrowed his eyes through the carriage door. If the bandits outside could see, the killing intent in this look would be enough for them to die hundreds of times over.
Tian Tong said painfully, “Your Majesty, should we return to the base?”
Ying Xi could naturally return at any time. Once back, he could issue a decree, summon tens of thousands of troops, and slaughter Luoshan until not even chickens or dogs remained.
But he had made a promise to the villagers: to reunite their families.
Because Ying Xi had seen with his own eyes the living commoners, begging and crying, waiting for someone to save them, to fight against the brutal bandits.
Although he was no saint, if it could be done, he was willing to try.
Ying Xi said to Tian Tong, “Wait a little longer.”
Tian Tong fell silent.
In the rain curtain, the carriage sped toward the Luoshan Stronghold!
Luoxian County Office.
The Longwu Army, having marched continuously for a month, finally obtained a rare rest.
The soldiers laid out their bedrolls neatly in the corridors of the County Office.
The bedding was tidy; no loud noises were heard. Soldiers conversing had to follow discipline: no reckless talk about court politics, no discussing comrades…
Most topics were restricted, but there was a gray area topic that wasn’t explicitly banned and could be whispered about.
That wasâgirls.
In the Longwu Army, there were plenty of bachelors who hadn’t even held a girl’s hand yet. Whose hand was softer compared to a steamed bun? How fragrant was the scent of rouge?
If someone was willing to share experience, their status would become very high, becoming an object of admiration for everyone.
But if this experience came from whoringâthe Longwu Army forbade whoring.
If it was stolenâeven more despised!
Since Xie Ji, this army selected people first by character, second by martial arts, and least of all by origin.
Lian Qing stood under the corridor with arms crossed, listening for a long time to a fire leader who had just gotten married and returned to the team talking about the bridal chamber.
Lian Qing listened until his imagination ran wild. In the gloomy, cold spring rainy day, he actually felt restless all over.
He hummed a little tune to relieve himself, but instantly turned serious, trying hard to expel the sensual thoughts from his face.
“General Xie!”
Xie Qianli walked over with broad strides and nodded. “Are the brothers alright?”
“Every single one is fine. Just heard some people under the corridor discussing how to suppress bandits…” Lian Qing said.
Xie Qianli was half-skeptical. He couldn’t stay idle and had just returned from inspecting the city with a few soldiers.
Lian Qing asked back, “How was it on your end, General?”
The reply came from an attendant. “We just patched up the collapsed section of the city wall, cleared the hidden drains, and fixed leaking roofs for the commoners.”
Lian Qing sized up the few men in astonishment. Washed by the rain, they didn’t look dirty, but they had been out for hours; they had done quite a lot.
“The General…” Needless to say, Lian Qing silently retracted his suspicion. He definitely joined in on the wall-patching and roofing.
Recently, the General treated himself less and less like a scion of royalty, grounding himself steadily.
Actually, even if his rank and title were several grades lower, in tiny Luoxian, he could still shake the earth.
A Duke repairing thatched cottages!
He didn’t feel it was beneath his dignity. What was the big deal?
Lian Qing had always admired this sentiment of Xie Qianli’s. The General truly could treat the country as his own home…
Lian Qing occasionally had dangerous speculations, thinking Xie Qianli harbored unspeakable desires for the realm.
But this speculation would always be quickly shatteredâ
Because the General always mentioned the Holy One within a few sentences.
He dismissed the others. “His Majesty hasn’t returned?”
“No,” Lian Qing replied. “The nearest village is four or five li out of the city. The road is hard to travel; the return trip will take until dark at least.”
“I should have followed in secret.”
“His Majesty forbade it.”
“Send people to meet them immediately.”
“Y-Yes, this subordinate will go personally.” Lian Qing turned to pick men.
Spring thunder rolled loudly. Amidst the sound and curtain of rain, Xie Qianli blocked him. “I will go too.”
Lian Qing was astonished. “Didn’t you just…”
Finished patching wallsâah no, finished patrolling the city?
That man seemed to have inexhaustible strength. Xie Qianli mounted his warhorse. The hawk, Lord Sun, acted positively, immediately gliding down from the eaves to land on Xie Qianliâs shoulder.
“Go.”
The young soldier under the eaves who hadn’t seen them was still blushing, talking about his wedding day.
His voice drifted over intermittently:
“I went to fetch the bride, nervous as anything…”
“I was excited in my heart, spurring the horse to go fast, but the matchmaker wouldn’t let me, saying I couldn’t look like a bandit king snatching a bride.”
Lian Qing rode chasing Xie Qianli, rushing out of the County Office, through the city gate, his heart thumping wildly!
He couldn’t help recalling His Majesty’s look last night.
When glaring, it was like attaching a kite string to someone, following the changes in his expression, pulling in, then letting go…
According to palace secrets, General Xie and His Majesty had known each other since childhood.
Lian Qing took a deep breath: Stop!!!
“Whoaâ”
After rushing out of the city for a while, the warhorses stopped abruptly. Dense mud puddles appeared on the official road outside the cityâtraces of horse hooves.
Bandits…
Lian Qing persuaded himself it couldn’t be such a coincidence!
Xie Qianli pulled the reins to track the footprints. Due to the rain, the hoof prints were sometimes clear, sometimes blurred.
The white warhorse was fast and urgent. The black hawk could no longer stay put, taking flight to circle and overlook the wilderness, searching from above. “Screechâ”
The hawk’s cry was sharp, piercing the ears.
The Longwu Army chased from the official road into the village road. First, they saw two commoners hacked down in a hidden spot.
Those two men had whistles hanging around their necks; they were the village lookouts!
Xie Qianli glanced at the wounds from horseback, sizing up the hiding spot of the sentries, and said coldly, “There are insiders in the village; they were betrayed. The Mission too.”
Lian Qing fell silent.
Then they searched further along the way, first seeing diluted blood meandering, then Magistrate Gaoâs corpse.
Magistrate Gao had died a horrible death!
Lian Qing almost collapsed. “No Mister, no that person. We can’t find them. What do we do?”
Xie Qianliâs heart burned. His warhorse paced around Magistrate Gaoâs body, his profile cold and severe, brows locked tight.
He had taken a knife before; he knew that intense pain. In the moment of thought, empathy struckâhad His Majesty been stabbed?
Ying Xi had been sickly since childhood, his physique frail.
Back when he was still “Miss Xiao Xi,” the two rode horses out. The horse jolted once, Xiao Xi coughed once. Xie Qianli couldn’t bear it, so he got down and led the horse all the way.
Now, perhaps someone had already stabbed Ying Xi…
Suppressing the churning pain in his internal organs, Xie Qianli had no time to investigate exactly what kind of ruler-subject sentiment this stemmed from.
He analyzed in a deep voice, arranging, “The bandits dared to kill the county official; their cruelty exceeds the Qingniu Stronghold. Because they kidnapped many commoners, family members trying to keep their relatives safe might have sold information. Not seeing them is actually a stroke of luck; they should be at the stronghold.”
Lian Qing was at a loss and nodded.
“But if the Longwu Army continues dense operations, with eyes everywhere, it will inevitably alert the enemy. If these desperadoes discover His Majesty’s identity and harm the Dragon Body, shaking the foundation of the state, the consequences are unimaginable.”
Lian Qing: “Then what do we do!?”
Xie Qianli said, “Disperse into formations. Infiltrate Luoshan separately first, assemble there, and prepare to launch a rescue.”
He wanted to send a message via hawk, but Magistrate Gao was already dead.
He then acted expediently in his capacity as Deputy Amnesty Envoy, concealing news of Magistrate Gaoâs death, saying only that Gao Mingyang had been temporarily conscripted by Zhu Zhao for duty, and dispatched trusted aides to take over the County Office.
The dozen or so available men immediately dispersed into small teams to go up the mountain, while the main army concealed itself entering the mountain to await orders.
The black hawk flapped its wings and flew into the rain curtain!
“Hyah!”
Luoshan Stronghold.
The carriage stopped. The minions opened the door, then pushed and shoved, locking the hostages captured on this trip into the “Yangzi Pit.”
The hostages pulled the rags from their mouths; everywhere there was crying and wailing.
The Yangzi Pit was a large cave. Inside, it was moldy, damp, and cold. The environment was very unclean. Hostages were tied to pillars: some were skeletal, some had completely lost consciousness, heads lolling to one side.
It was hard to imagineâif kept upright constantly, how swollen would their feet become!
Ying Xi passed by a certain villager. The manâs lips were dry and peeling, his consciousness scattering, still muttering, “Down the mountain… go home.” Then no sound was heard; it was unknown if he was alive or dead.
Ying Xi lowered his eyes and looked away.
Thinking they would be tied in the Yangzi Pit, two minions circled around and felt it inappropriate.
One minion said, “The Big Boss said this is a first-rank high official. Need to trade him for wine and meat.” The minion pointed at Zhu Zhao.
Another minion supplemented, “First-rank high official can’t die. Must be detained separately.”
Thus, the two minions reached a consensus. As for Ying Xi… the minion leaned in to look closely, vaguely feeling this personâs face had an oppressive quality that made the hair on his back stand up.
The minion retreated half a step for no reason and interrogated Zhu Zhao, “This kid, so young and he can be an official too! What rank is he!”
Exposing the Emperor’s identity would do a hundred harms and no good.
Zhu Zhao said, “He has no official rank; he is my attendant.”
The minion then moved to act. “Lock him in the Yangzi Pit!!!”
Zhu Zhaoâs brow sank.
Torturing hostages to death in the Yangzi Pit was common; how could the Emperor suffer such abuse?
Ying Xi looked up with a cold sneer, arrogant. “Do you not know the saying that a Prime Minister’s attendant counts as a seventh-rank official? If my background were ordinary, could I travel with the Chief Amnesty Envoy?”
Chang’an’s waters ran deep, inviting speculation.
Ying Xiâs answer was implicit. The minionsâ sense of mystery was piqued, thinking he must be at least some royal noble. Master and disciple were locked into the same bungalow.
Guarding the bungalow were two young men. The bandit minion gave instructions to guard the hostages strictly; the two agreed subserviently. Only then did the bandit minion leave with peace of mind.
Once the bandit was far away, the two guarding the door began to whisper outside, their voices carrying into the room accompanied by the dense sound of rain:
“They said just now, they kidnapped a first-rank high official? To trade for ransom to drink and eat meat.”
“Trade with who? These two people’s families?”
“Hard to say. Maybe trade with the Emperor.”
Kidnapping court officials, extorting the national treasury.
This Dong Gu was simply reckless and audacious to the extreme.
The more Ying Xi listened, the angrier he got. Before the anger rising to his heart could dissipate, the bandits refreshed the Emperor’s understanding once again.
“According to the Big Boss’s usual methods, the hostages must bleed, otherwise the family won’t pay the ransom happily, and we won’t get much silver.”
Sure enough, a bandit messenger came and ordered, “The scribe has drafted the ransom letter! A fast horse is about to depart for Chang’an to ask the Little Emperor for money and make the Longwu Army withdraw! The Big Boss also wants to give the Emperor kid a meeting gift. You two, go chop off that big official’s right hand!”
Voice falling, the door panels slowly opened, and the sound of rain became distinct.
The door frame outlined two young human figures.
The kitchen knife was snow-bright.
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