CHAPTER 419: 330, PLOTTING A REBELLION

Once the crossbow arrow is released, it is no longer a street brawl; it will pierce the heavens.

The young man in Li Shamao Alley instantly sobered up.

He casually tossed the wine jar to the ground, turned around, and walked out: "Zhou Kuang, pack up quickly and leave. Erase all traces of our visit here tonight. No one can know I was here."

In the Imperial Capital, hiding heavy armor and using a crossbow is a major crime of rebellion!

Where did the crossbow come from? Who made it, who hid it, who used it? Anyone involved will not escape unscathed.

Zhou Kuang whispered, "Could someone be framing the second branch of the Chen family? Chen Lizhi isn’t that foolish. Over the years, he’s assigned Chen Wenren to idle away in the Yulin Army without sharing any power, entrusting everything to his eldest son, Chen Wende. Even if Chen Wenren lost his mind, he couldn’t mobilize a crossbow. Chen Wende is steady and experienced, holding the position of Assistant Minister of Rites, and wouldn’t engage in such nonsense with Chen Wenren."

Zhou Kuang continued, "It’s just Wang Huan. Even if caught by this group downstairs, what could they do? It’s not like the court caught him. Why kill him to silence him? But the moment the crossbow arrow appears, the outer city will be turned upside down; no cover can conceal this. This isn’t covering a lid; it’s flipping the table."

The young man suddenly halted, standing in the corridor, looking back at Zhou Kuang: "Zhou Kuang, these two crossbow arrows weren’t aimed at the Chen family; they were aimed at me. If I’m not mistaken, the crossbowman should have poisoned himself after shooting the arrow."

Zhou Kuang was stunned, "Aimed at you?"

The young man sneered, "These two crossbow arrows being shot, the Chen family can protect Chen Wenren. At most, there’s exile to Lingnan; Heji will suffer, but the Chen family won’t be deeply affected... only I will lose many things."

Zhou Kuang, astonished, asked, "Lose what?"

The young man chuckled self-deprecatingly, "The emperor’s favor."

...

...

In the alley, Li Xuan stepped lightly on Duobao’s shoulder, effortlessly leaping to the second floor. He opened a window, glanced inside, and then turned to Chen Ji downstairs, saying, "The crossbowman has poisoned himself. He’s a death soldier."

Chen Ji remained silent.

Li Xuan leaped back into the alley, whispering to him, "We must leave quickly. I saw many people hastily leaving. The use of a crossbow here will likely prompt the Five Cities Military Department to arrive soon to suppress it. When that happens, everyone present will be implicated, perhaps even facing another trip to the Imperial Prison."

Chen Ji closed his eyes and thought for a moment. When he reopened them, he said firmly, "It’s too late. Our identities have already been exposed. Even if we run, they’ll find us anyway... we can’t just leave."

Li Xuan tried to persuade him further, but Chen Ji insisted, "Trust me."

Li Xuan sighed, "What should we do now?"

Chen Ji whispered a directive, "Go find Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia right now, and do it quickly!"

Li Xuan asked, "What should I tell them?"

Chen Ji replied, "Tell Zhang Xia what happened here, and she’ll know what to do."

Li Xuan turned and left.

Chen Ji looked down at Wang Huan, "Someone wants you dead. Do you want to die or live?"

Wang Huan closed his eyes, trembling all over.

Chen Ji pressed the cold spear tip against Wang Huan’s neck, scaring him into a full-body shiver.

He calmly said, "I know the Wang family is backing you, and I also know the Wang family is the maternal family of Mrs. Wang of the Chen family’s second branch. So there’s no need to use your family background to intimidate me. Now that someone has used a crossbow, no one can escape unscathed. I ask only once: do you want to die or live?"

Wang Huan hesitated.

Chen Ji avoided cutting his carotid artery with the spear tip, making a small incision. Wang Huan immediately shouted, "I want to live! I want to live!"

Chen Ji said softly, "Hand me the account books of Heji from these years, and I’ll let you live."

Wang Huan’s expression changed, "That’s no different from killing me! If I hand these to you, not only I but my whole family won’t survive!"

Chen Ji smiled, "I could do without the account books, but are you willing to trade Heji’s entire fortune for your life?"

Wang Huan gritted his teeth, "You can take the silver, but not the account books!"

Chen Ji grabbed his collar with one hand, lifting him, "Have all Heji’s ruffians scatter, or else I’ll spill more of your blood."

Wang Huan quickly shouted, "Disperse, disperse!"

The ruffians of Heji, hearing this, as if receiving a pardon, turned and ran.

Wang Huan cursed, "This ungrateful bunch, you really scatter when told, running faster than rabbits!"

Chen Ji carried him, looking down as they walked out of the Eight Great Hutongs, "Where is the silver hidden?"

Wang Huan gritted his teeth and made up his mind: "Wei Ran Alley next to Zhang Family Bridge!"

Chen Ji looked at Qi Zhenzhuo: "You stay here to support your brother-in-law, take your brother-in-law and Zhang Xia to Wei Ran Alley."

Qi Zhenzhuo anxiously asked: "Master, where are you going?"

Chen Ji tugged at Wang Huan and walked in another direction: "The rest of you, come with me."

Under the watchful eyes of many, they crossed alley after alley towards Zhengyang Gate Street. Chen Ji said nothing, and the others did not ask a single question.

In the night, no one knew how long they had walked until they saw a wonton stand. Chen Ji turned back and asked his companions, "Is everyone hungry?"

Duobao and the others exchanged a glance: "Indeed, a bit hungry."

Chen Ji pulled Wang Huan to sit at the small wooden table by the wonton stand: "Shop owner, cook some wontons."

The shop owner looked them over, more than thirty people with weapons in hand, and trembled: "The shop is about to close."

Duobao took out a silver ingot from his chest and slapped it on the table: "Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and cook the wontons."

The shop owner quickly tucked the silver into his chest: "How many bowls do you want, guest?"

Chen Ji smiled, rubbing his chopsticks while saying, "Cook everything you’ve got; we can eat a lot."

Wang Huan had already come around by this time. He sat next to Chen Ji and didn’t dare to run, only whispering urgently: "I’ve already told you where the silver is hidden, so why won’t you let me go? I beg you, let me go quickly."

Chen Ji calmly pulled down the gray cloth from his face: "In the middle of the night, how do you plan to escape from the Imperial Capital?"

Wang Huan angrily replied: "The Cao Guild still has boats stationed at Chongnan Fang, we can still make it if we leave now, but any later, and I’m afraid it will be too late."

"The Cao Guild can smuggle people out of the city?" Chen Ji curiously asked: "Do you really think you can escape? I advise you, ending up in the court’s hands is far better than being mysteriously thrown into the river. Just eat your wontons in peace and enter the big prison with us; who knows, it might be safer inside than outside."

Wang Huan angrily said: "Eat what wontons! Someone is already using crossbows, and you aren’t fleeing; you’re daring enough to sit here and eat wontons? Are you tired of living?"

Chen Ji removed the cloth covering his face: "If you’re hungry, eat; if you’re tired, sleep; what’s wrong with that?"

Wang Huan panted: "The Chen family’s second house’s silver is in Wei Ran Alley, a full sixty thousand taels. Do you really think you can walk away alive with all that silver? Don’t be so foolish to take it and not live to spend it."

The shop owner brought over freshly cooked wontons. Chen Ji took a sip of hot soup before looking up and smiling: "The Chen family is so stingy? Not even willing to let us spend some of their silver for fun?"

Wang Huan angrily said: "Do you think establishing a reputation is the end? It’s just the beginning. From this moment onwards, it’s no longer about the ruffian’s brawn but the court’s manipulation. The Ministry’s methods of killing don’t leave a trace of blood!"

Chen Ji acknowledged with a hum, ignoring Wang Huan, and together with the Yulin Army, bowed their heads to eat the wontons. They ate bowl after bowl, stacking the ceramic bowls as high as someone’s head, until they finished all the wontons the shop owner had prepared, finally wiping their mouths, still unsatisfied.

Just then, the sound of dense hoofbeats came from afar.

In the night of the Imperial Capital, only the Five Cities Military Department... and the Jiefan Guard dare to ride so many horses at such speed.

Chen Ji squinted his eyes to look and saw at the end of Zhengyang Gate Street, several dozen people were riding towards them, clad in python robes, long knives at their waists.

It wasn’t the Five Cities Military Department that came.

It was the Jiefan Guard.

Wang Huan showed a look of despair: "It’s over, it’s the Jiefan Guard!"

The one leading the way pulled the reins and stopped by the wonton stand, looking down at Chen Ji, who had just set down his bowl: "Why is it you again?"

Chen Ji stood up with a smile: "Why is it you again, Lord Lin?"

The visitor was the Commander of the Jiefan Guard, Lin Chaoqing.

Lin Chaoqing’s gaze swept over Chen Ji and his companions: "I’ve received a report claiming someone in the outer city used crossbows with the intent to rebel. People say it’s connected to you. Is this true?"

Chen Ji pointed at Wang Huan and said seriously: "The rebel using crossbows is right here. As members of the Yulin Army, we have the responsibility to defend the Capital and have captured him."

Wang Huan’s face changed: "You’re talking nonsense!"

Lin Chaoqing looked at Wang Huan, then at Chen Ji: "Take them all to the Imperial Prison!"

Duobao looked at Chen Ji with concern, while Chen Ji’s eyes looked into the distance.

At this time, on Zhengyang Gate Street, there was a Zhang family’s carriage slowly passing by, heading towards Wei Ran Alley.

Chen Ji turned to reassure the Yulin Army: "Don’t be afraid; the innocent cleanse themselves. I trust that Lord Lin will exonerate us."