Aoyama

Chapter 305 Substitute
Qi considered finding a set of silver armor and helped Chen Ji put it on.

As he helped Chen Ji put on his armor, he muttered quietly, "Master, why don't we just wait and see Chen Wenren's joke? Why bother helping them... Why do I feel so awkward wearing silver armor on you?"

Chen Ji was startled: "Awkward?"

Qi Chenzhuo frowned and looked at it: "I can't tell what's strange about it, but it just doesn't match this set of silver armor."

Li Xuan heard this and said, "Chen Ji is not suitable for such a flashy Yulin Army armor. This armor is too dazzling. He should wear a black armor."

Qi Chenzhuo said with a click of his tongue: "It seems to be true. Brother-in-law, how can you tell it at a glance?"

Li Xuan was silent for a moment: "Because I have seen him wearing the black armor of the Tiance Army's sharpshooter."

Qi Chenzhuo was puzzled: "I have seen it too. He was wearing that black armor after the battle."

Li Xuan shook his head and said softly: "Not after the war."

He recalled the night of the decisive battle of Guyuan. Chen Ji stood in the darkness with a bow in his hand, calm and composed, yet it seemed as if there was thunder beneath his breath.

The most powerful falcon will never appear in the eyes of its prey.

The three of them went out.

Zhao Zhuofan was shouting anxiously on the parade ground: "Who is going to Bada Hutong to deliver a letter to Commander Chen now? There is a big reward, two hundred taels of silver!"

No one responded on the parade grounds.

"You don't even want to earn two hundred taels of silver by running errands?" Zhao Zhuofan grabbed a Yulin soldier and ordered, "Go!"

The Yulin soldier took a step back and broke free from Zhao Zhuofan's hand. "It's definitely too late now. Going to Bada Hutong and back will take half an hour even on a fast horse. It will definitely delay the important matters of Shenshi. When the Silijian will hold you accountable, you may have the Chen family as a guarantor, but I will definitely be dismissed and investigated."

Zhao Zhuofan cursed angrily, then turned to look at a Yulin soldier who was just feeding a horse: "I'll give you five hundred taels of silver, go!"

But the Yulin Army did not respond.

Zhao Zhuofan was furious: "Your mother is seriously ill and still needs money for treatment, and your wife is reluctant to even buy a box of rouge. If you take this money, you will have everything!"

Qi Chenzhuo sneered, "Five hundred taels of silver is only his two-year salary. Liang Dongcheng was selected to join the Yulin Army with great difficulty. How could he miss his job because of your little money? According to our Daning Law, what is the crime of deserting one's post without permission..."

Zhao Zhuofan glared at him: "You!"

Now was not the time to argue with Qi Chenzhuo, so he turned to the other poor soldiers and said, "Who is willing to earn these five hundred taels of silver? No, eight hundred taels!"

No one responded.

Qi Chenzhuo joked, "Mr. Zhao is close to the Chen family, so why is he only willing to take 800 taels of silver to send someone away? If you take 5,000 taels, I'll run the trip for you."

Zhao Zhuofan ignored him, only looked at those poor soldiers, and sneered: "Okay, okay, I treat you well on weekdays, and have never deducted the military rations and wages. When this matter is over, you don't have to stay in my garrison anymore!"

Upon hearing this, a Yulin soldier gritted his teeth and took a step forward: "One thousand five hundred taels, I will go and deliver the letter to the commander."

Zhao Zhuofan thought for a while and said, "Okay!"

The Yulin Army soldiers rode away on horseback, heading towards the Bada Hutong.

When he was leaving, a young eunuch outside the door held up the Prime Minister's handwritten order: "Yulin Army, listen up, immediately go to the Meridian Gate to wait for the order. If you don't see anyone within an incense stick, you will be lashed forty times and dismissed from your post!"

Zhao Zhuofan said angrily, "Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry, as if you are urging me to die!"

Chen Ji suddenly remembered what Zhang Xia said, that rules are used to eat people.

He turned around and asked Qi Chenzhuo: "How many people in the Yulin Army come from humble backgrounds?"

Qi Chenzhuo shook his head and said, "Not many. The Yulin Army is very strict in selection. One must have three generations of clean ancestors to be accepted. There are only about 25 or 6 such poor families in the Yulin Army. Most of the others have good backgrounds."

Chen Ji seemed to be thinking about something.

……

……

Two hundred Yulin soldiers passed through Chengtian Gate with swords at their waists and lined up in front of Wumen.

Zhao Zhuofan paced back and forth in front of the Meridian Gate, looking anxiously in the direction of Chengtian Gate.

At this moment, Chen Ji saw a familiar figure walking out from the right side of the Meridian Gate. The other person was dressed in white, wearing a dragon-patterned mask, with his hands casually behind his back, silently examining the Yulin Army.

White dragon.

Chen Ji looked at the other person carefully, wondering which Bai Long he had seen before.

The one in Los Angeles?
Or the one in the palace? Or maybe neither.

After a long moment, Bai Long stared at Zhao Zhuofan and asked, "How can it be considered proper for the imperial guard to be pacing back and forth in front of the Meridian Gate?"

Zhao Zhuofan was so frightened by the inexplicable aura that he didn't want to look directly at it.

Bai Long looked at the Yulin Army and said calmly, "I had 538 Yulin Army soldiers, but now we can't even gather 360 people. That's great."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of drums rang out from the pavilion on the Meridian Gate Tower. Bai Long immediately said, "Line up and welcome them at Chengtian Gate!"

The Yulin Army was divided into two rows and marched in neat steps towards Chengtian Gate to meet them.

Chen Ji asked in a low voice: "Aren't we meeting at the Meridian Gate?"

Qi Chenzhuo chuckled and said, "Goryeo is a vassal state of our Ning Dynasty. How can the suzerain state wait for him? He should dismount outside Chengtian Gate and walk to Wumen Gate."

When they arrived at Chengtian Gate, they saw a sedan chair slowly approaching, surrounded by officials from the Honglu Temple and more than 30 envoys. Around it, secret agents dressed in civilian clothes were moving back and forth, guarding the sedan chair on both sides.

After putting down the sedan chair, the Goryeo prince inside did not get out, and Bai Long did not urge him. He just put his hands behind his back and looked out the door quietly, as if there was another guest coming from afar.

Chen Ji was a little puzzled. What was Bai Long waiting for?
After a stick of incense, he was slightly startled. On West Chang'an Street, there was another group of officials from the Honglu Temple and envoys surrounding a similar sedan chair.

Even the number of envoys is exactly the same.

After the sedan chair was lowered, the Golden Pig, wearing a bamboo hat, flashed out from the side of the road, came to Bai Long, clasped his fists and said, "Sir, I have fulfilled your mission and delivered you safely."

Bai Long asked casually: "Nothing happened?"

The Golden Pig said firmly: "Nothing happened."

Bai Long smiled and said, "Then please ask the prince to come out."

The Goryeo envoys opened two sedan chairs at the same time. The person who came out on the left was wearing a red silk robe embroidered with Yi and Zao emblems, a five-beam crown on his head, an ivory tablet in his hands, and a jade belt around his waist. They were all ministers of the Ning Dynasty.

The person coming out from the right was dressed exactly like the Crown Prince of Goryeo, also wearing a red silk robe and a five-beam crown.

Both of them were of the same height and build, and both covered their faces with veils.

substitute!

Bai Long asked the young man on his right, "How is the prince? You can take off your veil now."

The Goryeo prince took off his veil and bowed humbly: "My Lord, it's fine."

This prince actually spoke the official language of the Ning Dynasty fluently.

At this time, Bai Long explained casually: "In order to ensure that everything is safe, I have gone through so much trouble. I hope you will forgive me, Your Highness."

The Crown Prince of Goryeo quickly replied, "It's okay, it's okay. The thieves of Jing Dynasty have tried to assassinate me several times. Your Excellency is also concerned about my safety. I should accept your kindness."

Chen Ji's heart shuddered. In this capital city, has the open and secret struggles between the Military Intelligence Department of the Jing Dynasty and the Secret Service Department of the Ning Dynasty reached this point?

But this is at the foot of the imperial city.

Bai Long looked at the two of them and said with a smile, "Sir, according to etiquette, we need to check the 'major memorial' again."

The Crown Prince of Goryeo took out an exquisite memorial from his sleeve, which was tied with a red rope.

He handed the memorial to Bai Long with both hands and said, "This is my father's handwritten "Memorial for Assistance in Resisting the Japanese Aggression". Please have a look. This time we bring as tribute 300 ginsengs, 300 sable skins, 20 top-quality stallions, 300 taels of gold, 800 taels of silver, and 16 pairs of gold and silver utensils. All the names are listed in it."

Bai Long untied the red string, read the document carefully, and then handed it to the official of the Honglu Temple: "The horses will be sent to the Imperial Household Department, the ginseng will be sent to the Imperial Pharmacy, and the gold and silver will be put into the inner treasury."

The official from the Honglu Temple took the memorial politely and said, "Yes."

Bai Long looked at the Crown Prince of Goryeo again. "According to the customs regulations in Volume 15 of our Da Ning Law, the Crown Prince cannot enter and leave the Huitong Hall without the accompaniment of the Honglu Temple officials and our Secret Service. He cannot make maps privately. He cannot talk to the people of our dynasty. The Crown Prince is provided with three liters of rice and one pound of meat every day, and his entourage can be reduced by half. Do you have any objections?"

The Goryeo Crown Prince bowed and said, "No objection."

The official from the Honglu Temple bowed and asked, "Lord Bailong, can we enter the palace?"

Bai Long said calmly: "The eight hundred drums of Que Pavilion have not yet finished, wait."

After saying this, he said no more and just stood quietly with his hands behind his back.

The majestic drumbeats from the Queting on the distant Meridian Gate Tower continued.

The officials of the Honglu Temple were stunned. According to the etiquette of the Ning Dynasty, they should wait until the drums stopped beating before entering the palace. However, in the past, no one took this etiquette seriously and they entered the palace before the drums stopped beating.

But this white dragon refused to do anything that went against the rules even a little bit.

Until the drums stopped.

Bai Long then smiled and said to the Crown Prince of Goryeo: "Crown Prince, isn't it a pleasure to have friends coming from afar? Please come in!"

The Yulin Army lined up to clear the way and led the Goryeo Crown Prince through the Meridian Gate and towards the Jianji Palace.

The Crown Prince of Goryeo looked up at the Meridian Gate with a solemn expression.

Although Wumen is called a gate, it is actually a city gate.

The Outer City, Inner City and Imperial City are layered one after another, and the Meridian Gate is the last and most important "city gate" in the capital.

The bright red Meridian Gate has a tall and wide tower. It seems as if someone has put a red official robe of the Prime Minister of the Cabinet on the city wall and is sitting here. Anyone who comes to the Meridian Gate for the first time will be shocked by its solemn and awe-inspiring official power and feel awe.

When the Crown Prince of Goryeo entered the Meridian Gate, Bai Long heard hurried footsteps behind him.

He turned around and saw that it was Chen Wenren who was leading a group of Yulin soldiers, sweating profusely.

Chen Wenren came closer, panting and clasping his fists, saying, "I am late."

Bai Long said calmly: "According to Article 9 of Volume 2 of our Daning Law, any official who leaves his post without reason shall be flogged forty times, and those who guard the palace or warehouses shall be flogged eighty times and dismissed from their posts."

Chen Wenren's expression changed.

Bai Long waved his hand at Jin Zhu and said, "My Secret Service has the duty of supervising all officials. We will judge major matters and make decisions on minor matters. If you are dragged down, you will be lashed with eighty strokes and then transferred to the Ministry of War for punishment."

The spies rushed forward and dragged Chen Wenren and other Yulin soldiers out of the Meridian Gate.

Chen Wenren roared, "Eunuchs, how dare you touch me! My Chen family has been a family of nobles for generations, how can you, the eunuchs, touch me?"

Bai Long turned and walked into the deep Wumen Gate: "One hundred lashes."

Chen Ji looked back and found that the White Dragon in front of him was completely different from Mr. Feng.

(End of this chapter)