Aoyama

Chapter 307 Black Snake and Treasure Monkey

There was chaos in Dongjiang Mixiang outside Huitong Hall, and the Yulin Army was facing a formidable enemy.

Li Xuan was furious. The prince's substitute died on the road, and the Yulin Army responsible for escorting him could not escape blame.

One hundred thousand hot!
At this moment, the Goryeo envoys had been forced back to Huitong Hall by the Yulin Army and were not allowed to step out of Huitong Hall.

Li Xuan held a sword in his hand and pointed at several Yulin soldiers brought back from Guyuan: "Zhou Chong, Zhou Li, Duo Bao, Li Cen, each of you will lead 18 people to guard all the entrances and exits. Don't let anyone escape. Don't let the eunuch party know about this in advance."

Chen Ji glanced at him and said, "It's too late."

Li Xuan was stunned for a moment: "What's late?"

Chen Ji explained, "The Secret Service has been catching spies from the Jing Dynasty. When they escorted the Korean envoys to the audience, they changed into civilian clothes and hid among the people. When we came out of Chengtian Gate, there were also secret spies following us. As soon as the substitute died, they immediately went back to report the news. There were hundreds of Korean envoys, and it was impossible to find the murderer in such a short time. Once the Secret Service arrived, the Yulin Army could not stop them."

Li Xuan frowned, "What should we do? Now that vicious prime minister is looking for an opportunity to take revenge on the Qi, Chen, and Xu families. You are all related to them. If the eunuch party finds evidence against you, you will be sent to the imperial prison and you will be skinned alive if you don't die!"

Chen Ji said calmly: "Now that things have come to this, we should prepare for the worst. We may have to go to the imperial prison."

Deputy Commander Zhao Zhuofan, who had argued with them in the Governor's Mansion earlier, suddenly sneered and said, "The envoy was under your escort. It has nothing to do with me. I will not get involved in this mess with you."

After that, he called his men and said, "Let's go!"

Li Xuan said solemnly, "You can't leave! If you leave, the remaining people will not be enough to seal off Dongjiang Rice Lane. If the prisoners escape, no one can take the responsibility!"

Zhao Zhuofan glanced at him: "Why, Lord Li, can you still order me around? Even if Commander Chen is dismissed, we have to wait until a new commander comes!"

Li Xuan stepped forward and said in a serious tone, "I know you are angry, but Chen Wenren's dismissal has nothing to do with us. He neglected his duties and brought this upon himself."

He stood opposite Zhao Zhuofan holding a sword and continued, "Since the founding of the Ning Dynasty, no envoy has ever died in the territory of the Celestial Empire. This is not the assassination of one person, but the severance of the alliance between the vassal states and the vassal states. If we do not investigate thoroughly, the Ryukyu and Annan vassal states will doubt that the Great Ning has lost its prestige, and the five-border tribute roads will collapse from then on. At this time, we should put the overall situation first and bring the thief to justice first. How can we play it for personal feelings?"

Zhao Zhuofan turned around and left: "Stop accusing me, let's go!"

Li Xuan suddenly asked: "I'll ask you again, do you really want to leave?"

Zhao Zhuofan said without even turning his head: "Let's go!"

However, at this moment, Li Xuan raised his sword and chopped off Zhao Zhuofan's neck, and his head fell to the ground. Just like when Gu Yuan raised his sword and chopped off the general and seized the flag from the army,

The scarlet blood splattered on Zhao Zhuofan's white cloak and on Li Xuan's face, and everyone present was shocked.

Qi Zhuozhuo exclaimed, "Oh my god! Brother-in-law, his aunt is the most favored concubine of the Chen family's second branch. You just killed her like that?"

Li Xuan wiped the blood off his face and said, "According to the Daning Law, Chen Wenren is dismissed from his post. Now there is only one commander left in the Yulin Army, who can temporarily take over the power of the governor. Zhao Zhuofan disobeyed the military order and should be executed."

The soldiers under Zhao Zhuofan were shocked and confused. They looked at the Yulin Army who had returned from Guyuan with Li Xuan, but those Yulin Army looked at Zhao Zhuofan's rolling head quietly, as if they were looking at a sheep that had just been slaughtered.

"Ugh!" The soldiers under Zhao Zhuofan's command began to retch one after another.

Li Xuan shook his wrist and wiped away the blood on the blade: "Let me ask you, are you still leaving?"

The vomiting soldiers took one look at the corpse that was still spewing blood and said hastily, "No more, no more!"

Li Xuan said in a clear voice: "Now is not the time to vomit. Zhou Chong, Zhou Li, Duo Bao, Li Cen, you lead the troops to block Dongjiang Mixiang. Anyone who disobeys the order will be killed without mercy!"

Zhou Chong and others clasped their fists and responded, "Yes."

After saying that, the four of them selected their men and horses, then turned and walked towards the alley entrance.

As he turned around, the white cape on his back opened and closed like a fan.

Li Xuan then instructed Qi Chenzhuo, "Go to the roof of Huitong Hall and keep an eye on it."

"Hey," Qi Chenzhuo turned over and climbed onto the roof, standing on the ridge and looking around.

At this time, Chen Ji was squatting in the bluestone alley, looking down at the corpse.

Li Xuan also squatted down and asked in a serious tone: "How did he die? Poisoned?"

Chen Ji did not answer hastily. He lifted the corpse's clothes and saw that the body was black all over, and the fingertips looked like they were dipped in ink. He pinched the corpse's mouth and even the tongue was black.

The dark blue color of the corpse is mostly related to lack of oxygen. When the oxygen content in the blood is insufficient, the skin and mucous membranes may appear bluish purple, which is called cyanosis.

There are three common poisons that can cause cyanosis: aconitine, tripterygium wilfordii, and strychnine. Among them, aconitine is a banned drug and cannot be bought or sold at will.

However, the onset of aconitine toxicity is approximately between half an hour and two hours, while that of tripterygium wilfordii may take several days or even dozens of days.

Chen Ji said, "Strychnos nux vomica. Only strychnos nux vomica can cause the poison to set off immediately."

Li Xuan looked at him in astonishment: "You figured it out so quickly? Could it be some other slow-acting poison that just happened to take effect at this moment?"

"It's impossible. Two hours ago, this substitute was still in the palace, without food or water, so aconitine was eliminated. Tripterygium wilfordii needs to be poisoned every day. If you have the ability, you shouldn't poison a substitute. In addition, you can't control the time of death, so it's eliminated." Chen Ji said calmly: "It's not difficult to identify what the poison is, and it's not important. What's important is... who poisoned him?"

From Wumen to Dongjiang Mixiang, he and Li Xuan had been near the sedan chair. They were sure that no one had approached the sedan chair.

Chen Ji pulled aside the clothes of the corpse to check if there were any traces of needles or the like.

No.

Chen Ji searched his clothes again, but found nothing.

Li Xuan frowned and said, "Can we find the murderer? I'm afraid the Secret Service will be here soon."

Chen Ji did not answer, but turned to look at the Crown Prince of Goryeo in Huitong Hall: "Crown Prince, when you entered the palace to meet the emperor, you said that the thieves of Jing Dynasty tried to assassinate you several times?"

The Goryeo prince stood inside the door and nodded: "Three times."

Chen Ji asked again: "Where are they? I want to interrogate them."

The Goryeo prince said, "When they were caught, they committed suicide by taking poison. Their death was exactly the same as my stand-in's."

Chen Ji thought for a moment and asked loudly, "Where is the secretary of Huitong Hall?"

A middle-aged clerk ran out of the Huitong Hall and said, "Sir, this is me."

Chen Ji said, "Bring the list. I want to check all the items carried by the Goryeo envoys. Every item should be recorded."

According to Ning law, when envoys came to the capital, even every needle and thread had to be registered without omission.

The clerk hurriedly said, "Yes, yes."

He ran back in small steps, and when he came out again, he held a thin blue account book in his hand: "Everything you brought with you has been registered one by one, and there is absolutely nothing prohibited."

Chen Ji unfolded the account book: "What was the name of the dead man?"

The clerk replied, "Kim Min-ho."

Chen Ji flipped through the pages one by one, his eyes fixed on a certain page.

……

……

At this moment, someone outside Dongjiang Mixiang was heard facing the Yulin Army with an unquestionable certainty: "The Secret Service is investigating the matter, retreat."

This person spoke in a domineering manner, but his voice was so weak that it seemed like it would break at any time.

Chen Ji calmly put the account book into his arms. He turned around and saw that the person coming was a middle-aged man with fair skin and a gloomy look.

The other person's lips were gray, as if he had been poisoned and was dying.

Li Xuan whispered, "Not good, Black Snake."

Chen Ji looked carefully and saw Xuan She in a black cloak and a square scarf on his head, looking like a scholar who was neither a scholar nor a eunuch. Behind Xuan She, there were dozens of black-clad secret agents holding their swords, staring at him with eager eyes.

The Yulin Army blocked the way, but Xuanshe tightened the collar of his cloak with an expressionless face and walked into the alley as if no one was around, forcing the Yulin Army to retreat again and again.

In the end, only Zhou Chong and Zhou Li, who had returned from Guyuan, were left, drawing their swords angrily and pretending to chop with one blow.

"Stop!" Li Xuan sighed in his heart: "Let Master Xuanshe come over."

Xuanshe glanced at Zhou Chong and Zhou Li and said, "Lord Li saved your lives, but since you have drawn your sword against me, you can escape the death penalty, but you cannot escape the punishment of life."

As he passed by the two men, he reached out his hands from the slits of his cloak and gently touched them. In an instant, Zhou Chong and Zhou Li's eyes suddenly became cloudy, and their mouths seemed to be glued shut, unable to open.

Li Xuan was furious: "What are you doing!"

Black Snake passed between the two men and said casually, "I am Black Snake, one of the twelve zodiac animals in the Secret Service. I serve the emperor directly and am his attendant. I kill traitors and evildoers. Not everyone is qualified to draw a sword against me. This spell will break after three days. If you want them to live, pour water through their noses for them to drink."

At this time, a mocking voice came from the roof: "Master Xuanshe is so arrogant. He is not even in the third position, but he already calls himself 'this seat'? Master Tianma hasn't even called himself this seat yet!"

The black snake said coldly: "Nonsense, Master Tianma doesn't speak at all."

"Hahaha, your cruel methods may be good for bluffing these young masters of the Yulin Army, but don't use them casually to embarrass yourself in the future."

Chen Ji looked up and saw a skinny, short man wearing a wooden monkey mask, with a hunched body. Qi Chengzhuo, who was originally guarding the roof, was now held in his hand.

Treasure monkey?

Before Chen Ji could think about it, a familiar voice came from the rooftop opposite Bao Hou: "Hey, why are all the big shots from my Secret Service here?"

Chen Ji knew they were Jiaotu and Yunyang without even looking.

Extremely lively.

Li Xuan whispered, "Why are there so many eunuchs here?"

Chen Ji said softly: "The sick tiger is gone."

Li Xuan was puzzled: "Huh?"

Chen Ji explained: "Binghu has been imprisoned and sentenced to death by His Majesty. Now the positions of the top three zodiac signs are vacant, and the other zodiac signs in the Secret Service are naturally ready to make a move. They will stop at nothing and use any means to gain credit."

Under everyone's gaze, Xuanshe walked to the front of Huitong Hall, silently glanced at the corpse, and casually said, "Strychnos nux vomica."

Chen Ji's heart trembled, and he quietly observed this strange spy from the zodiac.

Jiaotu, dressed in black, squatted on the eaves and asked curiously, "Xuanshe, how can you be sure it's strychnine and can't be anything else?"

Baohou said sarcastically, "Girl, wait until you poison hundreds or thousands of people, and you will naturally be able to tell what the poison is at a glance. You and the boy beside you still have a lot of good youth, but don't get involved with Master Xuanshe. Those who do harm to others will die young."

Black Snake sneered: "People who came out of Wunian Mountain still have such things as Yinde?"

He no longer paid attention to the monkey and turned to look at Li Xuan: "Commander Li, who approached the sedan during the escort?"

Li Xuan shook his head: "No."

Xuanshe said slowly, "No, or does Lord Li want to protect the thief?"

Li Xuan put his sword back into the sheath: "Master Xuanshe, please don't lie to me. I, Li Xuan, am upright and will not do anything that disregards the law of the country."

Xuanshe smiled slightly and said, "I wonder if Commander Li has ever heard of the red embroidered shoes and the Pipa Hall in the Secret Service Prison?"

The so-called red embroidered shoes were the red-hot irons in the imperial prison, and the Pipa Hall was a place where prisoners were interrogated.

Li Xuan ignored his threats and said nothing more.

Xuanshe looked towards Huitong Hall and asked the Goryeo envoy, "Who approached the sedan chair?"

The Goryeo envoy chattered a bunch of incomprehensible words, and Xuanshe sneered: "The interpreter should speak!"

But a fat middle-aged man waved his hand and said, "It's none of my business. I didn't notice anyone approaching the sedan."

Xuanshe pointed at the other chattering Korean envoys and asked, "What are they talking about?"

The interpreter hurriedly said, "They said that we should catch the thieves of Jing Dynasty as soon as possible and seek justice for them."

The black snake was silent.

Bao Hou laughed loudly: "This is totally irrelevant. With so many foreign envoys speaking bird language, even a criminal expert like Lord Xuanshe would be troubled. Lord Xuanshe, please quickly catch the thief from Jing Dynasty. I will give you the credit."

Xuanshe said calmly, "Come here, first deal with the crime. Separate the envoys from the Huitong Hall and don't give them a chance to collude. Ask the Honglu Temple's interpreter to come over and interrogate them one by one. I don't trust their interpreter."

The spies behind him said in unison: "Yes!"

Baohou said with a click of his tongue: "Master Black Snake gave orders without even asking?"

Xuanshe ignored him and continued, "The Yulin soldiers were taken to the imperial prison to await trial and were also kept separately. Anyone who dares to disobey orders will be killed without mercy."

Li Xuan subconsciously looked at Chen Ji: "Is there any way? If he is imprisoned in the imperial prison..."

Chen Ji did not answer, but just looked up and looked at Jiaotu, then let the spy brought by Xuanshe push him out of Dongjiang Rice Lane.

From the roof, Baohou jumped down, threw the unconscious Qi Zhuozhuo to the ground, then squatted down to look at the corpse.

Under the mask, a hoarse voice lowered its tone and said, "It was indeed poisoned by strychnine. He died very quickly. He didn't even have the strength to struggle. His heart and lungs were damaged."

Another shrill voice sounded from under the mask: "Si Caogeng? Or Si Caobing? These two are the best at using poison. I have been tracking them for a long time and I will kill them!"

The hoarse voice from before said, "You don't even know what they look like, how can you kill them? You're just talking big."

Under the mask, a woman's voice lazily said, "Noisy."

At this time, the black snake came over, and the original voice of the monkey sounded: "Stop making noise."

All sounds disappeared.

……

……

On the other side, Yun Yang was on the rooftop watching Chen Ji being taken away, wondering, "This is the first time I've seen this kid helpless. I thought he could find the real murderer on the spot... What is he planning?"

Jiaotu's lips curled up slightly: "I know what he is planning."

Yun Yang narrowed his eyes. "You two knew what he was going to do just by looking at each other. When did you become so in sync?"

Jiaotu said disdainfully: "Does it have anything to do with you?"

Yun Yang was speechless. He was silent for a moment: "Strange, didn't you say that the spy who went back to report the news was stopped by you? How did Black Snake and Treasure Monkey know what happened here?"

Jiaotu squatted on the roof, propped up his chin, and said with a smile: "I sent someone to tell them."

Yun Yang raised his eyebrows: "Why should we share the credit with them?"

Jiaotu said with interest: "Bailong favors Chen Ji. If he doesn't die, he will definitely become a zodiac sign. We can't suppress him. Let's find him some new opponents. With the black snake and the treasure monkey, the boy will naturally need us to borrow strength. Then he will remember our kindness. It's better to join forces with a beautiful sister like me than with those two monsters. When the time comes, we will help him kill the snake or the monkey, and his position as a zodiac sign will be vacant."

Yunyang muttered, "Isn't the tiger already free?"

Jiaotu rolled his eyes: "Is that something we can worry about? That kid is just a Saker Falcon now, he can't rise to the top overnight."

(End of this chapter)