Aoyama

Chapter 387 The Chen Family of Thirty-Four
The Right Guard of the Eastern Palace is dead.

Although the Right Guard was only a sixth-rank official, killing him was no different from assassinating the Crown Prince. Even someone like Prince Fu, who came specifically to cause trouble, felt it was bad luck.

Behind the tables on either side of the red carpet, the guests looked at each other, silent and trembling. No one had imagined that coming to witness the spring hunt would lead them into such a huge controversy.

The Crown Prince sat upright behind the table, quietly watching the Prince of Fu in the main seat, seemingly lost in thought.

Prince Fu raised an eyebrow: "Why are you looking at me? If I were to kill someone, it would be you. Why would I kill a mere Right Guard?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone in the audience was shocked.

Zhou Kuang quickly whispered a reminder: "Your Highness, please be careful with your words."

Prince Fu cursed, "Damn it, if I find out who did this, I'll skin him alive... What's the difference between this and pulling it right into my pocket?"

The Crown Prince seemed not to have heard the Prince of Fu's disobedient words and said gently, "I know that it was not my elder brother who did it, but this matter is of great importance. We must immediately send a fast horse back to the capital to report the news and have the court send a coroner and the Jie Fan Guard."

Prince Fu suddenly stroked his chin thoughtfully: "Could it be that His Highness the Crown Prince is deliberately framing me? You've done this kind of thing before."

The prince's attendant's face darkened: "Your Highness, watch your words. It's fine if His Highness doesn't suspect you, but how can you turn around and suspect His Highness?"

Prince Fu leaned back in his chair and chuckled, "Who gave you the right to speak here? Slap yourself."

Before the attendant could react, Zhou Kuang had already flashed in front of him and raised his palm.

The palm, accompanied by a howling wind, came to an abrupt halt in front of the prince's attendants.

But then a middle-aged man in a black Taoist robe blocked the way of Zhou Kuang's attendant, calmly grasping his wrist. The two struggled, neither gaining the upper hand.

The middle-aged man had his hair tied in a simple bun and wore a pair of cloud-patterned shoes. He turned to Prince Fu and said, "Your Highness, this is not dignified in front of everyone."

Zhou Kuang turned to look at Prince Fu, who waved his sleeve and said, "Since Mr. Liao has already stepped forward, let's give him some face. But this Crown Prince's guard behind you needs to be taught some manners."

Mr. Liao released his grip, lowered his head and retreated behind the Crown Prince, concealing his sharp edge.

The guests all kept their eyes down, not daring to utter a word.

The Crown Prince looked at Prince Fu and smiled, "Brother, I will teach my own people, so you don't need to worry about it."

Prince Fu, as indifferent as a piece of meat, picked up the wine cup in front of him and drank it all in one gulp: "Then you should teach him properly."

The Crown Prince said slowly and deliberately, "Your Majesty, I didn't know you would come today, so how could I be framing you? I don't believe it was your doing either, so let's not suspect each other. As for who did it, let's wait for the Jie Fan Guard or the Secret Intelligence Bureau to make a conclusion."

Prince Fu smiled and said, "It's best if no one is trying to frame me, or I'll lose my temper. I haven't lost my temper in so long that everyone thinks I'm a pushover."

Prince Fu stared intently at the Crown Prince: "Today, every time I recall the perilous encounter at the Altar of the Silkworm, I feel a chill of fear. But don't forget, you are not the only ones who can kill; I can kill too."

From the moment he appeared today, he has been aggressive and confrontational. First, his words were barbed and sarcastic, and then he usurped the Crown Prince's position. If these rebellious acts reach the capital, they will surely provoke a barrage of attacks from the censors.

But he insisted on doing it anyway, and he didn't care.

Tooth for tooth, blood for blood.

At this moment, the Crown Prince ignored Prince Fu and instructed Mr. Liao behind him: "Now seal off the bedroom and do not let anyone get close. Send someone on horseback back to the capital to report this matter to the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs and have them send the Jiefan Guard and the Secret Service to investigate."

Mr. Liao replied humbly, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will have someone bring two fast horses to change horses, and we will be able to bring the Jie Fan Guard back before dawn."

The crown prince nodded: "Go."

His gaze swept across the guests and landed on Chen Ji: "Brother Chen Ji, I remember you have a lot of experience in investigating crime scenes. Why don't you go and take a look first?"

Chen Ji stood up and cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Highness, this humble servant is not skilled in this matter. Let's wait for the Jie Fan Guard and the Secret Intelligence Bureau to arrive before discussing it."

The Crown Prince smiled and said, "Back in Guyuan, you were willing to share my burdens, but now you seem to have grown distant."

“Your Highness misunderstands. This humble servant is indeed not skilled in this,” Chen Ji said, sitting down again.

Just as the Crown Prince was about to say something more, a guest suddenly cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, I have just remembered that I have urgent matters to attend to at home, so I must take my leave."

The Crown Prince asked softly, "Lord Zhao, what is the matter?"

Lord Zhao remained calm and said, "My mother caught a cold before coming to Fragrant Hills today. I wanted to go back and see if she was feeling better."

The fact that Prince Fu arrived uninvited tonight was already intriguing. But the fact that the Right Guard of the Eastern Palace died shortly after his arrival made it even more intriguing.

Did Prince Fu really kill the man? What is Prince Fu planning to do next? Will staying here draw him into the struggle for the throne?
No one knows.

After Lord Zhao took the lead, two more people immediately rose and found an excuse to take their leave of the Crown Prince. News of the Crown Prince's fall from power had spread beyond the palace walls, and the number of guests attending the spring hunt was already small. With these people gone, the banquet would likely become even more lackluster.

Chen Ji ignored all of this and rose to take his leave: "Your Highness, tomorrow is the Spring Examination. The Imperial Guards still need to stand guard in front of the Examination Hall. Qi Zhenzhuo and I must also return." Qi Zhenzhuo was taken aback and carefully tugged at Chen Ji's sleeve, but Chen Ji ignored her.

Others couldn't guess who the murderer was, but Chen Ji had already guessed that it was most likely Si Cao Gui. If he didn't leave now, and Si Cao Gui was discovered by the Jie Fan Wei or the Secret Intelligence Bureau, he would also be implicated.

After a long silence, the Crown Prince finally spoke: “You all have important matters to attend to, and in principle I should not stop you. However, since the murderer has not been found, I am afraid I cannot let you leave. Not only can you not leave, but everyone in this Red Leaf Courtyard cannot leave.”

Just as Lord Zhao opened his mouth to defend himself, the Crown Prince continued, "Those who are eager to escape now are probably the murderer's accomplices."

Lord Zhao's expression changed, and he awkwardly sat back down.

Prince Fu sat in the main seat and said casually, "Alright, don't think about going back. We'll talk about it after the Jie Fan Wei arrives and finds out the truth. You can all be my witnesses. He died as soon as I arrived. I haven't left your sight, and neither have Zhou Kuang and the others."

The guests looked at each other, not daring to speak, but the Crown Prince smiled and said, "I will bear witness for my elder brother."

Prince Fu smiled and said, "That's fine then. By the way, I heard that there's a music troupe performing the 'Immortal Points the Way' segment tonight. Where are they?"

The Crown Prince sat calmly behind his desk and said, "The musicians are probably still preparing; we'll have to wait a little longer."

Prince Fu said with a bored expression, "Then let's just drink it dry?"

Qi Zhaoning said, "My younger sister, Qi Zhenzhu, is skilled in stringed instruments. Let her play a few pieces first."

Qi Zhenzhu slowly got up and went to get her pipa.

But Prince Fu, sitting in the main seat, said irritably, "Wait, wait, this is so disrespectful! How can we make guests perform songs? Isn't this a slap in the face to His Highness the Crown Prince?"

Qi Zhenzhu stood there, unsure whether to leave or stay.

Qi Zhaoning said in a muffled voice, "Then Zhenzhu, sit back down."

Qi Zhenzhu then sat down at the table in the corner.

Prince Fu raised his glass: "Let's drink it all, gentlemen, let's drink together!"

……

……

During the banquet, Qi Zhenzhuo put down his wine cup and muttered to himself, "Prince Fu is a prince, but he acts like a scoundrel, like a street urchin."

Zhang Zheng chuckled and retorted, "I think Prince Fu has a bit more humanity than the Crown Prince. I still prefer interacting with people... Chen Ji, what about you?"

Chen Ji did not answer.

Zhang Xia looked at Chen Ji, whose brows were furrowed, and suddenly said to Qi Zhen, "You sit here with me."

Originally, Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia, brother and sister, sat together, while Qi Zhenzhuo and Chen Ji, two members of the Imperial Guards, sat together. Now, Zhang Xia wanted to move to Chen Ji's side.

Qi Zhenzhuo paused for a moment, subconsciously looking at Qi Zhaoning opposite him, but ultimately did not dare to refuse.

Zhang Xia sat down next to Chen Ji, ignoring the anger in Qi Zhaoning's eyes.

She whispered, "I guess you're thinking about Guyuan."

Chen Ji nodded slightly: "The fate of the 34 members of the Chen family has never been known... I have no intention of avenging them, but I have always been curious about who did it."

Zhang Xia said softly, "Crown Prince."

“That’s right,” Chen Ji said calmly. “As I said before, it’s not easy to make someone bleed from all seven orifices with poison. Putting aside the pharmacology, just think about who would benefit from this. After thinking it over, it can only be the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was ordered to investigate the case of killing innocent people and claiming credit for others, but he has encountered many obstacles and made no progress. What would be the consequences if the thirty-four members of the Chen family were killed at this time?”

Zhang Xia understood his subtext: "The imperial court is furious and will definitely send the secret intelligence agency to investigate. The secret intelligence agency will thoroughly investigate this matter. The Chen family will also be furious, and even if it's just for the sake of face, they will fight the Guyuan border army to the death."

The Crown Prince wanted to escalate the situation, which is why he summoned Chen Liqin to Guyuan at the last minute and killed Chen's relatives, prompting a thorough investigation by the court.

However, the Crown Prince made a crucial mistake. Before the court could conduct a thorough investigation, the Tian Ce Army arrived first. With the arrival of the Tian Ce Army, Guyuan was sealed off, and all his plans were thwarted. Therefore, the deaths of these thirty-four people seemed to have no further development, becoming mere idle or commonplace moves on the chessboard.

If the Tian Ce Army hadn't arrived, things would have unfolded as Zhang Xia predicted. The Guyuan border troops would likely have been wiped out, and even Hu Junxian would have been punished.

Chen Ji looked at the Crown Prince not far away: "When you came down from the roof of the Dragon Gate Inn, the others saw the corpse and vomited until their faces turned ashen, but the Crown Prince did not vomit, and his eyes were very calm."

There are only two possibilities: either the prince is naturally resolute and unaffected by external factors, or the prince has already seen similar scenes and has passed the allergy period.

Chen Ji whispered a warning: "Be careful of the Crown Prince. He is extremely vicious. This spring hunt will not be so simple."

Zhang Xia smiled and said, "Don't worry."

(End of this chapter)