Aoyama

Chapter 424 Eighty-two Bowls of Wine

evening.

Dusk fell like wine, and the evening drums echoed through the capital, having just reached their seventy-second note.

When the eight hundred shouts ceased, the sky darkened, the nine gates of the city were closed and locked, and no one could enter or leave without a document from the six ministries.

Outside Andingmen in the capital, people who were about to enter the city to return home stopped in front of the city gate.

Scholars carrying book boxes and laborers pulling coal carts returned to the city to the beat of drums, but they all gathered in front of the city gate, looking at the wanted posters on the city wall.

A literate middle-aged scholar slowly read aloud: "The perpetrator, Chen Ji, intended to assassinate the Crown Prince. He is registered in Shuntian Prefecture and is eighteen years old..."

Someone exclaimed in shock, "Assassinate the Crown Prince? How dare they!"

The middle-aged scholar frowned: "To be impolite is to be indistinguishable from animals; to disrupt order is to bring about the downfall of families and nations. Let me finish reading; I do not understand the rules!"

The lever of the coal cart said sullenly, "You read it, you read it..."

The middle-aged scholar continued slowly, "...He was five feet nine inches tall, thin as a crane, with a sesame-sized black mole at the corner of his left eye. An imperial edict was issued throughout the land: anyone who could report a plot of treason would be rewarded with fifty thousand coins."

A thunderous exclamation erupted from the crowd: "Wow, fifty thousand coins!"

"With so much reward money, do you think this kid's life is more valuable, or the redemption fee for the top courtesan in the Eight Great Hutongs?"

"That must be the most expensive courtesan. I heard years ago that someone offered 80,000 taels of silver to redeem Liu, the head courtesan of Jinling, but she still wouldn't agree..."

"Are you bragging? You wouldn't agree to 80,000 taels? 80,000 taels could buy the Forbidden City!"

"Fuck you! You're asking for it, don't drag me down with you!"

Seeing these people talking nonsense all at once, the middle-aged scholar angrily flung his sleeve and said, "You uncouth bastards!"

At this moment, the people below the city suddenly heard a strange sound of an iron chain winch. The middle-aged man suddenly looked up at the towering city wall.

The long-dormant crossbows on the city wall slowly turned, pointing towards the official road to the north.

Everyone instinctively turned to look at the official road and saw a young man galloping towards them on horseback, seemingly accompanied by the sound of drums, with an unconscious person on his horse.

In the cold spring wind, the boy's body was covered in dried blood, and his warhorse was covered in sweat, with wisps of white steam rising in the wind.

As dusk fell, the white mist took on a pale purple hue, resembling a flowing waterfall of clouds.

On the city wall, someone shouted loudly, "Halt, you!"

The young man kept moving, and the ballistae on the city wall slowly turned with him.

From behind the wall, someone shouted again: "Halt! Or you will be killed!"

The young man's face was solemn as he responded loudly, "Chen Ji of Fuyou Street is arresting Liao Zhong to be brought back to the capital for trial. If you dare not use this divine crossbow, then move it away!"

The voice was loud and clear, carrying for hundreds of feet. The person shouting on the city wall was startled, and from behind the battlements, someone could be heard giving instructions: "Close the gate and lock it."

The infantryman from the Five Cities Garrison hesitated and said, "Sir, you mustn't! The eight hundred evening drumbeats haven't finished yet. Closing the gate now will cost you your head!"

The speaker said in a deep voice, "Close the gate! Don't let him have a chance to enter the city tonight!"

The foot soldier whispered, "For such a meager salary, why would we risk our lives for you? Let whoever wants to lock us up can lock us up, we won't."

rule.

The rules of this capital city are the threshold between life and death.

Seeing that the city gate could not be closed, the people on the city wall immediately ordered the guard of Anding Gate beside them: "Stop him, and as soon as the evening drum stops, lock him out of the gate!"

The next moment, the rustling of armor as the infantry of the Five City Garrison ran through the city echoed, and a dark mass of infantrymen rushed out of the city gate and formed ranks.

Foot soldiers, armed with long spears, stood in front of the city gate, their spears forming a forest of shields.

As the evening drum sounded its 410th beat, Chen Ji finally arrived at the city gate and slowed his horse's pace.

He looked up at the sound of the drums and saw archers on the city wall drawing their bows, their black iron arrows gleaming coldly.

An armored lieutenant general, standing behind a hail of gunfire, said in a deep voice: "Surrender! If you have any grievances, you can tell the Secret Service. If you take any further steps, kill them without exception!"

The soldiers of the Five Cities Garrison stood in the shadow of the city wall, their armor spotless.

Chen Ji stopped his horse in the blood-red sunset, the sunlight highlighting his cheeks and jawline, his hair disheveled and messy.

Only then did the infantrymen guarding the city see clearly that the boy's clothes were soaked in blood, the gray cloth wrapped around his arm to cover his wound was also stained with blood, and there were splattered bloodstains on his cheeks.

At this moment, standing before the menacing forest of guns, Chen Ji calmly said, "This is not something you can interfere with. Get out of the way."

The foot soldiers instinctively turned to look at the lieutenant general in the city gate, but to their surprise, Chen Ji was even calmer than they were.

The lieutenant said coldly, "You are a wanted criminal on the wanted list, so don't spout nonsense."

Chen Ji wiped the dried blood from his face with the back of his hand and said casually, "Someone framed me as the mastermind behind the assassination of the Crown Prince. I captured the real culprit, but you won't let me bring him back to the city for trial. Could it be... that you're an accomplice too?"

The lieutenant's expression changed: "Don't make false accusations!"

The matter involves the Crown Prince, Prince Fu, and the Chen family of Fuyou Street. At this time, whoever kills Chen Ji will be charged with murder to silence him... It would be a light punishment if they were to be convicted themselves; if they were not careful, they might face the extermination of their entire clan.

The lieutenant, though outwardly fierce, said weakly, "Dismount immediately, or you will be killed without mercy!"

Kill without mercy...

Chen Ji had heard "kill without mercy" countless times in the past few days: "My ears are about to fall off... You want to drag this out until the very end? Try it."

At the 758th drumbeat of the evening, Chen Ji pulled on the reins and pushed the infantrymen, who were holding up a forest of spears, backward under his weight.

The lieutenant shouted, "Archers, prepare!"

Behind him, the archers pulled their bowstrings, the sinewy bowstrings creaking as they were used to intimidate him.

But Chen Ji's horse kept moving forward slowly, his hooves never stopping. He stared coldly at the archers and said, "If you want to wipe out your entire family, then fire your arrows."

The archers instinctively lowered their arrows.

At this moment, the eight hundred evening drums ceased, the sound of iron chain winches echoed from the city wall, and the city gate slowly closed, as if to shut out the traces of the past.

Chen Ji spurred his horse and charged into the city, braving the cold glint of the spears.

Fearing he might accidentally injure him, the foot soldiers quickly put away their long spears and retreated!
The lieutenant general said angrily, "This is a strategically important area near the capital. How dare you allow criminals to trespass? Anyone who retreats again will be punished according to military law..."

That's too late.

The people inside the city watched as Chen Ji rode his horse into the shadows of the city gate, forcing a group of infantrymen to retreat into the city. The city gate slowly closed behind Chen Ji, shutting out the last trace of twilight.

……

……

Chen Ji finally stopped in front of the formation. He did not move, and the Wucheng Military Command did not move rashly either. They could only block the street to prevent Chen Ji from passing.

They were facing off against each other.

Chen Ji looked down at the lieutenant and said, "If you can't make the decision, let someone else do."

The deputy general remained silent as a middle-aged man dressed in a scholar's robe descended from the city wall.

Chen Ji turned his head and saw that it was Chen Xu, the inseparable official beside Grand Secretary Chen.

Chen Xu approached Chen Ji and politely said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Third Young Master, I am here on the orders of the Patriarch to ask you if you would spare the Crown Prince?"

Chen Ji laughed. He was just a sixth-rank centurion in the Imperial Guard, yet the other party wanted him to let the Crown Prince go.
"Yes, Grand Secretary Chen was the Crown Prince's mentor, and the Chen family was originally the Crown Prince's biggest crony. Now, the Chen family has put the Crown Prince to death, making a huge joke of themselves." Chen Ji calmly said, "When the Crown Prince wanted to kill me, did the Chen family ever ask him to spare my life?"

Chen Xu humbly replied, "The Crown Prince has not discussed this matter with the Grand Secretary, and my family is unaware of it."

Chen Ji looked down at Chen Xu: "Then the Chen family must be unaware of this today as well."

Chen Xu said in a low voice, "Young Master, this is not only the Chen family of the patriarch, but also your Chen family. Now that you have defeated the second branch, you will be adopted into the eldest master's family in the future. Even if you don't think about the Chen family, you should think about yourself."

Chen Ji calmly said, "So, if I insist on putting the Crown Prince to death today, I will have no place in the Chen family anymore?"

Chen Xu remained silent for a moment, but did not answer directly. Instead, he said earnestly, "Young Master, everyone thinks that my Chen family is as solid as a rock and as stable as Mount Tai. But my Chen family has been through a thousand years of ups and downs, and has never had a single day of peace. The Patriarch said that if you just let the Crown Prince go, you will be the most powerful person in Ning Dynasty in a few decades. If you want money and power, the Chen family can give you anything. I hope that you will consider the bigger picture."

Chen Ji let out a long sigh: "What if I don't want money or power?"

Chen Xu frowned slightly: "What does the young master want?"

Chen Ji turned his head and saw the wine banners fluttering on the street. He casually asked, "May I ask Steward Chen, what was the foundation of the Chen family before it weathered a thousand years of trials and tribulations?"

Chen Xu was taken aback.

Chen Ji said softly, "It's courage."

Before Chen Xu could react, he waved to the shopkeeper who was watching the commotion from inside the door: "Shopkeeper, I'm thirsty, bring me some wine."

All eyes turned to the shopkeeper, who instinctively took a few steps back and made an excuse: "I...I've sold out of wine in my shop."

Chen Ji said regretfully, "What a pity."

The lieutenant general behind the army said coldly, "Young man, arrogant."

Chen Ji turned and stared at the other person: "So what if you're arrogant? So what if you're delusional?"

Chen Xu sighed softly: "Young master, youthful arrogance is a good thing, after all, the future of this world belongs to you... but it doesn't yet."

No sooner had he finished speaking than someone strode up from behind the crowd: "I'll get you some wine!"

Chen Ji looked up and saw that it was none other than the Emperor's General Yang Yang striding towards him. He turned and entered a tavern facing the street: "What kind of wine would you like? Grape wine, bamboo leaf green..."

Chen Ji laughed heartily: "The most intense."

"Big bowl or small bowl?"

"Big bowl."

With a wine jar in his left hand and an earthenware bowl in his right, Yangyang strode like an iron tower to the front of the Wucheng Military Command's formation: "Make way!"

The infantrymen of the Five Cities Garrison looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

Yangyang calmly said, "Since when have the Five Cities Military Command dared to block the path of my Longevity Army's commander? Get out of my way."

Chen Xu remained silent for a few moments, then nodded to his lieutenant, and the foot soldiers immediately made way for a narrow path that only one person could pass through.

Yangyang came to Chenji's side and handed him the ceramic bowl.

Chen Ji silently accepted the pottery bowl.

Sheep broke the mud seal and poured the clear wine into the bowl: "Drink up!"

Chen Ji raised the bowl and drank it all in one gulp, a fiery sensation burning deep inside him: "The first bowl."

He handed the empty bowl to Yangyang again: "Again."

Sheep grinned: "You didn't even flinch, your alcohol tolerance is pretty good!"

This time, however, Chen Ji did not drink. He raised his wine bowl to the north and then slowly poured the wine into the ground.

Sheep asked in a low voice, "At this time, we should find a way to enter the palace and meet the emperor. What do you want to drink? Once things have settled down, I'll drink with you to my heart's content."

Chen Ji said softly, "I'm afraid they won't be able to wait."

Sheep was startled. Who were they?

Chen Ji then handed the ceramic bowl to Yangyang: "Why are you here?"

As Yangyang poured the wine, he explained, "Lord Zhang sent word that Bailong sent a message back from Changping County by carrier pigeon, saying you'll be returning to the capital from Changping today, with Liao Zhong... You've got guts! What you did, we wouldn't dare do. Drink up!"

Chen Ji downed his drink again in one gulp: "Second bowl."

Yangyang muttered, "How many bowls do you plan to drink?"

Chen Ji replied, "I'll drink another eighty bowls."

Sheep couldn't help but laugh: "Aren't you afraid of exaggerating your abilities and breaking your own bluff!"

Chen Ji laughed and said, "It's okay, drink slowly, you'll finish it eventually."

The sky is getting dark.

Chen Ji drank bowl after bowl, while Yang Yang poured out bowl after bowl.

He silently counted down the ninth bowl in his mind, and with bleary eyes, he handed the earthenware bowl out again.

While pouring the wine, Yangyang asked, "Are you just going to sit here drinking and not move? The key point today is to go to the palace to see the emperor and clear your name. When can we drink the wine?"

Chen Ji hiccuped: "No rush, let's wait a bit longer."

Sheep asked in confusion, "Wait for what?"

Chen Ji said casually, "Just wait and see who is a friend and who is an enemy."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of horses' hooves rang out at the end of Andingmen Street. Everyone turned around and saw Prince Fu riding towards them in a black imperial robe.

He wore a black robe embroidered with emblems, a golden winged crown with two dragons playing with a pearl, and had a handsome face and a tall, slender figure.

Prince Fu dismounted before the Five Cities Military Command's army formation and casually pushed aside the foot soldiers in front of him, saying, "Don't you have any sense? I'm here, get out of the way!"

The foot soldiers bowed and scraped, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."

Prince Fu walked through the crowd to Chen Ji's horse, looked him up and down, and said with interest, "Today you look quite like a powerful minister... How many wounds have you sustained?"

Chen Ji casually replied, "All around."

Prince Fu then asked, "How many people were killed?"

Chen Ji replied, "How could I remember that?"

The next moment, Prince Fu actually took the reins of Chen Ji's warhorse, turned around and walked into the city: "Stop drinking, come, I will take you to see the Emperor."

A lieutenant general from the Five Cities Garrison blocked the road: "Your Highness..."

Prince Fu said expressionlessly, "Step back."

On the second floor of a tavern facing the street, countless people silently watched as the young prince, adorned in his full crown, exuded an imposing aura without anger.

The general, terrified, retreated, leaving Chen Ji to lead his horse through the rivers and lakes and the sea of ​​people.

On the bluestone path, Prince Fu suddenly turned to Chen Ji and teased, "It's a blessing you've accumulated over several lifetimes that I'm leading your horse. Aren't you going to thank me?"

Chen Ji looked down at him with drunken eyes: "I saved Your Highness's life, so it is only right that I do this."

Prince Fu was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "Good, good, good, that's exactly how it should be!"

(End of this chapter)