Aoyama

Chapter 460 Kill them all

April 21st, the thirty-second year of the Jia Ning era.

Suitable for: betrothal, engagement, opening a market, hanging plaques, building bridges, and marriage.

It is taboo to hold religious ceremonies, conduct funerals, break ground, or purchase property.

The sky is slightly bright.

Along a mountain road more than twenty miles east of Baidadan City, dozens of mules were tethered to birch trees. Beside the mules, a campfire was dying down, emitting white smoke.

The campfire was covered with a layer of soft pine needles, and no one knew how Hong Zu'er managed to keep the fire from going out completely.

Someone was sleeping fully clothed by the campfire. When the birdsong began in the forest, Hong Zu'er was the first to open his eyes and get up. He kicked Asheng in the backside: "Go cut grass to feed the livestock."

Ah Sheng gave a shout of "Hey!" and, full of energy, picked up his sickle and headed into the depths of the mountains. It seemed that these days of living in the open and exposed to the elements meant nothing to him.

Hong Zu'er stirred the campfire, grabbed a handful of dry leaves and threw them in, then lay down and blew on them a few times, watching as the fire reignited. Instead of going to work, he looked to the other side.

On the other side of the campfire, Chen Ji and Zhang Xia opened their eyes at the same time and sat up simultaneously.

Hong Zuer watched quietly as Chen Ji got up, then casually pulled Zhang Xia along before taking water bags, coarse salt, and willow twigs from the mule's back.

They each took a mouthful of water, rinsed their mouths together, and then spat it out together.

Chen Ji twisted two willow twigs together to make a brush, dipped it in some coarse salt, and handed it to Zhang Xia. Then the two of them squatted side by side on the ground and used the willow twigs to scrape their teeth.

Finally, the two of them each took a mouthful of water, then simultaneously looked up and exhaled bubbles from their throats, spitting them out onto the ground together.

Zhang Xia turned to look at Chen Ji, straightened his wrinkled clothes, and patted the dust off his body.

She then pulled off the topknot of Chen Ji's head and helped him put his hair back on: "All done."

Hong Zu'er nodded: "Now that's more like what a married couple should be like."

Zhang Xia smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mr. Hong, we won't hold you back."

“That’s good,” Hong Zuer said slowly. “We will arrive at Baidadan City this evening, but if we go another ten miles, we will see the Jingchao military camp. Don’t be careless. When the Jingchao border troops are not fighting, they will farm in the military camp. The farmers you see in a little while are their border troops. If you say the wrong thing, it will be a big deal.”

Chen Ji nodded: "I understand."

They left Chongli Pass on the fourth day of the fourth lunar month and parted ways with Master Hu that same day. The caravan with its lanterns headed north, while they led their mule caravan eastward, venturing deep into the heart of Jingchao via winding mountain roads, pretending to be traveling from Liaoyang Prefecture in the east to Baidadan City.

Along the way, they did not encounter any hunters or even any Jingchao scouts. The originally tight scouting line disappeared, leaving the southern gate of Jingchao wide open.

Hong Zu'er sighed, "These people will stop at nothing to stop the envoy from going south. If the three imperial guards were to march north now, they might not be discovered until they reach the walls of Baidadan."

At this moment, Xiaoman and the little monk had also finished getting ready and were sitting by the campfire, slowly eating their flatbread.

Hong Zu'er sat by the campfire and said in a deep voice, "Zhou Qing, recite your origins."

Zhou Qing, that's the name on the road sign for Xiaoman (the 14th solar term).

Without hesitation, Xiaoman replied, "My name is Zhou Qing, from Andefang in Liaoyang Prefecture. I am seventeen years old this year. My parents died early, and you are my uncle. You brought my younger brother and me to Baidadan City to transport grain to make a living. My brother and I live in Lizi Hutong in Andefang. There is a Wang's Tailor Shop outside the hutong, and next to the tailor shop is a Wang's Gold Shop. Both shops are owned by the same person..."

Hong Zu'er nodded: "Burn your copy of the paper."

Xiaoman took a crumpled, yellowed piece of paper out of her sleeve and threw it into the campfire.

Hong Zu'er's gaze swept across Zhang Xia's face, and he said, "You don't need to," before turning to Chen Ji: "What about you?"

Chen Ji calmly said, "My name is Zhou Sheng, from Anlefang, Liaoyang Prefecture. I am eighteen years old this year. My family was originally a hereditary county baron, but when my grandfather served as a centurion in the army, the commander-in-chief was killed in battle, and the court stripped him of his title, causing our family to fall into decline. Now, I work with you, a distant cousin, running a small business along the grain route to make a living. My wife, Zhang Xiguang, and I live in Changliu Hutong in Anlefang. There is a breakfast shop outside the hutong that makes extremely delicious steamed buns..."

Hong Zuer listened for a moment and said, "No problem. You can throw the paper into the fire now."

He then questioned Zhang Baishi and the little monk one by one to make sure they had memorized their identities and origins before instructing everyone to throw the paper into the fire to prevent it from being discovered by the city guards.

Finally, Hong Zu'er calmly said, "My name is Zhou Zhixue, a native of Andefang, Liaoyang Prefecture, and I am forty-two years old this year. I was originally a soldier in charge of supplies in the Left Guard, but later my childhood friend from the same hometown became a centurion in the Right Valiant Guard. Thanks to my friend, I got a grain transport business..."

Hong Zuer was strict with others, requiring them to memorize things every day, and he did the same for himself.

After he finished reciting, they used a branch to start a campfire, making sure that every piece of paper was burned to ashes.

Zhang Baishi sighed, "No wonder Master Hu and his men can do business in Jingchao. Just based on what he gave them, they seem to know Liaoyang Prefecture inside and out. Not to mention our night watchmen, even the eunuch party's secret service probably doesn't have this ability."

Chen Ji asked calmly, "How many years have they been smuggling goods through Chongli Pass? What kind of goods have they been smuggling?"

Hong Zu'er shook his head: "The goods they transported were nothing special, just some silk and tea. They were very cautious, never did anything taboo, and never argued with anyone. On the contrary, they helped many people."

Chen Ji asked curiously, "Then how were they able to get out of Chongli Pass?"

Hong Zu'er sneered: "Over the years, the border households of Chongli Pass have all been gathered together by them. Without them, what would the soldiers of Chongli Pass eat? They were able to leave Chongli Pass only because the General had given his permission. Moreover, Master Hu San has an extraordinary background. He is a member of the Hu family and his words carry weight in the border army. He also served in Guyuan, and the border soldiers naturally have a sense of kinship with each other... I also heard that the current General of Chongli Pass received favors from him before. When he was impeached the year before last, it was he who helped him to smooth things over in the capital."

He patted his behind and stood up: "Let me remind you all one more time: when you encounter Jingchao nobles, you must bow; when you encounter a carriage, you must kneel. Since you've decided to do something big, don't think your face is worth anything. We may not have gold on our knees, but we can exchange the heads of the enemy for gold. Let's go, let's get into the city before sunset."

Xiaoman asked curiously, "What if we fail to infiltrate Baidadan City and something goes wrong? Does Master Hong have any backup plans?"

Hong Zu'er said in a casual tone, "Not everything can be backed up. You'll never succeed if you're unwilling to take risks. If you're discovered, you'll only die."

Chen Ji went to untie the mule's rope, and several people carried bags of grain and piled them on the mule. He freed up one mule, helped Zhang Xia sit on its back, and said in a low voice, "Your feet are blistered from wearing straw sandals, so ride the mule today."

Zhang Xia did not refute, but simply smiled and gently agreed.

Hong Zu'er glanced at him sideways: "If we lose one mule, then there will be an extra 800 catties of grain that no mule can carry. What, are you going to carry it?" Chen Ji smiled and replied: "Just divide it among the other mules. We can give each of the strongest ones an extra bag of grain. Anyway, it's the last day. By the time we get to Baidadan City, they'll have time to fatten up. If we really can't spare any mules, I'll carry it myself."

Hong Zu'er snorted coldly, but then stopped interfering.

Chen Ji led the mule toward the mountain path, and Zhang Xia watched his back while silently reciting the sutra of Zheyun.

Xiaoman glanced at Zhang Xia and Chen Ji's retreating figures, then looked at the mule beside her.

The young monk looked into her eyes and quickly said, "No, the mules are already fully loaded."

Xiaoman rolled her eyes: "Why don't you just say you're carrying it?"

The young monk looked distressed: "This humble monk can't carry it!"

Xiaoman led the mule outside, but just then, hurried footsteps came from behind them, with only a hundred paces between them.

Chen Ji and Hong Zuer exchanged a glance, and their bodies immediately tensed up.

Hong Zu'er whispered, "Don't panic. Those who come on foot are probably not important figures; they're just ordinary people passing by. Let's walk openly and honestly; the more open we are, the less likely we are to arouse suspicion."

He added, "Remember, we must not make a single mistake in what we have memorized along the way."

Chen Ji led the mule forward, when he heard someone shout loudly behind him: "Hey, stop!"

Hong Zuer squinted and looked back, only to see more than ten Jingchao soldiers chasing after him with halberds.

Behind these ten or so armored soldiers, dozens more guarded an elderly man with white hair. Beside the old man was a woman in her early twenties, with an elegant and sophisticated hairstyle and wearing a gorgeous long dress.

The long dress was strange, as if it were woven from the feathers of a hundred birds.

From a distance, the woman's skirt appeared bright yellow, but as she walked into the shadows cast by the trees, the color of her skirt turned dark red.

Hong Zu'er felt a chill run down his spine, and he and Zhang Baishi exchanged a glance.

Envoy?

Princess?

If they were truly an envoy and a princess, they should have been on the official road. How could they have bumped into each other on this mountain path? But if it wasn't a princess, no one would dare wear a bright yellow skirt.

Hong Zu'er was eager to make a move. He had originally planned to ambush the Jing Dynasty envoys on the way, but since they were peace envoys and the Jing Dynasty emperor's favorite princess, Princess Liyang, was in the group, how could they not be accompanied and protected by the Jing Dynasty's central imperial guards?

Moreover, the entourage is very likely to be composed of Golden Guards, and there will be experts at the Dao Seeking Realm accompanying them.

So after much thought, he concluded that the best way to assassinate him was to poison the city of Baidadan.

Chen Ji's heart tightened as he watched Hong Zu'er's tense body. If Hong Zu'er were to make a move here, many people would likely die.

Finally, as the armored soldiers approached, Hong Zu'er, having exhausted all his strength, knelt by the roadside, leading the mule: "I did not know I would meet such a distinguished person. Please forgive me."

Chen Ji helped Zhang Xia dismount, and they both knelt beside Hong Zu'er, imitating him, saying, "Please forgive us, Your Excellency!"

Sixteen armored soldiers surrounded the seven men, even placing long halberds on their backs, the coldness of the iron weapons piercing their backs through their clothing.

Chen Ji's mind raced.

strangeness.

The group was in a terrible state, their boots covered in mud.

If it really is Princess Liyang and her envoy, how come they don't even have a carriage? And where are the horses?

What happened to them?
At this moment, as the old man and the woman approached, a loud voice warned, "Your Highness, Your Excellency, do not approach yet. Be careful, they may be assassins disguised as commoners."

Chen Ji's heart skipped a beat; it really was an envoy's entourage.

Moreover, judging from what they said, they had probably encountered more than one group of assassins, which explained their disheveled state.

Who arranged the assassin? Lu Jin?
If the assassins arranged by Lu Jin still fail, it can only mean that there must be a Grand Master of the Dao Seeking Realm in the envoy's group, a true expert.

Chen Ji and the others knelt on the ground, not daring to raise their heads, only to hear the old man say hoarsely, "Check it out first."

The loud voice from before came to Chen Ji: "Stand up straight and stretch out your hands."

Chen Ji stood up and obediently stretched out his hands.

He looked at a dark-skinned, stern-faced middle-aged man and ran his rough fingers over his hand: "Your Highness, these are hands from heavy work, with no trace of weapons."

The middle-aged man approached Hong Zu'er again: "Give me your hand!"

Hong Zu'er honestly extended his hand: "Esteemed guests, we are from Liaoyang Prefecture. We are transporting grain here with no ill intentions."

The old man said indifferently, "Whether there is malice or not is up to us to decide."

Hong Zu'er hurriedly replied, "Yes, sir, it's up to you."

The middle-aged man checked it once, then turned around, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Sir, there's no problem."

The old man nodded and said hoarsely, "Kill them all."

(End of this chapter)