Aoyama

Chapter 469 The New Envoy
Did Zhang Xia storm the White Tiger Hall?

Chen Ji had also ventured into the White Tiger Hall when he was in Guyuan, so he knew very well what it entailed to do.

Moreover, this is the White Tiger Hall of the Jing Dynasty's military governor; one must go there with the resolve to die.

At this moment, the armored soldiers brought by Jiang Xianzong dismounted and came to Chen Ji, making a gesture to take over Jiang Xiansheng: "Hand over the envoy to us. There are carriages prepared at the foot of the mountain. You may travel to Baidadan City by carriage."

However, Chen Ji took a half step back and grabbed Jiang Xiansheng tightly in his hand: "You'll release your people when you see my men."

The armored soldier's face darkened: "How dare we, the envoys of the Jing Dynasty, be coerced by the people of the Southern Dynasty?"

Chen Ji repeated, "Your people will be released the moment you see my men."

More than ten people stood in a stalemate beside Chen Ji, ready to make a move.

One of them pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Jiang Xianzong, who was riding away: "Commander?"

Jiang Xianzong tightened the reins and turned back to say mockingly, "You two are incredibly audacious. One of you dared to kidnap my Jing Dynasty envoy and princess, and the other dared to storm the White Tiger Hall of my Jing Dynasty's military governor. Aren't you afraid of death?"

Chen Ji stared straight at Jiang Xianzong: "I am the Grand Commander of the Ning Dynasty's Imperial Guards, and I have come by imperial decree to escort the Jing Dynasty's envoy to the capital. Now that the envoy is in my hands, there is no reason to hand him over to someone else."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xianzong spurred his horse back to Chen Ji, both amused and exasperated: "Boy, do you even know the rules? Even if you are an envoy from the Ning Dynasty, you should wait at the boundary marker for me to deliver the person to you, not come here to snatch... release the person!"

The forest fell silent, and the Jingchao soldiers all placed their hands on their waist knives, glaring menacingly.

Chen Ji dug his fingers into Jiang Xiansheng's neck and said in a deep voice, "Now everyone knows that the envoy has arrived in the territory of Baidadan City. If he dies here, I'm afraid the military governor will not be able to explain it to the Jiang family."

Jiang Xianzong calmly replied, "I can't explain this to the Jiang family, but you can explain it to your Southern Dynasty emperor? You came here with a secret decree. If you had killed the envoy yourself, you would probably have been beheaded at the Meridian Gate... For your wife, you don't even care about your Southern Dynasty emperor's decree?"

Chen Ji remained expressionless and repeated, "I will release Jiang Xiansheng as soon as my men leave Baidadan City."

Jiang Xianzong stared at Chen Ji, and after a long silence, said, "Now I feel that you are worthy of that girl. Kid, you should thank yourself for having a good wife. I spared your lives because I admire her."

Having said that, he waved to the armored soldiers beside Chen Ji: "Let him go. If he doesn't want to return the envoy to my Jing Dynasty, then don't. Send two fast horses and have his men wait at the city gate."

Jiang Xianzong turned his horse down the mountain, and the armored soldiers also mounted their horses in unison.

Chen Ji finally let out a sigh of relief. He didn't know what Zhang Xia and Jiang Xianzong had talked about, but this military governor of Xijing Circuit... seemed to have some goodwill? Or perhaps, this was just Jiang Xianzong giving each other a way out.

Chen Ji carried Jiang Xiansheng and followed the large group down the mountain. A huge carriage was parked by the roadside.

Two crimson bamboo poles were inserted in front of the carriage. Each section of the bamboo pole was wrapped with copper leaves and leather, and a yak tail hung down from the top of each pole. This was a double-banner, double-staff carriage, a ceremonial carriage bestowed upon the Jiedushi by the Jing Dynasty emperor.

Beside the carriage, thirty-two armored soldiers rode up and watched quietly as Chen Ji and the others boarded the carriage before setting off for Baidadan City.

Inside the car, Chen Ji sat with Jiang Xiansheng in the innermost seat, keeping their distance from Hong Zuer.

Princess Liyang sat on the soft couch and broke free from Hong Zu'er's grasp: "I can't run away!"

Hong Zu'er looked coldly at Jiang Xiansheng, then shifted his gaze to Chen Ji: "Your teacher finally managed to capture Yuan Cheng, but you want to release Jing Chao. Does your teacher know about this?"

Chen Ji took a deep breath: "I was only ordered to welcome the Jingchao envoy back to the capital. As for whether or not to let Yuan Cheng return to Jingchao, that is a matter for His Majesty and the Grand Secretaries to discuss, and has nothing to do with a nobody like me."

Hong Zu'er sneered: "What about the previous promise? When will you kill Jiang Xiansheng?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "We can't kill him yet."

Princess Liyang rubbed her wrist and asked, "You promised me you would help me return to Jing Dynasty. How can you promise to do that?"

Chen Ji shook his head again: "I can't say right now."

Princess Liyang sneered: "You're just making a fuss. If I find out you're lying, I'll haunt you even as a ghost."

Chen Ji closed his eyes to rest. At this moment, all he wanted to do was confirm whether Zhang Xia, Xiao Man, and the little monk were safe and sound. He couldn't care about anything else.

The carriage followed Jiang Xianzong's large entourage to the foot of Baidadan City, and Hong Zuer lifted the carriage curtain to look out.

Through the carriage curtain, Chen Ji saw Zhang Xia, dressed in gray cloth, standing safely next to Xiao Man and the little monk in front of the city gate.

The two looked at each other through the gap in the curtain, and Zhang Xia slowly smiled.

At the same time, I felt a great sense of relief.

……

Hong Zu'er jumped off the carriage, stepped forward and asked Ah Sheng, "What happened in the city? Tell me in detail."

Ah Sheng whispered, "Jiang Que forced Uncle Baizi to test Jiang Xianzong's intentions. Baizi said he was worried that someone would take the opportunity to kill him during the curfew and wanted to wait. But Jiang Que disagreed, so Sister Ah Xia took the initiative to go to the Jiedushi's mansion. Not long after, we saw Jiang Xianzong gathering his troops and swaggering out of Baidadan City. After that, someone came to call us and told us that we didn't need to hide anymore and to wait for us at the city gate."

Hong Zuer seemed to be deep in thought.

Therefore, Jiang Xianzong already knew when Zhang Baishi and others entered the city.

At this moment, Jiang Xianzong rode up to Jiang Que and Jiang Guo, his armor casting a shadow over them.

The next moment, he raised his whip and struck Jiang Que across the face, leaving a deep bloody gash: "If you want to know my intentions, come and ask me yourself. When did the men of my Jiang family start hiding behind women and children?"

Jiang Que lowered his head in shame: "General, this matter is of utmost importance..."

Jiang Xianzong lashed Jiang Que's face with the whip again: "What are the Jiang family precepts?"

Jiang Que said in a low voice, "Those who study in their youth are like the light of the rising sun. Those who study in their old age are like walking at night with a candle, still better than those who close their eyes and see nothing. Those with ambition can hone their skills and achieve their goals, while those without ambition will become arrogant and ordinary..."

Jiang Xianzong lashed Jiang Que's face with the whip again: "Last sentence! Louder!"

Jiang Que said loudly, "Life should not be wasted, nor should it be wasted in a cowardly way."

Jiang Xianzong sat atop his warhorse, his expression arrogant, glancing sideways at Jiang Que: "Even a woman from the Southern Dynasty dares to storm my White Tiger Hall alone, facing swords and axes head-on. My Jiang family's sons, though flowing with the blood of the wolf king, have learned the tricks of foxes."

Blood streamed down Jiang Que's face, but he didn't wipe it away. Instead, he knelt on the ground and said, "Jiang Que knows his mistake."

Jiang Xianzong sighed softly: "If you had realized your mistakes sooner, Jiang Liuxian and the others wouldn't have followed Lu Jin. Go and receive thirty strokes of the cane. From now on, you don't need to return to Shangjing. Stay in Xijing Road as foot soldiers. If we don't grind out the fighting spirit in your bones, the Jiang family will be gone."

Jiang Que said in a low voice, "I obey."

Jiang Xianzong turned to look at Chen Ji in the carriage, and said with a half-smile, "You should not enter the city. Take His Highness and Jiang Xiansheng and go to the Southern Dynasty to report back. No one will escort you, so pray for your own good fortune... Just don't die in my Baidadan City."

Jiang Que suddenly looked up: "General, this is against the rules."

Jiang Xianzong spurred his horse toward the city: "Rules? My Jing Dynasty is so embroiled in internal strife that even the Privy Councilor has been captured by the Southern Dynasty. What rules are there left? Aren't the Southern Dynasty's envoys right here? Let them take my Jing Dynasty's envoys back. Whatever the outcome of the negotiations is none of my business."

Jiang Xianzong's figure disappeared into the city gate, and the armored soldiers filed in, and the gate of Baidadan City also slammed shut with a rumble.

Zhang Xia and the others stood outside the city gate, looking at each other in bewilderment. No one expected that Jiang Xianzong would not pursue the matter of the envoys any further, but instead drove them all out of Baidadan City, allowing them to leave unscathed.

Princess Liyang said in a deep voice from inside the carriage, "Jiang Xianzong is a smart man. He doesn't want to side with Yuan Xiang, nor does he want to offend Yuan Xiang. He just wants to be a regional lord and guard his Xijing Road in peace. He has already handed us over to the Ning Dynasty envoys. Even if we are intercepted and killed on the way, it has nothing to do with him... Someone will definitely intercept us. Not only will the Jing Dynasty people intercept us, but you Southern Dynasty people will also intercept us. Hurry up and go."

Chen Ji threw Jiang Xiansheng into the carriage, lifted the curtain and shouted to Zhang Xia, "Get in, we're going back to Chongli Pass now."

However, at that moment, Princess Liyang suddenly pulled the arrow from Jiang Xiansheng's leg and, still flesh and blood, plunged it into his neck. Jiang Xiansheng twitched a few times, then fell lifeless.

This turn of events was so sudden that Hong Zuer and the others were all stunned.

Chen Ji turned to look into the carriage and saw Princess Li Yang pull out the arrow again, letting the blood splatter on her cheeks. Her fair cheeks were tinged with gray in the dim carriage, and the purple blood mixed with them created an eerie and beautiful effect.

Princess Liyang smiled and said, "From now on, Jiang Xiansheng is no longer the envoy of the Jing Dynasty; I am. What conditions the Jing Dynasty offers in exchange for Yuancheng is entirely up to me. I imagine the Southern Dynasty won't leave its envoy in your capital forever; after all, someone has to return to the capital with the alliance agreement."

In this way, she wouldn't have to become a victim of a political marriage.

Princess Liyang looked at Hong Zu'er, then smiled at Chen Ji: "From this moment on, you are the one who least wants anything to happen to me. You'd better protect me well, or how will you explain it back to the Southern Dynasty?"

In silence.

Zhang Xia approached the carriage, climbed inside, and sat opposite Princess Liyang, calmly observing the princess's smug expression: "He deliberately killed you. Otherwise, do you think, with his meticulousness, he would have left Jiang Xiansheng in a position where he couldn't protect him? Now it's your turn to obediently listen to him, or neither dynasty will tolerate you."

Princess Liyang was taken aback upon hearing this, but then smiled and said, "Then we'll all be in the same boat from now on, so please take good care of me. Don't worry about me causing any more trouble. That boy said I'm an ambitious person, and I'm definitely a qualified one. Ambitious people don't make decisions based on emotions or past events; they only ever do the right thing."

(End of this chapter)