Aoyama

Chapter 506 Old things
Behind Bai Long, the Black Serpent, the Precious Monkey, the Bright Rabbit, the Cloud Sheep, the Golden Pig, and the Heavenly Horse rode in a line, their menacing gazes and imposing presence making Jie Fanwei unable to lift his head.

The six zodiac signs, who usually appear to be on good terms but are actually quite estranged and harbor their own secrets, seem to only stand side by side when the White Dragon appears.

The white dragon slowly swept its gaze across the area: "Who can tell me what happened here?"

Lin Chaoqing clasped his hands and said, "Lord Bailong, someone has come to report to my Jiefan Guard..."

Bai Long interrupted Lin Chaoqing and pointed at Chen Ji, saying, "You tell me."

Lin Chaoqing's voice faltered, but he gritted his teeth and continued, "He claimed that the wanted criminal Chen Wende was hiding in Changping County, plotting a rebellion..."

In an instant, all six zodiac signs turned to look at Lin Chao. Beneath the wooden monkey mask of the precious monkey, the voices of countless men, women, old people, and children mingled together, roaring deafeningly, "Insolence!"

These two words abruptly interrupted Lin Chaoqing's thoughts, and her voice came to an abrupt halt.

Bai Long chuckled softly: "Lord Lin, you've suddenly become much bolder in just one day?"

Lin Chaoqing was silent for a moment: "I wouldn't dare."

Bai Long looked at Chen Ji: "Tell the truth."

Chen Ji cupped his hands to Bai Long and said, "This humble servant led the Imperial Guards to cover Your Excellency's escort of Princess Li Yang and Yuan Cheng to Tanggu. When we reached Anfu Ward, we were attacked. After the rebellion was quelled, Chen Wende suddenly appeared and claimed to be the mastermind behind it all."

Bai Long understood Chen Wende's intentions in an instant: "Seeking death, taking the Chen family with you?"

Chen Wende stood in the Jiefan Guard, cupped his hands and said, "I simply confess my guilt and submit to the law."

Bai Long said calmly, "We'll have to investigate to find out the truth. Lord Lin, Chen Wende has been taken away by my secret service."

Lin Chaoqing remained silent.

Over the years, the Secret Service has been at odds with powerful families, purging countless civil officials. Even the Liu family was brought down by the Secret Service itself, so why has the Chen family changed its ways?

Now that there is an opportunity to bring down the Chen family, the Secret Service should pounce on them like wolves smelling blood, but instead it seems they are letting the Chen family off the hook.
Lin Chaoqing looked around, and his gaze finally settled on Chen Ji's face.

Bai Long waved his hand: "Take Chen Wende away."

Lin Chaoqing came to his senses and said in a deep voice, "My lord, this person was captured first by my Jie Fan Guard."

"Oh?" Bai Long said with a smile, "Since when has our Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs started to emphasize the importance of first come, first served? I've never heard of that before."

Lin Chaoqing hesitated for a moment, still unwilling to give up: "Lord Bailong, we are close attendants of the Emperor, and our duty is to share His Majesty's burdens. Chen Wende's matter is of great importance and cannot be protected..."

The black serpent said menacingly, "It's not your place to tell the adults what to do. Get out of the way!"

Beneath the wooden monkey mask of Bao Hou, a hoarse voice said, "No matter what, my Secret Service has sent seven Zodiac members. This Chen Wende, Jie Fanwei, has no choice but to hand him over, whether he likes it or not."

Bai Long raised his hand to stop the conversation and said to Lin Chaoqing, "Lord Lin, the second branch of the Chen family is suspected of colluding with Jingchao spies. They should be handed over to my secret service to be taken away."

Lin Chaoqing remained silent for a moment, then waved his hand, signaling Jie Fanwei to hand Chen Wende over to the Secret Service.

Bai Long pointed at one of the guards who helped him with his duties: "Give up a horse to Chen Wende."

Jie Fanwei dismounted and handed the reins to Chen Wende.

But Chen Wende didn't rush to accept. Instead, he looked up at Bai Long and said, "Bai Long wants to protect the Chen family. Does he intend to kill me on the way to silence me? Even if I die under mysterious circumstances, it probably won't end well. I advise you not to go to all this trouble."

Bai Long laughed: "What kind of person do you think I am, Lord Chen? It's just that there's still a day's journey to the capital, and I'm worried about you encountering trouble on the way, so I'm personally escorting you. Lord Chen, please mount your horse; I have some questions I'd like to ask you."

Chen Wende stood still: "What is it?"

Bai Long's tone turned indifferent: "The matter of Yangzhou."

Chen Wende's expression changed.

He struggled for a long time before finally mounting his horse and obediently leaving with the Secret Service. Bai Long rode through the Jie Fan Guards, his eyes fixed straight ahead. Lin Chaoqing stood still on his horse, his gaze calm beneath his bamboo hat. The Heavenly Horse, Golden Pig, Bright Rabbit, Cloud Sheep, Treasure Monkey, and Black Serpent passed by him one by one, each staring at him with a cold smile until they brushed past each other.

Seven secret agents led Chen Wende out of Changping County. Bai Long dismissed the others, saying, "Stay away. I have something to say to Lord Chen Wende."

Xuan She and the others responded and slowed down their horses, leaving Bai Long and Chen Wende to ride side by side.

Bai Long didn't rush to speak, and the silence made Chen Wende feel suffocated. Finally, he couldn't help but ask first, "What do you want to ask about Yangzhou?"

Bai Long smiled and answered irrelevantly, "Lord Chen, have you ever been to Yangzhou? I haven't been there yet, but I've heard it's a beautiful and charming place."

Chen Wende said in a deep voice, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Bai Long continued speaking in riddles: "Yangzhou is located at the confluence of the Grand Canal and the Yangtze River, serving as the throat of the north-south waterway. Every year, tens of thousands of cargo ships stop here to transship goods, transporting grain, silk, and porcelain from the south to the north, hence its nickname 'the throat of the waterway.' Because half of the merchants of our dynasty gather here to build gardens, Yangzhou is also known as 'the richest city under heaven'... Among them is a garden called 'Yingyuan,' I wonder if Lord Chen has heard of it?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Wende finally lost his temper: "How did you know?"

Bai Long slowly said, "Lord Chen, there are no secrets in this world. The Wang family of the Five Cities Garrison fell from power because of their possession of crossbows. Your father pretended to keep your mother under house arrest, but in reality, he had already secretly sent her to Yangzhou. Not only your mother, but also the two women from the Wang family who were sold to the Jiaofangsi, Wang Enzhuan and Wang Enxian, were also bought by him and sent to the Yingyuan in Yangzhou to live in anonymity. I suppose your father already knew at that time that your second branch of the family had no way out."

After the Wang family of the Five Cities Military Command fell, Chen Ji was present on the day the Wang family women were sold to the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution), where he discussed salt business with Huang Que and Shen Ye.

Chen Ji couldn't bear to see the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution) selling people like commodities, so he left early. Little did he know that someone had snatched the Wang family's daughter from the Yuan family of Runan and the Yang family of Hongnong for a high price of 90,000 taels of silver.

Chen Wende lost his composure and gritted his teeth as he asked, "Who leaked this information? Wang Duo? Chen Guang? Han Tong?"

Bai Long said with a smile, "This matter is not the fault of others. It is because you were not careful in raising assassins and revealed your secrets."

Chen Wende was shocked: "There are secret agents among my Chen family's elite guards? Absolutely impossible. My Chen family's elite guards have never left any survivors, except for today!"

"Not so," Bai Long said, looking into the distance. "The living can't speak, but the dead can. Your Chen family's assassins have marks from years of leech bites and injuries on their shoulders. They're clearly boat trackers. If we follow the canal route, we'll find them sooner or later. After the Fragrant Hills incident, I sent people downstream from the capital all the way to Yangzhou, and that's when we found some clues. After all, the disappearance of so many boat trackers would eventually attract attention."

Chen Wende remained silent.

Bai Long continued slowly, "After finding the remaining assassins of your Chen family's second branch, my secret service did not act rashly, and even discovered some unexpected surprises. On the fifth day of the fourth month, your Chen family's assassins changed their clothes and quietly left the city, dividing into nine groups to welcome your mother and others to the Yangzhou Shadow Garden. Afterwards, they left thirty people to guard the house, while the rest quietly headed north..."

After the Wang family fell from power, Xiaoman told Chen Ji that the second branch of the Chen family had imprisoned Wang Shi in order to secretly starve her to death and erase the stain on their reputation. But after that, there was no news of Wang Shi, no funeral, and no burial, as if she had never existed. Her son, Chen Wende, never showed any grief.

Bai Long sighed, "Lord Chen Lizhi may have a face that looks like he could eat people, but he is kind at heart. He didn't kill Chen Yue, the head manager of the salt shop, even though he lost so much money. He didn't kill the servants who failed to stop Yao Man and the little monk. Everyone thought he had abandoned the Wang family, but unexpectedly he saved the Wang family's daughter and even helped the Wang family find a husband, thus preserving their lineage."

Chen Wende said softly, "Yes, when Father gets angry at home, he doesn't beat or kill the servants. He just smashes porcelain to vent his anger. He's just a bit fierce in words."

Bai Long laughed and said, "There's no need to flatter your father. Didn't he personally kill Liang Shi, drown the salt shop manager, and even send assassins to kill Chen Ji? Lord Chen, your father was just being good to himself."

Chen Wende turned to look at Bai Long: "In this world, it's good enough if you're good to your own people. Didn't Lord Bai Long appear today to protect his own people?"

Bai Long laughed loudly: "That's true."

Chen Wende asked in a deep voice, "Now that things have come to this, what can I do to save my mother's life?"

Bai Long pulled a porcelain bottle from his sleeve and tossed it to Chen Wende: "After returning to the capital, commit suicide, and I will guarantee your mother's safety."

Chen Wende stared at the white porcelain bottle in his hand, then threw it back: "No need. My back molars have venom sacs. I know what to do, but there's one thing I don't understand. Could you please answer it before I die?"

Bai Long said casually, "Lord Chen, please ask, but I may not be able to answer you."

Chen Wende asked doubtfully, "The eunuch faction is His Majesty's henchman. Does His Majesty not want to bring down the Chen family? If so, isn't what Lord Bailong is doing contrary to His Majesty's wishes?"

Bai Long casually said, "If you really wanted to bring down the Chen family, you would have done it last time by taking advantage of the Fragrant Hills incident. Why wait until now? Besides, my Secret Service just didn't intend to arrest you. If you really wanted to arrest Lord Chen, you wouldn't have had to jump out yourself. What do you think?"

Chen Wende chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Indeed, even Shadow Garden has been found... So, why has Lord White Dragon come here today, for Chen Ji?"

This time, the white dragon did not answer.

(End of this chapter)