The prince is more stable

Chapter 628 Cliff Ambush
Leaving the city at midnight, more than a hundred riders trudged along, their feet sinking into the melting snow.

Zhao Xiaoqian sat on horseback, his expression calm.

Huang Chenxiang, the Junior Supervisor of the Palace Secretariat, is indeed the key figure in this case. The poisoning of the young prince was most likely his doing.

But Zhao Xiaoqian was thinking more about Zhao Ji at that moment.

He was considering whether he could use this case to bring Emperor Huizong down.

Recalling the various clues that followed the incident, as well as the many people involved in the case, such as the Imperial Medical Bureau, the Imperial Pharmacy, and the Palace Secretariat, Zhao Xiaoqian went through the entire case from beginning to end, only to find that it seemed difficult to convict Zhao Ji.

Even if Huang Chenxiang were captured alive, it wouldn't necessarily convict Zhao Ji.

Since the case involves a prince, and the murderer is the emperor's own brother, if the chain of evidence is incomplete and cannot be "ironclad," it will not have much impact on Zhao Ji at all, but will instead drag Zhao Xiaoqian into the quagmire.

Emperor Huizong of Song (Zhao Ji) was so cautious in his actions that he left virtually no trace.

Of course, Zhao Xiaoqian was the head of the Imperial City Guard, and he had Liu Dan, a skilled interrogator, under his command. In theory, Liu Dan could fabricate any confession that Zhao Xiaoqian wanted.

But as I said before, the case has too much impact and too many people are paying attention. Under the spotlight, the truth is the truth and the falsehood is the falsehood. Forgeries will be exposed sooner or later and will eventually backfire.

The cold wind at midnight stung his cheeks, but Zhao Xiaoqian's mind cleared considerably.

He shook his head vigorously, deciding to get things done first. If he could capture Huang Chenxiang alive, it wouldn't be a bad thing at least.

After leaving Yongtai Gate, the group headed straight for the northern suburbs outside the city. Zhang Xiaoyi knew the location well; it was on the edge of an unnamed cliff about twenty miles outside the northern suburbs.

After traveling for more than an hour, Zhao Xiaoqian and his group arrived at their destination.

Chen Shou and over a hundred imperial guards dismounted and walked towards the cliff. As they approached the cliff on the rugged mountain path, Chen Shou silently gave a hand signal, and the hundred-plus imperial guards raised their flintlock muskets and crouched down to surround the cliff.

A moment later, Chen Shou walked over and shook his head at Zhao Xiaoqian: "Your Highness, we haven't found any trace of anyone. Huang Chenxiang's hiding place should not be here."

Zhao Xiaoqian looked around and said, "Have the brothers hide, and we'll wait for them to come to us."

It was almost dawn, and the field of vision was clearer.

Zhao Xiaoqian observed the surrounding environment and found that Huang Chenxiang's choice of this place was quite shrewd.

A narrow path leads from the cliff edge to the foot of the mountain. A dense forest is within a hundred paces to the west, and the Guangji River meanders not far to the south.

After observing for a while, Zhao Xiaoqian had to admire Huang Chenxiang's choice of location. It was a pity that this guy was a eunuch; he should have been recruited into the army as a general to deploy troops.

This also illustrates a point: Huang Chenxiang's choice of such a complicated location indicates his extreme distrust of Zhao Ji. He probably guessed that Zhao Ji might kill him, which is why he chose such an easy-to-escape terrain as the meeting place.

Knowing he would be silenced, Huang Chenxiang still arranged to meet with Zhao Ji, indicating he was truly desperate.

After escaping Bianjing, Huang Chenxiang will be wanted by the government throughout the country, and will have to live a life of hiding for the rest of his life. If he doesn't have money, such a life will be even more difficult.

Huang Chenxiang's purpose in meeting Zhao Ji today was to make a fortune off him.

After thinking it over, Zhao Xiaoqian saw that it was already dawn and the time for Huang Chenxiang and Zhao Ji to meet was approaching, so he found a place to lie in ambush near the cliff.

"Chen Shou, tell the brothers to hide well. Wait for my order before making a move. Tell the brothers not to hurt Huang Chenxiang. This man is very useful; he'll be worthless once he's dead," Zhao Xiaoqian instructed.

A fierce glint suddenly flashed in Chen Shou's eyes, and he said in a low voice, "Your Highness, if Zhao Ji also comes, why not take advantage of the chaos to shoot him dead? Anyway, Zhao Ji is here and meeting with the murderer who murdered the young prince. He can't clear his name at all, and no one will say anything if he dies."

Zhao Xiaoqian scoffed: "What are you thinking? The Emperor's own brother died under mysterious circumstances. Do you think it's like a chicken dying in the village? Without solid evidence to convict him, if Zhao Ji dies under mysterious circumstances, I will be the one who suffers."

"Besides, given Zhao Ji's cautious nature, do you think he would come in person to such a dangerous situation?"

Chen Shou, looking ashamed, said, "It was my impulsiveness."

"It's alright. Anyway, using your brain isn't your strong suit. Saying stupid things is just part of your normal performance," Zhao Xiaoqian comforted him.

Half an hour later, as the morning sun pierced through the clouds and bathed the earth, a dozen or so figures finally appeared at the foot of the mountain.

The figures were all dressed in black and masked, the standard costumes for villains in movies and TV dramas, as if they were clothing sponsored by a fixed merchant.

At the same time, on the mountain path to the north of the cliff, Huang Chenxiang, dressed in disheveled and tattered clothes, also appeared.

Huang Chenxiang staggered and looked haggard. It was clear that he had been hiding and living a hard life since escaping Bianjing. He looked like he hadn't eaten a lot.

A dozen or so men in black at the foot of the mountain, and Huang Chenxiang on the other side, were slowly walking toward the cliff.

Meanwhile, Zhao Xiaoqian and Chen Shouhe's hundred-plus imperial guards quietly lay in ambush near the cliff.

A chilling atmosphere instantly filled the area around the cliff. Even the birds in the nearby forest seemed intimidated by this murderous aura, refraining from uttering their melodious chirps. As Zhao Xiaoqian watched the two sides getting closer and closer to the cliff, he quietly crouched down in the grass, maintaining a state of covert observation. At the same time, he grabbed Zhang Xiaoyi, who was excitedly eager to try.

"Chen Shou, you'll be in command later. You should be fine with such a simple ambush, right?" Zhao Xiaoqian said.

Chen Shou patted his chest excitedly: "Leave it to me!"

Zhao Xiaoqian held onto Zhang Xiaoyi tightly, saying, "Let's just watch the show. Don't try to be heroes and rush in to fight. Laymen shouldn't do professional work, and the same goes for killing."

When Zhao Xiaoqian saw through Zhang Xiaoyi's intentions, he couldn't help but smile awkwardly: "You've come all this way, you must have done something, right?"

"Keep breathing, live well, and don't hold our fellow workers back. That's our biggest contribution."

Zhang Xiaoyi gave a wry smile: "Everyone in Bianjing says you're the number one hero of the Song Dynasty..."

"It's just a persona, don't take it seriously. Being a coward is my true nature," Zhao Xiaoqian said frankly.

As they spoke, the dozen or so men in black and Huang Chen were less than a hundred paces from the cliff, and the two sides were about to meet.

Up until this point, neither side noticed anything amiss at the edge of the cliff. After all, in such a desolate and wild environment in ancient times, weeds and shrubs grew taller than a person, making it extremely easy for a hundred or so people to ambush each other. It was very difficult to be discovered, much like wearing a ghillie suit in a game like PUBG.

Zhao Xiaoqian and the others held their breath. Chen Shou had already quietly leveled a specially made short-barreled flintlock pistol in his hand, waiting for the sound of his gun so that the ambush could be launched.

The disheveled Huang Chenxiang staggered to the edge of the cliff. Before he could even look around, he spotted a dozen or so men in black on the opposite side.

Huang Chenxiang was startled, then sneered, "Zhao Ji didn't come, is that right?"

The man in black remained silent, only staring at him with icy eyes, as if he were examining a dead man.

Huang Chenxiang seemed to have expected this, and said coldly, "You want to kill me to silence me? Haha, good! You knew Zhao Ji was thinking. But if I die, Zhao Ji will be in trouble."

"You don't think I came to this meeting unprepared and foolishly, do you? All the evidence of Zhao Ji bribing me over the years, the correspondence, and the poisoning of the young prince at Zhao Ji's behest, are hidden by a friend of mine."

"If anything happens to me today, that evidence will be sent to Kaifeng Prefecture and the Censorate immediately. Haha, even if I die, I will tear the sky apart and drag Zhao Ji down with me!" Huang Chenxiang laughed wildly.

Not far away, Zhao Xiaoqian lay prone in the grass, listening to Huang Chenxiang's hysterical and maniacal laughter. He couldn't help but stare in astonishment. He had thought that Huang Chenxiang might have some intellectual problems since he came alone, but now it seemed that he wasn't stupid. He had already prepared a way to save his life.

The dozen or so men in black, who were originally planning to make a move, hesitated after hearing Huang Chenxiang's words.

They were just people who did the job; they would kill people without a care and consider the mission complete. But Huang Chenxiang's words clearly indicated that he intended to drag Zhao Ji into the mess as well. Now, whether or not to kill this person was a real dilemma for them.

While the man in black was still hesitating about whether to kill Huang Chenxiang, Chen Shou had no more hesitation.

The time has come; the killing begins.

Pointing his gun at one of the men in black, Chen Shou pulled the trigger without hesitation.

With a loud bang, a man in black fell to the ground. At the same time, a barrage of gunfire erupted as over a hundred imperial guards opened fire.

Within a distance of less than a hundred paces, over a hundred guns were aimed at a dozen or so people. Even if their marksmanship was terrible, if they were just randomly firing in a lucky way, these dozen or so people would basically have no chance of survival.

After a volley of fire, only Huang Chenxiang remained on the cliff edge, staring blankly at the black-clad man lying motionless on the ground.

A small ambush was thus carried out easily and efficiently.

As the smoke cleared, Zhao Xiaoqian, still holding Zhang Xiaoyi back, did not show himself but instead gestured to Chen Shou.

"First, subdue him, check if he's carrying any weapons or if he's hiding any poison in his mouth, then tie him up tightly and get him away from the cliff..."

Zhang Xiaoyi, standing to the side, stared at him in astonishment.

Zhao Xiaoqian patiently explained, "When traveling the martial world, safety comes first. Remember to guard against a few melodramatic plots, such as the villain dying from talking too much, or the protagonist becoming complacent after a great victory and being attacked by the villain in his dying moments, resulting in mutual destruction..."

"For example, the villain is in dire straits and jumps off a cliff, but then, damn it, the heavens are blind and he finds a peerless martial arts manual. These kinds of cliché things can never happen to me!"

Zhang Xiaoyi stared blankly, his lips twitching slightly, perhaps trying to express his admiration.

Zhao Xiaoqian, however, remained calm and collected, hiding in the bushes, determined not to show himself until everything was settled.

When traveling in the world, safety comes first.

These ten words must be taken as family precepts and passed down to future generations.

(End of this chapter)