Chaos of Ming 1628

Dark as ink.

Sun Qing stood on the high building of the post station, overlooking Jiaohe City. He wondered how Old Yu was doing with his business at that moment.

Outside the post station, Imperial Guards were already coming and going, patrolling closely, indicating that he didn't have much time left.

He also carried a jade pendant, its surface warm and smooth, its carving exquisite—a fine piece. He had deliberately hidden it when receiving the gift. Sun Qing was not a saint; he couldn't be selfless. He needed to live.

To avoid getting involved in this conflict, it's best to find an opportunity to leave.

After Lao Yu left, Sun Qing slept soundly all night. The next day, when he tried to leave, two Imperial Guards had already appeared at the door. Unable to leave, he could only wait until nightfall.

At this moment, the number of Imperial Guards had increased from two to four, with not only those waiting at the entrance but also patrolling the streets in shifts. It was impossible to leave now.

The money has been received, and the charge has been established. Now we can no longer afford to let our guard down and allow the other party to relax their vigilance so we can take the opportunity to leave.

If you can't leave, then wait.

He turned and went into the house, blew out the lamp, lay down on the bed fully clothed, and couldn't close his eyes.

Old Yu never returned. Sun Qing was gambling; if the mad old man took the money and left, then his judgment was wrong. He would pay for this miscalculation with his life.

The sound of the night watchman's clapper came from afar, one slow and three fast, indicating that it was already past midnight.

During the Ming Dynasty, time was announced at night using a wooden clapper. The night was divided into five watches, each with its own fixed striking method.

The first watch is slow and fast, the second watch is slow and fast, the third watch is only struck once with a long clapper, the fourth watch has four staggered strikes, starting slow and then fast, and the fifth watch is struck repeatedly.

The people in the city could tell the time of day simply by the rhythm and frequency of the clapper sound.

The third watch of the night is usually between 11 PM and 1 AM. In the past, Sun Qing would have gone to sleep much earlier. But at this moment, he was wide awake.

Suddenly, the paper window tore open, and a finger slipped through the hole, unlatched the latch, and pushed the window open. A dark figure crouched low and vaulted in, landing silently.

Seeing the dark figure enter, Sun Qing quickly sat up, extremely excited: "Old Yu, you're back?"

The figure in the shadows froze, seemingly not expecting Sun Qing to be awake. His hand trembled, and a dagger flashed coldly in the darkness.

Only then did Sun Qing see the newcomer clearly. The person was dressed in black, with a black cloth covering their face, revealing only a pair of cold, almond-shaped eyes. They had a slender figure and a waist as thin as a willow leaf.

Sun Qing was about to run when the man in black was already in front of him, dagger raised high, aimed at his heart.

"Don't kill him!"

At the critical moment, a crisp sound rang out, and Old Yu kicked the door open and threw the wine gourd over first.

The shadowy figure swung the dagger, splitting the gourd in two, and spilling the wine all over the ground.

Fortunately, he managed to block the attack, and Sun Qing hurriedly fled for his life.

But the shadowy figure persisted, turning back to stab again.

Sun Qing only studied diligently every day, neglecting physical fitness and boxing practice, so that now his mind was full of classical Chinese, but he didn't know how to avoid this unexpected disaster.

The opponent came on strong, and Sun Qing only talked until he was about to die. His pupils shrank, but he felt no pain at all.

By the moonlight, I could see that Old Yu rushed forward and stood in front of me, his voice urgent: "Spare his life."

The shadowy figure disregarded everything, determined to deliver a fatal blow to the throat, and no one could stop him. But the moment the shadowy figure and Old Yu locked eyes, the man in black's hand gripping the dagger trembled slightly, filled with fear and dread.

The dagger paused in mid-air, changing direction. The force was too great to retract, and it slashed Old Yu.

The dark figure retreated hastily, the room filled with the stench of blood. She finally spoke, crying out in alarm, "Lord Song?"

Her voice was clear and strong, though slightly immature. This black-clad woman who was about to kill him was probably just a girl of no more than sixteen years old.

This brief delay was enough to send shouts blaring from all sides of the post station, and the wooden planks thumping underfoot. The Imperial Guards were already charging in from all directions.

"Why aren't you running?" Old Yu shouted anxiously.

The girl glared at Sun Qing and shouted, "I don't understand. He's just a charlatan, a sycophant who clings to the eunuch faction. Why are you protecting him?"

Old Yu said in a deep voice, "He has to live."

"Did I mess things up?" the girl asked guiltily.

Old Yu's face was gloomy, and he was not good at speaking.

The girl's eyes were bloodshot, and she gritted her teeth fiercely: "I will apologize in the future."

The footsteps drew closer. She gritted her teeth. The footsteps were right in front of the door. Without saying a word, she leaped into the air and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

The main gate was already blocked by a number of Imperial Guards.

Old Yu swayed, his knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground, ignoring the blood on his hands, simply holding the spilled wine on the ground.

She cried and screamed, "Young master, if you're in a bad mood, you can hit me or scold me, but why did you have to spill my good wine!"

"What a waste, what a waste!"

The Imperial Guard frowned.

Sun Qing had already reacted, and went up to kick Lao Yu, angrily shouting, "Get out of here! I hate looking at you!"

Ever since Sun Qing checked in, the postmaster had been living in fear and couldn't sleep at night. Now, seeing blood, he was even more furious: "You crazy old man, I just chased you away yesterday, how come you've come back in the dark again?"

"Grandpas, this is just a beggar who's trying to freeload."

The Imperial Guards remained silent, glanced around the room, found no one else, exchanged a look, and then retreated through the main gate.

After the man left, the postmaster shook his head and turned to leave, leaving only a faint sigh: "How could the Sun family produce such a scoundrel?"

Is he really a member of the Sun family?

The door closed again.

Sun Qing quickly fetched a white cloth to stop the bleeding.

Old Yu sighed repeatedly: "I'm afraid someone has misunderstood you, young master. I have done as you instructed and taken care of the matter."

"The people are deeply grateful, and the list itself is hardly noteworthy; they only inquire about who made the promise that day."

"No need to mention it," Sun Qing replied affirmatively.

His gaze towards Lao Yu was exceptionally grave: "Lao Yu, who exactly are you?"

Old Yu paused slightly in his work, then chuckled and joked, "If everything is explained too clearly, it becomes boring. You know it, I know it, so let's just get by."

Sun Qing nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed again, her tense nerves finally relaxing completely at this moment.

He thought to himself that he now understood his true identity. He had made the right gamble, and he had overcome this hurdle.

Before, he seemed mad and destitute. While ordinary storytellers spout vulgar tales, his discussions of Liaodong's defenses and military strategy were always insightful and to the point. Such accuracy could never be achieved through mere hearsay without firsthand experience.

Furthermore, his speech did not employ the language typically used by officials.

These past few days, I've noticed that his calligraphy is vigorous and powerful, which suggests he has a profound foundation in calligraphy.

And just now, the girl in black calling him "Mr. Song" further confirmed what Sun Qing was thinking.

The girl's motive for murder was clearly due to Sun Qing's impersonation and misuse of the Sun family name, indicating a close relationship with the family. Furthermore, her leniency towards Lao Yu, showing mutual benefit, inevitably links Sun Qing to one person.

Sun Chengzong had a loyal confidant named Song Xian, courtesy name Xianru, who was in charge of the horse market outside the pass.

Wei Zhongxian framed him, and Sun Chengzong resigned and returned to his hometown. He followed the general out of the pass, and everyone in the Sun family respectfully called him Master Song.

This man devoted half his life to the Sun family. After Sun Gong's martyrdom, he refused to align himself with the eunuch faction and went into hiding under an assumed name. His identity was probably discovered long ago; after all, how could he not know what Sun Chengzong was up to?

As a close confidant of Sun Chengzong in the Guan-Ning civil official group, Song Xian differed from Yuan Chonghuan in leading troops and Sun Yuanhua in manufacturing cannons. Instead, Song Xian focused on logistics, military supplies, and money, quietly supporting the construction of the Ningjin defense line.

Despite having resigned from his official post, there are rumors that he still maintains contact with Sun Chengzong and is Sun's most trusted confidant.

The turmoil of the day has temporarily subsided, but the scene outside has changed drastically the next morning.

The bustling atmosphere of the post station has faded, leaving only a table with Emperor Xizong's memorial tablet on it.

The postmaster, dressed in blue, arrived at Sun Qing's door carrying two sets of clothes: "Young master, please change into mourning clothes. There is an important matter today."

Sun Qing changed his clothes and went downstairs. He saw that all the officials coming and going were dressed in plain clothes, with documents piled on their desks, and the signatures still read "Tianqi Seventh Year".

Upon careful calculation, and considering the delays, it has been confirmed that the date was August 24th of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign. This was a momentous day, as Zhu Youjian officially ascended the throne and changed the reign title to Chongzhen the following year.

Today there are no celebrations, no music, no auspicious ceremonies; everything is done in order to honor the national mourning of Emperor Xizong.

Seeing this, Sun Qing smiled calmly: "With the new emperor on the throne, a purge is imminent. I'm afraid some people are starting to panic."

Having said that, he turned to Old Yu and asked, "Old Yu, has the seven hundred taels been arranged properly?"

Old Yu nodded, then suddenly scratched his head: "Seven hundred taels? What seven hundred taels?"

"Buy alcohol, everyone buy alcohol!"

Just as Sun Qing was about to reprimand him, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure flashing by out of the corner of his eye. Alarm bells rang in his mind.

He snorted and sneered, "Old Yu, I'm afraid we're in for a tough time."