Chapter 507
The setting sun is like blood
Chapter 507 The setting sun is like blood
Changping County.
With the departure of the Secret Service, Anfu Lane was left in complete disarray.
The once bustling market is now littered with arrows, and the blood of slain warhorses seeps into the cracks in the bricks, filling the air with a pungent, bloody stench. Pedestrians avoid it like the plague, and the place is desolate.
Just as Jie Fanwei was about to leave, Chen Ji called out to Lin Chaoqing, "Lord Lin, since you're here, why don't you tidy up Anfu Ward before you go? With so many assassin corpses, it's only right that Jie Fanwei find a coroner to examine and collect the bodies."
Lin Chaoqing turned his horse back and looked at Chen Ji with a half-smile: "Since coming to the capital, the man from Wuxiang County has become quite different from when he was in Luoyang. He speaks much more forcefully. Very well, I, Jiefan Guard, will leave the aftermath to handle things. The man from Wuxiang County may return to the capital on his own."
Chen Ji seemed not to hear the sarcasm in his words. He glanced at the Crown Prince who was slumped on the ground beside him, and then said to Lin Chaoqing, "As for His Highness the Crown Prince, let's entrust him to the Jie Fan Guard as well. My Imperial Guard has an important matter to attend to and cannot escort His Highness back to the capital."
Lin Chaoqing's mocking expression deepened: "The man from Wuxiang County is making no attempt to hide anything. What important matter could the Imperial Guards possibly have at this time?"
Chen Ji calmly replied, "Naturally, it is a very important matter."
Lin Chaoqing waved his hand: "It's alright, Mr. Wu Xiang, please do as you please."
However, at this moment, the Crown Prince suddenly spoke up and said, "Congratulations to Lord Chen for once again turning danger into safety. I now understand that His Majesty has already taken you as a trusted minister, so there is no need to go through the trouble of bringing down the Chen family. That is why Bai Long dared to act in this way... When Grand Secretary Chen passes away, the Chen family will be yours, and also His Majesty's."
Unbeknownst to him, the Crown Prince had already changed his address to Emperor Ning from "Father" to "Your Majesty".
Chen Ji didn't reply, but he saw the Crown Prince leaning against the wall sighing and saying, "Sometimes I envy you. It seems like you always have people helping you wherever you go. Guyuan, the capital, Xiangshan, Changping, every time you have benefactors to help you turn danger into safety, but I always encounter people who kick me when I'm down."
Qi Zhenzhuo frowned: "Your Highness is mistaken. My master always survives by the skin of his teeth. He saves himself, and Heaven saves him."
The Crown Prince smiled and said, "That makes sense. However, I probably won't have many opportunities to see you all again. Before I leave, let me give Lord Chen a piece of advice."
Chen Ji calmly said, "Your Highness, please speak."
The Crown Prince said softly, “Lord Chen, becoming His Majesty’s man is not a blessing. He and I are actually the same kind of people, equally ruthless and equally selfish. It’s just that he is luckier than me; his father died early, while my father died late.”
Everyone present changed their expressions; no one expected the Crown Prince to utter such rebellious words in public.
If this matter reaches His Majesty's ears, everyone present will be subject to questioning.
Chen Ji remained calm: "Does Your Highness also wish to die?"
The Crown Prince sneered, "Does not asking mean you won't die? He knew you were bait, yet he still wanted me to go with him, to let me take the blame for you. Of course, if I could die outside, it would save him from further obstacles in deposing the heir, killing two birds with one stone."
Chen Ji looked down at the Crown Prince on the ground. He was no longer as gentle and refined as before; his face was pale, and his eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of dust.
The Crown Prince looked at Chen Ji: "Lord Chen, I am today, and you may be tomorrow."
Chen Ji casually replied, "Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness."
The crown prince waved his hand: "Go, farewell forever."
The crown prince seemed to have already guessed that he would be imprisoned until his death. He sat helplessly on the ground, not even caring about the pain in his legs.
Chen Ji said no more and led the Imperial Guards away from this troublesome place as quickly as possible.
Lin Chaoqing watched the Imperial Guards depart quietly until they were no longer visible. Then he instructed his subordinates, the Jiefan Guards, "Take my token and go to the Jiefan Guard camp to summon a battalion of soldiers."
"Yes." One of the guards rode away.
Lin Chaoqing then instructed the remaining Jie Fanwei: "Collect the assassin's body and wait for the coroner to come and examine it."
The guards dismounted and rushed into a tavern on the street.
Only then did Lin Chaoqing kneel down in front of the Crown Prince to examine the arrow wound on his leg: "Your Highness, the arrow broke your femur. I am sorry that I am incompetent and can only treat your external injury. I cannot fully heal you... Even with the Daoist elixirs, this kind of injury will probably leave you with a disability."
The crown prince, disheartened, replied, "It's alright."
Lin Chaoqing gently gripped the arrow and used his dagger to cut off the arrowhead that had pierced through the leg: "The arrow needs to be removed as soon as possible, otherwise the flesh will stick to the shaft and it will be difficult to pull out; the leg will have to be amputated."
The prince chuckled self-deprecatingly, "If I really can't pull it out, I'll just stick it in my leg."
However, at this moment, Lin Chaoqing suddenly said, "Your Highness, do not be discouraged. Things may still turn around. We will lend Your Highness a helping hand..." The Crown Prince looked up abruptly: "You... Hiss!"
In the instant the prince was distracted, Lin Chaoqing swiftly pulled the arrow shaft from his leg, then cut off a piece of her robe and tied it tightly around the prince's leg to prevent excessive blood loss.
Ignoring his pain, the Crown Prince stared intently at Lin Chaoqing: "Is what Commander Lin said just now true?"
Lin Chaoqing's gaze was hidden in the shadow of his straw hat: "Really?"
……
……
The Imperial Guards rode at breakneck speed, seemingly on something of utmost importance, their warhorses sweating profusely.
In the group, Qi Zhenzhu tilted his head and shouted against the wind, "Master, are you really not going back to the capital? His Majesty and the ministers might still be waiting for us to return to Renshou Palace!"
Chen Ji said in a deep voice, "No, let them wait."
"Row!"
The Imperial Guards traveled from noon until evening.
They continued until they saw a funeral procession in the distance, carrying sixty-seven coffins, heading towards the Imperial Guard Cemetery, ten miles north of Andingmen.
Before the funeral procession, some people threw paper money to "buy the way".
Then came men dressed in mourning clothes carrying banners bearing the deceased's official title and name, known as "Mingjing" (memorial banners). Following that came the lead gong and the suona band, who played songs such as "Crying to Heaven," "General's Command," and "Mountain Slope Sheep Tune" in turn.
In the procession, relatives and friends held mourning banners, and eight people carried the coffin, slowly moving forward in mourning.
Chen Ji stood still on his horse, silently watching the relatives and friends of the fallen Imperial Guards soldiers attend their funeral. The wind in the outskirts of the capital swirled white paper money into the sky, like drops of tears drifting in the wind.
He told Lin Chaoqing that there was something very important, and that this was not an excuse, but something truly important, far more important than the crown prince of a country.
"Dismount." The Imperial Guards dismounted in unison, with Chen Ji leading the way by bowing deeply and saying, "We have only known each other for a short time, and I regret that we cannot have a long and fruitful time together. Farewell, everyone."
Behind him, the Imperial Guards also bowed deeply. The moment their heads were lowered, Qi Zhenzhuo, Duo Bao, and the others couldn't help but burst into tears.
Chen Ji straightened up and bowed deeply again.
The funeral procession stopped, quietly waiting for the more than one hundred Imperial Guards soldiers to see their comrade off. Zhou Chong's mother, her eyes red, leaned against her husband's chest and wept uncontrollably.
Only after the Imperial Guards had bowed nine times did Chen Ji loudly command, "Mount up and clear the way!"
After saying this, the Imperial Guards mounted their horses in unison. The blood on their silver armor and white cloaks had not yet been washed away, and the white pheasant tails on their heads swayed in the wind.
Zhou Chong's father stepped forward and reminded him, "The magistrate of Wuxiang County is not allowed to do this. The Imperial Guards are the emperor's personal guards and cannot be sent to the funeral for them. Otherwise, you will be dismissed from your posts."
Chen Ji said earnestly, "Uncle, please rest assured. There are at least eighty or a hundred memorials submitted by Heaven regarding my case. It's just that my merits and demerits are offset against each other."
Zhou Chong's father hesitated and looked at Li Xuan: "Governor Li, how can this be?"
Li Xuan said solemnly, “Uncle, there’s no need to worry. At worst, we’ll just lose our position as Commander of the Imperial Guards. We killed some petty thieves this morning, and our yang energy is at its peak. With us clearing the way, I’m sure no wandering ghosts will dare to cause them trouble on the road to the underworld. Even the King of Hell will have to give them some face. Let’s go!”
Chen Ji rode his horse into the funeral procession, took the memorial banner with the deceased's name on it, held it high, and slowly walked at the front of the procession, with sixty-seven memorial banners fluttering in the wind.
They finally arrived at the cemetery before sunset. The graves had already been dug, and servants from each family were carrying coffins to bury the dead.
Chen Ji stood in front of the grave and looked out at the cemetery. He saw that the tombstones stretched endlessly, reaching the mountains and the sky.
The setting sun, like blood, cast a blood-red glow upon the Imperial Guards, giving them an even more menacing aura.
(End of this chapter)