Chapter 11 Vortex

Despite the wars it has gone through, Kucha remains the most brilliant pearl on the Silk Road.

The sandstorms from the Western Regions could not stop the caravans from the East and the West from flocking to this important town. Despite the hot weather, the long streets in the city were lined with colorful tents set up by shops, extending all the way to the four directions of the royal city.

Spices from India, gems from the Tang Dynasty, silk from Jiangnan, ironware from Chang'an... the bargaining sounds were mixed with exotic accents and the jingling of camel bells.

Ji Linyou was riding a horse across the street, and was worried about something. He almost bumped into the Bactrian camels led by the merchants.

He turned his horse's head to avoid the camel's full load of goods, and looked up to see Cui Fufeng, with whom he had an appointment, already waiting in the tavern.

He jumped off his horse, threw the reins to the bartender who came out to greet him, and quickly walked into the tavern. He sat down in front of Cui Fufeng and said in a low voice, "What we talked about yesterday has basically been done. Most of the veterans have been contacted, and the Kucha army has also..."

Cui Fufeng raised his hand, signaling him not to speak and to listen to the conversation in the tavern first.

"That's impossible, isn't it? We witnessed that Tang Dynasty princess escorting her ancestors' clothing and spirit tablets back to Kucha. Her sincerity was evident to all! How could she suddenly become a suspect in the Northern King's murder and become a prisoner?"

A light-haired Hu merchant, speaking in rather broken Tang dialect, said, "If you ask me, it's not impossible for the Tang princess to return to avenge her ancestors! Back then, the Kucha royal family wronged the King of Changhua, and we in all the countries of the Western Regions have heard about it. The princess was murdered, and the young prince fled to a foreign land. If I were a descendant of the King of Changhua, I would return to avenge my family if I found the opportunity!"

"That's impossible, isn't it?" Many of the idlers in the tavern were incredulous. "That was a feud over fifty years ago. The Prince of Changhua later returned to Kucha to govern Anxi, and he and our royal family have long since reconciled. Why would the Princess of the Tang Dynasty bring up old grievances?"

"What's more, when the county lady came to escort the spirit tablets of our ancestors, she and the royal family all greeted them with piety. I don't think she would steal our sacred national treasure just for revenge, let alone use it to kill the Northern King."

A rather rough-looking bearded man slammed the wine table and said, "In my opinion, maybe everyone is praising Prince Changhua now, which has aroused the suspicion of those with ulterior motives, so they chose this county lady as a scapegoat..."

As soon as these words were spoken, the tavern fell silent for a moment, and no one dared to speak anymore.

The boss and the bartender quickly invited everyone to drink and listen to music, trying to cover up this topic that shouldn't have come up.

Amidst the renewed clamor, Ji Linyou, who was in a corner, was stunned and asked hurriedly, "How come the news of the Northern King's murder has spread so quickly?"

Cui Fufeng said calmly, "It's a good thing that it gets out sooner rather than later. At least for now, the county lady and we can seize the initiative."

Ji Linyou, who was still a little confused, suddenly understood something after listening to the discussions outside. He gave him a thumbs up and said, "Then what's next..."

"Next, the County Lady's release should be a matter of course." Cui Fufeng handed him a few papers. "With the Crown Prince and Prince Mingjiu exerting pressure at court, I believe Kucha will not dare to act secretly. Add to that public opinion, and we will be wary of taking action. Our chances of mediating are naturally very high."

Ji Linyou felt relieved after hearing what he said, but when he took the paper he handed over and looked at it, his eyes widened and his heart tightened: "This... is this a map of the Kucha Palace?"

"Although there is pressure from three parties, the situation should be stable. But we can't take any risks when it comes to the County Lord, so we must also keep a backup plan."

As if to verify Cui Fufeng's words, the room outside suddenly became lively again.

A group of people hurried past on the street, and someone shouted, "We've found evidence that the Northern King was murdered by the Princess of the Tang Dynasty! It's right under the window on the outer wall of the shrine. The Imperial Master has already checked it and confirmed it's correct!"

Ji Linyou was shocked, but Cui Fufeng had already stood up and followed the crowd out of the tavern: "Let's go and see what tricks they have to play."

Countless people from the streets and alleys gathered in the temple, each craning their necks to look upwards.

A young monk was seen climbing a ladder to the bottom of the window. He carefully examined the traces below and announced loudly, "There are indeed traces of a ladder under the window. This proves that someone tampered with the three sacred artifacts through the high window when they were stolen. This is exactly what the Imperial Master said!"

The people below were all talking about this. Could it be that the three sacred artifacts were really stolen by the Tang County Princess through the method the Imperial Master had deduced?

Ji Linyou cursed inwardly and was about to say something when Cui Fufeng changed his tone and asked loudly from the crowd, "If that's the case, why didn't you find this trace when you set up the ladder to investigate that day? Why did you wait until now to discover it and announce it publicly?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd erupted in excitement. People loved conspiracy theories, and now, with a wake-up call, the conspiracy was laid bare before them. After a moment's reflection, they were all filled with indignation and ridicule: "Right, could they have taken advantage of these past two days to do something?"

"You guys used a ladder to go up there and look, so is it possible that the ladder marks were left by you?"

Not far from Ji Linyou, the bearded man in the tavern started cursing loudly, "This is ridiculous! They have no shame in framing the Queen of Changhua!"

Seeing a stone stir up a thousand waves, the crowd rushing over was so excited that the ladder was shaking. The monks on top quickly hugged the ladder and shouted, "Donors! We are here on orders and mean no disrespect to Prince Changhua! It's because the Princess of Datang County is stirring up trouble in the palace, instigating the princess to beat her cousin - the orphan left behind by the Western Prince after he died for his country. Therefore, the Third Princess brought her son to complain, and the King was furious. He ordered us to intensify our efforts and make sure to find the truth. We then conducted a thorough investigation and found a clue!"

Ji Linyou was furious: "Nonsense! You've already imprisoned the county lady, and you're still accusing her of stirring up trouble!"

"If you want to accuse someone of a crime, you can always find a pretext!" Naturally, the people around him didn't believe it and echoed loudly.

In the surging crowd, the ladder leaning against the wall was finally overturned, and the young monk fell to the sand below with the ladder. With the support of other monks, he covered his bruised cheek and ran away.

The farce ended and the crowd dispersed with laughter. Occasionally, someone was heard singing the song praising King Changhua as the glory of Kucha.

Ji Linyou curled his lips and said, "The people of the city don't believe that the county lady is the murderer. How can the King of Kucha and the Imperial Preceptor not see it? Tell me, Master Cui, when it's so obvious, they still insist on imprisoning the county lady. What is their intention?"

Cui Fufeng, however, remained calm and said, "They've even started fabricating evidence. Can't you see their intention?"

"Ah?" Ji Linyou was stunned for a moment, then suddenly jumped up, staring at Cui Fufeng and asked, "Could it be, could it be that..."

"I'm afraid Kucha can't withstand the pressure and will reveal their true intentions. Judging from their impatience, the incident may happen in the next two days."

"What should we do? Do they really dare to punish the county lady?"

"They're now under triple pressure from the Tang, the Uighurs, and the people of Kucha. They probably wouldn't dare to take any action publicly, but that's not necessarily the case behind closed doors. If we don't respond promptly, and something happens to the county lord, we'll regret it." Cui Fufeng pondered for a moment, then said, "This case involves the murder of the Northern King. We're afraid we won't be able to rely on the power of the Tang and the Uighurs. Otherwise, if this matter escalates into a conflict among the nations, it will be even more difficult. But fortunately, the county lord has brought with her several veteran soldiers from her father's family..."

"Leave it to me!" Ji Linyou understood and patted the map he had given him in his sleeve. "I will recall the old soldiers as soon as possible in the next two days. There will be no delay!"

"Alright, I'll also quickly obtain patrol routes for the palace. Also, according to Kucha custom, on the third night after the grand sacrifice, the royal family and court officials will gather in the shrine for a closing prayer ceremony. That will be the perfect time for us to strike. The palace is poorly defended, and if we can create some noise, rescuing the county lord will be a piece of cake."

Ji Linyou agreed, but after thinking about it, he was still a little angry: "Is it enough to rescue the county lady? How dare these people treat her like this? Why don't we teach them a lesson while we're saving them?"

"Alright, stop making trouble. Don't try to act like a hawk in the princess's mansion." Cui Fufeng knew what he meant and felt quite helpless. "We must hurry and make it as fast as possible. The most important thing is to get the princess out of danger."

"Okay, I get it." Ji Linyou was so impressed that he had to give up his plan. "So, what are the specific plans for tomorrow night?"

"I'll make the arrangements. Just make sure the person you find is safe."