Zhang Xiangshan said aggrievedly, "Where am I talking nonsense? Many people say he must have starved to death. When the rich young master sent him here, he gave him a big bag of silver, but the Cui family kept it and didn't feed him."
Aunt Zhang hurriedly apologized to Minister Cui: "Sir, don't listen to the child's nonsense. We really don't know if Jin Yi is gone or where he went, but we haven't seen him for a long time."
Minister Cui remained expressionless as he thanked Aunt Zhang.
They guessed that the fool must have starved to death and been carelessly buried by the Cui family. Fearing repercussions from the Cui family in the capital, the whole family moved away from Longmen Town.
After returning to the county office with Constable Xue, Vice Minister Cui privately told Prime Minister Chu, "That fool is definitely dead. I checked the place where he was chained; the signs of struggle were obvious. Half of the house has collapsed, and there are rat skins on the ground where he ate them..."
When Chu Xiang heard that Xiao Jin'an was so hungry that he ate rats, he suddenly felt nauseous.
"Prime Minister Chu, how are we going to explain this to His Majesty when we get back?"
"What's there to explain? He's an idiot, who knows where he's been kidnapped?"
"Shall we return to the capital now? Jiegan has already led the Uyghurs to Lingzhou."
"Let's go to Ganzhou first, meet that man, and make sure he's not that fool," said Prime Minister Chu. "It's good that he was able to repel the Uyghurs, but it won't do for him to try to ascend the throne under the name of the First Prince."
Minister Cui understood. He instructed the fake prince to drive the Uyghurs out first, then reveal his true identity and kill the "traitor."
In fact, besides wanting to confirm who the "eldest prince" in Ganzhou Prefecture was, Prime Minister Chu also wanted to find his son and the Prince of Liang, wondering if they had killed Xiao Jin'an.
Without pausing, Prime Minister Chu and Vice Minister Cui left Yongle County for Ganzhou Prefecture. They wanted to see for themselves whether this "eldest prince" was indeed Xiao Jin'an.
Magistrate Li respectfully saw them off, and immediately said to Constable Xue, "After settling your families in, we'll hurry and send a message to the Crown Prince, and also deliver the grain supplies."
Xiao Hongli and Chu Bu Nu died in Longmen Town. He and Constable Xue will definitely be beheaded, and it will be difficult to save their entire families.
To keep it a secret from Prime Minister Chu and Vice Minister Cui for now is merely taking advantage of their ulterior motives.
The truth about the Longmen Town case can be easily uncovered if the investigation is conducted openly. As long as Prime Minister Chu remains a powerful minister, Magistrate Li will not be able to keep his head.
He and Constable Xue must pledge allegiance to the Crown Prince and support his ascension to the throne in order for their entire clan to have a chance of survival.
After settling their families in, Magistrate Li and Constable Xue immediately went to the prefectural city. On their way there, they had oxcarts carrying thirty cartloads of grain.
*Longmen Town, Zhang Family.
Zhang Xiangshan packed a bundle and said to Aunt Zhang, "Mother, Jin Yi is His Highness the First Prince. Young Master Wang has already followed him and has given up his job as county magistrate. I'm going to join Jin Yi too."
Aunt Zhang was taken aback: "Really? The Wang family are all shrewd people. It seems that the eldest son of the Wang family is following him in hopes of getting rich."
“Mother, His Highness the First Prince is amazing. He has already driven the Uyghurs out of Ganzhou and recently issued a declaration of war. My business partners and I have agreed to go and join him.”
Neither Aunt Zhang nor Zhang Tiezhu had any objections. They owed Jin Yi a debt, and since she had neither money nor food, she would offer up one of her sons to help him conquer the world.
However, the Zhang family was poor and couldn't even afford a horse. If they chased after them on foot, they were afraid they wouldn't be able to catch up.
Zhang Xiang was quick-witted. He went to the landlord Wang's house and told him that he was going to seek refuge with the prince and asked if he could lend him a horse temporarily, promising to repay the landlord Wang once he had achieved great success.
Landlord Wang already knew that his son had joined Yin Jin'an's uprising. If he helped Zhang Xiangshan, it would be equivalent to finding a loyal ally for his son.
He gave Zhang Xiangshan the horses from his household, saying excitedly, "You are both determined to serve your country, and I support your idea. These three horses are for you. His Highness is very busy and may not have time to see you. When you arrive in Ganzhou Prefecture, you can go to see the eldest son; he will certainly take care of you. I wish you success in your endeavors!"
This means that you should all work for my son. If you become successful in the future, don't forget my son, and don't forget me, Landlord Wang.
Zhang Xiangshan and his two companions rode horses, carrying small bundles on their backs, and galloped towards Ganzhou Prefecture City through the wind and snow.
*The official road from Kyoto to Ganzhou Prefecture.
Thirty-two fast horses, each a hybrid of Ferghana and Turkic horses, all formidable warhorses in terms of speed and endurance.
The riders were clad in iron helmets and armor, wielding various weapons. Although not all of them were tall, they all appeared to be fierce and valiant warriors with an extremely menacing aura.
The swift horse is like an arrow released from a bow, covering a thousand miles in an instant.
These people worked day and night, rushing to Ganzhou Prefecture from the capital as soon as they heard Yin Jin'an issue a declaration of war in Ganzhou.
The thirty-two men arrived outside the city gate of Ganzhou Prefecture, reined in their horses, and looked at the tall city gate, the soldiers standing on it, and the royal flag planted on the city wall with the large character "Xiao" on it.
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