212 Assassination
"Young man, think quickly, what is that missing part?"
"It's so hard to come across such a poem, but you forgot one verse. It really kept us awake all night."
The literati and poets talked about this and that, and had already forgotten the matter of "betraying Prince Jing". They had to pull Chen Ji to remind him of the incomplete words.
To them, good words are incomplete, like a beautiful woman with a veil covering half of her face, which makes people feel itchy and uncomfortable.
The poem "Pozhenzi" appears to be a heroic poem from the general, but it actually expresses the grief and regret of unfulfilled ambitions. When drunk, he seems to be still the young general, the cold flash of swords in the tent, the continuous sound of trumpets outside the tent.
After waking up from a drunken dream, there were no soldiers or battlefields around me. The bowstring was untied and put away, leaving only white hair.
It's sad and lamentable.
Zhang Zhuo and Zhang Xia looked at Chen Ji in the crowd.
Only the father and daughter knew that after Chen Ji left this poem for Prince Jing, he would never be able to write a single poem or lyric again in his life.
Zhang Zhuo walked up, patted him on the shoulder, and whispered, "Thank you for your help."
Chen Ji smiled and said, "It's okay."
Zhang Zhuo's eyes shifted. "Did I really forget a verse, or is it because that verse violates a taboo and cannot be written?"
Chen Ji said softly, "I really forgot."
Chen Ji did not lie. He was not good at liberal arts, and the poems he had given to the prince before were only given half a sentence at a time. It was not easy for him to remember most of this poem. Before writing, he was afraid that he would write or remember a sentence wrongly.
I really forgot.
At this moment, General Wang saw everyone discussing poetry and stepped forward and said coldly, "Master Zhang, could you please let me have a private chat with Chen Ji?"
Zhang Zhuo refused to evade or give in: "No, General Wang, you are trying to pin the blame on Chen Ji without any basis. How can this matter be resolved?"
Chen Ji grabbed Zhang Zhuo's arm and said, "Master Zhang, please allow me to chat with General Wang for a while."
Zhang Zhuo glanced at him, waved his sleeves, turned around and walked aside. Xiaoman and Zhang Xia also moved away.
General Wang approached, only a foot away from Chen Ji. He narrowed his eyes slightly and whispered, "You have a very quick reaction, young man."
Chen Ji smiled and said, "General Wang, you are too kind."
General Wang said in a serious tone, "You and I both know exactly what was written in the blood letter. How do you think the Secret Service will react to what you said today? When everyone learns that the poem written in the blood letter wasn't yours, do you think you can escape the infamy?"
Chen Ji lowered his eyes slightly.
Letter in blood?
The Secret Service has only announced that Prince Jing committed suicide out of fear of punishment and that the case is still under investigation. As for the progress of the investigation and the evidence they have obtained, they are all kept secret.
Originally, the Secret Service had intended to use Concubine Yun to provide evidence that would prove the Prince Jing's mansion was linked to the Jing Dynasty, thus establishing the crime of treason. However, the man who could prove this, Liu Gelao, had hanged himself, Concubine Jing had died by hitting her head against a pillar, and Concubine Yun had vanished into thin air.
All evidence is incomplete.
Bai Long did have a blood letter from Prince Jing, but the contents of the letter only proved that after being framed and imprisoned, Prince Jing had attempted to have the Qiansui Army break him out to protect himself. Even if this blood letter was produced, in the eyes of the civil service group, it had no direct connection with the conspiracy. It was clear that the eunuchs persecuted the loyal and honest people first, and Prince Jing protected himself later.
Therefore, Bai Long simply put the matter of the blood letter aside, as if it had never existed, and the case of Prince Jing's treason became an unsolved case.
This is also the reason why Bai Long was able to help Chen Ji save the princess and prevent her from being executed.
At one point, Chen Ji was also pondering a question: How could someone as meticulous as Bai Long make so many mistakes in convicting Prince Jing? Bai Long was present when Liu Ge Lao hanged himself and when Concubine Jing hit her head against the pillar. Why didn't he save these two key witnesses?
Did Bai Long do it on purpose, or did he really overlook it in his busy schedule?
If Bai Long really intended to turn this case into an unsolved one, what was his purpose?
As for the blood letter...
As long as Bai Long still needs Chen Ji to lurk in the Chen family, he will cover for him.
The biggest oversight of General Wang today was that he didn't know that Chen Ji had joined Bai Long and became Hai Dongqing of the Secret Service.
Chen Ji raised his eyes and looked at General Wang: "General Wang, please take care of yourself. Those who sell out their masters for personal gain will not have a good end."
General Wang sneered, "Young men are used to making harsh remarks, but they're useless. I'll keep you for a while longer."
After saying that, he turned and left, went into the main hall and sat down.
Xiaoman finally dared to come forward and whispered, "Master, he slandered you, are you just going to let it go like this?"
Chen Ji smiled helplessly and said, "What else can I do? He is a fifth-rank military general of the Qiansui Army, and I am just a bastard from the Chen family. What can I do to him?"
Xiaoman was indignant: "A fifth-rank general is so great? I dare to contradict him. Why do you always get bullied, sir..."
During the banquet, Zhang Zhuo seemed to want to ease the atmosphere and kept urging General Wang to drink.
In the main hall, General Wang sat at a long table with a puzzled look in his mind. He glanced at the long table of the younger generation not far away, where Zhang Zheng was pouring glass after glass of wine for Chen Ji.
In just two sticks of incense, Chen Ji was drunk and fell asleep at his desk.
Zhang Zhuo pulled General Wang aside and teased him, "General Wang, why are you looking at others? Drink, drink!"
General Wang retracted his gaze and glanced at the wine cup in Zhang Zhuo's hand. "Master Zhang is a real drinker, how come he drinks like water? I'm afraid he's really just drinking water."
Zhang Zhuo pretended to be angry and said, "General Wang, you can say that I, Zhang Zhuo, have bad character, but you can't say that I, Zhang Zhuo, have bad drinking habits! Try it!"
General Wang took the wine cup and took a sip. The wine in the cup was indeed authentic thirty-year-old Huadiao. "It is my lowly mind that has wronged Lord Zhang. I will drink three cups as punishment."
Zhang Zhuo said earnestly, "General Wang, I know you're feeling down, so I'm drinking a few more glasses with you. This wine is a good thing. It makes you forget all your troubles."
General Wang remained calm, "Why should I be depressed? Sir Zhang, please stop trying to get me drunk. I'm the commander of an army, how can I get drunk?"
Zhang Zhuo was puzzled. "Such a big thing has happened in the palace. Isn't General Wang upset? If you're not upset, wouldn't your loyalty be fake? Don't worry, General Wang. If I get drunk occasionally, no one will say anything."
General Wang was startled and said quickly, "Master Zhang really understands me. Drink, drink!"
By the time the drinking stopped, it was already evening and all the guests at Zhang's house had left, except for a few who were drunk.
General Wang looked at Zhang Zhuo who was slumped over the table, then staggered to his feet and walked behind Chen Ji.
He patted Chen Ji's shoulder, but when he saw that he hadn't woken him up, his expression darkened. He gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist, lost in thought for a long time, then walked out with unsteady steps, and with the help of the soldiers, he got into the carriage outside the door.
He turned around and glanced into the depths of Zhang's mansion. All the guests had dispersed, as if nothing had happened today. Everything was just as ordinary as before.
General Wang sat firmly in the car, exhaled a breath of alcohol, and restrained the drunkenness on his face: "Return to camp."
The carriage slowly drove away, and more than ten thousand-year-old soldiers rode on horseback to guard it.
Zhang Zhuo listened to the sound of wheels rolling outside the door, sat up straight and burped. He clapped his hands, and Zhang Zheng and Chen Ji stood up immediately.
Chen Ji glanced at the drunk guests in the hall and stood up silently.
Zhang Zheng had changed into the same black collar as his and was lying where he had been before.
Chen Ji bowed to Zhang Zhuo and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Master Zhang."
Zhang Zhuo lowered his voice and said with a cheerful laugh, "Why should I be so tired? I can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. General Wang is far behind me in a drinking contest. As for you, I drink wine and you drink water. But you don't know that the one who stays sober until the end at the table is the one who works the hardest. Stop talking nonsense and go."
Chen Ji picked up a cloth bag and walked towards the back door of Zhang's house. The servants along the way had already been sent away by Zhang Xia.
After leaving Zhang's house, he walked into Hongzao Lane and had changed his hairpin when he came out.
By the time he passed through Lihao Lane, his black collared shirt had been replaced with a gray short shirt.
When he passed through Tonggu Alley again, he changed his black soap boots into black cloth shoes.
In the alleys and scenes, the third young master of the Chen family has disappeared, and Chen Ji runs into the crowd like a small coachman.
He would arrive at the South Gate earlier than the carriage.
…
…
The sun sets in the west, as if draining the last trace of warmth from the world. Under the night sky, the buildings and pavilions rise and fall, and the lights gradually go out.
Chen Ji sat silently on a gray roof, and Wu Yun sat beside him, listening intently.
Under the moonlight, the streets of Luo City are empty, and the corners of the eaves are like black waves rippling into the distance. It seems that there are only this person and a cat sitting here in the world.
Wuyun meowed, "General Wang wanted to throw the dirty water of betraying Prince Jing on you at the banquet?"
Chen Ji hummed, "Yes."
dark clouds
After thinking for a while, he asked, “Why not expose him?”
"That's not necessary," Chen Ji said calmly. "Let him talk as much as he wants. No matter what he says today, I can accept it. As long as he is willing to leave the Qiansui Army camp, that's all."
These days, General Wang has been hiding in the Qiansui Army camp, surrounded by thousands of soldiers. Killing him is harder than climbing to the sky.
Before Chen Ji left Los Angeles, he had finally waited for this opportunity today, and this was his only chance.
The dark cloud meowed, "Here I come."
The sounds of horse hooves and wheels could be heard in the distance; the Qiansui Army was escorting General Wang towards the south city gate.
Chen Ji pulled out two Emei spears from his waist and said, "I will go and kill him, and you wait in the dark for an opportunity. Remember, the man surnamed Wang must die with the Emei spears."
Wuyun arched his back and stretched: "I understand."
The carriage was getting closer and closer, and the soldiers of the Qiansui Army looked around vigilantly with eyes as sharp as knives.
However, at this moment, the hair on Wuyun's back suddenly exploded: "Meow!"
Chen Ji looked from afar in the moonlight and saw a ball of black smoke jumping nimbly on the roof in the distance, like a cunning antelope running on the grassland, moving unhindered on the undulating roofs of the buildings, as if stepping on the clouds.
It has a sheep's body and a human face, its feet are standing on black auspicious clouds, and its bloody mouth between its chest and abdomen is tightly closed.
Taotie!
It was the first time that Chen Ji saw the Taotie that Wu Yun mentioned. If he had not seen the scene of it eating people, he would not have thought this monster was so terrifying.
But why would the other party appear here?
He looked around, trying to find the person behind the Taotie, but he couldn't find the other party's hiding place at all, and couldn't even confirm whether the other party had come here.
The next moment, the Taotie was seen running across the roof like lightning, catching up with the Qiansui Army from behind.
A black figure leaped and pounced from the roof.
The soldiers of the Qiansui Army rode their horses, and a haze blocked the moonlight above their heads. When they looked up, it was too late.
With a loud bang, Taotie crashed into the carriage, smashing the wooden carriage into pieces and turning it into wood chips all over the sky.
General Wang, who was in the carriage, was caught off guard and was knocked out of the carriage. He hit the brick wall on the side of the road and fell to the ground.
Chen Ji murmured, "Very fierce!"
In the long street, the Qiansui Army soldiers roared: "Protect the general!"
More than ten armored soldiers rode forward and stood in front of General Wang. However, surprisingly, the Taotie did not chase after him to fight, but turned around and ran away.
It's like two children fighting each other. One of the children kicks out, takes advantage and runs away, gaining a advantage with every kick.
It leaped lightly onto the roof, stepped on the gray tiles, and disappeared into the night between the undulating roof ridges. It seemed as if it came here just on a whim, and when the excitement was over, it would happily go home.
Dark Cloud: “Ah this!”
Chen Ji and Wu Yun lay on the roof, dumbfounded, and for a long time they couldn't figure out what was going on with this Taotie.
Moreover, the other party first devoured the official who was monitoring Chen Ji, and then ran over and hit General Wang's carriage.
It is absolutely impossible to say that this has nothing to do with Chen Ji.
Dark Cloud meowed, "What should we do now?"
Chen Ji said calmly, "Kill him, and kill him while he's weak. Remember, no one who has seen you take action will be spared."
However, just as the man and the cat were about to charge, they saw another figure coming quickly from the distance. The other person was wearing black clothes, black pants, and a black hat. He was extremely thin but moved like thunder.
The man in black moved without hesitation, as if he had thought it over a thousand times or ten thousand times. The moment he saw Qiansui Jun, he pounced down from the roof.
A soldier of the Qiansui Army drew his sword and chopped at him, but the man in black ducked his body and slipped under the horse's belly. He didn't bother with the soldier at all and only wanted to take General Wang's life!
Seeing this, another Qiansui soldier flew into a rage and spurred his horse to attention. The warhorse raised its front hooves high and stomped down on the black-clad man's path, "Die!"
In a flash, the man in black retreated while pulling out two Emei spears from his waist. One of them flew out of his hand, passed through the gap between the armored soldier and the warhorse, and nailed into General Wang's shoulder socket!
As General Wang groaned, Wu Yun looked at the remaining Emei Spear in the black-clothed man's hand, and then at the two Emei Spears in Chen Ji's hand...
Chen Ji originally wanted to pin the crime of killing General Wang on this person, but he didn't expect that the real culprit would come to kill him himself!
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