Chapter 18: Enemies on All Sides
The young men were assigned to the same courtyard, separated only by a wall from Qiandeng's front yard. The eight houses on either side were spacious and well-maintained, but the courtyard in the small courtyard had been neglected, with low-lying areas filled with water and mud. The only way to get around was to follow the corridors in front of the houses and walk under the eaves.
Jin Tang was now trapped in the corridor by Ji Linyou and several others. He looked frightened but still pretended to be calm: "Ji Linyou, you are trying to embarrass me without any evidence. Aren't you afraid that the county lady will find out?"
Ji Linyou snorted coldly and thrust the knife in his hand forward. The blade came out of the sheath three or four inches and just touched his neck.
Jin Tang was so frightened that his face turned pale. He shrank his neck and shouted, "Help! County Master, help me! Ji Linyou has gone crazy!"
Qian Deng turned in and was about to step forward when he heard Ji Linyou yell, "Shut up!"
As he spoke, he pressed his knife against Jin Tang's neck again and shouted, "Let me ask you, did your family actually do anything during the battle of Huangsha Valley? Who ordered you to murder the soldiers on the front lines?"
Hearing about the "Battle of Huangsha Valley", Qiandeng stopped in his tracks.
"I've already told you that. That was over ten years ago. I was only a few years old then!" Jin Tang, trying his best to turn his head to avoid the blade, stammered, "Besides, it's fine if you're targeting me, but why are you accusing my family of this with empty words?"
"Hmph, your family! How do you know if it was your family that caused the deaths of thousands of our brothers?" Uncle Shou, who was standing behind Ji Linyou, spoke in a firm, hoarse voice. "It's been over ten years, and the scenes of our brothers' unjust deaths are still vivid in our minds. We will never let you go!"
Jin Tang trembled, trying his best to stay away from the blade on his neck: "Or, how about I go home and ask for you..."
"We can't let him go back. If he does, won't he alert the enemy and the Jin family will start to discuss countermeasures to destroy all traces?" Old Wei said angrily. "In my opinion, we should report this to the county lord first and have him detained first!"
When Qiandeng heard this, he hurried in through the courtyard gate and asked, "What's wrong? Did Jintang offend you in any way?"
Jin Tangru saw the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the savior of suffering, and his eyes were red: "County Princess, Ji Linyou framed me, saying that my Jin family did something bad more than ten years ago, and he wants to settle the score with me!"
Ji Linyou withdrew the sword from Jin Tang's neck, but the rage in his eyes remained undimmed. "County Lady, during the Battle of Huangsha Valley, the prince and his son braved the freezing cold to defend their positions, but the imperial court's food and fodder supplies were delayed, ultimately leading to a tragic victory at great cost. It turns out the Jin family was responsible!"
Uncle Shou echoed angrily, "Exactly! If the Jin family hadn't misled the country and the people, leaving us without food for over ten days while our army pressed on, there wouldn't have been such heavy casualties in that battle!"
Old Wei's eyes were red. "My eldest brother and third brother both died in that battle! Back then, the old prince and the crown prince led us through hunger and cold, and we also had to face powerful enemies. The Yellow Sand Valley was repeatedly attacked and captured. After waiting for fourteen days, we finally received reinforcements and food, but my loved ones... along with more than a thousand brothers, were buried forever in the yellow sand!"
Qian Deng's eyes were slightly cold, but he suppressed his emotions and asked, "That happened eighteen years ago. Jin Langjun was probably only born not long ago at that time. Why do you think he was involved in this matter?"
"You don't know, my Lady, but back then, we had no reinforcements outside and no food inside. We hoped for help from the imperial court day and night, but only when we were almost in despair did we see a cavalry escorting grain and grass appear. The escort wasn't an imperial grain transport officer, but a dozen or so men dressed as merchants. They said the grain caravan had been ambushed on the road, so they took over and risked delivering it here. We all remember clearly that the man leading the group looked a lot like this kid!"
Uncle Shou pointed at Jintang and said indignantly, "Also, he wore a jade pendant around his waist with a pattern of twin dragons competing for a pearl. Because it was so unique, he often cherished it and touched it, so we remember it clearly!"
Jin Tang looked at Qian Deng's face, feeling anxious and panicked. "Why do you claim the caravan belongs to us just because you see it? Besides, since the caravan delivered food and supplies and helped you break the siege, they should have done a great service. Why do you hate them so much?"
Ji Linyou glared at him, his eyes red. "What do you think? The officer transporting grain was robbed by bandits, but he risked his life to save most of it. Not only was he not punished, but he was even considered a hero. And a passing merchant caravan bravely took responsibility to help the court out of trouble. Although the grain was delayed for nearly half a month, they took the risk to help. At least they delivered most of the military rations and solved the urgent problem. But afterward, they disappeared without claiming the credit. In this way, no one is at fault in this matter, and no one is to blame. The only ones who died at the border are the soldiers. Over a thousand men were lost for no reason!"
"Aren't you trying to say that the grain transport officer colluded with my caravan to murder the prince and the crown prince?" Jin Tang was filled with shame and indignation, and his voice became a little louder. "Where's the evidence? My caravan clearly did something meritorious, but you're trying to confuse right and wrong. Show me the proof!"
"Hmph, then naturally I have to go to your house to look for the person involved back then!" Ji Linyou pointed at the jade pendant on his waist. "Since you look like him and have his jade pendant, I guess he and you have a special relationship!"
"Jade pendant, jade pendant, I told you before, I don't know who this jade pendant belongs to. I just happened to see it in the storeroom the other day and took it to play with it!" Jin Tang looked at Qian Deng, his eyes aggrieved like a wounded puppy, "County Lady, I have too many things at home, I... I really have to go back and check it out!"
Qian Deng finally spoke, saying, "After so many years, the truth of this matter awaits investigation. I hope that the Recorder and Captain Ma will restrain their tempers for the time being, and that Mr. Jin should also not be impatient. If there are any hidden truths, we will investigate thoroughly and give everyone justice."
After seeing off Old Wei and his group, Ling Tianshui and Cui Fufeng also heard the noise and came over.
After hearing that the Jin family might have been involved in the Battle of Huangsha Valley, although they didn't say anything, they subconsciously thought of the box of letters found in the secret room of the study in Princess Gaoguo's mansion.
Unfortunately, in order to stabilize the situation, all those letters were burned in public, and no trace of the Battle of Huangsha Valley could be found.
After all, as a merchant family, the Jin family's foundation was to curry favor with the powerful, and they had relied heavily on Princess Gao. If Princess Gao had interfered, instructing the grain inspectors to work secretly with the Jin family, delaying the grain supply by a mere ten days, and then arranging it to appear as a meritorious service, the Jin family would have been unlikely to refuse.
Cui Fufeng signaled Jin Tang not to panic, and then said to Ji Linyou, "Although this matter happened a long time ago, there should be some clues in the archives of the Ministry of War. When we return to Chang'an, we will find an opportunity to investigate the Ministry of War and see if we can uncover the true circumstances behind this. It's rather rash of you to bring charges against someone without any evidence at all."
Ji Linyou gritted his teeth and nodded, glaring at Jin Tang angrily.
Qian Deng looked at Jin Tang, who was standing in the corridor with a dejected expression, then frowned as he surveyed the layout of the place. He said, "Jin Langjun, you should stay in the innermost room tonight. Ling Sijie, could you please stay next door to Jin Langjun? He's injured his leg, could you please help take care of him?"
Ling Tianshui nodded slightly: "Okay."
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