If it was just a grudge against the imperial envoy, there would be no need to wait until returning to the capital; he could have killed Lord Liu and his entourage before even setting off!
Although Sun Jian did not know why their route to the capital had been exposed, one thing was certain: this assassination attempt stemmed from the political situation within the imperial court.
So ultimately, it was Sun Jian who implicated these innocent people.
Those villagers from Sunjiazhuang died in his place.
"Gentlemen, I am deeply sorry for what happened today. After we arrive in the capital, I, Sun Jianding, will give you all an explanation!"
Sun Jian clasped his hands together, full of apology, but his eyes flashed with hatred.
"Sir, there's no need for that. It wasn't your fault that we were ambushed. We should thank you for saving us."
"It is an honor for us, the people of Sunjiazhuang, to be able to follow you, sir!!"
"Sir, you are truly righteous! We will follow you to the death!"
The crowd immediately shouted in unison.
The panic, fear, and other negative emotions in everyone's hearts vanished.
Even Zhou Wan'er, Chu Qingcheng, and Gu Zijian managed to force a smile.
Sun Jian clenched his fists and turned to Eunuch Zhang, saying, "Eunuch Zhang, we should not stay here any longer. Quickly send someone to take away the bodies of Lord Liu and the others. I will have the villagers help with the rest of the matter, and then we can get on our way as soon as possible."
"Excellent! Excellent! That's exactly what I wanted. I'll make the arrangements right away!"
A sinister glint flashed in the old eunuch's eyes again, but the look vanished in an instant, replaced by a panicked expression as he began making hasty arrangements.
After saying this, Sun Jian turned his head and said, "Old Cao, Old Jiang, Gousheng, you three bury Er Gou's body on the spot... I will definitely seek justice for him in the future."
With everyone working together, the bodies were taken away or buried as appropriate. Following Sun Jian's command and instructions, all matters were handled in an orderly manner, and they quickly embarked on their journey to the capital.
Throughout the journey, Sun Jian had no other thoughts but to secretly ponder the names of those people...
...
The next day, at the crack of dawn.
Sun Jian and his entourage had successfully arrived in the capital, Chang'an.
Chang'an City truly lives up to its reputation as the capital. From afar, it exudes an imposing and majestic aura. Its city walls are incredibly thick and strong, resembling towering giants, displaying great grandeur and solemnity.
If it weren't for the black-robed assassins ambushing them halfway, most people would probably be cheering right now.
Unfortunately, such a mishap occurred.
A dozen or so horse-drawn carriages stretched out like a long snake, but unlike when they set off, these carriages were now almost entirely carrying corpses.
Having traveled all night, they arrived in Kyoto more than half a day earlier than expected. Their welcoming party had not yet appeared, so they had to enter the city on their own.
Eunuch Zhang alighted from the carriage early, submitted some official documents to the city guard, explained the situation, and then ran back to Sun Jian, saying, "Reader Sun, I have explained the situation to the guards. They have already sent two groups of people. One group will ride quickly to the Emperor to explain the situation, and the other group will report to the capital prefectural government and the Ministry of Justice to open a case for investigation."
“Kyoto is a mixed bag, and we have quite a few corpses on our carriage. I suggest that we split into two groups after entering the city. I will take these corpses with me to the Kyoto Prefecture to file a case with the guards, while you take the villagers and their families to their residences to await news. We will make a decision after His Majesty’s decree is issued. Is that alright?”
Upon hearing what Eunuch Zhang said, Sun Jian frowned and pondered, feeling that something was amiss, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Since they were reporting to the authorities, why didn't they just take these eyewitnesses with them?
If the plan was to split into two groups, why didn't we simply take the back roads and report to the authorities first yesterday? Instead, we had everyone rush through the night.
That's really strange.
Sun Jian, who couldn't figure it out for the time being, was too lazy to dwell on it and could only nod in agreement.
"Alright, let's do it this way for now."
Seeing Sun Jian nod, Eunuch Zhang waved his whisk, dividing the troops into two groups and beginning to direct their entry into the city.
As people gradually entered the city, their tense expressions finally eased.
They initially thought everything would be peaceful once they entered the city, but little did they know that a new unexpected event would occur soon afterward...
Just as Sun Jian and his party were about to reach their house, they were stopped by a woman dressed in mourning clothes.
The woman's eyes were bloodshot, and she knelt directly in front of the carriage. She held aloft a plaque with a large character for "injustice" written on it.
"Whoa!"
Old Cao flicked the reins and quickly got out of the car to help the woman.
"Young lady, we have other matters to attend to. If you have a grievance, you should report it to the authorities. Why are you kneeling here?"
To everyone's surprise, the woman not only refused to let Lao Cao help her up, but also glared at him with a fierce look, as if she were looking at an enemy.
"Young lady, why are you doing this? Do we know each other?"
Old Cao was puzzled and confused, so he could only cast a puzzled look at Old Jiang behind him.
"Young lady, could you please get up and say what you have to say? Even if you have a grievance, you don't need to stop our caravan."
Old Jiang got off the carriage and offered advice from the side.
"Yes, young lady, are you sure you've mistaken me for someone else? My husband is neither an official of the Ministry of Justice nor the Prefect of the Capital. There's no use in you stopping us."
"Say something! Why are you looking at us like that?"
No matter how much Lao Jiang and Lao Cao tried to persuade her, the girl refused to get up and even started sobbing.
The noise grew louder and louder, attracting a crowd of onlookers.
Passersby, always eager for a good show, started pointing and gossiping about Lao Jiang, Lao Cao, and the others.
"Husband, why don't you get out of the carriage and go take a look? This delay isn't good..."
Chu Qingcheng lifted the carriage curtain, glanced outside, and said to Sun Jian.
"My lord... please be careful."
Gu Zijian also offered a reminder from the side.
When Zhou Wan'er saw that her two older sisters had spoken, she was about to say something as well, but before she could open her mouth, Sun Jian had already gotten off the carriage.
This scene made Chu Qingcheng and Gu Zijian cover their mouths and chuckle.
After getting off the carriage, Sun Jian ignored the whispers of the people around him and walked up to the woman.
"Young lady, are you looking for me?"
The woman raised her head and stared straight at Sun Jian, her eyes filled with hatred.
She didn't say anything, just stared at me.
"What grudge do I have against you?" Sun Jian raised an eyebrow and continued to ask.
But the woman still didn't answer, still looking at him with the same eyes that seemed to regard him as an enemy.
Seeing her like this, Sun Jian understood the gist of it.
He pulled aside Old Jiang and Old Cao, who were trying to persuade him, and said, "Alright, stop wasting your breath. She's not mute or deaf; she's just deliberately causing trouble."
"Looking for trouble?"
Old Jiang and Old Cao were completely bewildered by Sun Jian's words.
If nothing unexpected happens, this group of people are new to Kyoto and unfamiliar with the place. Even if they want to cause trouble, they should at least have a reason.
Judging from the woman's attire, she had clearly come to seek justice after someone in her family had died.
But what could these people possibly have to make her cry foul?
"Young lady, if you still wish to..."
Before Old Cao could finish his threatening words, the woman suddenly screamed "Ah!" and stood up, slamming her head hard into the wooden post on the side of the carriage.
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