Chapter 37 One wrong step leads to total defeat. "We're going to the palace tonight!"...
The next morning, the rain had stopped in the capital. The once wet and muddy ground was now only covered with puddles of varying sizes.
At the main gate of the Cui residence, a magnificent and exquisite carriage was parked, very much in line with Cui Fuyu's style.
Before long, Cui Fuyu, dressed in a pale yellow dress and wearing a jade hairpin, walked out of the Cui residence with the help of a woman wearing a veil and got into a carriage.
Behind her followed Chi Yanzhou, whose face was full of worry, and Juning boarded the carriage together. Fortunately, the carriage was large and spacious enough to accommodate the four of them.
After settling Cui Fuyu in, Juning lifted the curtain, poked her head out, and instructed, "Get out of the city quickly, and be careful on the road."
The driver nodded: "Alright, don't worry, Sister Juning, I'll drive carefully."
As soon as the coachman finished speaking, he cracked his whip and lashed the horse's rump, sending the carriage speeding away from the Cui residence and heading towards the White Dragon Temple outside the city.
Not long after Cui Fuyu left, someone quietly left the Cui residence.
This person was going to report to Cheng He on the whereabouts of Cui Fuyu and Runiang.
At the same time, a carriage was parked behind the Cui residence, but this carriage was flying the flag of King Jo Seung-wook of Thailand.
Inside the carriage, three men sat upright; they were Cui Hexuan and Zhao Chengxu, both with serious expressions.
Beside them was a trembling, frail man. Upon closer inspection, one could see the ring mark on "his" earring, revealing him to be Zhenru Niang, a woman disguised as a man.
She was caught in the middle of the two men, feeling extremely uncomfortable. She was going with them to Bailong Temple to retrieve the evidence she had hidden.
Yesterday, Cui Fuyu said that he was afraid someone was following the Cui family's carriage and wanted to kill them, so he suggested that they split up and travel in separate teams.
Ru Niang, disguised as a man, secretly went to Bailong Temple with Cui Hexuan and Zhao Chengxu to retrieve evidence.
Zhu Jin and Ru Niang are similar in figure and appearance. With a little dressing up and wearing a veil, it wouldn't be a problem for her to imitate Ru Niang.
Cui Fuyu then used "If Mother" to mislead Zhao Jinghuan's men, so that Zhao Chengxu could send an elite team disguised and secretly protect them. If there were any people with bad intentions, they could be apprehended on the spot, and then the whereabouts of the Black Dragon Society could be properly questioned.
Cui Hexuan was worried about Cui Fuyu's health and strongly opposed Cui Fuyu taking risks, but Cui Fuyu refuted all his objections.
Cui Fuyu thought that if she herself did not show up, it would be a clear trap, and the other party would not fall for it.
Therefore, he was scolded by Cui Hexuan again, but fortunately Chi Yanzhou and Zhao Chengxu smoothed things over.
Zhao Chengxu estimated the time and gave instructions to the driver who was already waiting.
"Let's set off too, and take the shortcut to Hakuryu-ji Temple."
The atmosphere inside the car was eerily quiet, and Cui Hexuan remained silent because of what happened yesterday.
Ru Niang, caught between the two, dared not speak freely. Zhao Chengxu wanted to say something, but seeing Cui Hexuan's expression, he fell silent.
Two carriages, one after the other, headed towards Bailong Temple outside the city. However, Cui Fuyu's carriage was not going to Bailong Temple, but to a manor near Bailong Temple, traveling in the same direction as Zhao Chengxu.
To avoid attracting attention, Zhao Chengxu deliberately took a back road.
Zhao Jinghuan's informant, who had been planted in the Cui residence, quickly informed Cheng He of Cui Fuyu's whereabouts.
Cheng He was also extremely anxious. He personally led his men to kill Cui Fuyu, Ru Niang, and the others, taking away the evidence along with them. Afterward, he immediately led his men to chase after Cui Fuyu's carriage.
Cheng He and his group rushed along, catching up with Cui Fuyu, and lay in ambush on the only road leading to Bailong Temple.
Zhao Chengxu and his entourage took a shortcut and arrived at the foot of Bailong Temple Mountain very quickly.
Meanwhile, Cui Fuyu's carriage was traveling slowly, and it had only reached the halfway point when it came to a deserted main road.
Cheng He, who had been lying in wait, waved his hand, and his men rushed out in an instant. The already narrow road became even more crowded, and the dark mass of people surrounded Cui Fuyu's carriage.
To ensure everything went smoothly, Cheng He brought more than a dozen men with him. He didn't believe that the well-trained Black Dragon Society brothers couldn't take down these five or six people.
Cheng He stared intently at Cui Fuyu's carriage and called out, "Cui Fuyu, if you hand over Ru Niang and tell her the whereabouts of what she's hiding, perhaps I can spare your life."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Chengxu's men immediately came out and surrounded Cheng He's men.
Zhao Chengxu's men outnumbered Cheng He's by more than double. They secretly followed the Cui family's carriage, their movements so subtle that they were difficult to detect.
Lieutenant General Li, who was in charge, said: "Kid, who are you calling dead?"
To ensure Cui Fuyu's safety, Zhao Chengxu even mobilized his trusted lieutenant, promising to protect Cui Fuyu and not to break his promise to Cui Hexuan.
The atmosphere between the two groups instantly became tense, as if a sword were about to be drawn.
They didn't take the other party seriously at all.
Lieutenant General Li immediately ordered: "Protect Miss Cui, capture the assassin alive!"
Lieutenant General Li and Cheng He engaged in fierce combat, exchanging blows with murderous intent. However, Lieutenant General Li had more men, and the battle ended almost decisively.
Lieutenant Li's men were all veterans of the battlefield, and their tactics were relentless, leaving no enemy unscathed.
With the protection of the soldiers, these people had no chance to get close to Cui Fuyu's carriage, and there were also soldiers specifically responsible for guarding and protecting the carriage.
In a short time, the Black Dragon Society members were defeated.
But when the soldiers held their swords to the necks of the survivors, all those who remained alive coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground dead.
"Lieutenant, they all have poison in their mouths."
Someone with some medical knowledge examined the corpse on the ground carefully before reporting it.
The men Cheng He brought were all assassins from the Black Dragon Society.
Lieutenant Li, who had intended to capture Cheng He alive for interrogation, became enraged upon hearing this and became even more ruthless in his attacks on Cheng He.
Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Cheng He had long intended to retreat, but Lieutenant General Li was persistent and relentlessly pursued him.
Not long after, Vice General Li finished fighting. He barely managed to grab Cheng He and revealed a satisfied smile. "Hahaha, defeated opponent. I am a vice general who has fought in thousands of battles. But it's not bad that you were able to exchange more than twenty blows with me."
Lieutenant Li, wary that Cheng He might also have poison in his mouth, used his hands like pliers to forcefully pry open Cheng He's mouth, then casually tore off a piece of Cheng He's clothes, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it into his mouth.
Lieutenant Li addressed the carriage respectfully to Cui Fuyu inside, saying, "Miss Cui, rest assured, the matter you and the Prince entrusted to us has been completed."
It's good that this person has been caught.
"Could you please check if any of these people have a token with a single-sided black dragon pattern?"
As soon as Cui Fuyu asked the question, Vice General Li glanced at her and immediately his men began searching through the items Cui Fuyu had mentioned. After a thorough search, they found sixteen of the tokens she had described.
Lieutenant Li truthfully replied, "Miss Cui, it is indeed as you said, everyone here has it, but they don't have names on them."
Cui Fuyu understood. Looking at Chi Yanzhou who was guarding her side, she said solemnly, "Chi Yanzhou, there is something I haven't told you yet. Please don't get excited after you hear it."
Cui Fuyu looked at Chi Yanzhou with worry in his eyes. This matter was still a bit cruel to him. The enemy he had been searching for for so long was right in front of him.
And we can't do anything to our enemies right now...
Chi Yanzhou remained silent, but he already had some guesses in his heart.
His eyes welled up with tears, but he held them back. He said sadly, "Zhao Jinghuan sent people to kill me, but they killed my mother. And now they've come twice to kill you..."
Cui Fuyu stared at him for a long time, then nodded silently. She said hatefully, "Zhao Jinghuan harmed me only to win over the Cui family. As for Ru Niang, she wanted to kill him to silence him. She has evidence of Zhao Jinghuan's life that is crucial to his survival."
The root of it all is Zhao Jinghuan, a man who deserves to die.
All she could do was gather evidence of his crimes to protect the Cui family and herself.
Before Chi Yanzhou could finish speaking, tears streamed down his face, and he couldn't stop them no matter how hard he tried to wipe them away.
Recalling how he picked up the burned token from the Chi family, he said firmly, "If his crimes have been brought before the saint, I can take the token as one of the witnesses."
Chi Yanzhou considered Zhao Jinghuan's identity; he was incapable of killing him personally, but he could still contribute to bringing him down.
However, Cui Fuyu was unwilling to let Chi Yanzhou testify in court, as this would mean having to repeat the very thing he least wanted to face.
This is cruel to him; he has already lost his mother.
“Chi Yanzhou, let’s work together to get the evidence against him and bring Zhao Jinghuan down. This time, the matter of raising a private army is enough to give him a hard time. If the Emperor arranges other things, Zhao Jinghuan will only have one way out: death.”
A sinister glint flashed in Cui Fuyu's eyes. She hadn't expected that Prince Gong's family, after being away in their fiefdom for more than ten years, would still be so ambitious as to covet the Emperor's position.
Unfortunately, Zhao Jinghuan made a crucial mistake, leading to his complete defeat.
Perhaps the premonitions she had in the past were all divine intervention, allowing her to know in advance so that she could be wary of his behavior.
Cui Fuyu successfully dealt with the Black Dragon Society members, but he couldn't return to the capital immediately. He still needed to go to the foot of Bailong Temple Mountain to wait for Ru Niang and the others who were there to collect evidence.
Lieutenant General Li had already tidied up the area and taken all the Black Dragon Society members away, including Cheng He, who was knocked unconscious and carried away by Lieutenant General Li.
Lieutenant General Li left ten men to escort Cui Fuyu and her companions safely to Bailong Temple.
The coachman drove the carriage back to the foot of Bailong Temple Mountain, and everyone put the scene from the past behind them.
It seemed like just a minor incident.
Below Bailong Temple, the carriages of the Cui and Zhao families met. Chi Yanzhou was the first to lift the curtain, revealing Cui Fuyu's face. Her complexion was still rosy and her expression was normal.
Cui Hexuan felt relieved after seeing the evidence. "We've obtained the evidence. How about yours?"
They made it to Bailong Temple without any trouble, and in a secluded spot, they retrieved the things that Ru Niang had hidden. They had just come down from Bailong Temple when they waited for the Cui family's carriage.
Cui Fuyu arrived, and everyone inside the carriage breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the Cui family's carriage approaching.
Cui Fuyu nodded and smiled: "It went very smoothly. Vice General Li is very capable; he captured a leader alive."
"Brothers, come over here. It will make your return journey easier and we can discuss some things together."
Immediately, Juning and Zhu Jin went to the Zhao family's carriage, and the three of them got into the carriage where Cui Fuyu was.
Cui Hexuan immediately checked on Cui Fuyu, and his expression softened after confirming that he hadn't been hiding anything from him: "Thank goodness, you didn't do something stupid!"
Cui Hexuan was as sharp-tongued as ever when dealing with his sister.
Zhao Chengxu revealed a smug smile: "I already said, with Vice General Li around, my cousin will die young."
Ru Niang lowered the value of the evidence in her hands to Cui Fuyu, as they had already reviewed it once.
After reading it, Cui Fuyu sneered. Zhao Jinghuan was even more daring and reckless than she had imagined.
To avoid any unforeseen complications, Cui Fuyu said directly, "Tonight, we will take Ru Niang, Chi Yanzhou, and the evidence to the palace to see the Emperor and accuse Zhao Jinghuan of treason!"
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Author's Note: The countdown to completion is on! Feel free to leave a comment about what kind of side stories you'd like to see [kissing emoji]. Thank you everyone! (I've been a bit busy lately.)
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