On the outskirts of the capital, the brothers Jins and Jinke, after two months of tiring journey, finally arrived at an inn thirty miles away from the capital. They planned to wash up and rest before entering the city.
Jins is Jin Linlin's cousin, and Jin Ke is her biological brother. They are both only seventeen years old this year. They passed the imperial examinations at such a young age. Grandpa Jin has high hopes for these two children.
Jin Ke was dressed in a white gown and a blue scarf, looking very handsome and elegant; Jin Si was dressed in a light blue robe, with a gentle temperament like jade. As soon as they stepped into the inn lobby, they immediately caused a small commotion.
"Hey, look at these two young men, they are so handsome." An old lady nearby couldn't help but mutter softly.
The two found an empty seat and sat down, ordering some food and drinks. As they were eating, they suddenly heard the guests at the next table talking about things in the capital.
"I heard that the current emperor's birthday is coming soon. The capital is very lively now. Officials from all over the country and envoys from various countries are rushing to the capital. This year's state banquet will definitely be very lively." said one person.
"That's right! This is really rare. We won a victory this year, and our national strength is strong. Countries around the world are coming to pay tribute. The emperor will definitely receive many gifts." Another person echoed.
Upon hearing this, Jin Ke immediately put down his chopsticks and asked excitedly, "Really? This is our first time in Beijing. Is there anything fun to do? You tell me, I'll treat you to dinner today."
The guest glanced at Jin Ke and muttered to himself, "I know the rules.
"You are students, right? I'd like to offer you some advice. If you have connections, you can study at the Imperial Academy for a while before the Spring Examination. The teachers there are top-notch and have a thorough understanding of the court situation. This will be of great benefit to you in your exams."
Jins and Jinke looked at each other, quickly grabbed a few pieces of silver and stuffed them into his pocket, saying, "Thank you very much, big brother. Is there anything else you can advise me on? I'll use this little money to buy you some wine."
The guest took the silver with a smile and continued, "There are many powerful people in the capital, so you must be careful. Especially during this state banquet, there are undercurrents of conflict among various forces. I heard that the gifts presented by the envoys from various countries include many rare treasures, and I'm afraid there will be some trouble. If you have the chance, go and see the rare treasures from various countries, it will be an eye-opener."
Jins and Jinke listened intently, nodding their heads. Suddenly, several men dressed in rich attire entered the inn's entrance. They swaggered into the center of the lobby, and one of them called out, "Boss, please reserve all your best rooms for me. I'm hosting a distinguished guest tonight." The innkeeper smiled and agreed.
She motioned him not to say anything more. They hurriedly finished their meal and returned to their rooms to pack up, preparing to head into the city early the next morning.
The two returned to the guest room and were about to turn off the lights and go to bed when the north window suddenly opened. A man covered in blood and wearing a wolf-head mask crawled into the room like a bloody shadow and immediately fainted.
The two were shocked and were about to go forward to find out what was going on when a crisp "click" sound came from the east window. A man with an arrow in the chest and wearing a fox mask jumped into the house from outside like a ghost and fell down again.
Jins and Jinke stared at each other in astonishment, wondering, "What's going on here? Two of them coming down, should we save them or not? They're all wearing masks."
Jin Ke knew very well that such a hidden person must have bad intentions. If someone came in to search at this time, they would definitely be caught red-handed, and might even implicate them.
Jin Ke and Jin Jin acted decisively and sprang into action. Each of them carried one person on their back, climbed out of the window, and then stuffed the person into the small space at the bottom of the carriage that was like a mezzanine.
The Jin family is very wealthy. Old man Jin knows that it is inevitable to encounter accidents when going out. In order to prevent robbers, he specially prepared a carriage that looks shabby, but in fact it contains a secret, and many items are placed on the bottom floor.
Along the way, the mezzanine of the carriage that was originally filled with items was now empty. The two men had to work very hard to barely squeeze the people in.
Jinke and Jins quietly retreated to the window, jumped into the house, and wiped the blood dripping on the ground with a wet towel.
The two of them hurriedly took off their clothes, untied their hair, and hurriedly got into bed like frightened rabbits.
Just as he lay down, the door was violently opened from the outside, and a group of black-clad men holding sharp blades, like evil spirits, rushed in like a tide. The leader's eyes were as sharp as a hawk. After scanning the area, he shouted viciously:
"You two little bastards, did you see anyone suspicious come in?" Jin Ke forced himself to remain calm, but his entire body was shaking like a sieve. He stammered, "Master... Master, we just came back and went to bed. We didn't see anything."
Kings nodded quickly beside him. The men in black, unconvinced, searched the room, leaving it in a complete mess. They even checked the windows, but found nothing.
The leading man in black glared at the two of them and said, "It's better that you didn't lie. If I find out that you dare to hide something, you will be in trouble!" After that, he left with his men.
When the footsteps faded away, Jinke and Jins breathed a sigh of relief. Jinke stood up and said, "I don't know where these two came from. They got into such trouble." Jins frowned and said, "Let's ignore it for now. Let's wait until daybreak to see how badly they're injured and then make a plan."
The two of them quickly tidied up the room, then climbed onto the bed tremblingly, muttering that they hoped to have a peaceful night. But a moment later, another group of soldiers rushed in and searched the room that had just been turned upside down.
Early the next morning, the two of them slowly finished their breakfast and prepared to go to Beijing.
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