Chương 17: God of Fire
Biên tập viên: Atlas Studios
"How dare you! You poisoned the Eldest Prince with poison and still dare to claim innocence!" Magistrate He looked down at Doctor Cheng from the back of his horse and reprimanded him righteously.
"…" Doctor Cheng's hair was messy, and his eyes were slightly sinister. His heart fell into greater chaos.
"Lord He!" The sound of hurried footsteps could be heard as the head of the guards walked quickly from the back hall with two guards. "I just found this under Doctor Cheng's bed…"
One of the guards held a dark red wooden box in both hands and respectfully handed it to Magistrate He.
The lid of the box was opened, revealing a stack of letters and a longevity stone seal. The envelope was impressively inscribed with several words in an odd script.
"This is the State of Yue's language…" Magistrate He muttered. His expression suddenly changed. When he looked at Doctor Cheng again, his eyes were filled with vigilance and his forehead throbbed.
Today's troubles came one after another.
Early in the morning, after the Eldest Prince took the medicine prescribed by Doctor Cheng, his condition suddenly worsened. He was on the verge of death, and Magistrate He was almost scared out of his wits.
If the Eldest Prince died in Danyang City, regardless of whether it was an illness or an accident, Magistrate He would not be able to answer to the Emperor and would even be stripped of his position by the furious emperor.
Magistrate He naturally would not sit back and do nothing. After thinking about it, he decided to find a scapegoat, so he brought people to seal the Cheng Medical Hall.
Unexpectedly—
"Doctor Cheng is a spy from the State of Yue!"
Someone shouted from behind, their voice sharp and loud.
The commoners who were watching outside the medical center heard it. It was as if a drop of water had fallen into hot oil and instantly exploded.
These voices were clearly transmitted to the VIP seats on the second floor of the Breeze Pavilion. Juan Bi said indignantly, "So it's the State of Yue!"
"These people are really despicable. First, they detained the Eldest Prince and refused to let him return to the dynasty. Now, they even poisoned him!"
Gu Yanfei pushed away the kitten that wanted to steal food again. She used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of half-moon goose oil pastry and put it into her mouth. She gently bit it with her teeth, and the sweet taste filled her mouth. It was oily but not greasy, crispy but not dissipating.
In her memory, the eldest prince, Chu Yi, should have appeared in March of the following year. It was said that his face was severely burned, and he wore a half-moon silver mask that covered the left side of his face all year round. His temperament was also said to be sinister and deep.
He was the only prince today, so naturally, he wanted to be the Crown Prince. However, he was stopped by the ministers, who said that a deformed person was not suitable to be the ruler of a country.
Every now and then in the royal court, there would be endless disputes over the establishment of the Crown Prince.
"Lord He, I'm not from the State of Yue!" Doctor Cheng cried out in agitation, his expression extremely ugly. "This doesn't belong to me. Someone framed me!"
Doctor Cheng was telling the truth. The things in the box were not his at all.
He was not so stupid as to keep such a letter that clearly had the State of Yue's words.
Who put this in his house?!
Si Hai! Si Hai's ordinary face immediately appeared in Doctor Cheng's mind.
In an instant, Doctor Cheng seemed to have been struck by lightning as he understood the situation.
His heart was as cold as ice. Shock, anger, suspicion, and other emotions seemed to weave into a huge net that trapped him.
"The evidence is conclusive, yet you still want to quibble!" Of course, Magistrate He would not believe Doctor Cheng's words. He ordered coldly, "Hurry up and capture him!"
The guards received the order in a rough voice. They roughly grabbed Doctor Cheng's arms and escorted him onto the prison cart.
As they pushed him, Doctor Cheng's hair bun fell apart. He grabbed the wooden railing of the prison cart with both hands and shouted hysterically, "I'm innocent, Lord He. I was framed!"
Magistrate He ignored Doctor Cheng and turned to ask the head of the class, "Is there anyone else inside?"
"Magistrate He, I've searched carefully. There's no one else except for two assistants," the captain replied with cupped fists.
Doctor Cheng's heart raced. Sure enough, they were here for the Sixth Master!
Fortunately, the Sixth Master had already left safely through the secret passage.
The Sixth Master was resourceful and would definitely be able to resolve this crisis!
"Let's go!" Magistrate He led the way with a cold expression.
The guards rushed behind with the prison cart. The group drove along Chongxian Street in a mighty manner, leaving behind three or four guards to continue searching the Cheng Medical Hall.
Juan Bi, who was leaning against the window with her upper body, retracted her gaze. Still feeling a little worried, she turned around and said, "I wonder how the Eldest Prince is…"
"The Eldest Prince is blessed by the heavens. He will definitely be safe," Gu Yanfei said casually as she looked at the departing team. Gu Yunzhen nodded in agreement.
Gu Yanfei's expression was firm. Even if she didn't read fortunes, she could answer this question.
In her previous life, before she passed away, the Eldest Prince, Chu Yi, was still alive and well.
Gu Yanfei was about to retract her gaze when she suddenly froze and looked straight at the horizon.
On the eastern horizon floated a crimson haze of blood, like clouds and mist. It rolled and flowed, changing into all kinds of strange shapes. Gradually, the bloody haze thickened…
Gu Yanfei muttered to herself, "Is it… the God of fire's calamity?"
Her voice was as low as a mosquito's buzz. Only the kitten with the sharp ears heard her clearly. Its fluffy cat ears twitched.
The little kitten excitedly jumped onto the window sill and looked in the same direction with its eyes wide open. It let out an excited cry. "Meow~" It had the mentality of watching a show.
"Second Sister, what did you say?" Gu Yunzhen did not hear her clearly.
Gu Yanfei was still staring at the dense blood energy. Her right hand, which was hidden in her sleeve, quickly calculated and said, "The wind is about to blow…"
A faint wind blew through the dull air and drifted past the window. The branches outside swayed slightly and rustled.
The wind blew and then disappeared. The air was still dry and dull, as if the wind just now was just an illusion.
On the streets below, many people were still lingering, condemning the State of Yue people with righteous indignation. Some people dispersed with the departure of the officials. A few busybodies simply followed the prison cart to the Danyang Manor to see how this matter would develop.
When half of the crowd on the street had dispersed, a tall figure in a straight green robe walked out of the alley beside the Cheng Medical Hall. He wore a large bamboo hat that covered most of his face.
The Sixth Master looked around warily. He lowered the brim of his bamboo hat and tensed.
He was certain that they had been set up.
Chu Yi and Kang Wang had joined forces to plot against them.
The Sixth Master hurried in the other direction. As he passed a medium-sized man in gray, he gestured to him.
The man in gray immediately understood and chased after Magistrate He's group in the direction of the Danyang Manor.
Unfortunately, he was too late. He only saw Doctor Cheng's prison cart being escorted into the manor from afar. Then, the door closed mercilessly, blocking all probing gazes.
Chương 18: Fiery Kerosene
Biên tập viên: Atlas Studios
Half a day later, the government posted a notice saying that Doctor Cheng was an evil spy from the State of Yue who poisoned the Eldest Prince with medicine, causing his life to be in danger. They also said that there were other spies from the State of Yue hiding in the city and asked the people to cooperate with the government to find these spies to avenge the Eldest Prince.
News spread through the city with incredible speed.
The State of Yue and the State of Jin were enemies for generations. When the commoners learned of this, they were all agitated. The atmosphere in the city suddenly became solemn.
Magistrate He officially ordered the city to be sealed. From today onwards, no one was allowed to enter Danyang City.
From time to time, the guards patrolled and searched the streets.
Every household in the city had been searched by the guards, including the Gu family's residence. Even if they showed the token of the Dingyuan Marquis Household and even if Madam Gu was also in the residence, the guards still searched the Gu residence mercilessly. Of course, they did not allow them to leave the city.
For the next few days, the city was filled with a thick, murderous atmosphere.
"Ta-da-da…"
On the street, a team of officials holding torches roared past with two prison carts. The commoners pointed at the prison carts and sighed.
A pair of malicious eyes looked out at the street through the holes in the window paper, his gaze like a bottomless abyss.
When the guards were gone, he looked away too. He closed his eyes and sat motionless in his chair, as if he was frozen in place.
Suddenly, the wind picked up.
The clouds moved with the wind. Thick black clouds decorated the evening sky with gloom.
The sky was darkening. The night sky was as black as ink, with no stars in sight.
"Sixth Master." A dark-skinned middle-aged man appeared in the house and bowed respectfully to the man in blue on the chair. "Shopkeeper Huang and the others are also temporarily locked up in the government dungeon. They haven't revealed your whereabouts."
"Have someone continue to keep an eye on them." The Sixth Master opened his eyes. His eyes were cold and his voice was hoarse. He could not hide the exhaustion in his expression.
His days had not been easy.
The day before yesterday, he had used the secret passageway to escape from the Cheng Medical Hall. After that, he went to another stronghold. However, the officials had launched a large search in the city, so he could only hide and change several strongholds.
In just three days, most of the strongholds in Danyang City had been sealed off by the government. Even most of the spies lurking in the strongholds had been taken down.
It could be said that 10 years of hard work had almost gone down the drain.
The Sixth Master closed his eyes again, and his heart ached. He finally understood what it meant to be stabbed in the heart!
Danyang City was only 400 miles away from the capital. It guarded the sea route and the North-South Canal. With the transportation of the river and sea, it could be said to be the gateway to the capital. Danyang City was too important to them.
"Yes," the middle-aged man replied respectfully. He paused for a moment and said cautiously, "Sixth Master, we still have 12 men available. I've investigated carefully. There's nothing wrong with them."
He was certain that it was not the people of the State of Yue who had leaked the information to the authorities.
"…" Sixth Master narrowed his eyes, revealing some coldness.
The officials of Danyang City had been searching for three days and had destroyed so many of their arrangements, but they still had no intention of stopping. It could be seen that they were targeting something.
The answer was clear. They were definitely coming for him.
This time, he had traveled all the way north from the State of Yue to discuss the details of the alliance with Kang Wang of the State of Jin under the orders of the Sage.
Only Kang Wang knew that he had come to Danyang City.
Kang Wang wanted to use him as a token of allegiance to Chu Yi, or to Emperor Mingde!
Kang Wang was really scheming. On the surface, he and Emperor Mingde were like fire and water, but in reality, that was not the case. These brothers were just deliberately putting on an act to lure them into a trap?!
They were playing the State of Yue like monkeys.
He had been tricked!!
Sixth Master's heart was filled with hatred. He punched the window frame so hard that his hand was numb with pain.
This time, he had managed to snatch this job from Xia Houqing and even made a military pledge in front of the Sage.
If he did not handle this task well, Xia Houqing would definitely kick him while he was down. Moreover, even the southwestern military power would fall into Xia Houqing's hands, making the other party even more powerful.
He could not allow this to happen!
A storm brewed in the Sixth Master's eyes. There was anger, unwillingness, and even vigorous ambition.
After a while, he suppressed his intense emotions and asked calmly, "Where's the kerosene?"
"The kerosene is ready," the middle-aged man replied solemnly, lowering his upper body a little.
The Sixth Master flexed his knuckles, cracking them. "Tell them to stick to the plan," he instructed in a deep voice.
There was a desperate finality in that simple sentence.
The middle-aged man accepted the order solemnly and left.
It was already late at night. The candles in every house were extinguished, and the people were sleeping soundly. The streets were empty and quiet, and only the occasional bird cry echoed in the night wind.
A dozen men in black sneaked out of the back door of a lacquered shop, avoiding the guards and night watchmen patrolling the streets. They shuttled through deserted alleys, as agile as ghosts.
An hour later, the group led by the Sixth Master arrived at the alley outside the back door of the Danyang Manor. It was dark and frighteningly quiet.
Without needing the Sixth Master to instruct them, the group of men in black spontaneously opened the jars they carried with them and quickly circled around the walls of the government office, splashing the liquid in the jars at the corners, the trees, and the walls covered in vines.
"Splash, splash—"
With a splash, a slightly pungent smell filled the night air.
As the night deepened, a strong wind blew, causing the trees to creak like demons dancing.
The Sixth Master, who was holding a torch, slowly walked to the foot of an old tree. A curled branch slanted over the wall and entered the government office.
The flames on the torch swayed with the wind. The flickering flames added a hint of sinisterness to the Sixth Master's handsome and rough face.
He wanted to see if Kang Wang and Emperor Mingde could continue being brothers if Chu Yi died in Danyang City!
The Sixth Master suddenly let go, and the matchstick fell vertically…
"Boom!"
The moment the flames touched the kerosene, they spread rapidly in all directions. In a short while, the surroundings turned into a blazing sea of fire, greedily and crazily devouring everything that could be devoured.
Flames danced wildly, climbing and spreading along the trees and vines and walls. Gray smoke rose in spirals.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
In the distance, the loud banging sounds could be heard. It was late at night, and the people were sleeping soundly, oblivious to the fact that the magistrate's office was on the move. Chu Yi and the other two, who had just walked out of the corner door, saw the fire.
"Young Master, fire!" Xiao Shi looked up in the direction behind the Danyang Manor and whispered.
Chu Yi, in his white cloak, was beside him, his chin slightly raised as he looked in the same direction.
In the blink of an eye, the fire grew stronger. Crimson flames lit up the night sky above.
Si Hai frowned and said hesitantly, "Your Highness, judging from the location, it should be the back door of the Danyang Manor… Could it be the people of the State of Yue?"
"Who else could it be?" Chu Yi said flatly, his eyes dark.
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