Chen Qi returned to the camp holding the letter.
In the dark night, Chen Qi placed the letter on the table and did not immediately open it. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, pondering.
The musician silently followed behind and asked, “Has Daren really thought about it?”
Chen Qi lifted his eyelids slightly.
“What? Do you think I did wrong?”
Between his words, he picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea.
The musician said, “In fact, the peace negotiation between the north and south does not affect Daren’s position in the Sui Empire. Daren has finally established a foothold in the Sui capital court. Is Daren really going to take this risky step?”
Before opening this letter, no one knew exactly what was written in there, but if it’s true, as Zheng Xian said that he has important evidence about the birth and bloodline of the Crown Prince of Jiang, then the content of this letter could be a big secret that could harm many people.
This kind of secret is too troublesome and dangerous.
Chen Qi picked up the tea cup and gulped down a sip of tea.
He said, “Qing Jun, do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this day? To be precise, half of the motivation I’ve been working hard to plan for so many years comes from the determination to step on this person.”
The musician was taken aback.
This is the first time that Daren has called his name in such an easy-going tone. Having followed Daren as a musician for so long, he even almost forgot his original name.
The musician heard a sense of revenge in Chen Qi’s calm tone.
The musician hesitated and said, “Does Daren have any old grudges with the Crown Prince of Jiang?”
Chen Qi didn’t answer.
But Chen Qi will never forget that cold winter day. He held a thick stack of articles from his new work and stood in front of the gate of the Lanxin Palace, hoping that the Crown Prince of Jiang, who was famous for his virtue, could open the palace door and let him in, read and appreciate his articles, and reward him with a mouthful of food.
He was just an unpopular, illegitimate son, and his father is a doting and indulgent old pervert. He dotes on his mother just to vent his beast desires and has no intention of taking responsibility. Empress Zhang Bihua was jealous. Since birth, he has been driven into the horse pen of the cold palace with his mother, suffering from the cold gaze of the palace attendants.
His mother, who came from a palace maid background and had little knowledge, only knows how to shed tears every day, holding unrealistic fantasies, hoping that his pervert father would still remember them, mother and son.
He felt both pathetic and sad.
He works hard day and day, burning the midnight oil to study, hoping that one day, with his own abilities, he can lead his mother out of the sea of suffering and find a place to stand in the world.
Jiangnan is big, and so is the world. He does not need to be confined to the Chen Kingdom.
The Crown Prince of Jiang, who was courteous and virtuous, gave him hope.
At that time, famous scholars in Jiangnan spread the word that the Crown Prince of Jiang was recruiting subordinates, regardless of their origin or family background. Anyone with talent could enter the Lanxin Palace and receive one hundred gold rewards, becoming a guest of honor for the Crown Prince of Jiang.
After discussing with his mother, he secretly left the palace of Chen and came to the state of Jiang with the determination to burn the boat1Cut off all means of retreat..
He once saw the Crown Prince of Jiang riding in the carriage from afar on the street, but there were too many admirers. He didn’t even get a chance to get close and was driven away by the guards. Helpless, he could only wait outside the Lanxin Palace.
He braved the cold wind and waited outside the Lanxin Palace for a whole three days. His hands and feet were so cold that he lost consciousness. Finally, he presented the article for which he had worked hard for half a year. In the end, all he could get was exchange it for one sentence: “The strategy is acceptable, but public sentiment is like water, it is not advisable to be eager for quick success and instant benefits.”
The strategy he put in countless efforts to write was actually described by the other party as “eager for quick success and instant benefits.”
The fellow scholars all mocked him for his shallow knowledge and heavy desire for fame and fortune, which made him unable to catch the Crown Prince of Jiang’s eyes.
He looked at the two doors of the Lanxin Palace, which were dignified and solemn, just like when the Crown Prince of Jiang sat high in the carriage, with a dust-free posture, high and mighty eyes, feeling an unprecedented shame.
A deeper shame than that he had suffered over the past twenty years in the cold palace and horse pen of the Chen Kingdom.
Just because of their different backgrounds, the other party is born to enjoy the admiration of the people, and the world pursues and flatters him. With a light and floating sentence, he can trample him into the dust and make them laugh at him like a jumping off a beam clown.
What kind of courtesy or virtue? All of them are just lies that he used to gain fame and deceive the world. Before officially visiting the Lanxin Palace, he used a pseudonym to attend multiple gatherings of literati, and his articles received unanimous praise from many scholars and even famous teachers and scholars. He is confident in his writing skills, far surpassing most of his peers.
However, the Crown Prince of Jiang, who was only around ten years old, actually looked down on him.
A scholar who had a good relationship with him comforted him. “From my perspective, Brother Chen was not selected was not because you wrote poorly, but precisely because you wrote too well.”
“As the saying goes, if the wood is good in the forest, the wind will destroy it. No one in this world doesn’t know. At the age of eleven, the Crown Prince of Jiang’s ‘Jiangdu Fu’ became famous throughout the world and was praised as a standard by scholars all over the world, vying to copy it. The Crown Prince of Jiang also won the hearts of countless scholars. If there were a better article than ‘Jiangdu Fu’ published at this time, Brother Chen say, what would this Crown Prince of Jiang do?”
“Everyone has their own selfish desires, and the Crown Prince of Jiang is no exception. Brother Chen has a great talent, so there is no need to worry about this temporary gain or loss. As long as you encounter a talent scout who truly appreciates Brother Chen, there will eventually be a time to soar to the sky.”
This statement did not give him any comfort but instead made him even more resentful and unwilling.
Even more, he hated that high and mighty Crown Prince of Jiang, who claimed to be courteous, but was actually hypocritical and jealous.
He used up all his resources and walked back to the Chen capital all the way. Because of his selfish behavior, he escaped from the Cold Palace. His mother was beaten and almost died. After returning, he was immediately punished based on the palace rules.
His mother held him in her arms and wept bitterly, complaining that he shouldn’t have been so whimsical as to seek a way out in the Jiang Empire. Instead, he should follow the example of other unfavored princes and try to please his father.
“He’s the Crown Prince of the sovereign state, he can have all the wind and all the rain if he wants to. How could he take a liking to you as a commoner’s son?”
His mother was filled with sorrow and resentment.
My illegitimate son! My illegitimate son!
These are the two words that his mother often murmured in his ears from childhood to adulthood. For the first time, he got angry with his mother and told her that even if he was a commoner, one day he would definitely trample on the high and mighty Crown Prince of Jiang.
When the palace attendants heard about this, they also came to mock and ridicule him.
“There was no shortage of talent around the Crown Prince of Jiang, but who knows he may be short of a horse slave?”
“If you want to be appreciated, you shouldn’t even write any articles. Instead, you should kneel on the ground and serve the Crown Prince of Jiang as a stepping stone. If you can learn how to bark twice like that pug, who knows, the Crown Prince Jiang might give you a glance.”
The palace attendants’ laughter was like poison piercing through his intestines, causing hatred to grow wildly in his heart.
He had a bigger and more determined goal than to stand out and retaliate against his pervert father, which was to trample on Jiang Rongyu.
He has been working hard for so long, and now that his goal is about to be achieved, how can he give up easily?
Even if he takes a risk, he still wants to give it a try.
Chen Qi picked up the letter from the table.
The musician couldn’t help but hold his hand, “Daren.”
“Let go.”
Chen Qi opened the letter expressionlessly. When he saw the contents of the letter, his pupils slightly narrowed, first in disbelief, then in ecstasy.
His palms trembled with excitement, followed by a hearty laugh from his excitement.
“Jiang Rongyu, I knew you must have a stain.”
“What His Highness Rongyu, who is renowned throughout the world? As long as I reveal this secret to the public, you will no longer have the courage to face the world!”
The musician was puzzled and asked, “Daren, what exactly is written in this letter?”
Chen Qi’s face was full of joy and pride, and he said, “This letter confirms that the ‘Jiang Rongyu’ who is currently sitting in the Muyun Pass is impersonating the royal bloodline.”
The musician was also startled.
“Then the Crown Prince Jiang is really fake? How… could this be?”
Chen Qi sneered and said, “He thought he was doing it perfectly, but he did not know that heaven’s justice was clear, and there was no leak. Whether he is the real Jiang Rongyu or he was someone else who impersonated him, this evidence can make him spend his entire life nailed to the pillar of shame.”
“Do you still remember that when the Crown Prince of Jiang was eleven years old, he went hunting with Emperor Jiang and was kidnapped by the assassins? Later, Emperor Jiang publicly claimed that the Crown Prince was seriously ill and was recuperating in the palace. It was not until three years later that Jiang Rongyu recovered from his injuries and reappeared in front of court officials.”
The musician nodded.
“But what does this have to do with the background of the Crown Prince of Jiang?”
Chen Qi stood up, hummed softly, and said, “But Zheng Xian mentioned in the letter that during those three years, the Crown Prince of Jiang did not fall ill or recuperate in the palace, but was actually abducted by assassins, and his whereabouts were unknown. The Jiang Rongyu who came back three years later was not the real Jiang Rongyu at all, but…”
“He was the Kunjun from the Qingque Terrace.”
Chen Qi spoke word for word, relieving his anger.
The musician paled dramatically.
“A Kunjun from Qingque Terrace?”
“How-how could this be?”
“No wonder, no wonder that day in the Sui capital, he was able to glimpse my identity at a glance…”
Chen Qi turned his head to look at him. “Let me ask you, is there always a secret mark with the character ‘Slave’ on the Kunjun from Qingque Terrace’s back?”
The musician’s face was snow white and he nodded in shame.
“Then it’s true.”
“Zheng Xian said that he once brought bath water to the Lanxin Palace and accidentally saw a distinct ‘slave’ mark on the back of the Crown Prince of Jiang’s waist. How could a Crown Prince have such a lowly mark on his body? So, the current Jiang Rongyu is either a fake Kunjun impersonated or a real Kunjun who has been wandering in Qingque Terrace for three years and has been a Kunjun for three years.”
“Heh, what kind of place is Qingque Terrace? The Crown Prince of a country has been living in a place like that for three years as a child molester. If this matter is publicized, you say, does Jiang Rongyu still have the face to live in the world and face the people?”
The musician’s hands which were hidden under the black veil couldn’t help but tremble lightly.
Chen Qi saw it and slowed down his tone, saying, “Qing Jun, I’m not talking about you, but about that hypocritical Jiang Rongyu. You’re different from him.”
“The subordinate knows.”
The musician forced a smile.
“Daren has done the subordinate a great favor, if not for Daren’s protection, the subordinate would not be here today. The subordinate just feels that… this matter is too unbelievable. Could he be the Kunjun who escaped from Qingque Terrace five years ago?”
“Who?”
“Among the assassins trained in our group, the one with the most impressive skills was the only one who could excel in both hidden weapons and swordsmanship. The subordinate heard that because he disobeyed and broke the king’s rules, he was given to those high-ranking officials and nobles to take turns in tempering and eventually fell into Tian Meng’s hands. Later, while Tian Meng was drunk, he blinded him in one eye and escaped.”
“Tian Meng?”
Chen Qi suddenly thought of something and said, “No wonder during the palace banquet when the Qi envoy came to Sui capital, Tian Meng suddenly held onto his hand. It seems that this matter is true.”
“Heh, not to mention you, even I can’t believe that Jiang Rongyu carries such a big stain on his body.”
Chen Qi spoke slowly, with a sarcastic smile at the corner of his mouth.
In the past thirty years of his life, he has never felt as carefree as he is today.
The musician was worried and said, “Is Daren really going to expose this matter? It’s just Zheng Xian’s words. In case he wrote it wrong or deliberately wrote it to slander the Crown Prince of the Jiang, if Daren acts rashly, Daren may put yourself in danger. Moreover, with the Crown Prince of Sui’s keen insight, he will definitely find out that it was done by Daren. How can Daren establish a foothold in the Sui Empire’s court?”
Chen Qi gave him a cold look.
He said, “But this is my last chance. As long as I can expose that hypocrite’s true face to the world, it’s alright to take some risks.”
Chen Qi made up his mind, grabbed the letter, and walked out.
However, as soon as he stepped out of the tent, he was momentarily stunned.
At some point, the outside of his tent was filled with armored soldiers. A general from the Qinglang Battalion stood with his sword in the center, squinted at him, and smiled. “Military Advisor Chen, it’s not dawn yet. Where are you going?”
At the same time, the Daoist’s body was placed in Sui Heng’s central army tent.
Sui Heng stood in the tent with sunken eyes.
Xu Qiao recounted the situation on the side: “This person once practiced at the same Daoist temple as the deceased official Zheng Xian from the Jiang Empire, named Chen Xiang. After Zheng Xian’s death, this person also left the original Daoist temple and concealed his name in another Daoist temple. In the past two days, the general has been monitoring Military Advisor Chen’s movements according to Your Highness’s order. Last night, Military Advisor Chen wore a cloak and secretly went out to meet this person in a remote countryside ten miles outside the camp. He also gave him a large bag of gold and exchanged a letter from his hand. The general’s guess is that it was probably something left behind by Zheng Xian. This Daoist hadn’t gone far before he was silenced by the musician under Military Advisor Chen. That musician is very skilled in martial arts, and he is good at using a silver wire concealed weapon, so the general didn’t want to beat the grass and frighten the snakes. The general didn’t dare to follow too closely. By the time the General could approached, this Zheng Xian was already out of breath and died.
“The general also searched his body. Apart from that bag of gold, there was nothing useful. The letter involving His Highness Rongyu should be on Military Advisor Chen’s body. Now that Yang Shuo has already taken people to surround Military Advisor Chen’s tent, does Your Highness want to interrogate him now?”
As soon as Xu Qiao finished speaking, his personal soldiers rushed in and reported, “Your Highness, it’s not good. Military Advisor Chen has defected from the camp!”
Xu Qiao’s pale.
He asked, “How did you let him escape?!”
Something immediately came to his mind: “It must be the mysterious expert beside him! Your Highness, what should we do now?”
“No problem, let Yang Shuo take someone to chase after him, tell him that he must not harm him, Gu wants him alive.”
Sui Heng’s gaze was sharp, and his tone was surprisingly calm.
Xu Qiao was a bit surprised. He thought that since it involved His Highness Rongyu, His Highness would personally lead troops to pursue him.
Sui Heng then issued another order.
“Bring Tian Ye and Tian Ying over to meet Gu.”
The cold wind howled, and Chen Qi and the musician fled together in the night.
Behind him were fierce pursuers, and Chen Qi’s face was covered in sweat as he vigorously drove his horse forward.
The musician blocked the secret arrows from behind and asked, “Daren, where are we going?”
Chen Qi gritted his teeth. He couldn’t bear to think about the anxiety he felt when he fell into such a situation overnight. Running for his life was better than anything else, and in his eyes was the determination to break through.
He said, “The Qi Kingdom, go to the Qi Kingdom.”
“At present, only the King of Qi can protect us!”
“I heard that now Marquis Duan of Qi was also recruiting talented people. By the time we arrive at the Qi Kingdom, with this great secret, we can still occupy a place!”
