Chapter 61

Censor Liu and Censor Wu both told Ji Weiqiu that no one else would come, and Ji Weiqiu thought so as well. Indeed, the day passed peacefully, and all the luggage was packed—in truth, he hadn't been here for many days, some luggage wasn't even fully unpacked, so there wasn't much to pack, but who was to blame for there being too much stolen loot?

These items were too conspicuous. It was impossible to leave them here untouched, so Ji Weiqiu had to bring them back. He regretted this when he thought about it, wondering if Ji Su would send someone to escort him. He was now a truly fat sheep. If anyone with a clever little brain decided to hit him for a score, they could take these silver banknotes and jewels, and as long as they could escape the country, it would be enough to buy a princely title or something in a small border nation.

Ji Weiqiu even found grim amusement in the thought of saving up some money himself. What if one day he had the chance to take the money and go abroad to get himself a princely title? ...Forget it. Without any power, wouldn't he still be a fat sheep? Even with a hundred or so guards, he still felt like a fat sheep. If he were to really escape one day, was Ji Su blind? He wouldn't be able to find him even with a hundred guards?

The only explanation would be that Ji Su had let him go on purpose.

For now, he could only be glad that Cao Zhiyu at least knew that silver banknotes were easier to move. He had exchanged them for a large number of smaller, unmarked banknotes. Only the thirty thousand-plus taels of gold and jewels dug up from under the rockery, as well as a few thousand taels of silver for daily use, needed to be moved. Otherwise, how on earth was Ji Weiqiu supposed to move those hundreds of thousands of taels of gold?

Ji Weiqiu sat in the carriage, turning his head to look with a somewhat grave expression at the large, roughly one-meter-tall mahogany box beside him—that's right, all the silver banknotes were inside, stuffed to the brim. Two more notes and the lid wouldn't close.

"This subject pays his respects to the Prince!" Gao Yong leaped off his horse, strode imposingly to the front of Ji Weiqiu's carriage, and bowed with his hands clasped, saying, "This subject is willing to escort the Prince back to the capital!"

Although Ji Weiqiu was the one who said it, by the time the message reached Gao Yong, it had become a suggestion from Censor Liu, whom Gao Yong had thanked with a hefty sum of silver banknotes. Gao Yong was overjoyed at the time, and his adjutant later said that it was truly worthy of the top scholar who achieved a triple first three years ago. This move was simply brilliant!

How could it not be considered brilliant?

Censor Liu said he would put in a good word back in the capital, but it was already a fact that Cao Zhiyu had fallen. His crime of colluding with Cao Zhiyu was also a fact. The imperial court was most wary of collusion between the military and the government, so who knew what the future held? After all, the Emperor's intentions were hard to fathom!

But if he could safely escort the Prince of Rui back to the capital, the Prince of Rui would naturally feel indebted to him. The Prince of Rui's status in the Emperor's heart was self-evident. He would have performed a genuine service. Although his merits and demerits couldn't completely cancel each other out, with a few good words from the Prince of Rui, he probably wouldn't suffer the disaster of having his house confiscated and his clan exterminated!

He, old Gao, just wanted to make some money and live a good life; he had no intention of establishing himself as a king. Besides, Huainan was a hundred and eight thousand li from the border. If he killed the Prince of Rui, even if he were given extra legs, he wouldn't be able to escape! And even if he did escape, what about his whole family?

His old mother was celebrating her seventieth birthday next year, and he planned to make it a grand affair! As long as he could stabilize his position this time, his old mother's imperial title would definitely be promoted another rank next year! Then she would be the most prestigious old lady in all of Huainan!

He had been bewitched before! Gao Yong glared resentfully at Cao Zhiyu in the prisoner's cage nearby. 'Damn it all!' At the time, he had sounded so reliable. He had thought, 'Isn't it just a Platoon Commander's post? So what if I give it to him!' Seeing that glittering gold, his heart had been moved. Who could have expected to be caught so quickly!

After getting through this ordeal, if he ever got entangled with civil officials again, he would be a dog! He would be a dog in his next life too!

Ji Weiqiu showed no emotion, saying slowly, "Then I will have to trouble Lord Gao."

Gao Yong saw the Prince of Rui lower the curtain, his every move inexplicably pleasing to the eye. Then he heard the person inside give orders to fetch a brush and ink. That effeminate little eunuch hastily delivered them, and after only a few breaths, came back down. Holding a dark green memorial, he scurried over to the censors' carriage. In no time, he brought the memorial before Gao Yong, who asked in confusion, "This is?"

Mian Li, with a neutral expression, said, "Is Lord Gao confused? Garrisoned troops in any region are not allowed to leave their posts without orders; otherwise, it is treated as treason. Without a handwritten order from the Prince, how could Lord Gao escort the Prince back to the capital?"

He continued, "Why aren't you taking it, Lord Gao? Quickly have your scribe write it up. It can only be issued after confirming there are no errors."

Gao Yong quickly took it and opened it. Inside, it stated who had ordered him, Gao Yong, to provide the escort, the reason why, how many troops to dispatch, how to handle the handover, who would remain behind to temporarily assume his position, and even specified that it needed to be signed and fingerprinted. Gao Yong got a headache just looking at it and handed the memorial to his adjutant. The adjutant took it, pulled out a brush, and started writing. Fortunately, the adjutant designated to stay behind had also come along, so there was no need to make another trip back and forth.

After signing and fingerprinting it, he handed it to Mian Li. Mian Li first took it to the censors' carriage. After Censors Wu and Liu had verified the document, Censor Liu got out of the carriage. He didn't do anything, just stood by the roadside. Immediately after, the order was given to set out.

Gao Yong gave a shout for his men to follow, surrounding the convoy tightly from front, back, left, and right. He and his adjutant guarded the front and rear respectively. Ji Weiqiu lifted the curtain to look, then said to Mian Li, "They are all elite soldiers."

The soldiers who had come to guard weren't necessarily all burly and robust, but their formidable prowess was visible at a glance. They looked straight ahead as they moved, their steps were uniform and synchronized, there was no whispering among them, and they exuded an indescribable killing aura. They could naturally be considered elite soldiers.

Mian Li said, "Lord Gao is fighting for his life here. Of course he has to spare no expense."

Ji Weiqiu crossed his legs, one hand resting on his knee. His sleeve flowed down his leg like water. He smiled and said, "It seems there's some truth to him saying he loves his soldiers like his own sons."

If he didn't love his soldiers like his own sons, he truly couldn't have trained such men. Often, soldiers were also called official bandits; they were called soldiers, but were actually bandits. If the commanding general's discipline was lax, he would only end up with a gang of ruffian-like official bandits. Furthermore, the poor do not practice martial arts. Practicing martial arts requires tempering the body, and without an abundant supply of meat to replenish one's essence and energy, one would be tempering their very foundation, making it absolutely impossible to develop such a formidable physique.

Mian Li seemingly averted his gaze inadvertently. 'Should I say it or not? Why has the Prince become more and more like the Emperor since leaving the palace? Forget it, I'd better not say anything. After all, they are blood brothers and have spent time together. As the Prince grows older, it's not strange for things that weren't apparent in his youth to emerge now.'

In reality, Ji Weiqiu's mind was full of: 'I'm so awesome for coming up with this plan!'

It was a good thing he hadn't gone directly to the barracks to arrest people. If he had just gone like that, and Gao Yong had decided to risk it all, with so many elite soldiers swarming him, it would have been considered merciful if they didn't trample him into meat paste!

Gao Yong had already advanced a considerable distance. He looked back and saw that Censor Liu was still standing in the same spot. Only after the last garrison soldier had joined the procession did he get into his carriage. Not long after, he saw a servant deliver the dark green memorial to the Prince of Rui's carriage, and then bring it to him. Gao Yong opened the memorial, and before he could see anything clearly, he saw the bright red princely seal pressed at the very end of the text.

Seeing this, he first breathed a sigh of relief. Only then was he in the mood to look carefully. Besides what the adjutant had written earlier, a few more names had been added. Notably, Censor Liu had pressed three fingerprints over the number of troops, filling the entire line for the quantity, leaving absolutely no room for modification.

Gao Yong put away the memorial, tucking it preciously into his inner robes against his body—this was his life-saving guarantee. Otherwise, the mere act of stepping out of Huainan would be enough to have his entire family beheaded at the public execution ground!

Gao Yong then saw a formidable and valiant man approach the Prince of Rui's carriage to receive orders. The man immediately took an identical dark green memorial, mounted a horse, and rode off. A banner on the horse fluttered, inscribed with '600 Li Express'.

It was probably being sent back to Yanjing one step ahead.

'So damn meticulous!'

Perhaps because they knew Cao Zhiyu was being escorted today, many commoners came to watch. Some gossips informed others about what crimes Prefect Cao had committed and how much embezzled silver was found in his home. It was unknown who started it, but rotten vegetables and smelly eggs were thrown at him. Even the few prisoner cages following behind, carrying his family members, were not spared, and the soldiers guarding them also suffered as innocent bystanders.

Ji Weiqiu didn't say anything like "everyone stand back" to let the commoners have their fill of throwing things—what a joke. What if assassins rushed out to rescue the prisoner after everyone moved away? Wouldn't that be sending the man right to the assassins? Besides, the assassins might not be there to rescue the prisoner, but to kill him. Whether Cao Zhiyu lived or died had to be decided by the Emperor after returning to the capital. If he died here, Ji Weiqiu would be out of luck.

In the end, it would be a dereliction of duty, and a perfectly good accomplishment would be halved for no reason.

Things finally improved after leaving the city gates. When Ji Weiqiu saw a water source, he ordered the convoy to stop and rest. Everyone took the opportunity to quickly wash the smelly fish, rotten shrimp, egg bits, and vegetable leaves off themselves. Because the palace's female officials and maids were in their carriages, and the criminal official's family members didn't need to be considered, the men were all bare-chested. The sunlight today happened to be perfect, shimmering on their formidable muscles.

Sometimes, Ji Weiqiu really felt his moral compass might be too strong. Otherwise, with his status, a hundred might be an exaggeration, but having eight or ten male favorites wouldn't be excessive, right? That certain someone was just a fourth-rank Vice Minister, and he had a full thirty-two concubines at home!

Even so, Ji Weiqiu was very honest and watched for a while.

'What's wrong with looking!'

Mian Li, who saw this from the side, thought Ji Weiqiu was looking at the scenery and said, "These men are truly improper! This servant will go and scold them to put their clothes on!"

Ji Weiqiu laughed, "What's wrong with it? It's not easy being covered in smelly eggs. If we don't let them wash up, how are we supposed to survive this journey? ...Mian Li, tell me, where did the commoners get so many smelly eggs?"

Eggs were a precious commodity in this era. Even in modern times, they only became cheap in the last twenty or thirty years. How could they produce so many smelly eggs all at once?

Upon hearing this, Mian Li also started laughing, "Your Highness might not know this, but the commoners are reluctant to eat the eggs they have. When the weather gets hot, they naturally spoil quickly. It was just a coincidence. If they had waited until the weather was cooler, there probably would have only been rotten vegetable leaves."

Ji Weiqiu still didn't understand, "They know the eggs are about to spoil, but they still don't eat them?"

This question was too complicated to explain, so Mian Li just said, "Sometimes, if the timing is off, that's just how it is."

Ji Weiqiu didn't press the matter further. After about an hour, everyone had taken advantage of the best sunlight to dry their clothes before setting out again. As for the prisoners, naturally, no one cared for them. The smell of rotten eggs drifted over on the wind like a biochemical weapon. Ji Weiqiu couldn't help but give an order to fetch them a few buckets of water and let them handle it themselves.

Perhaps because there were many more people on the return journey, Ji Weiqiu felt less comfortable than when he came, so he stayed cooped up in the carriage, too lazy to go out.

Two days later, upon reaching the border of Huainan Prefecture, Gao Yong took out the memorial again and carefully reread it. He then showed it to his adjutant. Only after confirming there were no issues did he lead his men across the border.

After traveling for another half a day, the newly appointed Prefect and Garrison Commander of Quanzhou Prefecture came to greet and escort them. The two of them paid their respects to Ji Weiqiu and escorted him for a stretch of the journey—sometimes Ji Weiqiu felt he was overthinking things. With this level of security, if one really wanted to assassinate him, they would need to hire a peerless master, right?

It would be truly difficult for ordinary assassins to get near the prisoner's cage. Unless... archers?

The next section of the road ahead was more difficult to traverse. They hadn't taken this road on their way here. With fewer people, they had taken a narrower but faster mountain path that cut straight through the mountains. At that time, Ji Weiqiu had abandoned his carriage, and everyone had ridden horses. But now, with so many people and prisoner cages, the small mountain path was clearly unsuitable. They had to go around the foot of the mountain.

Ji Weiqiu instructed, "Please have Lord Gao be careful."

Ji Weiqiu always had a bad premonition in his heart. It was too smooth, far too smooth. Of course, it might just be him, but he always felt that something was about to happen here—Cao Zhiyu knew too much. To prevent him from revealing more after reaching the capital, finding a chance to have him die on the road would be the best option.

That no one had made a move yet truly made him suspicious.

Perhaps from spending too much time with Ji Su, Ji Weiqiu couldn't help but overthink things a little. He stared at the mountain cliff beside them, thinking that this road was perfect for it. Archers could hide above and shoot arrows down. The soldiers would have a hard time climbing this near-vertical cliff. Even if they made it up, their numbers would be limited, and by then, the enemy might have already retreated. It would be very difficult to handle.

'Oh right, at a time like this, I not only have to guard against those coming to kill the prisoner, but also against those coming to kidnap me, the Prince of Rui. The enemy is in the dark while I am in the open. God knows if that damn False King will choose this moment to get involved? To take advantage of the chaos, to take me away—it would be unreasonable not to even try for such an opportunity!'

"Zhou Qing." Ji Weiqiu called out. Zhou Qing spurred his horse forward. Ji Weiqiu gestured with his chin toward the cliff, "Is there someone up there keeping watch?"

Zhou Qing clasped his hands and said, "Rest assured, Your Highness. We've already sent a few men with good lightness skills up there to keep watch."

"That's good." Ji Weiqiu sighed in relief. He even felt a trace of resentment—since Ji Su already knew the False King was around, why did he have to take the easy way out and try to get them all in one go? Couldn't he have dealt with the False King first? That would have saved him from worrying day in and day out.

This mountain road wasn't like the one Ji Weiqiu and the others had traversed in a single day. Going around the mountain would take two to three days at least. Ji Weiqiu thought that being constantly afraid wasn't a solution, so, fearing for his life, he had Mian Li install two mechanisms in his carriage and packed some items to keep on his person.

He didn't just put a dagger in his left boot, but one in his right boot too! He strapped a utility belt to his thigh and tucked a thin, light knife into it. Seeing there was still space, Ji Weiqiu also cut some silk, soaked it in medicinal liquid, waited for it to air-dry, then wrapped it in oil paper, folded it into small, thin squares, and stuffed them into the belt.

Mian Li didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "If you're worried, couldn't this servant just pack a small medicine box for you? What's the point of all this?"

Ji Weiqiu waved his hand, "What do you know? If someone really comes to assassinate me, I won't even have time to escape, let alone carry a medicine box? Where would I hang it? It would fall off no matter where I put it. This is better. I'll just tie it to my leg. Even if I don't end up using it, do you think I, your Prince, would be heartbroken over a little medicine?"

Mian Li laughed even more heartily, but thought to himself, 'His Highness has lived a pampered life of gold and jade. I'm afraid the assassination attempt on the canal last time really frightened him. Otherwise, with so many troops protecting him, how would he have thought of this?'

Ji Weiqiu instructed again, "Mian Li, embed a few iron plates into the roof of the carriage."

Mian Li was silent for a long while before saying, "Your Highness, our roof is already cast iron."

Ji Weiqiu: "...Ah?"

"The four walls are as well." Mian Li stood up, tiptoed, and pulled aside a corner of the brocade covering the outside. He then moved aside the cotton padding and wooden planks, revealing the innermost iron frame arranged in a diamond pattern. It was quite dense, one had to admit. An arrow would have to be incredibly lucky to get through.

Ji Weiqiu, with a calm expression and a steady heart, replied, "...Oh, I see."

Mian Li watched as his Prince leisurely lay down again. He couldn't help but turn away and chuckle softly. He took out a wooden box with many small compartments and packed some common medicines inside. Considering the abundance of snakes, insects, rats, and ants in the mountains, he also added a packet of snake and insect repellent powder at the very bottom. Then, thinking of the strap Ji Weiqiu wanted for his leg, he attached two buckles to the side of the wooden box so it could also be strapped to an arm or a leg.

He glanced at the Shadow Guards mingled with the Qingxuan Guard outside—'The Prince hasn't been seen talking to anyone! If he didn't talk to them, where did he learn such sneaky things?'

It was usually them who used such small, portable items.

On the second day of traveling around the mountain, the group rested by a water source. After eating, Ji Weiqiu was in no mood to go for a walk—the bugs were truly something else. There were kinds you couldn't even imagine! Just now, Ji Weiqiu had personally seen a mosquito at least the size of his palm slowly fly away. He was so frightened he didn't even have time to pull down the bamboo curtain, fearing the thing would fly in and suck his brains dry.

There were too many people in the entourage, and many were washing downstream. Seeing so many people, Ji Weiqiu really couldn't be bothered to go down and bathe—damn it, he hadn't bathed in three days! He felt like he was going sour! Once they were out of the mountains, the next stop would be a posthouse. He would definitely take a long bath then!

So how on earth did those heroes in white clothes manage to stay fresh and clean while eating in the wind and sleeping in the dew? He, who sat in a carriage all day, felt his hair was greasy enough to shine.

He fiddled with the utility belt on his leg, then strapped on the medicine box Mian Li had given him. Better safe than sorry. In broad daylight, with strong soldiers and horses, it wasn't easy for them to escape. The assassins would most likely strike at night. After all, most people would be sleeping at that time, and their response would be slower, increasing the assassins' chance of success.

'—Since they're assassins, their eyesight is probably good. They shouldn't have night blindness.'

The night was deep, and Ji Weiqiu had already fallen asleep in the carriage. In a daze, he seemed to have dreamed of something but couldn't recall what. As his consciousness was hazy, he suddenly heard an extremely unusual whistling of wind pass by the carriage. Ji Weiqiu was instantly jolted awake. He shook Mian Li awake, clamped a hand over his mouth, and pressed a finger to his own lips, "Shh... Is that a sound?"

Mian Li's dazed eyes quickly cleared. He whispered, "Should I go down and take a look?"

"No need." Ji Weiqiu used his eyes to gesture toward the mechanism on the door, indicating for Mian Li to lower the iron gate if the situation called for it. This way, if assassins wanted to abduct him, they would have to carry away the entire carriage.

Before Mian Li could act, a sharp whistle suddenly sounded outside, and someone shouted, "Assassins!"

The entire camp lit up in an instant. Almost everyone rushed back to their posts at that moment. Zhou Qing and his men, leading the Qingxuan Guard, were already protecting both sides of Ji Weiqiu's carriage. He shouted, "Prince, there are stray arrows! Please do not exit the carriage!"

Mian Li immediately activated the mechanism to lower the iron gate, securing it with a large lock. He, Zhou Qing, and Ji Weiqiu each had a key. Ji Weiqiu maintained a calm demeanor, but in reality, his heart was pounding like a drum. He asked, "Where are they coming from? What about the men on the mountain?"

Zhou Qing, holding his saber, watched his surroundings vigilantly and said in a cold voice, "I'm afraid it's not good. I saw a signal flash just now, but there's been no movement since."

There was no telling how many had come or how skilled they were in martial arts. Zhou Qing had sent at least four men up the mountain, yet they had only managed to send a single signal?

Ji Weiqiu's worst fear had actually come true—in a place like this, archers were the most feared. The mountain cliff was easy to defend and hard to attack, and it occupied the high ground. As long as the archers had good eyesight and aim, what was the difference between that and holding a sniper rifle?

Ji Weiqiu said, "Keep an eye on Cao Zhiyu."

Zhou Qing said, "Yes, Your Highness!"

What Ji Weiqiu didn't see was that a dozen or so soldiers holding shields had already formed a circle around the prisoner's cage, their shields raised to form an impenetrable wall. No matter how skilled the archers were, how could they pierce through shields of fine iron?

The turmoil passed quickly. Sitting in his carriage, Ji Weiqiu heard Zhou Qing say, "Your Highness, the men have fled... We caught a few, but they committed suicide."

Ji Weiqiu twitched the corner of his mouth, "How are our brothers on the mountain?"

Zhou Qing said, "Their bodies have been found. All were killed by a single strike."

Ji Weiqiu slowly let out a breath, "Give them a proper burial. When we get to the posthouse after leaving the mountains, have someone send them back to Yanjing ahead of the rest. My Prince of Rui's Manor will take care of all the arrangements."

A trace of some inexplicable emotion entered Zhou Qing's voice. He bowed his head and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Ji Weiqiu did not reply. He lifted the carriage curtain, glanced at Cao Zhiyu in the distance, and saw that he was fine. Then he saw the arrows buried three inches deep in the ground nearby and said, "We'll have to trouble Lord Cao a little."

Zhou Qing paused, "Your Highness, please give your orders."

Ji Weiqiu said, "Raise the shields and surround him."

With such skilled archers around, who knew if they had left? The forest was so large. If that person was following them, and shot a sneak arrow at any moment, who could possibly block it in that instant?

Ji Weiqiu felt something was wrong, but he just couldn't put his finger on what it was. He was silent for a moment before saying, "Do this for now. Also... Zhou Qing, protect me."

Zhou Qing nodded in assent. This was their most fundamental task. What did it matter if Cao Zhiyu died? At worst, they would be charged by the Emperor for handling matters poorly. But if something were to happen to His Highness the Prince of Rui here, every single person present, without exception, could forget about living.

Ji Weiqiu sat in the carriage, composing himself. Suddenly, he realized what was wrong—if they wanted to kill Cao Zhiyu, why didn't they just shoot him dead with a sneak arrow just now?

...Perhaps, maybe, he had just jinxed it.

He thought: 'They're probably not the same group of people.'