Dusk.
The twilight was like wine, and the evening drum was sounding in the Imperial Capital, reaching the seventy-second beat.
When it reaches eight hundred beats, the sky turns dark, the nine gates close and lock the city, and one cannot enter or exit without docunts from the Six Ministries.
Outside Anding Gate of the Imperial Capital, citizens returning ho stopped before the city gates.
There were scholars carrying book boxes and strong n pulling coal carts, all pressing against the drumbeats to return to the city, yet they unwittingly gathered before the gates, looking at the capture order posted on the city wall.
A middle-aged literate scholar slowly read aloud: "The criminal Chen Ji attempted to assassinate the Crown Prince, registered in Shuntian Prefecture, aged eighteen…"
Soone exclaid: "Assassinate the Crown Prince? Such audacity!"
The middle-aged scholar furrowed his brow: "Without manners, people are no different from beasts; disorder leads to the nation's downfall. Allow to finish reading, no understanding of rules!"
The strong man pulling the coal cart replied sullenly: "Read, you read…"
The middle-aged scholar continued slowly reading: "… Height five feet nine inches, as thin as a crane, a sesa-sized black mole at the corner of the left eye. A reward of fifty thousand for those who report treason."
There was a thunderous uproar from the crowd: "Whoa, fifty thousand!"
"Such a huge reward, do you think this kid's life is more valuable, or is the ransom of the Eight Great Hutongs' top courtesan more valuable?"
"It should be the top courtesan, right? I heard early on that soone paid eighty thousand silver taels to ransom Liu Xingshou of Jinling, and the offer was refused…"
"Are you kidding? Eighty thousand and still refused? Eighty thousand could buy the Forbidden City!"
"Get lost! If you want to die, don't drag down with you!"
The middle-aged scholar saw them all babbling nonsense, and imdiately turned away in anger: "Ignorant peasants!"
At this mont, the crowd below suddenly heard the peculiar sound of iron chain and winch, and the middle-aged man quickly looked up at the towering city wall.
On the city wall, the long unmoved Divine Machine Crossbow slowly turned, pointing to the northern official road.
Everyone instinctively turned back to look at the official road, where they saw a young man spurring a horse forward, seemingly pressing against the drumbeat, with an unconscious person slumped over the horse.
Amidst the spring's cold winds, the young man's warhorse was drenched in sweat, with misty white vapor wafting in the wind. Under the twilight, the vapor appeared faintly purple, like flowing cloud falls.
On the city wall, soone shouted loudly: "Halt!"
The young man continued without slowing, and the crossbow above the city wall followed him slowly turning.
Soone behind the wall shouted again: "Halt, or be killed without rcy!"
The young man's expression was serious, responding loudly: "I am Chen Ji from Fuyou Street, capturing Liao Zhong to return to the capital for trial. If you dare not use this Divine Machine Crossbow, then move it aside!"
His voice was loud, piercing over a hundred feet, and the person on the wall paused, with soone faintly instructing from behind the parapet: "Close the gates and lock them."
The infantry of the Five Cities Military Departnt hesitated: "Master, we can't, the eighty hundred beats of the evening drum haven't finished yet; closing the gates now could cost heads!"
The person speaking said sternly: "Close! Do not let him have a chance to enter the city tonight!"
The infantry murmured: "For such a small salary you want to risk losing my head? Whoever wants to close can close, we won't."
Rules.
The rules of the Imperial Capital are the thresholds of life and death.
Seeing the gate couldn't be shut from the city wall, soone imdiately instructed the Anding Gate guard next to him: "Hold him off, wait for the drumbeat to finish, and then leave him outside the gate!"
The next mont, inside the city, the rustling sound of the Five Cities Military Departnt infantry running in their pristine armor started, forming an array darkly running out of the gate.
The infantry held long spears, establishing a wall of guns before the city gate.
At the four hundred and tenth beat of the evening drum, Chen Ji finally slowed his horse as he reached the city gate. Listening to the drumbeat, he looked up, seeing crossbown on the wall drawing their bowstrings, the black iron arrowheads glinting coldly.
A Vice General in armor spoke sternly from behind the line of spears: "Surrender, and you can plead your case to the Spy Departnt; if you move forward, you will be killed without rcy!"
The Five Cities Military Departnt stood in their spotless armor, under the shadow of the city wall.
Chen Ji, his horse stationary in the bloody sunset, the sun's light highlighting his defined face and tousled hair.
The gate guard infantry then saw clearly that the young man's clothes were soaked with blood, his arm wrapped in gray cloth also stained with red, with splashes of blood on his face.
At this mont, before the forest of dense spears, Chen Ji calmly said: "This is not your matter; move aside."
The infantry instinctively glanced back at the Vice General in the city gate, none expecting Chen Ji to be even calr than them.
The Vice General coldly replied: "You are the wanted criminal on the capture warrant; don't say such reckless words."
Chen Ji wiped dry blood from his face with the back of his hand, responding carelessly: "Soone has frad as the principal in the Crown Prince's assassination. I caught the real culprit, and you won't let bring them into the city for trial. Could it be... you're an accomplice?"
The Vice General's expression changed: "Do not slander !"
Matter involves the Crown Prince, Prince Fu, the Chen family of Fuyou Street; whoever kills Chen Ji now bears the bla of silencing to cover truth… one's guilt is light, but with slight negligence, perhaps the nine tribes could be exterminated.
The Vice General, stern yet inwardly afraid, commanded: "Quickly dismount, or be killed without rcy!"
Killed without rcy…
Chen Ji had already lost count of how many tis he heard 'killed without rcy' these days: "My ears are about to get calluses… Want to wait till the evening drum ends? Go ahead, try."
At the seven hundred and fifty-eighth beat of the evening drum, Chen Ji pulled the reins and pressed forward into the gate, the infantry forming the gun wall actually retreating under his pressure.
The Vice General shouted: "Crossbown, prepare!"
Behind him, the crossbown pulled their bowstrings, the sinew strings creaking to intimidate.
Yet Chen Ji's horse kept moving, slowing pressing forward, coldly staring at the crossbown: "If you want to annihilate the nine tribes, shoot."
The crossbown instinctively lowered their arrowheads.
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