novelSusiti Chapter 16, Week 4, Quietly
Chapter 16, Week 4, Quietly
Zhu Zaizhen twisted and patted.
Qiu Fu, feeling humiliated, glared and tried to suppress his anger, even reaching out with one hand to stop them, causing his enraged subordinates to also endure!
well.
Zhu Zaizhen was very satisfied.
He rinsed the hand that had been used to slap Zhang Juzheng in Qiu Fu's teacup, then turned to Zhang Juzheng and said, "See? I wasn't wrong. These charlatans, maybe the lower ranks are brainwashed, but the higher-ups are full of selfish desires. If they're afraid of death, they should just admit it. Why pretend?"
Zhang Juzheng cupped his hands in praise and said, "Your Highness is wise beyond my ability."
Qiu Fu...
He forced a sinister smile.
He also praised, "Your Highness is wise beyond my comprehension. Now, is there any difficulty in fulfilling my request?"
Zhu Zaizhen: "I don't have it, but I'm afraid you do."
Chiu Fu: "What do you mean?"
Zhu Zaizhen's gaze passed through the courtyard and looked into the distance. He said quietly, "If you want to escape, you should at least escape this house first."
Outside the Zhang residence.
In the teahouse across the street, Shen Dianzhang was drinking tea with four of his brothers. They usually drank tea until late at night, usually before curfew.
Because the prince had just come out at that time.
But today was slightly different. As dusk settled, a group of men in tight-fitting clothes burst into the teahouse, shouting, "Go and summon the Prince immediately!"
Shen Dianzhang was surprised. "Isn't this inappropriate, Lao Liu? It's not time yet..."
"Shut up."
The person who coldly reprimanded him was not Captain Liu, whom he had known for the past few days as a fellow guard, but a short, stocky, dark-skinned man. Without saying much, the man raised his waist token, and Shen Dianzhang, recognizing the inscription, hurriedly stood up, clasped his hands, and bowed: "Greetings, Your Excellency!"
Commander Zhou Jing, who was also the Director of the Eastern Office, repeated, "Go and summon Prince Jing."
"yes!"
"I'll go immediately!"
Watching the guards of the Prince's mansion run away, Zhou Jing's eyes were filled with gloom. If the head guard found out that he had chased the demons and brought them to the home of this Hanlin compiler... it wouldn't matter if the Hanlin compiler died, but if Prince Jing lost a single hair, he would be buried with him!
I just hope I'm being overly pessimistic, and that things can't possibly be that coincidental...
but.
What you fear most is what comes to pass.
The guards from the Prince's Mansion pounded on the gate for a long time, but the gate of the Zhang residence remained unmoved. Without anyone saying a word, the surrounding Imperial Guards all changed color, their hands and feet turning ice-cold with fear.
Zhou Jing's face turned ashen, and he spat out through gritted teeth, "Surround them! Don't let a single fly escape!"
Inside the mansion, the expected flurry of footsteps did not arrive. After the knocking on the door, the people in the courtyard could hear nothing at all—literally, not a sound.
It was quiet all around.
The children playing, the pedestrians making noise, the crowing of chickens and barking of dogs that had been on the street all disappeared. Even the chirping of insects and birds was gone. The surroundings were eerily quiet, so quiet that it made people uneasy.
The White Lotus Cult members, who had previously glared fiercely, now gripped their blades tightly, their eyes filled with fear and unease, as if someone had grabbed them by the throat!
Qiu Fu looked up at the sky and muttered to himself, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard is here."
Zhu Zaizhen sensed it.
After waiting for a quarter of an hour, when it was completely dark, Qiu Fu finally stopped waiting. He took a deep breath, stepped back a step, and bowed to Zhu Zaizhen, saying, "Your Highness, please."
Zhu Zaizhen didn't move. "There's no need to bring the others. Ten thousand subjects are not worth one of me. The Embroidered Uniform Guard won't care about them. Bringing them along would only be a burden."
Qiu Fu's eyes flashed, and he was ready to act. There was no time for him to hesitate. After thinking for a moment, he agreed!
Several members of the Zhang family were pushed away.
Two servants hurriedly helped the lady away. The women and children left, but Zhang Juzheng did not.
Standing beside Zhu Zaizhen, he said, word by word, "I am a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) of the 26th year of the Jiajing reign, a compiler in the Hanlin Academy, and a candidate for a high-ranking official in one of the Six Ministries of the Ming Dynasty, as well as a regional governor. I am not a burden!"
Upon hearing this, Madam Gu immediately understood her husband's thoughts and burst into tears.
Qiu Fu ignored everyone else and stared directly at Zhu Zaizhen, "Your Highness, you heard that? He didn't want to leave!"
Zhu Zaizhen remained silent, his gaze unwavering. He tapped the folding fan in his hand and sighed.
"Alright, let's go!"
The gates of the mansion were wide open. Two burly men wielding broadswords led the way, with the rest gathered behind them. Zhang Juzheng was on the side, and Zhu Zaizhen was in the middle. As soon as they stepped out, they saw torches everywhere, and the streets and alleys were lined with people dressed in black.
Two people stood out in front of the gate. One was short and stocky, dressed in a standard flying fish robe and carrying an embroidered spring knife.
The other one, wearing official boots and a python robe, was tall and robust with fiery red skin.
Standing before everyone else.
He simply stood there quietly, and Zhu Zaizhen could hear the sudden heavy breathing of the White Lotus followers around him.
The standoff seemed to last a moment, yet also felt incredibly long. When Qiu Fu opened his mouth again, his voice was hoarse.
"We need a way to survive!"
"for you."
"We need a carriage with sixteen horses!"
"Can."
"We need to leave the city!"
"OK."
After Qiu Fu finished stating his conditions, the man in the python robe agreed to them all, appearing relaxed and nonchalant.
Only after confirming that there was nothing more to say did he bow and clasp his hands in a salute: "Your subject Lu Bing, the guards are late, and Your Highness has been frightened."
Lu Bing, Left Commander-in-Chief, was in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
A person's name, a tree's shadow.
As soon as he finished speaking, the person blocking Zhu Zaizhen seemed to be stung by the other's gaze and instinctively moved away. When Zhu Zaizhen met the eyes of this emperor's wet nurse brother, the guard Lu who had saved the emperor many times, he couldn't help but secretly admire: What a powerful presence!
After praising them, he laughed loudly and said, "What are you saying, Commander Lu? These White Lotus Sect sisters are beautiful, kind-hearted, and speak so sweetly. I'm not surprised at all!"
"That's good."
Lu Bing straightened up and waved his hand.
Horses and carriages were all led to the gate, and the streets at both ends were wide open for people to come and go as they pleased.
In this process of moving from stillness to movement, accidents are most likely to happen. The group of White Lotus followers were also extra vigilant. The monk Zhi Ren, with a face full of scars, held a short axe, and the tip of the axe never left Zhu Zaizhen's waist by even half an inch!
Fortunately.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard made no unusual move.
They mounted their horses, entered the carriage, left the street, and headed north along the main street, rushing towards the northern city.
As night fell, the capital city entered curfew early tonight. The people were unaware of the reason, but some households along the street secretly watched as a dozen or so fast horses galloped around a carriage, trying to make their way.
Behind it, countless light cavalrymen patrolled, like sharks lurking behind, waiting for their chance to strike.
The sound of horses' hooves echoed.
The wheels creaked and groaned.
Four people were crammed into the cramped carriage: Qiu Fu, Zhi Ren, and the monk on the left, and Zhu Zaizhen and Zhang Juzheng on the right. Under these circumstances, the Imperial Guards behind them would not fire arrows indiscriminately, which was exactly what Qiu Fu wanted.
The monk Zhiren abandoned his long staff and held only a short axe, the blade extended forward, pointing at Zhu Zaizhen. His bull-like eyes stared intently at him, as if he were about to be struck by the axe at the slightest sign of trouble.
The car was quiet and oppressive.
The shadows of houses flashed by outside the car, but the group did not slow down and headed straight north to Deshengmen!