Chapter 587: Open Gate, Life Gate, Rest Gate |
Night fell.
Tonight, the capital city was even more bustling than during the day.
The Yuanjue Temple's Bodhisattva Ceremonial Procession started from the Inner City. Monks carried the three-zhang-high Sumeru Pedestal, walking along Jade River Street. Following behind the procession were countless commoners, holding Incense in their hands and chanting the Buddha's name, converging into a winding fire dragon.
The Outer City was an even greater mountain and sea of people. Those selling Cornelian Cherry, those selling Chrysanthemum Wine, those selling Double Ninth Cakes; those carrying shoulder poles, those pushing carts, those setting up stalls, squeezing the entire street so tightly that not even water could leak through.
Some people bought Cornelian Cherry and pinned it to their lapels. There were children holding wooden windmills weaving in and out of the crowd, drawing continuous reprimands from adults.
Only Taiye Pool was quiet.
Two horse carriages stopped not far from Taiye Pool. After the coachman confirmed there was no one around, only then did he knock on the carriage compartment.
The carriage curtain was lifted, and four robust men Filed Out One By One. All wore Bamboo Hats on their heads, black clothes on their bodies, and Hand Crossbows hanging at their waists, completely indistinguishable from the attire of secret spies.
Inside the carriage compartment, Bai Li, wearing a Daoist robe, quietly watched Lü Qi and the other three Four Beams and Eight Pillars get off the carriage, checking each other's attire to see if there were any flaws.
Bai Li raised her eyes to look at them: "The Directorate of Ceremonial's Inner Prison is not that simple. If the matter is impossible to accomplish, preserve yourselves first."
The several men who were checking their Hand Crossbows all paused their movements for a moment.
The leader was named Chen Huaibei, the oldest among the Canal Transport Guild's Four Beams and Eight Pillars, forty-three years old this year.
He raised his head and glanced at Bai Li. That gaze only swept lightly before lowering again: "The Guild Master worries too much. We are not some makeshift amateur troupe."
While inserting the Crossbow Bolt back into his waist, he said in a calm tone: "Our Canal Transport Guild also hasn't been idle these years. As for the matter of the Inner Prison only recognizing the Waist Plaque and not the person, we have tested it many times. Our Waist Plaque is real. As long as we knock the door open, the rest is just fighting our way in and fighting our way back out."
The tall and thin man beside him named Zheng Zhou nodded along, speaking in a fine, soft voice: "Guild Master, the time when the Trouble-Resolving Guard changes shifts, the patrol routes of the Secret Spy Division at night, how many doors there are inside the Inner Prison, how far apart each door is, how long it takes for reinforcements to arrive once an incident occurs, we have figured all of these out clearly. This Eunuch Faction's Inner Prison also isn't anything extraordinary; wasn't the Luo City Inner Prison also broken into by people last year... When we were licking blood from the edges of our blades following the Old Guild Master, the Guild Master wasn't even born yet."
With Chen Huaibei and Zheng Zhou singing a duet, Lü Qi's expression changed. Just as he was about to speak, his sleeve was tugged by the last of the Four Beams and Eight Pillars.
Chen Huaibei tidied up his attire and took off his Bamboo Hat, revealing that face blown by river winds for decades, wrinkles like a dried-up riverbed, crisscrossing horizontally and vertically: "Guild Master, please do not blame us. Zheng Zhou and I followed the Old Guild Master Traveling Far and Wide since we were fifteen. With him in trouble, the two of us couldn't avoid saying the wrong things in a moment of anxiety... It's just that the Guild Master is young in age, yet a bit small in courage. When our Canal Transport Guild started out, which time wasn't rolling over the tips of blades? If everyone was like the Guild Master, fearing the wolf in front and the tiger behind, we would have been eaten completely clean by others long ago. The Guild Master is still young, it's better to just wait here quietly. Nothing will happen."
Bai Li looked at Chen Huaibei and Zheng Zhou, then looked at the silent Lü Qi and Tian Kuang.
The meritorious subjects of the past all possessed selfish motives now. With the current complexity of the Canal Transport Guild, perhaps even Han Tong himself couldn't sort it out clearly.
The Canal Transport Guild was a group of dragons without a leader. No matter who took power, there would be people who were unconvinced. But the Wen family's grace and majesty were still present. As long as Bai Li changed her name to Wen Baili and stepped forward, at the very least, no one would say anything explicitly.
Yet at this time Bai Li was young and easily bullied, which was precisely the opportunity to use the Son of Heaven to command the Feudal Lords.
Right at this moment, Tian Kuang also muttered softly: "If it weren't for that Eunuch Faction member Chen Ji, how would the Old Guild Master be deeply trapped in the Inner Prison? These past two days the Guild Master went around having fun with that Eunuch Faction member, and today even personally cooked a meal for that Eunuch Faction member; it truly makes people's minds muddled."
Lü Qi's expression changed: "What nonsense are you spouting?"
Tian Kuang sneered: "Did I say something wrong?"
Bai Li slowly opened her mouth: "I was just kindly reminding you earlier. Since everyone has prepared properly, then go quickly and return quickly. I will provide support here."
The four of them exchanged a glance, put on their Bamboo Hats properly, pulled the brims low, and walked toward the depths of Taiye Pool.
When they arrived at the artificial rockery outside Qionghua Island, the four of them simultaneously tensed their bodies. A Secret Spy Division hidden sentry flashed out from behind the rockery, aiming a Crossbow at them: "Who goes there?"
Chen Huaibei raised the Waist Plaque in his hand: "Gyrfalcon Zhang Yin under Meng Ji's command, ordered to come to the Inner Prison for official business."
The Secret Spy Division hidden sentry stepped forward a few paces and looked at that Ivory Plaque. He saw twelve characters carved on it: "Patrolling on behalf of Heaven, memorials for major matters, prompt decisions for minor matters." He rubbed the texture of the Ivory Plaque with his hand. It wasn't new ivory, but old ivory dug out from the frozen soil in the Northern Region.
And the auspicious cloud patterns engraved on the Ivory Plaque were not missing a single cloud.
The hidden sentry cupped his fists and retreated: "Sir, please."
Lü Qi and the others walked toward the Inner Prison, relieved in their hearts, but their faces remained tense, not daring to show any abnormality. The four of them arrived in front of the Inner Prison's iron sluice gate. Chen Huaibei took a step forward and knocked three longs and two shorts.
The small window on the iron gate opened, and the secret spy on duty inside asked coldly: "For what matter?"
Chen Huaibei said in a deep voice: "Sir Meng Ji dispatched us to come here to interrogate the major criminal Li Muzhe, open the door."
The secret spy inside the door scrutinized the few people through the small window, then said puzzledly: "Lord Qiu Shu has ordered, right now the major criminal Han Tong is imprisoned in the Inner Prison. Anyone other than the Secret Spy Division's Zodiacs or Trouble-Resolving Guard Chiliarchs is not permitted to enter. Why, didn't Sir Meng Ji tell you guys?"
Chen Huaibei and Zheng Zhou exchanged a glance, hesitant and undecided.
Tian Kuang and Lü Qi exchanged a glance. Tian Kuang took a step forward and continued saying steadily: "We only came for Li Muzhe, what does it have to do with Han Tong? Sir Meng Ji needs this person Li Muzhe urgently, open the door quickly."
The secret spy inside the door sneered: "Stop using Meng Ji to pressure me. This Inner Prison is under Lord Qiu Shu's final say. Even Lord Xuan She would have to personally come to the Inner Prison to interrogate major criminals, let alone Meng Ji? If you want to interrogate Li Muzhe, tell your Sir Meng Ji to come personally!"
Saying this, the secret spy shut the small window with a clang.
Tian Kuang still wanted to step forward to knock on the door and argue, but Chen Huaibei and Zheng Zhou pulled him and hurried away.
The four returned to the carriage. Tian Kuang pushed the two away with his eyes wide open, nearly splitting at the seams from anger: "You two absolutely act without sincerity in rescuing the Guild Master!"
Chen Huaibei took off his Bamboo Hat and said methodically: "If we weren't acting sincerely to rescue the Guild Master, why would the two of us come here? What kind of place do you think the Inner Prison is, a painted pleasure boat on your canal? This is a dragon's pool and a tiger's den!"
Tian Kuang took a step forward: "Zhang Yin is the person you planted beside Meng Ji, why didn't he tell you the news that Qiu Shu sealed off the Inner Prison?"
Chen Huaibei patted the dust off his body: "Qiu Shu sealing off the Inner Prison presumably also only happened these past few days, so he hasn't had the time to tell me yet."
Lü Qi also said in a grim voice from the side: "You two clearly knew we couldn't enter the Inner Prison, you're just putting on a show to make a trip to the Inner Prison to let the guild members know when we return that you went through boiling water and treading on fire for the Old Guild Master, establishing your prestige in The Jianghu!"
Chen Huaibei slightly narrowed his eyes: "What nonsense are you spouting? When I, Chen Huaibei, came here, wasn't it tying my head to my waistband? Don't blame it on me just because we couldn't rescue the Old Guild Master."
Tian Kuang scolded angrily: "You think you can convince everyone by leading this whatever Zhu Baili back? Without the Old Guild Master present, you still can't suppress Zhang Zhan and Li Ziyi. They collogue with the Eight Great Head Merchants, sooner or later they'll hand the Canal Transport Guild over to the Eunuch Faction and the dog Emperor! If the Old Guild Master hadn't saved you from the official runners back then, I fear you'd be worse off than a dog right now, how dare you be ungrateful?"
Chen Huaibei tossed his Bamboo Hat into the carriage compartment and continuously glanced askance at Tian Kuang: "As one of the Eight Pillars of the Canal Transport Guild, and I am one of the Four Beams, when is it your turn to yell and shout at me?"
Tian Kuang rolled up his sleeves: "Then let's test our skills!"
Chen Huaibei said disdainfully: "A Xiantian Stage Practitioner also dares to raise a hand against me?"
Lü Qi stood beside Tian Kuang, while Zheng Zhou stood by Chen Huaibei's side.
Seeing as the four were about to brawl outside Taiye Pool, Bai Li's exhausted voice suddenly sounded from the carriage compartment: "Enough."
Bai Li's clenched palm suddenly opened, surprisingly separating the four of them forcefully. Chen Huaibei braced his body, wanting to take a horse stance to resist that invisible force, but his Black Official Boots plowed two tracks on the blue bricks and still couldn't stop his figure.
The four of them suddenly looked toward Bai Li. Chen Huaibei said in a low voice: "Path-Seeking Realm?"
He looked at Lü Qi again: "She... the Guild Master is a Path-Seeking Stage Practitioner, why did you never mention it?"
Lü Qi was also surprised and doubtful: "I also just found out."
Chen Huaibei's expression flickered. The Canal Transport Guild had profound foundations; having two Path-Seeking Stage out of the Four Beams wasn't rare... But the person before him was clearly only eighteen years old.
An eighteen-year-old Path-Seeking Stage...
Bai Li sighed: "The Canal Transport Guild has already become a plate of loose sand, it cannot tolerate any more internal strife from everyone."
Tian Kuang hurriedly cupped his fists toward Bai Li: "Guild Master, it was this lowly one being insolent with words earlier; upon returning I will sever one finger myself. But right now we cannot afford not to rescue the Old Guild Master, I still hope the Guild Master can think of another way."
Bai Li was silent. She got off the carriage and quietly looked at the dark and profound Taiye Pool, also not having any good ideas for a moment.
However, right at this time, footsteps came from afar.
She turned her head to look. Astonishingly, someone wearing a Bamboo Hat on his head with a black cloth covering his face came. The opposing party's figure was thin and emaciated, but when he raised his head, those eyes under the Bamboo Hat couldn't be any more familiar.
Chen Ji.
Chen Ji arrived beside Bai Li, and after being silent for a long time, said: "Don't be anxious, I'll go rescue him."
Before Bai Li could speak, he was already walking toward the depths of the Taiye Pool. Bai Li blankly watched Chen Ji's back. She originally thought that after parting in the morning, she didn't know when they would meet again.
Lü Qi beside her asked puzzledly: "Guild Master, this is..."
Bai Li didn't answer.
When Chen Ji arrived in front of the artificial rockery, the Secret Spy Division hidden sentry flashed out once again: "Who goes there?"
Chen Ji raised the Ivory Plaque in his hand, his footsteps not stopping, nor did he explain his identity.
When the hidden sentry saw the Ivory Plaque clearly, his pupils suddenly shrank. For a time, he was a bit unsure if his eyes were playing tricks on him, or if he really saw that legendary Ivory Plaque.
Before he could ask in detail, Chen Ji had already brushed past him, only calmly leaving behind one word: "Retreat."
The hidden sentry hesitated for a moment, then retreated back behind the rockery.
Chen Ji went straight to the Inner Prison's door and knocked three longs and two shorts.
The small iron window opened, and the secret spy inside said coldly: "Didn't I just say earlier, if you want to interrogate Li Muzhe, tell your Sir Meng Ji to personally..."
His voice came to an abrupt halt.
The secret spy looked in shock at that Ivory Plaque in front of him, unable to speak for a long time. Engraved on the Ivory Plaque was a Yin-Yang Fish, and beside the Yin-Yang Fish were carved the Open Gate, Life Gate, and Rest Gate.
The Three Auspicious Gates.
The secret spy's expression became terrified: "Lord Bing Hu!" (End of Chapter)