Chapter 170: The Sili Jian

In the quiet garden path, Mr. Feng stood on the pebble road, examining Chen Ji with interest: "How did you guess that?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment and said, "Earlier, when Mr. Feng came to Cuiyun Lane, you first asked who was in command of the Hu Jia Tie Ji, indicating that this branch of personal guards was not under your control, and you cared a lot about who their new commander was."

Mr. Feng laughed: "Then why did I kill General Qian?"

Chen Ji looked directly at Mr. Feng: "Because a smart person like you doesn't like to have things beyond your control!"

Without waiting for Mr. Feng to speak, he continued analyzing seriously: "The commander of the Hu Jia Tie Ji was originally General Zhou, and now it has changed to General Qian. I guess this is also your doing. General Zhou was sent away by your scheme. You originally thought you could control this branch of personal guards after removing General Zhou, but unexpectedly, Old Liu Ge didn't choose you, but gave it to General Qian."

Mr. Feng gradually restrained his smile and said casually, "Then do you know or not, being too smart is actually not good either."

Chen Ji said sincerely: "As long as it is useful to Mr. Feng, then it's fine."

Mr. Feng patted his shoulder: "Young man, remember, the promise I made to you in Longwang Village earlier is forever effective. Yao Taiyi and the others can stay in this prince's mansion as long as you can help me kill General Qian within one day. If you can't, then wait to collect their corpses."

To gamble with several lives, Chen Ji was unwilling to accept.

But he had to accept.

This Mr. Feng acted without scruples, inciting civil unrest, killing his own people to seize power, nothing was beyond him.

If he didn't accept, Zhang Zhuo and his master and others would really die.

Chen Ji took a deep breath and said firmly, "Alright, I'll go kill General Qian!"

Mr. Feng smiled and said, "This General Qian is an innate expert, and he is always accompanied by a hundred cavalry guards. Killing him is not an easy matter."

Chen Ji frowned and asked: "What official path is he on?"

Mr. Feng shook his head: "I don't know either. This is a dead soldier my family's old master has raised for many years and always treasured and hidden."

Chen Ji thought for a while and said, "Seizing power is presumably very important to Mr. Feng. Why not let Jiang Yan change into a set of armor and act with me? This way there is more assurance!"

Mr. Feng laughed heartily: "Jiang Yan has his own matters to attend to, no time to assist you. If you want Yao Taiyi and your senior brothers to live, think of a way yourself!"

Saying that, he turned around and walked towards Jing'an Hall with his hands behind his back: "Follow me, you've delayed me for too long, I'm going to miss Jing Wang's chess game!"

Jing'an Hall was brightly lit, and armored soldiers stood in rows in front of the door.

Mr. Feng came to the front of the hall, stepped over the high threshold and walked in.

Chen Ji and Zhang Zhuo could only wait silently outside the door.

In the great hall.

Old Liu Ge and Jing Wang sat facing each other in front of the Qianlong Wall.

The chess game was already nearing its end.

Old Liu Ge, wearing a set of plain gray cloth clothes, sat in front of the chess table and said slowly: "Your Highness, you lost your mother when you were young. If my younger sister hadn't adopted you into Kunning Palace and patiently raised you, you would probably have been harmed to death. In those years, she brought you by her side and raised you together with His Majesty, treating you as her own. Did she ever treat you unfairly in the slightest?"

Jing Wang's eyes were fixed on the chess game, and he said without lifting his head: "Not once. In winter, she would specially instruct palace maids to prepare charcoal fire for me, and in summer, she would send ice blocks from the cellar to relieve the summer heat. Everything His Majesty had, I had, and even what His Majesty didn't have, I had. Even my elementary learning teacher was personally selected by her."

Old Liu Ge rolled up his sleeve and placed down another piece: "After His Majesty ascended the throne, you two became distant from her. Now she is dimly saddened in Cining Palace, already looking withered. After raising two sons with such difficulty, both are actually like strangers to her."

While thinking about the chess game, Jing Wang calmly said: "Father-in-law is also a reasonable person. After His Majesty ascended the throne, the Empress Dowager should have let go early and not indulged the Liu family in their dominance. No one stays prosperous forever, and no flower stays red for a hundred days."

Old Liu Ge smiled: "Your Highness, you were enfeoffed as a king at the age of twenty-one, and the first thing you did was go south for His Majesty to collect grain taxes. I remember when you first arrived in Jiangnan, those big households killed their own wives and brought them to the yamen, gathering thousands of people, saying that your tax collection had forced people to death."

Jing Wang sighed: "At that time, I was young and didn't know the severity of things. Fortunately, I had father-in-law's help!"

Old Liu Ge continued: "In the winter of the eleventh year of Jianning, the bandits in South Guang caused chaos, and you led troops to suppress the chaos. During that period, you caught lung disease and fainted, failing to wake up. You were surrounded by the bandit army in Liuzhou, and it was our Liu family who went to the Laojun Mountain Daoist temple to beg for immortal medicine, and then sent troops to support, only then was your siege relieved."

Jing Wang's action of placing a piece paused, then he sighed: "The Liu family has assisted me greatly!"

Old Liu Ge raised his head and stared directly at Jing Wang: "These years, Your Highness has been running east and west for His Majesty, but how has His Majesty treated Your Highness? The old subordinates of the Qian Nian Army have been demoted or killed. Moreover, speak of General Zhang from four years ago, he left his post without authorization because his mother died. Although it was a serious crime, the crime was not punishable by death."

Old Liu Ge continued: "Also, speak of General Li under Your Highness, he clearly had merit in suppressing chaos but did not receive rewards, and was finally found by the eunuch party and thrown into the inner prison after discussing court matters arbitrarily after drinking wine, tortured to death. Again, think about how our Liu family is not so?"

Jing Wang sighed: "Father-in-law is overthinking. How will His Majesty exterminate?"

Old Liu Ge said slowly: "What kind of person is the one in Renshou Palace, Your Highness should be most clear! If the Liu family doesn't die, he cannot sleep peacefully!"

Speaking of this, he swept one hand across the chessboard in front of him: "Your Highness, if the Liu family were not for you, why would we have endured for so many years? That year, the time was not ripe, we could only give up. Now our Liu family has strong soldiers and abundant horses, ample grain and grass, and the Jing Dynasty Shenwu Army in the north is also responding, there is no need to hesitate any longer."

Outside the hall, Chen Ji suddenly started. Could it be that Jing Wang and the Liu family had discussed rebellion matters early on?

Earlier, he was just wondering: Where did the Liu family get the confidence to dare to plot rebellion? Yun Fei was only a side consort. And where did the courage come from to dare to contact the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department?

This puzzle piece always seemed incomplete, with many things that couldn't be explained.

But if Jing Wang was placed at the center of this puzzle, many things could be explained.

Yet the next moment, Jing Wang lightly said: "Father-in-law, once this matter is raised, I fear the lives of the people in several states will be devastated. This matter I cannot promise you!"

This instead confused Chen Ji.

Seeing Jing Wang like this, he fundamentally did not seem to have the intention to rebel.

Exactly where did things go wrong?

In Jing'an Hall, Old Liu Ge slowly stood up: "Your Highness, the arrow is now on the string and must be released, you cannot hesitate. You must sit on this throne whether you want to or not. If you must blame someone, blame me alone, no need to blame the Liu family."

Just at this moment, a burly general stepped in from outside the hall, his footsteps resounding on the green stone bricks.

He came into the hall and cupped his fist in salute to Old Liu Ge: "Old master, someone in the East Market has discovered the whereabouts of Jin Zhu. This person now lives deep within a simple compound, hidden in a clean courtesan's small garden."

Old Liu Ge waved his hand: "General Qian will then lead a branch of the Hu Jia Tie Ji to go. He must be captured back."

Saying that, he said to Mr. Feng: "Wen Zheng, please invite Your Highness, the World Son, and the County Princess to the Liu family's great residence. Tomorrow we will open the ancestral hall, beat the drums to gather the crowd, sacrifice to the flag with the heads of the eunuch party, and the great army will set out!"

Old Liu Ge walked outwards, and densely packed armored soldiers followed behind him, surging outwards like a black sea tide.

The thick killing aura was like hot lava, capable of melting even raw iron.

Mr. Feng smiled and looked at Jing Wang: "Your Highness, please! Do not let yourself be troubled!"

Jing Wang's demeanor was as usual. He stood up, smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes, and led Bai Li out of Jing'an Hall.

When Mr. Feng came out, he intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Chen Ji, his eyes holding a deep meaning.

Urgent horse hooves broke the quiet of Anxi Street.

Chen Ji and Zhang Zhuo, wearing armor, urged their horses to follow at the end of the Hu Jia Tie Ji. All the people were covered in black armor, rushing towards Luocheng East Market like a flood.

Zhang Zhuo pulled the reins tight and leaned towards Chen Ji, lowering his voice: "Something is odd, I feel like these people... each and every one of them is not quite right!"

Chen Ji raised his head and looked at the cavalry in front, shifted his gaze slightly, and responded in a low voice: "Zhang adult also feels it?"

Zhang Zhuo bent low: "I feel Jing Wang has a problem. The Liu family is surrounding Luocheng and delaying sending troops north, clearly waiting for him to make a decision. These years, Jing Wang has been operating Yuzhou, and the matters of the Liu family privately casting iron tools and raising private armies, how could he possibly not know any of it?"

Chen Ji asked: "Zhang adult's meaning is, Jing Wang is also involved?"

Zhang Zhuo hesitated for an instant: "The problem is exactly here! As the saying goes, speed is valued in warfare. If he really had rebellious intent, he should have raised the flag and gone north long ago. Why delay time here? This is of no benefit to him at all."

Zhang Zhuo continued: "And that Mr. Feng, what time is it and he's still fighting internally? How much benefit would the power of the Hu Jia Tie Ji bring him? I can't figure it out, completely can't figure it out!"

Chen Ji suddenly said: "Zhang adult, if there is a change later, you immediately pull your horse and go to Tuoluosi Temple to get reinforcements. Save my master first."

Zhang Zhuo started: "Change? What change?"

Chen Ji said: "The timing of Jin Zhu's appearance is too coincidental. This was originally a trap targeting General Qian. They want to help Mr. Feng remove a stumbling block."

As soon as the words fell, he heard sharp sounds of wind breaking from the front.

Chen Ji suddenly raised his head to look, only to see the windows of the buildings on the second floor on both sides of the long street open, and long spears whistled out one by one, piercing through the Hu Jia Tie Ji one by one.

For a time, war horses neighed, and the neat formation of iron cavalry fell into chaos.

Chen Ji let out a low drink: "Go quickly!"

Zhang Zhuo responded, pulled his horse around, and darted into a small alley.

Chen Ji sat on his horse, looking remotely at the black hole windows one by one.

He suddenly remembered many things: When he met Mr. Feng in Longwang Village, the other party once said it was a pity that the experts beside Jing Wang had all been removed by the Si Li Jian over the years.

The other party said Si Li Jian. Not the eunuch party.

At that moment, Chen Ji had also detected something wrong with that sentence.

But he hadn't figured out exactly what was wrong.

Now all the clues gathered in one place, and he finally suddenly realized.

No wonder after Tian Ma was killed by Mr. Feng, both sides retreated completely.

It was only because Mr. Feng had always been a person of the Si Li Jian!