Chapter 331: Rebellion

Wang Huan was forced to retreat.

"Quick, they're at the end of their rope, with barely any strength left!" he shouted, waving his thugs forward while backing away into Hanjiatan Hutong. "We still have over a hundred men; we can bury them just by sheer numbers!"

But the Imperial Forest Guard's wall of spears and shields pushed forward step by step, forcing the thugs to retreat.

In the dim alley, Zhou Chong and Zhou Li held their long shields up to their noses, their cold eyes fixed on everyone. As their gaze swept over a thug, that thug felt a chill in his heart.

The next moment, the Imperial Forest Guard charged!

Zhou Chong and Zhou Li, holding their long shields, crashed fiercely into the thugs, pushing them back and knocking them down like a wave!

The Imperial Forest Guard stepped mercilessly over the fallen thugs' bodies!

Wang Huan felt a jolt of fear. He immediately yelled, "Retreat! Retreat to Baishun Hutong. They wouldn't dare cause trouble there, or no one will escape the wrath of the Five City Patrol and Infantry Office!"

Seeing that the thugs couldn't stop the group, Wang Yi cast aside all pretense and turned to run towards Baishun Hutong.

As he ran, he grabbed a thug's arm beside him, pulling him back, hoping to use the thug to delay Chen Ji and the others for a moment!

But without Master Qian's constraints, these thugs no longer cared for their hands-off boss; they ran even faster than Wang Huan!

Seeing that the thugs were about to retreat into Baishun Hutong, Chen Ji whispered from behind Duo Bao and Li Cen, "Get me over there! Catch that fat man alive before they retreat into Baishun Hutong!"

Duo Bao and Li Cen crossed their weapons, and the moment Chen Ji stepped on them, they suddenly exerted force, launching him into the air towards Wang Huan!

A thug threw an axe from his hand; it spun, heading straight for Chen Ji's face!

In mid-air, Chen Ji parried it with his long spear, and with a casual flick, he sent the axe flying back!

Wang Huan was horrified. "Stop him! Stop him!" he cried.

As he retreated, he tripped over a raised brick seam and landed on the ground with a thud!

With a clang, the axe landed squarely in the brick seam between his legs; just an inch further and his lineage would have ended!

Wang Huan's face turned ashen with fright, and he couldn't utter a word for a long time.

Before he could recover, a foot was already on his chest, pinning him to the ground!

Chen Ji kept a watchful eye around him as he stepped on Wang Huan!

He Ji's thugs surrounded him tightly but dared not come within two steps until Li Xuan arrived with the Imperial Forest Guard, scattering the thugs and protecting Chen Ji.

On both sides of the alley, spectators secretly pushed open window cracks, while the alley itself was packed with thugs.

The Imperial Forest Guard, masked with gray cloth, gradually straightened themselves.

As they stood upright, the distant light cast their shadows long, stretching to envelop all the thugs before them!

Pinned to the ground, Wang Huan yelled, "This is lawless! Do you know who my backer is? This capital city won't tolerate such audacity from you soldiers! This business, born at the foot of the Imperial City, isn't something anyone can just seize. It depends on whether you have powerful connections!"

Chen Ji, stepping on him, calmly replied, "Then tell us who your backer is. Maybe if we get scared, we'll let you go!"

Wang Huan hesitated, unable to speak. He didn't dare.

Not speaking might not mean death, but speaking certainly would!

The next moment, Chen Ji looked up, scanning his surroundings, and announced loudly, "Today, we make our stand here. Are there any jianghu heroes from far and wide willing to step forward and challenge us?"

Silence.

The thugs dared not speak.

Then, Chen Ji lowered his head and quietly asked, "What's supposed to be said next?"

The Imperial Forest Guard exchanged glances; none of them had jianghu experience.

If Chen Ji didn't know what to say, they certainly didn't either.

Duo Bao hesitated, "Should we say something threatening?"

Li Cen corrected him, "How could we? The fight's over, why say anything threatening? It'd be so cheap!"

Zhou Chong wiped sweat from his forehead. "Then... thank you for your support?"

Qi Zhenzhuo scoffed, "You're not a street performer, what are you thanking anyone for?"

Li Xuan pondered for a moment. "Should we set up dozens of tables for a celebratory feast somewhere, so everyone in the jianghu knows? And collect some congratulatory gifts while we're at it."

Qi Zhenzhuo burst out laughing. "Brother-in-law, do you think this is a wedding?"

The Imperial Forest Guard looked at each other for a long time. No one had expected that after days of fierce fighting, defeating everyone, they would be at a loss for what to do next!

Duo Bao stifled a laugh, slowly unable to hold it in, and burst into hearty laughter!

Once he laughed, everyone else finally couldn't hold back. A group of them stood there in the alley, arm in arm, laughing out loud.

Their laughter floated far away on the night wind.

As they laughed, Qi Zhenzhuo suddenly wiped the corner of his eye. "My apologies, everyone. It was my fault for being useless before; I dragged you all down!"

Duo Bao cursed, "We're celebrating, what the hell are you doing bringing this up? Haven't you grown up yet?"

Qi Zhenzhuo wiped more and more tears. "If we had had this formation or today's skills back in Guyuan, would so many brothers not have had to die?"

Everyone gradually sobered their smiles.

Just then, while the Imperial Forest Guard was distracted, two windows on the second floor beside the alley simultaneously opened a crack, and two crossbow bolts shot out, one after another, straight for Wang Huan at Chen Ji's feet! Before anyone else could react, Chen Ji instinctively tightened his grip on his long spear and blocked Wang Huan. With a clang, the bolt embedded itself in the spear shaft!

As the second arrow flew, Zhou Chong reacted first, raising his rattan shield to block Chen Ji and Wang Huan!

With a thud, the crossbow bolt embedded itself in the rattan shield, its fletching vibrating with a humming sound!

The Imperial Forest Guard's expressions changed. They were using crossbows...

Chen Ji and Li Xuan exchanged glances, their hearts instantly serious.

Whether Wang Huan lived or died was no longer important; with crossbow bolts fired, this was no longer a mere street brawl!

The young man in Lishamao Hutong instantly sobered up.

He casually threw the wine jar to the ground, turned, and walked out. "Zhou Kuang, pack everything and leave quickly. Clean up all traces of our presence. No one must know I was here tonight!"

In the capital, possessing heavy armor or using bows and crossbows was a grave crime of rebellion. From where the crossbows came, who made them, who hid them, who used them—anyone connected would face severe consequences!

Zhou Kuang whispered, "Could someone be trying to frame the Chen family's Second Branch? Chen Lizhi isn't that foolish. For years, he's relegated Chen Wenren to a life of idleness in the Imperial Forest Guard, giving him no power at all, entrusting everything to his eldest son, Chen Wende!"

"Even if Chen Wenren lost his head, he couldn't acquire bows and crossbows!"

"Chen Wende is steady and experienced, holding the post of Vice Minister of Rites; he would never follow Chen Wenren's foolishness!"

Zhou Kuang continued, "It's just Wang Huan. What if he's captured by this group downstairs? It's not like he's captured by the imperial court. Why resort to murder? But with these crossbow bolts fired, the outer city is truly going to be turned upside down. No cover-up will hold! This isn't covering up; it's flipping the table!"

The young man suddenly stopped, stood in the hallway, and looked back at Zhou Kuang. "Zhou Kuang, those two crossbow bolts weren't aimed at the Chen family; they were aimed at me! If my guess is correct, the crossbowmen should have committed suicide by poison after firing the bolts!"

Zhou Kuang was stunned. "Aimed at you?"

The young man sneered, "With these two crossbow bolts fired, Chen Wenren is protected by the Chen family; at most, he'll be exiled to Lingnan. He Ji will suffer, but the Chen family won't be fundamentally harmed. Only I will lose a lot!"

Zhou Kuang was astonished. "Lose what?"

The young man chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Imperial favor!"

In the alley, Li Xuan lightly leaped onto the second floor by stepping on Duo Bao's shoulder. He pulled open a window, scanned the room, then turned to Chen Ji below and said, "The crossbowmen have committed suicide by poison. They were trained assassins!"

Chen Ji remained silent.

Li Xuan jumped back into the alley and whispered to him, "We need to leave quickly! I saw many people hurrying away. Crossbows were used here, so the Five City Patrol and Infantry Office will probably arrive soon to suppress the situation!"

"At that point, everyone present will be implicated, and we might have to make another trip to the Imperial Prison!"

Chen Ji closed his eyes, pondering for a moment, then opened them with conviction. "It's too late! Our identities are exposed. Even if we run, they'll find us one by one... We can't just leave like this!"

Li Xuan was about to persuade him further, but Chen Ji stated firmly, "Listen to me!"

Li Xuan sighed. "What should we do now?"

Chen Ji quietly instructed, "Go find Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia right now. Be quick."

Li Xuan asked, "Any message for them?"

Chen Ji replied, "Tell Zhang Xia what happened here. She'll know what to do!"

Li Xuan turned and left immediately.

Chen Ji looked down at Wang Huan. "Someone wants to kill you. Do you want to die or live?"

Wang Huan closed his eyes, trembling all over.

Chen Ji pressed the cold spear tip against Wang Huan's neck, making him shiver.

He calmly said, "I know you're from the Wang family, and the world knows the Wang family is the maiden family of the Chen family's Second Branch, Lady Wang. So don't try to scare me with your family background! Now that crossbows have been used, no one can escape. I'll just ask one question: Do you want to die or live?"

Wang Huan hesitated.

Chen Ji used the spear tip to make a cut, avoiding the carotid artery. Wang Huan immediately cried out, "I want to live! I want to live!"

Chen Ji whispered, "Give me He Ji's account books from over the years, and I'll let you live!"

Wang Huan's face changed. "How is that any different from letting me die? If I give you these, not only me, but my entire family, old and young, won't survive."

Chen Ji chuckled. "I don't have to take the account books, but are you willing to exchange He Ji's entire fortune for your life?"

Wang Huan gritted his teeth. "You can have the silver, but not the account books."

Chen Ji grabbed Wang Huan by the collar with one hand and lifted him. "Tell He Ji's thugs to scatter, or I'll draw more blood from you!"

Wang Yi hastily yelled, "Scatter! Everyone scatter!"

He Ji's thugs, hearing this, scattered as if granted amnesty, turning and running!

Wang Huan cursed, "These disloyal bastards! I tell you to scatter, and you actually do it! Running faster than rabbits!"

Chen Ji, holding him, walked out of Bada Hutong. "Where is the silver hidden?"

Wang Huan gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "Weiran Hutong, next to Zhangjia Bridge."

Chen Ji looked at Qi Zhenzhuo. "You stay here to meet up with your brother-in-law. Take your brother-in-law and Zhang Xia to Weiran Hutong!"

Qi Zhenzhuo anxiously asked, "Master, where are you going?"

Chen Ji pulled Wang Huan in a different direction. "The rest of you, come with me!"

Under the watchful eyes of many, they passed through alleys, heading towards Zhengyangmen Avenue. Chen Ji said nothing, and the others didn't ask a single question.

Under the night sky, they walked for an unknown amount of time until they saw a wonton stall. Chen Ji turned to his colleagues behind him. "Is everyone hungry?"

Duo Bao and the others exchanged glances. "Yes, we're a bit hungry!"

Chen Ji pulled Wang Huan to sit at a small wooden table at the wonton stall. "Shopkeeper, boil some wontons!"

The shopkeeper looked at the thirty-odd people and their weapons, trembling. "The shop is about to close!"

Duo Bao took a silver ingot from his pouch and slammed it on the table. "Stop talking nonsense; boil the wontons quickly!"

The shopkeeper hastily pocketed the silver. "How many bowls do the guests want?"

Chen Ji smiled, rubbing his chopsticks together. "Boil all the wontons you have in your stall. We can eat a lot!"

Wang Huan had recovered his wits by now. He sat beside Chen Ji, not daring to run, only urging quietly, "I've already told you where the silver is hidden. Why haven't you let me go? Please, let me go quickly!"

Chen Ji calmly pulled off the gray cloth covering his face. "How do you expect to escape the capital in the middle of the night?"

Wang Huan urgently said, "The Grain Transport Gang still has a boat docked in Chongnan Fang. It's still possible to leave now, but any later, it might be too late!"

"The Grain Transport Gang sending people out of the city?"

Chen Ji asked curiously, "You don't really think you can escape, do you? I advise you: it's better to fall into the hands of the authorities than to be inexplicably drowned in a river! Calmly eat your bowl of wontons... and come with us to the Imperial Prison. It might even be safer inside the prison than outside!"

Wang Huan angrily said, "Eat what wontons? Are you crazy?"

Chen Ji retorted, "When hungry, eat. When tired, sleep. What's wrong with that?"

Wang Huan gasped, "The silver in Weiran Hutong belongs to the Chen family's Second Branch, over sixty thousand taels! Do you really think you can take that silver and live to spend it?"

The shopkeeper brought the freshly boiled wontons. Chen Ji lowered his head, took a sip of the hot soup, then looked up and smiled. "Is the Chen family so stingy they won't even let us spend a little of their silver?"

Wang Huan angrily said, "You think making a stand is the end? It's just the beginning! From this moment on, it's no longer about thugs; it's about the tactics of the court officials, who kill without spilling a drop of blood."

Chen Ji hummed in acknowledgment, no longer paying attention to Wang Huan. He and the Imperial Forest Guard lowered their heads and began eating wontons, bowl after bowl. The stack of ceramic bowls on the table grew as tall as a man's head. Only when all the shopkeeper's pre-packaged wontons were boiled and eaten did everyone wipe their mouths, still wanting more.

Just then, the sound of dense hoofbeats echoed from afar!

In the capital at night, only the Five City Patrol and Infantry Office and the Relief Guards dared to ride so many horses at full gallop!

Chen Ji squinted his eyes and saw dozens of people on horseback approaching from the end of Zhengyangmen Avenue. They wore python robes and had long sabers at their waists!

It wasn't the Five City Patrol and Infantry Office! It was the Relief Guards!

Wang Huan's face showed despair. "It's over, it's the Relief Guards."

The leading figure pulled his reins, stopping beside the wonton stall, and looked down at Chen Ji, who had just put down his bowl. "It's you again?"

Chen Ji smiled and stood up. "It's Commander Lin?"

The arrival was Lin Chaoqing, Commander of the Relief Guards.

Lin Chaoqing's gaze swept over Chen Ji and the others. "I received intelligence that someone used crossbows in the outer city, intending rebellion. And some say this matter is related to you. Is this true?"

Chen Ji pointed at Wang Huan and said seriously, "The rebel who used crossbows is right here. As Imperial Forest Guards, it is our duty to defend the capital region, and we have apprehended him!"

Wang Huan's face changed. "You're lying!"

Lin Chaoqing looked at Wang Huan, then at Chen Ji. "Take them all back to the Imperial Prison."

Duo Bao looked at Chen Ji with concern, but Chen Ji's gaze was fixed on the distance.

At that moment, a Zhang family carriage slowly drove past on Zhengyangmen Avenue, heading towards Weiran Hutong.

Chen Ji turned to comfort the Imperial Forest Guard. "Don't be afraid. The innocent will be cleared. I'm sure Commander Lin will restore our reputation."