The noisy crowd quieted down, and all eyes turned to the young man with raised hands.
Although Zhu Zan was unfamiliar to them, everyone knew the Duke of Chengguo.
News traveled fast in the capital, and any new incidents at night would spread throughout Tianming Street by morning.
Everyone had already heard about the incident of the Duke of Chengguo's heir assaulting someone and being ordered by the emperor to be escorted to the capital, only to escape.
Everyone speculated that the Duke of Chengguo's heir was protected by the Duke and was thrown into the Jurchen territory to fight the enemy.
Nobody expected the Duke of Chengguo's heir to appear here.
After a moment of silence, the crowd erupted.
"Duke of Chengguo's heir!"
"Come look, the Duke of Chengguo's heir!"
"Duke of Chengguo, you must protect us!"
"The Duke of Chengguo's heir is so handsome!"
The area in front of the city gate descended into chaos, and the government soldiers and Jinyiwei were almost toppled.
"Forget trying this trick again," a Jinyiwei shouted, drawing his embroidered spring sword, "Jinyiwei on duty, anyone blocking us will be cut down."
The sound of swords being drawn clanged, accompanied by pounding hits.
Meanwhile, the government soldiers also drew their weapons.
The atmosphere instantly became tense, and the crowd, no longer caring to watch the excitement, knew the Jinyiwei meant business when they killed in the streets.
At that time, Lu Yunqi was ordered to raid a government official's home, who was greatly supported by scholars. Many scholars went to stop them and cried foul, but Lu Yunqi, without blinking an eye, gave the order to execute them as insurgents without mercy. Although none were killed on the street, it did cause many scholars to shed blood and suffer injuries.
People quickly ducked and covered their heads.
Soon, only Zhu Zan was left standing, remarkably conspicuous.
The Jinyiwei closed in, and so did the government soldiers.
Miss Jun crouched within the crowd and looked up, seeing that Zhu Zan still had no intention of fleeing or fighting back.
He kept his hands raised, his face wearing an ambiguous smile.
"Ah, can't escape now, you've caught me," he also shouted.
The Jinyiwei's expressions were stern, masking their anger.
Zhu Zan had caused them much anger during this period.
By the time they reached the Northern Administrative Court, there would be countless ways to quell their anger.
"Take him down," the leader of the Jinyiwei said coldly.
Despite knowing how formidable this man was, the Jinyiwei fearlessly advanced with their swords.
The man did not move, but a group of men stood in front of him.
"Wait," the leading general said.
"Lord Wu," the Jinyiwei captain looked at the government troops' commander on the side and said coldly, "What do you mean?"
"Thank you, Hundred-man commander Jiang, for your assistance. Now that the criminal is captured, let the Minister of War handle the rest," the general known as Lord Wu said nonchalantly, "I will report to the higher-ups to thank your garrison."
Hundred-man commander Jiang looked at him coldly, showing no intention of backing down.
"The emperor assigned this case to the garrison," he said, "Is Lord Wu going to disobey the order?"
Lord Wu clicked his tongue.
"Don't, don't, don't pin that label on me, it's too frightening," he exclaimed with wide eyes, "You guys at the Northern Administrative Court are too intimidating, don't just slap a big label on everything. Let's be clear, how did this case end up being assigned to your garrison? The emperor distinctly ordered our Minister of War to investigate thoroughly, it would be defiance if we didn't investigate."
Hundred-man commander Jiang remained unyielding.
"The emperor ordered your Minister of War to investigate thoroughly, did you?" he said, "You didn't even go to Zhenbei, hence the emperor asked us to go."
Lord Wu, rubbing his neck, laughed heartily.
"Oh, I know you have helped a lot," he said, "Later, let our superiors bring a cartload of wine to your garrison and have a big drink together."
On one side, hearty laughter; on the other, the frigid Jinyiwei with their flying fish uniforms and embroidered spring swords created a strange standoff. Even the public who weren't looking up couldn't help but shiver.
They were going to fight, they were about to fight.
The rough soldiers of the Minister of War were going to clash with the Jinyiwei from Northern Administrative Court.
If they really fought, it would be disastrous for them.
But nobody dared to move.
So, someone really did protect him if he entered the city, Miss Jun thought, observing the standoff. Even under the watchful eyes of the Jinyiwei, these people still dared to protect him, indicating that if he had sought them last night, the Jinyiwei would likely not have even laid eyes on him.
But he still left the city, just to bring that flower to his own grave?
Was it the Duke of Chengguo who tasked him with fulfilling this promise?
Miss Jun looked at Zhu Zan.
"Ah, stop quarreling," Zhu Zan called out, throwing his hands out, "I'm not going with either of you. I want to see the emperor."
See the emperor?
The Jinyiwei and the government soldiers all turned their heads towards him.
"Does the Lord Heir think that the emperor has as much free time as you do?" Jiang Hundred-man commander coldly said.
Zhu Zan smiled at him.
"You really have an unpleasant way of speaking," he said, "and your voice is no better; you should really learn from your one-thousand man commanders, whose voices are much gentler."
The sound of Lu Yunqi's voice was taboo, especially when used facetiously, causing the Jinyiwei present to change color in their eyes, no longer concealing their anger.
"Lord Wu, step aside," Jiang Hundred-man commander shouted, swinging his sword forward.
Swish! The Jinyiwei all brandished their swords forward.
The government soldiers also simultaneously raised their weapons aimed at them.
"Jiang Hundred-man commander, if we start fighting here on the street, it won't look good," Lord Wu said, his expression also growing grave.
Jiang Hundred-man commander remained silent, stepping forward one step at a time.
Lord Wu's expression was solemn, standing still without moving.
It was like the calm before a storm in front of the city gate.
Suddenly, Zhu Zan flung his arms and charged toward the city center.
"You all discuss it slowly; I'm going to see the emperor first," he shouted.
As his words fell, he dashed through to the city center like a swift wind.
The confronting sides immediately descended into chaos.
"Hurry, chase them," both sides shouted.
One side chased to capture, the other chased to protect, both sides rushing into the city in disorder.
In the blink of an eye, only the people who were crouching with their heads covered were left in front of the city gate.
Is it safe to stand up yet?
The people remained dutifully crouched until they saw a girl get up and run toward the city, causing everyone to disperse in a hubbub.
On Tianming Street, chaos ensued, people and horses sprawled everywhere.
Zhu Zan threaded through it, heading straight to the Imperial City, leaving the Jinyiwei and government soldiers behind.
But as he turned down another street, there were no people milling about; it seemed as if the street had suddenly been cleared.
Not to say there were no people; there was a line of horsemen standing at the end of the street, under the morning light their intricate robes of black and vermilion were particularly striking.
Zhu Zan stopped in his tracks, a faint smile appearing on his lips as he looked at the horsemen ahead.
The Jinyiwei and government soldiers chasing him also slowed down. The Jinyiwei stepped back a few steps, forming a formation to block the road and joined forces with other Jinyiwei ahead.
The government soldiers continued forward, positioning themselves behind Zhu Zan.
Though fearful, the onlooking public also gathered, stopping in their tracks, filled with tension and excitement.
"They've surrounded him."
"Who has come?"
They asked in low voices.
"Isn't that Lu Xiao Zao?"
Zhu Zan's voice rose in the quiet street.
"It's been a long time."
Lu Xiao Zao?
Who is Lu Xiao Zao?
The people curiously glanced at each other, questioning.
Standing at the back of the crowd, Miss Jun's expression was wooden, devoid of any question or curiosity.
"I have a nickname, Xiao Zao."
"That's really funny, how did you get that name?"
"Because I was dark and small as a child, just like a dried date."
"That really can't be seen now."
It's great being in the capital, where I can casually run into people whom I thought I'd never see again on the street.
Miss Jun's expression remained calm, her hands clenched in front of her.
The crowd parted, and a figure stepped out from the back; even the morning sunlight couldn't add warmth to his porcelain-white face, expression as static as a wax figure.
"One-thousand man commander," the Jinyiwei from both fronts greeted in unison, causing the onlookers' hearts to skip a beat.
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Thank you, Kao'er Splendid, for the generous gift of two Ling Jiu.
Thank you Ricardo Ye San Mo for the gift of Ling Jiu.
Continuing the effort on Tuesday, seeking recommendation and monthly tickets (*^__^*) Thank you everyone.