Chapter 493: Pus.h.i.+ng you into a trap
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Spring was a calming and comfortable time.
Fang Zhengzhi wasn"t rus.h.i.+ng to the examinations. He was in no hurry. In fact, there was nothing pressing that he had to attend to currently.
Fang Zhengzhi hummed a little tune as he rode along.
In his previous world, spring was enjoyed by everyone! The weather was one reason. People also enjoyed the flowers, greenery, and burst of life.
"How long more to the capital?"
"Young Master Fang, we are still about 100 miles out. If we push the pace, we can arrive tomorrow. If we..." One of the members of the Yan Cloud Cavalry replied.
"Mm, then we will find a place to rest for a few days up ahead."
"明白!"
"I understand!"
...
In a quiet valley at night, there was a huge army camp. The Red Pinion Squad and Yan Cloud Cavalry stood guard around the perimeter in their s.h.i.+ning armor.
In one of the tents, there was a light on the table.
Fang Zhengzhi leaned back in his seat and looked at the figure who had entered the tent.
"My Lord, what is it?"
"Mm, I received news from the capital that the Emperor is holding a banquet at the Ten Mile Lake. Yan Qianli is the VIP and he has accepted the invitation. King Duan asked us to be careful when entering the city. I was thinking if we should enter the city after the banquet is over. We could wait till Yan Qianli rejoins us." Chi Hou replied.
"Which option are you leaning towards?"
"I think that the timing on this is too much of a coincidence. If we want to play it safe, then we should wait until the banquet is over."
"If you wanted to play it safe, then you wouldn"t have come to find me." Fang Zhengzhi smirked.
Chi Hou was a bloodthirsty general...
Safety and insurance...
They were not his favorite options.
"Ahem... what I meant was that... according to the rules, the Red Pinion Squad and the Yan Cloud Cavalry can only set up camp outside the city." Chi Hou was slightly embarra.s.sed.
Fang Zhengzhi had read him like a book. He had no intention of waiting outside the city. In fact, his initial plan had not accounted for Yan Qianli.
Why should he back off now?
"And so?" Fang Zhengzhi added.
"I am afraid that if it"s just me, you, and Yan Xiu, something bad will happen. After all, you are a criminal. Even though I am bringing you in under the pretext that I have arrested you, certain precautions must be taken."
"So I should spend some time in a cell?" Fang Zhengzhi asked.
"Ahem, I would not let that happen if we can avoid it. However, rest a.s.sured that King Duan and I will make the necessary arrangements. After I have met with the Emperor, I will have King Duan trial you. The Emperor would not reject that proposal." Chi Hou cleared his throat.
"You came here just to tell me this?"
"Mm, the current situation still favors the Crown Prince. I think that we should still play it safe. If we went according to my plan..." Chi Hou added sincerely.
"I don"t recall promising that I would follow the orders of yourself and King Duan." Fang Zhengzhi interrupted.
"You did not agree to it. However, I need to ensure your safety as we enter the city. I am sure you won"t make things difficult for me, right?"
"My Lord, rest a.s.sured that I will not make things difficult for you." Fang Zhengzhi nodded. He knew what Chi Hou was thinking.
Chi Hou was basically leading him into a trap.
He came here on the pretext that he was helping Fang Zhengzhi. If Fang Zhengzhi played along, he would realize along the way that...
He was past the point of no return!
"So you"re saying that... you agree?" Chi Hou"s excitement was palpable.
"No, but I will keep a lower profile." Fang Zhengzhi shook his head.
"Keep a low profile?"
"Yes."
"How low?"
"Very very very low!"
"Erm... okay then. I do not have to worry then."
...
During the evening three days later, a group of more than 10 men walked towards the capital. There were two rows of spectators by the side of the road.
"Fang Zhengzhi is entering the city!"
"He is doing so without bothering to disguise himself?!"
"He must have been forced by the Divine Constabulary! Else, why would he do such a thing? He is a wanted criminal!"
"Forced by the Divine Constabulary? Does he look like he is being forced? More importantly, I heard that he showed himself in Huai An County on his own accord..."
"I have no idea what he"s thinking. Is he courting death?"
The citizens watched Fang Zhengzhi from the side of the road. None of them could believe their eyes.
They had never seen a wanted criminal enter the capital in such fas.h.i.+on before.
Chi Hou turned to look at the citizens calmly. He had a feeling that something was about to happen.
Fang Zhengzhi entering the capital...
This was bound to create a buzz.
Chi Hou had prepared for this. However, he never expected that there would be two rows of people standing by waiting for them at the city gates.
What was happening?
Chi Hou knew that something was amiss. He had already tried to avoid the peak hours!
However, there were clearly more people here than there were entering the city at dawn.
As for Fang Zhengzhi...
Chi Hou didn"t want to say anything more. He remembered telling Fang Zhengzhi his concerns three days ago. Fang Zhengzhi agreed to keep a low profile.
Yet today, he was wearing his trademark blue long-sleeved s.h.i.+rt!
He didn"t even bother to change his dressing!
At the very least, he could have worn a coat. Even though everyone knew his ident.i.ty, he could have at least tried to hide it.
Chi Hou was speechless.
However, neither Fang Zhengzhi nor Yan Xiu seemed bothered by it. Yan Xiu walked beside Fang Zhengzhi silently.
They were approaching the city gates.
Chi Hou turned to look at the black cloaked figures behind them and shot a look at Li Jingfeng.
Li Jingfeng understood it immediately. He reined in his horse and slowed down to blend into the cloaked figures.
Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu didn"t seem to notice this. They continued to walk forward amidst the chatter around them.
Then, they pa.s.sed through the gates. The guard at the gate looked at them, then let them through!
"Hahaha, my lord, you have arrived! The journey must have been punis.h.i.+ng!"
At that moment, a figure appeared in front of Chi Hou and Fang Zhengzhi. He wore black official robes and smiled widely.
There were more than a hundred guards standing behind him. Their armor was uniform and they had a huge word emblazoned on their chest plate.
"Arrest!"
They were from the Ministry of Law.
They were the people in charge of arrests!
The person standing at the front was Wan Chong, the Minister of Law.
Chi Hou looked at Wan Chong, who was in his way. He squinted. He knew who Wan Chong was.
He had expected Wan Chong to show up.
However...
He didn"t expect Wan Chong to show up so quickly. He didn"t think that Wan Chong would wait for him at the gates. He expected Wan Chong to wait for him at the ministry!
"Official Wan, were you waiting here for me?" Chi Hou"s eyes glowed icily and he exuded a powerful aura.
"Haha... why not?" Wan Chong shuddered. He was uncomfortable, but he maintained his smile.
"It seems like the Ministry of Law is quite free huh?" Chi Hou said flatly as he looked at the crowd.
The citizens looked at each other when they heard this. When they looked back at Wan Chong, their gazes were conflicted.
In all the years Wan Chong had spent in the courts...
He had seen his fair share of backstabbing and plotting. However, the courts valued peace, at least on the surface. As such, most of the dirty work was done behind the scenes.
People rarely confronted each other so openly.
At that moment, Wan Chong"s expression changed. However, he recovered quickly and waved to the guards behind him.
"Arrest that man!"
"Yes!"
The guards replied in unison and blocked the gates. They surrounded Chi Hou and the group.
"Official Wan, are you thinking of arresting me?" Chi Hou chuckled scornfully when he saw the guards surround him.
"Haha, you must be joking! I am simply following the law and arresting the person responsible for the death of the Southern Region Crown Prince, the a.s.sault on our Crown Prince, and the one who violated the Princess of the Southern Region!" Wan Chong chuckled.
"Oh, I see... so... you plan on stealing all the credit from me?" Chi Hou"s eyes had an icy glow.
"My lord, you have misunderstood. I would never dare to steal your credit. However, you must know that this is already the capital."
"So what?"
"According to the law, once a criminal has entered the city, he should be handed to the Ministry of Law. Fang Zhengzhi is my responsibility now."
"Official Wan is correct. Once I have reported to the Emperor, I will act pursuant to his wishes." Chi Hou added.
"My Lord, Fang Zhengzhi"s case has already been closed. The evidence is overwhelming. There is no need to report to the Emperor!"
"How can you close the case when we haven"t even captured the suspect?"
"Even if you don"t believe me, you have to believe this doc.u.ment." Wan Chong retrieved the records for this case.
Chi Hou"s expression changed.
He could see that this was the case brought against Fang Zhengzhi. At the very end...
There was the word "closed".
This meant that Wan Chong was right. According to the law, once a case was closed, it could only be reopened if new evidence was brought to light or new charges were pressed...
Else, the sentence would be met out accordingly.
As for new evidence...
There was none at the moment. Even if they had those on hand, they would have to hand Fang Zhengzhi over before reporting to the Emperor.
"What if I refuse? What will you do about that?" Chi Hou grit his teeth and clenched his fists.
"My Lord, you entered the city because you were bringing in a convict. Now that he is in the city, I am sure you will not make things difficult for me. What do you all think? I am sure the Lord of the Northern Regions will abide by the law!"
Wan Chong chuckled and asked the crowd.
"Yes, how can the leader of the Divine Constabulary not abide by the law?" A voice echoed out.
Then, the crowd looked at each other. Heated discussions began to take place within moments.
"He should be punished for his crimes!"
"Since he committed the crime, he should accept his punishment from the Ministry of Law!"
"Even though he played a huge role in the victory, this cannot negate the fact that he killed the Southern Region Crown Prince, injured ours, and violated the Princess of the Southern Region!"
The crowd grew rowdier by the moment.
Chi Hou"s expression changed.
He finally understood why there were so many people at the gates. They were all planted here on purpose.
They were here to help Wan Chong"s case.
In other words...
This was a set-up. This was a carefully planned trapped that would force him to hand over Fang Zhengzhi the moment he stepped foot in the city.
But why did the Ministry of Law want to sentence Fang Zhengzhi so quickly?
Were they trying to harm Fang Zhengzhi?
However, if they arrested Fang Zhengzhi in front of so many witnesses and something were to happen to Fang Zhengzhi, they would be implicated as well.
What was Wan Chong up to?