Green Mountain
Chapter 300 - 240, Open the altar

Chapter 300: 240, Open the altar

The sound of horse hooves was neither hurried nor slow, as the General atop the horse remained calm and composed.

Hu Junxian fully matched Chen Ji’s imagination of a border military leader, like a weathered mountain range standing firm, rugged, majestic, and unshakeably spanning the vast Northwest Land.

Before this moment, Chen Ji had never seen Hu Junxian’s true face up close, but the instant the other appeared, he knew it had to be Hu Junxian.

In the dim and narrow street, amidst a dangerous and eerie quiet, Chen Ji gripped the hilt of his sword, coldly fixing his gaze on the other. There seemed to be a taut line between them that, as the other stepped closer, was about to snap.

Suddenly, the Crown Prince, seated comfortably on horseback, said warmly, "After coming to Guyuan, this is the first time I’ve been able to see General Hu from such a close distance, a great honor indeed. I’ve often heard officials in Wenhua Palace say that as long as General Hu is in Guyuan Border Town, there’s no need for excessive worry. Seeing the General’s demeanor today, it truly commands respect."

Hu Junxian’s warhorse came to a halt, ten paces away from the Crown Prince, and said, "Your Highness is too kind. I, on the contrary, wish I wasn’t regarded so highly in the officials’ minds."

"Oh?" The Crown Prince questioned, "What do you mean by that?"

Hu Junxian replied with a voice calm as a lake, "If the officials were less assured about me, perhaps they would allocate more military equipment and provisions to my border army, instead of having my soldiers wear bamboo armor and wield rusty blades, treasuring bowstrings made from cow tendons as if they were precious. When Jing Dynasty archers march to battle, each carries three bowstrings for emergencies, whereas my Guyuan Border Army soldiers hardly have enough for one each."

Hearing this, the Crown Prince slowly glanced around at the surrounding rooftops, only to see archers clad in bamboo armor looking indifferent.

After a moment of contemplation, he said, "What I have seen and heard on this trip to Guyuan has indeed been shocking. Upon my return to the capital, I will certainly request His Majesty to provide Guyuan with military supplies, so as not to dishearten the border army."

Hu Junxian said expressionlessly, "If the Crown Prince truly can secure military equipment and provisions for the border army, I will erect a shrine for you in my life, offering incense during the day and worship at night."

Suddenly, silence fell between them, and undercurrents surged through the narrow street.

Why had the border army appeared here? This was the question the Crown Prince most wanted to ask, but he could not; he could only remain silent.

At this very moment, the hearts of the Yulin Army soldiers were in their throats, fearing someone would tear open the thin veil and force the border army to kill to silence them.

Out of sight, General Li made a signal, and the Yulin Army soldiers drew their swords, ready to protect the Crown Prince’s white horse.

The next moment, Zhou You spoke up, "Crown Prince, we’ve received civilian intelligence that someone was hoarding ’golden juice’ here, so we immediately rushed to capture the culprit. We hurried over, only to find that Your Highness had already taken the credit."

"Hmm?" Everyone looked at Zhou You.

The Crown Prince’s body relaxed slightly, following Zhou You’s words, he asked, "So the border army has been prepared all along, it seems my actions were unnecessary."

With a smile, Zhou You explained, "In the 24th year of Jianing, Jing Dynasty’s troops approached Guyuan. They started by burying hundreds of cattle and sheep carcasses at the source of the Ziwu River in Quwu Mountain, and then poisoned the wells with arsenic. The Guyuan Border Army was besieged for two months, fortunate enough that reinforcements arrived in time. We clashed with the Jing Dynasty Heavenly Strategy Army at Quwu Mountain and narrowly claimed victory; in the 28th year of Jianing, Jing Dynasty repeated their old trick, attempting to pollute the well waters in the city with ’golden juice’, but we discovered it beforehand."

Continuing with a smile, Zhou You said, "Since then, the Guyuan Border Army has planted informants among arsenic stone dealers and Feet Tilting to prevent the Jing Dynasty villains from returning."

His explanation was detailed enough, whether true or not, it provided a way out that the Crown Prince must take.

The Crown Prince said with a smile, "No wonder the officials praise General Hu; indeed, you lead your troops well."

General Hu didn’t look at the Crown Prince but instead focused on the Border Soldier previously captured by Chen Ji among the Yulin Army, "Crown Prince, I’m unsure what crimes my subordinate has committed to be escorted by the generals of the Yulin Army?"

After some consideration, the Crown Prince decided to answer honestly, "Replying to General Hu, we previously had him lead us to Shache Street, but he deliberately took us to Kule Street and then attempted to send a message here. I suspect he is a spy planted in the border army by the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department, so we apprehended him."

Suddenly, Zhou You suggested, "Then we should hand this man over to our border army. We’ll conduct a thorough interrogation to uncover the person behind him. Your Highness is too precious, and the Yulin Army being part of the Imperial Guard, I assume is not well-versed in unsavory methods such as torture."

General Li felt a shock and instinctively turned his head to look at the Crown Prince; Zhou You was clearly intending to silence the witness!

If they handed over the Border Soldier to them, perhaps they would make him "commit suicide out of guilt" tonight.

But... Dozens of archers lay on both sides of the roof, and who knew how many border soldiers were hidden outside Shache Street, they had no choice but to comply.

The next moment, the Crown Prince laughed, "Since that’s the case, then let General Zhou handle it... It’s getting late, shall we leave the cleanup to you gentlemen?"

Zhou You bowed, "It’s been a hard night for Your Highness, please return early to the Governor’s Mansion to rest. Leave the rest to us."

As his words fell, the archers on the rooftops withdrew their bows and disappeared behind the ridges.

The Yulin Army breathed a sigh of relief, yet felt a strange sense of ease: Were the border soldiers just letting them go?

The Crown Prince gently spurred his horse and started to move forward slowly.

In the narrow street, one step, two steps, three steps... The Crown Prince slowly passed by Hu Junxian and Zhou You, all of them holding their heads high, chests puffed, without sparing each other a glance.

After the entire Yulin Army had passed by Hu and Zhou, sounds of scattered horse hooves rang out from behind. General Li knew that the sound signified Hu Junxian and Zhou You turning their horses around, staring intently at them from behind, their gazes as sharp as swords, yet he dared not look back.

The Yulin Army traveled silently from Shache Street to Kule Street, and from Kule Street to Xuwei Lane. It wasn’t until General Li made sure numerous times that no border soldiers were following them that he finally took a long breath.

He looked down, his palm drenched with sweat from gripping the sword hilt.

General Li approached the Crown Prince and whispered gravely, "Your Highness, the border army harbors rebellious intentions and must have colluded with the Jing Dynasty crooks intending to hand over Guyuan to the Jing Dynasty. Otherwise, might I suggest we leave Guyuan through the secret passages? I have inquired about this, and there are two passages: one is in the City God Temple, and another in Dragon Gate Inn. You are close friends with Daoist Master Zhang Li of the Huangshan Dao Court, and the city deities would surely allow you to depart through their domain. By then, we will swear to protect and escort Your Highness back to the capital."

Everyone looked at the Crown Prince, whose single thought would decide whether to go or stay.

The Crown Prince pondered for a moment, then turned his head to Chen Ji at his side: "What do you think, dear brother Chen Ji?"

Chen Ji spoke calmly: "No need to leave."

General Li furrowed his brows: "Why?"

Chen Ji replied casually: "The border army has not rebelled, at least Hu Junxian does not wish to rebel."

Qi Zhenzhuo scornfully said: "Just now, the border army almost pointed their arrows directly at His Highness’s forehead. Are you saying they haven’t thought of rebelling? If not for colluding with the Jing Dynasty, how could they have arrived at Shache Street so quickly? And why would they kill a Jing Dynasty traitor to silence him?"

Chen Ji did not even look at Qi Zhenzhuo: "If Hu Junxian wanted to rebel, why bother with something as elaborate as golden juice in the well? Wouldn’t opening the city gates be more convenient? There may indeed be some within the border army with rebellious intentions, but they must be in the minority. There is definitely something we do not yet understand here, hence the complexity and confusion."

Qi Zhenzhuo spoke in a grave tone: "If the border army takes His Highness hostage, can you bear that responsibility?"

The Crown Prince said with a smile: "I know you all are doing your best. Now is the time to pool our wisdom and efforts, let’s not breed suspicion. Brother Chen Ji has a point. If Hu Junxian wanted to rebel, he wouldn’t have let us leave earlier. Keep your minds at ease and just observe for now. As for escaping through the secret tunnel, let’s not bring that up again."

General Li said anxiously: "Your Highness..."

The Crown Prince interrupted: "General Li, if I were a commoner, I could certainly focus on preserving my life in times of chaos. But as the Crown Prince of a nation, I can sacrifice my life but never my integrity."

General Li said with emotion: "For the Ning Dynasty to have such a Crown Prince is indeed a blessing for the nation."

The Yulin Army came forward, their emotions agitated: "We swear to protect His Highness with our lives!"

As they spoke, everyone returned to the front of the Governor’s Mansion.

The Crown Prince turned his head: "Oh right, dear brother Chen Ji, where are Zhang Zheng and Second Miss Zhang now? Later General Li will send someone to bring them back to the Governor’s Mansion... where is he?"

General Li suddenly turned his head, as during their pledges of loyalty and flattery, Chen Ji had silently moved to the back of the procession. But now, where was Chen Ji’s shadow to be seen behind them?

...

...

On Qiu Ci Street, Dragon Gate Inn.

The Shopkeeper stood behind the counter tallying the day’s accounts.

Xiao Liu leaned against the counter, yawning with boredom: "Shopkeeper, it’s almost New Year’s Eve. What are your plans?"

The Shopkeeper didn’t even look up: "Not celebrating."

Xiao Liu’s eyes flickered: "Are we closing the inn then?"

The Shopkeeper glanced at him: "Why? You, who have neither family nor dependents, are still thinking about New Year’s Eve? You can’t even secure a wife, just stay and work diligently in the inn. With all manner of riff-raff flocking to Guyuan City, do you still think of closing shop? The biggest business opportunities are in these few days."

Xiao Liu replied disheartenedly with an "Oh."

The Shopkeeper closed the account book and stretched his neck: "Tonight, make sure to send the fatty lambs from room Ding-Bing and Ding-Geng off separately. Remember to keep them apart. If I catch you slacking off again, I’ll bash your skull in. Also, be more careful with your chores. Last time you left an official’s cap in the stable, it was almost seen. Any more carelessness, and I’ll bash your skull in!"

Xiao Liu shrank his neck: "I know!"

The Shopkeeper stared out the window, lost in thought: "I wonder where the boss is now? Whether he’s faring well."

Xiao Liu mimicked in a hushed tone: "Al~so~ won~der~ing~ how~ the~ boss~ is~ far~ing~."

With a smack, the Shopkeeper slapped him on the back of his head: "Go away."

Just then, the heavy cotton curtain was gently parted by someone, and Chen Ji walked in with a chill breeze, standing at the entrance to pat off the dust.

Xiao Liu hurried over, using the white cloth on his shoulder to dust him off, and inquired: "Guest, you went out at dusk and didn’t return till midnight. Did you go take care of some urgent matter?"

Chen Ji smiled: "If you want to hear the news, you’ll have to pay with silver."

Xiao Liu laughed awkwardly: "I was just asking casually..."

The Shopkeeper peered over from behind the counter and asked casually: "Will the guest perform the ritual tomorrow?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment: "Grape wine, let’s open a jar, it’s time to taste what this Western Regions grape wine is all about."

The Shopkeeper’s eyes suddenly narrowed.

Opening a jar? That must mean he has some immensely important news to sell!