Green Mountain
Chapter 93 - 74. Save a person

Chapter 93: 74. Save a person

In the night.

Chen Ji returned to the edge of the rooftop, standing poised on the overhanging eaves, calmly looking down at his feet.

Is there a problem with the Princely Heir?

If there was a problem, the other party has been in Donglin Academy for the past three years, incapable of doing much.

If there was no problem, then it’s too coincidental that the other party returned at this time and appeared in the Golden Workshop.

Chen Ji furrowed his brow, trying to sort out some clues, but found that too many were missing.

In the courtyard.

The Princely Heir saw the Jianghu knights abandon him and run, cursing as he turned around, "Aren’t they Jianghu knights? Don’t they always claim to value righteousness? They really lack loyalty!"

Six knife-wielding spies had charged into the yard, cornering the Princely Heir and Bai Li against the wall of the courtyard. One of the spies said coldly, "Those who resist arrest will be charged with a greater crime."

Bai Li started to speak, "We are..."

But before she could finish, the Princely Heir quietly tugged at her and took over, "We are just ordinary citizens who came to play in Hongyi Lane. We haven’t violated any Daning laws, why are you after us?"

The spy scrutinized them closely as if using the moonlight to examine the two. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "...Princely Heir, Commandery Princess? I recognize you! The Spy Department has conclusive evidence that tonight, Jing Dynasty traitors were active in the Golden Workshop. You two appearing here is too much of a coincidence. Come with us to the inner prison."

The Princely Heir internally cried out in dismay. The Ritual Supervision had been wanting to catch Prince Jing Mansion red-handed, and over these years, many of Prince Jing’s old partisans had been locked in the inner prison, never to emerge again.

Once in the inner prison, the status of Prince Mansion’s Princely Heir was useless.

Seven years ago, Prince Huai was taken by the Spy Department for privately storing armor and a hand crossbow, and by nightfall of the same day, he was dead in the inner prison. Six years ago, there was a severe drought in Guanzhong, and Prince Jin, for saying while drinking that it was a divine punishment for Emperor Ning’s neglect of governance, was caught by the Spy Department on the charge of ’falsely claiming prophecies,’ and died in the inner prison within the month, along with the Five Organs Spirit Platform Lang and Five Organs Bao Zhangzheng of the Observatory.

The Princely Heir knew all too well that the life of a Vassal Prince of Ning Dynasty was as cheap as grass before the Eunuch Party. If he entered the inner prison today, he feared he would never come out again.

With that thought, the Princely Heir quickly fashioned a makeshift ladder with his hands, "Bai Li, go first!"

The spy’s face turned grim, "No one’s escaping. Princely Heir, if you’re innocent, why are you afraid to come with us?"

The Princely Heir spat out a curse and picked up a bamboo broom from the courtyard, positioning it in front of Bai Li, "I’ll fight you. If you have the guts, kill me here!"

Chen Ji watched the scene silently.

To save or not to save?

If he didn’t save them, the Princely Heir and Bai Li would surely be taken to the inner prison no matter how much they struggled. Jin Zhu was already seeking evidence of Prince Jing Mansion’s collusion with Jing Dynasty. Catching the Princely Heir and Bai Li here would be like someone offering a pillow to a sleepy person, giving them all the excuse they needed for torture and forced confessions.

Saving them would mean dealing with six troublesome spies, and more could come at any moment to reinforce... The key problem was, Chen Ji had come to kill Manager Yuan tonight, not to save anyone!

But on the same Hongyi Lane, during the same night, how delightful it would be to finish the wine and then see the sunrise at the drum tower.

Chen Ji’s hand was wrapped in cloth, and the short knife he gripped tightly dripped with blood, slowly sliding off the blade and finally converging into a drop of crimson, which fell on the grey roof tiles.

As the drop of blood touched the tiles, Chen Ji had already vanished from his spot.

"Come on!" the Princely Heir swept with the bamboo broom in hand, attempting to repel the spies.

However, these elite agents from the Spy Department were not something he could fend off. A spy stepped forward, slashing down with his knife, and with a slight flick, the bamboo broom was cut in two.

The Princely Heir, looking at the now bald broom, spoke solemnly, "I can go with you, but you have to let my sister go. What could a girl understand?"

The spy shook his head, "No one’s leaving. If not for your distinguished statuses, why would we bother persuading you kindly. Just come quietly to the inner prison, and neither of you will be hurt. Once we’ve verified your innocence, you will naturally be released."

The Princely Heir said firmly, "How many can enter the inner prison and come out again? Do you believe it yourselves? Aren’t you afraid of Prince Jing Mansion’s revenge?"

"The Princely Highness, we’ve captured Princes before, you’re not intimidating us. Take them," ordered the spy to the others.

Several spies surged forward.

The Princely Heir wanted to resist but was struck in the abdomen by a spy, bending over in pain as the wine and bile in his belly gushed out together.

These agents of the Spy Department really didn’t care about the Princely Heir’s status.

They were well aware of how much their supervisors wanted to topple Prince Jing Mansion. Political stance dictates thought.

In the tussle, someone twisted Bai Li’s arm behind her back, and although she was in agonizing pain, she did not cry out. She just stubbornly stared at the spy in front of her.

Amidst the chaos, her gaze swept the surroundings until she suddenly froze.

A spy sensed something amiss and quickly turned around.

In an instant, he lifted his knife to strike behind him. But as he had just raised his hand above his head, before he could swing down, a figure silently closed in on him.

The intruder clamped down on his arm with his left hand, preventing the knife from coming down.

In a breath, the assailant stabbed twice with his right hand, once to the kidney in the waist, once beneath the ribs into the lungs. The short knife in his hand was like a venomous snake, vicious and deadly.

The adjacent spy, seeing this, was shocked and rushed to help, swinging his knife. But the figure merely waved a hand lightly, the short knife colliding with the incoming long knife in the dark, showering sparks, with a ’ding,’ the long knife broke!