Chapter 50: Night Azure State

  On the city wall, two old soldiers, Jiang Zhe and Ge Qiwen, walked around with their guns for a while. When they reached the watchtower, they found that the officer was not there, so they sat down against the wall, leaning on each other, and started to enjoy their midnight snack. Jiang Zhe took out a large sugar pancake from his pocket, which his wife had baked for him, tore it in half and shared it with Ge Qiwen. Ge Qiwen also took out an oil-paper package from his pocket, inside were two steamed buns, some salted vegetables, and shredded dried meat. The two men wiped their hands on their clothes and began to eat, taking a bite of pancake and then a bite of vegetable.

  Jiang Zhe chewed on a big pancake, gloating as he said: "Hey, I heard that the King of Qi summoned all the high-ranking officials from our Qingzhou's government offices, including the Prefectural Magistrate and the Governor, to scold them harshly. Apparently, it was because the king found out about the assassination attempt on Yang Xu, a local scholar, in his own home. The king was furious and rebuked all the officials, saying that Qingzhou is his fiefdom, and if they can't even maintain order within the city walls, he'll have to deploy troops from the Imperial Guard to take care of security here. Ha! If the king really does that, we won't have to stand guard all night in the wind, and we can go home to our wives and enjoy a good sleep!"

  Ge Qiwen curled his lip and said, "Nonsense! This is just Prince Qi taking the opportunity to act out. If it were really up to Prince Qi to dispatch troops to take charge of Qingzhou's security, use your brain and think carefully - would you have any benefits?"

  "This isn't a good thing? With three guards' troops patrolling and defending the city, we can easily get our pay, isn't that a good thing?"

  "You're stupid!"

  Jiang Zhe took a big bite of his pancake, rolling his eyes and scolding his old partner: "We don't know about other things, but let's talk about the city gate tax. If the three guards are guarding the city, do you still have a job? Others can collect as much as they want, and whatever they collect is theirs to keep. Can't they give some to you? We brothers work hard at night shifts, but there's also profit in guarding the city gate. If we were replaced by the Wangfu guards, wouldn't you be out of luck? You're just relying on your military pay, does your wife spare you a white flour pancake with meat filling?"

  Ge Qiwen rubbed his head and muttered: "It turns out you have two sons, a full man doesn't eat an empty man's hunger. My family has three daughters, I'd rather take advantage of my youth and strength to be with my wife more often, no matter what, I must have a son, otherwise who will use the money we earn?"

  As soon as he mentioned his son, Jiang Zhe's face lit up with a smile: "Speaking of sons, my two sons are both doing well. Hey, Old Jiang, in another year, our eldest and your second daughter will be at the age of marriage. Why don't we become relatives? You know my wife is a simple and honest person who won't bully her daughter-in-law. If your second daughter marries into our family, she definitely won't suffer from her mother-in-law's bullying."

  "Married into your family? Alright, what about the betrothal gifts? How much can you offer? My eldest daughter married the young master of the Wang oil shop in North City, and the betrothal gifts were..."

  "How can you just acknowledge the money? It's hurtful for us brothers to talk about money. You only mention how much dowry the Wang family gave, but why don't you mention how much your sister-in-law suffered in the Wang family? The mother-in-law is fierce and the sisters-in-law are oppressive..."

  "That's still better than being poor and bullied."

  Just then, someone outside the city gate shouted: "Open the gate! Open the gate!"

  Two people didn't respond at first, but the person below the city continued to shout. Jiang Zhe stood up and leaned on the city wall, shouting down in a bad tone: "The city is closed at night, don't you know the rules? Squat there, we'll open the gate again at dawn."

  The man at the foot of the city wall shouted loudly: "Open the gate immediately and let me in, I am a person from the Qi Wang Fu, I have an urgent matter to report to the king, if you delay the king's affairs, do you have enough heads to be chopped off?"

  "Someone from the Qi Wang Fu?"

  Ge Qiwen was startled, hastily put away his food and stood up, looking down at the city wall. He vaguely saw a figure, but couldn't make out their features clearly. He said: "What evidence do you have to prove that you are from the residence of King Qi?"

  The man under the city wall said: "I have a token of the Qi Wang Fu's pass as proof!"

  Jiang Zhe and Ge Qiwen exchanged a glance, then hurriedly fetched a basket and tied it with a rope. Ge Qiwen shouted down, "Please put the sign in the basket, we need to verify your identity first."

  That person put the waist card into the basket as promised, and the two of them carried the basket back. Under the light, they examined the waist card and found it was indeed a pass card from the Qi Wang Fu, made of ivory, heavy and smooth to the touch. Judging by this, the gentleman below the city wall held a relatively high official position in the Qi Wang Fu.

  Although the city is closed at night and entry and exit are prohibited, rules are set by humans, and even if it's Jinling City under the emperor's feet, it's not an iron-clad rule that can't be bent. What more for Qingzhou Prefecture in this Shandong region? It's not like there haven't been cases of high-ranking officials sneaking out at night before. After checking his waist token, Ge Qiwen quickly put down the basket and said: "Sir, to open the city gate, we need to get permission from the commander first. I don't dare take charge myself. Please sit in the basket, sir, and we'll pull you up."

  "Hurry up, hurry up, come and lend a hand. If we keep the noble guest waiting, we'll definitely get scolded."

  He sat in the basket as instructed and let two men pull him up with a pulley, slowly rising to the top of the city wall.

  This Qingzhou city has been the political, economic and military center of Shandong for over a thousand years. Every time there is a war in the Central Plains, Qingzhou is always the most frequent battlefield. After thousands of years of construction, the city walls are high and strong, easy to defend but difficult to attack. The city wall is five zhang six chi high, with the upper half slightly inclined outward, making it extremely difficult to climb. Even if one manages to ascend halfway up, they will no longer be close to the city wall, and a gentle breeze can cause some disturbance.

  The basket was carried to the city gate, and before Jiang Zhe and Ge Qiwen could reach out to grab it, the person had already climbed up the wall and jumped in. The two people on the wall took a look, and this night visitor to Qingzhou wore a tile-hat that pressed down to his eyebrows, with a beard under his chin, looking like he was around 35 or 36 years old. He wore a short brown jacket, and on his feet were a pair of tiger-grabbing Ba Na cloth shoes, dressed in the attire of someone traveling on foot for a long distance.

  The man went up to the city gate, stretched out his hand, and Ge Qiwen hastily handed over the ivory waist card with both hands. The man put it in his bosom, didn't say a word, and walked away with a swagger. Jiang Zhe whispered a "hiss" at his back, muttering: "What's so arrogant about you? You're just a nobody, relying on the Qi Wang Fu's power, we don't even look at you straight."

  Two men put away the basket, sat down against the wall root, continued to eat things, and talked about their children's marriage. As for tonight's city head guest, it was just a trivial episode in their lives, they stood guard with guns only to make a living, too lazy to care more.

  It was late at night, and Feng Xihui had already fallen asleep.

  Feng Xihui did not like drinking, was not fond of being rough, and had always maintained good living habits. Because he persisted in diligently practicing martial arts, although he was already over 40 years old, his physical ability was just reaching the peak state of a man.

  "Knock, knock, knock!" A series of knocks came from the window, and Feng Xihui woke up with a start. As soon as he woke up, he felt something was off. Liu Xu and An Yuanwai didn't have the qualifications to take the initiative to contact him, only Zhang Thirteen... But Zhang Thirteen had long since turned into a lump of yellow earth. In the dead of night, who was knocking on the window?

  Feng Xihui suddenly sat up and shouted in a low voice: "Who is it?"

  "Brother Feng has come out to take a look, isn't it clear?"

  The man outside spoke with a strange accent, and Feng Xihui was considered to be worldly-wise, but he had never heard such an accent before. Of course, he hadn't, because this accent was the common language of over 600 years later, and naturally there were some differences in pronunciation compared to now. Feng Xihui was about to ask again when he heard footsteps echoing outside, and the man had already walked away. Feng Xihui didn't have time to think much, hastily got dressed, and chased after him.

  Feng Xihui did not carry a weapon, his embroidered spring knife was hidden extremely secretly, and it was not convenient to take it out. Moreover, he was not a patrol officer, so he didn't have a sword by his side. However, Feng Xihui's skills were high and his courage was great, relying solely on his bare palms, he confidently believed that there weren't many people who could do anything to him, so he walked calmly without fear.

  Feng Xihui removed the horizontal wooden bolt from the gate, opened the door and immediately flashed to the side to take a look, making sure there was nothing unusual. Only then did he flash out of the house, whereupon he saw a figure standing upright on top of the low wall in front of his courtyard. Seeing him come out, the figure beckoned to him with its hand, then jumped down.

  Feng Xihui didn't open the door again, and immediately jumped over, stretched out his hand to press the wall, and flew out. At this moment, he had already stored power in his legs, making preparations, fearing that the person would ambush under the wall, but unexpectedly landed safely. After calming down for a moment, his sharp eyes scanned around, and saw that the person was running away into the distance under the faint moonlight. Feng Xihui regretted it and immediately chased after him.

  Feng Xihui felt annoyed, because he had a feeling of being led by the nose. He didn't like this feeling. But he couldn't help but catch up, his heart was hiding too many secrets, if he didn't figure out this person's identity and purpose, he would really be unable to eat or sleep.

  Feng Xihui's residence was already remote, and the direction in which the man fled was even more secluded. This happened to be in line with Feng Xihui's intentions, as he also didn't want to be seen by the night watchmen while taking action at night. However, this made Feng Xihui even more vigilant. The two people, one running and one chasing, soon arrived at a very desolate area on the west side of the city. This place was originally a forest, but recently, due to the construction of the new palace, it had been excavated and trees had been transplanted, leaving the ground uneven and pockmarked with holes.

  That man stood still at the edge of the forest, waiting for Feng Xihui with his hands behind his back. Feng Xihui chased him to a nearby place and slowed down his pace, cautiously looking around. Due to excavation and logging, the trees here had become extremely sparse, and those trees were not big enough to hide people, making it difficult to escape his attention. After careful observation, Feng Xihui confirmed that there was only one person in front of him, and he felt greatly relieved at once.

  Feng Xihui stood still over two zhang away, his voice low and even: "Who exactly are you, sir? Why have you brought this official here in the dead of night?"

  "Your Honor?"

  That man smiled lightly, adjusted the brim of his hat, and said with a hint of mockery: "I don't know if you are the inspector of Qingzhou Prefecture or the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guard."

  Feng Xihui's face changed suddenly, he had been hiding in Qingzhou for more than four years, but today, someone suddenly called out his name, revealing the biggest secret hidden in his heart. This shock almost made Feng Xihui jump up, his iron fist clenched tightly, and he asked in a trembling voice: "Who are you?"

  "That person said: 'Want to know what kind of person I am? Then catch!' With a flick of his hand, something flew towards Feng Xihui."

  That thing was thrown in a parabolic arc, even if it were a hidden weapon, it would be hard to hurt anyone. However, Feng Xihui was still very careful, he shook his sleeve and wrapped it around his hand, using his clothes to catch the object. At this time, it was just after midnight, although the sky was clear, there was only a crescent moon. Feng Xihui caught the object in his hand and examined it carefully under the faint moonlight, and lightly touched the characters on it, he couldn't help but exclaim: "Qi Wang Fu?"

  "That man slowly and deliberately said: 'I have been to the county government office, carefully examined your room...'"

  He paused on purpose, but didn't notice Feng Xihui showing any signs of panic or abnormality. He was suddenly relieved: "Indeed, all the secret and harmful things are hidden in his residence."

  Having found what he wanted to know, the man chuckled and said: "Director Feng, you are very careful. In your signing room, I couldn't find anything that could be used as evidence against you."

  Feng Xihui secretly harbored murderous intentions, and sneered: "How did you find out my identity? Was it the order of the King of Qi that brought you here? You are a person from the King of Qi's mansion, since you already know my identity, why didn't you bring a large group of people to capture me, but instead called me here to ask questions?"

  "Oh? Should I call someone to capture you then..."

  That person seemed somewhat unexpected, and immediately let out a soft "ah" sound, as if he had suddenly realized something. He hesitated for a moment before saying: "Director Feng, you have a big nerve! The Emperor has already issued a clear edict: apart from ceremonial duties and night watch, all other responsibilities of the Brocade Guard have been terminated. You actually changed your appearance and secretly went to Qingzhou to plot something nefarious. What crime should you be punished for?"

  Feng Xihui is so cunning, observing his expression and listening to him speak, can't help but feel a great hatred in my heart: "Damn it! It turns out that this despicable thing only knew I was from the Brocade Guard, but didn't know the real purpose of my trip to Qingzhou. How hateful! I actually let slip with my own words."

  From the strange tone and exploratory questions of this person in front of him, Feng Xihui had already judged that this person must have found out his identity through some means, and it was even possible that he was someone who knew him from his time in Ying Tian Fu. Because he had seen through his disguise, he felt suspicious about his appointment as the inspector of Qing Zhou, which is why he had brought him out to meet.

  This man must be harboring ulterior motives, trying to fawn on the King of Qi and gain some benefits from him. Unfortunately, he inadvertently let slip his true intentions, practically telling the other party that his trip to Qingzhou was for some illicit purpose. It would be strange if the other party were willing to let the matter drop.

  "Hold on!" Feng Xihui's heart skipped a beat as he suddenly thought: "Since this person doesn't know my true purpose for coming to Qingzhou, and is luring me out in the middle of the night to ask about information, then at this moment, only he should know my identity. He wouldn't have already reported it to Prince Qi. From how he has no one else to help him, just one person, it's clear that he hasn't made up his mind on how to deal with me either. He wants to monopolize this benefit for himself. If I kill him..."

  At the thought, Feng Xihui's feet immediately began to condense their strength, and he intentionally or unintentionally leaned forward, answering: "Feng Mou has been in Qingzhou for four years, and unexpectedly today was seen through by this friend. It is indeed the will of heaven. However, recognizing my identity is of no benefit to you at all. You should know that I came to Qingzhou as a great secret of the imperial court..."

  "What secret?" he asked hastily.

  Feng Xihui smiled secretly: "Since it's a secret, it shouldn't be known to others. Otherwise, is it still a secret?"

  That man suddenly became aware and shouted: "Stop talking, don't go over..."

  He hadn't finished speaking when Feng Xihui suddenly leaped forward, his five fingers spread wide like claws, and fiercely clawed at him...

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