The matters concerning Duke of Chengguo could never escape the eyes of the Jinyiwei.
So be it. Let Lu Yunqi speak of it—it's better than letting someone else spill the beans.
Relieved, the ministers lowered their gaze and stepped back. Out of the corner of his eye, one of them noticed Huang Cheng standing nearby.
Like the emperor, his expression was somber at this moment.
But something was off—just moments ago, Huang Cheng had been smiling.
Huang Cheng never hid his enmity toward Duke of Chengguo, nor did he conceal his delight when seeing the Duke face predicaments.
That's why he had been smiling earlier.
Now, he should be smiling even more. The emperor now knew of Duke of Chengguo's troubles—this would be an absolute disgrace and a cause for fury, and he would no doubt take it out on the Duke. Praises for merit would be out of the question, and instead, guilt and blame awaited him.
Surely, this was exactly what Huang Cheng wanted to see. He should be smiling, right? Or was he feigning sorrow to align himself with the emperor's emotions?
The cheers and clamors of the crowd continued to surge forth. The emperor, seated on the dragon throne, wore a grim expression and did not further question the Duke, appearing utterly disinterested.
The ministers naturally refrained from bringing it up again, standing silent and solemn with their hands folded.
Lu Yunqi had already descended from the Imperial City. The awaiting Hundred-man Commander Jiang approached him with a grave, uneasy expression.
"Recently, the number of people traveling to the capital has increased significantly. We... we were negligent..." he murmured in a low voice.
"Nearly ten thousand." Lu Yunqi stated flatly.
Commander Jiang flushed, his face alternating between red and white, as he hung his head low.
Nearly ten thousand—living, breathing souls capable of walking, running, and speaking. They needed to eat, drink, and sleep. Not just three people, nor immobile objects that could be concealed easily.
That such a massive number went unnoticed until this very moment was utterly laughable.
They were the renowned Jinyiwei, known for knowing everything under the heavens—including even what passing beggars in the capital might say. Yet, ten thousand refugees from the northern lands arrived in the capital without so much as making a sound, evading all detection.
There was truly no plausible excuse for such negligence.
"I am willing to die to atone for my crime," Commander Jiang knelt and said.
Lu Yunqi brushed past him, moving forward.
"What does this have to do with you?" he said. "You weren't the one who brought them here."
Known as The King of Hell, Lu Yunqi indeed had the power to determine life and death for certain people and situations.
No one wanted to die. Hearing these words, Commander Jiang felt as though he had narrowly escaped death, his heart leaping with joy yet still filled with apprehension. He was acutely aware of how important this matter was to the emperor.
"My lord," he quickly rose to follow, "but His Majesty…"
"His Majesty did not ask us to handle this matter," Lu Yunqi replied as he wove through the lines of officials.
Could this be acceptable? It almost seemed so. After all, the emperor had only instructed them to monitor the activities of various groups—these northern refugees weren't included among those groups.
Commander Jiang trotted after Lu Yunqi's steps.
"These people mingled with merchants, traveling through waterways and overland routes in fragmented groups. Recently, with an influx of travelers to the capital—be it merchants or those coming to spectate the troubles of Duke of Chengguo—refugees have become increasingly common..." he continued to explain. "We truly were careless."
It was entirely unexpected—after all, it was nearly ten thousand people. Even if the Jinyiwei had truly let their guard down, without deliberate scattering and meticulous planning to obscure their tracks, a group this size would surely have been noticed. Besides the painstaking efforts to keep their movements concealed, the mere sustenance and provisions needed for these ten thousand would've cost an astronomical sum.
This strategy was utterly unfathomable to any ordinary person...
"The only person capable of pulling off such a plan is her," Lu Yunqi remarked, allowing himself a smile.
There was only one person who could make Lu Yunqi smile like that.
"But we've seen no trace of Miss Jun," Commander Jiang said. "Not a single word from Groundhog either. It's likely she's met with misfortune."
"Groundhog may be skilled, but he's no match for the Lord Heir," Lu Yunqi replied.
"The last reports mentioned that they were traveling together. Even if they managed to shake off our men, orchestrating the movement of nearly ten thousand refugees wouldn't have left no trace," Commander Jiang said. Otherwise, this matter with the refugees wouldn't have even come to their attention. They had already verified, and there was no sign of Miss Jun.
Lu Yunqi came to a halt. They had reached Imperial Street by now, with rows of Jinyiwei soldiers standing at attention on either side.
"She will have come," he said.
...
...
The dense crowd surged into view. The initial silence induced by shock had completely dissipated. Even if the surrounding literati and common folk managed to maintain their composure, with nearly ten thousand people now gathered, the sheer volume of their breathing alone turned the air stifling and oppressive.
The on-duty government soldiers, recovering from their initial shock, scrambled forward to investigate.
"We've come to see Duke of Chengguo!"
Their voices merged into a single, thunderous shout. Those at the front, hearing the soldiers' queries, answered loudly. Those further back, though unaware of the questions, echoed the answers they overheard with eager fervor.
The combined voices of nearly ten thousand people rolled like thunder, shaking those nearby to their very core, their faces pale with inexplicable dread.
Yet amidst this heart-pounding tension, some began to notice an unfamiliar phrase emerging in the rumbling chants, apart from the words "Duke of Chengguo."
"We've come to see the Qingshan Army!"
The Qingshan Army?
Though the phrase wasn't widely known, some people gradually recalled it—it was the army that had assisted Duke of Chengguo in Yizhou.
Still, many assumed that the army was just an extension of the Duke's forces, part of his glory, and felt no need for its separate mention.
To witness such a gathering—so many people assembling at once—it was hard to imagine this wasn't some sort of spectacle.
But upon closer inspection, these individuals seemed no different from the surrounding onlookers—men, women, the elderly, and children assembled together, their faces filled with excitement, curiosity, and eagerness.
Perhaps it was the machinations of certain masterminds, akin to the efforts of individuals lurking within the crowd at this very moment.
To organize such a massive turnout, to orchestrate this outpour of support and uproar—this was something only a person of unimaginable influence could achieve.
A nondescript man standing amidst the crowd squinted slightly, his expression shifting momentarily. With an air of understanding, he nodded toward several scholars in the crowd.
The scholars snapped out of their daze. Looking away from the newly arrived throngs of people, they fixed their eyes back on the military formations ahead and stepped forward.
"Duke of Chengguo, dismount!"
"Duke of Chengguo, lay down your arms!"
They shouted sternly, pointing accusingly at the soldiers ahead.
The soldiers, visibly rattled, glanced around nervously. The horses whinnied uneasily.
The onlooking crowd leaned in, their attention captivated and tense. With the influx of even more people, many feared losing their spots and began to push forward as well.
The on-duty government soldiers grew increasingly anxious, swinging their rods and waist knives furiously in an attempt to stop the crowd from advancing.
But deep down, they knew it was futile. Against such a massive number of people surging forward, they were utterly powerless.
Fortunately, the newly arrived throng appeared well-behaved. Heeding the commands forbidding them from moving forward, they obediently stayed put, their faces nevertheless brimming with barely contained excitement as they craned their necks to see what was happening on the field.
"Is Duke of Chengguo coming out?"
The voices of the scholars reached their ears, prompting some among the new arrivals to chime in with curiosity.
"The capital sure is lively!"
Soon, chaotic shouts erupted:
"Duke of Chengguo!"
"Duke of Chengguo!"
Even if not all of them joined in, the scattered voices among the nearly ten thousand were more than enough to make their presence felt.
Seventh Chen, perched atop the roof of a carriage, paled visibly and instinctively clutched the sides of the vehicle tightly as he scanned the sea of people surrounding him on all sides.
His carriage was now swallowed by the crowd, resembling a solitary boat in a vast, turbulent ocean.
"Good heavens, if Duke of Chengguo makes an appearance, they could drown him in a tide of spit," muttered Seventh Chen.
"Not necessarily," Manager Liu, still standing nearby, suddenly said as he too surveyed the growing throng. "They have northern accents."
Northern accents? So what? Seventh Chen blinked in confusion before an idea suddenly dawned on him—like a fire being lit. The realization startled him so much that he leapt to his feet.
It couldn't be...
And indeed, as the suffocating crowd pushed closer and the deafening chants of "Duke of Chengguo" echoed even louder, the faces within the military formations grew ashen.
"What did we do to deserve such condemnation?" Li Guorui, who had entered the capital for the first time, had lost all his former bravado. His face was deathly pale, and his eyes brimmed with confusion as he murmured aloud, "How could it be that after fighting valiantly in battle, we end up with no merit but crimes to our name?"
As he spoke, he turned to look at those standing beside him. To his surprise, Xia Yong and Yang Jing wore expressions of calm—their faces neither fearful nor indignant, though more stoic than usual.
"What's there to be angry about?" Yang Jing said flatly. "It's not the first time this has happened."
Not the first time? Could it be that they've endured such treatment before? Li Guorui was baffled.
Xia Yong and Yang Jing, however, said nothing further. They stood silently, unmoving, though a deep sorrow flickered in their eyes.
So, this time would simply end the same way, wouldn't it?
Within the formation, the officers couldn't conceal their terror. The current scene far exceeded anything they could've anticipated—so many citizens incited and mobilized. As they saw Duke of Chengguo attempting to step forward again, they hastily moved to block his way.
"Your Excellency, you mustn't go," they implored. "If you step out now, you'll have no choice but to admit guilt."
These were ordinary people, riled up and manipulated. They couldn't be beaten or scolded, nor could their grievances be easily explained away. Once engaged, retreat would no longer be an option. The only course left would be to yield to their demands.
"No matter. Then let us speak plainly," Duke of Chengguo said calmly, his tone and expression as gentle as ever.
By now, the accompanying shouts from the crowd had only grown louder, and the determination on the scholars' faces had hardened further. Their voices were brimming with righteous conviction, unyielding and resolute.
"Duke of Chengguo, admit your guilt!"
"Disband the unruly troops and leave the capital!"
As these two chants rang out, an abrupt silence fell over the area.
This silence wasn't total—there were still voices repeating the slogans. However, compared to the increasingly dense gathering of people, those voices now seemed sparse. The newly arrived crowd, on the other hand, looked on with peculiar expressions.
"Guilty? What crime has Duke of Chengguo committed?"
"Did you misspeak or something?"
Amidst the growing mutters, these challenges began to rise, quickly outnumbering the accusatory voices from before.
This was always the trouble with newcomers—they needed everything explained to them again, the scholars thought to themselves.
Though slightly irritated, they were more than happy for an opportunity to once again enumerate Duke of Chengguo's supposed crimes. One of them stepped forward and recounted the accusations from earlier.
After delivering the somber yet passionate speech, the initial group of onlookers began echoing their chants anew. However, the newly arrived crowd still stayed silent, as if in stunned disbelief.
On the main road, it seemed as though two parallel worlds had emerged—one rowdy and chaotic, the other eerily quiet. The contrast gave an unsettling air to the surroundings.
The scholars, however, weren't bothered by the silence. After all, the common folk were ignorant—they would enlighten them.
"Duke of Chengguo, dismount! Lay down your arms! Bare your back and seek atonement!" they shouted, wielding a banner inscribed with the phrase "Army of a Fallen Nation."
Before their voices had fully faded, a thunderous roar cut through the air.
"To hell with you!"
Accompanying this cry, an object came hurtling toward one of the scholars, striking him squarely on the head as he waved the banner.
Caught off guard, the scholar stumbled backward, dazed. Before he could recover, a deafening torrent of curses erupted from all around.
"To hell with you!"
The insult surged like a tidal wave, sweeping across the crowd with overwhelming force.
The capital's locals, eager to claim the best vantage points, were knocked off balance and staggered.
The on-duty government soldiers, tasked with maintaining order, dropped their rods and waist knives in stunned disbelief, retreating instinctively.
In an instant, the tide of tens of thousands turned, enveloping the provocateurs completely.
Seventh Chen's scalp prickled with dread as he witnessed the scene.
"To hell with you…" he muttered under his breath, clenching his fists and swinging them as if to shake off his mounting tension.
*********************
Three thousand words in total. Thank you, I shall take my leave to rest now.