东宫 Eastern Palace: Chapter 41

The leader of the group became anxious, using hand gestures to beg the guard, saying that if we leave then we must leave together. I also begged that guard. Feeling dizzy from listening to our strange Central Plains accent, that guard said: "If you don't leave, then you must all stay simida[1]."

We were still unwilling to give up, surrounding that guard and all of us talking at the same time. The line behind us was getting longer and longer, the people behind were getting more impatient and noisy. The Central Plains and Goryeo have fought for many years in the battlefield, so it is common that the Central Plains people would complain bitterly about the Goryeo people, but now they were even more cynical, saying that the Goryeo people are the most noisy and unruly.

Those Goryeo merchants were so angry that their faces and ears were red, as if they wanted to fight. The guard saw that these people were about to fight each other. Fearing that the situation would turn for the worse, afraid that there would be even more and more people blocking the area, he waved his hand: "The two Goryeo people that I just pointed at cannot leave the city, the rest can leave!"

Our group left the city along with our horses. Feeling helpless, those two Goryeo merchants could only stay in the city. I felt guilty, but the leader of the group secretly pulled my sleeve and reached out his hand.

I didn't understand what he meant, the leader smiled while touching his beard saying: "Give money!"

I was surprised: "Didn't Mi Luo give you money?"

The leader smiled cunningly: "Two people, city, more money."

I thought of the two Goryeo merchants that were being held in the city, I told A'Du to give him a gold leaf.

Then I regret being generous.

Seeing the gold leaves, the Goryeo leader's eyes almost lit up. Later on the way, he would always look for excuses, asking us to pay when we eat, asking us to pay when we stay in the inn, always asking for money. Although I'm not very smart, I've spent the last three years wandering on the streets of the Capital almost every day, so I would still know how much something costs. Usually two gold leaves can buy a house, but that leader would ask us to pay one gold leaf even for a meal, he was slaughtering us as if we were foolish people. I thought that since these are all Li Cheng Yin's money, it didn't hurt at all to spend some of it, and besides they do have some companions stuck in the city, so letting them take a little advantage is really nothing. We will just pretend they don't understand the cost of things. Although these Goryeo people were greedy, they could bear hardships, waking up every day at dawn, until the sun sets then they stop to rest. Eight or nine hours a day, I have never rode on a horse for so long in the past three years, making my bones hurt. Every night when we stop at the inn to rest, I would fall asleep as soon as my head rest on the pillow.

I slept soundly this night, but A'Du suddenly woke me. She was holding a knife, in the dark I saw the light in her eyes, I got up, whispered: "Did Li Cheng Yin's people catch up to us?"

A'Du shook her head, I didn't know whether she didn't know or she couldn't guess.

We waited quietly in the night, suddenly we heard a 'chi' sound, if we didn't pay attention, we wouldn't be able to hear it. Only a small bamboo tube pierced through the window. A'Du and I looked at each other, suddenly white smoke came out of the bamboo tube, when I smelled it, my hands and feet became soft, I couldn't stand anymore. Apparently the white smoke was a type of knockout gas. A'Du stepped forward, blocked the bamboo tube with her thumb, pinched the tube, forcefully jabbing the tube out.

Only a soft exhale sound could be heard. Suddenly, a loud sound could be heard from the outside, as if a heavy object had dropped to the ground. I felt very dizzy. A'Du opened the window, so the fresh wind could make me awake. She fed me some water, and I felt the effects of the knockout gas slowly fading away. A'Du opened the door, a man could be seen lying down in the corridor, apparently it was the Goryeo leader. He was poked in the acupuncture point by the bamboo tube, now he was sitting there with his mouth wide open. A'Du took out her knife, placed the knife by his neck and then looked at me.

I was afraid that there were ulterior motives, so I said to A'Du: "Drag him in, we will first question him."

A'Du had dragged him in and then closed the door. I kicked that person and asked: "Who are you?"

That person was stubborn: "If you want to kill then kill, I have long wandered in the Jianghu [2], since I have failed, there is no need to be questioned."

"Oh, so using knockout gas, this kind of dirty trick, is still considered something that a man of character would do?"

That person did not show any guilt on his face, he shouted: "To win, using all kinds of tactics!"

I said: "Now you lose!"

The man was still stubborn, so A'Du gently cut his leg and blood flowed out. He screamed like a pig,  when we asked him again, he told us everything. It turns out that after seeing we were wealthy and being generous, he wanted to kill us and then steal our money. He had intended to use the knockout gas to render us unconscious, but he didn't expect that his acupuncture point would be sealed by A'Du when he blew the gas.

"It turned out to be a robber pretending to be a merchant!" I kicked him again, "Hurry and say it! How many people have you harmed?"

That person shed tears and begged for mercy, saying that he really was a merchant, but he had a moment of greed, that's why he made such a mistake. He has never harmed anyone in the past, having a seventy year old mother and a three year old son at home.....Is everyone this greedy? The Goryeo person wants even more money, officials wanting a higher official position, and the emperor always wants bigger territory, so every year there would be war, a never ending cycle.

Never being satisfied.

I thought of Li Cheng Yin, that little prince, one step after another reaching to this day. His father had lured him using the throne, he went step by step to this day.

I, in fact, just wanted someone to be with me in Western Liang, raising sheep and horses. This was a simple desire, but there was no way of achieving it.

A'Du gently hit that Goryeo person's head using the knife handle, who immediately fainted. We tied him under the table, then stuffed his mouth so he couldn't make a sound. A'Du used hand gestures to ask me if I wanted to kill him, but I shook my head: "Once this person wakes up, he wouldn't dare to report to the officials. After all, he was the one who first tried to commit murder for money. Let's just tie him here, we cannot follow them anymore, we should just head west."

We were afraid that we would leave our traces behind, so we left the inn before dawn. After riding the horse for some time, the sun came out. During the middle of the day, I sold the horse at a market and bought a cow cart, A'Du and I were dressed as the farmer and farmer's wife, slowly heading to the west.

Of course there was an army chasing after us, and many times the army would come from behind our shabby cow cart. They simply wouldn't take another look at it, and would just past by it with lightning speed. Every time when we arrived to a city, there would be strict inspection, but sometimes A'Du and I don't even go into the city, we would instead walk around it through a small path. Being on a long journey is naturally very exhausting, I didn't know how long it had been when we finally arrived at the Yumen gate.

Seeing the gate between the two mountains, my mood finally lightened.

As long as we pass through the gate, we would be within the boundaries of the Western Regions. Even if Li Cheng Yin was the emperor and sends his army to cross the border, I am afraid that would cause an uproar in the Western Regions, which would believe he is declaring war on them. If that happens, it would not be an easy matter. It is for this reason that posters of the criminals were posted within the Yumen gate, the drawing of A'Du and I posing as men, but the names were not of us.

To be honest, the drawing was very similar, Li Cheng Yin had only seen me dressed in men's clothing once, it must have been hard to order someone to draw it out.

But right now we were dressed in women's clothing, and the posters were drawings of men, so A'Du and I lined up to go through the gate. It's just that we didn't have the official documents to pass through, so no matter how hard we try, it would be difficult to get out of here.

I was not nervous, I have a lot of gold and silver in my bag, A'Du is someone who has martial arts skills. If something really happens, then we will fight first, if we can't win, then we pay. 

I had never thought that fighting or paying with money would not work this time.

I looked at the General at the gate.

Pei Zhao.
　　

I felt that Li Cheng Yin is very cunning. I was going around all day, and I still had to go through the Yumen gate to go back to Western Liang. Right now he has sent Pei Zhao to guard the Yumen gate, questioning each person in line one by one. Even though A'Du have good martial arts skills, if we tried to break through, we won't be able to escape. This Yumen gate have an army of thousands of soldiers stationed here all year round. If we really fought and alarmed the whole army, I am afraid that even if we had wings, we would not be able to escape.

I smiled at Pei Zhao, and Pei Zhao smiled at me.

I said: "General Pei, why are you here?"

Pei Zhao said: "This subject had received his Highness's order to come here to pursue the criminal."

I could suddenly even laugh, and said: "General Pei is the general that leads the Yu Lin army, made up of three thousand soldiers. I'm not sure what kind of criminal could cause General Pei to chase them all the way to the Yumen gate."

Pei Zhao remained calm, faintly said: "Naturally of course, an important criminal wanted by imperial order."

I laughed two more times: "An important criminal wanted by imperial order......"

A'Du moved slightly, suddenly numerous soldiers appeared at the top of the gate, silently pointing feather arrows at us.

I sighed, I said to Pei Zhao: "No matter what happens I have to go through the gate, if you want to stop me, then just shoot arrows and kill me, it's not the first time you have done it."

Pei Zhao said: "Crown Princess you have misunderstood his Highness. His Highness has always been very devoted to Crown Princess."

I said: "What do you mean by devotion? I have broken all ties with him, you don't have to mention him in front of me again."

Pei Zhao said: "When the Cheng Tian gate was on fire, it was not caused by a candle."

I was slightly shocked.

"Everyone was enjoying the lantern festival, so there was no way of closing all the gates, his Highness was worried that the assassin would take Crown Princess out of the city, so his Highness ruthlessly order people to set the fire, burning the Cheng Tian gate." Pei Zhao faintly said: "His Highness, for the sake of Crown Princess can do something like this, so why can't Crown Princess forgive his Highness?"

Hearing this was so shocking that I was speechless. The Cheng Tian gate symbolizes imperial power, ever since the Cheng Tian was on fire, there were many people who commented about the situation in court. The Emperor himself has made a solemn declaration of guilt and responsibility for the loss of morality. I always thought that it was an accidental fire, not a fire set by Li Cheng Yin.

Pei Zhao said: "As the Crown Prince that will ascend the throne, there are many things where he has to act against his will. The day when the assassin was killed and A'Du was injured by mistake, it was all my doing. If Crown Princess wants to blame anyone, this subject will take all the blame, Crown Princess don't blame his Highness."

Although I am not someone that schemes, but I am not a fool, I said: "You are lying to me."

Pei Zhao said: "This subject does not dare."

I coldly said: "What do you dare not to do, wasn't it just that you couldn't disobey orders? Without his orders, would you have mobilize the Yu Lin army to annihilate? Without his orders, would you tell them to shoot the arrows? You are putting the fault of all these things onto yourself just so you can try to convince me to go back, but I will not fall for these lies again. Pei Zhao, three years ago when I was standing on the cliff over the river of forgetfulness, I thought I would never see you all again. I have forgotten everything these past three years, but you never thought that I would suddenly remember everything again. All these things that Li Cheng Yin has done, I will never forgive him. If you don't let me go, I will just rush forward, you can kill me or cut me into pieces all you want."

Pei Zhao looked at me with shaking eyes, he must have never thought that I would remember everything. He looked at me in a daze, as if he was using his gaze to see through me. I suddenly felt guilty, this person's loyalty to Li Cheng Yin wasn't ordinary, what would he do today?

After a moment of silence, Pei Zhao suddenly said, "I won't."

I find this baffling: "What do you mean by you won't?"

He looked at me and said: "That day when Crown Princess asked if the assassin had grabbed you, would this subject still order them to shoot the arrows and kill you and the assassin? This subject's answer is no."

I suddenly understood, I looked at A'Du and used hand gestures, A'Du pulled out her knife and placed it by my neck.

I said: "Open the gate!"

Pei Zhao shouted: "The assassin has taken the Crown Princess as hostage, don't accidentally hurt the Crown Princess, hurry and open the gate."

The heavy gate was opened, it needed at least ten people to push it open. The scorching sun that burns people's eyes was shining brightly on our bodies, slightly painful.

The sun was burning hot. I couldn't help being ecstatic as I was riding the horse looking at the direction outside the Yumen Gate.

Suddenly horses' footsteps could be heard from behind, an army was heading in this direction. When I saw the dragon patterns embroidered on the flag, there was not enough time to think much. As soon as they got closer, the dust from the horseshoes came up. I squinted my eyes to look at the group of people that were getting closer and closer, only did I discovered that it was Li Cheng Yin leading the group.

Notes:

[1] 思密达 Simida- When speaking Korean, people say this to end the sentence formally.

[2] 江湖 Jianghu- This word has two meanings: around the whole country, and the world of martial artists. However in this context, it would be referring to the world of martial artists.

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