Chapter 990: Settling the Scores

Editor: Henyee Translations

Jiang Zhaoyong slowly began, “I saw someone from Tang Camp going to the King’s mansion, so I followed to find out what was going on.”

Chu Tang was genuinely surprised, “What? Someone from Tang Camp went to the King’s mansion?”

Jiang Zhaoyong nodded affirmatively, “I personally saw that person head towards Shu City, then approach the Second Prince, asking for money.”

“What money?” Chu Tang was puzzled.

“They spoke ambiguously; I didn’t understand it, and then I was discovered,” Jiang Zhaoyong said in frustration.

“If that person appears in front of you again, could you recognize them?” Chu Tang pressed for details.

“I could,” Jiang Zhaoyong nodded.

Chu Tang thought for a moment, “Let’s leave this matter be for now. Once we get to Tang Camp, you should tell Jinghong about it.”

“Alright,” Jiang Zhaoyong agreed.

Chu Tang had another question, “There’s another thing. The last time Fourth Sister went to gather herbs, there was an assassination attempt on her. Do you know why? And was it you who saved her?”

“It was me who saved her,” Jiang Zhaoyong admitted reluctantly. “At that time, I was being followed. They wanted to confirm if I really was Jiang Zhaoyong, and since Qingning is my fiancée, using her was the most convenient way.”

Chu Tang asked sternly, “Who was following you?”

“It was people from the First Prince. The First Prince wanted me to submit to him and work for him, so he was testing me.”

Now that the First Prince was dead, there was no need to discuss it further.

Chu Tang suggested, “When you get back, you should explain things to fourth Sister properly. She’s been under a lot of pressure lately.”

“I understand,” Jiang Zhaoyong nodded, feeling very guilty.

…

In the dungeon.

“Bring Jiang Zhaoyong out to me,” a man in a black robe burst into the dungeon, ordering loudly.

“Yes, Right Emissary,” the guard immediately responded.

The guard instructed two subordinates to fetch the prisoner, but they returned panicked and distraught, “Big brother, big brother, it’s terrible…”

“What’s with the fuss?” the guard frowned.

The subordinate pointed towards the cell, utterly flustered, “Big brother, you should see for yourself, something sinister has happened.”

With a sinking feeling, the guard hurried to the cell, only to find—Eastern Border King, clad in what were Jiang Zhaoyong’s clothes, unbelievably standing there.

“Your Majesty!”

Eastern Border King surveyed himself, then looked up at everyone, “Why am I dressed like this in the dungeon?”

“Your Majesty, last night you and the steward came here to interrogate Jiang Zhaoyong, and then a while later you both left…” As he spoke, the guard realized the truth—the one who left was actually Jiang Zhaoyong, even though they had clearly seen the king and the steward leave.

Eastern Border King’s expression darkened; he had gone to bed early last night and had not gone out at all.

At that moment, the steward stumbled out from the shadows, disoriented and unclear about his surroundings, “How did I end up here?”

Eastern Border King turned to him, “Steward, do you remember what happened last night?”

The steward, after taking a look around and recognizing the situation, wished he could vanish on the spot. He hit his head hard, “Your Majesty, I, I…”

Eastern Border King, face set in anger, started walking out, “I don’t know what happened last night, but one thing is clear—Jiang Zhaoyong was rescued.”

The steward urgently said, “Your Majesty, we must send someone to retrieve him quickly.”

Eastern Border King’s face was stormy, “He’s escaped, where do you suppose we chase him down to?”

The steward suggested, “Jiang Zhaoyong was severely injured; he must have used a carriage if he escaped. We should chase down anyone who took a carriage out of the city today.”

“That makes sense,” Eastern Border King paused, “Summon men to bring back all carriages that left today.”

“Yes,” the guards immediately set to work.

“We must catch these people!” Eastern Border King was furious; it was too audacious for someone to pull such a stunt right under his nose.

…

“Halt!” A group of mounted guards surrounded Chu Tang’s carriage.

“Whoa!” Shang Zixing brought the carriage to a stop, looking at the lead guard, “Brother, may I know what crime we’ve committed?”

The guard dismounted, commanding sternly, “Everyone off the horse, I need to inspect.”

Chu Tang’s voice came from inside the carriage, “Officer, please wait, we’ll come out momentarily.”

As the curtain was lifted, the guards saw two ladies step down from the carriage, looking nothing like fugitives. However, the king had warned that the suspects could change their appearance, so despite appearances, they had to take everyone back for questioning.

The guard stated coldly, “Come with us.”

Shang Zixing, holding his sword, replied, “We are law-abiding citizens. Why should we follow you without reason?”

The guard drew his sword and signaled the others to close in, “Because anyone who doesn’t come with us could be a fugitive!”

“If that’s the case, we might as well fight,” Shang Zixing said, and he drew his sword to clash with the guards. The area quickly erupted into a scene of swordplay and combat.

Chu Tang and Jiang Zhaoyong stood aside, watching the guards struggle against Shang Zixing, who was clearly outclassing them. They didn’t need to intervene.

After about fifteen minutes, the guards were all incapacitated.

“With your skills, you dare to strut around in front of me!” Shang Zixing said sternly.

“Kill them,” Chu Tang suddenly ordered.

Shang Zixing looked back at Chu Tang, nodding in agreement as if the suggestion was reasonable. Considering none of the King’s mansion guards were innocent, they deserved no mercy. He swiftly executed them all, ensuring no one could report back.

The carriage then continued on its journey.

…

At the Shangyun Stronghold.

Lan Qiongzhen saw Chu Qingning awake and hurriedly said, “Qingning, where are we now?”

Chu Qingning observed Lan Qiongzhen but remained silent. The other thought she was unaware of everything, but in reality, Chu Qingning knew all too well—it was Lan Qiongzhen who had pricked her neck with a silver needle, causing her to lose the ability to resist.

In fact, they were hidden in a secret compartment under a stall in the marketplace, a blatantly obvious place that was completely overlooked by everyone.

Pretending to be scared, Lan Qiongzhen said, “Qingning, don’t ignore me, I’m a bit frightened.”

They were in a room resembling an inn room, with windows sealed shut and the door tightly closed.

Chu Qingning tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge, “It seems to be locked from the outside.”

Lan Qiongzhen came over to help, and together they still couldn’t open it. She started banging on the door, “Is anyone there? Anyone?”

No response came.

“What do we do now, Qingning?” Lan Qiongzhen asked anxiously.

Chu Qingning sat down, “We wait for someone to come.”

Lan Qiongzhen tugged at Chu Qingning’s sleeve, “I’m sorry, Qingning. If it wasn’t for me, we wouldn’t be locked up here. I’m really sorry.”

Chu Qingning suppressed her emotions, “It’s okay, you didn’t mean it. Now, let’s just wait for someone to come.”

By keeping Lan Qiongzhen calm, Chu Qingning planned to bring her back and settle accounts later.