Chapter 18
Fiery Kerosene
Half a day later, the government posted a notice saying that Doctor Cheng was an evil spy from the State of Yue who poisoned the Eldest Prince with medicine, causing his life to be in danger. They also said that there were other spies from the State of Yue hiding in the city and asked the people to cooperate with the government to find these spies to avenge the Eldest Prince.
News spread through the city with incredible speed.
The State of Yue and the State of Jin were enemies for generations. When the commoners learned of this, they were all agitated. The atmosphere in the city suddenly became solemn.
Magistrate He officially ordered the city to be sealed. From today onwards, no one was allowed to enter Danyang City.
From time to time, the guards patrolled and searched the streets.
Every household in the city had been searched by the guards, including the Gu family’s residence. Even if they showed the token of the Dingyuan Marquis Household and even if Madam Gu was also in the residence, the guards still searched the Gu residence mercilessly. Of course, they did not allow them to leave the city.
For the next few days, the city was filled with a thick, murderous atmosphere.
“Ta-da-da…”
On the street, a team of officials holding torches roared past with two prison carts. The commoners pointed at the prison carts and sighed.
A pair of malicious eyes looked out at the street through the holes in the window paper, his gaze like a bottomless abyss.
When the guards were gone, he looked away too. He closed his eyes and sat motionless in his chair, as if he was frozen in place.
Suddenly, the wind picked up.
The clouds moved with the wind. Thick black clouds decorated the evening sky with gloom.
The sky was darkening. The night sky was as black as ink, with no stars in sight.
“Sixth Master.” A dark-skinned middle-aged man appeared in the house and bowed respectfully to the man in blue on the chair. “Shopkeeper Huang and the others are also temporarily locked up in the government dungeon. They haven’t revealed your whereabouts.”
“Have someone continue to keep an eye on them.” The Sixth Master opened his eyes. His eyes were cold and his voice was hoarse. He could not hide the exhaustion in his expression.
His days had not been easy.
The day before yesterday, he had used the secret passageway to escape from the Cheng Medical Hall. After that, he went to another stronghold. However, the officials had launched a large search in the city, so he could only hide and change several strongholds.
In just three days, most of the strongholds in Danyang City had been sealed off by the government. Even most of the spies lurking in the strongholds had been taken down.
It could be said that 10 years of hard work had almost gone down the drain.
The Sixth Master closed his eyes again, and his heart ached. He finally understood what it meant to be stabbed in the heart!
Danyang City was only 400 miles away from the capital. It guarded the sea route and the North-South Canal. With the transportation of the river and sea, it could be said to be the gateway to the capital. Danyang City was too important to them.
“Yes,” the middle-aged man replied respectfully. He paused for a moment and said cautiously, “Sixth Master, we still have 12 men available. I’ve investigated carefully. There’s nothing wrong with them.”
He was certain that it was not the people of the State of Yue who had leaked the information to the authorities.
“…” Sixth Master narrowed his eyes, revealing some coldness.
The officials of Danyang City had been searching for three days and had destroyed so many of their arrangements, but they still had no intention of stopping. It could be seen that they were targeting something.
The answer was clear. They were definitely coming for him.
This time, he had traveled all the way north from the State of Yue to discuss the details of the alliance with Kang Wang of the State of Jin under the orders of the Sage.
Only Kang Wang knew that he had come to Danyang City.
Kang Wang wanted to use him as a token of allegiance to Chu Yi, or to Emperor Mingde!
Kang Wang was really scheming. On the surface, he and Emperor Mingde were like fire and water, but in reality, that was not the case. These brothers were just deliberately putting on an act to lure them into a trap?!
They were playing the State of Yue like monkeys.
He had been tricked!!
Sixth Master’s heart was filled with hatred. He punched the window frame so hard that his hand was numb with pain.
This time, he had managed to snatch this job from Xia Houqing and even made a military pledge in front of the Sage.
If he did not handle this task well, Xia Houqing would definitely kick him while he was down. Moreover, even the southwestern military power would fall into Xia Houqing’s hands, making the other party even more powerful.
He could not allow this to happen!
A storm brewed in the Sixth Master’s eyes. There was anger, unwillingness, and even vigorous ambition.
After a while, he suppressed his intense emotions and asked calmly, “Where’s the kerosene?”
“The kerosene is ready,” the middle-aged man replied solemnly, lowering his upper body a little.
The Sixth Master flexed his knuckles, cracking them. “Tell them to stick to the plan,” he instructed in a deep voice.
There was a desperate finality in that simple sentence.
The middle-aged man accepted the order solemnly and left.
It was already late at night. The candles in every house were extinguished, and the people were sleeping soundly. The streets were empty and quiet, and only the occasional bird cry echoed in the night wind.
A dozen men in black sneaked out of the back door of a lacquered shop, avoiding the guards and night watchmen patrolling the streets. They shuttled through deserted alleys, as agile as ghosts.
An hour later, the group led by the Sixth Master arrived at the alley outside the back door of the Danyang Manor. It was dark and frighteningly quiet.
Without needing the Sixth Master to instruct them, the group of men in black spontaneously opened the jars they carried with them and quickly circled around the walls of the government office, splashing the liquid in the jars at the corners, the trees, and the walls covered in vines.
“Splash, splash—”
With a splash, a slightly pungent smell filled the night air.
As the night deepened, a strong wind blew, causing the trees to creak like demons dancing.
The Sixth Master, who was holding a torch, slowly walked to the foot of an old tree. A curled branch slanted over the wall and entered the government office.
The flames on the torch swayed with the wind. The flickering flames added a hint of sinisterness to the Sixth Master’s handsome and rough face.
He wanted to see if Kang Wang and Emperor Mingde could continue being brothers if Chu Yi died in Danyang City!
The Sixth Master suddenly let go, and the matchstick fell vertically…
...
“Boom!”
The moment the flames touched the kerosene, they spread rapidly in all directions. In a short while, the surroundings turned into a blazing sea of fire, greedily and crazily devouring everything that could be devoured.
Flames danced wildly, climbing and spreading along the trees and vines and walls. Gray smoke rose in spirals.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
In the distance, the loud banging sounds could be heard. It was late at night, and the people were sleeping soundly, oblivious to the fact that the magistrate’s office was on the move. Chu Yi and the other two, who had just walked out of the corner door, saw the fire.
“Young Master, fire!” Xiao Shi looked up in the direction behind the Danyang Manor and whispered.
Chu Yi, in his white cloak, was beside him, his chin slightly raised as he looked in the same direction.
In the blink of an eye, the fire grew stronger. Crimson flames lit up the night sky above.
Si Hai frowned and said hesitantly, “Your Highness, judging from the location, it should be the back door of the Danyang Manor… Could it be the people of the State of Yue?”
“Who else could it be?” Chu Yi said flatly, his eyes dark.
...