After taking the Xuanning Rejuvenation Pill, Wei Yang watched with his own eyes as his shattered knees and elbows slowly reconnected and mended. Feeling gradually returned to his limbs.
He propped himself up and looked at Gu Wangchen, who had climbed into the inn through the window alone. “Minister Gu, are you here alone?”
“Mm… I came by myself,” Gu Wangchen replied dismissively.
He certainly hadn’t come alone, but he was alone for the moment. He had just sent An Li to tail Long Heng and his men to ensure their true target was Anfu Gate and not somewhere else. ‘It was always better to be cautious.’
The reason he had waited until now to save Wei Yang was to keep An Li on surveillance. If he had taken out Long Heng immediately, it would have been nearly impossible to find the Black Fire Oil these men had hidden.
“Minister, I…”
Although Wei Yang didn’t know how Gu Wangchen had found this suspicious inn, he knew his “lies” had been completely exposed. He had thought he could persuade Long Heng to give up on the next attack and even turn himself in. That way, not only could he make amends for his crimes, but he might even receive a promotion. Even if persuasion failed, he thought he could capture Long Heng and bring him to Gu Wangchen to redeem himself. That was the real reason he had deceived Gu Wangchen.
However, he had severely underestimated Long Heng’s determination and strength. Not only had he failed both his primary and secondary goals, but he had also fallen into a trap, forcing Gu Wangchen to expend a precious medicinal pill. Even though he didn’t know the exact name of the pill he had swallowed, he knew its value was likely higher than his Pay for a whole year.
“What’s the matter, Captain Wei Yang? Is this the private family matter you mentioned? Do you have some kind of relative relationship with that guy?” Gu Wangchen asked with a smile as he looked at the ashamed Wei Yang.
“No, Minister Gu, I… I…”
*Thud!*
Wei Yang’s knees hit the floor again. He prostrated himself, bowing low as his head touched the ground. “I deceived you, Minister. It was my fault…”
Wei Yang explained everything, including how he had found this hidden inn by sensing a faint resonance through the Seven Star Burning Radiance Technique.
“I see,” Gu Wangchen nodded. “So you were trying to kill multiple birds with one stone. You wanted to save a stray comrade, earn a merit, and maybe even get a promotion, right?”
“Yes! I… I was wrong!”
Gu Wangchen shook his head with a light sigh. “Sigh, didn’t you stop to think? How could things be that simple? They even dared to bomb the Crown Princess. Do you really think they’d just surrender because of a few words from you?”
“Furthermore, you’ve only just reached Stage 4. That Long Heng has been at Stage 4 for many years, hasn’t he?”
“I… I…” Wei Yang broke into a cold sweat under Gu Wangchen’s scrutiny, unsure of how to respond.
Logically, given his current actions combined with his failure to protect the carriage at the congee stall, it would be more than enough to strip him of his rank, kick him out of the military, and throw him into the dungeon. He lay on the floor, eyes closed, quietly waiting for Gu Wangchen to deliver his sentence.
“Forget it. I don’t have time to hold you accountable right now.” Gu Wangchen reached out, grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him up. “Those guys are likely heading to attack Anfu Gate right now. I’m short on manpower and need a few people who aren’t afraid to die.”
He looked into Wei Yang’s small eyes and asked calmly, “Are you afraid of death?”
“I…” Wei Yang’s eyes grew hot with emotion, and he immediately moved to kneel again.
Minister Gu wasn’t going to punish him? Instead, he was giving him another chance to redeem himself? ‘Is this the legendary number one playboy of Sheng’an?’
He was momentarily at a loss for words. The “gratitude for being recognized” spoken of by the ancients was exactly what he felt now.
Gu Wangchen frowned and said sternly, “Stand up! No more kneeling!”
“Yes, Minister!” Wei Yang stood up straight, composed himself, and said in a clear voice, “Wei Yang of the Anxi guards is willing to put his life on the line!”
“Good. Follow me.”
—
According to the location previously agreed upon with Nie Ling, Gu Wangchen took a shortcut to Fenghuang Avenue.
From a distance, he could see Nie Ling in plain clothes along with her elite Jing Ting Wei. Si Kongyue was also there, sitting at a stall and vigorously stuffing a mutton pancake into her mouth.
Gu Wangchen glanced at the girl on the small stool. She flinched, quickly clutching her pancake and pointing at another portion on the table. “Don’t take mine!” she mumbled with a full mouth. “I saved that one for you!”
“…”
Gu Wangchen ignored the glutton and turned to Nie Ling. “Thousand-man Commander Nie, have all the locations been secured?”
“Reporting to Minister Gu, all six locations have been arranged, except for the Ancestral Temple since we cannot enter there.”
Gu Wangchen nodded. “It doesn’t matter. The Ancestral Temple is usually deserted, and the attackers won’t go there anyway.”
“Minister, do you mean…”
“Yes. Based on the intelligence I just gathered, their primary target is only Anfu Gate.”
Nie Ling’s beautiful eyes narrowed, her tone turning grave. “Anfu Gate… That’s a side gate of the Imperial City with an immense amount of foot traffic!”
“I’ll recall the personnel from the other locations immediately.”
“No, leave them where they are,” Gu Wangchen stopped her. “We can’t be certain they won’t change their plans at the last minute. Furthermore, if we pack too many people in front of Anfu Gate and they notice, they might change the attack site on the spot.”
“These guys are veterans from Anxi, after all. Their surveillance and counter-surveillance skills are quite sharp.”
“But will this be enough people?” Nie Ling looked at the team of less than ten members behind her, feeling a bit uncertain.
Although Gu Wangchen was the lead official for this case, if something went wrong, she would inevitably be implicated. Gu Wangchen had a Chancellor for a father, but she didn’t. Even though she was directly under the Empress Dowager, she might avoid prison, but she wouldn’t keep her official hat. If that happened, she would have to return to being a “Night Walker”—a hidden, unofficial leader without a formal position. Compared to the prestigious but miserable life of a Night Walker, she much preferred being a Thousand-man Commander of the Jing Ting Wei who was on the imperial payroll.
“When stopping guys like these, quality is better than quantity,” Gu Wangchen replied.
“Additionally, based on my deduction, if they want to attack Anfu Gate, the amount of Black Fire Oil they’ve prepared must be an order of magnitude larger than what was at the congee stall.”
“Therefore, they’ll definitely use a carriage to transport it.”
Nie Ling nodded in agreement. “That’s true. However… Xuansheng Street in front of Anfu Gate is crowded with carriages. The attackers will certainly disguise theirs. How will we tell them apart?”
“Should we search them?” she asked herself before shaking her head. “No, that won’t work. If we search them one by one, we’ll surely alert them. Once they realize they’ve been exposed, they’ll change the location.”
She knit her brows, her long, beautiful eyes fixed on the floor tiles as she paced back and forth in her high boots. The heels made a *clack-clack* sound against the ground.
Gu Wangchen picked up the mutton pancake from the table and took a large bite. “I haven’t eaten since last night. I’m starving. This tastes pretty good, though.”
He turned his head. “Si Kongyue, did you buy this?”
“No, Thousand-man Commander Nie bought it. I don’t have any money on me…” Having swallowed her last bite, Si Kongyue glanced at the pondering Nie Ling and replied weakly.
“Well, since you ate her food, you’ll have to work hard for me.”
“Huh?” Si Kongyue jumped to her feet. “Hey, hey! Commander Nie paid for it, not you! How can you be so arrogant about it?”
Gu Wangchen said matter-of-factly, “She’s under my command right now. Working for me is the same as working for her.”
“Damn it, that actually makes some sense…” Si Kongyue found herself unable to argue.
“Thousand-man Commander Nie,” Gu Wangchen turned to her, “Heroine Si Kongyue can perfectly solve the problem of identifying the carriage with the Black Fire Oil.”
“Is her nose really that sensitive?”