Chapter 229 Ambush
"Because he is Ji Heng's enemy, the fight is doomed to end."

The air in the room seemed to be frozen, and the candle in the lantern was swaying, as if it would fall over at any moment and burn out along with the lantern.

Jiang Li reached out to support the lantern. Yin Zhiqing seemed to have just reacted. She said, "Do you think I will believe your lies? Our Yin family has lived in Yunzhong for many years. How could we have a grudge against Duke Su? Yin Zhili was wrong to kidnap you, but that's not a reason for you to slander the Yin family!"

"What other reasons do you need?" Jiang Li said calmly, "The Yin family's leaving Yanjing is the reason. The Yin family didn't hurt Ji Heng, but did they never hurt Ji Heng's family? I'm afraid that's not necessarily the case."

Yin Zhiqing was shaking with anger. The calmer Jiang Li was, the more unreasonable she seemed. She wanted to defend the Yin family, but she didn't know where to start. The more she looked at Jiang Li, the more it irritated her. For some reason, she blurted out, "Even if you are telling the truth, you think too highly of yourself! You said that you alone can be used as a handle to threaten Duke Su. How is that possible? Everyone knows that Duke Su is ruthless and loves to stand by and watch. You are just the wife given to him by the emperor, a bargaining chip for transactions between high-ranking officials! How could he put himself in danger for a bargaining chip? So you don't have to be sentimental. You can rest assured that he will not be manipulated by others for you, nor will he worry about his life for you!"

"Really?" Jiang Li smiled instead, her tone almost gentle, she only said: "Pingyang County Lady, just because you haven't seen something doesn't mean it doesn't exist in the world. Just because you can't get something doesn't mean others can't get it. Ji Heng asked the emperor for a marriage, even if it was a bargaining chip, he chose the Jiang family instead of the Yin family, otherwise he would have asked His Majesty to marry you."

"You..." Yin Zhiqing was stunned. Jiang Li's words exploded in her mind. Her hidden thoughts were spoken out by another person in such a tone. She couldn't stay here any longer. She broke the door and ran out. She didn't even care whether Jiang Li touched the food in the food basket.

The moment she pushed the door open, Jiang Li could see clearly that there were soldiers guarding the four sides of the house. Yes, soldiers in armor.

Jiang Li sat down on the chair again, realizing that things were worse than she thought. If this matter was led by Yin Zhili, it would be easy to say. After meeting Yin Zhili several times, regardless of his scheming, this person is still a little indecisive and soft-hearted, Jiang Li can still find a chance. But it seems that Yin Zhili just accepted this matter, and it was undoubtedly Yin Zhan who arranged this matter. Only Yin Zhan would not hesitate to cut off Haitang's little finger to threaten Jiang Li, and the words between the lines were cruel.

Yin Zhan arranged everything, and Yin Zhili just did things according to Yin Zhan's arrangement. That's why Yin Zhiqing knew nothing about it. What Jiang Li was worried about was that she couldn't see Yin Zhili, so she couldn't get any news about Situ Jiuyue, Ye Mingyu and others.

But one thing is certain, since it is Yin Zhan's arrangement, Yin Zhili's road is Yin Zhan's retreat. If Yin Zhan is fighting with Ji Heng now, he must be not far from here. So that once the result happens, Yin Zhan can order Yin Zhili to prepare a second plan, which is to use himself to threaten Ji Heng.

Jiang Li couldn't help but clench her fists.

She knew that Ji Heng was nearby, but she didn't know where Ji Heng was and what the current situation was. But she couldn't do anything. The only thing she could hope for was that Yin Zhili would abide by the agreement and let Ye Mingyu and the others go.

Otherwise... She looked at the food basket on the table. The broken pieces of the plate were also extremely sharp. Living in this world is not easy, but dying is very easy.

She couldn't lose everything in this deal.

……

It snowed heavily in Qingzhou.

The north of the Changhe River is the north, and the south of the Changhe River is the south. Qingzhou is located on the Changhe River. In spring, it is like the south, with red flowers and green willows, and in winter, it is like the north, with snow all over the sky.

But even in the bleak winter, the Red Mansion is still warm and lively. When you step in, it seems as if it is still the fireworks in March. Young women wearing thin gauze skirts, stepping barefoot on the snow-white carpet, with tiny silver bells on their hands and feet, each of them is soft and graceful, charming and moving. The candles are carved into the shape of hibiscus flowers, blooming layer by layer as the candle core burns. Red curtains, gold powder, music and dancing, a treasury that hides countless jewels, but also hides beauties that cannot be bought with jewels.

There are officials in official uniforms, scholars in white, knights with swords on their backs, and playboys. Spending a night here is just to seek comfort and warmth in the winter. There is no difference between noble and humble.

On the second floor, bead curtains separated each room. Under the light, the glittering bead curtains looked like crystal flowers flying around in the dragon's palace in the legend. They also looked like icicles hanging on the trees outside the snow-white earth in winter, making people feel pity. Before long, the beautiful scenery will melt and the spring night will be gone.

There is a play on the stage.

In the past, there had never been an opera troupe on stage in the Red Mansion. There were only women singing, dancing and playing the piano. Opera troupes were something that the ladies of wealthy families loved to watch. Everything here was for men, and today's opera troupe was naturally a man's idea. This guest was able to make the proprietress of the Red Mansion change her mind, which showed that she had invested a lot of money.

The troupe on the stage was singing none other than Farewell My Concubine, the favorite of many ladies and wives. The farewell of a beauty to a hero has always been a sad fact. People sigh for the hero, some admire the beauty's loyalty, some believe that the winner is the king and the loser is the bandit, and some think that everything is just the joys and sorrows of others, a play that is forgotten after watching.

There were beauties in the hall, beauties on the stage, and behind the pearl curtain, there was also a beauty in red. His red robe was as bright as a stream of fire, slowly flowing down. The collar of his robe was embroidered with a black python, adding a touch of gloom to the bright color. However, his face was extremely beautiful, even more beautiful than the legendary Yu Ji, who was painted with oil paint on the stage. His amber eyes were full of affection, as if he was drunk, and his lips were smiling. The pearly light of the hibiscus was reflected on the pearl curtain, passing over his long eyelashes, his straight nose, and falling on his rosy thin lips. He held a gorgeous folding fan in his hand, waving it slowly and leisurely.

As if to dispel the frivolity and enthusiasm in the room.

Beside him, there were some other people sitting, all dressed in brocade and jade belts, like ordinary young men, but with no smiles on their faces, all of them were motionless foils, a total of six people. Sitting on the left and right of the man in red were Zhao Ke and Wen Ji.

The color behind the pearl curtain is more attractive than the girls in the entire Red Mansion, but it is blocked by the pearl curtain, isolating the prying eyes of outsiders. In the teacup on the table, the aftertaste of the tea is in the air, and in the incense burner beside it, the fragrance is curling.

The people on the stage were singing: "Boldly enter the tiger's den, lead the dragon into the beach. The difficult minister Li Zuoche is here to see you, may the king live a thousand years!"

In the next room, a "good" suddenly burst out! After the applause, a "reward" was said, and a gold ingot suddenly flew out from a room on the second floor, flew over the heads of the actors on the stage, and landed on the silver plate used to place the teapot on the table in the front. It was located neatly in the upper left corner.

The people in the audience were stunned, then started cheering and looking upstairs.

Ji Heng kept playing with the fan and tilted her head slightly, as if she wanted to see through the bead curtain to see who was in the next room.

The actors on the stage don't care about these things and continue to sing. It doesn't matter what the nobles do. Even if someone suddenly comes on stage to assassinate them, as long as the person is not dead, they have to finish the show. The opera children do this, otherwise if they anger the nobles, they will also have a miserable end.

The stage was singing, and the people behind the beaded curtain next door kept shouting "good". Ingots of gold flew downstairs, all landing squarely on the silver plate, not biased, and neatly stacked. The cheers from downstairs became louder. The actors sang more vigorously, one note after another, almost making people's blood boil and their hearts break.

When she sang "My heart is made up, no need to play more, it is just: Now that I have you, sir, I will surely win, and defeat the Han army today," Ji Heng put away the folding fan in her hand and stood up.

He drew aside the beaded curtain and walked out.

The other people in the room also followed, and they saw the young man in red walk to the next room - the room where gold ingots were always thrown out, and lift the curtain with a fan and enter without being invited.

That was a table of guests.

There were good food and wine on the table, all beef and white wine, very rough. There were seven people in total, cloth clothes and leather boots, rough and rough, as if they were from the army. The middle-aged man in the lead, tall and handsome, resolute and rough, was holding a dagger, cutting off a piece of beef with force, putting it into his mouth and chewing it, and then looking up to drink a jar of good wine, which made people's blood boil. This man was none other than the Prince of Xia, Yin Zhan.

Ji Heng and six men in brocade clothes behind him walked in.

After Yin Zhan finished drinking, he threw the wine jar away, wiped his mouth, and said it was great. Then he looked at Ji Heng and laughed loudly, "Duke Su is here too, please come in!"

Ji Heng did not refuse and sat down leisurely.

This room was very large and spacious, but Yin Zhan's people only sat on half of the long table. It was as if the other half was left for Ji Heng's people, as if they had known that Ji Heng would come. The two of them sat at the two ends of the long table. Yin Zhan raised the wine jar to Ji Heng, and Ji Heng smiled gently. Wen Ji handed him a wine pot, and he supported his head with one hand and raised his head to receive the wine. He was very romantic and unrestrained.

A toast.

Ji Heng raised the corner of his mouth, "Prince Xia is really hard to find."

"It was found by Duke Su." Yin Zhan smiled nonchalantly, "The Yangtze River's waves behind push the waves ahead!" He raised the altar again: "Please!"

The laughter of the women, the teasing of the men, and the cheers of the spectators outside all disappeared in an instant. Apart from the table of guests behind the pearl curtain, only the actors on the stage outside were still singing non-stop.

"The moonlight flickers, in the golden wind, the drums and horns sound desolate. I recall how many years I have gone through since I entered the battlefield. When will I be able to fulfill my wish to return home, and destroy my weapons as the sun and the moon shine." Yu Ji turned around and spoke in a mournful and desolate voice: "Yu Ji, under the tent of the Overlord of Western Chu, grew up in seclusion, and was proficient in books and swordsmanship since childhood. Since I followed King Ding, I have fought in the east and west, and suffered hardships. I don't know when I can have peace again!"

"Yu Ji, Yu Ji!" These words came out of Yin Zhan's mouth. He looked melancholy, as if he remembered something, and drank a glass of wine in silence.

Ji Heng looked at him and said with a half-smile, "Prince Xia was inspired. I don't know if he was thinking of Lin Roujia or my mother, Yu Hongye."

Yin Zhan froze while holding the wine jar. After a moment, he looked at Ji Heng and laughed loudly, "Hongye! The son born by Hongye is really as smart as Hongye."

Ji Heng took the wine pot and poured himself a small cup of wine. He took a sip and said with a smile, "It's a pity that no matter how smart he was, he died at the hands of Prince Xia."

The words were neither light nor heavy, and the guests who were chatting and laughing were all silent. Whether it was the rough men in linen and leather boots or the young men in brocade clothes and jade belts, they all seemed to have not heard the words. They still ate and drank as usual, but did not speak.

The atmosphere at the banquet was eerily quiet, and from the eeriness, a sense of misery arose.

The drama outside was still going on, until Han Xin made great contributions in the Ten-Sided Ambush, and got off his horse to climb the mountain road. The eight Han generals held flags and set up the battle formation, and Li Zuoche led Xiang Yu into the battle formation. "Prince Xia," Ji Heng said with a smile, "The Ten-Sided Ambush, this drama is very familiar to you, do you remember anything? Do you need me to remind you, twenty-three years ago, at Hongshan Temple, how you lured your brother, my father, into it, with a hundred archers blocking the road and arrows laced with poison. The world praised General Zhaode as a man of integrity, but they forgot a saying, 'You can't be a man without poison, right?"

Yin Zhan looked at the young man in front of him. This young man was so beautiful that he could smile nonchalantly even when talking about the tragic events of his biological parents. There was a fierce cruelty in that smile that almost swallowed people up, and it seemed to hide an evil innocence that would make people fall into the trap if they were not careful and never get up again.

The face of Ji Heng in front of him suddenly became blurred. He looked like his close friend Ji Minghan who always patted his shoulder and laughed, and also like the smart, bold and beautiful Yu Hongye.

Twenty-three years ago, Dongxia invaded, and the young General Jinwu led the army to fight. Yu Hongye of Yanjing died of a serious illness before Ji Minghan returned. No one in the world knew what was going on, but they only knew that all the servants in the Ji family had been replaced, and since then, Ji Minghan has disappeared, leaving Ji Heng and General Ji to depend on each other.

No one cares what the truth is. Time is like a long river, burying all the bright colors, making them old and insignificant, sinking to the bottom of the river, and finally never being mentioned again. However, not everyone will forget.

How did Yu Hongye die?

Yin Zhan thought back to that afternoon decades ago when he and the Queen Mother were hanging out in a corner of the palace. Who would have thought that Yu Hongye would appear at that time? She came out just in time, so that the palace guards who were watching outside didn't notice her. Until now, Yin Zhan still couldn't figure out why Yu Hongye appeared at that time.

But this was a capital crime, a capital crime punishable by death. Before Yin Zhan had a moment of hesitation, the Queen Mother had already ordered the palace servants around her to arrest Yu Hongye.

It had been less than a year since Yu Hongye gave birth to Ji Heng, but Yin Zhan couldn't bear to kill her. Although this concubine of the Yu family was only a concubine, she was famous for her talent and beauty. She was the woman Ji Minghan loved. It's not that they didn't have good times. He still remembered the time when he accompanied Ji Minghan to find Yu Hongye, drinking and singing. Then the carefree life turned into murderous intent. How could he kill this sister-in-law?

Lin Roujia looked at him and said coldly: "Yin Zhan, do you want to kill me?"

At that moment, Yin Zhan suddenly understood. He did not hesitate any more and even had his men rape Yu Hongye and then kill her, throwing her at the door of the Ji family at night. Only in this way, for the sake of face, the Ji family would not dare to make a public statement about a body that had been abused. And his good brother Ji Minghan, who loved Yu Hongye so much, would not let Yu Hongye be criticized after her death.

Everything went just as he planned.

Ji Heng was playing with the folding fan in his hand. His red clothes looked mournful in the midst of the feast. His voice was still smiling, but this smile was particularly eerie and piercingly cold. "I saw my mother's corpse with my own eyes."

With these words, Yin Zhan suddenly understood what Ji Heng meant.

Can a one-year-old child have memories? Can he understand things? But maybe he does. He has seen such a scene. Maybe it was the first time in his life that he came into contact with darkness. This day came too early, so he was trapped in hell early, made a deal with the devil, and returned to the world.

Yin Zhan laughed loudly and took a few gulps of wine, then said to Ji Heng, "I'm so sorry!"

Everything was as Yin Zhan and Lin Roujia expected. Yu Hongye was the daughter of a criminal, and a concubine. She was banished to a brothel before. Ji Minghan had married Yu Hongye despite the family's objection, which had already angered everyone. Now Yu Hongye was dead, which was exactly what the Ji family wanted. When Ji Minghan, who had returned triumphantly, learned that his beloved wife was dead, he insisted on seeking justice for her and finding the real murderer, but was stopped by all the elders of the Ji family.

They said that such scandals should not be made public, and the Ji family should not be made a laughing stock of the world. Wouldn't it be a happy thing for everyone to be buried with the charge of being seriously ill and incurable? Did he want everyone in the world to know what happened to Yu Hongye before her death, that her body was not clean, and that it really was true that beauty is the root of trouble?
Even General Ji came to persuade Ji Minghan not to make it public and just swallow his anger.

Ji Minghan was furious and vowed to leave the Ji family and cut off all ties with the Ji family. From then on, he left Ji Heng with General Ji and started to search for the real murderer.

Those were not easy days.

Yin Zhan actually didn't want to kill Ji Minghan. There are countless good men and heroes in the world, but he and Ji Minghan have a mutual understanding. He only hopes that one day they can go to the battlefield together and fight the enemy together. They talked about the sunset in the desert, the crescent moon on the snow-capped mountains, the bloodthirsty wolves, and the swamps full of poisonous snakes. They had drunk together in the building and rode horses in the martial arts competition. Some have white hair as new, and some are as close as ever. Yin Zhan believes that the woman he loves most in the world is Lin Roujia, and the man he admires most is Ji Minghan.

They are brothers, so how could he have the heart to do that to Ji Minghan?
Yu Ji was singing: "Since I followed the king in his campaigns, I have endured hardships and hardship year after year. I only hate the wicked Qin that destroyed all the people and caused them to suffer in misery and hardship."

Xiang Yu said: "I have killed several generals in the Han camp with my spear. Even if I am brave, how can I defend against the ambushes on all sides?"

Ji Heng smiled faintly, took out a thumb-sized pearl from her sleeve, waved her fan, and the pearl flew straight out of the tea curtain. With a crisp "plop" sound, the pearl landed steadily on the table on the first floor, in a small emerald bowl next to the silver plate with gold ingots.

"Good craftsmanship!" Yin Zhan clapped his hands in praise.

"Prince Xia's archery skills," Ji Heng said calmly, "are also outstanding."

Yin Zhan smiled but said nothing.

After Yu Hongye's death, Ji Minghan never gave up on finding the real murderer. Even if the Yin family disagreed, even if it meant leaving the Yin family, Ji Minghan would pay any price to avenge Yu Hongye.

Yin Zhan didn't take it seriously at first, but Ji Minghan was in too much of a hurry. People only say that generals only know how to fight, and how can warriors have scheming. But they don't know that Ji Minghan is a brave general and a brilliant military strategist. He is never stupid, and his mind is flexible, so he gradually found some clues.

Ji Minghan was the only one who was not on guard against Yin Zhan, probably because he could never imagine that his good brother would have any reason to kill his wife. He told Yin Zhan the clues he got, and Yin Zhan gradually sensed the crisis. Although he and Lin Roujia were not implicated at the moment, after a long time, he and Lin Roujia would definitely be involved.

It would be fine if Yin Zhan himself died, but Lin Roujia could not die because she was pregnant.

In the palace, because of the frame-up of the favorite concubine, Lin Roujia, in order to prove her innocence, took the initiative to go to Hongshan Temple thousands of miles away to meditate on the Buddha, but in fact it was to nourish the fetus. If Ji Minghan found out at this time, once the affair between Yin Zhan and Lin Roujia was exposed, not only he and Lin Roujia would die, but also the innocent child. Yin Zhan had great expectations for this unborn child. In order to protect Lin Roujia and this child, Yin Zhan could sacrifice everything, including Ji Minghan.

He told Ji Minghan that he had found evidence of the murderer and that the matter was of great importance, but he was currently in Hongshan Temple and asked Ji Minghan to come. In Hongshan Temple, Yin Zhan ambushed a hundred archers. To ensure that there would be no mistakes, the arrows were quenched with Mo Lan's deadly poison, which would kill the target instantly.

It was a very cold spring night. Until now, Yin Zhan still didn't know why the wind was so cold that night, as if it could pierce through people's bones, as if the lake water would freeze into ice at any moment. Ji Minghan trusted him completely and never set up defenses. He walked into an ambush.

Just like what is sung on the stage: "We challenged several generals in the Han camp with spears. However, we were outnumbered and it was difficult to win."

The soldiers in the tent had heard about the play of "Ten Sides of Ambush". Everyone knew that they should not imitate the Overlord for fame, but when they were in it, there was no such thing as "victory and defeat are common in the military". There was no second life to come back, victory is victory, and defeat is defeat. Yin Zhan watched Ji Minghan rush into the ambush, like a trapped beast. He fought one against a hundred, and even though he was outnumbered, he still showed unexpected bravery. Ji Minghan was very smart. When he found himself in a trap, he immediately stopped fighting and aimed to escape.

Yin Zhan stood on a high place and shot a crucial arrow at the man and horse who were trying hard to break out of the encirclement.

The arrow hit Ji Minghan's back. Yin Zhan was about to chase him, but suddenly another voice rang out in the sky, so Yin Zhan had to stop. He couldn't make too much movement, otherwise people would find out what was happening in Hongshan Temple, and what would happen if they found out about Lin Roujia's situation? But he was sure that Ji Minghan would not survive the night. The poison on the arrow was very strong. Since Ji Minghan was shot, he would definitely die. Therefore, he just secretly sent his men to search for Ji Minghan's body.

But Ji Minghan disappeared.

For a long time after that, Yin Zhan asked around for Ji Minghan's whereabouts. He even tried every means to test the Ji family, but to no avail. Ji Minghan seemed to have disappeared from the world. Ji Heng grew up in the Duke's Mansion. If Ji Minghan was still alive, he should have come to see Yu Hongye's son. But he didn't.

He must have died in a corner somewhere.

Yin Zhan sighed a little.

Then, when Lin Roujia gave birth to a son, he swapped Lin Roujia's son with his wife's son and killed his wife's son. In order to dispel the late emperor's suspicion, he remarried and had another child, left Yanjing City, moved to Yunzhong, and raised Yin Zhili.

Many years have passed, and life seems to be very peaceful. Leaving the familiar environment, all are strangers, Yin Zhan himself has forgotten how crazy he was for Lin Roujia, with his hands stained with blood. This is different from the bloodshed on the battlefield. On the battlefield, he protected the people and the country. Now... he deceived his friends, killed his family and even his son, and betrayed his brothers.

Regret? It was meaningless. Once he started down this path, he could not turn back. Otherwise, apart from the people he had killed, he would not even be able to protect the most important people in his life.

Yin Zhan once had a beautiful dream. With the death of Ji Minghan and Yu Hongye, no one would ever find out about the stains of the past. He could start his own plan smoothly, starting with himself and ending with himself, leaving a clean slate for Yin Zhili.

But when he came back and saw Ji Heng for the first time, he knew that this beautiful dream was shattered. Ji Minghan and Yu Hongye had never left. Ji Heng knew everything. Just as he had been planning in the clouds, Ji Heng had also been lurking in Yanjing. They were evenly matched and competed with each other. Most importantly, Ji Heng was young and strong, at the peak of his powers, while he was already old.

He couldn't be as brave as he was back then, but there was one thing he could do, which was to be even more despicable than he was back then.

"Prince Xia is actually a despicable person." Ji Heng smiled and finished a cup of wine, "But over the years, I have done a lot of despicable things. So this is meaningless." He stared into Prince Xia's eyes and said slowly: "Do you want to compare, who is despicable, you or me?"

Yin Zhan was stunned.

The beauty in red was talking and laughing, but her tone was filled with murderous intent that could not be concealed, just like Yu Hongye back then. No, he was even more vicious, cruel, and shrewd than Yu Hongye. He was sitting in front of her, coming to collect his debt.

A debt incurred twenty-three years ago.

(End of this chapter)