Chapter 121 Civil War
In the brightly lit Yingxian Tower, Chen Ji looked at Zhang Zhuo with some surprise.

The Imperial Household Department and the civil officials had been in opposition for a long time and were incompatible.

He originally thought that without the royal flag in hand, it would be a lot of trouble to ask Zhang Zhuo to leave. However, as soon as Zhang Zhuo heard that the refugees were in danger, he immediately stood up and was willing to go with him.

why?
Zhang Zhuo looked at Chen Ji with some amusement: "Why, I dare to go with you, but you don't dare to take me away?"

The banquet gradually became noisy, and a newly-appointed scholar stood up and said loudly with the courage of alcohol: "Sir, you must not leave with the eunuch party. What if they want to take advantage of the opportunity to arrest you and put you in the inner prison?"

"Sir, don't be fooled by the eunuch party!"

However, Zhang Zhuo suddenly raised his hand, and the noise at the table fell silent. He smiled and said to Chen Ji, "Please go in. Business is more important."

After saying this, the prefect actually walked out of Yingxian Tower first.

After leaving Yingxian Tower, Zhang Zhuo stood on the stone pavement of Baiyi Lane, looked back at the traces behind him, and said casually: "Tell me, what do you need me to do?"

Chen Ji quickly explained: "Please ask Sir Zhang to open the granary immediately and transfer a batch of grain to the outside of the west city gate."

Zhang Zhuo stroked his beard and said, "Open the granary? Young man, the granary in Luocheng is where the military secrets are. It is a matter of great importance... Why didn't you go to find Lord Chen, but came to me?"

Chen Ji said calmly: "Master Chen is rigid and pedantic. Now in Luocheng, only Master Zhang has the ability and courage to do this."

Zhang Zhuo laughed and scolded, "Don't flatter me. If you said this in front of Master Chen, I might be more relieved."

As he spoke, he put away his smile and said, "I need to confirm again, do you know what you are doing at this moment, and can you bear the consequences?"

Chen Ji, a man in gray and wearing a bamboo hat, and Zhang Zhuo, a man in a bright red official robe, stood facing each other.

After a long time.

Chen Ji said confidently: "Master Zhang, I know what I am doing."

Zhang Zhuo did not ask any more questions: "It's good that you know."

Chen Ji turned around and said loudly to the alley beside Yingxian Tower: "Xifeng, prepare the car, you escort Mr. Zhang to transfer the grain, the sooner the better."

Xifeng led a carriage out of the alley, and several spies riding on war horses guarded the carriage.

Chen Ji said, "Master Zhang, please get in the car."

But Zhang Zhuo did not get on the carriage. Instead, he quickly untied the lasso on the horse and jumped on it.

He laughed out loud: "The carriage is too slow! See you later in the west of the city. If I find out that you are playing tricks, even Xu Wenhe can't protect you!"

After saying this, Zhang Zhuo squeezed his legs against the horse's belly, raised his horse's hooves, and galloped away.

Chen Ji watched the man in red robe turn out of Baiyi Lane and disappear, and he actually felt that if a sword was hung on the official robe and belt, it might look more suitable.

While he was thinking, the golden pig ran out from Yingxian Tower, muttering: "Crazy, crazy..."

Chen Ji asked in confusion: "Sir, what happened?"

The Golden Pig complained, "Although my Secret Service is arrogant and domineering, and has arrested many civil servants, I have never taken away a fifth-rank imperial official at the Luming Banquet. It is a taboo!"

Chen Ji explained: "But we are not trying to capture Mr. Zhang, we are trying to save him."

Jin Zhu was helpless: "Those civil servants don't think so! Before you do this, at least discuss it with me!"

Chen Ji asked: "If I ask, will the Lord still let me do this?"

The Golden Pig said unhappily, "Of course I won't agree... Forget it, do whatever you want! Where are you going now?"

"Chengxi!"

……

……

"Old traces."

"Ok?"

Jin Zhu was riding on his horse, looking at the calm-looking apprentice beside him, and suddenly said with emotion: "You are born to do this job. You said before that you wanted to quit your job as a secret agent, but the Secret Service is the most suitable place for you."

"Why do you say that, sir?"

The Golden Pig looked at the end of the long street and said, "You like to take unconventional actions too much. Sooner or later, you will fall down."

Chen Ji changed the subject: "Sir, just now Sir Zhang said, 'Even Xu Wenhe can't protect you.' Who is Xu Wenhe?"

Jin Zhu was amused: "That is the name of the Minister of Internal Affairs, but nowadays everyone either calls him the Minister of Poison or the Minister of Internal Affairs, and almost forgets this name. Zhang Zhuo is really brave, a fifth-rank official dares to call the Minister of Internal Affairs by his name!"

Chen Ji asked curiously, "I always feel that Lord Zhang is not like those civil servants, but more like a knight-errant."

Jin Zhu smiled and said, "You are right. After Zhang Zhu's first wife passed away, he really became a knight-errant for a year, hanging out with people from the underworld every day, not doing his job properly."

"Then why did he come back and marry Lord Xu's niece?"

Jin Zhu sneered, "After learning the arts of literature and martial arts, you can sell them to the emperor. Isn't that what all civil officials think? Why? By the way, what's the matter with him betrothing his daughter to you? If it really works out, you can save yourself 30 years of detours... The Minister of Internal Affairs once said that Lord Zhang is a prime minister!"

Chen Ji did not answer, and he could not answer.

At this time, a spy exclaimed: "Sir, there is a fire!"

Baiyi Lane is in the east of the city. By the time Chen Ji and others rode their horses to the west of the city, it was already midnight.

Before leaving the city, Jin Zhu and his companions saw from afar a huge fire burning outside the city, with sparks flying in the night sky.

Jin Zhu looked at Chen Ji in shock: "You really predicted this? How did you know something big would happen in the west of the city!"

Chen Ji's face was as solemn as water.

The Golden Pig asked anxiously, "What could cause such a huge fire outside the city?"

Chen Ji replied: "I'm afraid it's the granary used by the Luocheng government to provide relief to the victims."

Jin Zhu's face became serious. He was not stupid and understood the situation immediately. "There are more than 10,000 disaster victims from western Henan gathered outside the city. They are starving and have no clothes to wear. If the granary is burned, and someone else sneaks in among the disaster victims to incite them, I'm afraid the disaster victims will immediately turn into bandits and rush into Luocheng to burn, kill, smash and loot. If a civil uprising occurs, the future of Zhang Zhuo and Chen Liqin will be ruined!"

A secret agent asked in confusion, "Sir, the Luocheng Army is not just for show. If there is a civil uprising, they will immediately close the city gates and wait for the government troops to come and suppress it. If they fail to close the city gates in time, it will be a capital crime. No matter how much money the Liu family gives them, it will not work."

Jin Zhu said coldly: "I guess the West City Gate should have been opened by the Liu family by now."

Just as he finished speaking, several people rode their horses around a corner and saw that the west gate of the city had suddenly opened. The soldiers in front of the gate had all had their necks slashed and their bodies fell to the ground.

From afar, Chen Ji could see through the open city gate that dense groups of disaster victims were holding torches, rakes and sticks in their hands, and rushing towards Luo City with great momentum.

A spy asked urgently, "Sir, what should we do now?"

Jin Zhu wanted to quit. What did it matter to him whether Zhang Zhuo and Chen Liqin lost their official positions? What did it matter to him whether these disaster victims rushed into Luocheng and burned, killed and looted?

He is not the local official!

Jin Zhu looked at Chen Ji and said, "You and I have done our best today. It was the fighting among the civil servants that caused the big mistake. It has nothing to do with us! Anyway, your father doesn't like you, and his loss of his official position just makes you feel better!"

Chen Ji stopped his horse and looked silently at the fire outside the city gate under his bamboo hat. Outside the city gate, there seemed to be a restless atmosphere, dancing with the flames of the torches.

Chen Ji asked, "If the victims rush into the city, how many people will die?"

Jin Zhu looked at the flickering fire in Chen Ji's eyes and said in shock, "Why do you care how many people die? These disaster victims can't reach Anxi Street! Chen Ji, can we just pretend that we haven't been here tonight? As long as we don't interfere, this matter has nothing to do with us. Once we interfere, even if it's not our fault, those civil servants will blame us!"

However, just as he finished speaking, Chen Ji crouched down and rode his horse straight to the city gate: "Close the city gate, don't let the victims rush in!"

The spies were startled and turned to look at the golden pig.

Jin Zhu looked at Chen Ji's back and gritted his teeth and said, "Don't worry about him, let him die on his own!"

But after hesitating for a few breaths, he whipped the horse's butt hard and said in a fierce voice: "Damn it, follow me to close the city gate! I am so unlucky to have such a thing!"

Everyone rode their horses to the city gate and saw that the victims were only a hundred steps away. The spies worked together to push the two huge red-painted city gates and slowly closed them.

When the wooden stakes were placed on top of the gate, they breathed a sigh of relief. Chen Ji and Jin Zhu walked up to the tower and looked at the victims below.

Chen Ji held up a torch and shouted loudly: "Who is trespassing into the city?"

Amid the dense torches below the city, someone shouted angrily, "The imperial court has burned down the granary where we distribute porridge. We won't be able to survive! Open the gate quickly. We want to go into the city to beg for food!"

Jin Zhu frowned: "How could anyone believe such an outrageous rumor? Why did the imperial court burn your granary?"

Chen Ji shouted: "This matter must have been instigated by treacherous people, everyone please do not believe the rumors!"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone among the victims shouted, "Don't care what these dog officials say. They are well fed and well-drinking in the city. They can talk without any pain in their backs. Break the door!"

The next moment, Chen Ji narrowed his eyes and discovered that there were more than 30 disaster victims in the dark, carrying hemp ropes and a heavy log on their shoulders and rushing towards the city gate.

Come prepared!

With a loud bang, Chen Ji and Jin Zhu, who were standing on the city wall, felt the earth shaking and the whole city was filled with rubble and dust.

Chen Ji asked: "How long can the city gate hold up?"

The golden pig's scalp tingled: "I don't know either. I've never been to a border town, and I've never seen a siege!"

Chen Ji observed for a moment and said, "It's broken. The city gate has been in disrepair for a long time. I'm afraid it will be broken down soon."

Jin Zhu looked back at the dark city of Luo behind him and said, "I'm afraid tens of thousands of people will suffer from this civil uprising."

After saying that, he hesitated for a moment, then took out a golden command arrow from his bosom and raised it high above his head: "Here is the royal flag, as if your majesty is here in person! I, Song Qian, am the governor appointed by your majesty to travel the country, comfort the army and the people! I have learned about the disaster in western Henan, and have dispatched Lord Zhang, the prefect of Luocheng, to open the granaries and release grain. The relief grain will arrive soon!"

The victims gradually stopped shouting, looked up at the golden flag of the king, and hesitated for a moment.

Chen Ji looked at the golden pig with a complicated expression. There was not a single true word coming out of the mouth of this zodiac animal.

At this time, someone in the crowd shouted, "It must be fake. I've seen the real King's Flag, and it doesn't look like this at all!"

The Golden Pig was so angry that he jumped up and down and cursed: "Bullshit! This was handed to me by His Majesty himself. How dare you say it's fake? Who is inciting the people to riot?! The food will arrive soon. If it doesn't arrive before dawn, I will open the gates and let you enter the city to cause trouble!"

Someone else instigated, "Don't believe him. He will definitely send troops to suppress us. I don't believe the imperial court will really open the granaries to release grain!"

The victims were wavering between instigation and the king's order. Jin Zhu was sweating profusely, "I have never dealt with such a thing before! What should I do now?"

On the city wall, the spies looked at each other nervously, their fingers tightly gripping the hilts of their swords, not knowing what to do.

Just as the victims were about to knock on the door again, Chen Ji suddenly shouted to the people below the city: "I will go down and wait with you for Lord Zhang to open the granary to release the grain. If you don't see the grain before the morning hour, you can kill me with a knife."

After that, he actually found a hemp rope from the tower and handed it to the Golden Pig: "Master, pull this end of the rope and let me out of the city."

Jin Zhu was shocked: "Are you fucking crazy? Is it worth risking your life like this? There must be someone from the Liu family inciting a civil uprising. What if they incite the victims to kill you?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment: "The people I know are not that bold. Unless they are starving to death, they will not rebel... Besides, Lord Tianma is here."

The golden pig looked back suddenly, only to see a Pegasus in white standing on the eaves of the tower.

He suddenly felt much more at ease.

Chen Ji solemnly explained: "If anyone wants to kill me, they must be spies from the Liu family. Please shoot them, Master Tianma."

"Wait, what if the food doesn't come? Pegasus can't stop so many disaster victims!"

Chen Ji said calmly: "I bet Lord Zhang can transfer the food in time."

Golden Pig leaned on the battlement and looked down, only to see that the victims did not surround and kill Chen Ji, but instead slowly retreated a few steps away.

The shouting and screaming stopped abruptly.

……

……

Three quarters of a hour.

On Guangji Street, more than ten horses were galloping, making the bluestone pavement clatter with their feet, and the sound was crisp and clear.

On horseback, the wind blew Zhang Zhu's hair into disarray. He held the reins in his right hand, lowered his body, and turned to look at Xifeng beside him: "Hey, who was that young man just now?"

Xifeng asked cautiously, "Master Zhang, why are you asking this?"

Zhang Zhuo said casually: "None of you have covered your faces, only he has covered his face, can't I be curious?"

Xifeng explained, "He has a special identity and he is afraid of revenge from the thieves of Jing Dynasty, so he has never revealed his true identity. Sir, please don't ask, this is our secret."

Zhang Zhuo's eyes wandered, and he changed the subject and asked, "Did that young man offend Jing Chao?"

Xifeng laughed: "He offended me badly. Because of him, Jing Dynasty suffered many casualties."

Zhang Zhuo seemed to be thinking about something, and after a moment he asked again, "Is he your boss?"

Xifeng said in a muffled voice: "Not yet, but it should be soon... Sir, why are you so curious about him?"

Zhang Zhuo chuckled but didn't answer.

After an incense stick of time, everyone arrived at the gate of the granary camp and stopped their horses. Soldiers in the camp came out with long iron spears in hand and asked, "Who is here in the middle of the night?"

Zhang Zhuo jumped off his horse and said, "I am Zhang Zhuo, the prefect of Luocheng. I need to use 300 dan of grain from the granary for emergency. Please get out of the way!"

However, the soldiers in front of the camp did not retreat. They looked back at the captain behind them, but the captain had no expression on his face, neither nodded nor shook his head, and did not say a word.

The soldier stood with his halberd in hand and turned to Zhang Zhuo and said, "It doesn't mean that he is Sir Zhang just because he is wearing a red official robe. He could also be a thief from the Jing Dynasty pretending to be him... Can you bring the seal of the government office with you?"

Zhang Zhuo frowned. He was going to attend the Lu Ming Banquet tonight. How could he possibly bring the government seal with him?

He looked past the soldiers and at the captain behind him, and said calmly: "I have seen you, and you must have seen me too! Come forward and talk!"

The lieutenant held his sword with his hand and said indifferently, "We are under the jurisdiction of the Luocheng Military Department. The granary is an important military location. If you want to deploy us, you need not only the prefect's official seal, but also the tiger talisman on General Liu's body."

Zhang Zhuo narrowed his eyes: "What if I don't have it?"

The captain said calmly, "If you don't have any, go back."

Zhang Zhuo remained silent. What the other party said was all standard procedure. In the past he could just wait patiently, but not now.

He tilted his head and asked Xifeng in a low voice: "Do we really have to take these grains? Chen...does the young man have any other plans?"

Xifeng: “No.”

Zhang Zhuo asked again: "Did he say what the consequences would be if the grain was not transferred?"

Xifeng thought for a moment and replied, "He said that the Liu family wants to drive you and Lord Chen out of Luocheng together. If you fail to transfer grain, I'm afraid you will lose your official position."

"Damn it! I finally climbed to this position, but the Liu family wants to take my position?" Zhang Zhuo murmured in a low voice, "It seems that the Liu family knew that someone would come to transfer grain tonight. Even a small lieutenant dared to disobey the prefect. But the more this is the case, the more it proves that the kid's judgment is correct."

The next moment, Zhang Zhuo walked straight towards the captain, and said in a dignified manner, "Get out of the way!"

The captain raised his eyebrows but ignored him and stood firm like an iron tower, not backing down or giving in.

Zhang Zhuo did not stop.

When he came in front of the captain, he suddenly pulled out the knife from the captain's waist and slashed the captain's neck with his backhand.

In an instant, blood from the captain's neck splattered onto Zhang Zhuo's red official robe, leaving purple spots.

Zhang Zhuo leaned on his sword and said fiercely, "I am Zhang Zhuo, the prefect of Luocheng. Today, I have come here to transfer grain in an emergency. Anyone who disobeys will be charged with treason!"

Xifeng's eyes widened. It was the first time he saw a civil servant killing someone with a knife.

When he reacted, he immediately shouted, "Protect Master Zhang!"

(End of this chapter)