Chapter 50: Is This the Zhu Family’s Jiangshan or Your Empire
Chapter 50: Is This the Zhu Family’s Jiangshan or Your Empire
As soon as these words were spoken, Yang Xin transformed into a pouncing beast…
Uh, he forgot there was still one under his feet.
With his fierce and courageous leap, the Green Robed Scholar beneath his feet, who bore an unbearable force, suddenly spread his limbs to their maximum like a toad that had been stepped on, then spewed a mouthful of blood forward.
But nobody cared about him anymore.
At full speed, Yang Xin charged, and under the stunned gazes of the onlookers, he instantly collided with the soldier holding the shackles. The soldier flew backward as if hit by a rhino. Before the remaining soldiers could snap out of it, Yang Xin was already in front of Censor Liu. The latter was also caught off guard; having never expected Yang Xin to suddenly attack, he almost watched as a fist the size of a sand pot came at his face with a gust of foul wind. He screamed instinctively, and then his scream was abruptly cut off.
Yang Xin’s fist hit him squarely in the face.
Censor Liu flew backward without a moment’s pause, blood spraying…
“Damn it, I’ve put up with you for a long time! If I don’t smash your face into a bloody mess, I won’t bear the Yang surname!”
Yang Xin said in the dead silence.
“K-kill him! Show no mercy!”
An official from the Metropolitan Police Office nearby shouted with trembling lips.
Then he turned to run back.
But Yang Xin’s hand was faster, instantly reaching his neck, gripping the man’s throat, and violently throwing him in front of Xu Xianchun’s horse. Old Xu was quite calm, looking at him with an approving expression, and watched with equal pleasure as the official crashed in front of his horse.
Strangely, the latter didn’t get knocked out.
He reached out a trembling hand and said something to Xu Xianchun.
“What’s that? Catch the criminal? Brothers, let’s help the Metropolitan Police Office catch the criminal!”
Xu Xianchun shouted loudly in an exaggerated tone.
By then, Yang Xin had already stepped over the defeated Green Robed Scholar and climbed onto the wall of the opposite courtyard.
The bow-equipped soldiers of the Five City Military Inspectorate were in chaos. Though called “bow soldiers,” they were actually soldiers responsible for patrols and arrests, not necessarily archers. Though they had weapons like bows and arrows, they rarely carried them unless specifically needed. Their daily gear typically consisted of ordinary swords, spears, or even iron rulers. Without long-range weapons, they could only watch as Yang Xin escaped, and intimidated by his fighting skills, they merely bluffed, with no one daring to pursue.
Xu Xianchun and his men, on the other hand, had Matchlock Guns.
Being Imperial Guards, they couldn’t just stand by. So, they saw this guy noisily pulling out a Matchlock Gun, then a Tinder Lighter, blowing on it hard for a full half minute until finally lighting the match cord, and then raising the gun with great ceremony.
“Where did the criminal go!”
He shouted solemnly.
The criminal had long vanished behind that wall!
Yang Xin was causing a commotion in an elegant garden, startling several beautiful young ladies who were playing by the pond into screaming repeatedly. One who was swinging on a swing high up got so frightened by him that she lost her grip, flipping backward and falling down…
Fortunately, she landed in a pair of strong arms.
“Little sister, you are very beautiful!”
Yang Xin said gently to her bewildered face.
Then, before she could regain her senses, he casually dropped her on the ground.
He was escaping; how could he think of cherishing beauty?
Poor girl, still probably expecting him to set her down gently, was abandoned heartlessly. Luckily, she landed in a bed of blooming peonies. Though she cried out in surprise from the fall, she was unharmed. Clenching her teeth with a look of shame, she got up and glared at his retreating figure…
“Catch this criminal!”
She screamed in Wu dialect, full of hatred.
Several Household Servants immediately rushed out with weapons.
Yang Xin, already by the wall, leaped up and instantly landed on the wall less than two meters high. He then turned and gave her a charming smile before jumping into the neighboring yard.
This guy moved over roofs and ridges as if walking on flat ground.
Even the outer walls of ordinary houses were at most around three meters high, and interior partition walls were commonly less than two meters. Without worrying about concealment, his leaping ability allowed him to easily reach the top of partition walls and most of the way up outer walls.
Such obstacles couldn’t stop him.
He kept vaulting over one wall after another, stirring up chaos in each courtyard, then rushing through before people could react and leaping over the next wall. His path was practically unimpeded. In just over ten minutes, he landed on the main street, and as soon as he touched down, he saw Nine Thousand Years Old riding a horse, hurriedly approaching with dozens of soldiers. Among these mounted soldiers was a four-man carried cool sedan chair. Inside, Tianqi, wearing mourning clothes, looked impatient and urged them on…
Yang Xin stopped.
He hesitated.
He didn’t know if Tianqi could protect him.
But escaping was not a good plan either. If he ran, it would be truly hard for him to make a comeback. For the Censors of the Censorate, his escape would be even easier to exploit than capturing him. It would not only slap Consort Zheng and her faction in the face but also embarrass Wanli himself. The latter had summoned him and labeled him as a tribute presenter, and it might even implicate Chen Yujie and Xu Guangqi. If Wanli vented his anger on others, even Xu Guangqi might not escape unharmed, at the very least losing his official position.
Not to mention ruining the reputations of Fang Tinglan and Wang Wang.
Especially Wang Wang.
This young girl was very loyal.
“Damn it, I’ll take a gamble!”
He watched Tianqi getting closer and made a crazy decision.
Then he charged straight forward.
And…
“Imperial Eldest Grandson, you must uphold justice for this commoner!”
He rushed into the middle of the street, bowing with clasped hands and shouting in a sorrowful voice.
Nine Thousand Years Old, who was walking ahead, was startled.
He hadn’t noticed Yang Xin before. This guy suddenly appeared, striking such an exaggerated pose, which made him hurriedly rein in his horse and stop the soldiers behind him. He looked at Yang Xin with a questioning gaze, and Yang Xin quickly made eye contact.
The two exchanged information silently.
By then, Tianqi at the back also saw Yang Xin. The plain blue-cloth cool sedan chair was set down, and the future His Majesty the Emperor of Great Ming stepped out, carrying his wooden stick. Pedestrians on both sides of the street stopped, curiously watching this scene of stopping the sedan chair to plead for justice. A passing official eyed Tianqi suspiciously, soon recognizing his identity, and stepped forward with delight to bow. Tianqi, however, rudely waved him aside and walked directly toward Yang Xin with a look of irritation, clearly in a foul mood.
By then, more and more people gathered around…
As for kneeling to the imperial grandson, that was out of the question. Even if Wanli himself appeared, few would kneel—bowing with clasped hands was respectful enough. Even Yang Xin didn’t kneel; in fact, so far, he had only performed the full kowtow when meeting Wanli.
“What happened?”
Tianqi walked up to Yang Xin and asked with a stern face.
Yang Xin quickly straightened up.
“Imperial Eldest Grandson, you must uphold justice for this commoner! Today, I was busy at Xu Mansion, having just finished making the first telescope for you, when suddenly a large group of people barged in, brandishing weapons. Xu Guangqi’s nephew stepped forward to stop them, but they ignored him. Not only did they break the gate of Xu Mansion, but they also tried to force their way into the inner quarters. Outraged, I fought back. When the City Patrol Censor arrived, instead of arresting those who broke into private property, he wanted to shackle me and have me beaten. Xu Guangqi’s nephew and the passing Imperial Guard Assistant Commissioner Xu Xianchun reasoned with him, but he said he could arrest anyone he wanted in the Capital City. Being impulsive and afraid of being captured and beaten to death, I had no choice but to flee. Fortunately, I ran into you, Imperial Eldest Grandson. Please judge, why should the City Patrol Censor arrest me, who acted bravely, instead of those who broke into private homes?”
Yang Xin said with a wronged expression.
“There he is!”
A shout suddenly came from behind.
Yang Xin turned quickly to see the bow-equipped soldiers chaotically rushing toward them, with Censor Liu, his face covered in blood, half-lying in a sedan chair following behind. His injuries were severe; even though Yang Xin had held back and not intended to kill him, his nose was deformed and his lips split, making him look bloody and miserable.
“Capture that dog! I want to skin him alive!”
Censor Liu howled.
But as soon as he spoke, the movement tugged at his wounds, causing him to scream in pain.
“Did you do this?”
Tianqi asked in surprise.
Yang Xin nodded honestly.
“How am I supposed to save you?”
Tianqi stepped closer, gritting his teeth and whispering.
“And don’t feed me that nonsense. Those Imperial College Students were there to arrest you, not to cause trouble at Xu Guangqi’s mansion. You just used the excuse of breaking into private property to beat them up. I don’t care about that—they had no right to arrest you, and I can handle this matter based on reason. But you can’t beat a City Patrol Censor. If you beat a City Patrol Censor, even my imperial grandfather can’t protect you!”
He added.
Clearly, he was smarter than Yang Xin had thought.
“Uh, Imperial Eldest Grandson, actually, I have another solution. What I just said was for the commoners. Could you pretend to believe me?”
Yang Xin whispered in surprise.
Tianqi looked at him suspiciously.
“Believe me, I have a way to resolve this, but the condition is that I can’t fall into their hands!”
Yang Xin said.
“What’s in it for me?”
Tianqi asked.
“Imperial Eldest Grandson, my mind is filled with countless things. I can help you make a cart that moves by itself, I can let you fly into the sky to see this beautiful land, I can show you a world invisible to the naked eye, and I can tell you what wind, frost, rain, and snow are. Do you want to know why birds can fly? Do you want to know why flowers are colorful? Do you want to know why people experience birth, aging, illness, and death?
You see, my head is very valuable.
But first, it can’t be chopped off!”
Yang Xin said.
Tianqi stared at him intently.
Yang Xin stared back.
“Capture that dog!”
At that moment, Censor Liu’s howl rang out again…
“How dare you! Is this the Zhu Family’s Jiangshan or your empire!”
The Imperial Eldest Grandson shoved Yang Xin aside and roared at Censor Liu, who was still in the sedan chair.