Chapter 139: Ambush on the Long Street (Part I)

It was already late autumn, and night fell early. Barely past five o'clock in the afternoon, the setting sun was just dipping below the horizon, its last few wisps of afterglow dyeing the clouds at the edge of the sky a blood-red hue. Wisps of smoke from kitchen chimneys curled up everywhere in Chang'an City, accompanied by the joyous laughter of households, yet the streets were remarkably devoid of pedestrians. Even if a few were out, they hurried past in breathless haste. By contrast, the grand procession of the two princes traveling together appeared considerably more leisurely. Not only were the two luxurious carriages moving at a sluggish pace, but the escort of over a thousand guards also sauntered along in a lax formation, showing scarcely any vigilance to speak of; though nominally guards, they served merely for show.

"Sixth Brother, today I requested a person from Cui Jing of the Jingzhao Prefecture."

The carriage rolled slowly to a halt not far from Rouge Alley. Li Xian was casually expounding upon his lofty theories when Li Xian suddenly turned serious, his deep voice cutting straight into Li Xian's words.

"Oh? If you wanted someone, you simply took them. That lot at the Jingzhao Prefecture are utterly incompetent; even if Sixth Brother wanted him, he wouldn't be of much use."

Li Xian had been waxing eloquent about his insights into civil service examination reforms, and having his enthusiasm abruptly cut short by Li Xian's odd remark naturally left him somewhat irritated. Yet, unable to vent his annoyance directly at Li Xian, he simply frowned and offered a non-committal appraisal.

"Sixth Brother is mistaken. This person can indeed be of great use," Li Xian said with a mysterious smile, pulling a wry face.

"Oh? How so?"

Hearing the strangeness in Li Xian's tone, Li Xian's interest was instantly piqued. He cast a puzzled glance at Li Xian and furrowed his brow, pressing for details.

"To let Sixth Brother know, this man's surname is Yan, with the single given name He. It is said that he was the first person in the Jingzhao Prefecture to discover the fire at the Grand Court of Review, and it was also he who reported it to Junior Vice Minister Chen of the Jingzhao Prefecture so that rescue could be dispatched," Li Xian explained with a calm, unhurried smile.

"Oh? Then he may well be considered a man of merit, but what does that have to do with the Seventh Brother?"

After pondering for a moment, Li Xian still failed to grasp what Li Xian was driving at. Left with no alternative, he could only voice his suspicions and ask for clarification.

"Sixth Brother, in your estimation, what was the purpose of the Jingzhao Prefecture intervening in the Grand Court of Review with such astonishing speed?" Instead of answering directly, Li Xian countered with a smiling question.

"This..."

Li Xian had not given the matter deep thought and opened his mouth intending to say they had come to put out the fire. But as the words reached his lips, they somehow felt wrong, though he could not pinpoint exactly what was amiss. He twitched his lips for a long while without managing to articulate anything coherent.

"In my humble opinion, the Jingzhao Prefecture's purpose in rushing there with such speed likely boils down to two things: first, to create a fait accompli so as to logically take over the investigation of the arson case; and second, out of fear that the fire might not have burned thoroughly enough to destroy all evidence of their crimes." Seeing Li Xian remain speechless for some time, Li Xian spared him further embarrassment and supplied the answer with a cold sneer.

"Oh? That being the case, does the Seventh Brother suspect that this Yan He's actions are questionable?"

Li Xian was no fool after all. With just a brief moment of contemplation, he grasped the implication behind Li Xian's words. His expression instantly darkened as he bit his lip and asked in a chilly tone.

"Whether this man is suspicious is one matter, but Chen Renhao is undeniably and absolutely suspicious. Now that Yan He is in my hands, certain people are bound to sit on pins and needles. Once I thoroughly investigate the truth of the matter and follow the vine to unearth the roots, capturing the ultimate ringleader might be beyond reach, but netting a few grand scoundrels of the court will be effortless. Therefore, I dare assert that someone will come to ambush and kill us today!" Li Xian said with a stern expression, his voice laden with a murderous intent that made Li Xian involuntarily shiver.

"Seventh Brother, cease such joking talk. How could such a thing..."

Naturally, Li Xian found it hard to believe that anyone would dare commit murder in broad daylight, especially since their side currently commanded hundreds of troops, mostly handpicked elite soldiers whose description as formidable and strong was no exaggeration. Furthermore, this was the imperial capital; what divine being or demon would dare act so lawlessly? Shaking his head in disbelief, he opened his mouth to refute Li Xian's alarmist talk, but before he could finish his sentence, a burst of sharp, piercing whistles rang out. His words were cut abruptly short, leaving him gaping in stunned silence.

"Swish, swish..."

Just as the carriages of the two princes reached the entrance of Rouge Alley, a chorus of bowstrings violently snapped. In an instant, dozens of steel-tipped arrows hissed through the air like a swarm of locusts, enveloping the caravan. Caught completely off guard, several of the personal guards of the two princes were shot down instantly. Amidst miserable shrieks, the entire formation plunged into utter chaos.

"Do not panic! Quickly, form up and protect Their Highnesses!"

Most of the troops from the Prince of Lu's estate had remained at the Grand Court of Review under the command of Military Advisor Li Qicheng, meaning the guards accompanying the two princes were essentially the personal guard of the Prince of Zhou's estate. Their leader was none other than Military Advisor Wang Ming远, a veteran of a hundred battles originating from the Anxi Protectorate. Sensing that the situation was dire and paying no heed to the incoming steel-tipped arrows, he drew the horizontal saber at his waist, spurred his mount to block the side of the carriage carrying Li Xian and his brother, and roared at the top of his lungs to stabilize the formation.

"Protect Their Highnesses! Protect Their Highnesses!"

Most of the soldiers from the Prince of Zhou's estate were elites selected from the military ranks and were naturally no strangers to battlefield tactics. Moreover, Li Xian had always treated his subordinates generously, winning their deep loyalty. Although the sudden ambush caused a brief moment of panic, once Wang Ming远 stepped forward to anchor the line, the soldiers quickly recovered. Roaring battle cries, they rushed to the sides of the carriages, swiftly forming a human wall that completely encircled the vehicles.

"Attack!"

While the guards of the Prince of Zhou's estate were frantically deploying formations to shield the carriages of the two princes, a resonant voice suddenly rang out. Immediately following, over a dozen masked men dressed in black and wielding sharp blades rushed out from a small alley on the left side of the street. However, rather than charging at the carriages of the two princes while the guards were still unsteady on their feet, they sprinted past them toward the second carriage, which the Prince of Zhou's soldiers had abandoned. At the same time, the twang of bowstrings continued unabated from both sides of Rouge Alley, and wave after wave of arrow rain fiercely blanketed the busy guards, forcing the entire body of soldiers to huddle together in wretched disarray.

"Damnable villains! How dare they assassinate royalty and attack the imperial carriage! Such despicable outlaws! I, I..."

Li Xian usually practiced martial arts as well, though not with the singular dedication of Li Xian, and his reflexes were not particularly poor. Yet, caught unawares by the sudden ambush, his mind momentarily stalled, failing to register the need to take cover. Fortunately, Li Xian was quick of hand and foot; the moment the attack began, he reached out, grabbed Li Xian, and shoved him down to the floorboards of the carriage compartment. At that moment, the young pair were pressed side by side, hugging the wooden floor of the carriage. Poor Li Xian, who had never suffered such humiliation before, brushed aside his fear and instead gnashed his teeth in fury, unleashing a torrent of curses.

The hell with your "I"! Wasting breath on empty rage at a time like this is utterly useless! Seeing Li Xian cursing incessantly, Li Xian rolled his eyes in annoyance and couldn't be bothered to listen to his nonsense. All his attention was focused on listening to the noises outside. Upon closer listening, he managed to glean some crucial details: the ambushers were not equipped with many archers; the loud commotion was merely the result of repeating crossbows being fired. Such repeating crossbows were prohibited contraband strictly forbidden among the common populace, second only to the military. Discovery meant the crime of exterminating one's household and ransacking one's property. Clearly, the ambushers were inextricably linked to the military—that was the first point. Secondly, these archers had no intention of actually assassinating the two brothers; their sole purpose was to pin down the defending guards. This conclusion could be drawn from the fact that from the beginning of the surprise attack until now, a mere two or three steel arrows had struck the carriage itself. Thus, the enemy's true plot stood revealed: their absolute target was Yan He, who was hidden inside the second carriage!

Damn it all, since you had the guts to come, you can all stay here permanently! The moment Li Xian deduced the situation, the fire in his heart became uncontrollable. After cursing inwardly, he glanced at Li Xian, who was still muttering endlessly to himself, and said in a low, steady voice, "Sixth Brother, stay here and hold the fort. I am going down to take a look."

"Seventh Brother, it's dangerous! Don't go!"

Hearing that Li Xian intended to leave the carriage, Li Xian forgot all about cursing and grabbed Li Xian's hand, frantically urging him to stay.

"Sixth Brother, don't worry. I am a practitioner of martial arts and must face the battlefield sooner or later; getting a taste of it now is for the best. Rest assured, Sixth Brother, I can take care of myself." Feeling Li Xian's panic and anxiety, Li Xian's heart warmed, yet he had no intention of obeying. With a reassuring smile, he flicked his wrist, broke free of Li Xian's grip, flipped through the carriage curtains, and sprang out, straightening his back to stand firmly on the ground.

Chaos—utter chaos. Li Xian had not yet finished growing and was somewhat short of stature. Standing on the ground, all he could see was the belly of Wang Ming远's mount. Bending slightly to peer beneath the horse's legs, he saw countless pairs of feet running back and forth, while deafening shouts, curses, and screams filled the air. Despite Li Xian's extraordinary daring and boldness, the moment his feet touched the ground, he was heavily shaken by the sheer disorder of the scene. Yet he recovered quickly, leaped up onto the carriage step, and using the dim evening light, swiftly scanned the surrounding environment. Leveraging his sharp judgment, he instantly pinpointed the hidden locations of the archers.

"Wang Ming远! What are you dawdling for? Pass on my orders: dispatch a small squad to assault the three-story pavilion on the left side that flies the flag bearing the character for 'Wine'! Send two more squads to charge into Rouge Alley—the scoundrels are hiding in the first building facing us, and you are to utterly annihilate the enemy! Why haven't you moved yet?!" Seeing that Wang Ming远 was solely focused on commanding his men to form a defensive line while dragging his feet on launching a counterattack against the enemy, Li Xian grew furious, his deep voice erupting in a sharp roar.

"Your Highness, it is dangerous here, you..."

Hearing the shout, Wang Ming远 whipped his head around and grew frantic upon seeing that Li Xian had actually emerged from the carriage compartment. Unable to worry about formalities, he hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

"Nonsense! Do you dare disobey my command? Are you courting death?!"

The surge of anger left Li Xian with no patience to listen to Wang Ming远's rambling. With an impatient wave of his hand, he cut off Wang Ming远's words and bellowed thunderously.

"Understood! This subordinate obeys!"

Seeing that Li Xian had lost his temper, Wang Ming远 dared not delay any further. Reasoning that they outnumbered the enemy and that any other potential ambushes by the scoundrels were nothing to fear, he hastily acknowledged the order, called out several squad leaders by name at the top of his lungs, and swiftly issued commands for a counter-offensive...