Chapter 9: Long Line

In the Criminal Office of the Jingzhao Prefecture.

The shackles clanked as Du Wulang entered the Criminal Office and was pressed to sit on a stool.

The jailer Liu Liu was sitting under the dim candlelight, grinding ink. He had clearly seen the prisoner sit down, but the sound of the shackles continued, so he raised his eyes and saw a pair of trembling feet.

"Stop shaking."

The shackles still clanked, as if calling for death.

Liu Liu stroked his beard, wiped the ink from his hands, and picked up a brush, saying, "Prisoner, Du Yu."

No one responded.

Liu Liu shouted, "I'm asking you! Is the prisoner Du Yu?"

"Du, Du, Du, Du Teng."

"Stomachache? Whether it's a stomachache or a headache, answer me!"

"I, I, I, prisoner Du Teng, surnamed Du, named Teng, the Teng of transcription."

Liu Liu pushed the document in his hand closer to the candlelight, squinted his old eyes, and read it carefully for a while before suddenly getting angry.

"Prisoner Du Teng! The fifth son of official Du Youlin, you conspired with the Eastern Palace, hired the Taoist Fang Daxu to privately hide prophetic books, and criticized the imperial carriage, committing crimes and fleeing. You set fire to Liu Ji's residence in the Dunyi Lane of Chang'an County..."

After reading the document, he sternly demanded, "Do you confess?"

"I am innocent!" Du Wulang wailed.

"If you don't confess, you will be tortured." Liu Liu asked, "Do you want to sign now or after being tortured?"

Du Wulang was so nervous that his small eyes didn't know where to look. He closed them tightly, clenched his fists, and continued to tremble.

He looked like he was ready to be executed.

"Do you want to sign or be tortured?"

"Kill me!" Du Wulang shouted in fear, "Just kill me, I won't sign!"

"Kill you? Not that easy." Liu Liu waved his hand impatiently and said, "Apply the torture."

The guards were still preparing the instruments of torture when Du Wulang started screaming.

"Ah! Ah!"

"..."

Xin Shier was sitting outside the prison, drinking from a wine skin. Hearing the screams inside, he raised his hand and beckoned.

Two Liangren, who were chatting under the eaves, immediately stood up and strode into the Criminal Office.

"We are the Jingzhao Prefecture's investigators Niu Shuan and Tian Da, ordered to transfer the prisoner to the Dali Temple!"

Without waiting for a response, they dragged Du Wulang, who had not yet been tortured, away.

Xin Shier leisurely put away his wine skin, stood up, and headed to the Right Brave Guard.

~~

"It's so bright."

Du Wulang was escorted out of the Jingzhao Prefecture, squinting his small eyes to look around, and realized it was already afternoon.

He had missed his prison meal, and his stomach involuntarily growled.

Niu Shuan immediately slapped the back of his head and scolded, "I'm not hungry yet, but the dog prisoner is already hungry."

"Young man is impudent." Du Wulang, seeing the Liangren's round face and large belly, which seemed friendly, smiled apologetically, "Young man is impudent."

Niu Shuan stood behind him, kicked him, and shouted, "Move!"

Du Wulang jogged down the steps, looked around in a daze, and asked, "Young man is a first-time prisoner, may I ask if there is a carriage?"

Before he could get an answer, he quickly added, "No, no, not that I'm lazy, but I'm thinking, prisoners are often dangerous, so during transfers, do they usually...?"

"Dangerous my ass. A carriage? A big fart will send you to the Dali Temple."

"Yes, yes."

Du Wulang didn't dare to say more and hurriedly walked toward the imperial city.

"Wait! Clank, clank, it's so noisy." Niu Shuan actually pressed him down with a hand, took out a key, and removed his handcuffs and leg irons, handing them to Tian Da, saying, "Put them back, these are the Jingzhao Prefecture's shackles, don't let the Dali Temple benefit... Let's go."

Du Wulang was stunned, not knowing if this was a procedure or because he was not really dangerous. He obediently walked beside Niu Shuan.

The Jingzhao Prefecture was in the southeast corner of Guangde Lane, while the Dali Temple was in the northwest corner of the imperial city. It was not far, but it would take about half an hour to walk.

After walking for a long time,

Seeing a small stall selling soup noodles on the street, Niu Shuan pulled Du Wulang over, sat down boldly, and shouted, "Old Hu, two bowls of soup noodles!"

Hearing "two bowls," Du Wulang was stunned for a moment and hurriedly said, "To actually trouble the official to pay, if in the future...?"

"Shut up, who said I'm treating you?!" Niu Shuan slapped his head again and said to himself, "Tian Da still hasn't come."

Du Wulang realized Tian Da was still coming and thought that one person escorting him would have been enough, so why waste manpower?

He could only look at the two bowls of soup noodles and swallow his saliva.

"Ouch." Niu Shuan had just taken a bite when he suddenly clutched his stomach and called out, looking around, "Tian Da, over here! Watch the prisoner, I'll be right back..."

Du Wulang's gaze moved from the soup noodles to Niu Shuan running into an alley, then turned to look at Tian Da approaching in the distance. He wanted to escape but didn't dare to, hesitating.

His buttocks lifted and sat down several times, and seeing Tian Da still far away, he finally steeled his resolve, picked up the bowl on the table, took a big gulp, and ran off.

"Hey!"

The stall owner, Old Hu, was shocked and shouted, "You haven't paid yet!"

Scared, Du Wulang ran even faster.

He was wearing Xue Bai's padded jacket, the most ordinary clothes, and as he squeezed into the crowd, he disappeared like a drop of water into a river.

"Brat, you haven't paid yet!"

"Clack."

A string of coins landed on the soup noodle stall.

Niu Shuan had come out of the alley, holding a real dog, and leisurely followed Du Wulang.

On the watchtower, a Wu Hou raised a small flag, pointing to the Ten Princes' Residence in Yongxing Lane.

~~

In Yongxing Lane, there was a guesthouse along the street.

In a second-floor room, Xue Bai opened the window and could see the teahouse at the crossroads. A few men were sitting there drinking tea, their eyes fixed on the alley leading to the Prince's residence.

A waiter behind him laughed and said, "Every year, more scholars staying at our inn pass the exams than those staying at Wuben Lane or Chongren Lane. This is our best room, are you satisfied, sir?"

Xue Bai asked, "Can you hire a carriage here?"

"There's a stable in the back, and there are always carriages ready."

"Then let's book it, for three days." Xue Bai indicated Qinglan to pay.

"Great!" The waiter laughed, "Please step to the main hall to register. If you have a family status, you can show it to me, and if you pass the exam tomorrow, we can waive some of the room fees."

Xue Bai reached into his chest, felt around, and was surprised, "I must have left it at Chunmen, I need to find it..."

"Sir, please wait, the curfew is about to start. Why not come back tomorrow?"

Xue Bai took the money from Qinglan and handed it over, saying, "Then let's skip the registration for now? Don't worry, I'm not a bad person."

"I know." The waiter smiled, "I've been in this business for a long time, and I can tell people well. You have an official aura, you must be from a noble family."

"By the way, I have a fellow townsman who arrived in Chang'an a day or two before me. He was riding a green-covered donkey cart and said he would stay in Yongxing Lane. Have you seen him?"

"No." The waiter shook his head, "But yesterday, a Liangren seized a green-covered donkey cart. I don't know if it was your friend."

Xue Bai was surprised, "My friend is over forty, with three strands of beautiful beard, wearing a plain robe, and holding prayer beads. Was he seized? Why?"

"No, it was a beautiful lady, with a servant and a maid. The donkey cart was hired in Chang'an County, and there was no forty-year-old scholar."

"Beautiful lady? What did she do?"

"I don't know. In recent years, the Jingzhao Prefecture has seized many people."

Xue Bai asked, "When I entered the city today, I heard that the Prince has divorced again. Did something happen?"

"Sir, how could we commoners know such things?"

"Forgive me, I just arrived in Chang'an and am curious about everything..."

After a few more words, the waiter left.

Qinglan locked the door and approached, anxiously whispering, "Is it Dama and Wulang who were seized? What should we do?"

Xue Bai looked out the window and whispered, "Though they were seized, those people are still watching."

"Are they looking for us?"

"Hard to say." Xue Bai kept looking out the window, "But this case points directly to the Eastern Palace. Those who can destroy the Du family will come, and those who can save the Du family might also come."

The evening drum sounded again.

Xue Bai turned his head south and, through the lane walls, saw a familiar figure in the distance.

He was first surprised, then his eyes flashed with caution, and after observing for a while, he suddenly turned around.

~~

"Bang."

With the evening drum, Du Wulang ran into Yongxing Lane.

He had been running for a full hour, out of breath, but the curfew drum urged him not to stop.

A few tea guests were still sitting at the crossroads. He didn't dare to look, lowered his head, and ran into the alley, looking back to see no one following, he breathed a sigh of relief and hurried toward the Prince's residence.

"Bang."

"Bang."

He had entered the area of the Ten Princes' Residence, surrounded by high walls and large courtyards, with no pedestrians.

Passing an alley, a figure suddenly darted out from a corner.

Du Wulang was so scared his heart almost jumped out of his throat.

"Ah!"

Before he could scream, he heard a soft command in his ear.

"Don't shout."

It was a young man in a plain robe, and upon closer inspection, Du Wulang was pleasantly surprised.

"Xue Bai?"

Xue Bai pulled him and walked quickly, asking, "Were you seized? How did you escape?"

"Yes, Dama was also seized. I relaxed their vigilance and escaped while they were transferring me to the Dali Temple."

Xue Bai looked back while walking, saw no one following, and his eyes showed a thoughtful expression.

"What's wrong?" Du Wulang said, "I checked carefully, no one is following me."

"They let you go far because they have a dog." Xue Bai sniffed Du Wulang, "Take off your clothes."

"What?"

"Quickly!"

Du Wulang, hearing his commanding tone, didn't dare to say more and obediently took off his outer clothes.

"Take off more."

"It's so cold in the middle of winter."

"Quickly!"

Du Wulang had no choice but to strip down to a white shirt, shivering in the snow-covered alley.

"Run east. After three alleys, turn south until you see a stable. Qinglan will meet you there."

"What about you?"

"Watch your footprints, run along them."

Xue Bai pointed to the messy snow tracks in the alley and quickly instructed.

He picked up Du Wulang's clothes and continued north toward the Prince's residence, tying the clothes into a bundle as he ran.

"Bang."

The evening drum was nearing its end.

The sky darkened quickly in winter.

Hearing hurried footsteps behind him, Xue Bai suppressed his nervousness, maintained a normal pace, and quickly looked back to see a group of young men hurrying home, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

He quickened his pace and headed toward the Prince's residence.

In front, two lanterns hung at the back gate of the Prince's residence, and he could see guards standing with spears.

Xue Bai thought they might recognize him, took a few deep breaths, and tried to remain calm.

Finally, he reached the high wall of the residence.

He turned around, facing the direction he came from, and suddenly threw the bundle of clothes over the high wall with all his strength.

At that moment, his heart was in his throat, fearing someone would shout.

Fortunately, no one did.

After doing this, Xue Bai returned the way he came, walked about twenty steps, and knelt to scoop up a large handful of snow, rubbing it to calm his anxiety and slow his pace.

"Bang."

The last evening drum sounded.

Suddenly, dense footsteps came from both front and back.

"You!"

Someone shouted at Xue Bai.

It was a Liangren with a dog, pointing at Xue Bai.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

The dog barked incessantly.

Xue Bai gave a perfunctory salute and asked the Liangren, "What is it?"

This was the Ten Princes' Residence, and the Liangren, unsure of his identity, lost some of his confidence and said, "The curfew is about to start, hurry up."

"Okay."

The Liangren strode past him.

The dog, barking more excitedly, rushed past Xue Bai.

Behind them, the sound of armor clanked, and figures passed by.

"Right Brave Guard is seizing criminals, all irrelevant people, move away!"

"Right Brave Guard is chasing dangerous fugitives, involving the Prince's safety, move away!"

"..."

Terrifying shouts echoed through the alley.

As for the figure that had passed them, it had disappeared into the night snow of Chang'an.