Volume One: The Youngest Among Three Hundred Chapter 118: A Night Visit

On the sixth floor of the Wuyi Guard’s armory tower, Ruan Jingchu, having just reported the situation on site to Cao Wu and Cheng Mulong, pushed open the door and stepped out, anxiously stamping her feet and pouting in complaint, “Chen Chang’an, what on earth is going on?”

“And where was Ye Lin at such a critical moment? Sigh!”

Inside, the two deputy commanders, who had heard the news upon returning from the palace that Chen Chang’an was the leader of the Dragon Slaying Society, exchanged wry glances and fell silent for a few seconds. Cheng Mulong could no longer contain his agitation and shouted, “He slashes a comrade, takes away the documents, and publicly proclaims himself guilty of unforgivable crimes—what exactly is Chen Chang’an trying to do?”

Cao Wu remained silent. No matter how much she tried, she simply could not believe Chen Chang’an capable of such deeds without a reason—an explanation that would convince her, that would make the court forgive him, and that would be accepted by Empress Bai Wan.

“Say something! What do we do now?”

“Originally, this was already a grave crime. Zhang Youzhi’s death now implicates him further. It will be difficult to clarify matters. Her Majesty the Empress has personally issued an order for his capture.”

Finally, Cao Wu spoke, “Do you believe Chen Chang’an would do such a thing?”

Cheng Mulong’s voice was firm and resolute: “Of course not! Back in Ganquan Village, he was nearly killed by the Blue Armors, and it was he who uncovered the rebel nest this time!”

“But… but I don’t understand. If someone else had framed him behind the scenes, that would be understandable. The key point is that he himself admitted it.”

Cao Wu shook her head, “Just because he said it doesn’t mean it’s true. Come, follow me.”

“Where to?” Cheng Mulong asked anxiously.

“To the horse ranch. The captured rebels and the documents are now in the hands of the Left Guard’s Imperial Army. We can’t investigate there, so we must verify the facts on the ground.”

Cheng Mulong’s mood darkened further. “Speaking of which, when we first entered the palace, we told Her Majesty that the Wuyi Guard should be the ones to crush the rebels. So why did she order the Left Guard to handle it?”

“You and I have been with Her Majesty since entering the palace. Have you ever seen an imperial edict?”

Cheng Mulong was shocked. “Could the Left Guard have forged an imperial edict?”

Cao Wu shook her head. “The Left Guard serves Chancellor Cheng Jianzhi, a cautious and meticulous man. He wouldn’t be foolish enough to fake an edict. I don’t fully understand this matter either.”

After a brief pause, Cao Wu sighed helplessly, “Let’s just go to the horse ranch first.”

“Alright.”

As the two prepared to leave and had just cracked the door open slightly, they saw Ruan Jingchu’s face.

“Deputy commanders, I… I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I’m just worried about Chen Chang’an’s whereabouts. Can I come along?” Ruan Jingchu stammered slightly, recalling their shared experiences during evaluation and the many trials they had faced together, forging a deep friendship.

Cao Wu did not refuse. “Fine, come with us to the horse ranch. You can tell us everything that happened on the scene.”

“Okay! Thank you, Deputy Commander Cao!” Ruan Jingchu’s smile blossomed.

The three set off. About half an hour later, they reached the entrance of the horse ranch. Before they could enter, they saw thick smoke billowing and towering flames soaring five to six thousand meters high, painting the entire night sky with a turbulent red glow.

Cao Wu’s expression changed slightly. “This is bad. Something’s happened!”

“Quick!”

They quickened their pace. Especially Cao Wu and Cheng Mulong, who unleashed the formidable power of seventh-grade Life-and-Death realm cultivation, arriving in mere moments. They found the horse ranch engulfed in flames, waves of fire reaching the sky. Cheng Mulong gritted his teeth, “Damn, we’re too late. Why would they set fire?”

Cao Wu did not answer immediately, pondering the matter. Ruan Jingchu followed closely, her pure white pupils staring blankly at the scene. As the firelight flickered in her eyes, she said, “They must be afraid that we’ll find evidence to clear Chen Chang’an’s name, so…”

“Eh? What’s that sound?” Suddenly alert, Ruan Jingchu’s ears pricked up.

Cao Wu also heard it. After a moment’s thought, she released a surge of energy from her hand, spreading it like a tide into the fire ahead. Then, she grasped at empty air, and a burning wooden beam flew out with a bang, landing right before them.

The three focused their gaze. Flames danced fiercely on the beam’s surface while steam continuously evaporated from within. The sound they’d heard was the sizzling of water droplets boiling.

Cao Wu concentrated deeply and after a long moment suddenly clapped her hands, “So that’s it!”

“What… what is it?”

Cheng Mulong was eager.

Ruan Jingchu said nothing but prepared to listen attentively.

Cao Wu explained, “I previously asked Yue Bingbing and the national tutor Dong Zhongxuan. According to their descriptions, the most advanced rebel in the horse ranch was only at mid-level sixth-grade, and neither the mysterious Zai Sheng nor the awakened Eleven Origins practitioners from Maoji Workshop appeared. That always seemed strange to me.”

“Now I understand. In fact, we should thank them for this fire meant to destroy evidence.”

“Come on, get to the point! Stop beating around the bush!” Cheng Mulong urged.

Cao Wu asked in return, “What does it mean when water droplets boil inside burning wooden beams?”

Cheng Mulong blurted out, “It means it’s newly built!”

“Exactly!”

Cao Wu continued, “Setting aside the past, from when Princess Changning disappeared at the Three Yuan Temple, it’s been nearly two months. Even if the rebels started building their nest then, the wood would have dried out in this hot summer by now.”

Ruan Jingchu suddenly realized, “So the horse ranch was just recently constructed, only repainted and redecorated to look old!”

Cheng Mulong’s thoughts cleared. “Some enemies we encountered before haven’t shown up. The horse ranch is probably a fake nest, designed to lure us into a trap!”

“Exactly!” Cao Wu confirmed.

“But… what does this have to do with the rebellious words Chen Chang’an said during the day?”

Cao Wu’s expression grew complex, mingling relief and admiration. “Since it’s a trap meant to lure the Wuyi Guard in, there must be a purpose. Yue Bingbing told me that among the collected documents was a list of rebel members, which Chen Chang’an took away.”

“If this nest is fabricated, how could the list be real? My guess is that all the names listed are loyal ministers and generals of the court. They want to use the Wuyi Guard to collect this list, which the Left Guard would then intercept at the horse ranch entrance and deliver to Her Majesty. In this way…”

Cheng Mulong’s face changed drastically. “So a large number of truly loyal courtiers would be condemned.”

“Yes,” Cao Wu said bitterly, “Chen Chang’an was unaware of their plan before. He thought the horse ranch was genuine until the Left Guard’s sudden appearance made him realize he was being used. To prevent the forged list from reaching Her Majesty and framing loyalists, he shouted that he was the rebel leader and took the list away.”

As the clues and reasoning gradually came together, the reason behind Chen Chang’an’s “betrayal” and self-accusation as the rebel ringleader became clear. Cheng Mulong could only laugh wryly, thinking, “So it’s done like this?”

Ruan Jingchu was puzzled, “But… we were all right there, with four Xuan-clad officers on site. If he realized it was a trap, why didn’t he say anything?”

Cao Wu waved her hand, “Even if he said it, it wouldn’t help. The Left Guard had Her Majesty’s edict and was determined to seize the list. Only by taking it away could Chen Chang’an prevent the forged list from falling into Her Majesty’s hands.”

Cheng Mulong grumbled angrily, “Then he shouldn’t have said those rebellious things, making the entire city hunt him down!”

A strange light flickered in Cao Wu’s eyes. “Perhaps Chen Chang’an felt responsible since he found the horse ranch first, never expecting it to be a trap. Also, if he simply left with the list, Her Majesty might suspect the Wuyi Guard of conspiring behind the scenes by withholding it.”

“By declaring himself the leader of the Dragon Slaying Society, he deliberately cleared the Wuyi Guard from suspicion and took all responsibility alone.”

“…”

Cheng Mulong was left speechless.

Ruan Jingchu remained lost in thought for a long while before snapping back, worry etched on her face: “But… the whole city is after him now!”

Upon hearing this, Cao Wu slightly raised her head at a thirty-five-degree angle, gazing toward the starry sky with weighty words: “I believe he must have some means to turn the situation around…”

…

In the Jingzhao Prefecture’s prison No. 3, the Su family’s six members were gathered. Except for the younger brother-in-law Su Dingfeng, who stood with a fierce expression as if ready to break out at any moment, the others huddled trembling in the corner.

Qin Fuluo hid her small head in Su Qingtang’s arms, crying out, “What’s going on? Why have they arrested us? I heard that once you enter the prison No. 3, it’s a dead end. No one ever leaves alive.”

Before Su Qingtang, the model husband of the people, could comfort her, Su Dingfeng resolutely turned around, “Father! Mother! Don’t be afraid. Rest assured, if the court dares to sentence us to death, I’ll kill all those corrupt officials…”

“Oh, big brother, stop talking!” Su Wanqing rolled her eyes in complaint, “We might have had light charges, but you went and killed the soldiers on the spot. Now look, we’re locked up in the worst prison.”

Su Dingfeng remained indifferent, “What’s there to fear? If it weren’t for Father and Mother stopping me, they wouldn’t have caught us. I…”

“Enough. No use talking. Just rest assured, if the court dares to sentence us, I’ll be the first to kill the dog emperor!”

Su Qingtang remained silent.

Qin Fuluo, Su Wanqing, and Su Wanqiu also fell silent.

Zhu Jiawen timidly spoke, “I… I heard from the soldiers that… that it’s because third sister’s husband is apparently plotting rebellion that they arrested our entire family!”

“What?” They all exclaimed in shock. When the imperial army surrounded the Su family, everyone was trembling uncontrollably, hardly hearing anything.

The only one who wasn’t scared was still busy posturing and fighting.

Su Qingtang shook his head vigorously after a moment of silence, “No! No! No! Chang’an is definitely innocent. How could he rebel against the court?”

Qin Fuluo’s face was also full of disbelief.

Su Wanqiu remained silent, her brow furrowed.

Su Wanqing asked, “Jiawen, did you hear wrong?”

Before Zhu Jiawen could answer, Su Dingfeng scoffed, “What could I have heard wrong? Being a rebel is fine. Shameless officials, a foolish court!”

The family fell silent.

…

In the main hall of a certain residence, the owner sat facing a purple-robed official, both with unhappy expressions.

The owner’s anger grew as he clenched his fist on the table and shouted, “Damn Chen Chang’an! It’s bad enough he’s still alive, but now he’s ruining our plan again!”

The purple-robed official suppressed his emotions and calmly said, “Cao Wu seeking help from Dong Zhongxuan was unexpected. But according to the original plan, even if Chen Chang’an lived, the confiscated list should have been handed to Empress Bai Wan by the Left Guard.”

“That way, the few court officials opposing us would be judged, and the plan would succeed. But I never imagined Chen Chang’an would take all the blame himself.”

His tone turned darker as he abruptly shifted, “If he wants to shoulder the blame, let him. I have already burned the horse ranch to the ground. Cao Wu won’t find any evidence to clear Chen Chang’an. Coupled with Zhang Youzhi’s death, with the city-wide manhunt, he has nowhere to run!”

The owner’s tense face relaxed for a moment before tightening again, furious, “But the records in that document are real!I'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.