The prosperity of Gusu's Shangjing exceeded that of Yanjing.
As night fell, the night market was ablaze with a thousand lanterns illuminating the blue clouds. High - rise buildings were filled with charming ladies, and guests thronged in. Pearls and jewels were displayed in the markets, and every household was filled with silk and satin. Rich carriages drawn by precious horses came and went ceaselessly through the city gates.
Just as the city was at its most bustling, the sudden arrival of the Crown Prince at the Shence Gate made everyone kneel down in unison.
Song Chengyuan came to the city gate without saying much. He directly climbed to a high position on the city wall, raised his telescope, and looked into the distance.
Then, the Crown Prince of the Great Ye made an absurd decision.
"Close the thirteen city gates of Shangjing!"
This was the peak time for carriages, merchants, commoners, and nobles to enter and exit through the various city gates.
This decision greatly shocked the Magistrate of Shangjing and Zhou Wenxin, the Commander - in - Chief of the Five - City Garrison.
"Your Highness, please be cautious!" Zhou Wenxin pleaded with Song Chengyuan not to give such a ridiculous order.
Song Chengyuan snorted coldly. "I'm very cautious. Didn't you receive the report from the Magistrate of Lingbi County yesterday?"
He pointed to the area in the distance where dust was billowing. "See that? It seems that someone is trying to break into the capital. I suspect they are the remnants of the Feishui River pirates!"
Song Chengyuan's sinister eyes were bloodshot, and a sinister smile slowly curled on his lips. "Closing the city gates is also for the sake of the security of Shangjing!"
This...
Zhou Wenxin and the Magistrate glanced at each other.
They felt that the current Crown Prince was becoming more and more crazy.
Although they had received an urgent military report from Lingbi yesterday, they had received the latest military report this morning.
His Highness, the Prince of Yan, who had passed through Lingbi, had already driven all the pirates back to the river. He had also captured and beheaded a large number of those who had attacked the city. Now he was on his way to the capital...
However, Song Chengyuan was the Crown Prince, the future ruler of the country.
Helplessly, the two of them had to urge the soldiers to quickly close the city gates.
Suddenly, there was chaos at the thirteen city gates of Shangjing, and complaints filled the air.
Those who were about to enter the city to return home, those who planned to do business in the night market, and those who were going back to their rural homes...
All of them were suddenly stuck inside and outside the city, bustling and noisy.
Angry curses, children's cries, and the bleating of livestock all mingled together.
"Why are the city gates suddenly closed?"
A cold and refreshing voice rang out clearly under the city wall. It cut through the noisy crowd and reached everyone's ears.
Zhou Wenxin leaned over and looked down. His scalp went numb instantly. "Your Highness, the person speaking under the city gate is Xiao Rencheng, the Left Censor - in - Chief of the Censorate!"
The Censorate was responsible for impeaching officials, redressing grievances, and overseeing various regions. It was the institution for the Emperor's eyes and ears, maintaining the discipline and morality of the court.
Closing the city gates out of the blue and trapping Xiao Rencheng outside was like pulling out the tiger's whiskers!
Xiao Rencheng?
Song Chengyuan also leaned over and took a look. A sneer curled on his lips. "Oh, isn't this the Chief Censor Xiao?"
This Xiao Rencheng never gave him any face. He had repeatedly impeached Song Chengyuan for his absurd actions. Today, he happened to be trapped outside the city gate.
Song Chengyuan was delighted.
It was just the right opportunity to show Xiao Rencheng what absurd actions were!
Xiao Rencheng looked up. His bright and cold eyes were hidden in the dim light under the city wall. Against his angular face, he exuded a powerful and aggressive aura.
He frowned slightly, and his gaze rested on Song Chengyuan's face. Then he respectfully bowed with his hands clasped under the city wall.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
Then he straightened up and asked loudly, "The curfew time in Shangjing is the second watch of the fifth watch. It's only the second watch of the first watch now. I wonder why Your Highness is disregarding the law?"
He simply stopped asking why the city gates were closed and directly accused the Crown Prince of ignoring the law.
He really didn't give any face!
Song Chengyuan's face darkened. A low laugh came from his throat.
"The military situation is urgent. I have to make a temporary decision... I heard yesterday that the Feishui River pirates attacked Lingbi City. I'm just taking precautions, so I've closed the city gates."
"Hey, what a coincidence, Chief Censor Xiao. Why are you outside the city?"
Xiao Rencheng raised his eyebrows.
The matter he had gone out for... was actually related to Song Chengyuan.
But he would never disclose it to Song Chengyuan.
"I went out of the city to handle some private matters," Xiao Rencheng smiled. "I just came back from the direction of Lingbi. Along the way, I heard that His Highness, the Prince of Yan, has already cleared out the pirates. Your Highness, these are all the commoners and family members of the noble families from Shangjing and the nearby cities. I hope Your Highness will reopen the city gates and let us in!"
"Yes! I'm in a hurry to get back to the city to see my wife and children!"
"I have to attend the court session tomorrow, Your Highness. Please don't close the gates!"
"Your Highness, we are all the female family members in the city. If we don't return home at night, what will our husbands say about us? Where will our reputations be?"
An old woman carrying a load of food cried, "I made this load of noodles to do business in the city. If you don't let me in, won't my noodles be ruined?"
The old woman's hair was gray. She looked over sixty years old and was very thin. Standing under the city gate and crying, she looked extremely miserable.
But Song Chengyuan remained unmoved. Instead, looking at the approaching dust, he urged Zhou Wenxin.
"Hurry up! The pirates are coming! Set up the arrow formation!"
Set up the arrow formation?
What about these commoners under the city?
Xiao Rencheng narrowed his eyes slightly and clenched his fists. He was just about to speak out again to stop all this.
At this moment, a gentle female voice came from a carriage under the city.
"Grandma, how much silver can you earn from a load of noodles on a normal day?"
The voice from the carriage was like the gentle evening breeze blowing past one's ears, indescribably comfortable.
Xiao Rencheng suddenly turned his head and saw the curtain of the carriage not far from him being lifted, revealing a face as fair as jade.
Her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and her cherry - like lips were red without makeup. She exuded an elegant and sweet aura like an orchid, being both elegant and slightly charming.
Everything around seemed to stand still, and time seemed to freeze.
It was her...
Xiao Rencheng felt as if he had fallen into an unfathomable whirlpool. He stared fixedly at Lan Jinqin for a long time.
The old woman being asked sobbed and replied, "On a good - business day, I can earn one tael of silver from this load of noodles. I rely on this little business to earn money to buy medicine for my old man..."
Lan Jinqin instructed the maid outside the carriage. "Liuli, get one tael of silver and give it to this grandma."
Liuli hesitated for a moment and said, "Madam, we don't have much silver this month."
Lan Jinqin said, "We must have one tael. Hurry up and give the silver to grandma. We should quickly retreat. His Highness, the Crown Prince, is going to shoot arrows!"
What?
Everyone was shocked when they heard this. They looked up and were horrified to find a long row of bows and arrows on the city wall!
Was the Crown Prince going to shoot them all as if they were pirates?
Liuli's face turned pale instantly. She quickly took out the silver and stuffed it into the old woman's hand, then turned back to urge the coachman. "Hurry up! Go outside!"
The coachman immediately turned the horse's head.
However, the carriage took up more space than a horse. At this moment, the area outside the city gate was bustling and crowded with people.
Seeing the arrow formation on the city wall, some people panicked and frantically urged their coachmen to turn around, while others didn't believe that the Crown Prince would really order the arrows to be shot.
So chaos ensued outside the city.
Carriages were stuck together and couldn't move. Coupled with the chaotic crowding of the peddlers carrying loads, soup and water were spilled all over the ground.
Just as Xiao Rencheng had ordered his carriage to retreat to a corner, he saw Lan Jinqin's carriage being stuck in the crowd. Her fair face was faintly visible and swaying in the carriage.
At this time, Song Yinghuai, leading fifty soldiers from Xinchang City Garrison who were escorting captives and heads, along with Jin Yiwei officers like Ji Qian, came galloping in a grand manner.
The sound of the horses' hooves hitting the ground was like a dull thunder, echoing over the sky outside Shangjing City, making the people outside the city even more panicked.
Was it really like what the Crown Prince said that the pirates were attacking the city?
At the same time, Song Chengyuan stood on the city wall, looking at Song Yinghuai who was leading the way on his horse.
Half of his face was illuminated scarlet by the firelight, and the other half was buried in the darkness. His hoarse voice carried a touch of morbid madness.
"The pirates are coming!"
"Shoot—arrows!"