Dare to act within the palace, they must be tired of living. If the Emperor spares them, I certainly won't!
Xiao Shan, full of righteous anger, led his men towards Chen Wu Gate.
Chen Kui and Du Ling, having some sense, had already stopped fighting when the Emperor arrived. They were kneeling obediently, awaiting punishment.
Both had bruises on their faces, as if to ensure no one could mistake their fight for mere sparring.
These two fools.
Seeing Xiao Shan approach, Mingde Emperor said in a relaxed tone, "Your men, General. It's best you handle them yourself. I can't get a clear account of what happened."
Chen Kui lowered his head, not daring to look up.
However, he was still willing to take responsibility.
"I was the one who struck first."
"Beat him! Sixty strokes!" Xiao Shan ordered.
Mingde Emperor showed a hint of reluctance. "Shouldn't we first inquire about the reason? What if it was unavoidable?"
"There is no 'unavoidable.' Violating palace rules is unacceptable, regardless of the reason!" Xiao Shan was cold and unyielding.
Mingde Emperor secretly pursed his lips.
Didn't he himself fight with the Great Prince of the Turks in the palace?
Never mind, for the sake of his imperial sister who needed care now, he wouldn't make things difficult for him.
The planks began to crack. The two men, showing fortitude, didn't utter a sound.
After the beating, their backs were bloody. Cold sweat streamed down their foreheads like little brooks.
"If it weren't for the fact that we need people to track down that mysterious individual now, do you think this General would let you off? Killing you would be the end of it! You're both veterans of the army, have you forgotten all the rules? Speak! What exactly happened?"
Chen Kui looked up at Xiao Shan. Seeing a flicker in his eyes, his rough, old face immediately sagged.
"General, you must uphold justice for your subordinate! Du Ling, he, he stole my underpants!"
"I didn't steal them!" Du Ling retorted, his face dark.
He knew Chen Kui was straightforward and never lied, but couldn't he find a slightly more acceptable excuse? Why would he steal his worn-out underpants? Were they edible or drinkable?
"How could I not have stolen them? I stole them, smeared them with mustard powder, and put them back! I've been walking with my legs clamped shut for two days!"
Du Ling: "..."
Fine, I stole them!
"Those were hand-stitched by my mother before I went on campaign. She stayed up for several nights. For you to desecrate them like this..."
He was wrong. Chen Kui wasn't incapable of lying; he was clearly a master of deception. His underpants were actually bought for two wen each, and he'd asked Chen Kui to buy them for him!
Du Ling glanced at the General, seeing him frown as if he were also pondering.
What kind of nonsense is this! They are indeed crude people, and they have the nerve to say such things so openly! Xiao Shan's men were as crude as he was.
Mingde Emperor cleared his throat and said tactfully, "It was indeed a bit malicious. General Chen probably suffered some hardship, which led him to lose control and act."
"However, how did you know it was General Du who stole them?"
Du Ling: I really didn't steal them.
"I smelled it. He had mustard on him."
Du Ling: That was because we bought a roast chicken on the road, and the kind owner gave us a few packets of mustard.
Now, he truly admired Chen Kui's cleverness!
Du Ling didn't wait for them to search. He took out two packets of mustard himself and resignedly said, "This subordinate admits his guilt."
Well, it was true after all!
Why were Xiao Shan's men so bored?
Mingde Emperor said a few perfunctory words and left.
Xiao Shan looked at the two men with a cold expression.
Chen Kui lowered his head guiltily, as did Du Ling.
Why did they fight?
It turned out that while Chen Kui was screening the guards in the palace, he overheard some gossip in a corner. The main characters were Qu Linglong and Du Ling.
The description was quite scandalous.
Chen Kui severely reprimanded the gossips. When Du Ling finished his screening, and they met, Chen Kui questioned him.
Du Ling, for some reason, neither denied nor explained.
At that moment, Chen Kui assumed he had indeed committed the vile act and threw a punch. The two of them started fighting.
Xiao Shan, having understood the sequence of events, looked at Du Ling.
"Did you do it or not?"
"This subordinate... no."
"If you did it, say so. If not, say so. Why the hesitation?"
Du Ling was handsome and tall. Although he had joined Xiao Shan midway, Xiao Shan considered himself to know him well. He was steady, loyal, and resourceful. Xiao Shan appreciated him and had never shown favoritism between him and Chen Kui.
Just now, his expression was conflicted, clearly indicating something was amiss.
"If you don't speak, do you want this General to interrogate Qu Linglong?"
"This subordinate admits his guilt!" Du Ling finally spoke. "At that time... Miss Qu was thrown into the water. This subordinate jumped in to save her... We found a cave. This subordinate cut his back and developed a high fever. To dry their clothes, Miss Qu took off her clothes and mine. But this subordinate always kept his back turned, so he didn't see anything."
"Then, the King of Jiangbei and his men found us, and... they saw."
Damn it!
The King of Jiangbei really knew how to pick his timing!
Xiao Shan cursed inwardly.
"It wasn't your fault, so why are you afraid to admit it! Even if the King of Jiangbei causes trouble, you are upright and honest, so what are you afraid of! Your stammering isn't manly!"
Xiao Shan reprimanded, "In this regard, you are not as good as Chen Kui. Between brothers, what can't be said? Hiding things will only ruin your feelings! Chen Kui didn't even hide the fact that he wet the bed at 12 years old from this General!"
Chen Kui's old face flushed: That was because the General got him drunk and tricked it out of him; he hadn't said it himself.
"Sigh, you should have said so earlier! I knew you wouldn't be that kind of person. It was my fault just now, old brother. I'll let you beat me back when we get back."
Chen Kui's face was still swollen, but he patted Du Ling's shoulder, and they were like brothers again.
Du Ling was ashamed and lowered his head, saying nothing.
"Both of you go back and recover from your injuries. You are only given tomorrow off to rest. The day after tomorrow, continue your patrol!"
"Ah? Yes, General!"
It was a misunderstanding, and they had taken sixty strokes for nothing. If Du Ling had spoken earlier, none of this would have happened. Chen Kui glared resentfully at Du Ling.
After searching for a few more days, there was still no trace of the mysterious person.
The capital returned to peace.
In mid-March, the imperial examinations concluded, and students from outside the capital began to leave. Inns and residences became vacant.
Xiao Shan finally apprehended the popular "Qingshan Jushi" in a secluded, tastefully decorated, small brothel.
The two stared at each other for a long time. Ruan Ji reacted, frantically tidying up evidence of his activities, wishing he had more hands and feet.
Xiao Shan picked him up by the collar like a chick.
"Quite capable, aren't we? Former Minister of Dali Temple."
"No, no, no, this subordinate dares not. This subordinate, this subordinate is poor and only wants to earn some silver to make a living."
"Yes, being demoted to a menial post, there's indeed no oil to be skimmed." Xiao Shan nodded. "So you're making money off this General? How much have you earned? Shouldn't you give this General half?"
Ruan Ji was about to cry. Where was the money? It was all spent... The girls here were very expensive.
"Young Master, are you done yet? This servant has been undressed for half a day~"
A seductive, honeyed moan came from the inner room.
Ruan Ji's delicate body trembled. Looking at Xiao Shan's smiling yet piercing gaze, he truly began to weep.
"General, please listen to this subordinate's explanation~~~"