Eastern Palace

Chapter 41

The leader of the group became anxious, using hand gestures to beg the guard, saying that if we leave then we must leave together. I also begged that guard. Feeling dizzy from listening to our strange Central Plains accent, that guard said: "If you don't leave, then you must all stay simida[1]."

We were still unwilling to give up, surrounding that guard and all of us talking at the same time. The line behind us was getting longer and longer, the people behind were getting more impatient and noisy. The Central Plains and Goryeo have fought for many years in the battlefield, so it is common that the Central Plains people would complain bitterly about the Goryeo people, but now they were even more cynical, saying that the Goryeo people are the most noisy and unruly.

Those Goryeo merchants were so angry that their faces and ears were red, as if they wanted to fight. The guard saw that these people were about to fight each other. Fearing that the situation would turn for the worse, afraid that there would be even more and more people blocking the area, he waved his hand: "The two Goryeo people that I just pointed at cannot leave the city, the rest can leave!"

Our group left the city along with our horses. Feeling helpless, those two Goryeo merchants could only stay in the city. I felt guilty, but the leader of the group secretly pulled my sleeve and reached out his hand.

I didn't understand what he meant, the leader smiled while touching his beard saying: "Give money!"

I was surprised: "Didn't Mi Luo give you money?"

The leader smiled cunningly: "Two people, city, more money."

I thought of the two Goryeo merchants that were being held in the city, I told A'Du to give him a gold leaf.

Then I regret being generous.

Seeing the gold leaves, the Goryeo leader's eyes almost lit up. Later on the way, he would always look for excuses, asking us to pay when we eat, asking us to pay when we stay in the inn, always asking for money. Although I'm not very smart, I've spent the last three years wandering on the streets of the Capital almost every day, so I would still know how much something costs. Usually two gold leaves can buy a house, but that leader would ask us to pay one gold leaf even for a meal, he was slaughtering us as if we were foolish people. I thought that since these are all Li Cheng Yin's money, it didn't hurt at all to spend some of it, and besides they do have some companions stuck in the city, so letting them take a little advantage is really nothing. We will just pretend they don't understand the cost of things. Although these Goryeo people were greedy, they could bear hardships, waking up every day at dawn, until the sun sets then they stop to rest. Eight or nine hours a day, I have never rode on a horse for so long in the past three years, making my bones hurt. Every night when we stop at the inn to rest, I would fall asleep as soon as my head rest on the pillow.

I slept soundly this night, but A'Du suddenly woke me. She was holding a knife, in the dark I saw the light in her eyes, I got up, whispered: "Did Li Cheng Yin's people catch up to us?"

A'Du shook her head, I didn't know whether she didn't know or she couldn't guess.

We waited quietly in the night, suddenly we heard a 'chi' sound, if we didn't pay attention, we wouldn't be able to hear it. Only a small bamboo tube pierced through the window. A'Du and I looked at each other, suddenly white smoke came out of the bamboo tube, when I smelled it, my hands and feet became soft, I couldn't stand anymore. Apparently the white smoke was a type of knockout gas. A'Du stepped forward, blocked the bamboo tube with her thumb, pinched the tube, forcefully jabbing the tube out.

Only a soft exhale sound could be heard. Suddenly, a loud sound could be heard from the outside, as if a heavy object had dropped to the ground. I felt very dizzy. A'Du opened the window, so the fresh wind could make me awake. She fed me some water, and I felt the effects of the knockout gas slowly fading away. A'Du opened the door, a man could be seen lying down in the corridor, apparently it was the Goryeo leader. He was poked in the acupuncture point by the bamboo tube, now he was sitting there with his mouth wide open. A'Du took out her knife, placed the knife by his neck and then looked at me.