Chapter 36: The End of the Wangfu, Yang Luchen

  It was just getting dark when Li Zhen and Huang Shi Hai returned to the inn.

  Before he could even catch his breath, Qi Shan called Li Zhen over. After Li Zhen paid his respects and sat down, he asked: "Sir, you've hastily summoned me, is there something going on?"

  Qí shàn hmmed in agreement and nodded.

  Li Zhen sat up straight and listened with rapt attention.

  Qishan said seriously: "You defeated the Russians, which is a great joy and the Emperor also appreciates you very much. However, as a small general, you are showing off in Beijing, it's easy to attract jealousy. It's likely that someone will come to challenge you to a duel, wanting to step on you to gain fame. Even if some people don't have bad intentions, coming to challenge you to a fight will still cause us trouble. Since we've already met the Emperor and completed our mission this time, let's pack up and leave the capital tomorrow."

  "Yes, I'll go and prepare right away."

  Li Zhen stood up and left, returning to his own room to pack his luggage.

  Li Zhen's clothes were not many, but among them was a yellow horse jacket bestowed by the Xianfeng Emperor. Li Zhen picked up the jacket with his right hand and held it in front of his chest, furrowing his brow as he muttered to himself: "If I really wore this on my body, I'd be a complete slave. I wouldn't dare wear it, but using it to wipe my butt would be just fine."

  The yellow riding jacket was an honor bestowed by Xianfeng, but Li Zhen didn't care about it.

  This thing is a traitor of the Qing dynasty.

  Bang! Bang!

  Suddenly, there was a light knock at the door outside the room.

  Right after that, Huang Shi Hai's voice rang out: "Your Honor, I have something to report."

  "Come in!"

  Li Zhen casually tossed the yellow horse cloak onto the bedside, without even a glance. The door opened and Huang Shi Hai hastily walked in, bowed to Li Zhen and said in a low voice: "Sir, just now Gourd came to the post house, sent a message saying we should leave Beijing quickly."

  "Did Gurdoo send you?"

  Li Zhen furrowed his brow and said in a deep voice, "Gu Er is one of Gui Liang's bodyguards and also the person who protects Zi Lan. He has come to deliver a message, has something big happened?"

  "Huang Shi Hai replied: 'The great man killed Vasily, boosted morale and made a big name for himself. However, many martial artists in Beijing are eager to challenge the great man, using his reputation to make a name for themselves in Beijing. These people are experts at internal fighting, but not external fighting. When the Russian strongman was setting up the arena, no one dared to come out and confront him, now they all want to fight with the great man. Great man, time is pressing, hurry up and leave!'"

  Li Zhen said, "It seems that both Gui Liang and Qi Shan have anticipated the situation. When I went to see Qi Shan earlier, he said that the momentum was too strong and had caused many people to harbor resentment. Shi Hai, Qi Shan has already decided to leave Beijing tomorrow morning to rest."

  Huang Shi Hai nodded and turned around to leave.

  Just as he was about to reach the door, a soldier rushed over and collided with Huang Shi Hai. The soldier steadied himself and hastily said: "General Huang, just now someone from Prince Duan's mansion delivered a letter saying that you must personally hand it over to the General."

  "Got it!"

  Huang Shi Hai received the letter and then entered the house.

  At this time, Huang Shi Hai felt a little uneasy in his heart.

  This letter arrived at neither an early nor a late hour, but precisely at this sensitive moment. It's likely that something has indeed happened. Huang Shi Hai handed the letter to Li Zhen and waited quietly. Li Zhen tore open the envelope, read through the contents of the letter, furrowed his brow into a "川" shape, his face extremely solemn, slapped the table with one palm, and exclaimed: "This is outrageous!"

  "Huang Shi Hai asked: 'Sir, what exactly happened?'"

  Li Zhen didn't answer, but instead asked: "Shi Hai, does your family have another younger sister?"

  Huang Shi Hai's heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened.

  "Huang Shi Hai took a deep breath and replied truthfully: 'Reporting to Your Excellency, I indeed have a younger sister who lives in my master's martial arts school, but works at the Duan Gong Wang Fu. Could something have happened to my little sister?'"

  "Take a look!"

  Huang Shi Hai took over the letter and carefully read it.

  The letter only mentioned one thing, that Huang Qi had secretly kept some items while working at the Duan Wang Fu and was detained, asking Li Zhen to go and resolve it tomorrow morning. The matter concerned Huang Qi, but somehow related to Huang Shi Hai, yet the people from the Duan Wang Fu specifically asked for Li Zhen, clearly targeting him.

  Huang Shi Hai said: "Little sister has always been proper and would never secretly keep things from the Duan Wang Fu, this is slander."

  Li Zhen said: "You know it's pollution, and I don't know either?"

  Pausing for a moment, Li Zhen said: "Since someone has come to our doorstep, we can't just leave with our tails between our legs. Tomorrow morning, we'll go to the Duan Wang Fu and see what kind of skills the people there have." In fact, Li Zhen didn't need to get involved with Huang Qi, but he had to make Huang Shi Hai's heart turn cold, so he had to go.

  For Li Zhen himself and for Huang Shi Hai, Li Zhen could only attend the meeting.

  "Huang Shi Hai's eyes rolled around and he said: 'Your Excellency, I will sneak into the Wang Fu tonight to rescue my little sister.'"

  Li Zhen shook his head and said, "It won't work. If you sneak into the palace, it's an even greater crime. Later on, I'll not only have to rescue your sister but also find a way to save you."

  Huang Shi Hai sighed and said, "I really shouldn't have come to Beijing. First, I encountered the Russian strongman and put you in a difficult situation. Now, because of my sister's matter, you're taking risks again, all caused by me."

  Li Zhen shook his head and said, "It's none of your business, they're after me."

  Even without Huang Shi Hai, the people of Duan Wang Fu would still stir up trouble.

  However, Li Zhen became famous through martial arts competitions, and the people from Prince Duan's mansion could only invite Li Zhen by winning in a martial arts competition. A prince's mansion was nothing more than having some guards, who supported some top martial artists. Li Zhen thought for a moment and asked: "Shi Hai, you have been in Beijing for a while, do you know if there are any famous martial artists inside Prince Duan's mansion?"

  Huang Shi Hai shook his head and said: "I didn't notice it at all!"

  Li Zhen said with a sigh: "You don't know, then we have to find someone to investigate the Wangfu's situation."

  Suddenly, Huang Shi Hai said: "Sir, I remember now."

  "Speak quickly!" Li Zhen hastily said.

  Huang Shi Hai said: "In the Duan Wang Fu, there is indeed a master, named Yang Lu Chan. He has fought his way through Beijing and is known as 'Yang the Invincible'. He is extremely famous in Beijing and associates with high-ranking officials and nobles, and can be considered the leader of the Beijing martial arts world. However, Yang Lu Chan is already over 50 years old, and as the saying goes, 'fist skills decline with age', he cannot possibly take on Duan Wang. Moreover, Yang Lu Chan is a master of his generation, famous throughout the land, and will not challenge Duan Wang."

  "Hiss! Hiss!"

  Li Zhen took a deep breath and was extremely shocked in his heart.

  Yang Luchan was very famous, and Li Zhen also knew about it.

  Yang Luchan's Tai Chi has reached its peak, and even if he is old, he must be extremely powerful. Moreover, Yang Luchan is old, so his disciples will definitely take action. Li Zhen thought for a moment and said: "Just because Yang Luchan won't take action doesn't mean his disciples don't have ideas. Now that we know the inside story of the Duanwang Mansion, we're in a better position."

  Huang Shi Hai said, "Your Honor, the truth is that the Duan Wang Fu has already fallen. The Duan Guo Gong, Yi Zhi, died three years ago, and the main wife of the fu also passed away this year, leaving only one secondary wife behind. What's more important is that Yi Zhi had no children, so there is no one to inherit the title, making this wang fu not even comparable to Gui Liang."

  Li Zhen said: "In any case, we will be careful in our response."

  PS: 2nd watch of the night;