Chapter 5: Fake Qianniu Guard
Di Renjie, Zhao Ji and Li Yuanfang all looked towards the door.

There was a hurried knock on the door: "Sir, the Qianniu Guards from the capital are here to deliver your order!"

Di Renjie pursed his lips, signaling Li Yuanfang to hide quickly, and Li Yuanfang quickly slipped under the bed in the inner bedroom.

Seeing that Li Yuanfang was hiding well, Zhao Ji walked over slowly and opened the door.

Four or five Qianniu Guards stood in front of the door, and the leader in the middle held up the imperial edict: "Master Di, please accept the edict!"

Di Renjie and Zhao Ji bowed down: "Your servant Di Renjie (Zhao Ji) accepts your order."

The leader of the Qianniu Guards unfolded the imperial edict and read, "The capital has undergone a dramatic change. The court is in a state of panic. The envoys have been slaughtered and the rebels are rampant. You have come north in compliance with the previous imperial edict. You are tired from the journey. I should have taken you into consideration. However, the affairs of the court are urgent and I dare not delay. You are ordered to follow the Qianniu Guards to the capital overnight and you must not delay. I decree this."

"I accept the order and thank you for your kindness."

Di Renjie fell to the ground and noticed that this group of Qianniu Guards were wearing fast boots, but he did not point it out.

The leader handed over the imperial edict and Di Renjie reached out to take it.

The leader bowed his head and saluted Di Renjie: "Sir, the carriage is ready and is outside the door."

Zhao Ji suddenly interrupted and said, "Sir, are we, the Qianniu Guards, going with Lord Di?"

The leader looked at Zhao Ji and refused, saying, "The emperor's will is urgent. You don't have to return with us. Just ask you to come with us to the capital immediately."

Di Renjie nodded and said, "Please wait a moment, Your Excellency. Let me clean up." Then he went to the inner bedroom.

"My humble servant, Zhao Ji, is the left thousand-bull guard. Nice to meet you, sir." Zhao Ji greeted the leader first.

"This sir looks unfamiliar. From your accent, you seem to be from Youzhou? I am also from Youzhou, so it would be a good opportunity for me to visit you."

Zhao Ji approached the leader of the Qianniu Guards, as if trying to get close to him.

The leader of the Qianniu Guard seemed a little panicked and took a step back.

He smiled awkwardly, "Master Zhao, you are too polite. I have been in the Right Thousand Oxen Guard House and have never been out and about, so I don't see you. Um... I don't see you. But I am from Shandong, not Youzhou."

Seeing that Zhao Ji was about to speak again, the leader quickly declined.

"Time is running out. Lord Zhao can contact us more after returning to the capital. I'll still be waiting for Lord Di outside."

After saying that, he hurriedly left the room and closed the door.

At this time, Di Renjie shook his head and walked out of the bedroom with a smile on his face, and Li Yuanfang followed him out.

Zhao Ji looked at Di Renjie with a serious face: "Sir, there is something wrong with this group of people."

Di Renjie nodded and turned to look at Li Yuanfang: "Can I trust you?"

Li Yuanfang's eyes were firm, and he replied affirmatively: "Yes!"

However, after the leader of Qianniu Guard was asked by Zhao Ji and ran away, he waited in front of the posthouse, feeling a little anxious.

After a while, Zhao Ji came out accompanied by "Di Renjie".

This Di Renjie is wearing a cloak and a hood, and looks a little bloated.

When Zhao saw the leader of the Qianniu Guards waiting at the door, he deliberately stepped forward to greet him and distract his attention.

The leader of the Qianniu Guard had no choice but to agree.

The soldier next to him came forward, opened the door, and helped "Di Renjie" get in.

After dealing with Zhao Ji, the leader under the carriage waved to the guards, and the guards jumped on their horses, and the group disappeared into the night.

The Qianniu Guards cavalry surrounded the carriage and galloped all the way into a secluded alley.

The leader in front stretched out his hand and waved it vigorously, and the cavalry stopped advancing and then dispersed.

The leader showed a sinister smile on his face. He drew the steel knife from his waist and shouted, "Go!"

Suddenly, many archers appeared from the roofs around and fired arrows at the carriage.

There was a constant sound of "cha cha", and the carriage was full of arrows. Strangely, there was no sound inside the carriage.

The leader waved his hand and the archers stopped immediately.

He walked slowly to the carriage and carefully lifted the door curtain.

A cold light flashed inside the carriage.

The chain knife mechanism opened, the blade flew off the handle, and pierced into the leader's abdomen with the chain.

The leader then flew out and blood spurted out.

The person in the car pressed the mechanism again, and the chain brought the blade back.

He swung the knife again, and the carriage broke apart with a bang. Many arrows flew towards the archers on the roof, killing many. A figure flew out, it was Li Yuanfang.

Zhao Ji saw this scene in secret, he was dumbfounded, and felt that something was wrong.

The remaining killers were horrified and rushed forward together with the archers, surrounding Li Yuanfang in an attempt to defeat the odds with their numbers.

Li Yuanfang went on a killing spree with a knife, killing a killer every time he attacked, and screams were heard everywhere.

In a flash, more than a dozen assassins were dead on the spot, leaving only the seriously injured leader, covering his wound with a horrified look on his face.

At this time, Zhao Ji and Di Renjie urged their horses to the leader's side and dismounted.

"How many people do you have lying in ambush outside the county town?" Di Renjie asked.

The leader's expression suddenly changed, and his facial muscles kept twitching.

"Is this question difficult to answer?" Di Renjie asked.

The leader was trembling all over.

Suddenly he opened his mouth and a cold star flew straight to Di Renjie's forehead.

Because the distance was too close, Di Renjie had no reaction at all.

At the critical moment, Zhao Ji held his sword in front of Di Gong. With a "clang" sound, the date pit nail hit the sword and bounced back.

The leader quickly drew the dagger from his waist and tried to commit more violence.

At this time, Li Yuanfang arrived and killed the leader with a swing of his chain knife.

"Are you okay, sir?" Zhao Ji was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat.

He reflected on himself and decided not to be so careless again.

Di Renjie was almost killed, and things were almost out of control.

Di Renjie, on the other hand, remained calm. He shook his head and said with emotion: "What a fierce killer!"

Li Yuanfang realized that it was just a false alarm, so he asked the question in his mind: "How did you know that this imperial envoy was fake?"

Di Renjie smiled and pointed at Zhao Ji: "To be honest, it's not worth mentioning."

"Look at what Chengyuan is wearing. The standard uniform of the Qianniu Guard should be a flying bear uniform, a red middle coat, and tiger-head gold boots. This is the court system and cannot be changed. The guards who announce the imperial edict wear fast boots."

Li Yuanfang looked down at Zhao Ji's feet and saw that he was wearing golden boots.

"Secondly, Chengyuan said that our daily schedule is uncertain. How would the emperor know that I have arrived at Lanqiao Posthouse? She would not summon me to Beijing overnight. Then Chengyuan tried to test him, and the fake imperial envoy was full of loopholes." Di Renjie continued.

Zhao Ji smiled slyly: "I know all the generals of the Qianniu Guards, but I have never seen this person before. His temperament does not seem like that of a Qianniu Guards, so I asked him to test him."

"I belong to the Right Thousand Oxen Guard, but he insisted that I belong to the Left Thousand Oxen Guard. He really fell for it and lied that he was in the Right Thousand Oxen Guard, which exposed his true identity. Moreover, he clearly spoke with a Youzhou accent, but he claimed to be from Shandong, which made his attempt to cover up something even more obvious."

Li Yuanfang was stunned. He didn't expect there were so many twists and turns.

But a flash of light flashed in his mind: "Sir, you asked before why they brought me to see you."

"Now we have the answer. They just want to kill you and put the blame on me." Li Yuanfang said seriously.

"Not only that, this time, you will die too." Di Renjie said.

Li Yuanfang was stunned and a little confused.

At this time, Yuan Fang was still a little immature, and his intelligence and martial arts had not reached their peak.

"Don't you understand? I just asked the fake imperial envoy how many people were ambushing outside the city. These ambushes were set up for you." Di Renjie explained.

"They deliberately let people see you appear at Lanqiao Inn so that they can frame you after they murder the adults." Zhao Ji also explained.

"Then we will ambush you outside the city and kill you as well, destroying your body. The court will naturally think that you have killed the Lord and will not investigate further. Since your body has been destroyed, a manhunt will be fruitless, and the case will be dropped."

Li Yuanfang broke out in a cold sweat and gnashed his teeth, saying, "What a vicious plan!"

Di Renjie interrupted Li Yuanfang's sigh and said, "Now is not the time for idle chat. The ambush troops outside the city will surely come back to investigate when they see that there is no news from inside the city."

"Sir, let's go back to Lanqiao Posthouse. It is guarded by the Qianniu Guards. I don't think they dare to act rashly." Li Yuanfang said.

Di Renjie shook his head and rejected the suggestion: "This gang of villains is extremely vicious and will not stop until they achieve their goal. Going back to the post station now will only harm innocent guards."

"Then according to your opinion, what should we do?" Zhao Ji asked.

"The golden cicada escapes from its shell."

(End of this chapter)