Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Xiao He took the note, his gaze falling on the line of words, and remained silent.

Everyone gathered around, their eyes fixed on the short line of words, their brows furrowed.

Xiao He suddenly tightened his knuckles, crumpling the paper into a ball, but then, realizing it was inappropriate, unfolded it again and slowly brought it closer to the candle flame.

The flame suddenly leaped up an inch, casting a dark shadow on his drooping eyelashes. Ashes fell between his fingers and were blown away by the wind seeping in through the window cracks.

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; even the faint crack of a candle wick popping sounded like thunder.

The silence was broken when Liu Bang returned his sword to his waist with a click.

He unusually shed his usual carefree and roguish smile, straightened his back slightly, and became more serious, looking directly at Xiao He: "Xiao Yuan, shall we go or not?"

Cao Can immediately stepped forward, his broad brows furrowed into sharp peaks, and spoke in a deep voice, his tone full of caution:

"Clerk Xiao, you must not act rashly. The abandoned kiln in the south of the city is a remote and desolate place, a breeding ground for filth and crime. It is said that bandits are rampant there. I am afraid they want to use someone else to do their dirty work."

He paused, his tone becoming even more somber, filled with the warning of past mistakes: "Judging from the clues we have now, Song Yun is outwardly shrewd but inwardly ruthless. Judging from his style, he is most adept at luring the enemy deep into his trap. This secret letter came too suddenly and suspiciously; we must not trust it lightly."

"Are we just going to leave it at that, doing nothing?"

Lu Wan stood anxiously wringing her hands, her eyes scanning the list on the table, which had been reduced to only a few names. She was filled with resentment.

"We've been stuck in Chenjun for so long, constantly constrained, without finding a single piece of concrete evidence. All we have left are a few names, and we don't even know if they'll be of any use. Since the note clearly says 'to see the truth,' it's very likely that some righteous person is trying to deliver evidence of Song Yun's crimes to us. If we back down now, who knows how long we'll have to wait to catch him again!"

Liu Bang, who was always inclined to take risks, decided to go and see for himself first and try his luck. Upon hearing this, he stood up from the wall he was leaning against, casually brushed the dust off his robes, and looked at Cao Can, saying:

"Cao, the prison clerk, Lu Wan is right. Anyway, we haven't made any progress, so it would be a shame not to go."

His eyes darted around, and he pulled Lu Wan close, then gestured with his chin towards Xiao He opposite him: "How about this, you and Xiao Yuan stay here, and I'll take Lu Wan, Fan Kuai, and the other two to quietly scout ahead. Even if there's an ambush, with the skills of the three of us brothers, escaping won't be difficult. What do you think?"

After saying that, he winked and gestured to Fan Kuai, wanting the fierce general to speak up so that his words would carry more weight.

Fan Kuai was already seething with anger. He had been on guard duty, yet someone had sneaked into the courtyard undetected and escaped. Upon seeing this, he immediately nodded heavily, his gaze as firm as iron.

"Cao Yuyuan, Brother Ji is right. If I hadn't been stopped, arresting that person who delivered the message would have been a no-brainer. You don't need to worry. The three of us brothers will go there, and nothing will happen."

"this……"

Cao Can hesitated, then turned his gaze to Xiao He, who had remained silent ever since reading the note.

Xiao He sat calmly at his desk, his hands gently clasped together, his fingertips slowly touching his brow. The candlelight cast his shadow on the wall, as steady as a rock. The cold, white moonlight outside the window flowed into the room through the window cracks, spreading a chilly light at his feet.

Only when he realized that everyone's eyes were fixed on him, awaiting his decision, did he slowly raise his eyes. His gaze first fell on Liu Bang opposite him, and his first words were not about keeping the appointment, but about something else.

"Liu Ji, you've been out gathering intelligence these past few days. Have you left any clues that have been discovered?"

"How is that possible?!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bang immediately flung his sleeves, plopped down on the mat opposite Xiao He, and leaned forward, saying, "Hey Xiao Yuan, you know me."

He patted his chest and said confidently, "I dare not boast about other skills, but when it comes to hiding and blending in with the crowd, no one is better than me. I, Liu Ji, swear that I have not revealed the slightest flaw, and no one has followed me."

Lu Wan quickly stepped forward, standing behind Liu Bang, and chimed in, "That's right! Brother Ji is right! I can vouch for Brother Ji; that old Lai Laoliu even tried to become sworn brothers with Brother Ji! That old coward is timid; if he had even the slightest doubt, would he have called Brother Ji his brother?"

Xiao He looked at Fan Kuai, who nodded emphatically.

"So, they've come looking for the two of us." Xiao He slowly withdrew his gaze and looked at Cao Can beside him.

The candlelight flickered, casting the shadows of several people onto the wall, where they merged into one.

Cao Shen's expression suddenly changed.

He instinctively took a half-step forward, his voice trembling: "Are we being followed?"

His mind was racing—he had been extremely careful these past few days, changing clothes three times and navigating seven or eight alleys, but if he was still caught off guard, then Song Yun's spies and ruthless methods were far more terrifying than they had anticipated.

"We can't stay here any longer. Let's move tonight, and the rest of us can leave the city first!" Cao Can immediately got up to arrange an escape route.

"Don't rush!"

Xiao He raised his hand and gently pressed down, signaling him to calm down. His expression remained calm and composed, without the slightest sign of panic.

"If Song Yun had truly already discovered our identities and located this residence, with his authority as Prefect Chen, he wouldn't have needed to go through all this trouble, sending secret letters and arranging a meeting at the abandoned kiln." His tone was calm, but every word hit the nail on the head. "He could have simply dispatched soldiers to surround the courtyard silently, pretending to be bandits and using the same old tricks. None of the five of us would have escaped."

The crowd fell silent. It had to be said that no matter how strong they were, they would be helpless against a large-scale siege.

Xiao He lowered his eyes, tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, and when he looked up again, a sharp light suddenly shone in his previously calm eyes, and his voice was clear and resonant:

"Gentlemen, I think we have found a team to travel with."

Having said that, he slowly rose, smoothing out the wrinkles in his robes. His demeanor was calm and resolute, without the slightest hesitation.

"Tomorrow's promise—the five of us will go together."

The moonlight, which had been mostly obscured by thick clouds, quietly broke through the clouds at some point, its clear light spilling across the window and scattering frost throughout the room.

------

An abandoned kiln stands south of the city, the moon high in the sky.

The five men changed into light and convenient short clothes, put on their short blades and concealed their sharpness, and made their way quickly and silently towards the abandoned kiln in the south of the city, taking advantage of the darkness of the streets and alleys.

The reason this place is called "Abandoned Kiln" is that it is naturally a desolate place. In addition, due to an earthquake in Chen County in the early years, many of the kilns collapsed, leaving many pits and spider web-like cracks.

The five people were unfamiliar with the area and dared not venture too far in, so they first searched the surrounding area.

Lu Wan crouched low, using the shadows of the broken wall to explore here and there. Before long, she returned, covering her nose, her face scrunched up like a bitter gourd.

"Brother Ji, Clerk Xiao, I've already looked around. The ground is covered in tattered mats and rags, and it stinks so bad it's giving me a headache. Why did we meet in a place like this? Apart from old men and beggars, I haven't seen a single strong man. I don't think we even need to pull out knives; two punches would be enough to take them down. Wasn't this supposed to be a bandit's den? Is this it?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a very faint sound came from under the broken earthenware jar not far away.

Liu Bang and his men immediately went on high alert, surrounding Xiao He and Cao Can.

With a loud thud, the broken earthenware jar was pushed open from below, and a person crawled out. He dusted off the dirt on his body, brushed off his sleeves, and looked at Xiao He slowly, saying:

"That's because this place has never been a bandit's den."