There is a god in the sky

Chapter 421 Trading

The information revealed by the Marquis of Pingyang was very clear.

Although the opinions of civil and military officials and students are important, if the emperor wants to protect Li Ge, he will not let him die.

If he were willing to give Li Ge a chance to live, there are many ways for him to fake his death and escape.

But he won't.

Shen Lan understood.

"If that's the case, why is the Marquis stopping us from entering the city? Do you think two insignificant people like us can break into prison or the execution ground?"

Marquis Pingyang sighed, "You should know that he just doesn't want you to be in danger."

I originally planned for you to go to Tongzhou, but you won't be back until at least after the New Year.

Don't worry, I will collect his body; I promised him that.

Shen Lan's eyes widened, a hint of panic showing in her stunned expression. "The verdict is in?"

"Yes, at three-quarters past Chen hour, the execution will be carried out at Caishikou, with the head beheaded and displayed to the public."

Originally, the civil officials believed that Li Ge's crime should at least be punished by slow slicing, but it was Xiao Zhengyang who pleaded for leniency, and the punishment was changed to beheading.

Shen Lan closed her eyes. Sure enough, she was late.

There are now only two hours left until the third quarter of the hour of Chen (辰时).

"My lord, may I speak with you in private?"

The only forces Shen Lan can rely on now are Xiao Ji and Marquis Pingyang.

However, Xiao Ji was a civil official, and his connections in the court were not as extensive as those of the Marquis of Pingyang.

Moreover, she secretly didn't want Xiao Ji to get too involved, lest it affect his future.

She owes Xiao Ji far too much.

Marquis Pingyang knew she wanted to save people, but he still wanted to hear what conditions and opinions she would propose.

Marquis Pingyang has never been a person who follows the rules and regulations; otherwise, he would not have been able to get to where he is today.

He took Shen Lan to the highest point of the city tower.

The cold wind was biting, hurting people's ears, but the sound of the wind was enough to drown out their voices.

“Miss Shen, I have always admired you, but I share the same opinion as Steward Li: you'd better not reveal your relationship with him.”

"Does the Marquis wish to return to the battlefield?"

Shen Lan didn't answer but asked a question instead.

This question left Marquis Pingyang completely stunned.

He gazed blankly into the distance, his eyes filled with longing and contemplation.

"I'm old, and my health isn't what it used to be. What would I do on the battlefield? Go to my death?"

"As far as I know, the borders of Da Xi are not peaceful, and powerful enemies from outside the region have always been eyeing us covetously. I have heard a lot about your deeds, Lord Marquis, and I know that you are a hero who puts the country and the people first!"

"Ha, thank you for the compliment. That was me when I was young and full of vigor."

Marquis Pingyang shook his head with a smile, having forgotten the days when he fought bloody battles to protect his country.

Perhaps it wasn't that they forgot, but rather that they gradually lost their ideals and ambitions amidst the late emperor's suspicion and vigilance.

"To be honest, if you want to regain control of the military, I have a way."

Marquis Pingyang narrowed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought, and said, "Although I don't have that idea, I'm curious, what's your plan?"

"A way to restore the Marquis's prestige and awe the world."

"Even I didn't know I was this powerful."

"Naturally, it doesn't rely on itself, but on external forces, such as... weapons."

Marquis Pingyang remained silent. He knew that Shen Lan had some strange abilities. She was too clever for her own good, but as someone who studied medical painting, how could she possibly have learned the mechanical arts of the Mo family?

"To be honest, His Majesty had previously mentioned that I should regain control of the military, but I refused."

“That’s normal. You’re not confident in yourself now. You feel that even if you have military power, you can’t completely control the army and your subordinates. You might even ruin your reputation in your later years.”

Marquis Pingyang gritted his teeth, suddenly disliking the girl.

Girls who are too smart and can see through people's hearts are indeed not popular.

"Tell me your demands. Let me make it clear beforehand: I don't have the ability to storm the execution ground."

Shen Lan took out a white jade bottle about the size of a thumb from her bosom.

"All I need is for you, Lord Marquis, to personally hand this bottle to Li Ge and tell him that when a person dies, it's like a lamp going out. I will take him back to his hometown."

"What is this?" Marquis Pingyang took it and wanted to open it to take a look, but Shen Lan stopped him.

"It's just one pill to ease his pain. Would you be willing to help, Lord Marquis?"

Marquis Pingyang thought Shen Lan had given him poison, since being poisoned was better than being beheaded.

But what he didn't understand was that such a small favor shouldn't be worth such a high price she paid.

"How do I know that your deal will go through?"

He was a general, very passionate about weapons, and he wanted to see what kind of surprise Shen Lan would bring him.

"I didn't prepare beforehand and it will take a few days. Don't worry, my lord, I won't break my promise."

"Of course, Miss Shen is a person of her word."

Marquis Pingyang was somewhat expectant, but it didn't matter if Shen Lan couldn't provide what he wanted, since the favor was small.

His family still owes Shen Lan two lives.

"Alright, then I'll go in your place. You don't need to go into the city. Just wait outside the city for me to bring his body out."

"Thank you," Shen Lan said, her eyes reddening.

Marquis Pingyang left first.

Shen Lan stood on the high city tower, watching the people below file into the city.

Most of them were ordinary people who came to the city to make a living, and even though life was difficult, they still held onto their hopes for tomorrow.

Shen Lan walked down the city wall and saw Xiao Ji waiting to the side.

The Imperial Guards had already entered the city, and Li Ye took off his armor and stood beside Xiao Ji.

He had his head down, seemingly lost in thought.

"Lan'er, we..." Li Ye definitely wanted to storm the execution ground; all he needed was a word from Shen Lan.

He could go alone, but he couldn't even get through the city gate by himself.

Shen Lan gently shook her head at him, walked up to Xiao Ji and said, "I have to break my promise."

Xiao Ji stared at her intently.

"Okay," he replied softly.

Shen Lan forced a smile, "I've always wanted to go back to see my godfather, pay respects to my parents and fellow villagers, and also to get away from the troubles of the capital."

"Okay." Xiao Ji replied with the same word.

He reached out and tidied the stray hairs around her ears.

"Go back now, I'll come see you when I have time."

Upon hearing these words, Shen Lan felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.

In modern times, being separated by two places is just a matter of buying a plane ticket.

But here, across the vast ocean, to meet again, one would have to travel thousands of miles.

"Okay." Shen Lan nodded, her eyes gradually reddening.

She turned her back to Li Ye and said, "Go buy some dry food from that stall over there. We're about to embark on a long journey."

Not far from the city gate, there were stalls selling tea and food, and business was booming, since many people lined up early in the morning to enter the city without even having breakfast.

Li Ye hesitated before asking, "Aren't we... going to rescue them?"

"We can't save them by ourselves."

Xiao Ji didn't know what Shen Lan and Marquis Pingyang had said, but since Marquis Pingyang left in such a hurry, he must have promised Shen Lan something.

He said reluctantly, "I'll go into town and take a look. I'll send someone to tell you if I get any news."

He mounted his horse, took one last look at Shen Lan, and then led his men at breakneck speed into the city.

The city gate seemed to separate two worlds: inside the city was prosperity and flourishing, while outside the city was poverty and destitution.

Xiao Ji heard a lot about Li Ge along the way and also saw onlookers flocking to the vegetable market.

Their horses were frightened by the crowd and had to walk instead.

A moment later, the prison cart drove past them from afar.

The young man in the prison van had disheveled hair that covered most of his face, and his body was covered in rotten vegetable leaves and rotten eggs, making him look extremely disheveled.