Chapter 44: Barefaced Robbery

As the saying goes, the gravest of crimes is first murder, and second arson.

Chen Kan could not possibly kill Zhu Jiwei, so he chose to vent the hatred in his heart toward him by setting a fire.

Of course, how one goes about setting a fire requires a great deal of tactical finesse.

The fire that Chen Kan set must neither cause any fatalities nor be allowed to spread out of control.

This was precisely why he had instructed his men to burn down the main gate first.

Burning the main gate served two purposes: first, to deliver a resounding slap to Zhu Jiwei's face; second, to provide a timely warning.

In this era, the main gate largely represented a family's honor and dignity. Having the gate of his detached residence burned down was more than enough to cause Zhu Jiwei to lose a tremendous amount of face.

As for the warning, it was meant to leave Zhu Jiwei and the people inside the mansion with enough time to escape.

Naturally, Chen Kan did not dare to actually burn Zhu Jiwei to death.

The water carts filled to the brim with lamp oil would only begin directing the flames toward the other buildings within the compound after confirming that Zhu Jiwei had already retreated through the back exit.

Escorted by Fang Xu, Chen Kan sprinted all the way toward the back gate of the Prince of Jin's detached residence.

Having set such a massive fire, how could Chen Kan be content without showing his face right in front of Zhu Jiwei?

Before long, Fang Xu led Chen Kan to a street corner.

Pointing to a small side door, Fang Xu said, "My Lord, that right there is the back gate of the Prince of Jin's estate."

Perhaps the fire had not yet spread that far, or perhaps the guards of the Prince of Jin's estate were simply utterly incompetent.

In any case, that small door was still firmly shut.

Chen Kan furrowed his brows slightly.

"Go tell them to guide the flames a bit further back, to force Zhu Jiwei out into the open."

"Understood."

The men brought by Fang Xu were all those who had participated in hunting down the assassins outside the city walls just the day before.

Chen Kan placed a certain degree of trust in them.

Shortly after, Chen Kan spotted thick plumes of smoke rising not far away.

It was precisely the water carts filled with lamp oil commencing their firefighting operations.

Shi Wen also hurried over with his men.

Bowing respectfully with cupped hands toward Chen Kan, he reported, "My Lord, your subordinate has successfully fulfilled the mission. There were twenty-seven pursuers in total, and my men and I have broken the legs of every single one of them."

"Very good. Now, surround this gate for me."

Seeing that everyone except those operating the water carts had arrived, a surge of bold confidence welled up within Chen Kan. To surround the residence of an imperial prince was something he did on a mere whim.

"Understood."

As the fire grew larger and larger, the guards inside the Prince of Jin's estate became increasingly frantic.

"Your Highness, we must leave quickly! The fire is too fierce, and the water carts brought by the intruders are filled with lamp oil—it cannot be put out."

Zhu Jiwei's personal guards wore expressions of utter panic.

Yet Zhu Jiwei stood there as if spellbound, his eyes wide with fury as he stared at the licking tongues of flames not far away, cursing through clenched teeth, "Damn it all! Exactly who is it that dares to set fire to my residence?"

Seeing how the fire was neatly contained outside the main residential compound, how could Zhu Jiwei fail to realize that this was nothing less than a deliberate act of retribution?

Yet he knew he had always acted with goodwill and benevolence ever since arriving in the capital, having never offended anyone.

Who on earth could be so vicious?

"Could it be him?"

Suddenly, a young figure flashed across Zhu Jiwei's mind.

"Chen Kan, it is you and I to the death!"

A graceful figure spoke with a hint of panic, "Cousin, the fire is spreading closer. We should leave first and figure out our next steps later."

"Let's go!"

Zhu Jiwei cast one final, deep glance at the approaching inferno, flicked his sleeve in bitter resentment, and strode toward the back gate.

At this very moment, the fire burning within his heart was far fiercer than the one raging behind him.

*Creak—*

An ear-piercing, teeth-grating sound rang out, and then the wooden doors, tightly besieged by the Brocade Guard officers, swung wide open.

A massive crowd instantly surged out from behind the threshold.

Zhu Jiwei was in the very vanguard, and who could be right behind him if not Chen Kan's former fiancée, Fu Yu?

Upon stepping outside and seeing so many people surrounding the entrance, Zhu Jiwei was momentarily stunned.

Yet very quickly, out of the crowd, he spotted a face that wore a half-smile—a face that filled him with boundless revulsion.

Zhu Jiwei's eyes instantly turned bloodshot.

"Chen Kan! It truly is you! I want you dead!"

Putting on a theatrical display, Chen Kan cupped his hands in a mock salute and said, "Oh, dear me! This humble official is late in coming to put out the fire; I beg Your Highness to forgive this dereliction of duty."

"Chen Kan! Good, very good, excellent! Guards, capture this wretch for me at once!"

Zhu Jiwei laughed out of sheer fury, repeating the word "good" three times.

*Clang—*

In response to his command came the crisp, synchronized chorus of blades being drawn from their scabbards.

As Chen Kan's subordinates drew their swords, Zhu Jiwei's personal guards likewise drew theirs.

However, Zhu Jiwei's personal guards had not been blinded by rage; not a single fool rushed forward to throw their life away for Chen Kan.

Instead, they instantly closed ranks and shielded Zhu Jiwei tightly in the center.

"Your Highness, this humble official sees that you fail to grasp the current situation. I have seventy or eighty men right here, while you have merely twenty or thirty behind you. I must ask Your Highness, exactly how do you plan to capture this humble official?"

Dropping his pretense entirely, Chen Kan looked at Zhu Jiwei with a cold expression. "As the saying goes, courtesy demands reciprocity. Consider this a tiny little gift, offered without any formal ceremony. I truly hope Your Highness enjoys it."

Gazing at Chen Kan, who was heavily guarded by a dense crowd of men, Zhu Jiwei could only curse inwardly: why on earth had he left the three-armies' guards stationed outside the city?

To be unable to execute this wretch with his own hands filled him with agonizing hatred.

Standing nearby, Fu Yu also managed to catch a sense of the discordant undercurrents in their exchange, prompting her to blurt out in utter astonishment, "Chen Kan, you were the one who set the fire, weren't you?"

"Why, Chen Kan? Why would you do such a thing?"

"If this is because I broke off our engagement, causing you to harbor such bitter resentment..."

"Shut your idiotic mouth, you bitch!"

Fu Yu's words were brutally cut short by Chen Kan. Yet he did not spare her even a glance, keeping his cold gaze locked entirely on Zhu Jiwei.

Zhu Jiwei felt a prickle of unease under Chen Kan's piercing stare, which quickly morphed into a surge of humiliation and rage.

A dignified Prince of the First Rank, actually being threatened by a good-for-nothing waste!

Yet, frustratingly, he truly did not dare to act rashly.

Zhu Jiwei's personal guards pressed tightly around him, putting up a fierce front as they blustered, "Chen Kan! Do you know what crime it is to offend an imperial prince? Are you not afraid of the censors impeaching you?"

At these words, Chen Kan casually picked his nose, flicked a booger toward the guard, and maintained an utterly nonchalant expression.

"Very well, Chen Kan. This time I concede that I miscalculated a move. Let me pass, and today's affair can be considered bygones between us."

After weighing the pros and cons, Zhu Jiwei finally managed to calm down from his initial rage.

However, the moment those words left his mouth, an expression of sheer incredulity instantly surfaced on Fu Yu's face.

What had she just heard?

Her own cousin, a dignified imperial prince, was actually backing down and making concessions to a good-for-nothing trash whom they had thoroughly humiliated just a few days ago?

On the faces of Zhu Jiwei's personal guards, looks of deep resentment and indignation flared up instantly.

When had the illustrious Mansion of the Prince of Jin ever suffered such an indignity?

With a look of mock astonishment, Chen Kan said, "Your Highness, what on earth are you talking about? This humble official came here specifically to put out the fire."

Zhu Jiwei gritted his teeth and snarled, "Chen Kan, do not push your luck!"

"If Your Highness wishes to leave, you certainly may. It's just that this humble official brought so many men here to fight the fire, and went to great pains running back and forth to the Five City兵马司 (Gendarmerie) to borrow all those water carts. Even if there is no grand achievement, there is at least the toil of hard labor. Surely Your Highness doesn't expect all these brothers under my command to have made this trip entirely for nothing, do you?"

It was robbery—daylight robbery of the most blatant kind.