This man was Ning the Silver Coat?
The soldiers all around went blank, and then looked at one another.
Ning Chen said loudly, “For a garrison of the court to leave camp without an edict is equally a crime of treason. Gu Xingfa, do you know your offense?”
Gu Xingfa looked at Ning Chen with contempt all over his face.
“You say you’re Ning Chen, so you are?”
“Brothers of the Changxiu Army, I have had secret word that this man killed Ning Chen, took the imperial sword and has been going about deceiving people… He is not Ning Chen at all.”
“Take him.”
Ning Chen’s face went hard. “Gu Xingfa, you are very bold… If you want to die, don’t drag the brothers of the Changxiu Army down with you.”
The words were out, and he tore the mask straight off his face.
“Look at me and be sure. I am Ning Chen… I am inspecting Xiuzhou for His Majesty. Gu Xingfa has no edict and led troops out of camp on his own authority. His crime deserves ten thousand deaths.”
Ning Chen held the imperial sword up high. “His Majesty granted me the imperial sword, with the right to execute first and report afterward… Let me see who dares move.”
Gu Xingfa was all contempt. “Changing his face, hiding his head and showing his tail. Anyone can see he’s a common sneak thief.”
“Take him. If he resists, shoot him down.”
Ning Chen said harshly, “Let me see who dares. You are soldiers of Great Xuan, not Gu Xingfa’s private troops… The edict and the Dragon Guard are already on the road to Xiuzhou.”
“Any man who moves—the entire household to the sword.”
Gu Xingfa’s face darkened.
“What are you standing there for? Whose men are you? This is a military order, and any man who disobeys it dies.”
“Protector Gu, what if he really is Ning the Silver Coat?”
One of the soldiers said it, low.
Gu Xingfa’s eyes went hard. “You dare disobey a military order?”
As he said it he drew his long saber and strode toward the soldier who had raised the question.
Ning Chen drew and said angrily, “His Majesty granted me the imperial sword. Above, it cuts down treacherous ministers; below, it cuts down rebels.”
“Gu Xingfa has moved troops on his own authority, which is the great crime of treason… Today I am going to cut you down, dog.”
The words were out and Ning Chen pushed off and went at Gu Xingfa like a leopard.
Gu Xingfa’s step checked. He spun around and the long saber came out trailing a hard cold glitter.
Clang!!!
Saber and sword met, and the ringing of the metal cut at the ears.
The force of it drove them both back several steps.
Ning Chen swung the sword and thrust at Gu Xingfa like lightning.
Gu Xingfa’s skill was not bad, and his bladework was hard and heavy.
Clang, clang, clang!!!
The two of them were locked together.
Gu Xingfa was in full armor. Ning Chen’s sword struck it and sparks flew, but it did him no harm.
The long sword went at Gu Xingfa’s chest with a hiss of parting air.
Gu Xingfa swung the saber and knocked it aside.
Ning Chen’s left hand came up and the dagger went out as a streak of cold light, straight for Gu Xingfa’s face.
It took Gu Xingfa by surprise; he swung the saber and knocked the dagger away.
And then Ning Chen threw the long sword at him.
Gu Xingfa swung again and knocked the sword away.
Ning Chen came at him like a leopard.
Gu Xingfa’s face was all savage grin. With Ning Chen out of weapons, there was nothing in him worth worrying about.
He swept the saber across at Ning Chen’s neck.
Ning Chen went into a sliding tackle, came through under the blade, slid out behind Gu Xingfa, spun around hard, got both arms around his waist and put everything into a savage waist throw.
Thud!!!
Gu Xingfa hit the ground with terrible force, folded into a V, his neck nearly broken, and let out a low grunt of pain.
Ning Chen rolled where he was, got hold of the long saber Gu Xingfa had dropped, and brought it down at him.
Gu Xingfa put an arm up without thinking.
He was in full armor, and there was a vambrace of fine forged iron on the arm.
Clang!!!
The ringing of the metal cut at the ears.
The long saber opened a crack in the fine forged iron of the vambrace, and the edge of the blade came away notched.
The shock of it left Ning Chen’s arm numb. Then he swung again, at Gu Xingfa’s neck.
Gu Xingfa rolled where he lay and got out from under it in a graceless scramble.
Ning Chen was about to go after him and finish it when a sharp shout went up. “Hold!”
It went past Ning Chen unheard. He swung the saber at Gu Xingfa again.
Whip!!!
The sharp hiss of something cutting the air.
Ning Chen threw himself forward into a roll, caught up the fallen imperial sword, came up out of it into a half crouch, like a hunting animal.
An arrow stood in the ground, its shaft ringing and shaking without stopping.
Ning Chen glanced at the arrow and turned his head.
A middle-aged man in a slate-blue python robe came forward among a crowd of guards, straight-backed, with a bearing out of the ordinary.
Only a prince may wear a python robe.
There was something of the Xuan Emperor about the man’s brow. This had to be Prince Duan.
Gu Xingfa scrambled up gracelessly and dropped to his knees, threw one look of hatred at Ning Chen and then said loudly, “Your servant greets Your Highness!”
The soldiers around him knelt too, and said it with one voice. “Your servant greets Your Highness!”
“Get up, all of you.”
“We thank Your Highness.”
Prince Duan looked at Gu Xingfa. “Take your men and withdraw outside the courtyard.”
“Yes.”
Gu Xingfa looked at Ning Chen with cold hatred, then waved a hand. “Everyone out.”
The soldiers around them began to fall back out of the courtyard.
“Here… you can have this back.”
Ning Chen called it after Gu Xingfa, and as he said it he threw the saber in his hand, hard.
Gu Xingfa looked back, and his face changed.
The long saber came at him turning over and over, hissing as it cut the air.
Gu Xingfa threw himself half a step sideways. The saber went past shaving his body and buried itself in the ground behind him, rocking back and forth.
The fright brought Gu Xingfa out in a cold sweat.
He stared at Ning Chen a while, with real hate in the look, then gave a cold snort, turned and went and pulled the saber out, and withdrew outside the courtyard.
Ning Chen walked over and picked up the dagger, then walked over and picked up the scabbard, entirely composed about it.
Prince Duan narrowed his eyes at Ning Chen. “Worthy of the man who took the King of the Left Court alive and recovered the frontier—Ning the Silver Coat of Great Xuan. To stay this cool in front of this prince is rare indeed.”
Ning Chen looked at him. “Your Highness has the better eye. That blind idiot Gu Xingfa, with no eyes in his head, insisted I wasn’t Ning Chen.”
Prince Duan wore a smile. “Here, you are Ning Chen when this prince says you are. When this prince says you are not, you are not.”
Ning Chen smiled easily. “Xiuzhou is Your Highness’s fief. Naturally it is Your Highness’s word that counts.”
“But His Majesty’s edict and a musket battalion are on the road to Xiuzhou… How does Your Highness mean to deal with that?”
Prince Duan laughed. “It is easily dealt with.”
Ning Chen looked at him and said nothing.
Prince Duan clapped his hands.
Two guards carried in a table and chairs, and a pot of wine warmed and ready.
Prince Duan waved a hand, and every one of his guards withdrew.
Ning Chen’s eyes narrowed. “Your Highness isn’t afraid of being taken hostage?”
Prince Duan smiled easily, walked over and sat down. “Ning the Silver Coat, have your men withdraw too, and let us sit and talk… Be easy. This prince trained in arms as a boy, but he has not touched a blade in a long time. He is no match for you.”
“Come. Let us talk. There are things that do not have to be settled with weapons.”
Ning Chen thought about it a moment and looked at Gao Ziping and the other two. “Stand off a little.”
The three of them hesitated.
Ning Chen smiled. “Be easy. I’m all right.”
The three of them nodded and withdrew.
Ning Chen walked over and sat down across from Prince Duan.
Prince Duan poured Ning Chen a cup of wine. “Try it… Plum Blush, which is Xiuzhou’s own. This prince brewed it himself.”
(End of Chapter 314)