Chapter 5: Night Fragrance Car

After clarifying where to leave Luoyang City after exiting the palace and understanding the time the coachman enters the palace, Liu Bian had obtained all the information he desired

As Zhang Hu brushed past Liu Bian, Liu Bian suddenly lunged forward, hooking one hand around Zhang Hu's neck while covering his mouth with the other, dragging him towards a dark corner

At the rear of the night fragrance cart, there were still two empty barrels that had not been filled with night fragrance. Liu Bian held his breath, his hands gripping the night fragrance barrel, and forcefully pulled one of the barrels filled with night fragrance outward. He then stuffed the two empty barrels into the very center of the donkey cart, lifted the lid of one of the barrels, and said to Tang Ji: "You will have to endure hiding here for a while."

Stop! Just as the donkey cart arrived at the gate of the imperial city, a gatekeeping officer blocked the way in front of the cart. He scrutinized Liu Bian from head to toe and asked in a somewhat sarcastic tone, "Isn't it Old Zhang who usually takes the night incense out of the city? I heard last time he caused a stir over a family inheritance. Who are you to him? When did you enter the palace?"

Startled by Liu Bian, Zhang Hu quickly expressed his thanks, flicked the whip in his hand, and urged the donkey to leave

Hmph! Liu Bian placed his hands on his hips, let out a couple of cold snorts, slightly raised his chin, and struck a defiant pose as he addressed the coachman: "In the dead of night, what do you want me to investigate at the Shaofu? As a lowly yellow gate attendant like me, how could I possibly go to the Shaofu to see who is pulling the night incense? Speak quickly, what is your surname and given name, and where do you live?"

In order to live longer, Liu Bian had no other choice. After dragging Zhang Hu into a dark corner, he exerted a strong force with both arms and brutally twisted Zhang Hu's neck.

With Liu Bian's assistance, Tang Ji climbed onto the carriage of the *Tu* book, clutching the edge of the barrel. She cast a pitiful glance back at Liu Bian, who was standing below the carriage, using both hands to lift her up by her hips.

The cart came to a halt, and the driver scrutinized Liu Bian from head to toe. Noticing that Liu Bian was drenched and his clothes were charred in places, the driver was momentarily unable to discern his identity and timidly inquired, "May I ask who this gentleman is... ?"

As Liu Bian walked up to Zhang Hu, he tilted his head and scrutinized him from head to toe, asking in a sarcastic tone: "On such a cold day, you are actually sweating profusely; you must be a thief! Surely, the master’s inquiries have made you feel uneasy!"

What is this nonsense! Before the coachman could finish his words, Liu Bian made an impatient gesture and waved his hand at him, asking irritably: "Who are you? It seems that you are not the one who usually pulls the night fragrance. Could it be that you saw the water flowing in the palace today, plotted against the one who pulls the night fragrance, and are trying to take the opportunity to steal some treasures?"

Upon hearing Liu Bian's words, Tang Ji's lips trembled as she replied in a quavering tone: "Your Majesty, whatever you require, I would not hesitate to face a thousand deaths."

We should leave now. Liu Bian stood up after stripping the clothes off Zhang Hu's corpse and throwing them on the ground. As he took off the burnt and water-stained eunuch attire he was wearing, he turned to Tang Ji, who was standing nearby, her body drenched in cold sweat and still trembling slightly, and said: "You are so tense that you surely cannot deceive the guards' eyes. If you wish to escape successfully, it seems you will have to endure some hardship."

"Return to the master!" Startled by Liu Bian's outburst, the coachman felt cold sweat trickling down his back. He quickly bent his body and said to Liu Bian: "I am Zhang Hu, residing in the neighborhood between Yongmen and the Jingang Cliff Temple. My family has served as carriers of night incense to the palace for generations. Previously, my elder brother served in the palace, and I hope the master will take note of this."

Suddenly, a person sprang out from the side in the darkness, blocking the way, startling the man. He quickly pulled the donkey that was pulling the cart to a stop.

Zhang Hu's body convulsed twice, his legs kicked out, his waist arched, and he remained stiff for a second or two. Subsequently, his body relaxed, and he ceased to breathe

Having changed Zhang Hu's clothes, Liu Bian bent down and removed the waist token from Zhang Hu's waist, and then took down the gourd used for drinking water.

The one driving the carriage is a middle-aged man with a grizzled beard. He walks alongside the carriage, occasionally waving the whip in his hand and letting out a few shouts of "Oh oh".

Having secured the lid on the barrel that concealed Tang Ji, Liu Bian then moved two large stones from the roadside and placed them into another empty barrel, using it to weigh down the barrel so that it would not produce a sound different from the other barrels while the donkey cart was in motion. Only then did he take up the whip and drive the donkey pulling the cart towards the palace gates

After receiving the wooden waist token from Liu Bian, the officer examined it carefully. He then scrutinized Liu Bian once more before nodding. Holding the waist token in one hand, he circled around the night fragrance carriage and asked Liu Bian in a peculiar tone: "Is everything in this carriage night fragrance?"

Indeed, it does sound somewhat similar! Liu Bian, with one hand resting on his chin, nodded slightly and gestured to Zhang Hu, saying: "Enough, my lord just put out a fire and sustained some injuries, feeling rather unwell. It seems you have suffered some grievances, so you may leave now."

He threw Zhang Hu's body onto the ground. Looking at the lifeless Zhang Hu lying flat, Liu He sighed softly and said in a low voice: "Old man, do not blame me; if blame is to be placed, it can only be on your ill fortune. In this era where human life is as cheap as grass, if I wish to survive, I can only kill innocent people like you"

"Military officer!" Upon seeing the officer blocking his way, Liu Bian hurriedly stepped forward, slightly bowing, with a broad smile on his face. He took off the waist badge from his waist and handed it to the officer, saying: "I am the grandson of Old Zhang. My grandfather is now elderly and suffers from ailments, and cannot perform the duty of carrying the night fragrance. After reporting to the Shaofu, this duty has been entrusted to me. Sir, please see, this is the waist badge for entering the palace." He handed it to the officer, saying: "I am the grandson of Old Zhang. My grandfather is now elderly and suffers from ailments, and cannot perform the duty of carrying the night fragrance. After reporting to the Shaofu, this duty has been entrusted to me. Sir, please see, this is the waist badge for entering the palace."

In response to Liu Bian's question, Zhang Hu let out a long sigh of relief and quickly replied: "When I entered the palace as a child, I left the palace at the hour of the tiger. Exiting through the western gate of the palace, I walked along the western market, heading west until I reached Yongmen. After passing through Yongmen and the Jingangya Temple, I walked another mile forward, and that is where I, a humble person, would gather night fragrance."

He fastened the waist badge to his waist, poured water from the gourd, washed the soot off his face with clean water, then tossed the gourd to the ground. He picked up fallen leaves from the nearby ground and simply covered Zhang Hu's corpse and the gourd that had been thrown on the ground. Only then did Liu Bian step over to the night fragrance cart, lifting the lids of the buckets one by one to take a look inside.

Once again called by Liu Bian, Zhang Hu felt a jolt throughout his body, quickly halting his steps, with cold sweat already beading on his tense forehead

Upon his shout, the middle-aged coachman was startled, looking Liu Bian up and down. Although a large portion of his clothing was singed, it resembled the attire of a eunuch. Hearing his high-pitched voice, the coachman assumed he was indeed a eunuch from the palace, and hurriedly clasped his fists and bowed, saying: "What does the master mean by that? I am merely a coachman selected by the Shaofu to pull the night fragrance. If the master does not believe me, you may at least have the government investigate."

After taking the wooden plaque and glancing at it, which was too dark to discern what was written, Liu Bian weighed the plaque in his hand for a moment before tossing it back to Zhang Hu and said: "Since you have a waist token, fine, I will trust you this once. However, you must inform the master of the exact time you entered and exited the palace. Which gate you exited from the palace and which city gate you used to leave the city is the shortest route. The master wants to see if you are truly telling the truth!"

While speaking with a bent posture, Zhang Hu's eyes were secretly glancing at Liu Bian, who stood in front of him, revealing a hint of unease in his gaze. Every servant working in the palace fears the eunuchs; although the person before him was merely a minor yellow gatekeeper, if he were to speak ill behind his back, even a night fragrance cart driver would suffer the consequences. Zhang Hu did not dare to offend Liu Bian and obediently answered the questions he posed. Every servant working in the palace fears the eunuchs; although the person before him was merely a minor yellow gatekeeper, if he were to speak ill behind his back, even a night fragrance cart driver would suffer the consequences. Zhang Hu did not dare to offend Liu Bian and obediently answered the questions he posed

"My lord, I am wronged!" Zhang Hu, entangled by Liu Bian, turned pale with grievance and said with a bitter expression, "I am truly a good person living in a respectable family in the west of Yongmen. My lord, please see, this is the waist token for entering the palace."

"I will not let you die! You just need to endure a little hardship." Liu Bian said this to Tang Ji while picking up the clothes he had just stripped from Zhang Hu's corpse and putting them on.

Liu Bian did not wish to kill indiscriminately, especially not an innocent coachman who was unarmed. However, at this moment, he and Tang Ji were like fish on a chopping board; Dong Zhuo could take their lives with just a flick of his finger

Liu Bian nodded at her, looking at her with an encouraging gaze. Encouraged by this, Tang Ji lifted her leg, turned into the bucket, and squatted down while pinching her nose.

Although the night fragrance barrel is cleaned quite thoroughly, using it for years to transport night fragrance has caused the scent to seep into the walls of the barrel, making it somewhat pungent when smelled.

With his mouth covered, Zhang Hu, who had never anticipated an attack, widened his eyes in terror. As he emitted a series of muffled cries, "Mmm mmm," he kicked desperately with his legs, being dragged into the bushes by the roadside

Zhao Tan, sitting on the ground, made a gesture and turned to look around in the direction where the Night Fragrance carriage was heading. After assessing that there was no one nearby, Liu Bian suddenly sprang out from the roadside, one hand on his hip, raising the other arm to point at the Night Fragrance carriage, and shouted sharply at the driver: "Stop!"

You indeed did not speak nonsense, go ahead!" After listening to Zhang Hu's account, Liu Bian pinched his chin with one hand and waved his other hand at Zhang Hu, urging him to leave quickly

Liu Bian was still quite young, and his voice was somewhat high-pitched when he spoke. His arrogant demeanor resembled that of the eunuchs in the palace when they interacted with the servants. Interestingly, by sheer luck, he actually guessed correctly; this was only the third time the coachman had entered the palace.

He had just walked past Liu Bian when Liu Bian turned his head and shouted at him: "Stop!"

It must be said that Liu Bian was quite fortunate; the palace night guard changed shifts every three hours, and this group of guards had only recently taken over. They were unaware that the person who had entered the palace earlier was not Liu Bian.

Zhang Hu cracked the whip, producing a sharp "pī pā" sound, urging the donkey to move forward with the cart. At that moment, a flicker of conflict and reluctance appeared in Liu Bian's eyes.

The strong scent of the entire barrel of night fragrance was overwhelming. Liu Bian pinched his nose with one hand while opening the barrel lid with the other, relying solely on breathing through his mouth. Even so, he found it difficult to keep his eyes open and felt waves of discomfort in his respiratory tract.

As he spoke, Zhang Hu took a small wooden plaque from his waist and handed it to Liu Bian