Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 773 The Life-Saving Master! Part Two [Thank you! Bow again! 18k words owed]

Wang Ruofu walked up to Changfeng and Molan.

"Madam, are Second Brother and Brother-in-law alright?" Changfeng asked anxiously.

Mo Lan looked at Wang Ruofu with a questioning look in her eyes.

Rulan raised her chin and pouted, saying, "Third brother, fourth sister, I've let you down."

Before she could finish speaking, Rulan felt her sleeve being tugged.

Rulan turned her head to look, and saw that Liu's mother was shaking her head slightly at her.

Magpie, who was following behind Rulan, whispered, "Miss, the Hai family is following behind."

Seeing that Chang Feng's expression didn't seem fake, Wang Ruofu felt much better. After scrutinizing Mo Lan, she nodded to Chang Feng: "They're both fine."

"That's good! That's good!" Changfeng exclaimed.

Wang Ruofu nodded: "Let's go! Let's go back to our own tents and wait."

"Mother, are we waiting for Sixth Sister?" Rulan asked.

"Ah."

Within Bianjing City,

Ministry of Personnel

Sheng Hong, who was on duty at the yamen today, stared in astonishment at the golden-armored imperial guards who were quickly leaving after delivering the order.

A colleague standing nearby asked in a trembling voice, "Brother Sheng, what... what's going on? Why are they resorting to killing without mercy at the drop of a hat?"

"Gudong."

Sheng Hong's Adam's apple bobbed as he stared blankly at the courtyard outside the government office. He said, "I'm afraid... something earth-shattering is happening at Jinming Pond today!"

"Could it be His Majesty—" his colleague was about to speak.

"Brother Gu! Be careful what you say!!!" Sheng Hong shouted sharply, turning his head to the side.

The colleague surnamed Gu quickly covered his mouth, and after a moment of reaction, looked at Sheng Hong and sincerely said, "Thank you for reminding me, Brother Sheng!"

Sheng Hong waved his hand, took a few quick steps inside the house, and then stepped outside.

"Brother Sheng, what's going on?"

"I need to send my men to find out what happened! Otherwise..."

Just as Sheng Hong finished speaking, Dong Rong, with his hands in his pockets and a look of panic, walked towards them from the courtyard gate.

When Dong Rong came closer, Sheng Hong grabbed her wrist tightly and asked in a low voice, "What happened outside?"

Dong Rong licked his dry lips and said in a trembling voice, "My lord, there are idlers outside the government office shouting that a monster in Jinming Pond has capsized the great dragon ship!!!"

"What?!" Sheng Hong exclaimed in utter shock: "The Dragon Ship has encountered an accident?"

"Ah!?" Sheng Hong's colleague, surnamed Gu, was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground.

Dong Rong nodded, his voice trembling, "Yes, my lord, that's what's being said outside! In front of the yamen gate, the golden-armored cavalrymen who just entered the yamen are constantly galloping away on horseback!"

"Impossible!" Sheng Hong shook his head in disbelief. "I've been on the Great Dragon Ship before! How could such a behemoth be knocked down by some monster!"

"Someone must be spreading rumors and misleading the public!"

At this time,

Outside, another of Lord Gu's close attendants came running quickly.

"Sir! Sir! Something bad has happened!"

Sheng Hong helped Lord Gu up, and together they looked at the Gu family's entourage.

"Speak, what's wrong now?" Lord Gu asked.

"My lord, there are rumors circulating outside that a young nobleman's son from the capital is riding wildly through the city's west side, shouting loudly."

"What are you shouting?" Lord Gu asked anxiously.

"Shout! The Great Dragon Ship has capsized! There is no one alive on board!"

"Ah?!" Lord Gu's legs went weak again.

Sheng Hong, supporting his colleague, kept his eyes darting around, clearly deep in thought.

"No!" Sheng Hong shook his head and said sternly, "If there really were no survivors, then His Majesty's golden-armored guards wouldn't have come to our office to deliver the order!"

"Even if there are truly unspeakable things, our efforts to ensure the normal operation of the government office are meritorious and without fault!"

"Brother Sheng is absolutely right!"

Southeast corner of the inner city of the capital
Chunhefang
Huyan family residence,
The courtyard was quiet and peaceful as Anmei, holding her pregnant belly, walked through the fragrant garden filled with birdsong.

"Sister-in-law Zhu, come quickly!"

From the other courtyard, separated by a wall, came Ye'er's anxious voice.

Anmei glanced at the neighbor with some confusion before continuing her stroll in the small garden.

After a dozen breaths.

"Miss! Miss!" Ye'er, with her hair styled like a married woman and looking terrified, rushed over through the moon gate.

"What's wrong?" Anmei frowned as she looked at Ye'er.

Ye'er looked at the maid beside Anmei and said urgently, "Miss, a thief has broken into our courtyard!"

"A thief?" Anmei looked at Ye'er in confusion.

Ye'er nodded repeatedly: "A thief with military arrows stuck in his body! I think he was being chased by the yamen runners and jumped into our courtyard to hide!"

"Army arrows?" An Mei frowned.

"No! Who uses military arrows to chase thieves in Bianjing! Where is he? I have to go and see him right away," Anmei said urgently.

"Young lady, you!" Ye'er hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

"Go!" An Mei shouted sharply.

"Yes."

Afterwards, the group hurried to the side courtyard.

“Girl, that thief was lying under that wall over there! He was coughing up blood! He’s inside now, being watched by the Zhu family’s sisters-in-law,” Ye’er said.

No sooner had she finished speaking than a woman from Zhujiabao quickly walked out of the house.

"Madam!" Sister-in-law Zhu looked at Anmei anxiously.

"What happened?" Anmei asked.

Sister-in-law Zhu said urgently, "Madam, that man claims to be an old friend of the uncle of the young master Qingyun from the Marquis's mansion. He came to our mansion to deliver a message! He said that someone in the capital is plotting against our family and that we should leave immediately!"

"What?" Anmei said, clutching her stomach as she stepped into the house.

Smelling the blood in the room, Anmei couldn't help but gag twice.

"Cough cough!"

The other women in the house shook their heads at An Mei, indicating that the person could not be saved.

Seeing the robust, pale-faced man on the verge of death, Anmei asked urgently, "What happened? Who are you?"

“Madam! My wife is... the personal maid of Madam Qin, the fourth wife of the Tan family! Her surname is Xiang, and her given name is Ji’an. Cough cough!” the man said weakly.

Then, another mouthful of blood spurted from the man's mouth.

"Sigh, before my wife died, she told me to deliver a message, telling everyone in the house to leave immediately! Someone wants to take her hostage."

Before he could finish speaking, the man's head slumped to the side, and he stared blankly, lifeless.

Anmei stared blankly at the man in front of her.

Sister-in-law Zhu sighed, squatted down, and helped the man close his eyes.

"Madam?" Ye'er asked, "Should we listen to him?"

An Mei's mind raced, and she muttered, "Kidnapping...kidnapping? Why kidnap me?" "My father-in-law and mother-in-law have more than one daughter-in-law. My husband's official position is not yet settled. What use is kidnapping me? My father and elder brother are far away in the Northwest!"

"You kidnapped me because of Xiao Wu! Xiao Wu!"

Anmei looked at Ye'er in panic: "They're taking me hostage to threaten Xiao Wu!!!"

The women around them looked at each other in shock upon hearing this.

Ye'er said anxiously, "Madam, you guessed right! Fifth Brother is unparalleled in bravery, and has no rivals in the capital! But everyone in the capital knows that Fifth Brother values ​​his family the most!"

"Quickly! Go and prepare the carriage!" Ye'er said.

Without saying a word, Anmei strode outside, saying as she went, "No! Let's ride horses!"

After exchanging glances, the group quickly agreed.

South of Chunmingfang,
In the quiet alley,
A group of people walked hurriedly down the alley.

Looking at a small, black door next to them, someone said, "This is it."

"Knock on the door."

"Duo duo duo!"

"Duo duo duo!"

A somewhat urgent knocking sounded on the door.

"Who is it?"

A woman's voice came from inside the door.

"From the Xu family," Ye'er said, pressing her ear against the crack in the door.

"From the Marquis's residence?" A young man's voice rang out from the wall above the crowd: "It's the fourth young lady of the Marquis's residence!"

A moment later, the sound of the latch being pulled was heard, and the small door was opened.

Seeing Anmei hurrying by, clutching her pregnant belly, the young man inside the door, holding a spear, nodded: "Greetings, Madam!"

This boy was one of the children who had lived in the Marquis's mansion with the Li brothers, Taotie and Chimei, for several years.

Looking at the boy's attire inside the door, An Mei frowned: "What's going on here?"

As he spoke, the boy peeked into both ends of the alley before retreating and closing the small door.

"Madam, you'll see when you come inside," the young man said, leading Anmei and the others into the courtyard.

After entering the courtyard,

Looking at the bamboo ladder erected under the eaves for easy access to the roof, and the fully armed Li brothers standing at the door of the house...

Anmei asked the two older women standing near the door, "You've also heard the news?"

"Sister Xu, let's go inside and talk!" Madam Zhou, who came from the Jiangyin Marquis's mansion, gestured for them to come inside.

The group had not yet entered the house.

"Ta-ta-ta-ta-"

"Drive! Drive!"

Outside the courtyard, the sound of galloping hooves could be heard from the street.

The two Li brothers, viscounts, remained outside.

After the women entered the house and sat down, Madam Zhou sighed and, forcing herself to speak despite her fear, said, "Early this morning, Zhua Jue Zhongding from the Zhua Jue family rode to my house."

Anmei's eyes flickered: "Him? Didn't he go against your husband before?"

Madam Zhou nodded: "Back then, we were all serving our own masters! Speaking of which, Zhua Juezhong's first wife was actually related to my husband and his family."

Anmei nodded.

Madam Zhou continued, "They said that this morning, when they pulled the gatekeeper of the Jue family, they found many of the former Bai Gao surrendered officials' sons in the vicinity. They all looked unfriendly, and their hands were hidden in their sleeves."

"Hidden in his sleeve? That means he has a weapon in his hand!" Anmei said.

Madam Zhou nodded:

"Old Master Zhaijue sensed something was wrong and thought something big might happen! Just in case, he sent Zhaijue Zhongding to my house to warn me."

"When the lord went out to check, he found that soldiers of the Tianwu Army were entering the city through the two southeast gates."

An Mei frowned: "Advance? How can we advance without His Majesty's and the Palace Guard's orders?"

Madam Zhou shook her head and said, "Ever since the second son of the Duke of Anguo took command of the Tianwu Army, the bad habit of ordering soldiers to go into the city to work for the wealthy families in the capital has been restored! The soldiers guarding the two city gates have long been used to it."

"Sister Xu, did you also sense something was wrong and that's why you came to my house?"

Upon hearing the question, Anmei shook her head: "My situation is even worse than yours! A quarter of an hour ago, someone risked their life to call the police at my house."

Madam Zhou looked horrified: "Ah?"

Anmei continued, "I originally wanted to ride back to the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion, but the servant who scouted the way said that there were cavalrymen with unfriendly expressions guarding the intersections leading back to the Xu family."

"There's nowhere else to go around here, so we had to come here!"

Madam Zhou said softly, "Sister Xu, what exactly happened today?"

Anmei looked at Madam Zhou and said in a trembling voice, "Sister, it's obvious that the demons and monsters in the capital are plotting something sinister!"

Madam Zhou felt a little weak. After taking a deep breath, she asked, "Sister Xu, where is your eldest son?"

"He's with his grandmother on a farm outside the city."

"Then him."

“That estate was part of my mother-in-law’s dowry. It not only has many young and strong men, but also retired veterans who were wounded! It should be safer than the city at this time.”

Southeast of Bianjing

outside the city,

On the official road leading to the Tianwu Army's garrison.

"Drive! Drive!"

Three golden-armored cavalrymen rode fine steeds, carrying banners as they galloped wildly.

The oncoming wind made the flags in the cavalrymen's hands flutter loudly.

"Ta-ta-ta-ta-"

The iron hooves pounded on the road, raising a cloud of dust.

suddenly,

"collapse!"

Four tripwires, extremely low to the ground, suddenly appeared and taut.

Before the leading cavalryman could react, his fine horse was tripped and fell to the ground, sending both rider and horse flying.

"Xilulu——"

His comrades behind him, however, moved with perfect coordination and superb skill, and with extremely quick reflexes, they leaped over the first tripwire.

However, the spacing between the tripwires was clearly calculated; you might dodge the first one, but not the others.

In an instant, the three golden-armored cavalrymen were tripped and fell, dazed and confused.

Before they could struggle to their feet, soldiers rushed out from the side of the road and pinned the three of them down.

Subsequently,

As the golden-armored imperial guard lay on the ground struggling violently, a hammer the size of a duck egg came hurtling down towards him.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the official road was calm again.

Three golden-armored knights rode their horses at breakneck speed toward the Tianwu Army's encampment.

(End of this chapter)