Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 782 The Life-Saving Master! Eleven! [Thank you! Bow again! 13k words owed]

Chai family backyard,

Autumn Sound Garden
In the main house,
Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan stood by the window, their eyes filled with worry, peering outside.

Feeling her arm being held tightly, Chai Zhengzheng turned to look at Rong Feiyan and said, "Feiyan, don't worry too much! Brother Xu Wu is always shrewd and won't put himself in danger."

Rong Feiyan nodded nervously, then glanced at Chai Zhengzheng with an ambiguous expression.

Looking at Rong Feiyan's beautiful face, Chai Zhengzheng quietly said, "There are some things that you will know in the future, Feiyan."

"Mm." Rong Feiyan nodded and smiled at Chai Zhengzheng.

Just then, footsteps could be heard.

Upon seeing Yunmu hurrying back, Chai Zhengzheng asked, "How is it? Are you able to get out now?"

Yunmu shook his head: "Miss, the head maid by Madam's side says it's not ready yet!"

"Still not working? Why is that?" Chai Zhengzheng asked, frowning.

"Reporting to the young ladies, the head housekeeper said that the courtyard is too messy, and the young ladies might be frightened if they go out now."

As they were talking, Yunmu had already arrived in front of the house.

Chai Zhengzheng then asked, "And the personal attendants of Brother Xu Wu?"

"Don't worry, young lady, the doctor at home is treating her."

"it is good!"

As the master and servant were talking, the sounds of splashing water and swishing could be heard from outside the courtyard.

Those were the Chai family's guards and servants using well water to wash away the bloodstains in the courtyard.

Fifteen minutes later, Lu's personal maid arrived at Qiusheng Garden.

Chai Zhengzheng and the others then walked towards the outer courtyard.

When they met up with Madam Chai and Madam Lu, Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan also saw the white dragon horse.

When they were seeking refuge earlier, this dragon steed entered the house with Alan and the others.

The group continued walking towards the front yard.

On the way,

Rong Feiyan and Chai Zhengzheng looked around, trying to find out how Xu Zaijing fought by examining the traces.

However, the Chai family servants cleaned very well, and apart from some water stains and the smell of wood ash, there were very few traces in the places they passed through.

"Crack."

Chai Zhengzheng suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Rong Feiyan looked at Chai Zhengzheng, who was squatting down and stroking the steps, and asked in confusion, "Sister Zhengzheng, what's wrong?"

Chai Zhengzheng stroked the cold, hard stone steps and the deep, fresh marks on them before looking up at Rong Feiyan.

Rong Feiyan squatted down and touched it as well, then pursed her lips and exchanged a glance with Chai Zhengzheng.

Although the two noble ladies did not see the piles of corpses or the streams of blood, this single trace was enough for them to know how dangerous the previous battle had been.

"Zhengzheng, what are you two looking at?" Madam Chai, who was in front, turned around.

Before they could answer, Madam Chai noticed the marks on the steps.

Then, Madam Chai sighed and waved, saying, "Let's go, let's go take a look ahead."

At the second gate,
Imperial guards were stationed at the gate.

Upon seeing Madam Chai and the others leaving, they quickly bowed in greeting.

Madam Chai asked, "Where are Dalang and Xu Wulang?"

"Reporting to Madam, the two young masters and we captured quite a few bandits! After some interrogation, the two young masters immediately spurred their horses and headed to the palace."

"They went to the palace?" Madam Chai said, glancing at the palace wall opposite. "Did they find out something during the interrogation?"

Upon hearing Madam Chai's words, Chai Zhengzheng, Rong Feiyan, and Madam Lu all looked over.

“Yes, Madam!” The palace guard nodded and said, “These bandits are the elite troops under Gan Bi of the Gan family.”

"Gan Bi?" Madam Chai frowned.

Standing to the side, Chai Zhengzheng's elder sister-in-law, Madam Lu, said, "Mother, Gan Bi is General Gan's son!"

"Hiss!" Madam Chai gasped thoughtfully.

Chai Zhengzheng and Rong Feiyan exchanged a surprised glance.

"After General Gan's Guangjie Army was transferred south of Bianjing, how many commanders remained around Bianjing?"

Lady Chai looked at the palace guards beside her.

Those who could become palace guards were mostly sons of nobles like Rong Xian and Chai Jin.

Upon hearing this question, the palace guard pondered for a moment before replying, "It seems there are four elite commanders."

“One infantry commander commands five hundred men, so four of them would be two thousand! No wonder,” Madam Chai said, shaking her head.

"Mother, why the Gan family?"

The Great Zhou Imperial Palace

The emperor and crown prince, seated at the head of the table, along with the high-ranking civil and military officials on either side, looked at Xu Zaijing and Chai Jin near the palace gate with surprise.

After taking a deep breath, the emperor frowned and looked out of the palace.

At this moment, the setting sun was like blood, and its afterglow was scattered on the roof of the palace opposite.

"Your Majesty! General Gan has been highly valued for many years! Why is he acting this way?" a courtier exclaimed in bewilderment.

"Hmph—" The Marquis of Xiangyang sneered, "Why? I suppose it's because of his 'deceased' younger brother!"

"Gan Di?" asked a man standing nearby, frowning.

The Marquis of Xiangyang nodded.

During a previous winter, when the canals in Bianjing were being dredged, Xu Zaijing accompanied Zhao Fang to inspect the dredged sections.

Gan Di, the old general's younger brother, embezzled military funds and mistreated soldiers. After making up for the deficit, he was sent back to the Gan family by the emperor.

He died of illness at home not long after.

Looking at the nodding emperor, Zhao Fang said, "This old general, is he afraid to do anything to me, so he's taking his anger out on Brother Jing?"

"Send men immediately to check on the Guangjie Army camp!" the emperor said to Pei, the deputy commander beside him.

"According to the order!"

At this time,

A young eunuch from the Empress's palace entered and whispered a few words to the Emperor and the Crown Prince.

After listening, Zhao Fang nodded and said to Xu Zaijing, "Jing-ge, the Empress Dowager is worried about you and wants you to go to her place now!"

"It's getting late, so don't go home tonight. You can talk to me for a while!"

Looking at the emperor nodding on the dragon throne, Xu Zaijing bowed and clasped his hands in a salute: "Yes, Your Highness."

Xu Zaijing then followed the eunuch out of the palace.

Xu Zaijing stopped after taking only two steps.

"Fifth Prince, what's wrong?" The young eunuch looked at Xu Zaijing.

Xu Zaijing looked at Yue Fei, who was standing outside the hall in full armor and weapons: "Brother Fei, what are you doing here?"

"Replying to Wulang, I entered the palace with my master."

"Oh!" Xu Zaijing nodded: "These are turbulent times, so be vigilant."

"Yes, Goro."

Xu Zaijing nodded and continued walking towards the rear court.

On the way,

The young eunuch glanced at Xu Zaijing from time to time.

Seeing Xu Zaijing's puzzled look, the young eunuch said shyly, "Fifth Prince, your armor is really handsome! I've hardly ever seen anything like it in the palace."

Xu Zaijing smiled and said, "It is very rare."

After a while.

"Your Majesty, Fifth Prince has arrived."

"Let him in quickly."

Xu Zaijing stepped into the hall, bowed and clasped his hands in greeting: "Greetings, Your Majesty, Crown Princess."

"Rise, let me see you!"

The Empress, who had already stood up from her chair, walked quickly to Xu Zaijing, looked him up and down, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's good to see that you're alright, Jing-ge! That's good, that's good! I was really scared when I heard the report earlier."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty! I'm just a petty thief."

Looking at Xu Zaijing, who was half a head taller than her, the Empress looked him over as if he were her own child: "Where did this armor come from? I've never seen it before."

“It fits you perfectly, child.”

Not far away, the Crown Princess held the little princess's hand, her eyes also full of curiosity.

"Hmm." Looking at Xu Zaijing's appearance, the Empress was stunned for a moment, then smiled with a look of realization: "Was it Zhengzheng who made you like this?"

Xu Zaijing nodded.

At this time,

A female official walked over quickly.
After bowing, he looked at Xu Zaijing and said a few words to the Empress.

Hearing the female official's words, Xu Zaijing was somewhat at a loss.

The Crown Princess, who was not far away, covered her mouth with a handkerchief and laughed: "Oh my, they're not even married yet, and Zhengzheng and Feiyan are already so concerned about their future husband."

The Empress turned and gave her daughter-in-law a reproachful look, saying, "These two girls are right! Is Jing-ge feeling hungry?"

Xu Zaijing nodded repeatedly: "Your Majesty, I only ate something in Qionglin Garden this morning, and I am already very hungry."

"Actually, I was just about to tell you this, Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, the Empress turned to her personal maid and said urgently, "Quickly! Have the cooks prepare food! Heat up some things so that Jing-ge can have something to eat."

Quyuan Street,
The Marquis of Yongyi's Residence

Backyard, main courtyard
Madam Sun took a round fan and went outside, looking at the sky and asking, "Why hasn't Jing'er returned yet?"

Madam Xie, who was standing nearby, said, "Mother, perhaps it was Madam Chai or Marquis Fuchang who kept Xiao Wu to speak."

Hua Lan nodded with a smile.

"Oh dear! It's getting dark, and the city is in chaos," Sun said worriedly.

At this time,

The old woman at the second gate hurried into the courtyard.

Surprised to see Madam Sun and the others coming out of the house, they hurriedly said, "Madam, ladies, Alan and Xunshu, who serve Wulang, have been brought back!"

Madam Sun frowned: "What does it mean they were sent back? Don't they have mounts?"

The old woman shook her head: "Madam, both young men are injured, and I heard their mounts were also shot dead by the bandits!"

"What???" Upon hearing this, Madam Sun immediately grabbed her fan and hurried outside.

“But the Fifth Young Master has already entered the palace, so you don’t need to worry!” the old woman quickly added.

Sun nodded and continued walking, with Xie and Hualan quickly following behind.

Xu Family Outer Courtyard

In the wooden house next to the racetrack,

Listening to Alan lying in the flatbed carriage and Xun Shu's narration, Xie Shi and Hua Lan couldn't help but clench their handkerchiefs tightly.

"Madam, when I left..."

Alan didn't finish speaking

The gatekeeper of the Xu family rushed over: "Madam, someone from the palace has arrived."

Mrs. Sun hurriedly walked towards the main gate.

North of Bianjing

Thousands of miles away,
Northern Liao Nanjing Xijin Prefecture
Dark clouds covered the sky, and the sky was gloomy.
The spring rain, as fine as silk, fell from the sky and landed on the person standing in front of the palace, gazing southward with his hands behind his back.

suddenly,

The person with their hands behind their back, looking south, suddenly felt a darkness above their head.
The man looked up and saw a beautiful paper umbrella hovering above his head.

"Sister, the spring rain is still a bit chilly! Take care of yourself."

The man under the umbrella, his hands behind his back, said with a melancholy tone, "Falcon, do you think the matter in Bianjing will succeed?"

"Yes, it will." The person in the dragon robe holding the umbrella said with certainty.

"But the news from the west is not good. Our warriors launched a surprise attack, but still did not gain any advantage!" Yelü Ying said under the umbrella.

"That's because the news from Bianjing hasn't reached the front lines yet."

After Yelü Jun finished speaking, he looked at the imperial palace in the spring rain and added:

"With the capture of Baigao, the Great Zhou Dynasty will have an even larger horse breeding farm, which will be like adding wings to a tiger!"

"The generals and commanders of the Great Zhou are all extraordinary. In recent years, the Great Zhou has been training its troops and preparing for war, and its strength is increasing day by day! If we do not fight to the death now, we can only wait to die slowly."

"Once the Great Zhou Dynasty undergoes a dramatic upheaval, its central government paralyzed, and the world is transformed, we can seize the opportunity to draw elite troops from the west to deal with those Jurchens!"

"Ah."

As Yelü Ying nodded, the sky brightened several times.

After a few breaths,

"Rumble--"

The sound of rolling spring thunder came, and the rain gradually began to intensify.

"Sister, let's go back to the palace."

Then, the siblings turned and walked into the hall.

"These are extraordinary times. I think you should marry several daughters from prominent Han families to stabilize the morale of the army and the people."

"The daughter of the Liu family in Changping is said to be exceptionally beautiful and fond of poetry and literature."

As they spoke, the two entered the palace where candles were lit.

The Great Zhou Imperial Palace

Knowing that Xu Zaijing would not be comfortable eating with her around, the Empress specially arranged for him to dine in a separate room.

But the Empress would take a second look at the dishes.

Watching the female official carrying the dishes leave again, Gao Taotao shook her head incredulously and said, "Mother, the Cao family's uncles and cousins ​​already have big appetites, but I didn't expect the Fifth Son of the Xu family to be even more impressive than them!"

The Empress sat back in her seat and said, "It was our oversight; we should have thought of it sooner! Jing'er fought to save someone in the water this morning, and then had a fierce battle with the Chai family in Chunhefang this afternoon. He must have exhausted his energy and is extremely hungry!"

Gao Taotao nodded repeatedly, touching her large belly, and said, "I hope the one in my belly can eat just as much."

The Empress smiled.

At this time,

Then another female official hurried into the hall.

After what happened today, the Empress was no longer surprised and simply gave them a look.

The female official went directly to the Empress and whispered, "Your Majesty, His Majesty and His Highness sent me to deliver a message that Gao Jing of the Gao family was kidnapped on his way to the Imperial City Guard! The scene was covered in blood, and he is likely in grave danger!"

"What? They've been kidnapped?" the Empress asked, frowning.

The lady-in-waiting nodded: "Yes, Your Majesty! The palace just received the news!"

Not far away, the Crown Princess looked at the Empress's face and said, "Mother, what's wrong? Just tell me what's wrong, I can handle it!"

The Empress nodded and repeated two sentences.

The Crown Princess sighed in exasperation: "I heard from my husband that after Gao Jing returned to the capital from the north, he became increasingly arrogant and domineering in the capital, taking advantage of the Gao family's influence. He would fight and brawl at the slightest disagreement."

"Perhaps he offended some ruthless person before, which is why someone took advantage of the chaos to ambush and kill him in revenge?"

"That's most likely the case." The Empress looked at the lady-in-waiting and continued, "How many people know about this?"

The female official shook her head and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, this concerns the reputation of the Gao family, and His Majesty and His Highness have not allowed anyone to spread the word."

"Hmm!" The Empress nodded slowly, and after a moment's thought, said, "Send someone to the Gao family so that they can prepare."

It was already dark.

Jiying Lane, Sheng Family, Linqi Pavilion.

The room, lit by candlelight, contained only two people.
"Is there a curfew?"

Lin Qinshuang, holding a round fan, looked at Zhou Xueniang with some surprise.

"Yes, ma'am! The gatekeeper said that patrolling soldiers pass by on the street from time to time!"

After Lin Qinshuang nodded, she tugged at Zhou Xueniang's sleeve and said, "Tell me more of the information you've found out!"

"Yes, young lady! They say the Xu family's son is in Jinming Pond."

After listening to Zhou Xueniang's words, Lin Qinshuang looked thoughtfully at the screen in the room and said, "That's right, with such a shocking event, a curfew is naturally imposed in the city!"

"Speaking of which, during the Crown Prince's wedding, Xu Wulang and others killed an elephant and saved the Crown Prince and Crown Princess."

Zhou Xueniang asked in a low voice, "Young lady, wasn't that supposed to be an auspicious sign?"

Lin Qinshuang rolled her eyes at Zhou Xueniang: "Don't be so stupid! You actually believe that kind of thing?"

Zhou Xueniang gave an awkward smile.

Lin Qinshuang continued, "Before, we saved the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. This time, we not only saved the Emperor, but also the court officials!"

"hiss!"

Lin Qinshuang gasped, slapped her thigh with her fan, and said, "I'm afraid the Xu family will have two marquises in one family!"

Then Lin Qinshuang said regretfully, "If I had known this would happen, I would have knelt down and vomited blood in front of Honglang back then, and begged him to let Mo'er be raised by the old lady!"

"With such a luxurious family background, if Mo'er were raised by her, what family wouldn't she be able to visit?!"

"A miscalculation! A complete miscalculation!"

(End of this chapter)