Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 783 The Life-Saving Master! Twelve! [Thank you! Bow again! 12k words owed]

The moon has not yet risen.

The night is like ink,

The Great Zhou Imperial Palace

Every few steps along the palace wall, a brazier was lit, its flames faintly illuminating the area below. The towering city wall, illuminated by the flickering firelight, resembled the body of a lurking beast.

"Bravo, bastard, bastard—"

On the palace wall, a group of heavily armed guards marched in orderly steps to the palace gate tower from a distance.

"stop!"

After the imperial guards stopped, the captain leading them shouted into the gatehouse, "Change shifts."

Soon, another team of guards came out of the gatehouse and lined up to change shifts and continue patrolling and guarding.

The guards who were stationed in front of the gatehouse went inside to rest.

The captain leading the team did not go in, but stood on the wall looking out over Bianjing city. At this moment, he could not only see the firelight in the southeast, but also faintly hear the sounds of fighting and shouting. It was the Divine Guard and Dragon Guard, the two imperial guards, suppressing the rebels.

Compared to yesterday, Bianjing city, which was completely devoid of business under the curfew, had 60% fewer lights tonight, and the usual hustle and bustle of people strolling and setting up stalls at night had completely disappeared.

Not far from the palace walls, rows of firelight could be seen moving from time to time; that was the Imperial Guards patrolling the streets and alleys.

There were also flashes of light moving extremely fast; those were messenger cavalrymen galloping at full speed.

Looking into the palace walls, one could see several brightly lit halls with people constantly going in and out.

"Xilulu——"

The neighing of horses beneath the palace walls drew the officer's attention to the area outside the walls.

"Who goes there? State your name!" the guards outside the palace gates demanded.

The man had already dismounted and was standing a dozen paces from the palace gate, holding something up and shouting:
"I am Yin Qingyun, a close attendant of the Fifth Son of Marquis Yongyi, Xu! I possess a token bestowed by Her Majesty the Empress and have been ordered by the mistress of the household to enter the palace to meet the Emperor!"

The main hall of the palace,

Bright lights.

Inside the palace, some nobles and officials were drinking tea, some were eating, and some were gathered together discussing something.

An official hurried into the hall and said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, the palace gate guard requests instructions."

After listening, the emperor nodded: "Bring in that junior officer and the things he brought!"

"Yes."

"After they come in, the people and their belongings should all be sent to Xu Jiawulang's place."

"Yes."

The eunuch hurriedly went outside.

quickly,

Accompanied by an eunuch and two imperial guards, Qingyun walked towards the Empress's palace.

The reason there were two more imperial guards was because among the things Qingyun brought were the armor, steel spear, and bow and arrow that Xu Zaijing was used to.

That night,

Later,
The palace, which was previously brightly lit and noisy, now had many candles extinguished, and the eunuchs coming and going were gone.

The entire palace and even the entire capital city of Bianjing became much quieter.

Inside the hall,

In the dim candlelight,

A refreshing wisp of smoke drifted from the incense burner.

The high-ranking officials and nobles on night duty mostly used the finest pillows and were covered with colorful brocade quilts, either lying on reclining chairs or directly on the carpets in the palace.

Breathing and snoring could be heard intermittently.

North of the main hall,

Deep within the palace lies the emperor and empress's sleeping quarters.
In a side hall next to this sleeping quarters,
Behind the expensive and ornate screen,

The candles that were lit were blown out.

After a while,
Xu Zaijing, dressed in casual home clothes, tiptoed out from behind the screen.

A dozen or so steps away from the screen,

Yao Jialiangdi, who was carrying a tray to deliver the drinks, looked at Xu Zaijing who came out with a surprised expression.

Xu Zaijing raised his index finger to his lips, signaling Yao Jialiangdi to be quiet.

Xu Zaijing pointed behind the screen, then clasped his hands together and placed them near his cheeks, indicating that the person inside was asleep.

Seeing Xu Zaijing's actions, Yao Jialiangdi smiled and nodded.

After exchanging a smile and a glance with the two female officials standing beside her, Yao Jialiangdi put down the tray, curtsied to Xu Zaijing, and then walked away.

In another room of the side hall,

Gao Taotao, who was so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open, yawned.

As you know, yawning is contagious, so Li Jialiangdi couldn't help but cover her mouth with her hand.

At this time,

After lifting the beaded curtain and entering, Yao Jialiang bowed to the Crown Princess and said, "Sister, I'm back."

Upon hearing the voice, Gao Taotao instantly perked up and asked in surprise, "Isn't Your Highness supposed to have a heart-to-heart talk with Xu Wulang late into the night? Why are you back so soon?"

Yao Jialiangdi said with a smile, "Sister, His Highness and Xu Wulang fell asleep less than a quarter of an hour after they got into bed together!"

Gao Taotao was taken aback upon hearing this, then nodded and said, "Indeed! Today, Your Highness first experienced a dramatic change at Jinming Pond, and then discussed matters with the court officials and nobles in the palace with Father Emperor! You must be exhausted today!"

Yao Jialiang nodded repeatedly.

“Judging from His Majesty and the Empress, they will surely be the same tonight!” Gao Taotao added.

Zhao Fang is still young, but the emperor and empress are getting on in years.

"And then what?" Gao Taotao asked.

Yao Jialiangdi said, "When I came out, I saw Xu Jiawulang carrying two chairs, it seemed he was going to sleep inside the palace gate with his attendant."

Gao Taotao nodded: "With Xu Wulang around, both Your Highness and I feel at ease."

The other three ladies in the room nodded in agreement.

"Tonight, my four sisters, please take care of him and take turns resting. In the latter half of the night, please check on Xu Wulang and ask him if he needs any food or drink."

"Yes."

Stars shift,

The bright moon rises into the sky.

Qingyun, clad in armor, sat on a self-made folding shield, leaning against the pillars of the main hall.

"call"

Not far away, Xu Zaijing, wearing armor underneath a cloak, was leaning back in his chair with his legs propped up on another chair, snoring soundly.

Looking at Xu Zaijing's appearance, Qingyun breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew that his young master was exhausted today, otherwise he, who never snores, would not be in this state.

suddenly,

Xu Zaijing's snoring stopped.
A gaze fell upon Qingyun, who was staring at him.

"Hmm—" Xu Zaijing breathed a sigh of relief: "Qingyun, look at me? What time is it?"

"Yes, young master! The palace eunuch just reported the time; it was just past midnight (after 1 a.m.)."

"Okay!" Xu Zaijing said, pulling his legs back from the chair and standing up. After stretching his body, he said, "Qingyun, you should go and rest too."

Qingyun did not refuse, nodded, and sat down on the still warm chair cushion, closing her eyes.

Half an hour later,
Qingyun opened his eyes again.

Looking at the bright moon in the west and Xu Zaijing looking up at the sky not far away, he said, "Young Master! Why don't you sleep a little longer?"

"Ah."

Xu Zaijing looked up at the sky and nodded: "My master said that something else might happen tonight, but I don't know if his prediction is accurate."

Qingyun said, "It's always better to be careful."

"Ah."

Seeing Xu Zaijing still motionless, Qingyun couldn't help but ask curiously, "Young Master, I heard from Alan and Xunshu that you left the palace today with two noble ladies from the Chai and Rong families?"

Xu Zaijing stopped looking up at the sky, looked at Qingyun and nodded, "Yes."

"Then you..." Qingyun trailed off.

Xu Zaijing raised his arms and expanded his chest, saying, "You'll know in a few days."

As he spoke, Xu Zaijing walked to the chair and said, "A lady-in-waiting just brought some snacks and hot water. If you're thirsty or hungry, have some."

"Yes, son."

"Ah."

Xu Zaijing hummed in agreement, sat down in the chair, closed his eyes to find a comfortable position, and then put his legs up on the chair opposite him.

quickly,

Xu Zaijing's snoring started again.

I do not know how long it has been,

"Son!"

Xu Zaijing was woken up by Qingyun pushing him.

"What time is it?" Xu Zaijing asked with his eyes closed.

“It’s been a while since the hour of Yin! Young master, listen, something seems off about the commotion to the north!” Qingyun said, carrying an unfolded shield.

"Huh?" Xu Zaijing suddenly opened his eyes upon hearing this.

After listening carefully for a while, Xu Zaijing frowned as he heard the faint barking of dogs.

Before Xu Zaijing could continue listening, a faint light appeared in the northeast direction.

immediately,

"The fire is coming!"

"It's on fire!"

Shouts came from the imperial guards and palace officials.

Looking at the direction of the fire, Xu Zaijing said with some confusion, "Judging from the direction, could it be that the Imperial Guard's armory is on fire?"

"It seems so!" Qingyun agreed.

The two walked towards the door as they talked.

Just as I got near the courtyard gate,
Then they saw imperial guards running over in a panic. When they saw Xu Zaijing, the guards exclaimed, "Rebel soldiers have entered the palace!"

"What?" Xu Zaijing and Qingyun exchanged a shocked glance.

"At the Gongchen Gate in the north, for some unknown reason, bandits have broken in! There are quite a few of them! Some even tried to loot the palace armory, but they were discovered by the guards watching over it. Outnumbered, they set it on fire!" "The palace is heavily guarded, how could bandits have gotten in!" Xu Zaijing questioned.

"I don't know either!"

"Qingyun, quickly go and fetch people! Have someone wake His Majesty and the others!"

"Yes! Son!"

When the two talked,
Through the palace corridors, the faint light of torches could already be seen in the distance.

After a while,
When Zhao Fang arrived at the door, having hastily thrown on his clothes, he looked at Xu Zaijing blankly and asked, "Brother Jing, what's wrong?"

The sleepy eunuch Qingyun, standing to the side, also rubbed his eyes with a bewildered expression.

Soon, the Crown Princess and her four concubines also came out quickly.

As Xu Zaijing explained, he pulled Zhao Fang's arm and walked towards the Emperor and Empress, with Qingyun holding a folding shield in front of them.

“His Majesty and the Empress are closest to here, where the guards are the most numerous and the safest!” Xu Zaijing said.

As he spoke, Xu Zaijing escorted everyone out of the courtyard where the side hall was located.

Stepping out of the courtyard, one finds a straight north-south road leading through the inner palace.

As Xu Zaijing and his entourage walked toward the Emperor and Empress, the torches of the infiltrating rebels were just a few dozen feet away from them.

Xu Zaijing had excellent eyesight and could vaguely see a dozen or so bandits carrying thick wooden planks, each a size larger than a large bowl, on their shoulders.

suddenly,

"Dangdang!"

In the distance behind them, the sound of palace gates closing could be heard.

Xu Zaijing turned around and looked back, a look of confusion in his eyes.

Supported by Zhao Fang, Crown Princess Gao Taotao walked quickly, but said in a panicked tone, "Oh no! Xuanyou Gate is closed! The guards from Donghua Gate, the closest gate, will have to take a long detour to come and rescue the emperor!"

Xu Zaijing felt a chill run down his spine.

Seeing the bandits running towards them from afar, he quickly glanced at the bolts on the palace gate leading to the emperor, empress, and high-ranking officials.

"Qingyun! You and I will stay behind to cover our retreat!" Xu Zaijing said solemnly.

"Yes, son!"

Qingyun shouted immediately without any hesitation.

"Brother Jing?" Zhao Fang said urgently, "Brother Jing, let's go together! You don't need to cover our retreat!"

Xu Zaijing spoke quickly: "Your Highness, the door bolt is too thin! It can't withstand the enemy soldiers' powerful ramming! Once the palace gate is breached, it will be difficult to stop it!"

"Come on!"

As he spoke, Xu Zaijing led Qingyun toward the bandits.

"Brother Jing!" Zhao Fang was about to speak again.

Qingyun shook his head and said, "Your Highness! Let's go quickly! Summoning reinforcements is the right thing to do! Qingyun, close the gate!"

"Your Highness! Let's go! Staying here will only make Jing-ge worry!" Gao Taotao said in a deep voice.

"kill!"

Not far away, the shouts of the bandits, who were even closer, could be clearly heard.

"Bang!"

The palace gates were closed.

The sound of the latch being bolted rang out.

"Whoosh—Ding!"

After twirling his steel spear, Xu Zaijing plunged it into a stone lantern at the palace gate.

Once the stone lamp went out, the enemy soldiers were in the light, holding torches, while Xu Zaijing and Qingyun, standing at the palace gate, were in the dark.

"Whoosh whoosh—"

The arrows, shot from the darkness, seemed to have eyes; they either struck the eyes and pierced the brain, or hit the neck, causing blood to gush out.

Xu Zaijing's arrows were too sharp and vicious. Although many people were hit by the arrows, there were no screams from the other side for a while.

Qingyun peeked out from behind the shield and said, "Young Master, this is strange! Why aren't any arrows being fired from the other side?"

While keeping his eyes fixed on the distance, Xu Zaijing quickly drew his bow and arrow, and said urgently, "It's possible that the place that was burned down earlier was the crossbow depot."

"What you say makes sense, young master!"

As soon as Qingyun finished speaking,
Several torches were thrown into the air from the opposite side, spinning and flying towards Xu Zaijing and Qingyun.

"Boom!"

The torch was knocked far away by Qingyun using his folded long shield.

"There are only two people! Kill them!"

Before the bandit leader on the other side could finish speaking, an arrow was shot into his mouth.

The fierce arrows momentarily slowed down the enemy soldiers.

"If we don't kill this dog emperor today, none of us will live!"

"The palace guards are surrounding us! Kill him and we'll have a chance to survive!"

Someone in the bandit group shouted from behind someone else.

Just after shouting,
Xu Zaijing's arrows arrived at the sound.

But the voice did not disappear; instead, it trembled and shouted, "Kill!"

"Qingyun, you provide cover by shooting arrows! The men I throw over, arrange them properly to block the doorway!"

"Yes, son."

Saying,

Qingyun took a step back, placed the shield by the palace gate, and reached out to catch the powerful bow and quiver that Xu Zaijing threw to him.

"bass."

Xu Zaijing drew the steel spear from the stone lantern, twirled it, and then walked forward with the spear in his hand.

"kill!"

On the other side, the bandits' battle cries shook the heavens.

After a while,
The fastest-charging bandits threw away their shields and swords, futilely clutching their bleeding necks or deformed groins.

Those whose eyes were injured by the spear blade lay stiffly on the ground, just like the elephant that Xu Zaijing had killed.

Qingyun, behind Xu Zaijing, provided cover by shooting arrows while occasionally piling up the corpses that Xu Zaijing had thrown at the palace gate.

"Watch your back!"

Xu Zaijing, who was thrusting his spear forward like a dragon, shouted loudly.

Qingyun, who was drawing his bow, immediately understood and turned around to aim the arrow behind him.

really,

The armored bandits who had just closed Xuanyou Gate ran towards Qingyun with guns in hand.

"collapse."

The arrow Qingyun shot pierced through the gap in the armor of the fleeing bandit soldier, piercing his thigh.

The bandit soldier instantly lost his balance and fell not far from Qingyun.

Qingyun strode over, kicked away the spear that was thrusting at him, and then stomped hard on the bandit's neck.

After dealing with the bandits, Qingyun quickly retreated, drew his bow, and shot an arrow into the eye of another attacking bandit.

"Snapped!"

Not far behind,
Another bandit was sent flying by Xu Zaijing, and Qingyun quickly piled him up in front of the palace gate.

In less than a quarter of an hour, dozens of corpses had been piled up in front of the palace gates leading to the emperor, empress, and high-ranking officials.

To open the palace gates, the corpses had to be moved first before they could be forced open.

Among the bandit soldiers,

Xu Zaijing fled towards Qingyun as if escaping.
The bandits behind him were about to give chase when, after taking just one step, they felt a sudden brightness before their eyes and a burning sensation in their eye sockets.

Then I knew nothing more.

Xu Zaijing, who had just launched a counterattack, quickly straightened up and swung his steel spear. Several bandits in armor who had been chasing him from both sides suddenly lost their heads and collapsed to the ground.

In this way, Xu Zaijing also turned his back to the bandit soldiers.

The instant Xu Zaijing turned his back to the crowd, a figure who had been waiting for a long time in the bandit group suddenly jumped into the air.

The man had scars on his face, his cheeks looked like those of a strong man who had been stabbed and then scabbed over, and he was holding a long-handled golden mace.

Even if Xu Zaijing were wearing armor, if he were hit by this golden mace specifically designed to break through armor, he would be seriously injured even if he didn't die.

Looking at Xu Zaijing's back, the man's eyes were filled with the cruel and triumphant look of a prey falling into a trap.

suddenly,

The cruel look in the eyes of the person who had taken to the air turned into confusion.
Because in his field of vision, the steel spear shaft that Xu Zaijing carried on his back and around his neck was undergoing an incredible bending.

Before he could react, the spear shaft around Xu Zaijing's neck was bent and released by Xu Zaijing's hands, and then smashed towards him at an incredible speed.

Just as the person in mid-air was about to retract their raised arms to protect their vitals, the steel spear had already crashed down in front of them.

The person who was thrown into the air had their head tilted backward instantly after being hit by the force, and after spinning around in the air, they fell to the ground.

After the force was absorbed by his body, the steel spear bounced back into Xu Zaijing's hand.

"Sa!"

Xu Zaijing turned the red tassel beneath the steel spear blade, and the blood, still slightly warm, splattered around.

"kill!"

Another fierce bandit soldier charged at Xu Zaijing with his gun raised.

With a flick of his steel spear, Xu Zaijing caused the bandit soldier to collapse in front of him once more.

"Alright! Warm-up over!" Xu Zaijing's voice, without panting, came from behind the exquisite helmet.

Upon hearing this, many of the bandit soldiers trembled.

In the torchlight, Xu Zaijing, wearing a helmet, swept his gaze across the enemy, and many terrified bandits retreated.

But unlike the bandits they encountered at the Chai family's house, even though they were terrified, some of them still fearlessly charged towards Xu Zaijing.

As the fight continued, Xu Zaijing noticed that the bandits were getting smaller.

Subsequently,

Using the torches on the ground, Xu Zaijing used his spear to pry open the helmet of one of the bandits, only to discover that the soldier he had killed actually had the appearance of a southerner.

Before Xu Zaijing could even begin to wonder, shouts of battle erupted from the Emperor, Empress, and Zhao Fang, who were separated by only a wall: "Buddha Shakyamuni is in decline! Maitreya is in the world!"

"Slay the wicked! May you be reborn in the Pure Land!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

(End of this chapter)