Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

The evening sunlight slanted across the bluestone street, turning the gray bricks into a layer of dark red embers.

The streets of Shenjing were deserted, with hardly anyone around except for the occasional hurried pedestrian passing by.

Most of the shop doors on both sides have been closed, with only a few restaurants still half-closed, their doors emitting dim yellow light.

Zhang Tingyu's sedan chair moved slowly forward, surrounded by more than thirty guards from the Imperial City Guard. Their steps were neat, and the scabbards of their swords clinked gently at their waists, producing a soft metallic sound.

A young Imperial City Envoy looked around for a moment, then couldn't help but lower his voice and say:

"Vice Envoy, aren't we being too cautious? In broad daylight, who would dare to lay a hand on the Second Grand Secretary in the capital? Especially a Grand Secretary who just met His Majesty in the palace!"

The leading deputy envoy, Gu, did not turn around, his sharp gaze sweeping across the eaves on both sides:

"Better safe than sorry. Recently, there seem to be some suspicious people around Grand Secretary Zhang's residence. The brothers have reported it several times."

"They say there's an unfamiliar peddler wandering around the alley entrance, and someone sat in the teahouse across the street for an entire afternoon, ordering only one pot of tea, which they didn't touch."

The young Imperial City Envoy was stunned for a moment, feeling somewhat incredulous.

After a moment of silence, his gaze followed Vice Envoy Gu as he swept to both sides. The inn's door on the left was tightly closed, and the lanterns at the entrance had not yet been lit.

The windows on the second floor of the restaurant on the right were half-open, making it impossible to see if anyone was inside. The street seemed unusually quiet; there wasn't even a dog barking.

A low cough suddenly came from inside the sedan chair, followed by an old voice, as if talking to itself, but the voice was barely audible.

The imperial city officials listened to the voices inside the sedan chair but did not turn around. The sedan chair curtains were drawn tightly, obscuring the figures inside.

The lead deputy envoy, Gu, walked to the left front of the sedan chair, one hand on the hilt of his sword, his gaze sweeping over the eaves, window frames, and door cracks on both sides like two brushes.

Suddenly, he smelled a scent, not the dust of the street, but a faint, almost imperceptible metallic smell, as if someone had just polished something.

His steps slowed for a moment, his gaze settling on the two-story restaurant on the street corner.

A window in the center of the second floor was half-open, and it was pitch black inside, but he caught a glimpse of something in that darkness.

It appeared to be a very small outline, as if someone was standing motionless by the window, their face turned in this direction.

His heart sank suddenly.

"Stop." Deputy Envoy Gu's voice was low, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears!

"Dismount and be on guard."

The Imperial City Envoys stopped in their tracks, and with lightning speed, they dismounted, drew their swords, and formed ranks in groups of three or five.

The blade flashed darkly in the twilight, and the armor plates clashed together with a soft, tinkling sound.

Someone asked in a low voice, "Deputy Envoy? What's wrong?"

Deputy Envoy Gu did not answer; his gaze remained fixed on the window, but by then the dark figure inside had vanished.

He was about to say something when a sudden change occurred.

A sharp, piercing sound descended from above, a dozen or so in quick succession, the sound like tearing silk, or like a taut string suddenly snapping.

The pressure came from three different directions simultaneously: from the second floor of the restaurant on the street corner, from the roof of the inn across the street, and from the other side.

The first volley of crossbow bolts flew almost close to the street, too fast for anyone to react.

"Assassins!" A royal city envoy had barely uttered his cry when three crossbow bolts were already embedded in his chest.

He glanced down at the short arrows embedded in the gaps of the armor plates, the knife slipped from his hand, and he fell backward.

Then came the second, the third, and the fourth.

Crossbow bolts pierced necks, embedded themselves in chests, and pierced wrists through gaps in arm guards. Some of the fallen guards were still convulsing, while others were already motionless.

Vice Envoy Gu shouted:

"Protect the sedan chair! Protect the Grand Secretary!"

Someone lunged at the sedan chair, trying to block the curtain with his body, but before he could even stand up straight, the second volley of crossbow bolts had already arrived.

This time the aim was even more deadly. The four Imperial City Guards rushed to the sides of the sedan chair, their bodies bent over, with crossbow bolts driven into their backs, most of them embedded, with only a small section of the tail feathers sticking out.

Just as a palace guard was about to draw his sword, a crossbow bolt pierced through his forearm from the side, pinning his hand to the hilt of the sword.

He screamed, knelt on one knee, gritted his teeth and tried to pull out the arrow, but the moment he touched it, the pain made him curl up in agony.

The streets suddenly descended into chaos.

People and horses were thrown about, their hooves clattering on the bluestone slabs. The sedan chair carriers staggered as they scrambled to escape.

Some people were shouting "Protect the Grand Secretary!", some were shouting "Where are the archers?", and some had already fallen to the ground and were no longer making a sound.

The leader, Deputy Envoy Gu, hid on the other side of the sedan chair, using the chair as cover, his eyes fixed on the direction from which the crossbow bolts came.

His heart sank. This was a standard military crossbow, seemingly an eight-ox crossbow and a foot-operated crossbow. How could such a crossbow be here?

The crossbow bolts have arrived again.

The third volley of crossbow bolts aimed at the very center of the sedan chair. The three bolts pierced the curtains and embedded themselves in the carriage almost simultaneously, followed by the fourth, the fifth...

A scream came from inside the sedan chair, short and heart-wrenching, then it was cut off by something.

Vice Envoy Gu's expression darkened.

Then he heard the sound of a crossbow twang rapidly receding from the heights. The assassin was putting away his crossbow, seemingly ready to leave immediately after succeeding, without any pause or hesitation.

Their target from the very beginning was the person inside the sedan chair.

The streets reeked of blood, mixed with sawdust and dust.

Deputy Envoy Gu stood up, the knife still in his hand, stained with someone's blood.

He walked to the sedan chair, reached out, and lifted the curtain. The sides of the sedan chair were pierced by crossbow bolts, and wood chips were scattered on the cushion. A person lay in the sedan chair, with two crossbow bolts in his chest and two in his thigh. He was already dead.

Standing in front of the sedan chair, Vice Gu touched the curtain with his hand and remained silent for a moment.

Then he lowered the sedan curtain, turned around, and faced the Imperial City Envoys who were still panting.

"Return to the office and inform Eunuch Xia!" His voice was so low it sounded like it was being squeezed out between his teeth.

As dusk deepened, the wind swept in from the streets, carrying dust and the stench of blood towards the palace.

Half an hour later, news of Zhang Tingyu's attack spread throughout the city. All nine gates of the capital were placed under martial law, and the Imperial Guards were on horseback rushing around everywhere!

Soon, another shocking piece of news arrived: the Duke of Jing, who had been summoned to the palace by Emperor Jingsheng, was also attacked outside the capital city!

Suddenly, a storm was brewing!