The Idle Man of Zhenguan Intercepts Wu Zetian at the Start

As the sound of horses' hooves grew closer and closer, and the gates of the neighborhood were opened, with many dogs rushing in, and an archer still on the roof, Wei Guan knew he was doomed tonight. Using the carriage to block everyone's view, he said "Let's go," and without paying any attention to the remaining servants, his fat body disappeared into an alley, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

The people on the roof shot about ten arrows, and a bunch of people had already fallen on the ground. Apart from those who protected Wei Guan as he fled, only six of these strong servants were still fighting. At this moment, the Jinwu Guards outside the ward also rode in on horseback. Dozens of armored cavalrymen, with billowing dust, surged in like an overwhelming force.

The remaining servants tried to escape, but it was too late. Several greyhounds pounced and bit them. Lu Fan and the others were also bloodthirsty. At this moment, the roles of attack and defense were reversed, their momentum surged, and their killing intent was overwhelming. In just a few breaths, the remaining servants were all cut down to the ground.

Changsun Dan looked up at the person running on the roof. Although he couldn't see the face clearly, he felt like he had seen him somewhere before. Just as he was about to thank him, the person saw the Jinwu Guard troops coming and leaped away, instantly disappearing into the night.

When Lu Fan turned to save Changsun Dan, he was stabbed in the back. Although his armor protected him, the blow still tore his muscles apart. A large amount of blood stasis accumulated, and he was afraid it would be difficult to recover in a while. At this moment, the rescuer arrived. He could no longer hold on. He stuck his sword into the ground to support himself and squatted down, panting heavily.

The three Imperial Guards who fell first were trampled on by the servants, all seriously injured, but fortunately none died, thus preserving the dignity of the Imperial Guards. The general who came to their aid jumped off his horse, glanced at the plaque of the Wei residence, and walked straight to Lu Fan, asking in a deep voice:

"What's going on?"

Lu Fan smiled bitterly, panting heavily: "Someone with a bronze fish talisman ordered us to come here to escort the magistrate of Wannian County back to his residence, but we were ambushed by Wei Guan. If I hadn't released the Qilin smoke, I'm afraid we would all have perished here tonight."

The newly arrived general was burly and imposing, with a full beard and an appearance unlike that of someone from the Central Plains. He turned and nodded to Fang Yi'ai, then bowed to Changsun Dan.

"An Bili, the Left General of the Golden Guard, greets the County Magistrate!"

Changsun Dan quickly returned the greeting, as this General of the Central Army was of a higher rank than himself. Fang Yi'ai also smiled and cupped his hands in return.

"Greetings, General An!"

It turns out these two knew each other, but neither of them mentioned pursuing Wei Guan anymore, which greatly exceeded Changsun Dan's expectations. The power of the Wei family was already evident.

While the Imperial Guards were busy cleaning up the corpses on the ground, Fang Yi'ai whispered in Changsun Dan's ear:

"It's a pity that Wei Guan got away. It will be difficult to deal with him now. Besides, we've killed so many of them. If the Wei family causes trouble, His Majesty might have to take their side!"

Changsun Dan's face turned ashen:

"Does this Wei family really possess such power that even His Majesty has to bow down and yield? He's attacking the Imperial Guards, His Majesty's very face!"

Fang Yi'ai shrugged helplessly:

"Why do you think His Majesty would marry this widow? The Wei family of Jingzhao has a solid foundation, standing strong for hundreds of years. Hundreds of them hold official positions, not to mention the numerous marriage alliances with other powerful families. Even Li Jing, Li Ji, Cheng Yaojin, and Chai Shao are related to the Wei family by marriage... Furthermore, the Crown Prince's tutor, chief secretary, and military advisor are all members of the Wei family. If His Majesty were to harm them, it would be tantamount to cutting off his own limbs..."

Upon hearing this, Changsun Dan felt a chill run down his spine. A family had managed to cultivate itself to such an extent that even a widow from his family would be sought after by the emperor. Her status was probably only nominally second to his own wife. He glanced at Bao'er in his arms and murmured:

"Bao'er, your brother will definitely avenge you."

After An Bili finished cleaning up the corpses, he arranged for several people to escort Changsun Dan again.

Changsun Dan was genuinely grateful to Lu Fan. He had acted impulsively and almost killed them, which would likely cause Lu Fan endless trouble in the future. He bowed to him in respect.

"General Lu, if there is ever any need for me, Changsun Dan, I will not hesitate to help!"

Lu Fan felt that this man from Wannian County was different from others. He had risked his life for him tonight, and was bound by military orders. With these words from him, it was all worth it. He struggled to return the salute and greeted An Bili.

"Please trouble General An to take my wounded brother back. I am fine and will accompany Brother Fang to see the county magistrate off!"

Fang Yi'ai was more than happy to have this. Wu Shun was still in the Plum Garden, and he wasn't in the mood to go to Yu Xian Lou, but he could still go to the Plum Garden to freeload a bowl of wine.

Anbil didn't say much. After leaving Xuanping Ward, he bowed and left with his men, leaving ten people to escort Changsun Dan with the corpses of Mu Dajiang and his wife.

Seeing that his eldest grandson remained silent and sullen, Fang Yi'ai smiled and said:

"This Anbili is a Yuezhi from Anguo. It is said that he is fluent in animal language and is especially good at training dogs."

Changsun Dan casually replied:

"No wonder, he looks like a barbarian to me, except that his hair and beard are all black."

Seeing that Changsun Dan seemed somewhat interested in An Bili, Lu Fan picked up where Fang Yi'ai left off:

"Please don't be offended, sir. This Qilin cigarette was created by General An. Once lit, it should be discarded immediately. If it explodes, even greyhounds within a ten-mile radius can find its scent and come running."

Changsun Dan broke out in a cold sweat. Short dramas are really a killer. His palms are still burning with pain. In which drama do they not use arrows to transmit messages? Is it so hard to make a rocket? Why do they have to make this kind of smelly, dog-like thing...

Xuanpingfang was only two or three kilometers away from Dunhuafang. Because they had to pull a cart, it took them almost half an hour to get there. When they entered Dunhuafang, Changsun Dan dismounted when they passed a coffin shop. However, there were not many wealthy people in Dunhuafang, and they only had some thin coffins. The owner kept two good cedar coffins for himself, and Changsun Dan paid a high price to have them sent to Meiyuan.

Lu Fan said in a low voice, "This county magistrate is a man of integrity and loyalty."

Fang Yi'ai looked at Changsun Dan with a complex expression in his eyes:

"Liu Lang's horse is truly a divine steed, it even knows how to save its master. Liu Lang is also a true brother, he actually gave me the chance to escape today. Fortunately, I held back, otherwise how would I have the face to face you in the future?"

Lu Fan smiled, but his muscles ached, and his mouth twisted in pain.

"But he's gotten himself into trouble with Wei Guan, that leech; he'll probably never have peace again!"

Fang Yi'ai scoffed at this:

"Do you know why that man in blue asked you to save Liu Lang today? Although His Majesty values ​​the Wei family, if Liu Lang is truly killed by Wei Guan, every single person with the surname Wei in Xuanping Ward tonight will be buried with him!"

Lu Fan gasped, but his expression showed disbelief.

Fang Yi'ai glanced at him:

"Don't be unconvinced. In His Majesty's heart, the Empress and his legitimate children are his closest relatives. If the Sixth Prince dies, no one can cure the Empress's illness. Not to mention Wei Guan... the former Crown Prince was his own brother..." At this point, he suddenly shut his mouth tightly.

Lu Fan naturally knew some of those old stories. If his closest relatives hadn't been threatened, His Majesty might not have acted so decisively. However, the fact that the county magistrate could also cure diseases and had such extraordinary abilities gave Lu Fan a new understanding of him, making him even more grateful that he had made the right choice.

As Changsun Dan walked along, the entrance to the plum garden was brightly lit. Chun Chan, Dong Yao, and others were pacing around outside the gate. When they saw Changsun Dan, they all rushed over from afar.

Fang Yi'ai shook his head repeatedly with envy:

"Did you see that? This kid's really something now!"