Marrying a treacherous official

"Save Auntie! Save Second Miss!"

Looking anxiously at the four guards in front of him, led by Shi Ling, Yun Ji commanded, "What are you still standing there for? Go and save them!"

"I regret that I cannot comply."

Shi Ling bowed to her and said:

"The general has ordered me to protect the First Madam with my life. With fires raging everywhere in Lingshan Temple, the First Madam should leave as soon as possible while the gates are still passable. If we delay any longer, the crowds will burst through the gates, and the First Madam will not be able to leave even if she wants to."

"You're not going, are you?"

Yunji pushed them aside and strode forward, saying, "I'll go."

Shi Ling gave her a look, and three other guards immediately stepped forward to block her path.

"Madam, rest assured, Aunt Du and the Second Miss are being protected by two guards. They will surely escape the Great Buddha Hall safely. Please, Madam, accompany me on my way."

Yunji suddenly drew the guard's sword, and with a clang, pressed it against her own neck.

No one knew better than her what it felt like to perish alive in a sea of ​​fire. The best opportunity to rush in and save people was when the fire was starting to blaze. If it had been any later, anyone who rushed in would have come out burned to a crisp.

The more she longed for someone to save her when she was lying in the pool of running water, the more determined she was to rush in and save people now.

Her eyes were bloodshot, and she threatened to kill herself, saying, "Save people."

Shi Ling dared not defy him again and immediately ordered two guards, "Go and rescue them quickly."

Chunxuan and Huachao were terrified by Yunji's actions.

"Madam, please don't worry, the guards have already rushed in to rescue Aunt Du and the Second Miss."

Chunxuan pleaded with her softly. Huachao approached and gently took the hilt of the longsword, then suddenly disarmed it and threw it to the ground. Xikui raised her foot and kicked the longsword away.

Yunji leaned weakly against Chunxuan's chest, watching the two guards rush into the palace with great speed.

Flames from the main hall reached the roof beams, while the two sides were still locked in a fierce battle with swords drawn.

Aunt Du held Cui Shuhua tightly in her arms. As waves of fire approached, she covered Cui Shuhua's mouth and nose, blocking the black smoke from entering Cui Shuhua's lungs.

She didn't know if she could leave Lingshan Temple alive, but Cui Shuhua had to live.

The abbot and the young monk remained firmly behind the two men, forcing their two bodyguards to fight seven or eight assassins to protect their lives.

"Aunt Du—, Second Miss—"

A deep, powerful shout came from the crimson flames. Aunt Du's heart pounded like a drum, and because of the thick smoke that choked her throat, she could only keep pounding on the wooden planks on the wall to send a message out.

A door panel cleaved through the raging fire and crashed down in front of her.

The guard shouted loudly at her, "Aunt Du, Second Miss, come out with me quickly!"

Without further hesitation, Aunt Du pulled Cui Shuhua onto the door panel and followed closely behind the guards, rushing out of the sea of ​​fire by stepping on the collapsed logs.

When Yunji saw that the two had escaped safely, tears welled up in her eyes.

"Auntie, Second Miss, let's go quickly."

"Yes, I'll do as the First Madam says."

Aunt Du, still shaken, nodded to Yunji.

Shi Ling put two fingers in his mouth and blew a sharp, long whistle. The guards in the hall stopped fighting and withdrew.

The group turned and fled towards the nearest temple gate.

Just as Shi Ling had predicted, only a quarter of an hour later, the West Temple Gate was packed with people. The trees along the road were set ablaze, and the fire spread with the wind, quickly engulfing the crowd.

Sharp screams rang out again from all around. Someone was on fire and rolled around on the ground, trying to extinguish the flames. Tourists on the periphery were frantically jostling each other, and the sounds of trampling and screaming could be heard continuously.

Seeing the fire spread to the west temple gate, Yunji decisively called everyone back:

"Let's retreat. Where's a well in this temple?"

"This servant knows that there is a well with running water in the backyard of the Guanyin Temple."

Xi Kui stepped forward and replied to the lady's words.

Yunji immediately ordered her, "Lead the way, everyone follow and take shelter until the fire subsides before escaping."

The group took refuge in the backyard of the Guanyin Hall. Just as they were catching their breath, the abbot led two young monks to hide there as well.

When Aunt Du saw them relentlessly haunting her, her eyes blazed with fury. The usually gentle and mild-mannered woman couldn't help but yell at them.

"You still have the nerve to follow us? You call yourselves monks, always talking about compassion, but when swords are aimed at our faces, all you do is hide behind me and Hua'er, using us as shields. Are you even human?"

"Madam, spare my life!"

The abbot knelt on the ground and begged, "I had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure. Please, Madam, have mercy on me this time."

Shi Ling drew his longsword and pressed it against the abbot's neck, saying, "Get out."

"Wait a minute."

In the dim twilight, Yunji saw the abbot tucking something into his robe and asked, "What is the abbot hiding? Why not hand it over to me before you leave?"

The abbot categorically denied it, saying, "Madam Cui has misunderstood. This old monk has nothing hidden in his hands."

Yunji roughly guessed what kind of list or directory it was.

"Has the abbot considered that if you and the book fall into the hands of those assassins, you will only face death? If you hand the book over to me, the abbot might be able to use this list to blackmail you and seek a chance to live?"

The abbot trembled with fear and quickly handed over the booklet he was carrying.

Please accept this, Madam Cui.

Shi Ling took the book in his hand, but instead of handing it to Yun Ji, he stuffed it into the lining of his brocade robe.

"Madam, this humble general has kept this booklet for the general."

Yunji was furious, but the situation was too difficult for her to handle, and she couldn't do anything to him.

"When we fetched water, our skirts and shoes got all wet. We each soaked a handkerchief so that we could cover our mouths and noses and escape if we encountered thick smoke."

Everyone did as she instructed.

The guards who went out to investigate returned and said that the fire at the West Temple Gate had been extinguished and that it was safe to leave.

Yunji got up to leave when she suddenly smelled a burning odor that startled her. She looked in the direction of the wind and the smell grew stronger. She could even hear the crackling sound of burning pine wood in the distance.

Her voice trembled as she asked, "Is there a fire outside the temple?"

Shi Ling felt a chill run down his spine and rushed towards the wall. He climbed up the blue bricks and looked around. All he could see was the blazing firelight.

"Madam, the pine forest within a radius of twenty feet centered on Lingshan Temple has been set on fire from the outside."

Yunji stood numbly in the courtyard, while Aunt Du, unable to withstand the shock, fainted in Cui Shuhua's arms.

Without further hesitation, Shi Ling took the signal grenades from his body, lit the fuse with a flintlock pistol, and released them.

A sharp whistle pierced the long night, soaring straight into the sky and exploding into a white flame at the top, enough for the Tiger Wing Army sentries to see from twenty miles away.

He is appealing for help from outside; the First Madam's life is in grave danger, please send reinforcements immediately!