Chapter 839
Night Police
Shadows swarm the vermilion gate, cold blades reflect the moonlight.
The water clock startled the roosting birds, and the patrolling gong disrupted the night's sounds.
The curtains flutter as the wind enters the window; the candle flickers as a ghost peers into my heart.
The sword in its sheath sang as if in lament, and a trapped beast stood in a perilous building.
As mentioned in the previous article, Li Shichun took a desperate gamble, secretly ambushing a hundred assassins, and forced them to sneak into Xiao's residence at midnight.
These assassins attacked the jinx in the front yard, then surrounded him and headed straight for the main room in the back, where Duke Jing was.
It is said that karma is a gift from the heavens.
Several maids were walking together to the outhouse at night when they encountered a murder on the way. Only by taking someone's place could they sound the alarm.
The two shifts of night patrolmen overheard what was happening in the passageway between the outer walls.
These servants were gathered together at that time.
At fixed times, a clapper is struck. According to custom, the procession will patrol along key routes such as the walls, alleys, and backyards of the mansion. At each location, the clapper or the watchman's clapper will be struck to signal the end of the patrol and deter thieves.
Moreover, at this critical juncture, the night patrol was in full swing, with the counting of tallies being passed around at fixed points, similar to the system of tallies being passed around in the military. The watchmen carried bamboo tallies and wooden tokens, patrolling at fixed points to exchange them. The night patrol was considered complete only when all the tallies were counted by the time the shift ended the next day, and no one could be missed.
This method was also a common practice of Xiao Zi in the army, and he found it to be very effective, so he used it to patrol the mansion at night.
As the saying goes, all the planning and preparations were made for this one moment.
Just as the two shifts were changing, I heard about this unexpected turn of events.
So immediately, more than ten people who could climb over the wall jumped in, not caring about rules anymore. Upon seeing the thieves, the two groups immediately engaged in a chaotic battle.
As a warning, these former subordinates must be loyal to their master and fight ten against one.
At the same time, they risked their lives to turn the situation around, and cries for help rose from all sides.
In an instant, the assassination plan completely failed.
These assassins had a numerical advantage, but their movements had already been exposed, so Ye had no choice but to switch to a direct assault.
In this way, there will be no more scruples in the fighting.
The sword flashed coldly, the moon was dark and the wind was high.
The sword flashed like a white rainbow piercing the moon, its sharp edge cutting through the air with a sound as piercing as an owl's cry.
Swords clashed, sparks flew, flashing for a fleeting moment in the night.
The clang of metal on metal startled the roosting birds.
Sword energy surged, and the battle between the two sides intensified.
At the same time, Ye Zhi arrived at the main room, and Xiao heard the sound and suddenly sat up abruptly on the bed.
Having served in the military for many years, he was all too familiar with the sounds of swords flashing and fighting outside.
He had drunk too much the night before and was quite drunk.
But at this crucial moment, the outside disturbance caused the alcohol's effects to dissipate by seven or eight tenths in an instant.
"what--"
"My lord, you..."
"What's going on outside?"
How could it be?
My beloved wife, Yu'e, whom I share a bed with, remains soundly asleep despite the disturbances outside.
But then Xiao Jingchuan suddenly sprang to his side and sat up, and she couldn't even hear the noise.
I was woken up by the disturbance, still half asleep.
Lady Xiao'e rubbed her almond-shaped eyes, initially not thinking much of it, but upon closer inspection, she saw Xiao Lang crouching down, his head jutting out, his movements and posture as alert as a wolf or a leopard.
This scene truly shocked Xiao'e.
Judging from her husband's expression, she feared something terrible had happened outside.
Immediately, Xiao'e trembled, feeling a lingering fear.
Seeing that her husband remained unmoved despite his imposing manner, she could no longer contain her panic and asked in a trembling voice.
However, it was also obvious that Xiao Lang's expression was very tense at this moment.
Suddenly, he heard a commotion from behind him. Fearing that his presence would be discovered and attract evil spirits, he realized that he was afraid of being discovered.
He then turned around quickly, made a shushing gesture, and pressed it to Xiao'e's cherry lips.
"Shh-"
"Don't make a sound." "I'm here for you, don't be afraid."
"Stay here and don't move."
"I'll be right back."
To be honest, Xiao Ziquan wouldn't consider such a display a big deal if it were in the front-line military camp.
After all, he himself had done things like raiding enemy camps at night, killing generals and capturing flags before.
Such matters need no further explanation.
However, times have changed.
Now, with his family and wife to rely on, even if he tries his best, he still has worries in his heart.
Right now, glancing back at Xiao'e, my heart clenched, fearing that something might happen to the lady.
At this moment, although they are inside the house, the situation is still unclear.
However, her heart was constantly agitated by the thought of her young son in the east wing.
Immediately, Xiao Lang could not wait any longer. While calming Xiao E down, he frowned, leaped forward, grabbed the sword from the table barefoot, and headed out to investigate.
He was too busy to put on clothes and boots, so in his haste he just haphazardly tied the belt around his neck.
Meanwhile, the fighting outside was becoming increasingly fierce.
Xiao, unaware of the situation, reached to the side of the door, preparing to pull the latch and go out to see what was going on.
Hey!
In that short time, he couldn't even open the door.
Outside, it seemed that assassins and thieves had already approached the house. Among the night patrol guards, a one-armed man, seeing the danger, didn't hesitate. He tackled the assassin from behind, and the two of them rammed into each other, breaking through the door.
The sudden impact caused half of the door panel on the roof to be crushed into pieces.
Bang!
The commotion was so loud and terrifying that Xiao Jingchuan's eyes narrowed, and he quickly dodged to the side to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
"what--"
Not far from the bed curtains, Xiao'e was even more terrified by this scene.
Before she could even put on her clothes properly, she quickly grabbed a pair of mandarin duck quilts and covered her chest.
She was both ashamed and afraid, her face paled, and she was at a loss for what to do. Then she cried out in alarm, her voice shrill.
Xiao Jingchuan was distracted by the short shout and glanced at his wife.
Unexpectedly, the two men who had broken down the door were now locked in a life-or-death struggle.
All you could see was the two of them tumbling and pulling at each other, the broken blades in their hands attacking relentlessly, each strike a desperate act of bloodshed, relentlessly stabbing bloody holes into the opponent's abdomen where he could not defend himself.
Blood splattered everywhere; the scene was truly horrific.
In just a brief moment, Xiao Lang noticed the situation had deteriorated to this point. Upon closer inspection, he recognized the one-armed servant as Fan Dabiao, a former banner chief under Yuan Peizhong, a former subordinate of Xiao Jun.
This man was shot in Jiujiang last year while fighting Zuo Liangyu. His left arm was smashed by a musket, leaving him disabled.
Xiao Jiang was moved by his loyalty, bravery, honesty, and integrity, and specially took him into his household to provide for him.
Today, he was the one who led the servants to sneak into the mansion at night to kill the thieves. He was the first to scale the courtyard wall and enter.
Seeing that the thieves were strong, and fearing that even one or two might actually break into the house, he endured the blows of knives and axes. Although he had already suffered many wounds all over his body, he still fought desperately to get closer to the house to stop them.
Right now, to ensure Lord Xiao's safety, engaging in this direct confrontation with the enemy would likely mean certain death, and he would have little chance of survival.
"Da Biao!"
With a startled roar, Xiao Jingchuan used the moonlight to see that Fan Dabiao was seriously injured. Bloodlust surged to his head, and he leaped forward to help. With a swift stroke of his sword, he slit the assassin's throat, and the assassin was instantly beyond saving.
Then, Xiao grabbed the thief by the back of the neck and pulled him outwards, separating the two.
With a swift kick, he sent the dead man flying out of the house.
"Da Biao, Da Biao!"
"What, what exactly is going on?!"
As he kicked out towards the enemy, Fan Dabiao behind him forcefully covered his abdomen with one arm.
But perhaps it was all in vain.
The blood couldn't be contained and gushed out from several places.
Da Biao's body became increasingly unsteady, and he slid down the table leg behind him, collapsing onto the floor tiles with a thud.
Xiao Jingchuan was filled with anxiety, anger, regret, and remorse. He could disregard the so-called petty thieves and assassins.
But Da Biao.
If I had known this would happen, why did I insist on dragging him here in the first place? It's all ended up like this. (End of Chapter)