Chapter 51: Xiao Xi's shining moment in the standoff with the bandit leader; Xiao Xi is domineering and majestic...

As soon as the darkroom was opened, two rows of women were pulled out of Weiyang Hall.

The women, still shaken and disheveled, some with bruises on their faces, others, upon seeing the light, desperately covered their heads with their sleeves, yet couldn't conceal the red and white marks mingling on their legs. No wonder there were so few women in the seedling house; it turned out that the attractive ones were all locked in the dark rooms of the Weiyang Hall.

That afternoon's party wasn't just about getting drunk; it was a utterly inhumane revelry!

A man in the mountain village shouted, "Second Aunt!"

The second wife was the one who covered her face and head, only one eye showing. She saw her husband, and her face turned pale instantly. She had lost her reputation in front of her husband and so many people. The second wife was like walking into a knife's edge!

"Go to hell!" The bandit slashed with his knife, and the second aunt fell into a pool of blood.

The mountain dweller was held back by his fellow villagers, and tears streamed down his face as he cried out, "Second Aunt! Second Aunt! Second Aunt..."

Listening to the cries and screams, Dong Gu's smile deepened. He clapped his hands, and many more old and young people were dragged out of the dark room. Those who walked slowly were kicked off the stage, and a bandit kicked an old woman in the back.

Sanjinzi cried out in despair, "Grandma!!!"

“Three… gold…” The old woman vomited black blood.

It turned out that after receiving the envoy for amnesty in Changzhuang Village, the information was leaked to Dong Gu, which offended Dong Gu, and afterwards, they suffered a great calamity.

Dong Gu raised his hand: "Prepare dishes to accompany the wine."

This is coded language. The bandits all drew their knives and grabbed the hostage by the ear.

The envoy, Zhu Zhao, stopped him, saying, "Wait! Chief, spare the people! Before I left the capital, His Majesty granted me the authority to act expediently. We can discuss the conditions!"

The flashing of swords suddenly stopped in the ears of the common people, and the bandits stood by.

Dong Gu waved his hand, deliberately teasing, and drew his short sword, rubbing it against the child's cheek. He then slowly yawned: "The conditions are all in the letter. You know, your emperor kid has to give me 100,000 taels—ah, no, I have so many hostages, 500,000 taels."

This is no longer just asking for an exorbitant amount.

The barbarian king's demand was still within the limits of the treasury, while Dong Guhun seemed to have said it casually. Zhuzhao couldn't even haggle over it!

Zhu Zhao: "Chief Dong, 500,000 taels is enough to sustain us..."

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh—" The child rolled on the ground, crying loudly. The severed ear on the ground was still twitching.

Dong Gu stopped talking and, with a grin, grabbed the child by the collar and pulled him up, showing him his face to the outside: "Come on, kid, let me tell you, these officials are bragging in the village that they'll save you from my clutches. Beg them to hurry up and tell them to withdraw their troops and give us the money."

How could a child know what 500,000 taels of silver meant?

He was terrified and could only beg for mercy, "Help...help me..."

The moment that cry for help was uttered, the people's emotions were released like a flood.

The people, who had just been screaming in terror and at a loss, now clung to the imperial court as their lifeline, their cries of "Help!" "Save us!" "Your Honor, General! Your Majesty the Emperor of Chang'an, please save us!" filled the air.

Ordinary people cannot fight against rioters; they can only rely on a powerful state to intervene.

This scene touched Ying Xi's sense of responsibility and guilt as the emperor. Dong Gu's numerous evil deeds almost made his heart and lungs explode.

Outside Weiyang Hall, the sounds of metal and stone clashing gradually grew louder. A layer of silver-white, gleaming walls appeared around the bandits surrounding Weiyang Hall. Black falcons circled and landed, and the Longwu Army joined the battle.

The general leading the army strode forward and saw Xie Qianli kneel down to report: "General, Your Excellency, the Luoshan stronghold has been surrounded by our army!"

Xie Qianli said coldly, "Aim at the bandits."

"Yes!!!" the general replied.

In an instant, stepping over the bandits' corpses, the soldiers outside the doors and windows set up their powerful bows and crossbows, unleashing a dense barrage of arrows like a sea of ​​stars. Each position locked onto a target. Their shouts, loud as thunder, rang out: "Stand by!" "Stand by!" "Stand by!"

"Dragon Martial Army, stand by!"

The situation seemed to tip in favor of the imperial court.

The gleaming armor and the countless rumors circulating about this army in the Heluo region calmed the people down somewhat.

Xie Qianli took the heavy bow that the soldier could only lift with both hands.

This longbow is made of a special material, completely sacrificing lightness in pursuit of absolute lethality. The metal arrowheads are spiral-shaped and have no fletching.

When the heavy bow was drawn, the twang of the string was enough to make everyone's teeth ache. One could already imagine that if it hit an enemy, it could directly shatter Dong Gu's head.

Xie Qianli said coldly, "Put the child down."

The child was lifted up like a chick, but Dong Gu showed no fear. Instead, he grinned and held a short knife to the child's carotid artery, loudly provoking the imperial court.

"You surnamed Xie, you can't scare me! I'm not afraid to die!"

"It's a win to have survived joining the Green Ox Army, and it's also a win to have had my fill of being a bandit. I've taken countless lives on my back, and every extra breath I take here is a win!"

"As for you high-ranking officials, your so-called Green Ox Army and Imperial Army, you're all utter rubbish!"

Dong Gu laughed and joked, but deep down there was an indescribable despair. He pressed against the child's neck; the child was trembling, and a thin line of blood appeared on his neck.

Dong Gu mumbled as if in a drunken stupor:

"I worked for the Green Ox Army and had just become a small leader when my superiors, fearing for their lives, ran away and sent me to cover their retreat. They lost an eye in the process."

"I wanted to leave the mountain and become a good man, but they knew I had served in the Green Ox Army, and even when I was begging for food, people would chase me away like a rat in the street."

"Should I just wait to die if I don't fight for it?"

"Why should I be an official just because you appoint me as one, and a bandit just because you label me one? Who do you think you are! Whether I'm an official, a bandit, or even the emperor, I decide for myself!!!"

Dong Gu's voice shook the Weiyang Hall, causing dust to fall in a flurry.

His predicament was an inevitable consequence of the widespread rebellions throughout the Qin Dynasty.

The imperial court will not tolerate rebels, and how many of the common people who participated in the rebellion were truly working for the sake of the emperor's ambitions? The common people were just desperate to survive and wanted to eat.

Dong Gu was wrong because he was cruel and inhumane, and also wrong because he was born in a chaotic era...

Ying Xi's anger towards the fugitives was mixed with a trace of pity, which ultimately stemmed from the fact that the Qin Dynasty's national fortunes had been too weak before.

At this moment, Dong Gu suddenly stepped forward, grabbing the boy and shouting, "Don't give me that pretense! Either kill me and the hostage together, or tell Ying Xi what I want!!!"

Dong Gu addressed the emperor by his given name, which terrified several people on the spot.

The bandit leader neither discussed a reasonable ransom nor wanted to save face for the imperial court. The stalemate continued, pushing the envoy for amnesty, the Longwu Army, the Luoshan bandits, and the common people at the foot of the mountain to their limits.

Just then, Ying Xi stepped out of the crowd and took a step forward.

"There's no need to send a message to Chang'an; I will speak with you personally."

At this moment, everyone faced Ying Xi. Ying Xi wiped away the makeup that had been used to subtly alter his appearance, revealing his true form. He straightened his sleeves, raised his hands slightly, and stood calmly and composed, displaying the demeanor of an emperor receiving court audiences.

Of course, many members of the Longwu Army recognized Ying Xi, and some almost lost their grip on their weapons on the spot.

One of the soldiers blurted out, "Your Majesty!?"

The word "Your Majesty" was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, shaking the entire Weiyang Hall and adding an infinitely unbelievable element to the situation at this critical juncture of life and death.

No one dared to impersonate the emperor.

What's more, he was impersonating the current emperor right in front of the Imperial Tutor and next to the Commander of the Dragon Martial Army.

He exudes an aura of authority, requiring no self-affirmation; countless subjects will express their loyalty and respect to him the moment he reveals his identity.

Xie Qianli and the others remained perfectly still in their tactical movements, their voices ringing out in unison, shaking Weiyang Hall and even the entire Luoshan Mountain: "Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live! Long live the Emperor!"

The roar made the air in Los Angeles buzz at night.

Ying Xi had already passed through the bandits and was approaching Dong Gu step by step.

Instead of retreating, Dong Gu advanced, carrying the child even further forward.

The emperor and the ruthless bandit stood face to face.

Arrows rained down on Dong Gu, as everyone feared that this bandit leader's madness would shake the very foundations of the Qin state.

Dong Gu forced a smirk: "You've come to deliver money to me in person? Or have you come to bring back your lackeys?"

The emperor said, "The common people are not bargaining chips, and their lives are priceless. I will not give you 500,000 taels of silver. Killing you is inevitable, and retreating is absolutely impossible. I will not be threatened by powerful bandits."

The emperor's words were resounding and powerful.

This completely blocked Dong Gu's path to survival and death, and firmly rejected the bandit leader's unreasonable demands, which in turn caused Dong Gu to suddenly lose his bargaining power.

The bandit leader brandished the short knife in his hand and shook the boy so hard that he cried loudly: "Do you want to be a tyrannical ruler and watch your people die?"

"The murderer is Dong Gu, the bandit leader of Luoshan. I have personally gone up the mountain to stop him. If my persuasion is ineffective, the reputation of the court will be judged by the people."

Ying Xi does not abide by any of Dong Gu's rules!

Moral blackmail is useless.

Once the value of the bargaining chips decreases, the hostages become safer.

No one expected the emperor to appear and give such an answer. The sense of guilt and anxiety among the bandits of Luoshan secretly spread throughout the bandit camp, manifested in the uncontrollable trembling of their hands holding knives.

Some of the bandits were already wavering: "I...I..."

The bandit, his chest heaving, shouted desperately, "I'm now surrendering to the imperial court! Will you accept the amnesty?!"

The experienced Zhuzhao immediately replied, "Quickly put down your weapons and come here!"

The machete clattered to the ground, and the bandit stumbled and crawled over. The two women controlled by the bandit, with the knife held to their necks for a long time, immediately collapsed and fainted.

Once there's one, there's bound to be a second.

As the machetes were thrown down, the hostages fled one after another. Suddenly, there were fewer bandits than people, and the common people kept fleeing towards the direction of the imperial envoys. There were also mountain bandits who were loyal to Dong Gu who tried to stop them.

Xie Qianli ordered, "Shoot the rioters and protect the civilians."

The archers of the Longwu Army hit their targets every time, the bowstrings twanging and crackling. After several volleys of arrows, only a few bandits remained on the other side. The hostages took advantage of the chaos to escape, but their cries and complaints were still not heard.

Because everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed intently on the final tug-of-war.

The emperor and Dong Gu showed neither joy nor anger; when they stared at each other, neither would yield, as if their gazes could be weapons.

"Release the child, and I will grant you a complete corpse," Ying Xi said arrogantly. Her voice was like a cold spring in winter, chilling and bone-chilling.

For many years, the bandit leader Dong Gu thought he could act with impunity, but only now did he realize that there are always higher powers out there!

That Qin emperor had a gentle appearance, but his personality was even more bandit-like than his!

Dong Gu's arrogance was suppressed by Ying Xi's domineering manner.

The bandit leader tried to use the little boy as a pity again, but the boy seemed to realize the situation and refused to cry no matter how much he was shaken. His dark, teary eyes looked up at the emperor, and there was blood dripping from his ears.

In traditional operas, emperors wear robes with golden dragon patterns. These emperors are high above others, and none of them would personally go to bandit camps to suppress bandits.

The little boy murmured, "Your Majesty..."

“Good lad. This man cut off your left ear, and I have decided not to leave him with a whole body. If he dares to harm you again, I will make him suffer a fate worse than death to atone for your sins for decades.”

No one can doubt the credibility of this statement.

The little boy reached out his hand.

Ying Xi shouted sternly, "Release them now!"

A glint flashed in the bandit leader's eyes. At that moment, Dong Gu quickly threw the boy out of the circle with one hand, and with the other hand pulled Ying Xi over as a shield, causing Ying Xi's body to collide tightly with his own.

Using ordinary people as hostages is no longer a viable option.

But taking the emperor hostage would certainly be more valuable, and given the close proximity, success would be guaranteed.

Dong Gu arrogantly declared, "No one can kill me, no one is worthy!!!"

At this moment, his body suddenly felt light, surrounded by golden light. It was as if he was being pulled away from this world, and his soul was slowly drifting away.

“What’s going on… this is… I…” Dong Guli panicked immediately.

The radiance illuminated the entire Weiyang Hall.

Since deciding to approach the bandit leader, Ying Xi had already planned her escape route and was well-prepared. She tightly grabbed Dong Gu's arm and pressed herself close to him. Knowing that Dong Gu was unaware of what was going on, she led him back to the study in Weiyang Palace.

Before landing, he used all his strength to kick the thug far away.

The surroundings have been transformed into the most familiar furnishings, with the soothing blue smoke of incense swirling around.

The bandit leader clutched his groin and rolled on the ground.

Ying Xi called for help: "Lang Xun!!!"