After burying the second grandmother, the people of the Earl's family began to enjoy the spring sunshine on the mountain.

The old lady, accompanied by her fourth aunt and fifth aunt, went to the mountain to see the blooming peach blossoms and the golden rapeseed flowers.

The lush forests on the mountain contain many mushrooms in the humus beneath the trees.

The old lady, in a burst of childlike enthusiasm, pulled her fourth aunt to act as a little girl picking mushrooms.

Madam Tu was accompanied by Xie Xiangxiang and others, and a servant carried a sedan chair along with her.

Xie Zhaozhao did not go with them; instead, she took Yuanyuan and Manman and explored the area around the Gu family cemetery.

Pingyang Town is located to the north of the mountain, and the sunny side of the mountain has been occupied by villages and towns on the south side. In order to secure a good feng shui location for the cemetery, the Gu family had no choice but to build the cemetery on the sunny side, above the halfway point on the mountainside.

The vertical distance from here to the town is two or three miles, and the road leading up the mountain is at least ten miles. The surrounding area is all forest. Although the Gu family has cleared the weeds from the cemetery, the trees and shrubs on the mountain are still very lush and can block out the sun.

There are no houses on the mountain. On the sunny side, there are local cemeteries or forests below, and on the shady side, there is a cliff.

If thieves block the sunny side of the mountain path, it will be very difficult for people on the mountain to escape.

They stood on the edge of the cliff and looked down. The cliffs were steep and the trees were sparse. They felt a little dizzy.

Although there is a large stream at the foot of the mountain, the chances of falling off this sheer cliff without being seriously injured are very slim.

Xie Zhaozhao returned to the place where she jumped off the cliff in her previous life. The pine tree that saved her life was still there. In her previous life, she was caught on a branch of this pine tree, her clothes were hooked, and she was hanging there. Fortunately, she was seen by a couple named Mu Yu at the foot of the mountain and they saved her. Otherwise, she would have been crippled if not killed.

In this life, she has no need for this pine tree, and she will not choose to jump off the cliff.

She had already planned the route.

If you encounter danger, exit from the west gate, signal, and run towards the mountains and forests near the cemetery. Then descend the mountain through the cemetery woods. Once you reach the town at the foot of the mountain, you will be safe.

The sun set, and it gradually got dark.

The group lit a campfire on the mountain, boiled water, and roasted bread, treating it as a camping trip. Although it was very dark around them, the experience was quite magical.

They were all as excited as children.

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, they went to their second grandmother's grave to burn some wheat straw. Then they came back and talked about the beautiful scenery on the mountain that day, and thought about going to the mountain to pick mushrooms and roast them tomorrow.

Xie Zhaozhao ate her food and whispered to Yuanyuan, "Keep an eye on Aunt Yue. Follow her whenever she goes out."

In the middle of the night, a mountain wind blew up, and the chill of March was biting. Everyone from the Earl's mansion and several aunts and sisters-in-law from the Gu family stayed with them, all wrapped tightly in their blankets and closed the doors and windows.

Yuan Yuanman hadn't slept at all, remaining vigilant. Gradually, he heard the faint sound of horses' hooves coming from among the rustling pines.

Then footsteps sounded, the sound carried by the wind, getting closer and clearer.

Yuan Yuanman immediately woke Xie Zhaozhao: "Miss, someone is here."

Xie Zhaozhao was initially nervous and had only taken off her coat. Upon hearing this, she immediately put on her overcoat and lit the lantern.

Looking through the window at the scattered lights on the mountainside, there were even more people than in my previous life.

She stood up and went next door to call out to her fifth aunt and fourth aunt: "Fifth aunt, fourth aunt, it seems there are people outside."

Fifth Aunt and Fourth Aunt were so frightened that they jumped up. They had been preparing for the funeral for almost twenty days, working in the fields, taking care of their children and grandchildren, and busy with the funeral arrangements. They were exhausted, but when they heard that there were bad people, they were immediately sober.

Just as they were about to go out to see what was happening, screams came from the family members guarding the mountainside.

It seems the bandits first took control of the men of the Gu family halfway up the mountain.

Before long, the footsteps became more frequent and clear. The servants of the Earl's Mansion and several teenagers from the Gu family who were guarding the perimeter shouted loudly, "Madam, Madam, there's a thief!"

The old lady woke up from her dream in a fright, still somewhat dazed.

Ta Xue quickly lit the lamp and helped her up. The old lady asked in a panic, "What happened?"

Ta Xue, still shaken, said, "Madam, it seems there are bad people around."

"Then quickly tell Gu Yongtai and the others to call for help!" the old lady said angrily. "What kind of mess has Yongtai made?"

The people on the mountain quickly gathered together, and the lights were turned on.

The old lady, Madam Tu, Madam Lu, Fifth Aunt, Fourth Aunt, and other older women gathered together, and all the legitimate daughters, wives, and concubines were called to assemble in the main hall.

There was also a gate to this courtyard on the mountain. The old lady said to Xie Zhaozhao, "Tell your servants to guard the gate tightly and absolutely not let anyone in."

Xie Zhaozhao said, "I have already told them."

Unfortunately, there were no tools on the mountain, and apart from a few gatekeepers, they were all unarmed women.

Soon, the sound of footsteps filled the air. Xie Zhaozhao and the others looked out the window and saw torches all around them, along with the voices of the thieves.

"Send someone to discuss this..."

The old lady called to Fifth Aunt, "Quickly arrange for someone to go and talk to them."

Fifth Aunt shouted outside, "Fourth Star, go and talk to them. Tell them to leave immediately. Tell them that everyone here is from the Pingyang Marquis's mansion in the capital. If they know what's good for them, they should leave right away."

Si Xingzi is the clan chief's youngest son, and he is fifteen years old this year.

He opened the door and went out to talk, trembling with fear. Soon after, Sixingzi returned and said in despair, "When they heard that I was from the Marquis of Pingyang's residence, they demanded money. They would only leave if they could get a thousand strings of cash."

Upon hearing this, the old lady immediately said, "You scoundrels! A thousand strings of cash! Why don't they just rob us? Tell them we went up the mountain to guard the forest and didn't bring any money. If they don't leave, be careful my son finds out and leads troops to wipe them out."

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