Chapter 23: Fire Fighting and Meritorious Service Liu Yeshu said anxiously, "Go and strike the gong..."
Liu Yeshu staggered into the mansion, his heart beating violently in his chest, as if it was about to burst through his ribs, and every step felt like walking on the edge of a knife.
Next to the courtyard gate, several servants on duty were lying on the ground in a mess, snoring one after another.
She quickly squatted down and slapped the cheeks of the two nearest yamen runners. "Wake up! Wake up!" Her voice was slightly sharp due to her nervousness. Finally, one of them dazedly opened his eyes, and the other began to moan faintly.
Liu Yeshu didn't bother to explain and shouted loudly: "There's a fire! Fire! It's on fire!" The sound was particularly harsh in the silent night.
The yamen runner who had just opened his eyes suddenly sat up, with confusion and bewilderment in his eyes.
"Fire...fire?" he muttered, his voice hoarse and his tongue tied. Suddenly, his eyes widened, as if he finally understood what Liu Yeshu said. "Oh my God! It's really on fire!"
The other yamen runner finally regained consciousness. He staggered to his feet, his steps unsteady, and he nearly fell to the ground again. "What happened? I...how did I fall asleep?" He rubbed his temples, his expression filled with confusion and self-blame.
"Don't worry about it!" Liu Yeshu said anxiously, "Go beat the drums and gongs and wake everyone up! We have to put out the fire immediately!"
The two yamen runners exchanged a glance, finally realizing the seriousness of the situation. One of them stumbled into the courtyard to look for the gong, while the other stumbled out to wake the others.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The dull sound of the gong echoed in the silent night sky, like an alarm bell, waking up the sleeping general's mansion.
Only Liu Yeshu was left there, and she felt as if someone was staring at her.
A chill ran up her spine, and she suddenly realized that there might be something else behind the fire, and that there might be people with bad intentions hiding in the dark. She didn't dare to shout anymore.
She held her breath and retreated cautiously, her eyes scanning the shadows around her vigilantly. She looked back to observe the spread of the fire while quickening her pace and running back.
At this moment, she suddenly bumped into a strong body. She was frightened as if she had seen a ghost. She screamed and looked left and right for a chance to dodge.
"What's going on?" A strong hand clasped her shoulder, and a scent of sandalwood wafted in her face.
Only then did Liu Yeshu calm down and look up, and saw the person clearly in the light of the fire.
"General Qi, I feel someone..."
In that split second, a hint of alert flashed in Qi Yu's eyes. He suddenly pulled Liu Yeshu into his arms, and at the same time rolled over, bringing her heavily to the ground.
"Swoosh!" A sharp sound of breaking through the air passed by where they had just stood. It was a row of silver needles that had been deeply inserted into the ground several inches!
Qi Yu quickly stood up, his eyes scanning the surroundings fiercely. His hand, as quick as lightning, pulled a gleaming dagger from his sleeve. With a flick of his wrist, the dagger shot out like a streak of silver light, darting in the direction of the hidden weapon.
A muffled groan was heard in the darkness, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.
"There's an assassin!" Qi Yu growled, "I'll chase him, you go and call for help to put out the fire!" After that, his figure instantly disappeared into the night.
Liu Yeshu's heart palpitations still lingered, but now was not the time to panic. She stood up, not even bothering to brush off the dust, and ran towards the nearest servants' quarters.
"Wake up! There's a fire!" She banged on the door and shouted loudly.
There was a chaotic noise from inside the door, and soon a sleepy servant opened it.
"Hurry! There's a fire!" Liu Yeshu said anxiously, "Go wake up the others, we have to put out the fire immediately!"
When the servant heard this, he immediately woke up, nodded quickly, and turned to wake up the others.
Liu Yeshu didn't stop and continued to run to the next room. Soon, more and more people were awakened, and the mansion was suddenly in chaos.
"Everyone, don't panic!" Liu Yeshu shouted, raising her voice. "Go get a bucket first! Go get some water from the well!"
She quickly glanced around and saw that the flames had begun to lick the eaves of the kitchen. The situation was critical. Liu Yeshu took a deep breath, found a gong on the wall, and struck it while directing.
"You five," she pointed to several strong servants, "go to the well and fetch water immediately! Hurry!"
Turning to another group, he said, "Line up here. We're going to form a human chain passing buckets. Remember, be steady and don't spill the water!" Liu Yeshu joined the human chain herself, passing buckets while continuing to give orders: "There should be some burlap in the kitchen. Go get it! Soak it in water and pat the small flames!"
She noticed a few people looking bewildered and immediately shouted, "Don't just stand there! Go find some sand and put out the scattered sparks!"
A firefighting team gradually formed, buckets of water were passed quickly through the human chain, and the sound of wet cloths slapping could be heard one after another. Liu Yeshu kept running around, sometimes helping to pass water, sometimes giving directions.
"Be careful over there!" She suddenly noticed that the fire was spreading to the west, and she struck the gong loudly to warn, "The fire here is almost out, go west quickly, we can't let the fire spread to the main house!"
With everyone working together, the fire was finally brought under control. The smoke began to dissipate, revealing the charred remains of the kitchen.
Liu Yeshu wiped the sweat from his forehead and was about to organize people to clean up the scene when he heard hurried footsteps.
She turned and saw Qi Yu striding towards her with a solemn expression. His robe was covered in dust, and it was obvious that he had been through a fierce chase.
"General!" Liu Yeshu stepped forward quickly, "Have you caught the assassin?"
Qi Yu shook his head, frowning. "That man was extremely agile. He finally jumped onto the roof and escaped." He glanced at the fire that had been put out. "What's the situation here?"
Just as Liu Yeshu was about to answer, a commotion erupted from nearby. Several yamen runners were escorting a man towards them. The man was struggling desperately and shouting something.
Liu Yeshu took a closer look and couldn't help but gasp: "Yang Qing?"
Qi Yu's eyes sternly asked, "What's going on?"
A yamen runner stepped forward to report, "General, we caught this guy at the back door trying to escape. He said he was an accomplice from the kitchen, but his behavior is very suspicious."
Yang Qing stared at Qi Yu and said coldly, "I'm just scared and want to escape."
Liu Yeshu asked, "There was a fire today, and everyone hasn't woken up yet. I'm afraid someone tampered with the food. And in the mansion, except for the general's food, the rest were prepared by you. Brother Yang, how do you explain this?"
Yang Qing was about to speak when there was another commotion. He saw several people supporting a wounded man who was walking towards him. The man was covered in wounds and looked in pain.
"Butler Zhao!" Liu Yeshu exclaimed and hurried forward to check.
Butler Zhao said weakly, "I'm fine. I was just accidentally burned while putting out the fire. Qing'er? What's wrong with you..."
Qi Yu's face was gloomy. "Come here, send Butler Zhao to the clinic for treatment first. As for him..." He looked at Yang Qing, "detain him first, and then send him to the government office."
When Yang Qing heard this, his face changed suddenly, but he remained silent. He looked at Butler Zhao, a complicated look flashed in his eyes, and let the servants push him down and drag him away.
Liu Yeshu was still pondering the hidden story behind the incident, but she saw Qi Yu's eyes fall on her: "Miss Liu, come with me, I have something to ask you."
Liu Yeshu's heart tightened, but she still straightened her back, followed Qi Yu's footsteps, and followed Qi Yu to a secluded courtyard.
"Miss Liu, how did you discover the fire tonight?" Qi Yu went straight to the point, but his expression was rather casual.
Liu Yeshu took a deep breath and told the truth: "General, I was awakened by the heat in the house. At first I thought it was a dream, but when I smelled something burning, I immediately got up to check, and that's when I discovered that the kitchen was on fire."
Qi Yu nodded thoughtfully: "You reacted quickly this time and did a good job."
Liu Yeshu felt a little relieved, but then she heard Qi Yu ask again, "You've worked with Yang Qing for many days, have you noticed anything unusual about him?"
Liu Yeshu hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell the truth: "General, although Yang Qing is usually taciturn, I once discovered that he..." She told Qi Yu that she had discovered Yang Qing peeking at her headscarf.
Qi Yu frowned upon hearing this: "Are you saying that he wants to use this incident to replace you?"
Liu Yeshu shook her head slightly, a trace of worry between her brows. "At the time, I just thought he was resentful because Master left. Now it seems that things may not be that simple." She paused for a moment, her fingers unconsciously twisting together. "It's just that I don't talk to him often, so I really can't guess his true motives."
Qi Yu frowned slightly upon hearing this. He slowly stood up, walked to the window, and cast his gaze into the night sky. Moonlight shone on his tall figure, casting a faint silver glow on him. After a moment's silence, he turned and his gaze fell on Liu Yeshu.
"Butler Zhao seems to know this man very well," Qi Yu said in a low and steady voice. "When his injuries are better, I will go and ask him in person." At this point, his eyes softened a little. "You were also frightened today."
He took a few steps closer, wanting to pat Liu Yeshu's shoulder, but then retracted his hand. "The room you originally lived in was burned down and is uninhabitable." Qi Yu paused, as if weighing his words. "How about... you temporarily stay in the room in the courtyard next door. It's usually prepared for guests and has been cleaned."
After saying that, he cleared his throat unconsciously and added, "This way, if there are any abnormal situations again, we can respond in time."
Liu Yeshu thanked him respectfully and turned to leave, but she felt strange in her heart. She always felt that the general asked her to come just to say a few final words, but she also felt that she was too nervous and worried too much tonight.
Suddenly, there was a dull sound behind her. She turned around and saw Qi Yu lying on the ground.
"General!" she exclaimed and ran back quickly.
Qi Yu tried to support his body, but it was obvious that he was unable to do so. His face turned pale and beads of sweat oozed from his forehead.
Liu Yeshu knelt beside Qi Yu and carefully supported his shoulders: "General, what's wrong with you?"
Qi Yu waved his hand. "Nothing serious. Just a few minor injuries from the pursuit." As soon as he finished speaking, his pupils suddenly dilated, his breathing became rapid and shallow, and a flicker of pain and surprise flashed in his eyes. He tried to say something, but only uttered a faint grunt before losing consciousness and collapsing heavily into Liu Yeshu's arms.
Liu Yeshu panicked and called for help. Several guards rushed over and carried Qi Yu to the bed in the inner room.
"The doctor in the mansion was injured while fighting the fire, and another doctor has been sent for help."
Qi Yu's face had turned pale, his lips an abnormal shade of purple. His body twitched slightly from time to time, his brow furrowed, and he was clearly in great pain.
She suddenly remembered something and called out in her heart, "Baike, do you have any way to save the general?"
The system's voice then rang out: [Patient's symptoms detected, suspected to be poisoned by "Soul-Condensing Powder." This is a strange poison that can rapidly lower body temperature and cause internal organ failure.]
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