Why hasn't the food arrived yet?
"It's already noon. Honestly, the people in the city lord's mansion are so lazy. They can't compare to those in the capital."
"Has the Emperor woken up? Is it possible for us to return to the capital? Do you think the Regent will win the battle?"
"Forget it, the Regent is paralyzed, so we can forget about going back to the capital. Let's just stay here obediently."
"The food is here."
A short servant struggled to walk over carrying a bucket of rice, and as soon as he put it down, he was kicked.
"Why are you so slow? Are you trying to starve us to death? You useless piece of trash."
The servants and maids who followed behind, carrying the food, knelt down one after another, trembling with fear.
Despite being kicked, Zhou Erqian remained unfazed and whispered, "I had to chop more firewood because we didn't have enough, which is why it took a while. Please forgive me, brothers."
"snort!"
They were so hungry they were dizzy and couldn't be bothered with the brat. As soon as they lifted the lid, the aroma of meat wafted out, making their mouths water.
"Brothers, there's meat! Eat up!"
Zhou Erqian looked at her and smiled slightly. "Eat up, eat more."
"Brother, we still need to deliver food to the Emperor, so we'll take our leave now." Zhou Erqian clasped his hands in a fist salute, but the others didn't bother with him at all and waved him away.
Zhou Erqian led a group of maids and servants to the south courtyard with the food again. "Did the Imperial Guards at the gate deliver the food? They didn't forget, did they?"
The maidservant answered honestly, "I won't forget."
"Only the people from the South Campus are left?"
"Yes, the Emperor and Empress are particular about their food and it is more difficult to prepare, so it is served at the very end."
Zhou Erqian nodded in agreement.
Reaching the entrance of the South Courtyard, he glanced down at the copper coin in his palm and stepped inside.
"Your Majesty, lunch is served."
The dishes were served one by one, and Zhou Erqian then distributed all the food to the eunuchs and maids. Just as he was about to leave, a Jinyiwei guard with a face covered in blood ran in.
"Grab him! The food is poisoned! He poisoned it!"
He died from the poison after shouting.
Xiao Shunzi panicked at the sight and immediately shouted, "Grab him! Grab him now!"
Then he rushed into the room in a panic, shouting, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you can't eat this! The food is poisoned!"
The food the Empress had just brought to her mouth fell to the ground, her face pale. "What happened? Who dared to be so bold!"
Outside, Zhou Erqian was surrounded by the Imperial Guards. He held a kitchen knife in his hand and spoke to them with a sly grin.
"You want to kill me? My life is worth more than all of your Imperial Guards."
"Kill him!"
"Why hasn't Erqian come back yet?" Madam Qin looked around at the door. "Didn't he say he'd be back after going back to get something? Where has this child gone to play again?"
"I'll go take a look." Xie Yan felt a little uneasy, but Qin Shi stopped him. "You're just a child, I'll go. You go play with Sisi in the backyard."
"I'll go." Xie Yan was extremely stubborn. "Isn't my brother digging up peach tree roots in the backyard? Go help him. Since I've returned safely, it proves that the City Lord's Mansion is alright."
“There are so many servants.”
Xie Yan said helplessly, "The maid in Sister-in-law Cui Cui's room said that she feels nauseous all day. I wonder if she is pregnant. Mother, why don't you go and take a look?"
"Really?" Qin Shi was distracted and ran happily to the backyard. If she was really pregnant, she couldn't be made to work anymore.
"It's too late." Yu Chen appeared behind them.
Xie Yan frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Half an hour ago, Xu Zhen's soldiers shot and killed Wang Xian's Imperial Guards in the street, leaving none alive. Wang Xian and his men came to the Zhou residence to confiscate their property."
"You mean, Second Brother is in danger?"
"Not necessarily. If no one recognizes him as a member of the Zhou family, but he killed a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The relationship between Wuzhou and Emperor Qingyuan has been broken, and a fight is only a matter of time."
Xie Yan couldn't wait any longer, so he jumped onto the carriage, grabbed the reins, and ran towards the city lord's mansion.
At this moment, in the city lord's mansion, Sun Changjing and Zhao Tianfu argued for a long time before they realized that the medicine bag had been taken away.
After stopping a maid and asking her, Sun Changjing learned that Zhou Erqian had taken the medicine packet. Sun Changjing immediately guessed what Zhou Erqian wanted to do.
The two rushed to the South Courtyard, but it was too late. All the Imperial Guards in the South Courtyard had collapsed and died, vomiting blood.
Inside Yuxi Pavilion, maids and eunuchs were found dead. Sun Changjing found Zhou Erqian, who had been stabbed to death, in a corner.
He stood there, his chest riddled with over a dozen holes, the cleaver in his hand still slashing at the thigh of a Jinyiwei guard. He did not yield until his death.
Sun Changjing and Zhao Tianfu, two seven-foot-tall men, were now trembling and with tears in their eyes.
"Two thousand—!"
Xiao Shunzi rushed out of the house in a panic, shouting, "You, you audacious bunch, how dare you kill Imperial Guards! You want to rebel, you want to..."
Sun Changjing swung a long sword, piercing straight into his heart. The Empress, who saw this from the window, was so frightened that she trembled and dared not utter a sound.
"Send two thousand home."
"Wait!" Xie Yanhe and Chen rushed over.
As soon as they arrived, the Black and White Impermanence, who were hiding in the shade, inexplicably shivered.
Suppressing her grief, Xie Yan's voice was terribly hoarse as she said, "Uncle Sun, Uncle Zhao, just give me my second brother."
He carried Zhou Erqian on his back with all his might. Sun Changjing and Zhao Tianfu covered their faces and tears streamed down their faces. They couldn't bear to watch.
Xie Yan carried him step by step out of the South Courtyard.
He wanted to take his second brother home.
As he sank to the very end, the Black and White Impermanence sneered behind him, "He's already dead. Do you still want to save him?"
Why not?
The Black Impermanence's soul-snatching rope wrapped around his neck. "Xuanwu, you haven't merged with the Tengshe yet, so you're no match for us. Be careful, or we'll snatch your soul too!"
"Oh."
With a disdainful turn of his head, he grasped the soul-snatching rope, which vibrated with black energy.
"The moment those ten bolts of heavenly lightning struck, I stopped valuing my life. Do you think I'd be afraid?"
"You little turtle spirit, how dare you be so insolent?"
Bai Wuchang flicked his long tongue, but the moment it touched him, it was pierced halfway by an arrow.
"who?"
Bai Wuchang turned his head and saw that Sun Changjing and Zhao Tianfu had fainted at some point, while Xie Yan was covered in black energy and holding the God-Slaying Crossbow in his hand.
The Black and White Impermanence could not discern his identity, and simply assumed he was a demon who had obtained an ancient magical artifact.
The two sneered, "Mere demons, how dare you act so presumptuously in front of us? Do you want your soul to be annihilated?"
Xie Yan ignored them completely. "Fourth Brother, go find Sisi. Don't say anything, just bring her here."
"knew."
The Black and White Impermanence naturally knew who Sisi was, and they were furious. "Why don't you play by the rules, you monster? We'll fight if we want, why are you calling for reinforcements?"
"You are not qualified to fight me."
Xie Yan suppressed his anger, his demonic energy surging fiercely within him. These two brats would be easy to kill.
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