On March 29th, it rained heavily.
The eaves were beating out dense drumbeats, which gathered into streams and poured down from between the tiles, like countless transparent small waterfalls. The bluestone slabs in the courtyard of the post house were washed to a cold gleam, and the accumulated water reflected the dim candlelight coming through the window frames on the second floor.
Shen Ning looked at the rain, not knowing why, but always had a bad feeling.
The envoys from Russia and Japan are going to Beijing together. Logically, the Japanese should not attack her and the Jia family, but what if they meet some self-righteous fools?
Many times, a bad guy's hard work is not as good as a stupid person's sudden inspiration.
Shen Ning is not afraid of meeting smart bad guys, but is afraid of meeting those "persistent" stupid people.
"Someone come."
"Mrs!"
"Prepare the car!" Shen Ning didn't want to stay in the posthouse any longer, "Get on board."
Now?
Everyone was shocked.
"Madam, it's raining heavily outside."
Wen Peilan quickly pulled Jia Yue into her arms and tied her up while wanting to raise objections.
"Mother!"
Jia Zhen, who was also watching the rain in the corridor, objected immediately, "I'm afraid we can't leave now. The rain is too heavy and it will be dangerous to sail."
"Then let's go to the inn in the city."
Shen Ning was deeply worried, "Zhen'er, here..., I always feel uneasy."
Jia Zhen was startled, and was sure that his mother's face was really bad, so he hurriedly said, "Son will arrange it right away."
Since my mother thinks this place is not good, let's change to another one to give her peace of mind.
"Don't worry, we'll leave once we're done."
He was about to raise his voice to ask everyone to pack up and move when he heard someone below him calling out urgently, "Who is it?"
Whoosh~ Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~~~~Just as everyone was on alert, dense crossbow arrows shot from the front.
When the screams sounded below, there was movement on the roof where Shen Ning was.
Xiaodong and his three companions did not dare to delay and moved quickly, in groups of two. When they drew their swords to guard the two windows, there were two "clang" sounds and the window door was kicked open. Two men in black rushed in quickly and saw them rolling on the ground, ready to kill anyone they saw.
Xiaodong and his three companions, who were well prepared, would never let them get up.
Four big swords chopped out at the same time.
Boom boom~~~Jiao Da had already practiced this kind of battle of breaking windows and doors with all of them.
It would be the stupidest thing to stay in front of the window at this time. Normally when the enemy breaks through the window, they enter with their feet first. If you attack them at this time, it is easy for them to lean over and get hurt. The best option is to let them come in with their whole body and then attack from behind.
Blood splattered everywhere and the two men in black were chopped down in an instant.
But at the same time, many crossbow arrows shot in through the broken windows with the sound of breaking through the air.
At this time, Chen Ning had already been protected by Wen Peilan to the corner. Xiaodong and the others felt that something was wrong, so they lay down on the ground without hesitation, and quickly spun on the ground and took their positions again.
Sure enough, after a wave of arrows, two more men in black came in through the window on the roof.
Bang! Jia Zhen, who had shrunk to the other corner, fired a shot without hesitation.
“Ah~~~”
The man in black who was hit screamed and fell down the stairs.
The other one was also quickly hacked to death by Xiaodong and his four close collaborators.
Rong Ge'er from next door heard something was wrong and quickly dispatched the guards to protect the second floor.
The stairs are a must-defend place.
They couldn’t take care of the brothers on the first floor for the time being, but nothing must happen to their grandmother on the second floor.
When the four palace guards rushed in to protect him, Rong Ge'er also stuffed the musket he had just obtained yesterday into the hands of the palace guard Qi Youding.
Bang~ After making sure that his wife was safe for the time being, Qi Youding went downstairs to provide support without hesitation.
"Give it to me, Yue'er."
When Chen Ning handed his musket to one of the palace guards, he also shouted urgently to Wen Peilan.
The little girl originally thought that Auntie Lan was playing with her and even giggled a few times, but she was immediately frightened by the screams of the men in black and the sound of her brother's gun. She pouted her little mouth and was about to burst into tears.
Wen Peilan didn't dare to delay. She pulled the knot hard and sent Xiao Yue'er and the blanket to Chen Ning.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, mother is here."
The window next door was kicked in with a bang. Qi Youding's musket was ready again, and he aimed and fired with a bang.
At the same time, the guards on the second floor quickly separated the two and hacked at the one who had escaped.
But the new man in black was holding a strange-looking weapon - a sickle, and was dancing in front of him so tightly that he was impenetrable.
Behind him, several people rushed in one after another.
"Guard the door!"
Qi Youding screamed.
At the same time, the palace guards holding the Shen Ning muskets came to support without hesitation.
Bang~ The man in black in front quickly dodged, but the one who just jumped in was unlucky and almost fell down.
Just when Shen Ning wanted people here to come over for support, several pottery jars smashed in with a few whooshing sounds.
Bang, bang, bang~~Two pottery jars were smashed in mid-air by Xiaobei and Xiaonan's swords, and two more fell to the ground and shattered as well. Pungent smoke spread in an instant.
"retreat!"
Wen Peilan hurriedly protected Shen Ning and retreated to the door.
Xiaodong and the others also realized that something was wrong, so they quickly held their breath and retreated.
Jia Zhen ran the fastest without any burden, but as soon as he stepped out, a man in black broke through the encirclement next door.
The knife flashed like snow, and in a blink of an eye, two guards fell down.
Bang~Qi Youding finally fired another shot.
Shen Ning left the room and listened to the sound of fighting getting closer and closer downstairs, cold sweat oozing from her forehead.
At this time, she didn't dare to take her daughter to any other room.
She and Jia Zhen retreated to the stairs without hesitation.
At this moment, three men in black broke through the tiles on the roof, and at the same time, the sickles in their hands whistled.
Whoosh~ The escort guarding the stairs did not dare to delay and smashed the scabbard at the first person who rushed down.
Bang! He hit him, but the man's sickle also rushed towards Jia Zhen.
Bu~ Shou'er, who was hiding at the door of the other room, saw that something was wrong and rushed over to protect Jia Zhen.
The sickle dug deep into his shoulder.
"Ah!" Shou'er cried out in pain. Wen Peilan, who had rushed out, suddenly moved, grabbed the chain, and pulled it hard, pulling the man in black towards himself. At the same time, Xiaodong, who had rushed out, chopped him down with a knife.
Boom~The man’s head fell off on the spot.
Pah pah~~When Wen Peilan succeeded in her sword attack, she let go of the sickle that was still attached to Shou'er and swung the whip towards the second man in black.
Bang! Jia Zhen fired a shot in anger, hitting the second man in black in the face.
At this moment, the man in black downstairs untied the bamboo tube from his waist and smashed it towards the second floor.
Shen Ning, who was crouching down with her daughter in her arms, saw it clearly. When she suspected that it was some kind of poison again, she deeply regretted bringing her daughter with her.
At this time, Xiao Yue'er was crying so hard.
No sooner said than done, an escort jumped up and kicked the bamboo tube down again.
With a "bang", a dazzling fire broke out and the first floor was illuminated as if it were daytime.
Both the man in black and the guard downstairs were blinded in an instant.
As they screamed and covered their eyes, the escort who kicked the bamboo tube rushed down with his eyes half closed and a big knife in his hand.
Boom boom~~~Although his eyes were blinded by the light, he still remembered the positions of his brothers clearly.
He half-closed his eyes and slashed at the man in black who was crying out in pain.
"The wind is strong, hurry up~"
A whistle was heard in the distance. It turned out that the man in black who was shooting the crossbow on the other side had been secretly captured by the four military officers stranded in the post house.
The man in black who still wanted to fight upstairs made sure he had no chance, so he fled to the roof and window before Wen Peilan and others made another move.
Bang! The palace guard holding Shen Ning's rifle shot at the last person, who fell out of the window with a bang.
“Ah~~~~”
The screams were deafening.
It was only at this moment that Shen Ning's body softened, and she sat on the wooden board, holding her crying daughter.
…
In the Xuzhou prefectural government office, Prefect Qi Zixiu was also reading the letter sent to him by his teacher in Beijing.
Recently, although good news has been coming from both the north and the south, it cannot be denied that Dazhao is facing the risk of fighting on several fronts.
Especially, the Rakshasa Kingdom and the Japanese Kingdom actually cooperated together.
If things go wrong, Japan might attack Korea again like the previous dynasty, or directly attack the coastal towns of Dazhao.
Da Zhao can defend one, two, and three sides, but it is very likely that it cannot defend the fourth side.
Qi Zixiu knew that the teacher wanted to compromise, but the emperor...
The emperor has been feeling depressed for the past few years. Now that he holds great power and has won battles in a row, it seems difficult to get him to give in at this time.
Qi Zixiu couldn't help but sigh.
"My Lord, my Lord~"
The master rushed in, tumbling and crawling, "My lord, something bad has happened. An assassin has assassinated Madam Shen of Ningguo Mansion in the inn outside the city."
What? Qi Zixiu thought he was hallucinating.
The Jia family is no longer what it used to be.
After Jia Daihua and Jia Daishan passed away, Jia Jing, the most capable of the third generation, also died.
Although in Qi Zixiu's heart, his death was worthwhile, as he helped the emperor and Dazhao, the third generation of the Jia family was left without anyone after his death! Jia She can eat, drink and have fun, but not anything else.
Jia Zheng was simply a joke in the officialdom. I heard that he died some time ago, and his death was extremely ignominious.
In the fourth generation, apart from Jia Lian, there was no one else in the court.
A Jia family like this is really not worth anyone's efforts.
Even though Madam Shen of Ningguo Mansion is very powerful, Jia Zhen, who inherited the title, is not very capable, and her grandchildren are still young.
unless……
Thinking of a possibility, he stood up all of a sudden, “How is Mrs. Shen?”
“Mrs. Shen inhaled poisonous smoke, and the one who attacked was most likely a Japanese pirate.”
Toxic smoke?
In all likelihood, they are Japanese pirates.
"Quick, gather the people and go to the posthouse."
When he arrived there with a group of yamen runners, three doctors had already been invited into the inn.
Four of the Jia family guards downstairs died, three were seriously injured, and three were slightly injured.
It can be said that among the ten people, none of them was intact.
Two people died upstairs, Shou'er was seriously injured, Xiaodong and others also inhaled some poisonous smoke, and now their eyes are tearing and their throats are sore.
Even Shen Ning herself was not having an easy time.
A lot of blood was splattered on her body during the assassination.
Although he had killed people himself, he had no worries before, but this time his daughter Jia Yue was there.
When Qi Zixiu arrived, the inn had already vacated two more rooms.
The military officers who rescued them were very excited when they confirmed that they had rescued people from Ningguo Mansion.
The bodies of the men in black were laid out in a row. After a body search, it was confirmed from the crotch cloths on their lower bodies that they were Japanese.
These Japanese pirates are really crazy.
"I am late in coming to your rescue, please forgive me, sir!"
When Qi Zixiu saw Jia Zhen, he bowed to him immediately.
The eighteen corpses lined up in a row had different causes of death. From their appearance, it was clear that the Jia family and the generals who supported them had gone through a bloody battle.
Fortunately, there are officers who stayed behind, otherwise...
"Don't talk about that."
Jia Zhen's face turned pale, and he waved his hand and said, "It's the Japanese pirates, it has nothing to do with you."
Mother and sister could no longer follow them south.
My father will surely understand.
"My mother and sister are not feeling well. They will stay in Xuzhou for a while. Sir Qi, please take care of them."
“…I should.”
Qi Zixiu paused for a moment, and then he knew what Jia Zhen was going to do. "I will welcome Madam Shen to the government office right away."
The journey of Jia Jing's coffin back home was extremely difficult.
But it can happen once and not again.
Although Confucius does not speak of strange and supernatural things, there are still some things that people in the world are in awe of.
Especially after Jia Jing's coffin was sent back, two more people in the Jia family died one after another.
"Wait a moment, let my mother take a break first."
Jia Zhen said, "Now please write a letter to report the assassination here."
The Japanese envoys still want to enter Beijing?
Enter his grandma.
"yes!"
How dare Qi Zixiu not agree? The Japanese pirates were causing chaos in Xuzhou, which was under his jurisdiction. Regardless of whether Mrs. Shen and Jia Zhen were safe or not, the emperor would probably blame them.
In the next three years, it would be good if I don’t get demoted.
"In my house..., there are also six people missing."
Jia Zhen's eyes were slightly red. "We need to borrow the posthouse here to stop for a while, sir..." He gritted his teeth, "Please, sir, hang the bodies of those Japanese on the city wall for seven days as a warning to the public."
Isn't it going to be an assassination? Come again if you have the guts!
Shen Ning, who had recovered from her breath, said nothing when she heard Jia Zhen's handling of the Japanese pirates.
But stop, or go back to the capital...
Shen Ning couldn't make up her mind for a moment.
Whether she goes south, returns to Beijing, or stays in Xuzhou temporarily, it may not be safe.
Now that those Japanese pirates have set their sights on her, they will do it again if it happens once.
Especially since they also use poison.
As a family, we are together when in danger.
separate……
It also means that the guards have to be dispersed.
Even if I hire someone else...
"Mother, please go to the Xuzhou government office first. I will find a few escort companies and hire more people. As for father, I can go alone. Rong will accompany you and your sister. If father is still alive, he will definitely understand."
My son’s reaction today was not bad.
Since Jia Zhen could not protect his mother and younger sister himself, he had to leave his son behind.
“…Let’s not talk about that for now.”
Shen Ning rubbed his brows, "Save our officers..."
"My son has already thanked me."
Jia Zhen said, "My son will write a memorial to the emperor to ask for their merits. If you want to return to the capital with them..."
"No."
Shen Ning shook her head.
This time, it has caused a lot of trouble for others.
"Please let me take it easy first."
"Mother, if you don't go back, what if the Japanese delegation gets to the capital before us? Wouldn't that be a bargain for them?"
“…”
Shen Ning raised her eyes and glanced at him.
Even if she returned to Beijing, it would be unlikely for her to stop the Xiao Rizi delegation from entering Beijing.
If they dare to work with the Russians, they must have new ambitions.
The Japanese pirate rebellion of the previous dynasty might happen again in Dazhao soon.
They don't need to win the battle, they just need to harass.
After a long time..., some people will probably blame their family.
Shen Ning said: "For the people in the delegation, don't think about anything for the time being. You just need to report what happened here to the emperor and the Ministry of War truthfully."
The emperor and the ministers in the court will ask the delegation for an explanation.
It is because they are impatient to find a place on their own that they will suffer the consequences. (End of this chapter)
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