Chapter 394: Master's Firearms
Shen Yuexi felt her head buzzing.
In her previous life, she liked to do research quietly in the laboratory, and occasionally call friends to get together with just a few people.
Now, the entire lobby of the Leshan County government office was filled with officials, all surrounding her and Xiao Zhuo, chattering and gabbing. Their official uniforms were embroidered with all sorts of birds and beasts; she had no idea what they represented, but it was simply dazzling. Some had long beards, some short. Some had white hair, some had black hair; some were tall, some were thin, some were short, some were fat...
Everyone was criticizing Xiao Beiheng and his mother, spitting everywhere, and the words "filled with indignation" were almost written on their faces.
"That traitor Xiao Beiheng will surely perish from his own evil deeds."
"It turns out that the Queen Mother is the mastermind behind all this, conspiring with her son to usurp the throne of Great Yan."
"It's a pity that the late emperor failed to recognize her true identity. Fortunately, Prince An is brave and resourceful. This is truly a great blessing for the country."
When Xiao Zhuo was exiled, none of these guys stood up to speak for him. Later, when Xiao Beiheng killed his father to ascend the throne, they remained silent. Now that Xiao Zhuo had triumphed, they all stood up and shouted, demanding the capture of Pei Jingyun and Xiao Beiheng, instantly transforming into courageous and passionate men.
Shen Yuexi couldn't stand it, but Xiao Zhuo didn't mind, dealing with the officials one by one, moving forward and backward with ease. She needed Xiao Zhuo's personal protection and couldn't leave on her own, so she had to sit next to Xiao Zhuo and play with the corner of her clothes.
The original plan was that after entering the city, she and Xiao Zhuo would go to the prison to question Jiao Yong in person, but this group of officials kept them busy, so they sent Qi Shengjue to ask.
After playing with the corner of his clothes for a while, Qi Shengjue came into the hall and reported: "Prince An, Jiao Yong refused to reveal the whereabouts of the Queen Mother. He said that only you and Princess An personally go to ask him, then he will tell you."
The officials were chattering, and when they heard the news, they became even more excited.
"A mere county magistrate dares to shout at His Majesty... Oh, slip of the tongue, it was Prince An."
"Prince An will ascend the throne soon. Why not address him as Your Majesty now?"
"Lord Li, your opinion is excellent. Now that the Imperial Seal is in Prince An's hands, the country cannot remain without a ruler for even a day. Upon our return to the capital, we will report to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and quickly appoint a new ruler."
Everyone was talking excitedly when Xiao Zhuo stood up and bowed, saying, "My Lords, although Jiao Yong is only a county magistrate, the information he holds is extremely important. Please allow me and the princess to handle this matter first."
Xiao Zhuo was polite to everyone, and the officials all felt very appreciated. They all stood up to return the greeting. The Prime Minister said, "Then we will not bother Prince An and the Princess. We hope Prince An will arrest the rebels as soon as possible."
They acted quite quickly. When they learned that Xiao Zhuo had won, the Ministry of Justice issued an arrest warrant, ordering government offices in all places to quickly arrest Xiao Beiheng and Pei Jingyun. The effect was better than nothing.
Shen Yuexi was sitting there feeling bored, and when she saw that she finally had a chance to escape, she quickly stood up and followed Xiao Zhuo out of the lobby.
The officials accompanied him all the way to the lobby door before returning and starting to talk again.
Seeing that everyone had gone away, Shen Yuexi whispered to Xiao Zhuo, "My husband is really able to sit still. With so many officials talking so much, it's making me dizzy."
Xiao Zhuo smiled and said, "It's human nature to strive for personal gain. Although they are noisy, they are all talented people. Great Yan's territory is vast, and I can't rule it alone. Sometimes I get very annoyed, so I still have to be patient with them."
Shen Yuexi said: "So my husband is also impatient. Being an emperor is really hard work. You have to face so many people all day long."
She had always thought that the emperor must have a carefree life, but now it seemed that it was also a tiring job.
The two men arrived at the prison in the backyard of the county government office. This place was heavily defended by the army, airtight, with a guard post every three steps and a sentry every five steps, specially set up to guard Jiao Yong.
Jiao Yong's cell was for serious criminals. It was built entirely of solid bluestone, with iron bars barely thicker than a child's arm. There was a single skylight, two feet long and one foot high, for ventilation, also sealed with bars. Only an arm's length was visible. The entire cell was filled with a dark, damp smell.
When Shen Yuexi and Xiao Zhuo entered the cell, Jiao Yong was already sitting there waiting.
He was wearing prison clothes, his hair and beard were messy, and his wrists and ankles were shackled. When he saw Xiao Zhuo and Shen Yuexi coming, he raised his hand and pointed to the chair opposite and said, "Please sit down."
Opposite him was a chair, which had been occupied by the interrogator. Shen Yuexi, unyielding, sat down opposite Jiao Yong, with Xiao Zhuo standing beside her.
"Jiao Yong, you now know why we're here," Shen Yuexi said, "Do you know the assassin organization called Ni Tian?"
"Of course I know," Jiao Yong rolled his eyes. "They were trained by the master, and they are all women. On a daily basis, these assassins are responsible for communicating between us and the master."
Xiao Zhuo asked, "The scimitars used by these assassins seem very powerful?"
Jiao Yong smiled, crossed his legs, and said, "It seems that Prince An has already fought against these assassins?"
Xiao Zhuo nodded and said, "That's right, their swords are very tough, unlike ordinary weapons."
Jiao Yong said, "That's a very natural thing. The descendant of Master Xu, who forged the Yanque Sword, now serves under the master. With his abilities, it wouldn't be difficult for him to forge a superior weapon."
Shen Yuexi remembered that the captives in the border army camp had mentioned this before, and interrupted, "He also made the black light armor, right?"
"Yes, actually," Jiao Yong raised his eyelids, his gaze vaguely passing through Shen Yuexi's shoulder and looking at the skylight behind her, "In fact, Master Xu can not only forge scimitars, but also more advanced weapons..."
Atop a tower towering above the courtyard wall, directly opposite the prison's skylight, two exceptionally skilled female assassins watched the proceedings from within. Trained as assassins since childhood, they each lacked real names: Xun and Xue.
They had anticipated that Xiao Zhuo and Shen Yuexi would come to question Jiao Yong, so they ambushed here in advance and intended to assassinate the two.
Shen Yuexi faced Jiao Yong with her back to the skylight. Her body blocked Jiao Yong, while the back of her head was exposed in the skylight.
"I originally thought that Xiao Zhuo would sit down, but I didn't expect it to be Shen Yuexi." The tall assassin Xun took out a musket from behind, tore off the cloth wrapping, and placed it on the windowsill.
The musket's barrel was a long iron tube set into a streamlined wooden frame, with a buttstock at the back for shoulder support. Meticulously forged by the descendants of Master Xu, it was a firearm not available on the market during the Great Yan Dynasty.
Another assassin, Xue, who was slightly shorter, smiled and said, "Anyway, the master said we must kill them both, no matter who we hit. Jiao Yong has already lured them into a trap as planned. I'm a little worried about you. It's a full three hundred feet away, and with the wind blowing, can you hit them?"
Xun snorted coldly and said, "Even if it's fifty feet away, I can guarantee a hit. Bring me the gunpowder."
Xue took out a box, placed it on the windowsill, opened it, and pulled out a paper tube about the thickness of a thumb. The tube was filled with black powder, and the two ends were twisted into thin paper rolls to prevent the powder from leaking out. She carefully handed it to Xun, "Here, gunpowder."
Xun took the paper tube, raised the gun, put the paper tube in through the muzzle, and stretched out his hand to urge: "Quick, bullets."
Xue took out a round-bottomed, pointed iron bullet and placed it in Xun's hand: "Be steady. Don't be so anxious as last time and crush the gunpowder."
"Speaking of that time again," Xun impatiently held the iron bullet to the muzzle of the gun and let it slide in. "It was raining so hard back then, it was a good thing we could fire a shot. Didn't the young master succeed in killing Xiao Kai in the end?"
Xue curled her lips and stopped talking.
Xun put the iron bullet into the gun barrel, pulled out a long iron cleaning rod from the gun body, inserted it into the muzzle, pushed the iron bullet and the gunpowder paper tube below to the deepest part of the gun barrel, then inserted the cleaning rod back into the gun body and placed the musket on the windowsill.
There was a small iron ring at the front of the gun barrel for aiming. She closed one eye, slightly adjusted the angle of the gun barrel, and put the back of Shen Yuexi's head into the iron ring.
In prison, Jiao Yong and Shen Yuexi were practicing Tai Chi.
"Princess An, I did surrender, but that doesn't mean I will betray my master," Jiao Yong said nonchalantly. "When my master was born, You Bingjun and I were her slaves. I can't possibly tell you where my master is."
Shen Yuexi said, "We just want Pei Jingyun to stop and put an end to this senseless killing. Too many people have already died."
Jiao Yong smiled and said, "It's very simple to get the Master to stop killing. As long as you and Xiao Zhuo die, the Master will naturally stop. She originally just wanted the Young Master to complete this task, otherwise you wouldn't be alive until now."
Xiao Zhuo asked, "When Yuexi and I were in Daliang Village?"
"Of course," Jiao Yong said with a meaningful smile, "At that time, one of the assassins from the 'Nietian' sect' happened to be in my office, but my master forbade her to act..."
Having said that, he sneezed violently.
A sneeze is the signal to fire.
Xun, who was on the high tower, held his breath and concentrated, and suddenly pulled the trigger with his index finger. The flint on the top of the gun body hit the iron primer, creating a streak of sparks. The sparks ignited the gunpowder cartridge in the barrel, and the gunpowder exploded, pushing the iron bullet.
Bang!
As hot flames spurted out of the muzzle, an iron bullet flew out of the barrel and hit Shen Yuexi's back of the head.
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