174. Raw Feather Dan
In the Liu family mansion, in a corner that no one pays attention to.
More than ten black-clad guards were holding torches in their left hands and swords in their right hands, walking quickly in the winding and narrow alleys.
Between the gloomy high walls and gray tiles, only the flickering orange light of the torches retained some warmth. Beyond the torches, the world was black and white, cold. From afar came roars and shouts of killing. It seemed as if buildings were collapsing in the Liu family mansion, and lives were disappearing one by one.
The black-clad guards had no idea what was happening, nor did they care. They arrived at the gate of a house, and two of the black-clad guards responsible for imprisoning Prince Jing drew their swords to stop them. "What brings you here?" The black-clad guards, torches in hand, marched on, their leader holding up a plaque: "By order of the Master, we are to execute Prince Jing and his family. Get out of the way!"
The black-clad guards rushed into the courtyard, only to find it empty. The doors to the east and west wing rooms were open, but the door to the north main room was tightly closed. One of the black-clad guards stepped forward and kicked at the door, only to find it had been held up from the inside with a heavy object.
He drew his sword and shouted angrily, "Chop the door down!"
With one strike of the sword, a huge crack appeared on the wooden door covered with white paper. The black-clad guard looked through the gap and saw Prince Jing, the Crown Prince, and the Princess each carrying a chair. "In vain!"
Just as the black-clad guard was about to strike a second time, he heard the sound of tiles breaking beside him. He suddenly turned around and looked: "Who?!"
A soldier wearing a mask and holding a long sword rushed from the distant rooftop, and with every step he took, tiles shattered. The next moment, the morning sun finally broke through the layers of dark clouds in the distance, and a streak of white quickly tore through the sky. The soldier reached the roof of the east wing and jumped!
The black-clad guard at the rear hastily raised his sword to block, but the force of the blow from the sky was so devastating that it first severed the sword and then the guard's head. The remaining black-clad guards exchanged glances, and the leader declared in a deep voice, "Sir! Stop him while I kill Prince Jing. He must not live!"
After saying that, he continued to chop at the wooden door, and more than ten black-clad guards waved their swords at the soldiers to stop him.
But the soldier ignored him and continued to charge towards the main house door. However, when he reached the wall of swords, he turned around and blocked the swords with his armor.
Four blades sliced through the cast iron armor, sending out streaks of brilliant sparks like streaks of silk. All the blades were blocked by the armor, none able to damage the heavily armored body. In an instant, the armored soldier used his shoulder to push through the wall of blades and the black-clad guards. He came up behind the black-clad guard who was breaking the door and stabbed him!
With a hiss, the black-clad guard's body suddenly stiffened, his neck raised high!
The blade pierced his waist from behind and came out from the wooden door, startling Bai Li and the prince in the room.
The armored soldier turned back like a wolf, staring at the black-clad guards behind him. His visor was terrifying. He pulled out the blade inch by inch, then shook the blood off the blade, shaking out a handful of blood mist. The black-clad guards' faces became serious, and they surrounded him.
Inside the house, Bai Li and the Crown Prince looked at Prince Jing at the same time: "Father, are they from the Qiansui Army?"
Prince Jing shook his head: "The Thousand Years Army can't even get here. I had previously arranged for other reinforcements, but this person was not the one I arranged." The three of them were a little confused. Who could suddenly lend a helping hand in the Liu family's mansion?
Bai Li suddenly said, "Chen Ji."
The prince hesitated for a moment: "Why is Chen Ji here? It can't be him."
Bai Li hesitated. She peeked out through the crack in the door and saw the soldier, besieged by more than a dozen black-clad guards, gradually losing ground. The soldier guarded the door, preventing a single black-clad guard from breaking through.
The prince was in doubt and asked, "Dad, should we go out and help him?"
Prince Jing thought for a moment and said, "Yunxi, pull the table away and go with me to pick up a fallen knife and help him."
However, just as the two of them pulled up the table blocking the door, a muffled voice came from behind the mask: "Don't come out." Bai Li exclaimed, "It's really Chen Ji!"
The prince turned to look at her: "You can even hear that?"
Chen Ji was breathing heavily beneath his visor, his armor adorned with over a dozen knife marks. Without the heavy armor, he would have been covered in wounds. Chen Ji gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, advancing instead of retreating. However, at that moment, a black-clad guard emerged from the crowd, his eyes cold, and suddenly struck out with his sword!
The blade was so fast that Chen Ji stopped and stepped back.
It struck him in the face, splitting the white tassel on his helmet and the visor beneath it. With two clangs, the visor fell to the ground in two, revealing the remains of his face beneath.
The white tassel fluttered down to the ground and was blown away by the wind.
The black-clad guards surrounded Chen Ji in the courtyard in a fan-shaped formation. One of them said coldly, "You're exhausted. Drop your knife now and we'll pretend you never came." Chen Ji raised his knife and said, "We'll talk when you're exhausted."
Behind him, there was the sound of a table being pulled. Prince Jing, the Crown Prince, and Bai Li opened the door and rushed out, each holding a chair and standing beside him. "You..."
Before Chen Ji finished speaking, a tall and burly figure flew down from the roof and struck each black-clad guard on the chest like lightning.
The world seemed to pause for a moment. Then, bones crackled, and the remaining seven black-clad guards flew backwards, hitting the wall and bouncing to the ground, dead. "Feng Daban!" Bai Li exclaimed.
Chen Ji let out a long breath, leaning on his sword to support himself. Feng Daban turned and bowed, "Your Highness, please forgive me for being late." Bai Li hurriedly tugged at Chen Ji's arm armor and turned it left and right. "Are you hurt?"
Chen Ji smiled and said, "Fortunately, Feng Daban arrived in time and was not injured."
The prince and Bai Li breathed a sigh of relief: "How did you end up among the Liu family's soldiers?" Chen Ji explained: "It was a coincidence."
Prince Jing looked at Feng Daban: "What is the situation?"
Feng Daban replied softly, "The six zodiac signs from the Secret Service have arrived. The Jiefan Guard and the Qiansui Army have stormed into the Liu family mansion. The Xiangjia Battalion was unable to rush to their aid, and Mr. Feng led the Tiger Armored Cavalry into an ambush by the Northern Wansui Army. Your Highness, rest assured. Lord Bailong has a thorough plan and will ensure nothing goes wrong."
Prince Jing, however, showed no joy of victory. Instead, he sighed, "After so many years, the dust has finally settled." Feng Daban asked, "Your Highness, would you like to rest here for a moment?"
Prince Jing shook his head: "No need to rest. I'm going to see the old man off for the last time. He should be waiting for me."
In front of the ancestral hall, a long trail of blood stretched to the gates of the mansion, like a twisted scarlet carpet woven of flesh and blood. Master Liu, missing an arm, sat leaning against the ancestral hall door, breathing heavily.
Bai Long strolled past, his white boots stained red, his pristine white robes splattered with blood. He arrived at the ancestral hall entrance, not sparing Liu Shiye at his feet. Instead, he watched as Liu Ge Lao wiped each tablet. Liu Ge Lao placed his father's tablet back on the main niche, removed another tablet, and swept away the dust with his sleeve.
The fighting and wailing behind him seemed to have nothing to do with him.
Bai Long said softly, "Lord, the downfall of the Liu family is not your fault. There is no need to blame yourself."
As Elder Liu wiped the tablet, he smiled and said, "Winners may be kings, losers may be bandits, there's nothing to blame. Thirty-one years ago, my Liu family's lands spanned three provinces. Ten years ago, we could only huddle in Yuzhou, barely surviving. Ten years ago, I knew this day would come, but I didn't expect it to come in such a cowardly way. That Lord Poisonous Minister, he didn't even want to give the Liu family a grand and respectable honor."
Bai Long thought for a moment and said, "The Jing Dynasty has been sharpening its weapons and horses for years, and the Liu family's wealth is still of great use and cannot be wasted. Later, I may need to borrow your head and the heads of the Liu family to persuade the Tiger Armor Camp and the Yuzhou troops to surrender." Liu Ge Lao chuckled and said, "Aren't you afraid of planting hidden dangers by trying to persuade my Liu family troops to surrender?"
Bai Long's dragon-patterned mask was expressionless, revealing no joy, anger, or sorrow. "That's a matter for the Minister to consider, and has nothing to do with a mere foot soldier like me." Elder Liu placed the tablet back into the main niche and surveyed the ancestral hall. "What a pity."
At this moment, the voice of the Golden Pig came from outside the door: "Prince."
Elder Liu turned to look, only to see Jie Fanwei clearing a path for Prince Jing to enter the Liu Family Ancestral Hall. He looked at Prince Jing in silence for a long moment and said, "Let's play another game of chess, father-in-law and son-in-law."
"good."
"Master Liu, bring me a set of chess," Lord Liu ordered.
Master Liu, who was missing an arm, barely stood up, limped through the crowd, and came back from the side room carrying a chessboard.
There was no suitable table in the ancestral hall, so he could only place the chessboard on a stool. Blood from his arm dripped onto the chessboard. He wiped it with his other hand, but it only got dirtier. Master Liu said in embarrassment, "Master, I..."
Liu Ge Lao smiled softly and said, "It's okay, sit down and take a rest."
With a sound, he retreated to the door and sat down against the threshold.
Prince Jing picked up a chess piece and placed it on the blood-stained chessboard, sighing, "I never thought my last game with my father-in-law would be played in such circumstances." Elder Liu cursed with a laugh and dropped the chess piece, "Don't be so hypocritical. Without you, my Liu family wouldn't be in this state."
Prince Jing stared at the chessboard and asked without raising his head, "Father-in-law, was Yi killed by the Liu family?"
Elder Liu was stunned. "Yes. After Ayi married you, the Queen Mother asked her to alienate you from Your Majesty. But she was so devoted to you that she didn't want to get involved in these disputes."
Prince Jing calmly asked, "The Empress Dowager, out of selfish desire, caused Yunxi to lose her mother... And then the Liu family arranged for Ah Jing to marry me. Was that also an attempt to alienate Your Majesty from me?" Elder Liu said slowly, "No, Ah Jing herself wanted to marry you. She begged me for seven days and seven nights before I agreed."
Prince Jing hesitated to put down the chess piece, "You didn't agree at first?"
Liu Ge Lao laughed and said, "I'm afraid my vicious sister will kill her too. Your Majesty, you are not trying to bring my Liu family to ruin just for Ayi, are you?"
Prince Jing was silent for a long time. "No. In recent years, our dynasty's taxes, silver, grain and fodder have been 30% for the national treasury and 70% for the noble families. If we don't address this corruption, this country will be on its last legs." Liu Ge Lao looked outside the ancestral hall and saw countless people gathered, waiting for them to finish their chess game.
He sighed for a moment, "Your Highness, I thought about other people who might betray the Liu family, but I didn't think about you. Do you know why?" Prince Jing said, "I don't know."
Elder Liu smiled. "Because I thought you were a smart person, you understood the principle of the lips and teeth being cold. You know better than I do what kind of person that person is in Renshou Palace. The Liu family is gone, and you're next. Look at those people outside the door. They're not coming for me, they're coming for you!"
Prince Jing remained calm and said, "Your Majesty and I are as close as brothers."
Lord Liu laughed out loud, as if he had heard a huge joke: "Does the emperor need brothers? What's the point of playing chess with a bad chess player?" After saying that, he waved away the chess pieces on the board, stood up and walked to the door.
Elder Liu tiptoed to pull down the mourning banner from the door lintel, then turned back and stepped on the blood-stained chessboard. Standing high up, he threw the white banner over the beams, tying it into a knot. Then, looking down at Prince Jing, he smiled and said, "Your Highness, please stay in this world and see if I'm right. I'll wait for you on the road to the underworld."
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Ge Lao put the curtain around his neck and kicked over the chessboard and stool.
At the threshold, Master Liu supported himself with one hand and kowtowed three times to Elder Liu without a word. Then, he slapped his palm against his forehead, cracking his skull. At this moment, a shrill wail rang out: "Father!"
Prince Jing looked back and saw Concubine Jing stumbling towards him on the bloody road outside the door.
She walked through the crowd, hugged Liu Ge Lao's thigh and tried to lift him off the beam, but she was too weak to do so.
Jing Fei's eyes were red from crying. She turned back to look at Jing Wang and slapped his chest again and again: "Your Highness, why did it come to this? Why did it come to this!"
Prince Jing whispered, "The Liu family's sins are too numerous to list. Look at the women buried with your brother. What crime did they commit? What wrong did the people of Yuzhou who had their land taken away by the Liu family do?"
Concubine Jing burst into tears, "But what did I do wrong? They told me to deceive you and steal the firearms, and I refused, so they killed my unborn child. I adore you and want to be with you forever, just like a sister, but you used me to persuade the Liu family to rebel. This is all you men do. I just want to have children and raise them for my husband. What have I done wrong?"
Prince Jing remained silent.
Suddenly, Jin Zhu outside the door said, "Madam Jingfei, you've beaten to death at least eighty maids over the years." Jingfei glared at him, "What qualifications do you have to say such things? Haven't you killed enough people?"
The golden pig shrank his neck and said no more.
Concubine Jing let go of Prince Jing's clothes and staggered towards the door.
She pulled out a wooden box from her sleeve and threw it on the ground outside the door: "Your Highness, I have obtained the Shengyu Pill for you. Please take care of yourself in the future." After saying that, Concubine Jing suddenly slammed her head against the beam of the ancestral hall and fell down.
The wooden box outside the door smashed to the ground and broke into two pieces. A round white pill rolled out, stained with blood.
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