007
"Lord Wang, Lord Yu, it's been a long time!"
Governor Lin looked at the governors of Yunzhou and Cangwu, who were only a few steps away from him. He smiled kindly and addressed them as brothers, but in his heart he had already cursed these two old scoundrels countless times.
He assumed that these two men couldn't stand the marriage between his Shannan Prefecture and General Yu, and therefore wanted to get a share of the spoils. Little did he know that the other two governors shared the same thought, believing that the other two had also come to interfere after learning the news.
Governor Lin: "I wonder why you two gentlemen have come..."
"Haha, I heard that General Yu is hosting a banquet here, so I shamelessly brought my family and a few friends to pay a visit. I apologize for the inconvenience, Lord Ji."
The governor of Yunzhou spoke so succinctly that both Governor Lin and Ji Yunchen, who were waiting respectfully at the gate of the prefecture, felt somewhat ashamed.
But this wasn't just a few friends he brought. Besides his own family, he also brought the heads and families of the major families of Yunzhou. It seemed he was determined to take over General Yu's 100,000 troops.
“The general is quite popular,” Wei Yan said with a sigh as he listened to the commotion at the gate of the mansion from a secluded corner. “The daughters of those noble families are all different, each with their own unique charm. If it weren’t for the other purpose today, this marriage wouldn’t be out of the question.”
“It’s not that I’m fragrant,” Yu Baizhou said with great self-awareness, “it’s clearly that they’re tempting the hundreds of thousands of soldiers behind me.”
Yu Baizhou's expression was hidden by his stubble. Despite Wei Yan's repeated reminders, he refused to shave, as he had no intention of making a good impression on anyone. Marrying any of these women would be a huge problem for him.
"General, please don't frighten the lords with your dark face later."
It was rare for Song Ling to ditch her coarse white clothes and change into a light blue traditional Chinese dress, which, combined with her cool and aloof demeanor, made her stand out.
"you……"
Before Yu Baizhou could speak, something was shoved into his hand. He immediately knew what it was and understood her meaning.
"I see."
Song Ling nodded slightly and retreated through the side path to the women's section.
At the entrance, everyone was already politely taking their seats.
Ji Yunchen originally thought the banquet preparations were too large and wasteful, but now he felt fortunate that Wei Yan had made the suggestion, otherwise, given the pomp and circumstance of these three governors today, things might not have ended well.
The Ji family was also considered half the host, so Ji Yunchen and Yu Baizhou stood up together to offer a toast.
"Today, I am deeply grateful for the trust placed in me by several esteemed officials, who have traveled a great distance to assist me..."
"Swoosh—"
Before Yu Baizhou could finish speaking, an arrow swiftly pierced his forehead, but he nimbly dodged it at the last second.
However, dozens of hidden arrows were immediately shot out from the shadows, plunging the entire banquet into chaos.
"Guards! Enemy attack! Protect the lords!"
As Yu Baizhou shouted angrily, he picked up his sword and rushed to the nearest governor of Yunzhou, knocking away many of the hidden arrows for him.
The three governors and the heads of the powerful families lost their composure due to this turn of events, and because of the dense rain of arrows, they fled in panic and disarray.
Upon seeing half of his body accidentally revealed on the roof, Yu Baizhou's expression hardened, and he suddenly thrust his sword forward.
The man couldn't dodge in time and was immediately impaled on the neck, bleeding profusely as he rolled off the roof.
"Help!"
Two or three thieves dressed in civilian clothes rushed in, holding sword hilts and trying to plunge them into the heart of the Yunzhou governor, but he managed to dodge in his haste and the swords were plunged into his abdomen.
"ah--"
After Yu Baizhou slit the throat of one of the thieves, he rushed forward and kicked away the thief who wanted to kill the governor of Yunzhou.
A faint hissing sound suddenly appeared in my ears, and my body reacted faster than my brain.
By the time he came to his senses, he had already rushed to Ji Yunchen's side and pushed him away. The sharp sword pierced his heart from behind, and blood immediately stained his clothes black.
"puff--"
A mouthful of blood gushed out, and Yu Baizhou's vision suddenly began to blur. As he knelt on the ground, the chaotic banquet and fleeing people in front of him gradually became dark. Finally, the sword could no longer support his body, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.
"General Yu!"
"General Yu!"
One voice came from Ji Yunchen, who had just been rescued, and the other from Wei Yan, who had just returned from fetching supplies.
Because the army was not allowed to enter the city, Vice General Wang and his party waited not far outside the city after escorting several governors there.
Only when they heard the signal flare coming from the direction of the Ji residence did they realize that something had happened, and they rushed to the Ji residence without paying any attention to the guards' attempts to stop them.
But the thieves were too cunning. Before they could make a move, they scattered and fled. The two who were not caught even committed suicide by poisoning themselves.
Upon hearing the sounds of fighting and cries, the ladies in the women's section stood up in alarm. These women, as expected of those who had seen much of the world, maintained their composure for the moment. "Has something unexpected happened?"
Madam Ji frowned slightly, unaware of what had happened over there.
When Song Ling returned from gathering information, she whispered in Madam Ji's ear, "Madam, assassins have appeared, and some officials have been injured. We need you to stabilize the situation here first."
Song Ling's eyes showed panic and lingering fear, and even her voice trembled slightly. Madam Ji gently patted her hand to comfort her, thinking that it was understandable for a girl her age to be frightened by something like this for the first time.
"Don't be afraid... nothing will happen," she whispered to comfort her.
Then, turning to the ladies and young women, he smiled slightly and said, "It's nothing serious, let's continue."
Although everyone sat down, their minds were already elsewhere, and they had no interest in asking about the marriage.
***
"Doctor! How is she?"
Ji Yunchen hurriedly stopped the doctor who came out, even more anxious than Wei Yan next to him.
"Lord Wang's abdominal wound is quite deep, but fortunately it did not affect any vital organs. With proper care and rest for a few months, he should be able to recover."
Wei Yan hurriedly grabbed his arm and asked, "Where is our general?"
"Alas..." The old doctor shook his head. "This arrow is only a few millimeters away from the heart and pulse. If one is not careful, it will be... This humble subject, this humble subject really dares not take it. Your Excellency, please find another skilled physician."
The doctor dared not accept any more consultation fees, and Ji Yunchen did not want to make things difficult for him any further, so he could only let him leave.
"Go and invite more! Invite all the doctors in the city!"
General Yu is the commander of the Southwest Army. If something happens to him, the Southwest will surely be in chaos.
Ji Yunchen felt increasingly depressed as he thought about it. What kind of mess was this...?
"Master! Master!"
A servant rushed in, his face filled with panic, and knelt down at the door, shouting, "Something's happened!"
"With guests here, why are you so flustered?" Ji Yunchen frowned. The servants of the Ji family were always well-behaved and rarely lost their composure like this.
"Grain...Master, half of the grain stored in our manor has been looted..."
"What!" Ji Yunchen stumbled and almost fell down the steps. "Tell me in detail."
"Just half an hour ago, I suddenly saw more than a dozen people dressed in coarse cloth shirts rush in. I was about to go forward to question them when I was suddenly knocked unconscious with a stick. When I woke up, I found that most of the grain in the warehouse was missing..."
The servant had a bloody bump on his head and was crying and wailing with snot and tears streaming down his face.
Because Governor Wang of Yunzhou was still unconscious and General Yu's fate was unknown, everyone who had come to the banquet had gathered in this courtyard to await the outcome.
These men were all heads of prominent families from the three states, usually impeccably dressed, but now they were all in a sorry state. The lucky ones only had some dirt and scratches on their clothes, while the unlucky ones had bruises on their faces and bodies.
But that didn't stop them from laughing at Ji Yunchen. The governors of the three prefectures were always outwardly friendly but inwardly hostile, and their families were no different.
But their gloating lasted only a moment before the steward led more than ten people into the courtyard.
Who else could they be but someone from their household?
"Master! Our manor has been robbed; the treasury has been completely ransacked with gold and silver..."
"Master, we too...all our grain has been stolen...the guards have all been killed by hidden arrows..."
"master……"
"grown ups……"
After hearing the details, it turned out that very few people present had escaped unharmed.
The governor of Cangwu Prefecture looked at his servant who had come to deliver the news, hesitant to speak. His heart was in his throat. Could it be that God had protected his household from harm?
Have we lost any supplies?
The servant shook his head. "No."
"Were any valuables or gold stolen?"
The servant shook his head again and said, "No."
The governor of Cangwu Prefecture breathed a deep sigh of relief amidst the complex and envious gazes of the crowd. Thank goodness.
Before he could catch his breath, the servant suddenly stammered, "But that thief set fire to our front yard. For some reason, the fire was so big that we couldn't put it out. In the end, even the signboard was burned down..."
"Cough..." The governor of Cangwu Prefecture couldn't catch his breath and suddenly fell backward.
"Lord Yu!"
"Damn thieves!" the governor of Cangwu Prefecture gasped in anger. "These petty villains!"
Everyone was seething with anger, but they dared not turn back immediately, for what would happen if the thief ambushed them on the way?
"After all this going around in circles, it seems that no one from the governor's office in Shannan Prefecture has come to report this!"
Lord Lin's heart skipped a beat. How did this fire end up on him? "Gentlemen, please understand, I truly have no idea!"
"We haven't even said it was you yet, Governor Lin, and you're already so nervous. Could it be that you ordered these thieves to come?"
Someone in the crowd stirred the flames, and they suddenly leaped up, almost setting the Ji residence ablaze, forcing Governor Lin to retreat slowly.
"Wait! Cough cough cough..." A door suddenly opened, and Governor Wang, who had just woken up, was helped out while clutching his stomach. "In my opinion, this may not have been done by Governor Lin!"
"What insightful opinion does Your Excellency have?"
The governor's sharp, eagle-like eyes swept over the crowd before suddenly fixing on a short arrow lying on the ground not far away.
The servant boy supporting him, sensing the danger, picked up the sword and handed it over with a humble expression, saying, "Here you are, sir."
Governor Wang carefully reversed the arrow; it was a type of short arrow commonly used in the southern border regions, found in military camps and among various families.
The doubts in my heart were suddenly resolved when I saw a trace of blood at the tip of the arrow.
"Send a coroner to examine the people over there."
Everyone then realized what was happening and looked towards the distance.
The person whose throat was slit and the two who committed suicide by poison seemed to be in relatively good condition, but the person who was killed by Yu Baizhou with a single sword stroke had his head twisted off from his neck and was lying crookedly to one side after rolling off the roof. His body was bizarrely contorted and a gruesome sight.
The sword had already been thrown out, and blood was splattered all around it.
Several people were so frightened that they took a few steps back and dared not look anymore, while two others were so disgusted that they lay down and vomited.
Governor Wang suddenly noticed something strange and ordered the coroner to come forward.
"etc!"
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