027
As night fell, the sky grew dark and heavy.
As the ancients often said, "A dark night is a night for murder, and a windy day is a day for arson."
At 11:00 AM, most of the people of Guangping County fell into a deep sleep. Squads of fully armed soldiers quietly entered the city and surrounded all the noble families in the county. A similar situation occurred in other counties of Shannan Prefecture.
"Swish, swish, swish—" The sounds of armor rubbing against each other and weapons clashing echoed.
Song Ling sat in the courtyard, silently gazing at the dark, cloud-covered night sky where no stars or moon could be seen.
"Have you made a decision?"
Song Ling poured herself a cup of tea and looked at the pink-clad man standing casually beside her.
"Otherwise? To eke out a living like that coward?" Chu Zhaoyan sneered. "I'm different. I act uprightly and do the right thing. My master told me when I was a child that I, Chu Zhaoyan, would do great things in the future!"
"Seventeen, you have to admit that even those from Huailai are not all as upright as I am."
He shrugged helplessly, "Next time I see him, I'll definitely give him a good beating."
Song Ling chewed on these words, then glanced at him and said, "Do you know that before you came here today, I cast a divination for you?"
"What?" Chu Zhaoyan put her arm behind her head, relaxed and leaned against the tree behind her with a smile on her lips. "Seventeen's divination, then I'd like to listen to it."
He raised the wine jug with his right hand and poured it out, but only a few drops of wine came out. He couldn't help but frown slightly. "What a spoilsport, it's all gone again?"
Song Ling couldn't help but chuckle at his appearance. "I also have a jar of peach blossom wine that my disciple brought. Would you mind taking it with you later?"
"There are still several peach trees in the yard in Kuli County. Maybe I can brew a few jars of good wine next year."
"Seventeen, you really understand me!" Chu Zhaoyan jumped in front of her. "Where is that jar of wine? I haven't seen you for over a year, I've missed you so much."
“Heh,” Song Ling wasn’t buying it, giving him a sidelong glance, “I wonder which drunkard stole those jars of wine that I carefully buried under the trees on the back mountain. They really showed no mercy.”
"When Shijiu came, he mentioned it briefly, and his resentment was quite strong."
Chu Zhaoyan's face suddenly flushed, and she looked a little embarrassed. "Sigh... this kid, he clearly came to you to complain because he didn't have any to drink."
"You stole my wine and you still dare to complain?!" Song Ling suddenly grabbed an empty teacup and threw it at him, but he nimbly caught it, trying to brush it off with a laugh. "Seventeen, you are the Pavilion Master, be more dignified!"
"Besides, you brew so much wine that you can't possibly drink it all yourself. Rather than letting those drunkards have it, you might as well give it to me, someone who loves fine wine. At least I'll cherish it..."
"Go get it." Song Ling rolled her eyes at him.
Chu Zhaoyan's nose was sharper than a dog's, as Song Ling naturally knew. In the blink of an eye, he was carrying the jar, ready to slip away, but just as he was about to leave the courtyard, he suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Song Ling, "Oh right, you were going to tell me your fortune, weren't you?"
Song Ling suddenly smiled, "If I didn't allow you to do that today, would you have listened?"
Chu Zhaoyan stopped in her tracks, shook her head, and uttered two words, "No."
Song Ling stood up and tossed him a copper coin.
Holding it in her hand, Chu Zhaoyan smiled knowingly, "You still kept it? You really are something."
Several years ago, when Chu Zhaoyan first met Seventeen, she was only five or six years old, but she sat alone drinking peach blossom wine with a bitter and resentful expression.
Chu Zhaoyan was much older than her, so he just stood aside and watched the little girl drink by herself at such a young age, but he never expected that he would become craving it.
He begged her to give him a drink, but to his surprise, this little girl had always been cold-hearted and indifferent, ignoring him completely.
Having suffered a loss in silence, he finally managed to exchange a sword dance and the only copper coin he had for a cup of wine.
They became friends through a misunderstanding. From then on, whenever he craved her wine, he would secretly slip a coin through the window onto her table, and she would bring the wine jar to their rendezvous that night.
Thinking back to those days, I was truly carefree.
With her thoughts returning to their original state, Chu Zhaoyan held the old copper coin in her hand and smiled, "But I'm afraid I won't have the chance to show you my sword dance today."
“Then add this jar of wine to the mix,” Song Ling smiled nonchalantly, “bring new copper coins next time to exchange for wine.”
“You’re exactly the same person I was thinking,” Chu Zhaoyan said, pulling the wine closer to her chest. “I’m afraid I could drink this wine for a lifetime and still not get enough.”
“Chu Zhaoyan,” Song Ling said, standing still, “I know you’re tough.”
"Remember to come back next year and drink my peach blossom wine."
Chu Zhaoyan smiled and said, "If you don't leave any for me, I'll get really angry with you."
"They're gone."
With a gentle wave of his hand, he exuded utmost freedom and ease.
The courtyard returned to silence.
Yang is situated within Yin, thus failing to find its proper place.
Opportunity lies hidden in danger, and success depends on human effort.
Song Ling looked up at the night sky. The starlight was faint, but it slowly began to peek out. However, the clouds were too thick, and she still couldn't see the moon.
At three-quarters past midnight, we arrived.
In the front courtyard of the governor's mansion in Shannan Prefecture, Yu Baizhou wiped the blood splattered on his face, casually tore off a piece of clothing from his body, tied it around his left arm, and tightened it with his mouth.
Shi Qing, his face covered in blood, walked over and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "General, all the rebels in the governor's mansion have been executed, and all the powerful families have been brought under control."
"Were there any rats that got missed?"
Yu Baizhou picked up a handkerchief and slowly wiped the red-stained blade of the sword. "How is the governor now?"
"The governor..." Shi Qing paused, "is doing well and is waiting for you in the front yard."
...
"Yu Baizhou, you bastard!"
"Traitor! Rebel!"
"Just wait until I report this to His Majesty and punish your plot... Waaaaah!"
Shi Qing expressionlessly stuffed Linden's stinky shoe into his mouth, sniffed his own hand, and took several steps back in disgust. Damn it, how could a civil official have such smelly feet, even more pungent than them, the military men?
The air around them was filled with a mixture of foul odors, the smell of urine, and the stench of blood. It was fortunate that Shi Qing didn't vomit from disgust.
Yu Baizhou stepped forward with his sword in hand, squatted down in front of Lin Deng, stared at him for a while, and then suddenly laughed, "The governor is not very trustworthy."
"Are you still thinking about those two secret guards who went north to report to His Majesty? Don't worry about that..."
"They are already waiting for you on the road to the underworld."
Linden's face turned deathly pale, his eyes filled with terror. He seemed to have never expected Yu Baizhou to actually dare to plot against him; his bound body trembled uncontrollably. "Ugh..." (I am an official of the imperial court! Yu Baizhou, this is treason! Unforgivable! His Majesty will surely exterminate your entire family! I...)
Yu Baizhou seemed to already know what he was going to say, and chuckled lightly, "There's no need for you to worry about that, sir. I will naturally have a word with His Majesty."
Having said that, he withdrew his smile, his brows furrowing in a sharp expression.
"puff--"
Prefect Lin stared in disbelief, his gaze slowly descending. A dagger was plunged straight into his left neck. In the struggle, his shoes fell to the ground. "Yu... Yu..."
Thick, bright red blood gushed from the corner of his mouth. A moment later, his head lolled to the side, and he fell silent, dying with his eyes wide open.
Yu Baizhou stood up, and as he pulled out the dagger, the gushing blood soaked through half of his clothes. He slightly raised his hand and closed Governor Lin's wide-open eyes.
"Throw them into the side rooms in the front yard, Deputy General Shi," Yu Baizhou said coldly, glancing at Shi Qing who was somewhat stunned. "Today, the governor's mansion was attacked, and all the side rooms in the front yard caught fire. Do you understand?"
Shi Qing suppressed the turmoil in his heart, bowed his head and accepted the order, "This subordinate understands!"
"etc--"
A man in black suddenly landed in the courtyard using his light-footed skill. The guards and Shi Qing in the courtyard were all preparing to draw their swords and stand ready, but Yu Baizhou raised his hand to stop them, saying, "One of our own."
"General."
No wonder these soldiers made a mistake. Shi Jiu was fully armed and dressed in black, with his head and face covered up completely, only his two dark eyes showing. He didn't look like a good person at all.
“This,” he handed Yu Baizhou a booklet and a medicine bottle, “is something that the governor’s female relatives, children and servants should not be kept.”
His eyes were cold. "The Pavilion Master said that the General can decide for himself."
"What's in the bottle?" Yu Baizhou's expression darkened slightly. Killing Governor Lin was an essential step on his path, and he would certainly have no regrets. But what about the other women and children…?
"A mute drug." As soon as Shijiu finished speaking, he disappeared into the courtyard.
"Shi Qing," Yu Baizhou handed him the items, "you will handle this matter personally."
"Keep it clean, don't leave any evidence, otherwise there will be endless trouble in the future."
Their eyes met, and Shi Qing suddenly read something different in Yu Baizhou's eyes. Combining the strategist's words earlier with tonight's actions, he seemed to know something extraordinary.
"Yes!" He answered, suppressing the trembling and excitement in his heart. But once he stepped out of the courtyard, he was shocked by his own thoughts. How could he have been so excited? This was treason...
But if it succeeds, it will be a great achievement for the emperor.
Humans are naturally drawn to such taboos and thrills; just thinking about it is enough to excite us.
Shi Qing composed himself. "Let's go!"
All night long, Yu Baizhou stood in the courtyard, watching the raging fire in the front yard and listening to the occasional screams and calls for help.
The inner struggles he had been going through had become a knot, and he even began to doubt whether what he was doing was right or wrong. Power is built on blood, and countless lives are trampled on to reach that high position. Not everyone deserves to die, but because of the loss of power, many are forced to die in the struggle for power among others.
Tonight, he is the executioner.
But he didn't regret it.
Yu Baizhou loosened his clenched fist, revealing a brocade pouch in his palm stained with blood and wrinkled from being squeezed so tightly.
He frowned and gently smoothed out the wrinkles.
He sighed softly, feeling a bit like returning to Guangping County. Miss Song was probably still waiting for news all night, and if she caught a chill, she would fall ill again.
“General,” Shi Qing stepped forward, hesitating to speak, “everything has been taken care of, except for one woman, who is quite troublesome.”
"What?" Yu Baizhou frowned. "What woman?"
"The woman claimed to be the seventh daughter of Governor Lin, named Lin Qing. She..." Shi Qing was somewhat embarrassed, "She said she was your woman and wanted to see you, so I didn't dare to use the medicine."
"What?" Yu Baizhou immediately realized who it was, and frowned, saying, "It's a lie, don't worry about it."
"Just kill him." With such a mindset, he would rather kill the wrong person.
"Sigh." Shi Qing scratched his head and prepared to go and do it.
Before he could take a step, a red gust of wind suddenly rushed out from beside him. He instinctively drew his sword and stopped the person, the sword piercing the person's arm.
Then came the woman's cry of pain, followed by pleas for mercy.
"Please, General, spare my life!"
"Qing'er is ready to serve the General!"
The woman knelt in the bloodstains, her face pale as she covered her arms.
A strange fragrance wafted over, and Yu Baizhou's expression faltered. He actually saw Song Ling's face. Her tears were half-fallen, and she was looking at him with affection and pitifulness, looking heartbreaking.
"girl……"
wrong!
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