Chapter 539 Melee
Hongniang was unaware that her affair had been discovered by Da Daoke. Standing at the door of the study, she had no idea that Da Daoke and his brothers were secretly observing her.
What the man with the big knife wanted was to take revenge on the two despicable people. Only by killing them could he quell his hatred.
The man with the big knife originally planned to secretly take advantage of the dark night, the perfect time to kill, and then cut off the heads of the two men before fleeing with his brothers under cover of darkness.
However, after following the matchmaker to her rendezvous with the gigolo, and seeing the gigolo coaxing the matchmaker into hiding the letter in the study of the Prince's mansion, the man with the big knife had a different idea.
After becoming a retainer in the Prince Xiang's mansion, the man with the big knife felt that being a henchman was a hundred times better than wandering the martial world without a place to call home.
They had originally planned to give up this life of wealth and luxury, but when the man with the big knife saw the letter, he knew that there must be something inside that small people like them didn't know.
This is an opportunity!
This is an excellent opportunity!
Just like Mr. Wang said, it's an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone!
What is the opportunity that the man with the big sword is looking for to kill two birds with one stone?
Of course, it's about putting righteousness before family!
The plan is to catch Hongniang red-handed while she's hiding the letter, inform the clerk in the Prince's mansion beforehand, and then, because of his loyalty to the mansion, he can behead Hongniang.
In this way, he could both kill the unfaithful matchmaker and gain a respectable reputation for loyalty in front of the clerk.
Who knows, you might be valued and able to stay in the Prince's mansion and climb the ranks, and maybe even get an official position in the future?
The man with the big knife had a good plan, but neither the matchmaker nor the man with the big knife knew that there were two other forces behind them: Du Qinghui and the Bad Guys.
Moreover, both of these forces are waiting to be the ones to reap the benefits!
She bribed the maid who was sweeping the courtyard of the study and learned that no one was in the study at the time. She also spent money to lead the page standing at the door to another place.
Therefore, at this moment, the guest's study was truly empty, both in front and inside.
The matchmaker left a maid to keep watch at the door, and then carried the food box into the study. Once inside, she quickly took out the letter from the pretty boy from her bosom.
The matchmaker hurried to the bookshelf, not bothering to choose, and took out a book that was within easy reach. Just as she put the letter into the book, a sudden shout rang out, "Hey! Who dares to trespass into the study?"
The man with the big knife who had been following Hongniang saw that she had entered the study. After waiting for ten breaths, he stepped forward and used his hand to knock Hongniang's maid unconscious. He then kicked open the door with his big knife!
The matchmaker, still holding the book and the letter, turned around in disbelief. When she saw the man with the big knife, she was so frightened that she fell to the ground, clutching her stomach and trembling.
"My lord, I..."
Before the matchmaker could finish speaking, the man with the big knife stepped forward and slashed at her neck. With a "thud," the matchmaker, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief, died on the spot!
The moment the head fell from the neck, blood splattered everywhere!
As Hongniang breathed her last with wide eyes, a cry of "No!" came from the roof, and then two masked men in black jumped down from the roof.
The man with the big knife gripped the hilt, quite surprised that two masked men had suddenly appeared.
However, just from that "No," the man with the big sword knew that this was an enemy, not a friend.
So, the man with the big knife and the two masked men started fighting right there on the spot.
After only a dozen or so exchanges, the man with the big sword felt the pressure. "These two are experts!"
The man with the big knife was having some trouble fighting. Just when he was about to be stabbed in the heart by one of the men in black wielding a sword, two more masked men in black with similar attire suddenly flew down from the rooftops in another direction!
Judging from the appearance of the two people who came later, they were there to help the man with the big knife. One of them used a hidden dart to block the sword light of the man in black, which gave the man with the big knife time to avoid the fatal sword.
Three against two, the five men were locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle in the study.
If the outcome could be decided quickly, that would be fine. But even if the Prince's mansion is in poor condition, it is still a prince's mansion. How could such clanging and banging sounds not attract attention?
So, while the five were still fighting fiercely in the study, groups of guards from the Prince Xiang's mansion appeared outside the study, swords in hand and bows drawn.
Thus, it became a five-person battle against the guards inside the Prince's mansion, a chaotic fight that could be described as a three- or four-way battle!
But don't forget, the man with the big sword still has a bunch of brothers. Although only the man with the big sword came to kill Hong Niang before, he had already arranged for his brothers to inform the clerk in the Prince Xiang's mansion. There were also other people watching the study from a distance to support the man with the big sword.
The person who was farther away saw that even the guards had appeared, and knew that there was no way things would end well today.
To give the man with the big knife a chance to retreat, he and two others set fire to the kitchen, stables, empty guest rooms, and the study where the confrontation was taking place inside the Prince Xiang's mansion.
It's important to understand that most buildings nowadays are made of wood. If a house catches fire, and there isn't a firebreak, the surrounding houses will inevitably be engulfed in flames as well.
Not to mention, it's quite a coincidence that Prince Xiang and his family are actually all in the mansion today.
The north wind that was blowing that day really fueled the fire; it only took a quarter of an hour for the small flames to turn into thick smoke.
Amidst the swirling smoke, the three, or perhaps four, parties facing off were all filled with a sense of unease and fear.
But in order for the man with the big knife to escape unscathed, his henchmen really went to great lengths, risking their lives.
Because, under such a standoff, each of these people set fire to the house, then grabbed a knife and rushed into the courtyard outside the study, joining the battle and completely muddying the waters.
A chaotic battle was about to break out. Du Qinghui's side and the Bad Guys' side, who originally wanted to evacuate in advance because of the fire, were now really unable to leave.
Then, for some reason, the masked men in black on Du Qinghui's side launched a signal flare into the sky.
After thinking for a couple of breaths, the Bad Guys also launched their own signal flare into the sky.
Upon seeing this, the guards of the Prince Xiang's Mansion on the opposite side were filled with fear, and the captain of the guards, not to be outdone, also fired a signal flare.
The signal flare from the Prefectural Guard was meant for the Imperial Guards who were protecting the safety of Chang'an; the Imperial Guards would arrive within a quarter of an hour!
As a result, a massive melee ensued!
In the end, it was only with the arrival of fifty Imperial Guards, and their powerful bows and crossbows, that the chaotic battle was finally resolved.
That's why, on the day of the Ghost Festival, the three doctors from the Li family were invited to the Bad Guys' stronghold to treat the injured Bad Guys.
"That's exactly right. We've really been caught in the crossfire. We were about to find something on both sides, but now we've exposed ourselves as well."
Thank you all for your hard work tonight.
It's late, everyone please rest a bit. I'll arrange for someone to take you all home."
After Mr. Ke finished explaining, he nodded slightly to Mr. Li and the others, and was then pushed away in his wheelchair by the hunchbacked servant.
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