After arriving in Guangdong, Fourth Master and his party went straight to Fujian.
However, because leading five hundred cavalrymen would be too conspicuous, the Fourth Prince only kept ten men by his side.
The remaining four hundred were left outside the city, while half of the rest went to the ravaged villages to investigate, and the other half went into the city to gather information.
In April, the Emperor issued an imperial edict, and the Fujian Navy was already waiting for orders. Since the Fourth Prince was new to the country and wanted to lead the troops, he had to find out the details first.
This is Fourth Master's consistent style when he is on official business.
Before coming, Fourth Master had already inquired about the news once.
The eldest brother, Prince Zhi, had many military achievements, but most of them were achieved on horseback, namely in the north and Mongolia, where he quelled rebellions in Xinjiang and Qinghai.
The southern navy has little to do with the eldest brother.
This is also an important reason why the Fourth Prince decisively accepted the task of leading troops.
This is a rare opportunity.
If this were elsewhere, it would be hard to guarantee that the Fourth Master wouldn't have someone sabotaging him behind his back.
No one is exactly a paragon of virtue. Fourth Master is not a greenhorn who has just entered officialdom. He has seen through the ways of officialdom after many years in the Ministry of Revenue. He has also been watching the little schemes between brothers since he was a child.
Who knows if my brother's reach will extend that far? It's always better to be cautious.
Even though the Fourth Prince was so careful, he still couldn't escape being schemed against.
The Fourth Prince and his entourage first stayed at a manor on the outskirts of the city. This was the private property of the Fourth Prince's adoptive mother, Empress Xiaoyiren. Later, when the Fourth Prince got married, a considerable amount of it was allocated to him, and this manor was one of those shares.
The arrival of Fourth Master and his entourage was quiet and unnoticed. After several days of travel, Fourth Master had everyone settled in early, and he himself was no exception.
Fourth Master went to bed early. The fatigue accumulated from several days of travel seemed to erupt in an instant. However, when he looked at the hissing snake on the roof beam in the middle of the night, even though he was still sleepy, he couldn't help but feel a jolt in his heart.
Fourth Master's breath caught in his throat for a moment.
He stared at the patterns on the snake's body, trying to determine if it was poisonous.
He did not make any rash moves. It was a snake as thick as Fourth Master's arm, its body coiled around the roof beams, and finally a bit of its tail hung down at the curtain.
Fourth Master slowly straightened up, and in the brief moment between the flicking of the long snake's tongue, his hand reached under the brocade quilt.
In a flash, the Fourth Master saw the curtains sway, or rather, the snake's tail move.
Fourth Master's eyes changed instantly. As his heart pounded, he suddenly sat up, reached out his hand against the headboard, his thumb and forefinger slightly open, and thrust the dagger in his right hand deeper into the bed.
"Someone come here!"
Because they were outside, the people on the estate only knew that the master had come. Although they sent people to serve him, the Fourth Master did not keep any of them. Su Peisheng and Fulu stayed outside to guard him, and the Fourth Master's two Haha Beads were left behind. The guards were all resting in the small courtyard next door.
Fu Lu was dozing off, but mosquitoes kept buzzing around his ears, so he wasn't sleeping soundly.
Hearing the Fourth Master's voice inside, Fulu jumped in fright. By the time he ran inside, his master had already rushed in. Fulu was unusually clever for once. He first called out to Haha Zhuzi outside, and then hesitated for a moment about whether to call the cavalry...
Fu Lu went after all, having already heard his master inside exclaim, "Snake!"
There was no time to think about how a snake could have gotten into the master's room. Fu Lu didn't even dare to think about how big the snake was, or if there was more than one snake.
When the guards arrived, two of them were still not dressed properly and were just standing at the door tidying up. When they peeked inside, they were immediately stunned.
Good heavens!
Su Peisheng was counting the snakes nearby: "Apart from the largest one that attacked me, there are forty-five other snakes of varying sizes, some venomous, most non-venomous..."
He appeared remarkably calm. Fourth Master stood by the bed, wiping the blood from his wrist.
Opposite them, a huge snake was nailed to a canopy bed. The cavalrymen were all skilled fighters, so they could tell that the snake had been killed with a single blow, and they could also see several wounds on its body.
Some cavalrymen had already bowed to the two haha beads.
Everyone naturally assumed that it was Haha Zhuzi, who was by the Fourth Master's side, who made the move.
One of the bead-like creatures looked puzzled, but still returned the greeting and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect: "It's all thanks to Master's extraordinary courage and resourcefulness. When we came in, the giant snake was already there... We're just here to deal with these smaller snakes."
No one suspected the Fourth Master.
Even Su Peisheng himself didn't expect this...
This house is obviously no longer habitable; it reeks of blood. Fourth Master told everyone to go back and rest first, and to set off tomorrow morning.
Fourth Master went to another room, and this time Su Peisheng stayed in the outer room to keep watch.
Even now, Su Peisheng still felt a lingering fear when he thought about it. There was still quite a bit of night left. He thoroughly checked the room, and unusually, he became very talkative: "Really, how could there be snakes on the estate out of nowhere... Master, you used to be..."
When Fourth Master was a child, he was studying at Wuyizhai when he was a mischievous Third Master who used several small snakes to play a trick on him. Fourth Master has been afraid of snakes ever since.
Su Peisheng had always remembered it, but he hadn't said much about it before.
Fourth Master had already lay down again; he was quite tired after tossing and turning for so long.
I am exhausted, both mentally and physically.
He didn't even flinch when he heard Su Peisheng's voice. Was he afraid of snakes?
Fourth Master was naturally afraid of snakes, but one shouldn't easily reveal one's weaknesses to others, otherwise everyone would know what you're afraid of...
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
