The emperor coldly replied, "These people? I have no shortage of people."
After speaking, the three brothers looked out the door at the same time, and saw many soldiers propped up above the eaves of the house.
They had their bows and arrows ready, their crossbows poised to fire at any moment.
If anyone were within range of the arrows, they would be riddled with holes without a doubt.
The three brothers simultaneously swallowed nervously.
I couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat for my boldness.
Once again, it's fortunate that they didn't do anything to truly harm the Emperor and Empress; otherwise, they would have been the ones riddled with bullets.
Gu Jiangli also said with some surprise:
Wow, when did they arrive?
She hadn't noticed the group of people who had been staying on the roof.
No wonder the emperor seemed so confident; it turns out that he had already been prepared with guards around him.
The Emperor smiled and said, “When Li’er and I entered the Gu family, one of the imperial guards did not enter the residence. He summoned the other guards and they went up to the roof early, ready to rescue me at any time, just waiting for my order.”
"I see. In that case, once those bandits enter the manor, they won't be able to escape."
This encirclement is so tight that not even a fly could escape.
Chen'er, however, tugged at the emperor's robe and said:
“Father, we don’t actually need so many people. There’s an even simpler way.”
"Oh? Tell me, Chen'er?" The emperor was very curious about Chen'er's thoughts.
Chen'er came to the door and pointed to a section of the wall outside, saying:
“Father, that wall is not under uneven stress. It will easily collapse if there are too many people. However... Mother will have to ask Grandfather to repair the house.”
Everyone looked in the direction Chen'er was pointing.
The wall was located at the junction of the two houses, and it was a place that was rarely visited.
There's also a small dog hole below, big enough for an adult man to crawl in and out.
Gu Jiangli and the emperor exchanged a smile; no one doubted what Chen'er had said.
"Chen'er means that as long as we lure the bandits there, we can wipe them out without losing a single soldier."
“Yes, if those bandits are inherently vicious, then they deserve to die, so why waste Father’s arrows? Anyway, that crumbling wall needed to be repaired anyway.”
Those bandits committed numerous atrocities, including murder and robbery.
The laws of Dajiang are harsh, and they have always been based on the principle of life for life.
Even if they were arrested and taken to the government office, they almost always faced the death penalty.
Gu Jiangli shrugged at the emperor, "Chen'er has already come up with such a good idea, I have no objection. Let's see if Your Majesty has an even simpler way."
The emperor's face was full of doting affection.
"Li'er and Chen'er have already made up their minds, so why should I go through all this trouble? Let's follow Chen'er's method."
"As for the Emperor's father-in-law's house... I will arrange a new residence for him."
Gu Jiangli was grateful for the emperor's thoughtfulness.
The family of three turned their attention to the three bandit brothers kneeling on the ground.
These three people were the bait.
————
The moon hangs high in the sky.
Without any candles lit, the Gu family home was eerily dark.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the big fish to be caught in the net.
The three brothers struggled to control their trembling bodies, because they knew that what they were about to do was betrayal, and also survival.
"Tiger! Bring out the best wine and food! The brothers have had a great day! They're starving and can't wait!"
A commotion came from outside the Gu family's gate.
The speaker's voice was booming and full of momentum.
"Where are they?! Where did they go?!"
Gu Jiangli gave the three of them a look, "Go ahead, I'll wait for your good news."
The three brothers nodded and ran towards the group of people.
The chieftain, seeing the three people rushing towards them in a great hurry, said irritably:
"What's wrong with you guys! I've been calling you for ages and you haven't answered!"
Faced with the chieftain's accusations, the three brothers did not rush to defend themselves. Instead, they looked around the crowd in a panic and mentally counted their numbers.
Seventy-six...
Not one was missing.
At this moment, the eldest of the three brothers spoke:
"Chief, something's happened! We can't stay here any longer!"
The chieftain suppressed his anger and asked, "What happened?"
"You have no idea, the old master of the Gu family is the father-in-law of the current emperor! His daughter is the empress! We've offended someone we can't afford to offend!"
"What? The Emperor's father-in-law?"
The group of bandits behind them all showed expressions of doubt.
"Is this for real? This can't possibly be the residence of the Emperor's father-in-law. There's nothing of value about it. Would the Empress treat her own father like this?"
“Oh dear, Chieftain, you don’t know this! The Imperial Father-in-law was unwilling to accept the flattery of the various ministers in the court, nor was he willing to take up an official position that was not commensurate with his abilities by relying on his daughter’s influence. That’s why he resigned from his eighth-rank official position!” the elder brother said.
The second brother chimed in, "Yes, we made a mistake in our previous investigation and forgot about these things!"
Tiger chimed in, "That's the emperor's father-in-law, Chief! If it were just an ordinary official, offending him wouldn't be a big deal, but he's a member of the imperial family! Besides, I've heard that the emperor dotes on this empress and is extremely respectful to his father-in-law. If the emperor is displeased, he could grind us to dust!"
The chieftain panicked upon hearing this.
But regaining some composure, he asked, "How did you learn all this?"
Tiger replied, “That is precisely what is worrying! While we were cleaning today, we found a letter that the Queen had sent to the Emperor’s father-in-law by carrier pigeon!”
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