Under the cover of night, Jia Xu, wearing a cloak, stood in a small courtyard, with several secret agents from the Investigation Bureau guarding him from behind.
"The sky seems even darker than usual tonight..."
Jia Xu looked up at the deep night sky, a cold glint flashing in his eyes that echoed the darkness.
"Thump thump thump! Thump thump!"
Before long, a rhythmic knocking sound came from outside the door, and one of Jia Xu's secret agents quickly stepped forward and opened the courtyard gate.
Chen Hu, dressed in black, followed the secret agent to Jia Xu.
Chen Hu bowed respectfully to Jia Xu and said, "Reporting to my superior, the operation of my men has been successful. All the assassins in those powerful families' mansions have succumbed to the poison and died peacefully! All the personnel responsible for the infiltration have been evacuated!"
Jia Xu nodded, then asked, "Hmm! How did the retrieval of those things go?"
"The excavation has already begun!! We should be able to extract everything before they even realize it!"
"Hmm, that's good! Let them handle things here, we should go!"
"promise!"
Immediately, Jia Xu took the lead and walked out of the courtyard towards the west of the city, followed closely by Chen Hu and several secret agents. Soon, the group gradually disappeared into the night.
Not long after Jia Xu and the others left, shouts, accompanied by the sounds of horses' hooves and running, broke the silence of the night.
A group of soldiers, armed with long swords and carrying powerful bows, rushed towards the east of the city.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!!"
A member of the Imperial Guard, mounted on horseback, turned his head and shouted. The guards from noble families, soldiers from various prefectures and states, and soldiers from Youzhou following behind him immediately quickened their pace.
Soon the group arrived at a mansion. The two vermilion gates, along with the high walls surrounding the mansion, clearly indicated that the owner of this mansion was of a high status and position, far beyond that of ordinary people.
The accompanying constables approached and respectfully said, "Reporting to the sir, this mansion is the Zhang residence!"
The Imperial Guard nodded, then looked at the two captains of the County and State soldiers and the Youzhou Army beside him.
"Archers, take up the high ground! Fifty cavalrymen, patrol the back streets and intercept any who slip through the net!"
"promise!!"
Soon, after a hundred archers scaled the courtyard wall, fifty cavalrymen who had been sent out also arrived at the back street.
"Go up and knock on the door!"
After everything was arranged, the Imperial Guards soldier waved his hand, and the constable and two men dressed as eunuchs went forward.
"Bang bang bang!!"
The loud knocking startled the doorman from his sleep.
"Who is it? Knocking on the door so late at night! Are you tired of living??"
The gatekeeper rubbed his sleepy eyes, stepped outside, and shouted angrily at the gate.
"Bang bang bang!!!"
The doorman responded with even more intense knocking.
"Huh? There really are people this fearless? Don't they even know where they are?!"
Perhaps accustomed to arrogance, the gatekeeper cursed as he stepped forward to remove the door latch, wanting to see who dared to cause trouble at the Zhang residence so late at night.
Just as the gatekeeper opened the gate of the Zhang residence a crack, the constables and two eunuchs pushed and squeezed through.
"Hey, hey, hey~ What are you doing...? Don't you know what you're doing...??"
The gatekeeper was about to yell at the few people who suddenly squeezed in when he suddenly saw the large group of people outside the mansion. He immediately froze on the spot.
Upon seeing this, the Imperial Guards immediately rushed in with their long-sword-wielding guards and soldiers from various prefectures and kingdoms.
"Charge in, surround all the rooms, and bring their patriarch here!!"
"promise!!"
At the command of the Imperial Guard soldiers, the men behind them split into more than a dozen teams and ran towards the houses in the backyard.
Soon a group of more than ten soldiers from the county and state arrived at the bedroom where the head of the Zhang family was in the backyard.
Inside the bedroom, their target, the head of the Zhang family, was fast asleep, embracing two girls he had snatched from who-knows-where.
Seeing the tightly closed door, the soldier in charge kicked it open without hesitation.
"Clang!"
Hearing the commotion, the head of the Zhang family suddenly woke up and hurriedly turned over to look outside. He saw that more than a dozen soldiers from the county and state, holding long swords, had rushed up to him.
"Ah~!"
The two girls were also startled awake, and couldn't help but scream. They then grabbed the blankets and covered their chests before retreating to the side.
"Who...who are you people?"
Seeing these people who suddenly rushed in, and the gleaming longswords in their hands, the head of the Zhang family showed a look of fear.
The soldier leading the group said coldly, "Master Zhang! You've gotten yourself into trouble! Come with us!"
Looking at the fat Zhang family head and the two girls curled up by the bed, a look of disgust appeared in his eyes.
"What's going on? What are you talking about? Are you one of Geng Hu's men?"
Seeing that the other party did not make a move immediately, and was even dressed in the uniform of a county soldier, the Zhang family head suppressed his fear and asked three questions in a row.
"You'll find out soon enough! Take him away!"
The leader sneered, then waved his hand, and several soldiers behind him immediately stepped forward and dragged the Zhang family head off the bed.
The head of the Zhang family's body, covered in white, flabby flesh, was also perfectly displayed before everyone.
"Hey, hey, be gentle! Can you let me put on some clothes?"
The Zhang family head, who was suddenly pulled off the bed, felt a chill run through his body and couldn't help but shiver.
"With all that fat on you, you think you're cold?? Take you out!!"
The soldier in charge sized up Zhang's head, made a sarcastic remark, and then shouted coldly. Several soldiers then dragged Zhang's head away.
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