Chapter 202 [VIP]
Yin Xiyan and Gu Zhizhuo exchanged glances. Yin Xiyan subtly helped the unsteady Madam Gu and then gestured for Song Jiuniang to hand over the tray.
The minor disturbance did not alarm anyone.
Wuweizi flicked his whisk and announced loudly, "Hairpin ceremony."
He used a spell in his voice, and the old lady shuddered, instinctively picking up the hairpin from the official's tray.
"...Abandon your childish ambitions, follow your virtuous ways. May you live a long and blessed life, and enjoy great fortune." (Note)
After Princess Li finished reading with a gentle smile, she symbolically combed Gu Zhizhuo's hair a few times, picked up the gold-embroidered hairpin, and gently placed it on Gu Zhizhuo's hair.
She gently stroked Gu Zhizhuo's stray hairs with her soft hands, the dangling tassels casting dappled light and shadow on Gu Zhizhuo's cheeks. She smiled faintly, her beauty as radiant as the sun.
Thump!
Another muffled thud, like a heavy object striking, startled the old lady.
Along with it came a lot of noise and commotion.
The front yard was quite far away, separated by the main gate of the Prince's Mansion, so the sound was not obvious and could not be heard clearly. The guests only glanced at it briefly.
Gu Zhizhuo got up from the rattan mat, squeezed the Grand Madam's hand, and said softly, "Grandmother, don't be afraid."
The old lady, who was always timid, stammered, "You, you... Can Can isn't here. Go and call your uncle."
"I am here!"
Her palms were warm, and she repeated, "I'm here!"
She gestured for Gu Zhijiao to come and help the old lady, then gracefully turned around with Xie Danling and bowed to the guests who had come to witness the ceremony.
This is the initial addition.
Next, there will be two more, and three more.
The two women followed the officials and attendants back to the side hall, where they changed into new clothes.
Xie Danling changed into a rose-red floral Confucian skirt. The servants were arranging the hem of her skirt. As soon as Xie Danling looked up, she saw Gu Zhizhuo walk out from behind the screen.
Dressed in full military uniform, with military boots, soft armor draped over his shoulders, and a short sword strapped to his leg, his black hair was tied back in a ponytail, making him look dashing and heroic.
"Young lady."
Qingmei presented a black bow, which Gu Zhizhuo took with a smile. She reassured him, "Don't be afraid."
This wasn't just said to Xie Danling, but also to Yin Xiyan and the others.
Not only military uniform, but also a bow and sword were already placed in the side hall, which is why she was able to change into them immediately. Yin Xiyan realized that Miss Gu had come prepared in advance.
Xie Danling: "Cousin Zhuo, I'll go with you..."
"Good girl." Gu Zhizhuo pinched her cheek and said to Gu Zhijiao, "I'll handle things outside. Don't let things get chaotic in the manor. Understand?"
The eldest sister had explained in advance what kind of unexpected events might occur, and Gu Zhijiao calmly replied, "Yes, eldest sister."
Gu Zhizhuo turned around and strode outside, his military boots making a neat and loud sound as they stepped on the ground.
Qingmei followed closely beside her and reported succinctly, "Young lady, they are Liang people. There are over a thousand of them, and they have surrounded the main street in front of our palace. We haven't seen Duoleng or the princess."
Gu Zhizhuo nodded slightly.
"They are banging on the door."
Gu Yique and Gu Zhiwei were waiting for her in front of the ceremonial gate.
"Big sister."
Both of them carried longbows on their backs and held crossbows in their hands, their small faces tightly pressed together, looking extremely serious.
Gu Zhinan was young, so she stayed at Duanyun Pavilion with Gu Zhijiao, who had never learned martial arts.
Gu Zhizhu patted their heads and smiled, "Don't be afraid."
"I'm not afraid."
The two said in unison that they were no longer children; their older brother had been to the battlefield at their age!
"Walk!"
The banging on the door grew louder and more frequent, like thunder, echoing incessantly in my ears.
The guards greeted her upon her arrival.
Last night, Gu Zhizhuo had already made arrangements.
The Prince's Palace now has five hundred guards.
Over the past two weeks, she has successively dispatched a thousand Zhenbei Army soldiers to infiltrate the capital as traveling merchants, but they are not in the mansion; they have other plans.
The Prince's Mansion has a main gate and three side gates. Gu Zhizhuo only needs to guard the main gate, while she leaves the side gates to Gu Baibai and Gu Liaoliao.
Thump.
With a muffled thud, the door was slammed shut and the bolt on top was shaking.
"Collide!"
A vicious, teeth-gritting sound came from the doorway.
After smashing for so long, they still couldn't break down even one of the mansion gates!
The burly man with the thick beard spat and began to curse.
He wore Qi clothing and spoke standard Daqi Mandarin. He had lived in Daqi for ten years and was one of the spies planted in Daqi by the Liang Kingdom.
If it weren't for the fact that the profanities were delivered in a cold and sarcastic manner, you wouldn't see a trace of coldness in him at all.
"Get out of the way, you little rascal!"
The bearded man pushed the others aside, raised a broadsword at least an inch thick, swung it down with force, his arms bulging.
The blade struck the vermilion gate, leaving a deep mark.
"Again!"
As he raised his hand to strike a second time, someone suddenly shouted, "Centurion! There!"
The bearded man gripped the hilt of his knife and looked in the direction of the sound.
On the high wall, a girl in red military uniform stood proudly, looking down at them.
She raised her long arm and pulled the trigger of the repeating crossbow without hesitation.
Whoosh!
Ten iron arrows pierced the air in a line, resembling the tassels hanging from her hair.
The last bullet pierced the throat of the ninth man, and blood splattered all over the faces and bodies of those around him.
The bearded man held his knife with a look of surprise and uncertainty. The first arrow was aimed at him. At the critical moment, he raised his broadsword to block his throat. The iron arrow struck the blade, making his arms go numb.
Whoosh!
Ten more arrows were fired, the dark iron bolts magnifying rapidly in his pupils. The bearded man cried out, "Shield!"
They were on guard against the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion having muskets, so they all brought shields. But instead of muskets, they found other weapons!
"It's a repeating crossbow."
Ji Nanke stood behind, muttering to herself.
She stared intently at the repeating crossbow in Gu Zhizhuo's hand.
This is her repeating crossbow!!
Although it was not quite the same as the one she had seen in the picture, a crossbow that could fire ten arrows at once could not possibly exist in this era! She had only given the crossbow to Xie Jing, who said he would try to present it to the emperor to ask for a reward for her, but there had been no result for a long time.
Could it be that Xie Jing gave it to Gu Zhizhuo?!
Xie Jing took his things to curry favor with Gu Zhizhuo!?
Not only did Xie Jing still have feelings for Gu Zhizhuo, but he was also secretly having an affair with Gu Zhizhuo behind her back?! This realization shocked her so much that her head was buzzing.
Gu Zhizhuo stood firmly on the wall, looking down at everyone. In her gaze, everyone seemed to shrink in comparison.
In just a few moments, more than a dozen corpses lay scattered on the ground, blood flowing freely. The bearded man instinctively took a step back, not out of fear, but out of wariness.
Dozens of thick shields were lined up in front of them, and Liang Ren no longer underestimated the girl in front of him.
Rather, they are formidable opponents.
"Kill her."
Until a voice suddenly rang out.
Gu Zhizhuo and Ji Nanke, who was hiding behind the crowd, locked eyes.
Ji Nanke's delicate voice became hoarse and strained, with a sharp, shrill ending.
The bearded man snorted. If it weren't for the eldest prince's prior order, he wouldn't bother with a woman from the Great Qi Dynasty, let alone follow a woman's orders.
However, the eldest prince ordered them to take over the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion within one hour.
Take down the Gu family!
"Release the arrows."
Bows and arrows were raised behind shields, their gleaming arrowheads aimed at Gu Zhizhuo on the wall.
Oh.
Gu Zhizhuo beckoned to Ji Nanke below with a finger, his upturned lips full of provocation.
"Kill her."
The arrow comes off the string.
Gu Zhizhuo leaned back, stepping on the shadow cast by the arrow. Her boots lightly touched the top of the wall, and with a little force from her hands, she landed steadily on the ground.
"Gu Zhizhuo!"
The almost out-of-control screams startled the birds around them, causing them to fly away in all directions.
"go."
Gu Zhizhuo raised his hand and gave the order.
Even the most ordinary guards in the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion were all retired veterans of the Zhenbei Army.
A veteran is someone who survives the fighting on the battlefield.
They are experts at both attacking and defending cities.
"Yes, young lady!"
Large pots had been set up early on, with water boiling. Two guards held up wooden ladders while the rest carried the boiling water up the city wall and poured it over people's heads.
Whoosh!
"Ahhh!"
The piercing screams shattered the heavens.
"Big sister."
Gu Yique stared intently at her. When his sister nodded, he used a wooden ladder to climb onto the wall.
Gu Zhizhu crossed his arms and watched the guards go up and down the wooden ladder.
"Ah! Big sister, they've moved away."
"fine."
Such an attack simply catches you off guard.
Rumble.
Another rumble of thunder followed, mixed with wails and screams.
However, the sky remained clear and the sun shone brightly.
As the saying goes, heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. At the most unpredictable moment of destiny's change, even the master could not foresee the outcome.
She, the young master, and Can Can discussed it and concluded that, given the enemy's manpower and troop strength, they could not afford to fight on two fronts.
It's either the capital city or the Imperial Ancestral Temple; it will only be more important to one of them.
One possibility is that while the prince and his entourage were at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and the capital was deserted, the emperor launched a preemptive strike from the palace. Given his inherent status and the presence of the twenty-six Imperial Guards, he could easily seize the capital. Once the prince returned, he could enter the city, close the gates, and be trapped like a turtle in a jar, attacked from both sides.
Another possibility is that the emperor left the capital and led his troops to attack the princes and officials in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
In this way, we can ensure that we eliminate both the young master and Cancan at the same time, getting rid of two major threats, and preventing the situation from "letting the tiger return to the mountain".
The emperor has been taken away.
This means that his target was the Imperial Ancestral Temple.
When it came time to pray for blessings at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, all the civil and military officials, nobles, and members of the imperial family had to go. In the vast capital city, only women, children, and infants remained in the various gates and residences.
Once the families of the nobles and court officials are taken into custody, even if these people are extremely loyal to the prince, they will inevitably be controlled.
The purpose of setting the day for the prayer ceremony at the Imperial Ancestral Temple to coincide with her coming-of-age ceremony was singular—to legitimately invite the ladies and young women from various households to attend the ceremony.
With all the matriarchs and matriarchs of the various mansions residing in the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, the Liang people would not divide their forces to arrest some "unimportant" people.
Thump.
The gates of the Prince's mansion were slammed shut with a loud bang.
This gate had been secretly reinforced several times during the time that the Dowager Lady was busy with renovations for her coming-of-age banquet; otherwise, it would have collapsed long ago.
Standing on the wall, Gu Yique looked down and shouted, "Big sister, they used logs!"
Rolling logs are a powerful weapon that can be used for siege warfare. Gu Zhizhuo was shocked. Was the defense of the capital really that bad? The Liang people could even hide rolling logs in?
“Young lady, it’s a log, a log!” Old Dan quickly corrected.
Okay, so it was just wood after all.
Gu Zhiwei stood below and playfully pinched his cheek: "Third brother, you're so shameless, you don't even recognize a rolling log."
Gu Yique blushed, dodged the three arrows, and fired a crossbow.
"Don't get distracted," Gu Zhizhuo said with a smile.
The emperor was inherently suspicious, so she had to show weakness first.
Otherwise, if the Emperor discovers that the Prince of Zhenbei's residence is handling the situation with ease, he will surely assume it's a trap. If, in that case, the Emperor doesn't dare to act and instead flees under the protection of his personal guards, the country will be divided like in the previous dynasty, making reunification difficult and detrimental to the people's livelihood.
The Great Qi Dynasty can't withstand any more setbacks.
After a moment's thought, Gu Zhizhuo ordered, "Open the door!"
In rhythm with the impact, the guards suddenly pulled out the bolts, as if they had smashed the door open.
"It crashed open."
"kill."
The men carrying the log fell face down, their teeth clanging heavily against the wood. Immediately afterward, the men behind them trampled over them and rushed in.
Several guards used their bodies to block the gate, allowing only one person to pass at a time.
"kill!"
Gu Zhizhuo was the first to step forward with his knife, the blood splattering onto his face.
She wiped her cheek, a carefree and unrestrained smile playing on her lips.
She will guard the capital and wait for Can Can and the young master to return.
After letting in about a hundred people, Gu Zhizhuo shouted, "Close the door!"
The guard obeyed, closed the door, and bolted it.
They were all veterans who had fought on the battlefield, and even those who were old and frail had once been members of the Zhenbei Army. Even Gu Zhiwei gripped her Persian dagger and stepped forward.
Old Dan wiped his face and laughed loudly, "That was awesome!"
"Young lady, the water is boiling."
"splash."
The scalding hot water was poured down again.
Gu Zhizhuo stepped onto the wooden ladder and easily leaped onto the top of the wall. She stood in the sunlight, the gold hairpin in her hair blooming with petals.
Nearly half of the thousand-plus Liang people fell, clutching their faces in pain and howling. Even the bearded man retreated three or five steps away, watching the wall warily.
He dodged quickly, and with a shield in hand, he still managed to get several drops of hot water splashed on his face, causing small blisters to appear on his reddened skin.
He looked directly at Gu Zhizhuo.
The fact that the opponent is only defending and not attacking means that they are short-handed.
The Gu family truly lives up to its reputation; a woman leading a group of elderly and weak people has managed to hold out for so long.
Unfortunately, just when they had broken down the door, they closed it again.
One hour.
The eldest prince only gave himself one hour!
Ji Nanke stepped out from behind the wall: "Set it on fire."
The bearded man pondered.
He had been lurking in the capital of Daqi for over a decade, and now this was an excellent opportunity to make a name for himself. If he succeeded, he could return to Daliang in glory with the eldest prince.
An hour is almost up; we can't wait any longer.
"Pour kerosene."
The strong, pungent smell of kerosene was splashed onto the door. The bearded man took out a tinderbox, lit it, and threw it over with a snap.
With a whoosh.
Flames leaped up, engulfing the vermilion gates of the Prince's mansion, and the dancing flames splashed onto the black plaque with gold lettering.
Gu Zhizhuo stood on the wall, the scorching heat hitting her face. She took out a Cloud Piercing Arrow from her bosom and lit it.
Whoosh!
A red light, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, shot straight into the sky.
"She's calling for help."
Ji Nanke exclaimed excitedly, almost deliriously, "Gu Zhizhuo, you're finished, you're finished!"
A burst of red light exploded in mid-air, spreading out like clouds and illuminating the sky.
She raised her arm, smiled slightly, and pulled the trigger of the crossbow at Ji Nanke.
Whoosh. The arrow pierced Ji Nanke's shoulder, the lingering force propelling her backward ten steps before pinning her hard against the wall.
"So noisy."
A note from the author:
Note: From the *Book of Rites*, "The Ceremony of the Coming-of-Age for a Scholar".
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